Friendly Atheist Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 104 - Monica Miller, Attorney for the American Humanist Association Apr 24, 2016

Show notes

Monica Miller is Senior Counsel at the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center. If the AHA is involved in a lawsuit, she's the person doing the legwork, and that involves everything from letters to city councils to amicus briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court. We spoke with her about when anonymity can be used in a case, the surprising number of religious people who complain about church/state violations, and when a Christian cross isn't a Christian cross.

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Ep. 103 - The Moderators of Reddit Atheism Apr 17, 2016

Show notes

Reddit Atheism may be the largest online community in the world for atheists. Whenever you have an anonymous group of that size, bad things may happen. And the site certainly has a reputation for low-brow memes, smugness, anger, and a disdain for the religious. But they've also used their power for good, raising money for groups like Doctors Without Borders. We spoke with two of the moderators of the atheism "subreddit," Feinberg and LurkBeast, about the positives and negatives of the site, the power of the ex-religious subreddits, and why r/atheism isn't as bigoted as one research paper claimed.

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Ep. 102 - Teresa MacBain, Director of the Hotline Project Apr 10, 2016

Show notes

Teresa MacBain is a former Methodist pastor and the first female member of the Clergy Project to publicly "come out" as a nonbeliever. She did that at the 2012 American Atheists convention. She's now the director of the Hotline Project, which offers callers who are grappling with their faith a chance to talk (anonymously) with an atheist about any questions or concerns. Their number is 1-84-I-Doubt-It (1-844-368-2848). We spoke with her about how she began having doubts about religion while in the pulpit, the type of people who call the Hotline Project, and how to volunteer to be on the receiving end of that call.

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Ep. 101 - Hemant and Jessica Discuss All Things Politics Apr 03, 2016

Show notes

We're talking about the presidential race and how religion plays a role in it. We discuss our primary votes, which Republican candidate would be the worst case scenario for atheists, and the openly atheist candidates running for state and federal office.

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Ep. 100 - Hemant and Jessica, Your Co-Hosts Mar 27, 2016

Show notes

We're celebrating our 100th episode with the conversation we never get to have because we're always talking to other people. Our goals for the near future are having more in-person interviews, talking to big-name guests, and making sure we're always asking the questions you want answered. Thank you for sticking with us and we hope you continue listening!

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Ep. 99 - Anthony Magnabosco, Street Epistemologist Mar 20, 2016

Show notes

Anthony Magnabosco is best known as a Street Epistemologist. He's like a preacher you might run across on your college campus, except he's not trying to convert you. He just wants to ask you questions about religion and get you to think. He posts videos of these interactions on YouTube and they're fascinating to watch, in part because he deconstructs what went right and wrong each time. We spoke with Anthony about his surprising goals when it comes to chatting with people about religion, why people would ever talk to him at all, and whether debates about God are ever useful.

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Ep. 98 - Phil Torres, Philosopher and Author Mar 13, 2016

Show notes

Phil Torres is a philosopher and author who writes extensively about the intersection of religion and technology. He's a regular contributor at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. His latest book is called The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse. We spoke with him about why super-intelligence could come back to haunt us, how religious thinking mixed with weapons could bring us closer to doom, and whether we can reason with those who want to get closer to the afterlife.

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Ep. 97 - Kate Shellnutt, Associate Editor at Christianity Today Mar 06, 2016

Show notes

Kate Shellnutt is an associate editor at Christianity Today magazine. She helps run their social media accounts and she also edits their popular site for women, cleverly called Her.meneutics. Before this, she worked as a web producer for the Houston Chronicle's religion site. She's a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she earned her masters in reporting and online journalism. We spoke with Kate about how Christianity Today deals with hot-button issues, what a faith-based publication can bring to the table that secular outlets can't, and how comedy and religion go hand-in-hand.

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Ep. 96 - Stephen Prothero, Author of Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars Feb 29, 2016

Show notes

Stephen Prothero is a professor in the department of religion at Boston University and the author of several books, including Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't. You may have seen him on his appearances on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. His latest book is called Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections). We spoke with him about why conservatives pick losing issues, what issues will get liberals out to vote this November, and what surprised him during his research for the book.

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Ep. 95 - Jeffrey Tayler, Author and Salon Columnist Feb 21, 2016

Show notes

Jeffrey Tayler is an author of several books all about different parts of the world, but you may know him best for his wonderful articles defending atheism and atheists, and criticizing the Religious Right on Salon.com. He's also the Russia correspondent for the Atlantic. His latest book is called "Topless Jihadis: Inside Femen, the World's Most Provocative Activist Group." I spoke with Jeffrey about Salon's reputation for publishing just about anything criticizing atheists, what the public doesn't understand about the New Atheists, and the impact religion will have on the 2016 elections.

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