Freethought Radio

After reporting on an FFRF state/church victory removing Christian crosses from a Texas county building, we hear “Blood Brothers,” the song Dan Barker wrote right after leaving the ministry. What happens when a minister no longer believes? Catherine Dunphy, a Catholic seminarian and chaplain who abandoned her faith and author of the new book, From Apostle to Apostate: The Story of the Clergy Proje...

FFRF has a new lawsuit (with AU and ACLU) challenging the Brevard County, Florida barring nontheists from opening meetings with a secular invocation. We report a victory removing the Christian flag from city property in Alabama, listen to Annie Laurie Gaylor’s “conversation” with four male theists on Fox News’ Sean Hannity show, and celebrate the birthday of life-long atheist comedian Phyllis Dill...

On this July 4 weekend we celebrate the Supreme Court decision recognizing gay marriage, and the July 4 birthday of American songwriter Stephen Foster. We talk with FFRF attorney Katherine Paige about the Colorado Supreme Court nixing vouchers to private religious schools. Then we interview Brady Henderson, legal director of the ACLU of Oklahoma, about their spectacular state supreme court victory...

After reporting FFRF victories in Arkansas and Wisconsin and complaining about a loose-cannon Florida sheriff who preaches in uniform, Annie Laurie analyzes what is wrong with the pope’s recent encyclical on climate change and what is right about South Carolina’s move to remove the confederate flag. Then we talk with Rita Swan, founder and director of C.H.I.L.D—Children’s Healthcare is a Legal Dut...

This week’s show is dedicated to the memory of FFRF’s principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor, who died June 14 at the age of 88. After reporting some FFRF state/church victories (which continue Anne’s legacy), we listen to Anne’s voice (“Is it reasonable; is it kind?”), and read from the New York Times obituary/article about her. Then we read two of Anne Gaylor's articles from her 1983 book, Lead Us...

Is Justice Scalia right when he says the human species is 5,000 years old? Can Jesus welcome visitors to a Texas town? Is Jesus the most Googled name on the planet? Is Christianity under attack by the liberal world? After answering those questions, we talk with Michigan activists Holly Huber and Mitch Kahle, who are fighting religious incursions into government, especially the public schools.

FFRF complains about South Carolina's Governor Haley calling the state to prayer, and University of Toledo football coach doing the same with his players. After announcing FFRF's financial help to beleaguered Bengali atheist and feminist Taslima Nasrin, we hear Roy Zimmerman's song “Kill a Doctor For Christ.” Then we interview activist Carole Beaton about her efforts to keep religion and governmen...

Paris and the International Atheist conference in Gologne, Germany. Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee's outrageous opinion about the authority of the Supreme Court. Nebraska Senator Ernie Chambers' victory overturning the death penalty. Roy Zimmerman's song "I Want a Marriage Like They Had in the Bible" sets the stage for us to celebrate Ireland's historic vote for marriage equality by talking with...

On the first half of the show, we talk with evolutionary geneticist Jerry Coyne (author of the best seller Why Evolution is True ) about his new book, Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible . Then we hear excerpts of Chris Johnson’s new film, A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy & Meaning in a World Without God .

In the News: The rise of the “nones” has reached 23%; FFRF reports victories in Florida and California. After celebrating the birthday of Bertrand Russell, we talk with Harvard educated atheist professor of religious studies Hector Avalos about his new scholarly book, The Bad Jesus: The Ethics of New Testament Ethics.

In the News: Black atheists of Chicago, “Tea with Mr. Darwin,” Nonbelief-Relief, and National Day of Prayer protested with Dan’s song, “Get Off Your Knees and Get To Work.” We interview author Andrew Solomon (“Far From The Tree”), president of the PEN American Center, who this week awarded satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo its “Free Expression Courage Award."

In the News: Venice, Florida, city council rejects “In God We Trust;” Doug Marshall’s Reason Station goes up in Warren, Michigan, city hall; creationist teacher disciplined in Arroyo Grande, California, public high school. After celebrating the birthdays of Peter Tchaikovsky and Pete Seeger, we talk with Princeton history professor Ken M. Kruse about his eye-opening book, One Nation Under God: How...

In the News: The dumbing down of America with Tennessee House voting the bible as the state book, global warming talk barred from Wisconsin state agencies, and prayer before university football games. After celebrating the birthday of feminist pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft and hearing Roy Zimmerman's "Creation Science 101," we talk with Len Eisenberg, founder and CEO of Evogeneao, promoting evolutio...

Find out why the pious Attorney General of Oklahoma is on the warpath against FFRF, why vouchers - ouch - hurt our public schools, plus other recent FFRF activism, then meet Amanda Metskas, executive director of Camp Quest, which provides secular summer camps around the nation, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We honor the birth of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, an atheist, by playing...

FFRF continues to fight Vouchers and RFRA. When FOX News goes after you, you must be doing something right. Listen to a former DOJ employee attack FFRF and defend Christians' so-called right to discriminate. After celebrating the birthdays of freethinkers Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Jefferson with music, we talk with FFRF's Legal Publicist Maddie Ziegler about her work to defend Jefferson's wall of...

In The News: The Madison, Wisconsin, City Council passed the resolution to add atheism as a protected class to city ordinances; FFRF takes out TV and New York Times print ads opposing religious school vouchers and the state and federal Religious Freedom Restoration Acts. After celebrating the birthdays of freethinking songwriters Tom Lehrer and Yip Harburg, we announce the winners of the drawing f...

In the News: FFRF reports on its successful commercial by Ron Reagan on CNN, salutes Robert Kastenmeier, a former member of Congress who died last week, and its March Madness complaints over basketball chaplains at state universities. After celebrating the birthday of Eric Idle (by playing two of his irreverent Monty Python songs), Annie Laurie interviews Harry Shaughnessy, president of the Triang...

After reporting on the success of FFRF's national ad featuring Ron Reagan on CNN, we announce FFRF victories stopping prayer and bible reading in public schools in Texas and Maryland. We celebrate the birthdays of nonbelievers Elton John, Stephen Sondheim, Keira Knightly, Richard Dawkins, and freethinking feminists Matilda Joslyn Gage and Gloria Steinem. Then we talk with journalist and author Dav...

Good news: FFRF reports many state/church victories around the country; federal Appeals Court won’t allow Milwaukee Catholic diocese to shield cemetery trust from bankruptcy to pay for victims of molesting priests. Bad news: Supreme Court temporarily sides with Catholic university to deny birth-control coverage; Wisconsin moves to expand school vouchers for mainly religious schools. After hearing...

FFRF's TV ad featuring Ron Reagan was censored by the major news networks. After celebrating the birthday of freethinking botanist Luther Burbank and hearing “Bread & Roses” in honor of International Women’s Day, we talk with Kimberly Veal, an organizer with Chicago Black Skeptics.

After celebrating the 100th birthday of freethinking biologist Peter Medawar, we talk with Douglas Marshall, the victorious plaintiff who sued the city of Warren, Michigan, and won the right to display a Reason Station next to the Prayer Station in city hall. Then we speak with journalist Jeffrey Tayler, of The Atlantic (calling us from Russia), about his “It’s Time to Fight Religion” article and...

In the News: Wisconsin Governor Walker's office confirms he has no record of communications with a deity; the dangers of school voucher expansion analyzed. After hearing astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson interview "God," we talk with Madison city council woman Anita Weir about her proposal to expand the city's protected class ordinance to include atheists.

In the News: After analyzing Obama’s Prayer Breakfast remarks and chastising the “lovely couple" Antonin Scalia and Judge Roy Moore for resisting gay marriage, we announce a new federal lawsuit over religious proselytizing by teachers in a Georgia school. We celebrate the birthday of Susan B. Anthony and hear the freethought love song “It’s Only Natural,” then we talk with the leading feminist aut...

After commenting on religious violence around the globe, we talk with Rachel Harger about the upcoming Texas Secular Convention in Austin. We hear actor/novelist Stephen Fry denounce the “wicked” god of the bible, and then celebrate the 89th birthday of freethought poet laureate Philip Appleman by hearing his lyrics set to music in the song “Fleas.” Then we talk with journalist Katherine Stewart,...

In the News: New FFRF billboards in Chicago, Greece’s atheist prime minister sworn in, California mayor refuses prayer, Mike Huckabee disses atheism, and Obama recognizes nonbelievers. We celebrate the birthday of freethinking composer Burton Lane by hearing his irreverent song “The Begats,” from Finian’s Rainbow. Then we talk with skeptical author Michael Shermer about his new book, The Moral Arc...