Friendly Atheist Podcast

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Religion & Spirituality
**Friendly Atheist Podcast**

Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke Greiff cover the latest news, politics, and pop culture with a focus on atheism and religion. This is the official podcast for FriendlyAtheist.com.

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 268 - The GOP Repealed The Hippocratic Oath May 04, 2019

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Donald Trump announced new disastrous "religious freedom" exemptions for medical workers. (0:25)

— Pete Buttigieg had a weird week when it came to vaccination policy. (3:50)

— The Alabama House just passed a bill making abortion a felony. But something good for abortion rights happened in Kansas! Seriously! (8:51)

— Why are these men not going to jail for their crimes? (10:48)

— Pat Robertson, in rare form, said something sensible about Creationism. Now Creationists are complaining about it. (13:59)

— It wasn't heartwarming to see a BYU valedictorian come out as gay at graduation because we know what comes next. (17:00)

— A Christian college covered up classical works of art in textbooks. (21:30)

— After a school shooting, a North Carolina church used the opportunity to win converts. (28:18)

— A college president said safe sex is a myth. (31:08)

— Navy sailors were told to applaud for Mike Pence as if they're "at a strip club." (35:03)

— Fundamentalist Christian Lori Alexander says wives should always have sex with their husbands because it won't even take long. (36:45)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 267 - Yellow Pocket Angel Eggs Apr 26, 2019

Show notes

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— The Duggar family refuses to call them deviled eggs. (1:15)

— Right-wingers attacked Democrats for their Sri Lanka tweets, but Donald Trump's similar message was ignored. (5:15)

— This Kentucky restaurant's anti-LGBTQ shirts make no sense. (9:49)

— The U.S. House can legally reject atheist invocations. (13:58)

— A court said Philadelphia's taxpayer-funded foster care clinics can't discriminate against same-sex couples (20:03)

— Evangelist Franklin Graham says Pete Buttigieg "flaunted" his homosexuality by existing, I guess. (22:28)

— A Maryland middle school almost canceled a play because there's a same-sex couple in it. (25:20)

— Never take sex advice from a person who was a virgin until marriage. (28:45)

— A study said abstinence pledges hurt women's reproductive health down the line. (This survey is actually from 2016; it's not recent. Sorry!) (39:07)

— Racist Rep. Steve King says he knows what Jesus went through because people hate him, too. (43:27)

— Irish bishops admitted that religious education classes make you dumber. (46:15)

— A right-wing rabbi said being gay is way worse than being a lesbian. (51:50)

— Stephen Moore's writing about women is the worst. (56:43)

— A New York sheriff compared himself to Jesus when challenging body cams for cops. (1:02:25)

— A United Nations resolution against sexual violence hit an obstacle with the Trump administration. (1:06:09)

— We hope Rachel Held Evans gets well soon. (1:09:37)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 266 - The Tragedy At Notre Dame Apr 19, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— The Notre Dame fire is a tragedy no matter what you think about religion. (3:00)

— Gallup says church membership is at an all-time low. (14:50)

— A preacher claims Pete Buttigieg will turn the country into a "homocracy." (29:47)

— Evangelicals released a statement on artificial intelligence. It's anti-gay. (41:25)

— A Christian donor said she wouldn't give money to a fundraiser for a baby with cancer because her parents are lesbians. (46:20)

— An Ohio pastor told kids to beat him up to teach them a lesson about Jesus. (50:04)

— The Texas House passed a radical anti-abortion bill that misleads the public. (54:35)

— The Tennessee House voted to amend its Constitution to include a shout-out to "Almighty God." (58:50)

— Republicans are dismissing science as a "Democrat thing." (1:01:53)

— An Italian court censored an atheist group's perfectly fine ad. (1:03:26)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 265 - Pete Buttigieg Vs. Mike Pence Apr 13, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant is speaking near Chapel Hill, North Carolina on Sunday! Come watch! (0:38)

— Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas doesn't think atheists are trustworthy. (1:34)

— An Illinois billboard welcomes Missouri women who want abortions without obstacles. (7:59)

— Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg isn't a real Christian, say Religious Right figures who have ruined Christianity. (10:12)

— Mike Huckabee blamed weak Christians for allowing gender roles to break down. (19:10)

— A now-scuttled Texas bill would have punished women with the death penalty for having an abortion. (27:07)

— Ohio Republicans have signed into law an abortion ban that goes into effect before some women even know they're pregnant. (31:21)

— Lori Loughlin says God is helping her cope with the role in the college admissions scandal. (33:18)

— Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI broke his silence to offer horrible excuses for the Church's sex abuse scandal. (36:10)

— The black hole! (39:47)

— The Catholic University of America wants to ban the top 200 adult websites. It won't work. (44:41)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 264 - The Mormon Church Is Slightly Less Anti - Gay Now Apr 06, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant is speaking near Chapel Hill, North Carolina next Sunday! Come watch! (0:24)

— The Mormon Church has changed its rules to be a little less anti-gay. (0:56)

— Atheists are calling on Mississippi to offer a free alternative to the default "In God We Trust" license plate. (7:54)

— This is the worst Christian take on the election of Lori Lightfoot to mayor of Chicago. (14:09)

— Texas will ban all chaplains from execution chambers instead of allowing a Buddhist priest to enter the room with an inmate. (17:01)

— House Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. (21:03)

— A North Dakota legislator was very upset by a Hindu invocation because the man didn't pray to the "One True God." (23:21)

— We finally have an openly Humanist member of Congress. It's official! (26:30)

— An Arizona information hotline may lose funding because 0.0003% of calls last year asked about abortion services. (29:39)

— An unvaccinated kid may have exposed hundreds of people to measles in California. (35:30)

— Liberty University's Title IX violation form shows you how little they care. (40:45)

— A guest of FOX News' Laura Ingraham said transgender people are trying to "create a new species." (43:20)

— The HPV vaccine has been linked to a serious drop in cervical disease. (46:29)

— Donald Trump doesn't understand windmills. (47:35)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 263 - Cory Booker Won't Be Friending Us Mar 29, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant is speaking at the Freethought Festival in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend! Come watch! (1:24)

— A Catholic mother really doesn't want students wearing leggings at Notre Dame but students pushed back. (1:45)

— Tennessee is considering legalizing and regulating sports betting but not on Sundays, because Jesus. (9:40)

— Fundamentalist Pastor Steven Anderson uploaded another old sermon trashing independent women. (14:50)

— Cory Booker says he'd "rather hang out with a nice atheist than a mean Christian." Great line or subtle jab against atheists? (17:45)

— A Christian lawmaker from Pennsylvania gave the worst invocation at the worst time, probably on purpose. (37:33)

— Is it kind or creepy that Christians in Tennessee sent 40,000 handwritten letters to strangers about Jesus? (44:46)

— Houston's Drag Queen Story Time will come to an end due to threats from Christians. (48:00)

— Rockland County, NY is banning unvaccinated children from public spaces. (56:00)

— Self-proclaimed paranormalist Uri Geller says he can "telepathically" stop Brexit. (1:01:22)

— A Texas bill would allow licensed professionals to discriminate against LGBTQ clients. (1:05:35)

— State-funded adoption agencies in Michigan, including religious ones, can no longer discriminate against LGBTQ clients. (1:07:14)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 262 - Don't Handle Chickenpox Like Gov. Matt Bevin Mar 23, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant is speaking at the Freethought Festival in Madison, Wisconsin next week! Come watch! (0:30)

— Hemant's working on two new projects! Here's what they are and how you can support him! (0:59)

— The Nones are #1 - what does that mean? (5:21)

— A university in Calgary canceled a talk by an ex-Muslim atheist out of sensitivity to victims of the New Zealand terror attack. But when's the right time to criticize religion? (10:55)

— LifeWay, the largest Christian retailer, is shutting down all stores. You'll have to buy your Christians elsewhere. (18:31)

— FOX News' Todd Starnes thinks we need "heterosexual history classes." (24:28)

— Chick-fil-A is back in the news for its anti-LGBTQ ways. (31:26)

— If you want to help your kids deal with chickenpox, don't do what Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin did. (40:58)

— An Italian politician who fought against mandatory vaccination contracted chickenpox. (47:33)

— A kid is suing his local Department of Health in Kentucky after getting banned from his high school's events for being unvaccinated. (49:12)

— Christian moms are furious over a new supposedly sexualized Kit Kat commercial. (51:15)

— Georgia is on the verge of banning abortions after six weeks. (57:00)

— A physicist got $1.4 million for saying science and religion might be compatible. (1:00:18)

— The Neil deGrasse Tyson investigation is over. What did we learn? (1:03:50)

— The Irish prime minister and his same-sex partner had some words for Mike Pence. (1:13:28)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 261 - This Is What Makes The Catholic Church Angry Mar 15, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant's speaking in Florida this weekend! (0:56)

— Jessica got into a Twitter fight with a celebrity (?) over the meaning of "atheist." (1:38)

— Hemant's invocation in DuPage County will lead to a vote on the practice. (5:59)

— A high schooler who broke school rules claims she was punished for her religion. (11:40)

— The Diocese of Brooklyn is angrier about Pete Davidson's SNL joke than child abuse. (16:51)

— Cardinal George Pell will spend only six years in jail for child rape. (23:30)

— A Georgia legislator says she'll introduce a bill to regulate men's balls. (28:50)

— Humanist weddings are less likely to end in divorce, according to figures out of Scotland. (34:40)

— Analyzing rape kits actually works. Who knew? (41:20)

— Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants taxpayers to fund "secular" services by religious groups for schools. (46:26)

— Captain Marvel did not sit well with an anti-feminist Christian writer. (49:42)

— Westboro Baptist Church protested against a trans legislator but there were counter-protesters with kazoos. (55:39)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 260 - Taxpayers Aren't Funding Churches... Yet Mar 09, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Donald Trump is signing bibles for victims of the tornado in Alabama. (0:25)

— I'm giving talks next week in Tampa and Orlando! Come on by, people of Florida! (4:14)

— The Supreme Court won't hear a case involving taxpayers funding church renovations. (5:38)

— A boy has tetanus. A kid has measles. A major study of 650,000 patients found no link between vaccines and autism. Will vaccine deniers ever accept reality? (13:15)

— A college dean resigned from her position (but not the school) after the campus said no to bringing a Chick-fil-A on campus. (26:55)

— Utah is about to make premarital sex legal. Which means it wasn't legal. (31:08)

— A Christian firefighter is suing his department because they wouldn't let him grow a beard. (36:20)

— The GOP is confirming anti-church/state separation judges at a rapid rate. (39:36)

— For the second time, a patient was cured of HIV! (43:03)

— Planned Parenthood and the American Medical Association are suing the Trump administration for punishing family planning clinics that refer women for abortions. (44:42)

— Changing your religion before marriage is the lowest form of religious conversion. (47:20)

— Was it sensible or cowardly for a high school Christian wrestler to forfeit matches to avoid matches with girls? (50:30)

— Did you know drive-thru ashes were a thing on Ash Wednesday? (58:00)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 259 - The Supreme Court And The Giant Christian Cross Mar 02, 2019

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Here's what happened in the Supreme Court as they discussed the Bladensburg Cross. (1:27)

— The "My Pillow" guy, Mike Lindell, told CPAC Donald Trump was the best president ever because he was "chosen by God." (12:45)

— Cardinal George Pell's lawyer tried to get him a more lenient sentence by referring to his actions as "plain vanilla" child rape. (15:36)

— A Missouri bill would ban anonymity for anyone who files a church/state separation lawsuit. (20:00)

— The United Methodist Church just voted for its own extinction by adopting an anti-LGBTQ stance. (26:56)

— Skeptics came up with a clever way to expose psychic mediums. (33:22)

— Richard Dawkins is giving away professionally translated versions of his books for free for readers in Muslim-majority nations. (41:22)

— Pope Francis had no concrete suggestions for handling child sex abuse at a summit about handling child sex abuse. (44:18)

— Portland (Oregon) now explicitly includes atheists in its non-discrimination ordinance. (46:33)

— With a conservative government, Brazilian lawmakers are resurrecting old bills that promote Christian supremacy. (48:20)

— In Argentina, an 11-year-old girl was forced to give birth to her rapist's baby. Because that's what the "pro-lifers" wanted. (51:37)

— A Florida Democrat is skipping the first day of the legislative session so she can hang out with Pat Robertson. (54:06)

— A Kansas lawmaker won't endorse anti-gay "parody marriage" bill after daughter's open letter, but he doesn't go far enough. (56:50)

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected