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. 213 - The Even Sadder Creation Museum Apr 21, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Kent Hovind is advertising his new Creationist theme park using a meme mocking Creationists. (1:41)

-- White evangelical Christian support for Donald Trump is at an all-time high. (7:37)

-- The frighteningly conservative White House Bible studies being run by Capitol Ministries' Ralph Drollinger. (13:40)

-- A Stanford study doesn't really show that the most religious kids do best in school. (17:56)

-- Pope Francis lied to a kid about whether or not his dead atheist father was in Heaven. (26:18)

-- This is a fairly accurate assessment of why people think Christians are "A**holes." (32:36)

-- Liberty University makes bank through its online education program. Too bad it's not good for students. (34:50)

-- Focus on the Family is legally a "church" now, and you should see how they pulled it off... (41:23)

-- Students at "Christian Hogwarts" are doing something called "grave sucking" and trying to walk through walls. (52:06)

-- Was Democratic National Committee vice chairman Keith Ellison right to say, "Women are dying" because his party loses elections? (57:34)

-- We answer listener mail! (1:09:21)

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

Ep. 212 - The Tide Goes Out Apr 14, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Why was David Silverman fired from American Atheists? Because of this. (1:05)

-- Attendance at Catholic churches is going down. (33:16)

-- Evangelical Christians can't save their "brand" from Donald Trump since it was a problem to begin with. (35:22)

-- Liberty University doesn't want student reporters to report on a progressive Christian event. (43:37)

-- Oklahoma just named its "Official Inspirational Song" and it's a Christian rock ballad. (51:55)

-- Senator Cory Booker grilled Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo over his anti-gay views. (54:55)

-- Focus on the Family has quietly ended its anti-LGBTQ "Day of Dialogue." (58:34)

-- Creationist Ken Ham is mad that people said he's loosening restrictions in his hiring... even though he is. (1:02:05)

-- Missouri interfaith leaders are speaking out against a bill allowing concealed carry weapons in churches. (1:07:43)

-- We answer listener mail! (1:09:54)

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

Ep. 211 - Do Atheists Have An Alt - Right Problem? Apr 07, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Whether atheists are indeed "veering dangerously" toward the alt-right. (0:15)

-- Why Creationist Ken Ham has a lot of job openings, but no takers. (30:20)

-- Some incredibly manipulative faith-based backstabbing in Victoria, Australia. (34:57)

-- Why Christians must disavow Donald Trump, according to a Christian. (40:15)

-- Little Free Libraries are becoming havens for religious proselytizing. (45:50)

-- The backlash to a vaccination bill in New Jersey. (50:50)

-- A Christian author says we have to avoid vaccines since the Bible never mentions them. (54:58)

-- After 73 years of marriage, this Canadian couple chose to end their lives together... and some people are furious. (59:13)

-- God's Not Dead 3 tanked at the box office. (1:05:05)

-- This "perfect" way to stop gay couples from renting a wedding venue may backfire. (1:09:15)

-- This is depressing: A third of Americans ages 18-24 aren't sure the Earth is round. (1:13:09)

-- Many people want to kill women who have abortions. (1:16:55)

-- We answer listener mail! (1:26:15)

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

Ep. 210 - Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop Is Worth A Quarter - Billion Dollars Mar 31, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Gwyneth Paltrow's pseudoscience repository Goop is now worth a quarter-billion dollars because America is an embarrassment. (0:50)

-- One of the most liberal federal judges in the nation has died. He was so liberal, he agreed "Under God" in the Pledge was unconstitutional. (7:17)

-- Evangelical Christians still, by and large, support Donald Trump. (15:10)

-- A Houston pastor who delivered benediction at President George W. Bush's inauguration has been charged with wire fraud (and more!). (23:34)

-- Liberty University now has a gun range. Just like Jesus wanted. (31:22)

-- The Pope doesn't believe in Hell, according to an atheist journalist who didn't take notes and has way too much access to the Catholic leader. (37:14)

-- A survey says even religious people don't take the Ten Commandments seriously. (41:16)

-- The Mormon Church finally says women shouldn't stay in abusive relationships. (46:54)

-- Who needs more representation on TV? Not atheists, according to this survey. (54:34)

-- We answer listener mail! (59:45)

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

Ep. 209 - Bees Won't Cure Your Health Problems Mar 23, 2018

Show notes

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

-- The Johnson Amendment is (temporarily) safe again! (0:41)

-- The Navy has rejected the application of a Humanist chaplain after pushback from Republicans. (6:08)

-- The new director of the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services overcame discrimination in his youth. Now Roger Severino wants to discriminate against others. (14:06)

-- Don't listen to Gwyneth Paltrow: Bee stings won't improve your health. Haven't you seen My Girl? (23:45)

-- Young Europeans are abandoning religion in droves. (26:55)

-- A Memphis pastor has finally resigned after sexually assaulting a teen girl decades ago. (30:10)

-- One of the most influential megachurches in the country, Willow Creek, is dealing with misconduct allegations against its founding pastor Bill Hybels. (37:35)

-- Hipster pastors are the worst because they're too afraid to have opinions. (47:35)

-- Is it okay for a Democrat to be personally anti-abortion if he won't legislate that way? (54:38)

-- Focus on the Family wants you to stop saying they support gay conversion therapy... even though they totally support gay conversion therapy. (1:00:55)

-- Is Jim Carrey mocking Christians with his portrait of someone who looks a lot like Sarah Huckabee Sanders? (1:06:20)

-- Why do Donald Trump's political endorsements matter more to evangelicals than Mike Pence's? (1:11:24)

-- Richard Dawkins will offer free translated versions of his books in several languages. (1:17:10)

-- This is the worst book about atheists I've read in a long time. (1:21:20)

-- We answer a listener's question! (1:28:14)

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

Ep. 208 - Goodbye, Stephen Hawking Mar 17, 2018

Show notes

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

-- The people who think Stephen Hawking is burning in Hell. (0:18)

-- PA Republican House candidate Rick Saccone claimed his critics "have a hatred for God." Nope. He's confusing God with Donald Trump. (13:55)

-- Trump supporters who continue to support him. (17:05)

-- Christian author claims transgender activists are urging lesbians to keep going and "become trans." (21:14)

-- Tony Perkins says liberals are using Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels to "shame" politically active evangelicals. (25:29)

-- Congressional Republicans are trying to stop the Navy from appointing a Humanist Chaplain. (30:48)

-- The Kansas commissioner who told atheists to go to Hell. (41:43)

-- An Alabama Republican legislator doesn't want to arm teachers (yay) because most of them are women (wut). (45:23)

-- The pastor who once said women don't control their bodies because they belong to God. (48:36)

-- Evangelical Christian Matt Barber says the Academy Awards didn't honor Rev. Billy Graham because "they hate him." (53:19)

-- Pastor with "debilitating" disease sued by insurers after they discover her incriminating Facebook posts. (57:39)

-- We answer a listener's question! (1:01:45)

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

Ep. 207 - Yep, We're Going Through The Kim Davis Book Mar 10, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis wrote a memoir. I read it. I hate myself. (1:02)

-- A gay escort was right to expose dozens of Catholic priests who were clients. (17:53)

-- Mississippi now bans abortion after 15 weeks. (26:30)

-- The dominoes are still falling for Lawrence Krauss. (32:05)

-- This Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate thinks banning abortion will stop abortions. (50:53)

-- The Shape of Water's "sexual depravity" will destroy America, says a pastor who thinks fish-men are real. (54:49)

-- A GOP congressman thinks Jews could've survived the Holocaust if they had guns. (59:43)

-- A lot of African-Americans are leaving their predominantly white megachurches. (1:02:20)

-- Sinclair broadcasting is pushing right-wing propaganda through local news channels. (1:06:20)

-- Steve Bannon is scared of Oprah. (1:11:20)

-- We answer a listener's question! (1:12:54)

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

FABLES Ep. 1 - Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay Mar 08, 2018

Show notes

Welcome to the first episode of the Friendly Atheist Bonus Listeners Entertainment Show (or FABLES). We're releasing this one on the public feed; all future episodes will only go to Patreon subscribers. For this debut episode, Jess sits down with her bestie from college and they discuss Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. Along the way they also discuss their friendship origin story, their Cool Girl (TM) roots, and what it means to be a feminist. New episodes will be released monthly.

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

Ep. 206 - Even Country Music Stars Oppose Mike Huckabee Mar 03, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Tennessee's Lt. Gov. is telling voters to reject an atheist candidate because she's "dangerous." (1:07)

-- Even country music stars want nothing to do with Mike Huckabee. (10:40)

-- Rep. Blake Farenthold hasn't paid an $84,000 harassment settlement, leaving the bill for taxpayers. (18:25)

-- Billy Graham's body didn't deserve to lay in the Capitol rotunda, nor should his statue go up in National Statuary Hall. (23:25)

-- The Department of Health and Human Services is a disaster for LGBTQ people. (28:45)

-- A bill in Michigan to extend the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse is getting resistance from -- wait for it -- the Catholic Church. (37:59)

-- There are times when we don't need to condemn people sending their thoughts and prayers, like when actor Chris Pratt said it after director Kevin Smith's heart attack. (43:26)

-- Want to coach football at Louisiana College? Make sure your mother isn't Jewish. (49:13)

-- Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis just published a book. Should be a very interesting paragraph. (52:10)

-- Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been accused of sexual harassment. Because of course he has. (57:05)

-- Here's an interesting art project by a student at Brigham Young University. (59:22)

-- We answer a listener's question! (1:02:54)

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

Ep. 205 - The Useless Bag Of Prayers Feb 24, 2018

Show notes

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

-- Lawrence Krauss faces sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women. (1:00)

-- The death of Billy Graham and his sad legacy. (20:54)

-- GMOs are good for you, says a new study. (28:47)

-- The phrase "In God We Trust" will not stop bullets. (31:30)

-- South Carolina's education chief said school shootings could end if we just taught kids more about Jesus. (35:20)

-- Even Pat Robertson (!) called for a ban on assault weapons. (37:45)

-- A GOP congressman gave Donald Trump a literal bag of prayers after the school shooting. (44:22)

-- A PA church (near an elementary school) will bless your assault rifles next week. (46:03)

-- An ex-Jehovah's Witness killed her family, then herself. Was it because of her shunning? (50:15)

-- Why are these Christian non-profits telling the IRS they're churches? (53:57)

-- Iceland may ban circumcision for non-medical reasons. (59:17)

-- The Teenagers Roast Marco Rubio Show. (1:02:39)

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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