Friendly Atheist Podcast

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Ep. 154 - Anne Bouleanu, Freelance Journalist Mar 26, 2017

Show notes

Anne Bouleanu is a freelance journalist from Chicago. She has worked in digital media and television covering a range of topics including U.S. politics, women's rights, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, political tensions in South America, and police brutality and race relations in the United States. She covered the primaries during the 2016 U.S. presidential race, focusing on policy issues and increasing divisions among the American electorate. During her time at Al Jazeera America, Anne produced breaking news segments as well as packages on underreported global issues. Prior to this, Anne worked at Bloomberg TV focusing on global and domestic financial news. Jessica spoke with Anne about her experience in South America over the summer, their experiences as women in a largely male workplace, and what the media will look like under Donald Trump. (Full disclosure: They've been friends and coworkers for years... in case that's not abundantly clear!)

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Ep. 153 - Bart Campolo, Co-Author of Why I Left, Why I Stayed Mar 19, 2017

Show notes

Bart Campolo is the Humanist Chaplain at the Univ. of Southern California, the host of a fantastic podcast called "Humanize Me," and the author of a new book written with his evangelical father Tony Campolo called Why I Left, Why I Stayed. Bart, if you haven't figured it out already, is the one who left Christianity. The book is all about that conflict, and their love for each other, and how they can both advocate for beliefs that are in direct competition with each other without losing their own bond. I spoke with Bart about how his parents were devastated by his apparent apostasy, what atheists don't get about Christians, and why hot dogs aren't the key to a happier life.

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Ep. 152 - Louis Theroux, Star of My Scientology Movie Mar 12, 2017

Show notes

In Louis Theroux's new film, My Scientology Movie, the Church of Scientology doesn't give him access to the key leaders or buildings themselves... That sounds like quite the obstacle for a documentarian, so Theroux does the next best thing: He hires actors to recreate well-documented scenes in Scientology's history. All the while, the actual Church seems to be keeping tabs on him. Theroux has worked with Michael Moore, and his projects have often focused on interesting subcultures -- everything from the KKK to Westboro Baptist Church. I spoke with him about Scientology's version of "turn the other cheek," the harassment that one key defector of the Church still has to put up with, and what one thing could hurt the Church the most.

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Ep. 151 - Richard Hatch, Survivor Winner and Reality TV Star Mar 05, 2017

Show notes

Richard Hatch is the winner of the first season of Survivor, where he basically created the whole concept of an alliance. He also competed on the 8th season of the show (Survivor: All-Stars) in 2004. In 2011, he was on Celebrity Apprentice, and last year, he appeared on The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation. Along the way, he spent time in jail over unpaid taxes, though he maintains his innocence in the matter. We spoke about whether he'll be returning to the show he helped popularize, his journey out of religion, and whether there's anything redeeming about Donald Trump.

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Ep. 150 - The Week in Politics and Atheism Feb 26, 2017

Show notes

Jessica and I sat down to talk about some of the biggest stories from the week involving religious and politics. They included: - A Danish man charged with blasphemy. - Death threats to a mother who fought to take down a Ten Commandments monument outside her daughter's public school. - The Broken Windows Theory of Church/State Separation - How Christians still feel persecuted despite having all the power. - The Pope's backhanded compliment to atheists - What happens when a fake psychic pretends to be a real psychic (who's not really psychic). - Communion: Is it really haunted bread?

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Ep. 149 - Alex J. O'Connor, YouTube's Cosmic Skeptic Feb 19, 2017

Show notes

Alex J. O'Connor is a YouTuber who makes videos on the Cosmic Skeptic channel. He also runs a blog of the same name. I've really enjoyed his work in the few months since he began posting content and this was my first opportunity to talk to him. We spoke about advice he would offer aspiring YouTubers, why anyone interested in becoming the next Richard Dawkins should start now, and whether there's a difference between atheists who were influenced by the New Atheism books versus those influenced by YouTube (and if one is better than the other).

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Ep. 148 - Dr. Daniel Dennett, Author of From Bacteria to Bach and Back Feb 12, 2017

Show notes

Dr. Daniel Dennett is a philosopher, professor at Tufts University, and author of several books including Breaking the Spell and Darwin's Dangerous Idea. His research also led to the formation of The Clergy Project, an online forum for closeted religious leaders who no longer believe in God. His latest book is called From Bacteria to Bach and Back, and it's all about how our minds evolved. I spoke with him about why our minds are like a loaded iPhone, what we would do if the internet broke, and his new art exhibit.

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Ep. 147 - Jack Moline, President of Interfaith Alliance Feb 05, 2017

Show notes

Jack Moline is President of Interfaith Alliance. In his long career, he's become a powerful voice fighting for religious freedom for all Americans, regardless of their faith or belief system. As a rabbi, he has worked to create common ground between people of diverse religious and secular backgrounds. He's advocated for a number of issues, including services for this disabled, affordable housing, marriage equality, pay equity and civil rights. Rabbi Moline has authored two books and offered commentary on a number of news programs. I spoke with him about whether Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch could be a surprise on church/state issues, why Trump's proposed repeal of the Johnson Amendment would be a disaster in more ways than you might think, and what role atheists play in the interfaith movement.

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Ep. 146 - Donald Trump's First Week in Office Jan 29, 2017

Show notes

In our latest podcast, Jessica and I discussed the first week of the Donald Trump presidency. We spoke about the Women's March (and whether they were right to push aside anti-abortion groups), whether religious pandering still matters in politics, and what Trump did in his first week in office.

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Ep. 145 - Maggie Garrett, Legislative Director for Americans United Jan 22, 2017

Show notes

Maggie Garrett is the Legislative Director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She leads the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE), which opposes school voucher legislation, and is the chair of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD), the national coalition fighting to repeal the Bush Faith-Based Initiative. On the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, we spoke about the church/state issues affecting his Cabinet nominees, what a future Supreme Court might look like, and whether a right-wing government is good for groups like Americans United.

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