Friendly Atheist Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 184 - A None Is Running For U.S. Senate Sep 30, 2017

Show notes

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

-- Conservative Matt Walsh criticized a male actor subbing in for a sick actress as promoting a transgender agenda. (1:39)

-- Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat who is religiously unaffiliated, will run for Senate in 2018. (10:20)

-- Christian theocrat Roy Moore is a step closer to becoming a senator. (21:34)

-- Mark Wahlberg is telling kids to go to church. (35:46)

-- Christians who are silent about Donald Trump don't get to criticize Hugh Hefner. (38:40)

-- A Colorado student is suing her high school district for promoting religion, over and over and over. (42:19)

-- Women will soon be able to drive in Saudi Arabia... but not before religious leaders say dumb things about it. (53:08)

-- A Florida pastor bragged about destroying a Satanic monument due to go up this winter. (1:04:49)

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Ep. 183 - Camille Beredjick, Author of Queer Disbelief Sep 27, 2017

Show notes

In a bonus episode of the podcast, I spoke with Camille Beredjick about her new book Queer Disbelief (which I helped edit). We spoke about why atheists should be on the front lines of LGBTQ activism, what aspect of the book was most difficult to write, and how she celebrated the completion of her first book. Please support the project at Kickstarter!

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Ep. 182 - BYU Is Selling Caffeinated Beverages Now Sep 23, 2017

Show notes

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

-- Hemant and fellow writer Camille Beredjick have been working on a new book about the intersection of LGBTQ rights and atheism. (0:09)

-- BYU is finally selling caffeinated soda on campus. This is the most exciting thing EVER, said Mormons... and nobody else. (7:12)

-- Journalist Sally Quinn trashed atheists (again) while talking about her new book on spirituality. (13:52)

-- Five football players at evangelical Wheaton College face felony charges after allegedly raping another students. (25:44)

-- A peewee football team learning how and why to kneel during the National Anthem. (45:17)

-- The world is ending on September 23, according to one "Christian numerologist." (49:01)

-- Got money to waste? You can buy Bigfoot Juice or Psychic Vampire Repellent. (52:55)

-- Doctors and a judge intervened to save the life of a young Jehovah's Witness. (58:59)

-- Two Christian Right activists think homosexuality is unnatural since kids find it icky. (1:06:28)

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Ep. 181 - These Guys Can't Get Vasectomies Now Sep 17, 2017

Show notes

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

-- An Australian minister refused to perform a straight wedding because the couple supported marriage equality. (0:58)

-- Evangelical Christians suddenly don't care about a president's private morality. I wonder what changed their minds... (8:13)

-- It's harder for some men to get vasectomies because of Catholic hospitals. (24:37)

-- Josh Duggar's sisters say they'd be traumatized if they had to sit next to him in court even though they're on the same side of a privacy lawsuit. (30:15)

-- This is how conservatives think school prayer works. (37:04)

-- Sen. Ted Cruz loves the ladies on Twitter. Spoiler: This segment involves bad dad jokes. (39:43)

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Ep. 180 - Atheists Are Helping After Hurricane Harvey Sep 10, 2017

Show notes

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

-- Here's how atheists are helping people in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. (0:38)

-- An Illinois library board member was voted out of his seat after his anti-gay comments. (7:55)

-- Should atheist groups speak out against Donald Trump's DACA decision? (13:06)

-- Alt-Right leader Steve Bannon says Catholic bishops support DACA only because they need people to fill the pews. The bishops disagree. (23:12)

-- Ark Encounter just got its first rebate check, courtesy of Kentucky taxpayers. (26:52)

-- Creationist Ken Ham doesn't know what a light-year is. (31:30)

-- A survey found that atheists are less open-minded than religious people. (33:33)

-- The new Lord Mayor of Belfast skipped a formal prayer and everyone lost their mind. (37:03)

-- The pastor who had to resign from his church after speaking out against racism and white supremacy. (41:30)

-- The head of Focus on the Family thinks only Christians can teach kids character. (44:50)

-- The Australian postal plebiscite and the woman raised by lesbian parents who claims to be forever scarred because of it. (48:45) -- An Illinois megachurch pastor's awful sex sermon. (1:00:09)

-- Texas churches are suing FEMA to get taxpayer-funded rebuilding grants. (1:09:50)

-- Take care of your mental health, everyone. (1:16:45)

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Ep. 179 - Joel Osteen's Hurricane Harvey Hypocrisy Sep 01, 2017

Show notes

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

-- Why Pastor Joel Osteen didn't open his Houston megachurch for people needing shelter during Hurricane Harvey until after he was publicly shamed over it. (0:37)

-- The Nashville Statement, an anti-LGBTQ manifesto written by conservative Christians. (The statement is at 17:28; analysis is at 31:32)

-- A new survey that shows many Protestants and Catholics don't understand the basic principles of their faith. (43:21)

-- A Matt Walsh tweet that was delightfully mocked by everybody. (56:18)

-- People calling it a "miracle" when they see a cross or Virgin Mary statue left standing in the midst of hurricane destruction. (1:01:28)

-- Ark Encounter finally (and inadvertently) shared some attendance figures. (1:05:35)

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Ep. 178 - Amber Cantorna, Author of Refocusing My Family Aug 25, 2017

Show notes

Amber Cantorna was a home-schooled child raised in a conservative Christian family. But her father wasn't merely a believer. He's spent 30 years as an executive at Focus on the Family, the ministry founded by James Dobson and known as one of the most anti-LGBTQ groups out there. All of that became a problem when Amber came out as gay, a pivotal moment in her life which she writes about in her forthcoming memoir Refocusing My Family. We spoke about how her relationship with her family changed after coming out, why she still believes in God, and why taking off her purity ring marked a new beginning.

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Ep. 177 - People Are Seriously Boycotting The Eclipse Aug 19, 2017

Show notes

Jessica and her brother Kevin sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (Hemant was out once again dealing with a newborn.)

- Kentuckians for Coal are boycotting the eclipse.

- A Melbourne archbishop says he'd rather go to jail than report child abuse told to him during confessional.

- Donald Trump's lawyer comparing George Washington to Robert E. Lee.

- A New Zealand pastor advocates killing gay couples. - Comedian Tim Allen doesn't understand evolution.

- There's a Chick-fil-A, which is closed on Sundays, in the Atlanta Falcons' new football stadium.

- The Juggalos are coming to D.C.

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Ep. 176 - Why People Think Atheists Are Serial Killers Aug 13, 2017

Show notes

Jessica and Anne Bouleanu sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (Hemant was away this weekend.)

-- Are serial killers more likely to be atheists?

-- An evangelical advisor says Donald Trump has God's authority to take out Kim Jong-un.

-- A waitress was stiffed on her tip because of her rainbow equality tattoo.

-- Christians are more than twice as likely to blame a person's poverty on lack of effort.

-- A lawsuit alleges that a private Christian school told a rape victim to "turn the other cheek."

-- Confessions of a former "it" church pastor.

-- A school board president speaks out against California Healthy Youth act, which teaches kids about sexual orientation and identity.

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Ep. 175 - Alternative Medicine Isn't Medicine Aug 04, 2017

Show notes

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

-- BYU-Idaho asked a student why she dropped out... so she told them the truth. (0:42)

-- The Mayor of Knoxville (TN) finally admitted a Bible sign hanging in the police department was illegal. (5:30)

-- The White House Bible Study is bad enough, but the instructor is worse. (13:42)

-- Donald Trump's Religious Right lawyer can't stop lying for him. (17:56)

-- An NFL player thinks dinosaurs aren't real and fossils are fake. (23:23)

-- The Activist Mommy has a lot of advice on how to beat your children properly. (26:33)

-- Bastyr University, a naturopathic school, says a former student is defaming them online. She says she's just sharing what she learned there. (37:24)

-- Atheists are asking the Supreme Court to rule on prayers at school board meetings. (52:11)

-- Rod Dreher is frustrated by Christians who support Trump, but he's part of the problem. (59:50)

-- Ark Encounter has a new silly excuse for why attendance is low. (1:06:17)

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