Friendly Atheist Podcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Tennessee's Lt. Gov. is telling voters to reject an atheist candidate because she's "dangerous." (1:07) -- Even country music stars want nothing to do with Mike Huckabee. (10:40) -- Rep. Blake Farenthold hasn't paid an $84,000 harassment settlement, leaving the bill for taxpayers. (18:25) -- Billy Graham's body didn't deserve to lay in the Capitol rotunda, nor should his statue go up in National Statuary Hall. (23:25) -- The Department of Health and Human Services is a disaster for LGBTQ people. (28:45) -- A bill in Michigan to extend the statute of limitations for victims of sexual abuse is getting resistance from -- wait for it -- the Catholic Church. (37:59) -- There are times when we don't need to condemn people sending their thoughts and prayers, like when actor Chris Pratt said it after director Kevin Smith's heart attack. (43:26) -- Want to coach football at Louisiana College? Make sure your mother isn't Jewish. (49:13) -- Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis just published a book. Should be a very interesting paragraph. (52:10) -- Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been accused of sexual harassment. Because of course he has. (57:05) -- Here's an interesting art project by a student at Brigham Young University. (59:22) -- We answer a listener's question! (1:02:54)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Lawrence Krauss faces sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women. (1:00) -- The death of Billy Graham and his sad legacy. (20:54) -- GMOs are good for you, says a new study. (28:47) -- The phrase "In God We Trust" will not stop bullets. (31:30) -- South Carolina's education chief said school shootings could end if we just taught kids more about Jesus. (35:20) -- Even Pat Robertson (!) called for a ban on assault weapons. (37:45) -- A GOP congressman gave Donald Trump a literal bag of prayers after the school shooting. (44:22) -- A PA church (near an elementary school) will bless your assault rifles next week. (46:03) -- An ex-Jehovah's Witness killed her family, then herself. Was it because of her shunning? (50:15) -- Why are these Christian non-profits telling the IRS they're churches? (53:57) -- Iceland may ban circumcision for non-medical reasons. (59:17) -- The Teenagers Roast Marco Rubio Show. (1:02:39)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Republicans should just admit their prayers to stop school shootings aren't helping. (1:09) -- A pastor was found with a naked, tied-up man in his car. He swears "on a stack of bibles" that nothing happened. (11:45) -- This racist cartoonist published a cartoon attacking DREAMers. (14:55) -- A Colorado teacher has been charged with abusing and assaulting a student who wouldn't stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. (19:50) -- Even Omarosa Manigault, a minister, thinks Mike Pence is a crazy Christian. (23:57) -- The Trump administration's response to the Rob Porter scandal has been disappointing and exactly what you'd expect. (26:55) -- The Tennessee GOP Unleashed an attack on a "radical atheist" running for State Senate. (32:46) -- Dennis Prager says evangelicals aren't hypocrites for backing Donald Trump. Even though they totally are. (39:35) -- A New Mexico city owes the ACLU $700,000 after not taking their advice about a Ten Commandments monument, then losing the court case. (50:54)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Levin is the Director of Grassroots and Community Programs at the Secular Coalition for America. She has served in various roles at the Secular Coalition since 2013, including as the organization's chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill and as the State Chapter Coordinator, managing and growing the organization's state chapter program and implementing various grassroots campaigns on the national and state level. I spoke with her about the biggest church/state separation concerns facing Americans, what counts as a success in the age of Trump, and how the Secular Coalition for America wants to empower atheists nationwide to get active in state politics. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Eric Trump is mad Democrats didn't stand up for God during the State of the Union. An atheist lawyer schooled him on why that happened. (0:32) -- Wait for it. Donald Trump says he's not a feminist. (8:15) -- Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered powerful remarks against religious bigotry. (10:28) -- A Texas legislator wants to ban abortions so women learn to be "more personally responsible." (15:15) -- A televangelist says we don't need to get flu shots because Jesus got one for all of us. (21:05) -- What does the chair for the academic study of atheism do? (26:55) -- Are men threatened by intelligent women? (30:35) -- This is how Christian groups trick public schools into handing them fresh meat. (33:05) -- Mel Gibson is making a sequel to Passion of the Christ. Because why the hell not. (40:48) -- A gay Mormon who married a woman is getting divorced because (wait for it) he's still gay. (47:15) -- Why won't this New Zealand church tell me if they approved an advertisement calling their pastor hot? (57:00) -- David Brooks is wrong. Democrats shouldn't adopt anti-abortion policies to win elections. (59:47)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- A GOP House member got called out on CNN for not knowing what the "Immaculate Conception" was. (4:14) -- The Christian Right is giving Donald Trump a "mulligan" on everything immoral he did before his presidency. (9:44) -- Generation Z, born after 1999, is less religious than any other age group. (22:33) -- Self-hating atheist S.E. Cupp explained why evangelical Christians continue to stand behind Trump. (28:55) -- Courtland Sykes wins this week's award for most misogynistic Republican in the state of Missouri. (36:26) -- Want to alter South Dakota's state seal? You could have been jailed for it. (42:40) -- The nation was less supportive of LGBTQ people in 2017, compared to the previous year. I wonder what changed... (48:34) -- We have no confirmation yet on whether this church advertisement featuring a "hot" pastor is real. (52:15) -- The judge overseeing the Larry Nassar sentencing was on fire. (56:20) -- The Satanic Temple is using the Religious Right's legal arguments against them in Missouri. (1:01:33)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I celebrated our 200th episode... and discussed the past week in politics and atheism. -- Your letters, questions, and emails! (2:38) -- Hawaii's false alarm and the lack of atheist conversions. (45:05) -- Rick Saccone, a GOP House candidate in PA for an upcoming special election, doesn't care about church/state separation. (48:40) -- Televangelist Kenneth Copeland just got a private plane. Thanks, Jesus! (53:13) -- Pope Francis is doing an awful job of letting sexual abuse victims know he's on their side. (56:45)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- All the action in local governments: A secular affirmation, the end of one city's invocations, how one politician compared atheist invocations to baby murder, a delightful atheist invocation in Florida, and two officials in California who aren't standing for the Pledge. (4:46) -- Feminine hygiene products are free for public school students in Illinois and California. (18:32) -- An elected official told his committee they needed another man to fill a vacant seat because the Bible said so. (20:02) -- Dan Harmon's worthwhile apology. (26:39) -- Megachurch pastor Andy Savage received a standing ovation for assaulted a girl decades ago then giving a half-hearted apology for it. (31:21) -- Joshua Feuerstein said the actresses at the Golden Globes couldn't credibly speak out against assault because they were "dressed like hookers." (44:35) -- Gwyneth Paltrow wants you to spend $135 to spray coffee up your butt. (59:54) -- A Turkish scientist claims Noah called his son on a cell phone before boarding the Ark. (1:00:30) -- Bill Donohue claims the Catholic Church is a "model" for handling sexual misconduct. (1:02:03) -- Singer Charlie Daniels doesn't like that Taco Bell mocked the Illuminati. (1:03:20) -- Donald Trump's "spiritual advisor" is capitalizing on her fame by asking everyone to give her a month's salary. (1:04:37)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- A Mississippi legislator wants to make the Bible the official state book. For the third time. (1:38) -- The head of the Mormon Church, Thomas S. Monson, is dead. What should he be remembered for? (7:21) -- South Carolina Republicans wanted to honor black people who fought for the Confederacy, but they missed a key detail... (18:48) -- Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer is actually a Christian. (21:58) -- FEMA says churches can get taxpayer funding to rebuild after "Acts of God." (30:18) -- "Raw water" is a thing now... at least if you're rich and dumb. (35:42) -- This church has "documented proof" that God answers prayers. (43:04) -- Bill Nye needs to read more books, says rapper who believes the Earth is flat. (47:23) -- A Texas mall just installed a giant Ten Commandments monument. Oh, the irony... (50:02) -- A Noah's Ark replica broke free in the Netherlands and then caused massive damage. (53:33)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this podcast, Jessica and I discussed the past year in news! We covered a whole variety of topics, going month by month, so feel free to jump around and listen in at any point! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.