TheThinkingAtheist

In the spring of 2014, atheists AronRa, Seth Andrews and Matt Dillahunty teamed up for a 3-city tour bearing the tongue-in-cheek-titled name, "The Unholy Trinity."  This podcast features the audio from Matt Dillahunty's Amarillo presentation, and it's part one of a 3-part podcast series from this tour.Video of Matt's speech is here:  http://youtu.be/SBwv79WFqAc? Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

How does the human brain accept rationality AND irrationality?  What are the mechanisms at play when it comes to the acceptance of religious beliefs and claims?  Are some people more predisposed to superstitious thinking than others?  What are the best approaches to help promote science, reason, rationality and evidence-based thinking?Joining us for this show will be Dr. Caleb Lack (http://www.caleblack.com) a clinical psychologist and educator on psychology, critical thinking and science VS pseudoscience.  He writes the "Great Plains Skeptic" column on the Skeptic Ink Network (http://www.skepticink.com)BOOK:  13 Reasons to Doubt:  http://www.amazon.com/13-Reasons-Doubt-writers-Skeptic-ebook/dp/B00LRFK548/Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Support our sponsor:  http://www.naturebox.com/thinkingatheistThis week's special guest is Wanda Morris, CEO of the organization, "Dying with Dignity." Wanda has been on the front lines of the Right to Die Movement in Canada for many years, educating the public, challenging government officials and fighting for patients' rights regarding end-of-life choices.In this podcast, we explore death, the fear of death, and the question of how humanity should approach life, death, suffering, compassion and dignity.LINKS:http://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/https://www.facebook.com/DWDCanadahttps://twitter.com/DWDCanadahttp://www.worldrtd.net/Speech at IMAGINE NO RELIGION 4:  http://youtu.be/M3-6BIMkjRABecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Support our sponsor:  http://www.naturebox.com/thinkingatheistThis week's show is a casual conversation where listeners submit questions and comments about the show, about activism in general, about their own lives and circumstances, and about whatever else might be on their minds.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

On April 12th, 2014, Seth Andrews spoke in San Diego, California to a standing-room-only crowd at the VisionPulse Creative Event & Meeting Center.  His presentation, titled "The Ultimate Question," dealt with religion, indoctrination, curiosity, fear and the liberation from superstitious chains.  This is the audio of that presentation.VIDEO VERSION OF THE SPEECH:  http://youtu.be/csxLnEUNNS8THE LETTER:  http://www.thethinkingatheist.com/blog/86/A-Letter-of-EncouragementSpecial thanks to:The Humanist Fellowship of San Diegohttp://www.hfsd.infohttp://www.meetup.com/humanistfellowshipThe San Diego Coalition of Reasonhttp://unitedcor.org/san-diego/page/homehttp://www.SDCoR.orgBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

The podcast discusses counter-apologetics, challenging religious beliefs and highlighting their flaws. Topics include exploring the ontological proof of God's existence, addressing the relationship between Hitler, atheism, and morality, the challenges of engaging in conversations about religious beliefs, the existence of evil, the question of omnipotence, the concept of absence of evidence, homeschooling concerns, and the fallibility of perception in religious experiences.

Merriam Webster defines the word apologetics as:1)  systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine)2)  a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of ChristianityAnd apologists are everywhere, using lofty language and theological acrobatics to defend belief systems which can't otherwise be defended.  This two-part podcast talks about many prominent apologists and their arguments, addressing many of the most commonly heard apologetic claims and examining those claims logically, rationally, morally and against the evidence.This episode is a discussion between several experience debaters: Matt Dillahunty, Tracie Harris and AronRa.  Next week's show will be fully dedicated to listener calls with comments and questions (podcast@thethinkingatheist.com)FRANKEN-KAT PHOTO:  https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=672053969537687&set=a.474510282625391.1073741825.100001992705053&type=1&theaterBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

Dr. Carolyn C. Porco is an American planetary scientist known for her work on the Voyager missions to Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune in the 1980s.  She leads the imaging scientist team on the Cassini mission currently in orbit around Saturn.  She’s also involved with the New Horizons mission launched to Pluto.  She has authored more than 100 scientific papers.  She has given two popular Ted Talks lectures.  She has won numerous awards, including the Carl Sagan Medal presented by the American Astronomical Society for Excellence in the Communication of Science to the Public, she was named one of the 25 most influential people in space by Time magazine in 2012, and she was recently elected to be a laureate of the International Academy of Humanism.On this podcast, we talk with Dr. Porco about her work, about the exploration of our solar system and beyond, about science versus anti-science, and about this new age of discovery that has opened windows into the vast reaches of space.CAROLYN PORCO WEBSITE:  http://carolynporco.comTwitter: @carolynporcoFacebook: carolynporco CICLOPS WEBSITE:  http://www.ciclops.orgTHE DAY THE EARTH SMILED:  http://www.thedaytheearthsmiled.com Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

On Saturday, May 31st at the Marriot East in Memphis, TN, atheist Matt Dillahunty and presuppositional apologist Sye Ten Bruggencate took the stage before a live audience to debate the topic, "Is It Reasonable To Believe God Exists?"This is the audio of that exchange.The video version of this debate can be seen on The Thinking Atheist YouTube channel at:  http://youtu.be/OL8LREmbDi0 Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.naturebox.com/thinkingatheistOrganizations like the Institute for Creation Research declare that fossils prove a young earth and in no way contradict the creation account of Genesis.  In fact, religious "scientists" and apologists worldwide declare that secular science isn't just incorrect about dinosaurs, fossils and the age of the planet, but that it might be a puppet of Satan himself, working to mislead a generation into accepting what creationists call "The Religion of Evolution."In this show, we welcome special guest Dr. Donald Prothero, professor of geology at Occidental College, expert in physical and historical geology, sedimentary geology and paleontology, and author of several books, including "Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters" and "Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future."So...what do the fossils say?  Let's talk to a legitimate scientist and find out.SkepticBlog Website:  http://www.skepticblog.orgTalk Origins Website:  http://www.talkorigins.orgVIDEO:  Conspiracy road trip: http://youtu.be/Oju_lpqa6UgVIDEO:  Evolution: Why it Happened & Why it Matters:  http://youtu.be/efpjE_wg_1MDr. Donald Prothero’s books on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Donald-R.-Prothero/e/B001IGO7HMBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.