Friendly Atheist Podcast

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Bremerton's praying football coach got what he wanted, so he quit. (1:25)— A California megachurch took over Chino Valley public schools, creating chaos once again. (32:33)— A dinosaur denier interviewed a dinosaur liar. Now my head hurts. (47:13)— A Christian group is blocking access to a Jersey Shore beach on Sunday mornings. (1:00:18)— Christian liar David Barton says Democrats aren't "God-fearing," so they cheat in elections. (1:10:15)— The Transformed Wife has no clue what happens in public schools or workplaces. (1:17:58)— SPONSOR: Sign up today at butcherbox.com/FRIENDLY and use code FRIENDLY to get $20 off your first order.‚Äã See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Religious chaplains are begging Texas schools not to hire religious chaplains. (1:48)— A California public school board leader was condemned over calls for "Christ centered" parents on committees. (21:15)— A Christian boarding school that abused dozens of kids settled its lawsuits for $100 million. (34:12)— Christian hate-preacher Jonathan Shelley has thoughts about me. (49:02)— Denmark may criminalize burning holy books in public spaces. (56:10)— The Transformed Wife has thoughts about divorce. (1:06:00)— What words could you not say when you were Christian? (1:11:30)— SPONSOR: Sign up today at butcherbox.com/FRIENDLY and use code FRIENDLY to get two 100% grass-fed filet mignons and two wild-caught lobster tails for FREE in your first box plus $20 off your first order. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— A Christian mob invaded an Appalachian artists' retreat because of an "Om" symbol in the chapel. (2:55)— Spokane, Washington's mayor appeared at a prayer event alongside Christian Nationalist Sean Feucht and domestic terrorist Matt Shea. (32:32)— Massachusetts rejected would-be foster parents because of their bigotry, not their Catholic faith. (44:11)— Denver Archdiocese sued Colorado over free pre-K because it hurts their bottom line. (56:44)— This Catholic website quizzed readers on whether they could "recognize superstition." Let's take the quiz. (1:05:35) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— The guy who said evangelicals today see Jesus as "weak" is part of the problem. (1:10)— Why is Baylor University getting a federal exemption from protecting LGBTQ students from faith-based harassment? (22:40)— A pastor surrounded by jumbotrons is mad that people treat church like a "big production." (50:52)— GOP lawmakers cited Noah's Ark to justify harming refugees with circular saw blades. (1:03:36)— Tennessee's Office of Faith-Based Initiatives will get $1.2 million. To do what? Who knows. (1:10:45)— SPONSOR: Factor, America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit. Head to factormeals.com/friendly50 and use code friendly50 to get 50% off. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Nicole Hemmer is a political historian specializing in media, conservatism, and the presidency. Her scholarship and teaching focus on the interplay of social movements, electoral politics, and political culture in order to probe the complexities of political identity and practice in the 20th century United States.In this bonus episode, Jess and Dr. Hemmer discussed the rise of the Evangelical right, why Newt Gingrich was so effective at whipping the GOP into shape, and some fun J. Edgar Hoover counterfactuals. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Evangelist Franklin Graham is glad the U.S. women's soccer team lost the World Cup. (1:08)— Desperate to show Democrats are "promoting atheism," Republicans divulged sensitive data. (16:36)— Texas judge: Airline must get religious freedom training from Christian hate group. (39:40)— An Arkansas lawmaker's wife is swapping pro-LGBTQ books with bibles in Little Free Libraries. (49:42)— California county adopts error-laden "American Christian History Month" proclamation. (58:06)— A Texas district called for 22 days of prayer to launch the new school year. (1:03:25)— These Christians took preacher Robin D. Bullock seriously. Now they're screwed. (1:06:01)— SPONSOR: Factor, America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit. Head to factormeals.com/friendly50 and use code friendly50 to get 50% off. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Longtime atheist activist and mentor Woody Kaplan has died. (0:15)— The #1 Christian album in the country belongs to drag queen Flamy Grant. (4:00)— Richard Dawkins used his new podcast to promote more transphobic lies. (13:20)— A Catholic school expelled a boy to retaliate against his outspoken mother. (59:31)— A lawsuit could block Oklahoma's taxpayer-funded Catholic charter school. (1:11:06)— SPONSOR: Factor, America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit. Head to factormeals.com/friendly50 and use code friendly50 to get 50% off. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— For absurd reasons, MAGA cultists think FOX News supports The Satanic Temple. (2:15)— Survey: Belief in God, Heaven, Hell, angels, and the devil is lower than ever before. (14:45)— Does Vivek Ramaswamy's Hinduism really matter to GOP voters? (25:55)— Texas atheists sue Fort Worth for rejecting ads for event opposing Christian Nationalism. (39:33)— Christian hate-preacher: Even if your husband's an axe murderer, "you cannot divorce him." (44:50)— Judge: WV prison officials can't force an atheist inmate to profess Christianity. (51:15)— Don't believe the lie that growing megachurches tend to avoid politics. (58:41)— Two more House Democrats have (quietly) joined the Congressional Freethought Caucus. (1:08:33)— An Alabama church's $4.5 million "pastoral recovery center" raises so many red flags. (1:12:10)— SPONSOR: Factor, America's #1 Ready-To-Eat Meal Kit. Head to factormeals.com/friendly50 and use code friendly50 to get 50% off. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For a lot of listeners, I suspect conspiratorial thinking is something you connect with religion or right-wing politics. But of course it's also rampant in the world of New Age spirituality. Think Gwyneth Paltrow and Robert Kennedy, Jr. They're not explicitly religious, but their fans are not exactly known for their critical thinking skills.My guests today have been dissecting that kind of BS for years. Julian Walker has written extensively on cults and gurus and New Age nonsense. Derek Beres is an author & media expert who's worked with a number of media and tech companies. Julian and Derek are also active yoga enthusiasts, a practice that's become rife with spiritual silliness that they oppose. Both of them, along with Matthew Remski, are co-hosts of the podcast Conspirituality, which tackles how spiritual beliefs that can nurture creativity and meaning have transformed into memes of a quickly-globalizing paranoia.They just published a book about this topic called "Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat." (Affiliate link)Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast0:00 Intro1:45 Introductions4:30 Your podcast began shortly after the pandemic shut everything down. What was it about that time that made you think this was the right time to talk about these issues?7:20 What is it about being a contrarian that makes people—right-wing atheists or New Age believers—susceptible to propaganda?12:00 You recently had an excerpt of your book, a part about RFK, run in Time magazine. What's the danger of RFK for people who haven't followed his career?14:30 Why is anti-vax propaganda so powerful given that we just went through a global pandemic?18:10 Who is responsible for spreading spiritual misinformation? It's not like the New Age crowd has a FOX News or Newsmax.21:21 Why do conspiracy theories always seem to align with right-wing politics?24:20 Do the purveyors of this nonsense know it's BS or are they True Believers?28:00 Is it helpful when people like Dr. Oz and RFK run for office and lose? Or are those still opportunities to spread misinformation regardless of the outcome?32:48 What has frustrated you both about media coverage of spiritual grifters?36:45 Who's more dangerous: Gwyneth Paltrow or Alex Jones?41:00 What is the "eugenics to yoga pipeline"?45:20 What one question do you wish people would ask when grifters pitch a product?49:25 Should we be debating vaccine efficacy?55:15 What's effective in combatting these lies? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Caroline Mala Corbin is a professor at the University of Miami School of Law. She teaches classes involving the U.S. Constitution, the First Amendment, the Religion Clauses, the Free Speech Clause, Feminism and the First Amendment, and Reproductive Rights. Her scholarship focuses on the First Amendment's speech and religion clauses, particularly their intersection with equality issues.We spoke about the Supreme Court's recent decisions, the fear of the legal challenges that lie ahead, what could happen when non-Christians use "religious freedom" arguments in court, and more.Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast0:00 Intro1:36 How bad are things right now?2:42 What was the "303 Creative" case?7:05 Does it matter that no gay couple asked Lorie Smith to design a wedding website for them?10:30 How worried should we be about the ruling in 303 Creative?15:26 Can Colorado do anything to circumvent this ruling?17:25 Should atheists or Satanists use this ruling to discriminate against Christians?20:30 Why did Neil Gorsuch compare this case to the 1940s' Barnette case involving the Pledge of Allegiance?28:55 How do you teach Constitutional Law when this Supreme Court continues to ignore precedent and distort existing law?30:38: What was the Groff v. DeJoy case all about?33:44: What does it mean that SCOTUS changed the previous minimum standard to one that requires substantial costs to a company?42:30 What religious liberty issues are coming down the pipeline? What should we be paying attention to?45:05 Do teachers have a First Amendment right to refuse to call students by their pronouns? Is the government controlling their speech by forcing them to acknowledge trans identities?49:33 Why do students in Texas and Florida need their parents' permission to get out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance?53:22 Will the expansion of "religious liberty" rights be a useful tool for non-Christians pushing for progressive interpretations of the law?58:06 What's your prediction for the next big change to SCOTUS, barring an unexpected death?58:53 When you meet with constitutional lawyers, what do you all talk about?Professor Corbin's website: https://people.miami.edu/profile/f8a9f100455e712842ae5c0a6ab128ffHer paper on the Pledge of Allegiance: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3941233Her paper on whether teachers should have to use students' pronouns: https://www.journaloffreespeechlaw.org/corbin.pdfHer other papers: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/cf_dev/AbsByAuth.cfm?per_id=797431 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.