Friendly Atheist Podcast

81% of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump last year, despite his bragging about sexual assault, despite his multiple marriages, despite his wealth and complete lack of concern for the poor, despite his flip-flopping on matters of abortion and saying women who had them needed to be punished, despite the lies and racism and bigotry. It seems like they were going to vote for whoever the Republican candidate was no matter what. And that no matter what continues to play out today. Trump is a deeply unpopular president whose decisions and morals are constantly questioned. He may be nominating the Religious Right's Dream Team to judicial seats, including the Supreme Court, but beyond that, it's hard to see how he fits the mold of a "family values" conservative who inspires loves for Jesus. So how did he do it? How did he convince evangelicals to support him, not just in the election, but to this day? And will there be any consequences for evangelicals moving forward? Stephen Mansfield explores all those questions in his new book Choosing Donald Trump: God, Anger, Hope, and Why Christian Conservatives Supported Him. I spoke with him about whether Trump's presidency will hurt evangelical Christianity, if there's anything Trump can do to lose the Religious Right's support, and why Trump's pandering rhetoric is so powerful. 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. -- Your thoughts and prayers after the shooting in Las Vegas aren't helping. (1:06) -- The folks at Fox and Friends think the shooter just "didn't believe in God." (14:31) -- The worst response to the shooting came from a Mormon who blamed the victims. (22:02) -- What should we make of the survivor who said he found God after surviving the massacre? (24:25) -- A woman says God protected her... after surviving an awful car accident. (32:53) -- The 14 Attorneys General who say a Giant Christian Cross in a Florida park is totally secular. (36:27) -- It's okay to question a judicial nominee's religious history. (43:31) -- Anti-abortion politician Rep. Tim Murphy is resigning after allegedly texting his mistress to tell her to abort their possible lovechild. (53:27) -- Flipping the bird in church is constitutionally protected speech! (56:47) -- Happy stories... about why Olive Garden is ruining Hemant. (1:02:22)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. -- Conservative Matt Walsh criticized a male actor subbing in for a sick actress as promoting a transgender agenda. (1:39) -- Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat who is religiously unaffiliated, will run for Senate in 2018. (10:20) -- Christian theocrat Roy Moore is a step closer to becoming a senator. (21:34) -- Mark Wahlberg is telling kids to go to church. (35:46) -- Christians who are silent about Donald Trump don't get to criticize Hugh Hefner. (38:40) -- A Colorado student is suing her high school district for promoting religion, over and over and over. (42:19) -- Women will soon be able to drive in Saudi Arabia... but not before religious leaders say dumb things about it. (53:08) -- A Florida pastor bragged about destroying a Satanic monument due to go up this winter. (1:04:49)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a bonus episode of the podcast, I spoke with Camille Beredjick about her new book Queer Disbelief (which I helped edit). We spoke about why atheists should be on the front lines of LGBTQ activism, what aspect of the book was most difficult to write, and how she celebrated the completion of her first book. Please support the project at Kickstarter! 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. -- Hemant and fellow writer Camille Beredjick have been working on a new book about the intersection of LGBTQ rights and atheism. (0:09) -- BYU is finally selling caffeinated soda on campus. This is the most exciting thing EVER, said Mormons... and nobody else. (7:12) -- Journalist Sally Quinn trashed atheists (again) while talking about her new book on spirituality. (13:52) -- Five football players at evangelical Wheaton College face felony charges after allegedly raping another students. (25:44) -- A peewee football team learning how and why to kneel during the National Anthem. (45:17) -- The world is ending on September 23, according to one "Christian numerologist." (49:01) -- Got money to waste? You can buy Bigfoot Juice or Psychic Vampire Repellent. (52:55) -- Doctors and a judge intervened to save the life of a young Jehovah's Witness. (58:59) -- Two Christian Right activists think homosexuality is unnatural since kids find it icky. (1:06:28)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. -- An Australian minister refused to perform a straight wedding because the couple supported marriage equality. (0:58) -- Evangelical Christians suddenly don't care about a president's private morality. I wonder what changed their minds... (8:13) -- It's harder for some men to get vasectomies because of Catholic hospitals. (24:37) -- Josh Duggar's sisters say they'd be traumatized if they had to sit next to him in court even though they're on the same side of a privacy lawsuit. (30:15) -- This is how conservatives think school prayer works. (37:04) -- Sen. Ted Cruz loves the ladies on Twitter. Spoiler: This segment involves bad dad jokes. (39:43)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 religious and politics. -- Here's how atheists are helping people in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. (0:38) -- An Illinois library board member was voted out of his seat after his anti-gay comments. (7:55) -- Should atheist groups speak out against Donald Trump's DACA decision? (13:06) -- Alt-Right leader Steve Bannon says Catholic bishops support DACA only because they need people to fill the pews. The bishops disagree. (23:12) -- Ark Encounter just got its first rebate check, courtesy of Kentucky taxpayers. (26:52) -- Creationist Ken Ham doesn't know what a light-year is. (31:30) -- A survey found that atheists are less open-minded than religious people. (33:33) -- The new Lord Mayor of Belfast skipped a formal prayer and everyone lost their mind. (37:03) -- The pastor who had to resign from his church after speaking out against racism and white supremacy. (41:30) -- The head of Focus on the Family thinks only Christians can teach kids character. (44:50) -- The Australian postal plebiscite and the woman raised by lesbian parents who claims to be forever scarred because of it. (48:45) -- An Illinois megachurch pastor's awful sex sermon. (1:00:09) -- Texas churches are suing FEMA to get taxpayer-funded rebuilding grants. (1:09:50) -- Take care of your mental health, everyone. (1:16:45)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 religious and politics. -- Why Pastor Joel Osteen didn't open his Houston megachurch for people needing shelter during Hurricane Harvey until after he was publicly shamed over it. (0:37) -- The Nashville Statement, an anti-LGBTQ manifesto written by conservative Christians. (The statement is at 17:28; analysis is at 31:32) -- A new survey that shows many Protestants and Catholics don't understand the basic principles of their faith. (43:21) -- A Matt Walsh tweet that was delightfully mocked by everybody. (56:18) -- People calling it a "miracle" when they see a cross or Virgin Mary statue left standing in the midst of hurricane destruction. (1:01:28) -- Ark Encounter finally (and inadvertently) shared some attendance figures. (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.

Amber Cantorna was a home-schooled child raised in a conservative Christian family. But her father wasn't merely a believer. He's spent 30 years as an executive at Focus on the Family, the ministry founded by James Dobson and known as one of the most anti-LGBTQ groups out there. All of that became a problem when Amber came out as gay, a pivotal moment in her life which she writes about in her forthcoming memoir Refocusing My Family. We spoke about how her relationship with her family changed after coming out, why she still believes in God, and why taking off her purity ring marked a new beginning. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and her brother Kevin sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (Hemant was out once again dealing with a newborn.) - Kentuckians for Coal are boycotting the eclipse. - A Melbourne archbishop says he'd rather go to jail than report child abuse told to him during confessional. - Donald Trump's lawyer comparing George Washington to Robert E. Lee. - A New Zealand pastor advocates killing gay couples. - Comedian Tim Allen doesn't understand evolution. - There's a Chick-fil-A, which is closed on Sundays, in the Atlanta Falcons' new football stadium. - The Juggalos are coming to D.C.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.