Freethought Radio

Christian nationalists are stepping up their attack on American values. We talk about Planned Parenthood, El Salvador, a San Jose (CA) grant to a Christian school, and the new federal rule to allow taxpayer-funded religious discrimination. Then law professor, author and humorist Jay Wexler describes his new "road-trip" book, Our Non-Christian Nation: How Atheists, Satanists, Pagans, and Others are...

FFRF legal fellow Chris Line tells us about religious intrusion in Mississippi public schools. FFRF co-president Dan Barker makes the connection between his American Indian tribe (Delaware, Lenape) and the Christian cross on the county seal in LeHigh County, Pennsylvania. After hearing the Rupert Brooke poem set to music, "Heaven" (envisioning the afterlife from the point of view of a fish), we ta...

"Thoughts and prayers" do not stop bullets. However, Fox News and the Catholic League are blaming the recent mass shootings on godlessness. We report on our loss in federal court that allows a Christian cross to remain on a county seal. Then we speak with author/journalist Jeff Sharlet , about the new Netflix mini-series "The Family," debuting August 9, based on Jeff's book The Family: The Secret...

"In God We Trust" has been mandated to be displayed prominently in South Dakota public schools, and FFRF is complaining about it. We talk with Jacob McGee , a winner in FFRF's High-School student essay contest. Then we interview former evangelical pastor of 37 years, Dave Warnock — who is now an atheist who has worked with The Clergy Project, and who has just been diagnosed with ALS — about his "D...

We take a light-hearted look at the freethinking credentials of actress/comedian Maya Rudolph, whose birthday is next week. Co-host Annie Laurie Gaylor gives a first-hand account of attending the State Department's Ministerial on Religious Liberty last week, where seculars were an endangered species. FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal, who co-hosts in Dan Barker's absence, fills us in on FFR...

We mourn the death of former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, and celebrate the anniversary of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention which led to woman's suffrage. Freethinkers of color are encouraged to "come out of the closet." After hearing some of Dan Barker's early Christian songs that he wrote for children, we talk with Marian Wiggins , former Senior Editor for Gospel Light, a publisher o...

The Texas "JESUS" sign finally comes down. Coach-led prayer is stopped in Pennsylvania and Georgia. We talk with Shiv Shah , one of the winners of FFRF's High-School Essay contest. Then we are joined by FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert as we interview David Williamson , the lead plaintiff in the victorious federal appeals court decision handed down this week declaring that the Brevard County, F...

We celebrate the 4th of July by honoring the radical Declaration, our secular Constitution, the freethinking founders such as Thomas Paine, and the feminist Frances Wright. We hear the Stephen Foster (born July 4, 1826) song "Some Folks Do." Then we speak with the award-winning jazz pianist Addison Frei about his life as a freethinking composer and performer, and his albums (such as Future Speak )...

FFRF attorneys sent more than a thousand letters to public school districts warning of the dangers of bible classes. We complain about an Appleton, Wisconsin, school board member who is a pastor who is flagrantly mixing religion and government. We talk with FFRF lead attorney Rebecca Markert about the disappointing decision by the U.S. Supreme Court allowing a large Christian cross to remain on pu...

Bad news for state/church separation: the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the Bladensburg cross to be constitutional, and intolerant right-wing ideologue Tony Perkins (president of the Christian Family Research Council) has ironically been appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. FFRF's full-page ad in the New York Times challenges the Christian-nationalist attack on reproduct...

We challenge a Tennessee sheriff deputy who preaches that America should follow the biblical law that homosexuals should be "put to death," and a Tennessee District Attorney who uses his religious beliefs to deny equal treatment to the LGBTQ community. Then we speak with the founder and president of Rationalist International, Sanal Edamaruku , who had to flee India to Finland after being accused b...

Demons on airplanes. Democrats deleting God. Courtroom prayer by judges. Bible classes in public schools. We talk about all of this, and more, plus Icelandic and other international humanists on today's show. After FFRF attorney Sam Grover describes our newest lawsuit, challenging a proselytizing judge in Texas, we talk with Mark Dann , FFRF's new Director of Governmental Affairs, a full-time DC l...

What does the bible really say about abortion? Annie Laurie Gaylor and FFRF attorney Liz Cavell answer that question. Then, on the first anniversary of the successful May 2018 referendum to overturn Ireland's constitutional ban on abortion, we talk on the phone from Dublin with feminist and LGBTQ activist, professor Ailbhe Smyth , one of the main organizers of Together For Yes, which successfully...

This week we talk about the religious-right assault on abortion rights, and what we can do about it. After hearing a hilarious "Practicing Atheist" monologue by Irish comedian Dave Allen, we talk on the phone from Mumbai, India, with Irfan Engineer , Director of the Centre for the Study of Society and Secularism, about the disappointing results of this month's national election in India, voting Hi...

The Alabama abortion bill, motivated by religious dogma, is in the news this week. FFRF's legal fellow Chris Line tells us about a state/church victory in Pennsylvania stopping "God Bless America" broadcast in a public school, and about a Texas county that displays Christian crosses on its courthouse. Then we speak with author, activist and award-winning journalist  Janet Heimlich , founder of Chi...

What happened in Poland could happen here. Christian Nationalists are proposing and passing laws to outlaw abortion in many states. We listen to part of Georgia State Senator Jen Jordan's impassioned remarks in opposition to the fetal-heartbeat bill, and Governor Kemp's anti-choice remarks when he signed the bill into law. After hearing the 1941 song "One Life To Live," written by freethinking son...

We analyze Trump's Christian nationalist remarks during the unconstitutional National Day of Prayer kickoff. After applauding Kansas for protecting women's right to abortion, we hear Pete Seeger's irreverent take on the song "Gimme That Old Time Religion." Then we talk with UK journalist Nandini Archer , who worked on Open Democracy's recent eye-opening report: "Revealed: Trump-linked US Christian...

We unveil an appealing new digital media campaign featuring three remarkable winners of FFRF's 2018 student of color freethought essay competition. Then we talk about FFRF's actions related to Ark Park school field trips, more Ten Commandments displays in schools and the true health hazard of measles spread by religious misinformation. Absentee co-host Dan Barker makes a statement about Barker v....

Happy birthday and Happy Earthday to Mother Earth! The show discusses how FFRF got a cross relocated from public to private land, and warns about antiabortion legislative inroads threatening Roe v. Wade. Annie Laurie talks to FFRF in-house counsel Andrew Seidel , director of strategic response, about a bizarre twist in one of FFRF's concluded major court victories. Then, for a change of pace, she...

We recap the diverse international conference, "Days of Atheism" held in Poland in March, including the commemoration of the 330th anniversary of the execution of Polish writer Kazimierz Lyszczynski for atheism. In honor of Daniel C. Dennett, who visited FFRF's office last week, we play Irving Berlin's rousing 1922 song, "Pack of Your Sins and Go to the Devil." Then we talk with author, professor...

In this week's show, guest-hosted by FFRF Communications Director Amit Pal, we first touch on a number of events in the news, ranging from the international to the national to recent Wisconsin election results. We then talk with FFRF Staff Attorney Sam Grover about how the term "religious freedom" is being currently used and misused. We conclude with an interview with documentarian Mary Dore , the...

We celebrate the March 29 birthdate of Monty Python's Eric Idle by playing two of his irreverent songs. In the news segment, we talk about the upcoming international atheist gathering in Warsaw, Poland, FFRF's new scholarship competition for law students and the threat of legislation intended to ban abortion in the United States. Then Dan Barker interviews Red Tani, founder of Filipino Freethinker...

FFRF constitutional attorney Ryan Jayne tells us about his testimony in Missouri opposing a bill that would disallow plaintiffs from filing anonymously in state/church lawsuits. Tax professor Adam Chodorow explains what is wrong with the recent Seventh Circuit decision overturning FFRF's victory in the "housing allowance" lawsuit challenging special tax privileges for clergy. Then we speak with au...

Oral arguments are this week in the case FFRF, Americans United, and the ACLU are defending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals over a Florida county that bars atheists from invocations. Hear our reaction to President Trump signing bibles for Alabama tornado victims, and listen to Annie Laurie's complaint over discrimination against menstruating women worldwide. After hearing the Yip Harburg...

FFRF's director of strategic response, Andrew L. Seidel , joins host Annie Laurie Gaylor for a lively dissection of the oral arguments last week in the Supreme Court's Bladensburg cross case, including clip excerpts of the arguments and Andrew's eye-witness impressions. Then they interview David Steketee about his exciting win Monday in FFRF's successful challenge of billions of tax dollars for ch...