Freethought Radio

We announce a new lawsuit challenging the creation of a Christian chaplaincy in Wisconsin's Department of Justice. After exposing the dangerous Christian nationalism of the acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker (appointed by Trump to replace Sessions), we talk with FFRF's new Editorial Assistant Bailey Nachreiner-Mackesey about the Trump administration's latest assault on women's healthcare. Th...

Just returning from our national convention in San Francisco, we hear the Moment of Bedlam at the annual Nonprayer Breakfast and hear parts of speeches by actor John de Lancie , Secular Coalition for America director Larry Decker , U.S. Representative (Ca.) Jared Huffman , and comedian Leighann Lord . After hearing Dan Barker 's song "The Freethought Blues," we talk with Maryam Namazie , who is or...

FFRF lead attorney Rebecca Markert , celebrating 10 years at FFRF, updates us on the legal department's past year of litigation and non-litigation victories for state/church separation. After hearing Joni Mitchell sing "Big Yellow Taxi" and Dan Barker sing "Bread & Roses" (in honor of Annie Laurie's birthday), we talk with United Church of Canada pastor Gretta Vosper, an open atheist and author of...

This week we discuss the oral arguments in two federal cases by FFRF: Barker v. Conroy, in DC Circuit Court of Appeals , dealing with discrimination by the chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Gaylor v. Mnuchin , in Chicago's 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, dealing with FFRF's challenge of the IRS code that allows ministers to exclude their "housing allowance" from income. Then we talk...

"Cleaning up after dogma" is the theme of this week's program. After celebrating the births, lives and irreverence of the late Tom Petty and Ursula K. LeGuin, we'll play an outrageous clip of evangelist Pat Robertson, whitewashing Saudi Arabian abuses. We'll report on two nationally significant FFRF court challenges and other FFRF news. In honor of the upcoming referendum in next week's Irish elec...

"Don't mourn — organize!" Those are fitting words by freethinking labor organizer Joe Hill for discouraged secularists after another right-wing justice has joined the Supreme Court. FFRF legal fellow Colin McNamara tells us about the educational letter he helped us send to Kentucky governor Matt Bevin, who has officially encouraged all children to "bring your Bible to school." Then we talk with Ro...

More FFRF state/church victories and school-prayer challenges to report in Georgia and Alabama. After hearing the Joe Hill song "The Preacher and the Slave" (sung by Dan Barker and Kristin Lems), we talk with FFRF attorneys Patrick Elliott and Ryan Jayne , who listened to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's entire initial testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee and conclude that his co...

The 2018 evangelical "Values Voter Summit" shows that the religious right has abandoned all pretense of values. FFRF attorney Chris Line tells us about some of his recent state/church victories in Utah, Georgia, and Alabama. Then we talk with biographer Angelica Shirley Carpenter about her new book, the long-overdue first biography of a 19th-century freethinking feminist (who, as L. Frank Baum's m...

FFRF urges the IRS to investigate President Trump's "spiritual adviser" Paula White over illegal church politicking. Annie Laurie explains how Judge Kavanaugh's alleged attempted rape mirrors biblical teachings. FFRF urges investigation into Catholic Church sexual crimes against children. After talking with FFRF attorney Ryan Jayne about a New Jersey county petitioning the Supreme Court to overtur...

We have two state/church victories to report. FFRF lead attorney Rebecca Markert  tells us about our recent win in federal appeals court, ruling that a tall Christian cross in a public park in Pensacola, Florida, is unconstitutional, and we hear a news story about FFRF's successful letter to a West Virginia school district which prompted them to stop Christian prayers over the loudspeakers at high...

FFRF's Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel has been watching the Senate confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court and concludes that he is "a wrecking ball aimed at the wall of separation between church and state." After listening to Dan Barker's song for children, "Keep An Open Mind," we talk with former Adventist pastor Ryan Bell , who is now National O...

After analyzing the erroneous remarks President Trump delivered before evangelicals at the White House this week, we describe FFRF's new ad in the New York Times: "It's Time to Consider Quitting the Catholic Church." We hear a clip of comedian Julia Sweeney as she was interviewed on FFRF's Freethought Matters TV show. Then we talk with William C. Stone , the lead attorney in the historic 1980 Supr...

Educator and author Sikivu Hutchinson , founder of Black Skeptics of Los Angeles (BSLA), describes the four new winners of FFRF's and BSLA's "Catherine Fahringer Memorial Student Scholarships" for students of color. After hearing the "freethought" lyrics of "Dancing In The Dark," we time-travel back to 2006, during Freethought Radio's first year of broadcast, to listen to our first interview with...

The Pennsylvania Catholic Church scandal is the horrible news of the week, involving hundreds of pedophile priests and thousands of victims. After hearing the song "Check It Out," which Dan wrote when he was transitioning out of the ministry more than 30 years ago, we talk with former Catholic priest Stephen Uhl, a long-time generous FFRF member, about why he left the priesthood and what he is doi...

We have another public school state/church victory to report in Indiana, and a school prayer complaint in Mississippi. We celebrate the birthday of the famous 19th-century agnostic orator Robert Green Ingersoll. Then we talk with Adam Chodorow , professor at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, about the powerful friend-of-the-court brief he wrote (signed by 22 law professors) for the federal a...

After criticizing Attorney General Jeff Session's new (so-called) Religious Freedom Taskforce, FFRF attorney Patrick Elliott tells us about our newest lawsuit, challenging the "Lord's Prayer" at Parkersburg, West Virginia, city council meetings. We celebrate the magician James Randi's 90th birthday by hearing him describe how he was "never religious." Then we talk with Arctic explorer Lawrence Mil...

After listening to national coverage on "Megan Kelly Today" of FFRF's complaint about a Christian lip-sync video by a Texas police department, we talk with victorious litigation attorney David Kaloyanides , who handled FFRF's federal lawsuit against a California school board whose meetings include Christian prayer and preaching, resulting in a resounding unanimous decision in our favor this week f...

Cardinal McCarrick (a fox guarding the chicken coop) is sacked for sexual molestation. FFRF complains about a Texas police department worship video and about Tennessee's law requiring the posting of "In God We Trust" in classrooms. After discussing the Russian connection to the National Prayer Breakfast, we hear part of Samantha Bee's "Goodbye Roe v. Wade" monologue. The we talk with author Susan...

FFRF Strategic Response attorneys Ryan Jayne and Andrew Seidel describe the dangers to state/church separation and to civil rights of Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh. Then we talk with author and The Nation columnist Katha Pollitt about her essay in today's New York Times, "Roe Isn't Going Down Without a Fight," which details exactly what we can do to preserve women's rights...

FFRF's Program Assistant Kristina Daleiden tells us about the new "Secular America" campaign to register voters and how some FFRF chapters are already involved. After listening to Representative Jared Huffman (CA) interview Representative Jamie Raskin (MD) and FFRF's Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel on his "Off the Cuff" podcast, we talk with author and sociologist Abby Scher about her...

Nonbelief Relief announces charitable grants to combat hunger, oppression, and discrimination around the world. After lamenting the resignation of Supreme Court justice Anthony M. Kennedy, and the recent bad anti-Muslim and anti-abortion Supreme Court decisions, FFRF attorney Patrick Elliott describes our new lawsuit challenging the Ten Commandments at the Arkansas capitol. Then we talk with scree...

For our summer solstice show, FFRF attorney Sam Grover announces two state/church victories in Texas. FFRF's Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel reveals the connection between the White House bible study and Attorney General Jeff Sessions' claim that President Trump's inhumane immigration policy is based on the bible. Then we are joined by FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal to talk...

We listen to some of Vice President Mike Pence's religious pandering as he spoke (at his own invitation) to the Southern Baptist Convention this week, promising believers that he and Trump "will always stand with you." After covering positive freethought news from around the world, we hear the words of American patriot Thomas Paine in the song "The World is My Country." Then we talk with well-know...

FFRF attorney Liz Cavell discusses the recent disappointing Supreme Court Masterpiece Bakery decision, explaining that it is not as bad it could have been, and that it is still illegal to discriminate on the basis of religion. After hearing the song "Poor Little Me," written by Dan Barker and Broadway composer Charles Strouse (whose 90th birthday is today), we talk with Irish-American actor/author...

Jane Donnelly and Michael Nugent of Atheist Ireland tell us about their involvement in the successful May 25 referendum repealing the Amendment 8 abortion ban and the decline of Roman Catholic power in their country. Then we talk with Peruvian ophthalmologist Dr. Hector Guillen , the main organizer of the first international Latin American Freethought Conference, involving 12 countries fighting fo...