Friendly Atheist Podcast

Eric is a writer currently living in Chicago. He was raised in California in the Worldwide Church of God, a Christian organization that is now known as Grace Communion International and has been considered by many to be a cult. Jessica spoke with him about his upbringing in the church, how it affected his childhood, and how he ultimately left it all behind. *We apologize for the sound quality in this episode! The audio equipment wasn't working properly so we had to resort to alternate means. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Ken Miller is a Professor of Biology at Brown University and the co-author of a Biology textbook used in schools across the country. He's also the author of "Finding Darwin's God" and "Only a Theory." I'm talking to him now because it's the tenth anniversary of the Kitzmiller v. Dover case which gutted the Intelligent Design movement. Miller was an expert witness for the science side. I spoke with him about whether evolution advocates can finally relax, how a Roman Catholic like himself reconciles science and faith, and the effect of Creationist propaganda on science literacy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy and he's also CFI's representative to the United Nations. He's currently the president of the UN's NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. I spoke with him about what we can do about the bloggers currently under attack in Bangladesh, whether our government is doing anything to protect atheists overseas, and what his conversations are like with the Saudi Arabian representatives at the United Nations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chaz Stevens is an activist who's especially passionate about the First Amendment. In response to a Nativity scene in the Florida Capitol Building, he put up an 8-foot-tall Festivus pole made of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. This year, he's attempting something similar with a 6-foot pole covered in rainbow colors. He has also been requesting to deliver invocations as a Satanist, forcing several city councils to abandon the prayer practice altogether. I spoke with Chaz about what a Satanist invocation would look like if he ever got to deliver one, why he prefers an over-the-top approach, and what he hopes to accomplish with his activism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this episode, I just answered a whole bunch of questions sent in by listeners! They include: - How can we help the "victims of religion"? - What are the differences between atheists who were once religious and those who have never been religious? - Are there any original atheism-related thoughts left to have? - How has the pressure to generate content changed the way that you interact with people and respond to issues? - Am I less "friendly" than I used to be? - How did I go from math teacher to full-time atheism blogger? And how much does that pay? - What tips do I have for young atheists trying to start a secular school group? - Have I ever been discriminated against due to my beliefs? - What are the positives of religion and the negatives of atheism? - How can "Nones" organize better to leverage our increasing numbers into political and social action? - What do I do to produce so much content? - Will I be speaking at the upcoming Reason Rally and how should it be different from the first? - Why bother with YouTube and podcasting? - Since the religious demographics are shifting so rapidly right now, will we continue heading down the "right path" as a country? - Why do you talk over your guests during podcasts? - Why do I post so many articles and videos on marginal preachers and religious people? - Do I always read the comments? - How do I select guest bloggers? - Will religion ever disappear completely? - How will my wife and I deal with religion with regards to our child? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Haider was born in Pakistan as a practicing Shia Muslim. She moved to Texas and, in her late teens, began reading the Qur'an critically. It wasn't long before she became an atheist. In 2013, she co-founded Ex-Muslims of North America, where she advocates for the acceptance of religious dissent and works to create local support communities for those who have left Islam. We spoke with Sarah about why it's dangerous for Muslims to leave the faith even in the United States, what the New Atheists get right and wrong about Islam, and why we need to stop using the word "Islamophobic." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Smalley is a former Christian musician who became an atheist after studying psychology, sociology, world religions, and his own faith. He soon turned into a secular activist. He was the editor-in-chief of Secular World and American Atheist magazines, the author of Baptized Atheist, and co-founder of AtheistAudiobooks.com. His Secular Media Group will soon release a children's book titled Tiny Thinkers: Charlie and the Tortoise. You may know him best, however, from his incredibly popular podcast Dogma Debate which has tens of thousands of weekly subscribers. We spoke with David about why it's so important not to be an angry atheist (if you can help it), what it takes to be a successful podcaster, and why he's so passionate about atheist activism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shawna Leneé is an openly atheist adult film star who has appeared on the cover of Penthouse and won an AVN award for “Unsung Starlet of the Year.” She left the adult industry temporarily, at which point she attended college began a couple of small businesses, but she’s back making movies now. (You should assume everything in this interview is NSFW.)We spoke with Shawna about why she believes her atheism is the most controversial thing about her, whether she meets a lot of religious people on set, and what she plans to tell her kids about her career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John W. Loftus should be a Christian. He attended and graduated from Great Lakes Christian College, Lincoln Christian University, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he learned under apologist William Lane Craig. But he's spent the last several years debunking the faith. His books include Why I Rejected Christianity, Why I Became an Atheist, and The Outsider Test for Faith. His latest book is strangely called How to Defend the Christian Faith. I spoke with John about the worst argument Christian apologists use, how learning the Bible caused him to leave the faith, and whether rejecting Christianity is the same thing as becoming an atheist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Williamson is the founder and President of the Central Florida Freethought Community. His group has been leading the way when it comes to getting atheists to give invocations at local government meetings. I spoke with David about why secular invocations are so valuable, step by step instructions on what local activists can do to get on these invocation lists, and what atheists should say if they get the opportunity to speak in front of government officials. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.