Beyond Atheism Podcast

Faith seems to have been a part of the human experience for as long as we have existed. But what would happen if all belief in God disappeared over night? How would the behavior of believers change after their faith was stripped away? This is the concept that Joseph Lyttleton’s newest novel, The Awakening, sets out to explore. We talk to Joseph about his latest book, how his upbringing with evange...

In this episode, we are joined again by Alastair Lichten, a humanist community builder and the author of the blog, Humanist Dad.  We discuss his recent work in community organizing and the importance of creating welcoming, inclusive spaces. Alastair has been giving particular attention to autism and neurodiversity, especially related to humanism. We learn what neurodiversity is, the different shap...

In this episode, we’re joined by Arash Ghajarjazi, a scholar of Iranian Studies at Utrecht University and author of the new book, Remembering Khayyam: Episodes of Unbelief in the Reception Histories of Persian Quatrains. We delve into the history of Iran to discuss the long legacy of secular culture by way of the figure of Omar Khayyam, a Persian poet and polymath from the 11th century. There are...

In this episode, we’re joined by Paul Clark, author of The Omega Course, a coming-of-age novel about guilt, redemption, and loss of faith. We learn about the central plot of the book, where 17-year-old Ross kills another driver in a car accident and seeks to find redemption, initially through the real-life “Alpha Course,” which pushes a conservative approach to Christianity. However, at the same t...

In this episode, we’re joined by Sarah Ray, the President of the Humanist Society and an Endorsed Humanist Celebrant and Invocator. We learn about how these roles are secularizing, the deep roots they have to humanism, as well as (because we know you are afraid to ask) what exactly humanist celebrants and invocators are. The discussion also includes how the Humanist Society aids the training and p...

In this episode, we talk with Maggie Ardiente, the board president of the Secular Coalition for America. In a wide ranging discussion, we learn how joining a small freethinkers group at university led to a lifelong career in secular activism. Against the harrowing backdrop of “religious freedom” and Project 2025, we talk about how secularism is a growing presence on Capitol Hill and what the next...

In this episode, we are joined by Alastair Lichten, a humanist community builder with Humanists UK, and the author of the blog, Humanist Dad. Alastair has been using the blog to explore how his humanist worldview informs the challenging decisions he makes as a parent raising children in the UK. We talk about the ways humanist values are reflected in addressing thorny issues like what (if anything)...

In this episode, we’re joined by Jacob L. Wright, Professor of Hebrew Bible at the Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and the author of Why the Bible Began: An Alternative History of Scripture and its Origins. Jacob explains how the Old Testament used a mix of history, myth, and poetry to form a “peoplehood” in the absence of state institutions. We explore the arguments in his new book...

In this episode, we’re joined by Elliot Hanowski, a Canadian historian and author of Towards a Godless Dominion: Unbelief in Interwar Canada (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2023). We discuss the small but vocal atheist and secular movement in 1920s and 1930s Canada. Elliot explains how this period represents an important link between the nineteenth-century freethought movement and the explosive,...

In this episode, we’re joined by David Newheiser, a Senior Research Fellow in the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry at Australian Catholic University, and the editor of the book, The Varieties of Atheism (2022). We learn about how David went through a heresy trial when he was a teenager and how this shaped his views of religion. We talk about the complex historical roots of atheism, the...

In this episode, we talk with Alex Zamușinski, a PhD Candidate at the University of California, Riverside. Alex stops by to tell us about his research on the Clergy Project, an organization which provides peer support for clergy members who have begun questioning their faith. In addition to the scope and scale of the project, Alex teaches us about what causes religious leaders to lose faith, the r...

In this episode, we talk with Srishti Hukku, a humanist chaplain at the University of Ottawa (Canada). We learn about Srishti’s journey out of religion and her winding path to becoming a humanist chaplain. She explains what a chaplain does, why the military needs non-religious chaplains, and why it is important that these positions be filled with secular humanists. We also find out whether a True...

In this episode, we talk with Chrissy Stroop, an ex-evangelical writer, speaker, and advocate. We talk about Chrissy’s journey out of evangelicalism, her creation of the hashtag #EmptyThePews, and her thoughts on Christian nationalism today. We also talk about Christian privilege and how it can be unwittingly maintained even by atheists. In the lightning round, we learn whether a “true atheist” ca...

In this episode, we’re joined by Jeremy Schumacher, a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist and former Evangelical Lutheran. We talk about Jeremy’s journey to atheism and how to recognize and treat religious trauma through therapy. Jeremy also explains how the male privilege and purity culture in religion often harms the mental well being of those it seeks to elevate. We also learn whether a “t...

In this episode, we welcome back Dr. Juhem Navarro-Rivera, the Managing Partner and Research Director at Socioanalítica Research LLC, and the author of Secular Politics, a weekly newsletter exploring the role of secular people in American political life. We talk about Juhem’s recent work exploring secular legislators in the United States, at the national and state levels: who they are, where they...

In this episode, we have a far-ranging talk with M L Clark, a writer of humanist essays and speculative fiction. We find out why M L moved from Canada to Colombia and how first-hand experience in a new culture shapes, informs, and models the actual practice of global humanism. Along the way, we talk about the political imagination, how to respond when someone wishes God to bless you, and how to de...

In this episode, we’re joined by David Ames, the host of the Graceful Atheist podcast. David takes us through his own deconversion story and reveals the surprising fact that what led him out of the church was the same thing that led him to join in the first place. He also describes the intense personal feelings that accompany the steps deconverts often face when leaving a faith. We also learn what...

In this episode, we’re joined by Jonathan Friedmann, a professor, dean, community leader, and now the co-host of the Amusing Jews podcast from AU Studios. After learning about how the Jewish religion can be distinguished from Jewish culture and tradition, we talk about how the Jewish-American experience led to roles in entertainment and how so much of this culture remains hidden in plain sight in...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Sharday Mosurinjohn, an Associate Professor in the School of Religion at Queen’s University in Canada. We learn about the current use of psychedelics as well as their links to religion in both the past and present. Sharday talks about the universal connections and spirituality found through mind-altering chemicals. Along the way we meet a few mechanical elves....

In this episode, Todd and Nathan reflect on the year that was. We talk about the most striking things we learned and the new questions they provoke. Along the way, we discuss atheist and nonreligious people’s growing power in society and how this is reflected in the voting booth, the continuing decline of religion globally and the reasons why, and our move to Atheists United Studios. We also discu...

In this episode, we talk about death with Tom Clark, a philosopher and the creator of Naturalism.org. Without a heaven (or hell), is there just an empty void awaiting us after our deaths? This is a mistake, says Tom. Rather, using thought experiments about the nature of consciousness, Tom suggests there is just more experience after our own deaths, though not *our* experience. We explore this idea...

In this episode, we’re joined by Christian Lomsdalen, the president of the Norwegian Humanist Association. We learn about the history of the organization and how it has grown to over 100,000 members (2% of Norway’s population). We talk about how the organization was organized around rituals and ceremonies and their plans to expand their outreach by placing humanist chaplains in prisons, hospitals,...

In this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Timothy Stacey, a researcher at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Past episodes of Beyond Atheism have examined the “secular paradox” and the isolation felt when people begin to challenge and lose their faith. In this episode we talk about creating and maintaining community using myth and magic (but they don’t mean what you think they mean!). We learn abou...

In this episode, we’re joined by Rachele Walter, the current Vice Chair of Secular Democrats of Nebraska and the President of Lincoln Atheists. We talk about the state of secularism in Nebraska and how secular activism and political activism can be both deeply intertwined and yet be kept separate. She also gives us an inside look at how the Secular Democrats have had success getting their party to...

In this episode, we’re joined by Gayle Jordan, the Executive Director of Recovering from Religion. We talk about how Gayle’s organization helps people through the pain and difficulty associated with leaving a faith. Additionally, we learn about many of the specific problems and traumas caused by religion through Gayle’s fascinating personal story of leaving the Southern Baptist church later in lif...