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. — Please join our Discord server! — An 8-year-old girl was expelled for not wanting to send her teacher a picture of herself reading in the bathtub. (0:55) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is going after Republican Darren Bailey for using a fundamentalist Christian curriculum in a school he opened. (10:36) — Are Tennessee's license plates making it easier for cops to spot atheists? (24:19) — Students in Baton Rouge, Louisiana thought they were attending a "College & Career Fair." Instead, they were taken to church. (30:44) — Fundamentalist Christian mom Lori Alexander wants women to avoid feminism. This chart isn't helping. (38:55) — Bible preacher Mike Winger says you should kill someone if God tells you to. (47:30) — The documentary Jihad Rehab is poorly and irresponsibly made, but some prominent atheists are whining about "identity politics." (52:47) — The Satanic Temple sued Indiana's top officials to block an extreme abortion ban. (1:08:35) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — Greg Locke is very unhappy about his depiction in the Peacock series Shadowland. (1:47) — Despite the Supreme Court giving him his old job back, Joseph Kennedy, the football coach who held prayer spectacles at midfield after games, is long gone. (14:04) — Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma claimed that God showed approval for his state's extreme abortion ban by‚Ķ making it rain after a drought. (26:15) — God's Not Dead 5 is coming soon. (32:18) — Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, says Christians must vote a certain way or else they're being "unfaithful" to God. (45:20) — When Liberty U. comes into town, UMass football will hold "Pride Day" (56:22) — Many of New York's Hasidic schools are taking public funds but not educating kids. (1:00:55) — Rapper Kanye West has opened his own private Christian school where parents have to sign NDAs. Yikes. (1:12:00) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Andrew Seidel is the Vice President of Strategic Communications for Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the author of "The Founding Myth: Why Christian Nationalism Is Un-American." He's written and spoken extensively about these issues in a variety of online and print publications, and on several news shows. His latest book, out this month, is called "American Crusade: How the Supreme Court is Weaponizing Religious Freedom." 0:00 Intro 1:08 How did you write a book about the Supreme Court when the Court kept issuing new, harmful rulings? (An update to the book can be found here: https://andrewlseidel.com/moreac/) 3:24 What church/state barriers are next to fall? 8:09 Is the Federalist Society a Christian organization? 13:37 Why isn't there a liberal equivalent to the Federalist Society? 15:14 SPONSOR: https://www.expressvpn.com/friendlyatheist 16:34 Is the Supreme Court helping or hurting the country? 18:40 Is there one justice whose presence is ultra-crusade-y? 21:04 Should we care about the details of Amy Coney Barrett's faith? 24:16 What impact will Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson have on this Court? 25:45 What would be the best way to fight back against this activist Court? 33:45 What does success mean for you when it comes to readers of "American Crusade"? 42:10 What do you say to future lawyers who care about church/state issues? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this bonus interview, Jessica spoke with Mike Flanagan, the writer/director behind "Haunting of Hill House," "Haunting of Bly Manor," "Doctor Sleep," and (most recently) the critically acclaimed "Midnight Mass." They discussed his sobriety journey as an atheist, why Bev Keane from "Midnight Mass" could probably get elected to Congress, how to engage with criticism, and why we probably shouldn't. 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. — Please join our Discord server! — Britney Spears said in a now-deleted Instagram reel, "I'm an atheist, y'all!" (3:45) — Even married advocates of Purity Culture can't handle Bridgerton. (12:57) — A federal judge ruled that an HIV drug mandate violated Christians' religious freedoms. (20:35) — These preachers have no idea how masturbation works. (35:00) — Pope Francis is lying about having a "zero tolerance" policy for handling abuse. (41:21) — The GOP lawmaker who condemned an extreme anti-abortion bill previously sponsored‚Ķ an extreme anti-abortion bill. (48:30) — A Christian school baptized 100 kids without telling their parents. (55:11) — The Archdiocese of St. Louis is putting dogma over decency, urging schools to let kids go hungry rather than feed them for free. (1:00:30) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — Christian pastor and church planter Matt Chandler is on a leave of absence because of "unwise" DMs he sent to a woman on Instagram. (4:20) — Valley Christian Academy in California will forfeit an upcoming football game rather than play an opposing team that has two girls on the roster. (22:00) — Wisconsin Republican Peter Schmidt wants to pass anti-LGBTQ policies but doesn't want anyone knowing about his own homosexuality. (32:20) — Catholic Charities in Omaha held a fake active shooter drill that traumatized countless employees. (43:03) — Christian hate-preacher Joe Jones listed out the evil people you should avoid and there's a pleasant surprise on the list. (49:15) — Despite a Supreme Court win, nearly all of Maine's Christian schools are rejecting state funding. (51:19) — Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes is trying to fix up his horribly written "In God We Trust" law. (57:00) — Former Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann insists the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were based on the Bible. She's lying. (1:06:50) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — A conservative Christian influencer wants women to stop touching themselves. (1:00) — A Texas law requiring donated "In God We Trust" signs in schools has a loophole, and one atheist is taking advantage of it. (13:27) — The Door McAllen, which staged a Christianized "Hamilton," has apologized. (23:45) — South Carolina stuck a $1.5 million gift for a Christian school in its budget. (34:29) — The Big Bang Theory is not a hoax, no matter how much Creationists try to lie about it. (38:23) — An article in Science recently connected a non-binary gender identity with a thirst for curiosity. And yet one professional science communicator is FURIOUS about it. (45:38) — A leaked investigation into New Zealand's ARISE Church reveals widespread abuse. (53:21) — Scott Esk once said sexually active gay people should be executed by the government. He was nearly the GOP's candidate for a State House seat in Oklahoma. (1:03:35) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — The attack on Salman Rushdie is an attack on free expression. (1:38) (Note: Read this for more background on Rushdie and why The Satanic Verses is controversial.) — An evangelical pastor demonized "wokeism" after making up his own definition of the word. (14:52) — The Fargo School Board in North Dakota nixed the Pledge of Allegiance at meetings‚Ķ then reversed course after threats. (22:28) — A Missouri pastor apologized after a sermon clip of him demanding a luxury watch from his congregation went viral. (32:09) — A Texas school district banned the Bible. Oops. (39:25) — The Department of Justice is investigating the Southern Baptist Convention. (48:52) — Evangelist Beth Moore's crush on Jesus infuriated Southern Baptist men. (54:30) — Atheists won a settlement against Arkansas State Sen. Jason Rapert. (1:02:20) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — A Texas church put on an illegal production of "Hamilton" in order to convert the audience. (0:55) — A Baptist school kicked out a five-year-old orphan after she was adopted by lesbians. (36:19) — Let's talk about Christian sword drills. (44:13) — Catholicism is not cool. Please stop saying that. (47:29) — An anti-"Satanism" dress code policy remains in effect in a Kansas school district. (59:57) — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely said "most Americans" are Christian nationalists like her. (1:09:07) — A man was charged with arson for setting fire to a Michigan Planned Parenthood. (1:12:17) 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. — Please join our Discord server! — SPONSOR: Check out God Pod! — The abortion referendum in Kansas was a rebuke to the Catholic Church. (2:10) — Christian furries are worried about being outed... as Christians. (16:15) — Do we really need a "new kind of atheism"? Not quite. (25:15) — Democrats want the IRS to investigate non-profit groups that call themselves "churches" to avoid transparency. (43:15) — The Mormon Church's "help line" is a weapon to bury allegations of sexual abuse. (50:45) — Australia's new Senate leader Sue Lines wants to end the tradition of Christian invocations. (1:07:05) — The number of atheists in federal prison is almost non-existent. (1:12:15) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.