Talk Heathen

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie The Blind Limey, Scott Dickie, and The Beard of Empathy tackle soulmates, conditional love, and whether eternal torture can ever be loving. Isaiah in Canada questions if the soulmate concept harms relationships, especially for theists who believe in literal souls. Do religious ideas of destined partners trap people in bad relationships? The hosts explore h...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Scott Dickie and Christy Powell explore secular morality, eternal beings, and the search for meaning in a physical universe. Georgi in Bulgaria believes humans are eternal beings playing a game in physical reality. How do you know we're eternal rather than just seeking meaning? What evidence supports the claim that consciousness exists beyond the physical? The h...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Sofia Spina, Scott Dickie, and Jamie The Blind Limey tackle biblical morality, divine love, and the foundations of secular ethics! Lisa in Canada asks how to respond when theists claim God's love is different from human love, especially when confronted with the story of Elisha and the bears mauling children. The hosts explore how apologists redefine terms to esc...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Christy Powell, Jamie The Blind Limey, and Kelley Laughlin tackle religious trauma, indoctrination, and the question of whether religion causes more harm than good! Anne in CA shares her journey from a large Catholic family to atheism. Growing up, she struggled with contradictions like sins being forgiven yet purgatory and hell still existing. After years of que...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie The Blind Limey, Jim Barrows, and Scott Dickie tackle questions of religious plagiarism, flood myths, and the epistemology of belief! Chloe in NV, a Norse pagan, argues that Christianity didn't plagiarize pagan traditions as much as skeptics claim. The hosts explore cultural blending versus direct copying, asking what evidence distinguishes borrowed tradit...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Christy Powell and Jamie The Blind Limey tackle the problem of evil and why an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving God allows children to suffer! Wade-MS argues God never intended suffering, but sin introduced it. He defends God's omniscience as contingency planning, not predestination. If God knew sin would happen and created anyway, how is that not intention...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Doctor Ben, Sofia Spina, and Jamie The Blind Limey tackle empiricism, statistical sleight-of-hand, and the messy reality of so-called intelligent design! One Clever Trevor in IL argues that modern routines prevent us from examining how we know what we know. How does empiricism fit into daily life when we're too busy to question our assumptions? The hosts explore...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie Limeyman, Christy Powell, and Sofia Spina examine religion as big business, prosperity gospel exploitation, and the commercialization of Christmas! Lisa in Canada argues religion functions more as a grift than a legitimate business, pointing to prosperity gospel preachers who demand massive donations from vulnerable congregants. The hosts explore whether i...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Scott Dickie and Jamie the Blind Limey tackle the question: Is faith a virtue? The hosts dive into definitions, infinite regress, and the nature of causality. Donald in LA, an atheist, asks if faith can be a virtue depending on how it's defined. The hosts explore whether trust and faith are the same thing. If faith means belief without evidence, how is that virt...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Richard Gilliver and Jamie the Blind Limey tackle cosmic sound waves, young earth claims, and the foundations of morality! Jason in NY believes BAO waves prove God spoke the universe into existence and defends young earth creationism. How do sound waves travel without a medium in space? Why does the Bible need science to validate it if it's divinely inspired? Wh...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, ObjectivelyDan, Fe, and Scott Dickie tackle cosmological arguments, martyrdom claims, and the limits of binary thinking! Felix in Puerto Rico argues that something must have always existed with the power to sustain existence, therefore god. Why does this have to be a binary choice between god and nothing? What scientific explanations have you explored for the un...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Godless Engineer and Sofia Spina tackle eyewitness testimony, purity culture, and the problem of evil! Lisa in Canada, a religious studies minor, questions the logical validity of eyewitness testimony for Jesus's divinity. How reliable is human memory, especially decades after an event? The Gospels weren't written by eyewitnesses, and mass hysteria can explain g...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie the Blind Limey and Richard Gilliver tackle design arguments, information theory, and the claim that science supports Christianity! Adam in England presents a design argument rooted in information theory and physics, claiming the universe is the output of a mental state. The hosts press for clearer explanations as the technical jargon makes it difficult to...

In today's episode of Talk Heathen, ObjectivelyDan, Jamie the Blind Limey, and Ben Clodfelter reflect on America's 250th anniversary and the troubling erosion of secular values in the face of rising Christian nationalism. Anne in CA shares her mixed feelings about July 4th, explaining that while she dislikes fireworks, this year's Independence Day reminded her that rights must be continually fough...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Scott Dickie and Christy Powell are joined by guest Steven Harder to dismantle the "lazy" shortcuts of misinformation! From the "sacred cows" of religious psychiatrists to the "primal" urge for Norse mythology, the hosts explore why smart brains cling to comforting fictions. Can we find common ground in objective reality, or are we destined to get lost in the so...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie the Blind Limey and Scott Dickie explore the power of empathy and the human need for community! They discuss bridging the gap between faith and secular humanism while challenging the toxic dogmas that divide families and friends. Tony shares his journey of deconstruction and the loss of community after leaving his congregation. The hosts discuss the import...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Richard Gilbreath and Jamie the Blind Limey tackle the bizarre intersections of TikTok misogyny, religious dogma, and the emotional highs of sports fandom! From the "esoteric" cult-like nature of Mormonism to the shared ecstasy of a World Cup match, the hosts explore how our brains navigate community, grief, and the problem of suffering. Can we find peace in a w...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, ObjectivelyDan and Jamie the Blind Limey dive into the bizarre world of Star Wars Lego drama and Mormon conspiracies! The hosts debate the merits of internet activism, call out the gerontocracy of the atheist movement, and challenge the semantic games used to define a deity. Luca in Netherlands asks the hosts to define their atheism and questions the source of i...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Christi Powell and Sofia Spina explore the "Cold War" between psychology and religion! Both hosts, working in mental health, discuss the bias of Christian counseling and whether science can explain morality. Can we find a naturalistic grounding for "God," or are we just redefining reality to feel better? John in CA argues nature is the only real God, claiming th...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Jamie the Blind Limey and Doctor Ben are joined by guest host Kelly Laughlin to navigate the intersection of medical ethics and ancient rituals! From the hilarity of Chick Tracts to the sobering reality of public health crises, the hosts challenge listeners to prioritize human safety over supernatural comfort. Can community exist without a pulpit, or are we all...

Special Episode: We Are Here 24 hour fundraiser!   https://aca.show/wearehere   This episode was extracted from our 24hour fundraiser live stream on May 16-17. We apologize for the delayed posting! In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Richard Gilliver, ObjectivelyDan, and Scott Dickie join the second annual 24-hour live stream fundraiser! They explore the intersection of philosophy and science whil...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Doctor Ben and the incredible Robotgoat dismantle the top ten worst scientific lies pushed by religion! From faith healing fantasies to the biological absurdity of ribs and sperm, the hosts explore why critical thinking is the ultimate antidote to indoctrination. Can we bridge the gap between ancient myths and modern reality, or are some believers too invested i...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Christy Powell and guest host Sarah from Leaving Faith explore the dizzying flexibility of biblical interpretation and the biological "bad design" of the human body! Joined by Dr. Ben, the hosts tackle why reading the Bible cover-to-cover is often the fastest road to atheism and why a perfect creator would wrap the prostate around the urinary tract. Can we find...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Scott Dickie is joined by Coach Renz to explore the "mathematics of truth" and the power of family support during deconversion! They discuss how logic provides an essential framework for navigating faith-based assumptions and examine why a supportive environment is vital for exploring one's own identity outside of religious dogma. Cliff in OH compares the moon l...

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Richard Gilliver and Jamie the Blind Limey tackle the bottom feeders of the philosophy world and the perceived persecution of majority religions! They explore the distinction between academic philosophy and rhetorical trickery, the reality of global religious oppression, and why a loss of privilege is often mistaken for a lack of fairness. Can critical thinking...