The Atheist Experience

Latest Episodes:

The Atheist Experience 25.37 09-12-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Arden of Eden Sep 12, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the The Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Arden Of Eden.
Our first caller today is Andrew from PA. The caller is beginning to question their beliefs and is wondering how our hosts became comfortable with pushing back against their past indoctrination. Unless you have good reason to believe in a particular god, then worrying about any threats or boons derived from believing in that God isn’t justified.
Up next is Sam from NE who believes that because there are things about the universe that we cannot explain today, that it must be supernatural. Sam also had some “important” information he wanted to bless the audience with.
Next up is Aiden from FL who is looking for advice on how to manage their relationship with their family with regards to their opposing views of religion. There is probably no single argument that will help your family become accepting of your atheism, but this single disagreement isn’t the whole relationship with your family or how they feel about you as a person.
Next is Hank from TX who is claiming that our ownership of non-human animals indicates that we are superior to those animals, and if we are superior, then there is likely a being superior to us.
Up next is Robert from OR claims that a belief in a God is properly basic, that it is self-evident and doesn’t require a justification to be accepted as true.
Next is Rivalod from the Netherlands who wants to know how Atheists can be moral without God. The caller states that they believe morality is based on whatever God says is right. How do we know what God says?
Up next is Leo from Canada who has been pushed back theism because of Matt. The caller doesn’t understand Matt’s position against worshipping a deity, and somehow this has put them back on the fence?
Our final caller is Christ from CT is curious as to why Fundamentalist Christians are so against the separation of sex and gender when they themselves ascribe gender to their own God. Part of it is because their books don’t refer to sex or gender directly, as well as the fact that it offers a mechanism to control others.
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The Atheist Experience 25.36 09-05-2021 with Shannon Q and Jenna Belk Sep 06, 2021

Show notes

SHOW NOTES
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Shannon Q is joined by Jenna Belk!
Our first caller is Narder from Australia who claims that there is physical evidence for God. Unfortunately, we are not presented with the physical evidence we were promised, but a philosophical argument.
Next is Nigel from New Zealand who is wondering if our hosts do not accept Christianity because of a lack of evidence or because of the inconsistencies within the religious doctrine. The answer obviously varies from atheist to atheist, but depending on someone’s background, it may end up being a combination of each.
Up next is Joe from Canada who wants to know how our hosts dealt with the fear of leaving religion after years of being indoctrinated to fear hell.
Next is Ryan from NY who presents a list of reasons why they aren’t an atheist. Presenting incohesive ideas in this format isn’t a conversation, especially when they don’t go anywhere.
Next is Phillip from OH wants to correct Shannon on a previous terminology mistake.
Thank you so much for calling Phillip!
Our final caller is Clarence from OH has an issue with the term atheist because it’s a label that defines what they are not.
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The Atheist Experience 25.35 08-29-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Shannon Q Aug 29, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined once again by Shannon Q. Welcome back Shannon!
First up is Jeroen from the Caribbean who questions whether believers actually have a grieving process, or if they just use religion as a bandage. They are concerned with the consequences if said believer stops believing and is suddenly hit with that grief.
Next is Steven from Washington who has questions regarding how active religious organizations can be within political movements and what actions are acceptable within the bounds of church/state separation.
Next is Jamen from Germany who believes that Atheism has a burden of proof. Anyone who makes a positive claim has a burden of proof, whether they are an atheist or not.
Up next is Javier from Minnesota who is wondering if our hosts think it’s wrong to believe in a God if it makes someone feel good. Also using the host’s answer to shift the conversation to race and gender is dishonest and gross.
Next is Nick from California who has God-like knowledge of the creation of the universe.
Up next is Rob from Georgia who wonders why some Atheists are afraid of certain depictions of heaven.
Next is Jeffrey from Texas who is wondering where morality comes from if it is subjective to a specific culture.
Last up is Josh from the Netherlands who deconverted from Islam but is struggling due to the sudden loss of his spirituality. The problem is that spirituality doesn’t really mean anything and appears to vary from individual to individual.
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The Atheist Experience 25.34 08-22-2021 with Jim Barrows and Johnny P Angel Aug 22, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows is joined by Johnny P. Angel!
Our first topic is coming from the car of Gohan in TX. The caller wants to ask us if Thanos’s snap is considered moral using a secular moral system. I’m not going to answer that question in this description, but my secular morality deems calling the show while driving as immoral.
Next up is Donna from NC who believes that the Bible has evidence for God in it. The Bible is the thing making the claims. It can’t also be the proof for those claims, that’s circular.
Up next is Malcolm from IL who claims that a mad scientist created white people by grafting the genes of early humans. How does the caller back this claim up? They don’t.
Derick from GA implies that plants are conscious because they react to environmental stimuli, and that therefore it is possible for a non-physical consciousness to exist.
Up next is Otangelo from Brazil who once again has a long, winding script to present us that apparently gets us to God.
Our next caller is Dave from TX who claims that Atheists are hurting Pagan culture because we allow Christians to get away with their “past crimes” against Paganism.
Next is Printer Repair from NEw England who agrees with the Bible’s flat-earth claims. I would be annoyed by the subject matter, but I’m more perturbed that your name took up 26 characters of my title.
Our final caller is Jesus from CA who says that Atheists don’t really understand the Bible. The caller then quickly moves past this inconvenient claim when confronted, and opts to bring up the Big Bang Model and The Theory of Evolution and how they are wrong.
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The Atheist Experience 25.33 08-15-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Jenna Belk Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jenna Belk!
Our first caller this afternoon is Riyaz from the UK. The caller proposes a scenario where there exists a place where snakes don’t bite and scorpions don’t sting and claims that this example would indicate the presence of a supernatural force.
Next up is Paul from TX who claims that without a belief in God and that their existence in the universe is purposeful, society is diminishing.
Next is Kevin from GA who wants to talk about how a God’s morality is irrelevant to whether it exists or not. Blindly worshipping a God whether you approve of its moral code or not because you believe that they are above you, without justification of its existence, is both irrational and degrading to yourself.
Next up is Lisa from CO is wondering why they feel guilty or fearful whenever they see an image depicting Jesus. You are feeling guilty because you were indoctrinated to feel guilty by your religion, not because God is actively making you feel guilty.
Up next is Orin from OR who knows with 100% certainty that they have communicated with God via a mysterious sentient cloud. Honestly, I’ve got nothing at this point...absolutely nothing.
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The Atheist Experience 25.32 08-08-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Dr. Darrel Ray Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Dr. Darrel Ray!
The first caller is Aaron from TX who wants to accuse Matt of being a bully. If you are going to accuse somebody of something, please have clear examples ready to go.
Up next is Clifford from VA who has recently escaped from religion through applying skepticism, but is concerned about his mother’s religious religious beliefs and the impact they may have on the caller’s son. Here is the article like that Dr. Ray mentioned during the show: http://tiny.cc/rfrrecovery
Up next is Anthony from IL who wants to know how Atheists have disproven all gods as well as claims that they have scientific and personal evidence to support the existence of the Christian God.
Next is Alvin from NC who claims that a Pew Research study shows that Christians live seven years longer than Atheists. Assuming the finding in the study is true, the actual results do not necessarily explain the reasons why this is the case.
Next is Lexi from OK who recently became an Ex-JW, and has questions about how they should identify themselves given that they no longer accept the claims by the organization, but are still struggling to detach themselves from the indoctrination.
Up next is Marquis from NC who wants to talk about their motivations behind their decision to leave their religion. Thanks for calling Marquis!
Next is George from AZ who believes that they have evidence of Jesus being crucified. The caller’s understanding of biblical history and the Christian tradition are lacking and is very confused about the definition of the word “anonymous.”
Next is Brandon from AZ claims that Atheists look at science using rose colored glasses when it comes to evidence for Jesus. “Hey Ya’ll, Watch This” is not evidence for the truth of biblical claims.
Next is Oliver from Brazil who is looking for advice on how to break free of indoctrination, specifically with regards to human mortality. As Dr. Ray says, exposing yourself to other ideologies is a great way of teaching your brain that you don’t have to be bound to one belief system.
Our final caller is Honey from NC who wants to talk about their fear of leaving religion. Religion connects directly to our baser emotions and thrives on those. This is why religious belief doesn’t necessarily correlate to intellect or analytical abilities. It’s going to take time to break free, but there are resources out there to make the journey easier.
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The Atheist Experience 25.31 08-01-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Phil Ferguson Aug 01, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Phil Ferguson. Welcome back Phil!
Our first caller today is Alexander from Chile who asserts that the Kalam Cosmological Argument proves god. The caller also claims that our feelings of awe towards spectacular moments in nature is proof of the supernatural.
Next is David from CA who takes issue with “Atheist’s” demand for physical evidence. David, you do not listen. Rather than build a strawman on what evidence you think Atheists want, maybe ask them.
Up next is Levi from FL who asks if our hosts accept the fine tuned universe argument as evidence of something before the big bang. You first have to show that the universe didn’t unfold the way it has through chance and that fine-tuning is even possible.
Next is Juan from Ecuador who is wondering how we can dismiss proposed supernatural explanations for detected, but unexplained events.
Up next is Fallon from Canada who believes that Matt gives Atheists a bad name by getting frustrated with callers and not answering their questions.
Next is Paulo from DC who is calling to prove God using the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Constitutional rights are not gifts from God while also being evidence for the existence of that same God. That is circular.
Up next is Hank from TX who has a question regarding Matt’s position on Life being preferable to Death. This is a very general position and there are always exceptions to that rule, and there are always personal justifications that one can make on an individual level, not always altruistic, for either choosing to live or to die.
Our final caller is Paul from the UK who wants to talk about the concept of belief in belief. Belief in belief is problematic because it's based on the fear of being cast out of a social group (i.e religion), and more importantly, it capitalizes on the fear that once you are out or are not part of religion you are socially dead.
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The Atheist Experience 25.30 2021-07-25 with Matt Dillahunty and Seth Andrews Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Seth Andrews. Let’s do this thing!
First up is Pratyush from Japan who can’t seem to get their story on the show to align with what they told the call screeners. See ya later dude!
Next up is John from TX who asks how Atheists have ruled out a supernatural cause of the universe. The caller attempts to cite the laws of thermodynamics as the mechanism that caused the universe while claiming that the laws of the universe do not apply to their God.
Up next is Lynn from PA who says that God should be love, but is unable to provide any other properties of this God. Love is great, but the definition of this God doesn’t go anywhere, kind of like this conversation.
Next is Jackson from VA who attempts to box all Christians into a box with an improper understanding of what the Bible actually says.
Next is Narock from Barbados who believes to know that Jesus actually wrote laws in the Bible because of his background. The reason the hosts are asking questions is because they want you to provide a justification of your beliefs before they accept your claims to be true.
Next is Paolo from DC who wants to know why we think God created the universe. Before we can consider God’s purpose, we have to first determine whether belief in a God is warranted. Just because something seems obvious to one person, doesn’t make that person’s assessment true without further investigation and demonstration.
Our final caller is Drew from CA who claims that Matt has made false claims about Christianity. The caller then cherry picks irrelevant verses that do not in any way rebut Matt’s previous claims.
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The Atheist Experience 25.29 07-18-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and JMike Jul 18, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jmike. Let’s get this show rolling!
Our first caller is Minh from CA who has a question regarding the usefulness of the burden of proof and if it also can be used as a tool for persuasion. Anyone making a claim has adopted a burden of proof that requires justification. Whether the reasons you provide satisfactory to justify the truth of the claim is a separate issue.
Up next is Joel from AL who believes that we become aware in the womb, but that our consciousness also carries forward into future reincarnations once we’re annihilated. Side note, “I looked on the internet” isn’t evidence.
Our next caller is Sain from TX who wants to know if Atheists, and more specifically our hosts, hate religion. While there isn’t a blanket sentiment held by the Atheist community towards religion in general, there may be specific statements, beliefs, or agendas that individual atheists may hate and find repugnant.
Next is Anthony from FL who is a recent deconvert and is struggling with becoming an out atheist, and the feeling of betrayal rooted in the caller’s lack of acceptance and understanding by their family.
Up next is Daniel from NJ who claims that God emanates the reality that creates the present. I have no idea how you’d demonstrate this, but the argument presented in this call certainly isn’t it.
Next is Chris from LA who has evidence for God and also believes that Matt is angry with God. The demon he claimed to experience caused his friend to make a loud noise while he was sleeping. Was the demon Belphegor?
Our next caller is Said from Morocco who wants to ask our hosts for advice on how to not be an angry atheist. Please don’t lie to the call screeners.
Up next on a similar topic is Billy from CA who recognizes that since their deconversion they have become more anti-theistic. Theists are not dumb or smart based solely on their religious beliefs. There are smart theists and dumb atheists, and vice versa.
Up next is Guy from GA who claims to have an argument for eternal life. Scientific discoveries happen all the time, but the fact that science discovers new things isn’t an argument for any old claim being true.
Our final caller of the evening is Otangelo from Brazil who believes that human language is analogous to genetics and biology. It’s not.
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The Atheist Experience 25.28 07-11-2021 with Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows Jul 11, 2021

Show notes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jim Barrows. Let’s get it started!
Our first caller is Mercy from China who believes that the Holy Spirit is real based after they experienced passing out when a priest put their hand on the caller’s forehead.
Next up is Enoch from PA who recently became an Atheist and wanted to call back to thank the hosts for helping him through his deconversion.
Up next is Calvin from CA who is wondering why God didn’t do more to prove his own existence to the more adamant doubters if his goal was to save them. Thank you for calling Calvin, you're more than welcome to call back anytime.
Next is Jan from DE who states that the only explanation for a god’s powers is that the entity in question is utilizing advanced technology. The issue is that there could have been plenty of other explanations for the claimed powers found in stories, specifically plot devices. Claiming that you know the “only explanation” is adopting a burden of proof that you have yet to, and probably won’t satisfy.
Up next is Robert from TX who is wondering what led Matt to begin to question his beliefs and start searching for evidence. The caller also claims that God won’t provide evidence for his existence because people don’t really want to believe in him.
Next is Eric from CA who confronted his parents about his relatively recent deconversion after being a lifelong theist, and was then told that he “must not have ever been a true believer.” Thank you for your call today Eric. Best of luck!
Up next is David from OR who proposes that the resurrection was just a group of people playing along with the crowd, similarly to how we all vaguely remember stories from our past that may not have happened the way we recall them.
Next is Zeres from IL who believes the universe is demonstrably finite, but refuses to provide the premises that lead to that conclusion. Premises are not presented using questions.
Up next is Sohaib from Canada who claims that there is extra biblical evidence supporting the plagues God imposed on Egypt. The caller then makes the mistake of claiming that there is no other explanation for similar occurrences other than an act of God.
Our last caller today is Sam from CA who is wondering what the issues with the deist belief structure is if it doesn’t prevent a person from being a good person or accepting science. The issue is that a deist god is unknowable because it does not interact with the world, so no one could possibly justify it. Critical thinking and teaching a person to be good without the threat of some being watching their every move are much more important than trying to find some hole to stick a god in.
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