Friendly Atheist Podcast

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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. 242 - The Disturbing Responses To The Synagogue Shooting Nov 03, 2018

Show notes

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

— Kellyanne Conway blamed the synagogue shooting on anti-religiosity, not anti-Semitism. (3:04)

— Don't invite a Jews for Jesus rabbi to speak after a mass shooting of Jewish people. (10:32)

— Muslims covered the funeral expenses for victims of anti-Semitic mass shooting. (16:35)

— Did the University of Utah properly handle the death of a student? (19:05)

— Don't ever go to a gynecologist who does this. (21:30)

— The Pakistani Supreme Court overturned a death sentence for Asia Bibi. Will she be safe? (23:50)

— A Washington State Rep. wrote "Biblical Basis for War" manifesto. (29:50)

— Attorney Michael Avenatti may run for president as the Great White Democratic Hope. (33:22)

— Some young evangelicals are realizing Democrats practice what Christians preach. (36:40)

— In Alberta, a patient had to discuss end of life care on the sidewalk because a Catholic hospital wouldn't allow it inside. (43:20)

— A Catholic bishop allegedly told kids that Santa doesn't exist. (47:44)

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Ep. 241 - Caitlyn Jenner's Selfish Apology Oct 27, 2018

Show notes

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

— Tasmania may remove gender from birth certificates. (3:55)

— The Trump administration may revoke legal protections for transgender people. (8:35)

— Ark Encounter attendance is still dropping faster than ever. (18:18)

— Astrological chapstick is now a thing. (20:37)

— The Museum of the Bible realized five of its Dead Sea Scrolls are fake. Who wants to tell them? (22:47)

— If the Australian prime minister apologized for abuses in the Catholic Church, does it matter? (29:38)

— Anti-vaxxers got Arizona to scrap its vaccine education program. (35:55)

— Should anyone accept Caitlyn Jenner‚Äòs apology for supporting Donald Trump despite his actions against transgender people? (41:36)

— Most evangelicals don't understand their core beliefs, according to a new survey. (51:28)

— A rabbi wants people to avoid online ordination for weddings. He doesn't get the problem with that. (1:09:03)

— This pastor thinks Ruth Bader Ginsburg should be executed for treason. (1:17:09)

— Is it okay for parents to swear around their children? (1:19:36)

— How do you meet atheists when you're new in town? (1:20:21)

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Ep. 240 - The Astrologer Certification Test Oct 19, 2018

Show notes

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

— A Catholic pharmacist wouldn't give a woman the medicine she needed to abort a miscarriage. (2:35)

— Christian videographers want the right to discriminate against gay customers and it may go to the Supreme Court. (10:48)

— Republicans are rushing to confirm an enemy of church/state separation before Democrats can weigh in. (21:12)

— Stephen Hawking is adamant about his atheism in his final book. (30:42)

— Donald Trump said he has a "natural instinct" for science, a comment which shows he doesn't understand science. (34:30)

— There's a "grueling" exam for astrologers. I guess you fail by taking it. (37:02)

— Christian author says rape doesn't count if the woman doesn't scream. Again. (42:52)

— An anti-gay former fire chief in Atlanta got $1.2 million in settlement. (49:15)

— 90% of Goop wellness products are not supported by science. (57:43)

— Can you be a bad atheist? (1:02:07)

— How can we stay optimistic in a depressing world? (1:07:59)

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

Ep. 239 - The IRS Revoked An Atheist Charity's Tax Exemption Oct 13, 2018

Show notes

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

— Atheist charity Nonbelief Relief just had its tax exemption revoked by the IRS‚ arguably on purpose. The group says this amounts to religious discrimination by the government. (0:45)

— Here are the major church/state separation cases in front of the Supreme Court that Brett Kavanaugh could soon be ruling on. (11:55)

— Secular Democrats are among the most enthusiastic about the midterms. But will that mean votes? (18:38)

— Mike Huckabee thinks Taylor Swift's endorsement for Democrats won't matter. As usual, he's wrong. (22:45)

— The Mormon president said women should take a 10-day social media "fast" right before the election. (27:24)

— The new Quebec premier says a large crucifix in the National Assembly isn't a religious symbol at all. (32:36)

— Want an important take on the #MeToo movement? Don't ask North Dakota GOP Senate candidate Kevin Cramer. (35:41)

— A group representing Catholic moms released a video supporting Kavanaugh that was all about how false allegations could happen to the men in your lives. (41:41)

— The UK Supreme Court just ruled in favor of Christian bakers who didn't want to bake a cake for a gay customer. But this could backfire on Christians. (44:02)

— Teachers at a middle school couldn't decide what to do with a trans student during a lockdown drill. Thank goodness it was only a drill. (49:02)

— Matthew Shepard will finally have a resting place nearly two decades after a hate crime took his life. (51:23)

— When are government officials (including teachers) allowed to wear religious symbols? (55:42)

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

Ep. 238 - Tucker Carlson Thinks We're In An Atheist Theocracy Oct 06, 2018

Show notes

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

— Tucker Carlson says the Brett Kavanaugh backlash is due to an atheist "theocracy." (4:40)

— Does Purity Culture explain why evangelical women still support Brett Kavanaugh? (11:06)

— Former Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson is teaching a class on ethics for some reason. (14:58)

— Even Catholics are getting sick of Pope Francis. (19:52)

— In a letter, Albert Einstein called God a "product of human weakness." (24:41)

— Ark Encounter does not make for an educational (or legal) field trip. (26:40)

— The "Nones" believe a lot of New Age nonsense. (30:02)

— The Jenga approach to religion. (34:17)

— Irish schools have an awful track record when it comes to religion. (37:55)

— The Trump administration will end visas for unmarried gay partners of diplomats. (41:48)

— Is "freethought" a good word for atheists to use? (47:30)

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Ep. 237 - Brett Kavanaugh Loves God and Beer Sep 29, 2018

Show notes

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

— Even if Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, half of evangelicals wouldn't care. (1:30)

— A Jesuit publication rescinded its endorsement of Kavanaugh. (11:25)

— The question to Kavanaugh from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) about God was inappropriate. (15:49)

— A Kentucky city council member is holding a school district hostage unless they take back their support of church/state separation. (18:20)

— The Pennsylvania House passed a bill that would create a new two-year window for child sex abuse victims to sue their abusers. (23:56)

— Preacher John Piper says Christians shouldn't attend the weddings of couples who don't feel bad for having pre-marital sex. (28:53)

— The Texas attorney general says students cannot "unilaterally refuse" to say the Pledge. A 1943 Supreme Court ruling says otherwise. (32:40)

— NPR's Terry Gross is not anti-Christian. (37:46)

— The Congressional Freethought Caucus is growing! (40:30)

— Listener mail: Why do we talk about LGBTQ issues so much on an atheist podcast? And why will Hemant be the first one destroyed in the Zombie Apocalypse? (42:46)

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

Ep. 236 - The Christian Right's Kavanaugh Controversy Sep 22, 2018

Show notes

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

— White evangelicals say we shouldn't listen to Brett Kavanaugh's accuser unless there were 2-3 witnesses because the Bible says so, and that he was respectful after she said no. (0:35)

— A man who strangled a woman received no jail time. (26:35)

— A Louisiana congressman claims atheists are spying on students in one high school. (29:42)

— An art gallery owner found a clever way to get church members to stop parking in his spaces. (34:11)

— Three pastors tried banning books from a library's Banned Books display. (35:52)

— An Indian court found a great reason to reject a blasphemy complaint. (43:12)

— This is a remarkably tone-deaf ad, even for the GOP. (46:00)

— The Mormon Church excommunicated a man who was trying to protect children. (53:34)

— A former GOP state senator and Trump supporter was sentenced to 15 years in jail for child sex trafficking. (57:12)

— Should taxpayers be funding church renovations? The Supreme Court may get to weigh in on that. (59:45)

— How can you criticize minority religions without being called "Islamophobic" or anti-Semitic? (1:07:58)

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

Ep. 235 - The Counterprotest In Tulsa Sep 15, 2018

Show notes

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

— This is a great way to respond to an anti-abortion protest outside a high school. (0:45)

— A 9-year-old girl protesting the National Anthem in Australia. And she has a good point. (6:20)

— Republican candidates' old videos are catching up to them in their races. (11:36)

— What is causing Hurricane Florence? These Christians have all the (wrong) ideas. (24:35)

— Here's the biggest problem with the atheist character on God Friended Me. (30:23)

— Should pro-Christian advertisements be allowed on high school football fields? (38:39)

— North Carolina Republicans shelved scientists' recommendations about dealing with rising sea levels. (44:12)

— A Christian college won't let a student finish his degree because he's openly gay. (47:45)

— Pope Francis referred to The Great Accuser (Satan) when discussing the sex abuse scandal. (53:25)

— Should you pay money to see a psychic even if you know it's not real? (1:02:28)

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

Ep. 234 - Sorry, Sinead Sep 08, 2018

Show notes

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

— These Christians are threatening to follow the law if they don't get to pray over the loudspeakers before football games. (2:20)

— A new book talks about the harm of the evangelical "purity" movement. (7:53)

— Several states are launching their own investigations into the Catholic Church. (17:37)

— Researchers calculated how much money victims of Catholic Church abuse lose over their lifetimes. (22:18)

— A Mexican cardinal says victims of the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal have their own skeletons and should shut up. (28:55)

— Sinéad O'Connor deserves all the apologies for calling out Catholic Church abuse long before it was a news story. (31:09)

— A Christian school has banned all Nike products for athletes after the Colin Kaepernick ad. (37:20)

— A bunch of evangelical Christians released a statement denouncing social justice activism. (45:55)

— A Texas pastor sexually assaulted a teen in church. Is the church handling the situation properly? (58:53)

— American Atheists has a new president. Here's what he should focus on. (1:03:34)

— Is it fair to question Serena Williams about her Jehovah's Witness beliefs? (1:25:38)

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

Ep. 233 - The Pope's Trip To Ireland Was A Bust Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

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

— Donald Trump held a dinner party for conservative Christian leaders, screwed up a quotation, and urged pastors to tell their congregations how to vote. (6:22)

— The Pope's visit to Ireland was not nearly as popular as organizers expected. (13:51)

— A critic of the Pope says he knew about the abuse and did nothing but the messenger has problems of his own. (18:02)

— Louis CK is performing again - what does that say about #MeToo? (27:35)

— A critic of Mormon "masturbation interviews" is being threatened with excommunication. 32:34)

— Who installed a Scientology kiosk in a Hollywood police station? (40:45)

— A girl was stabbed at a high school after rejecting a boy's advances. (44:25)

— A 9-year-old boy killed himself after being bullied for being gay. (46:49)

— 97-year-old televangelist Ernest Angley is being sued for all kinds of creepy abuse. (48:57)

— Russian bots wanted to increase hostilities on both sides of the vaccine "debate." (56:09)

— A preacher who went viral for speaking in tongues now says we weren't meant to see that. (57:44)

— Forget the "Nones." Say hello to the "Solidly Seculars." (1:02:24)

— How many victims of the Catholic Church do we not know about? (1:12:50)

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

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