Freethought Radio

Pope Francis says we should not "make fun of faith," but we point out that blasphemy is a victimless crime. After honoring the birthdays of freethinking composers Mozart and Jerome Kern, we celebrate the birthday of founding patriot Thomas Paine, the deistic freethinker who wrote T he Age of Reason, by listening to Dan Barker's tribute, "The World is My Country." Then we talk with Steven Hewett, a...

In The News: FFRF’s donation to Charlie Hebdo and a full-page FFRF "Atheists in Foxholes” ad in USA Today’s Defense Commemoration issue. We talk with Eric Stone, an FFRF Life member who helped stop prayers at Concord, California city council meetings. Then we ask former Seventh Day Adventist minister Ryan Bell what happened after his experiment to live a “Year Without God.”

We honor the French cartoonists who were killed this week by religious extremists by talking with the irreverent Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist Steve Benson. Then we chat with Marshall Brain, the founder of “How Stuff Works,” about his new freethinking book, How “God” Works .

We start the show talking about three recent movies with freethought connections. Then we ask, "How do atheists deal with death?” Greta Christina tells us about her new book, Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do About God . Then we talk with Barbara Mancini, who was arrested and prosecuted for handing her terminally ill 93-yr-old father prescribed medicine that he requested, a c...

In the news: FFRF on ESPN basketball, North Carolina nativity scene victory, and the first winter solstice sign in Puerto Rico. We celebrate the New Year with a light-hearted performance of Phil Appleman's "Noah," and Jim Malcom's Scottish rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." Our guest is Tom Cara, director of FFRF's Metropolitan Chicago chapter, talking about 11 Out of the Closet billboards and other f...

FFRF announces two new lawsuits: suing Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's administration over open records violation and challenging a nativity scene in Indiana. We celebrate the Winter Solstice with seasonal freethought music. Then we speak with FFRF attorneys Patrick Elliott and Rebecca Markert about the new lawsuits.

 Nativity scenes, county grants to churches, praying high-school coaches, and Winter Solstice displays top the news this week. Then we speak with evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker about his newest book, The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century .

FFRF's Winter Solstice and Natural Nativity are back at the Wisconsin Capitol. After talking about a victory stopping a "Keep Christ in Christmas" parade in Piedmont, Alabama, we celebrate the birthdays of secular songwriters Ira Gershwin and Jay Gorney. Then we talk with FFRF intern and activist Jarvis Idowu, a 3rd-year law student at UW-Madison, about the Secular Law Students Society that he sta...

FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel tells us about FFRF's victory against Hobby Lobby, stopping a bible class in Mustang, Oklahoma public schools. Then we talk with author and researcher Roy Sablosky about his recent article in Social Science Journal, "Does Religion Foster Generosity?"

After discussing FFRF’s temporary setback (on standing, not merits) in federal Appeals Court over the IRS “Housing Allowance” case, we announce a new lawsuit challenging prayer at Chino Valley, California, school board meetings. We celebrate the 88th birthday of FFRF’s principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor by honoring the feminist freethinker Margaret Sanger. Then we talk with author and scholar Bar...

FFRF's "legal fellow," attorney Katherine Paige, tells us about her recent victory stopping county funds from supporting a religious ministry in Alabama. Then we talk with Carol Fiore, widow of test pilot Eric Fiore, about her new book, A Grief Workbook for Skeptics: Surviving Loss Without Religion.  

Timely news updates include FFRF’s reports to the IRS of illegal politicking by 501(c)(3) tax-exempt churches. We report some Bible Belt victories against blatant promotion of religion in public schools. Then Freethought Radio salutes artistic freethinkers born this week, including Schiller and Aaron Copeland. We interview former minister John W. Loftus about the last in his trilogy anthology, cal...

 In The News: football baptisms, proselytizing teachers, Fox & Friends lecturing FFRF on "culture of the South," and USA Today acknowledging FFRF's accomplishments. Then we talk with John Figdor, Humanist Chaplain at Stanford University, about his new book Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart: Rewriting the Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century.

In the News: Landmark Minnesota Church abuse case. Freethought Hall expansion progress, including video of the artist making commemorative tiles. Then we hear from two former ministers who no longer believe: Randy Bender (Lutheran) and Matt Killingsworth (Pentecostal).

Life Beyond Belief. After state/church news in South Dakota, Georgia, Ohio, and Oklahoma, we hear from science-fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin, and listen to part of Malala Yousafzai's Nobel Peace Prize remarks. Then we talk with Bob Ripley, former pastor of the largest mainline Protestant church in Canada who resigned after discarding his faith. His new book is Life Beyond Belief: A Preacher's De...

Many FFRF state/church victories to report, including stopping prayers over the loudspeakers at high-school football games. After celebrating the birthdays of the freethinking songwriters P. G. Wodehouse and Ralph Vaughan Williams, we talk with Nikki Moungo, a Missouri mother who successfully convinced the city of Ballwin not to display "In God We Trust" on government property. Many FFRF state/chu...

  FFRF protests Pulpit Freedom Sunday, a day when pastors are encouraged to break IRS electioneering law. Hear about FFRF’s victory in a Texas elementary school, and more on our complaint of the St. Augustine mayor’s invitation to the pope. We celebrate the birthdays of John Lennon, Guiseppe Verdi, Joe Hill, and Thelonious Monk. The we talk with Alabama student activist Amanda Scott about her effo...

  After protesting invitations of the pope by the U.S. Congress and the City of St. Augustine, Florida, we hear some of our favorite atheist comedians, including Julia Sweeney, Leighann Lord, George Carlin, Bill Maher and Roy Zimmerman, as well as irreverent verses by Yip Harburg. Then we talk with Katja Guenther, professor of sociology at UC-Riverside, about her current research into humor in the...

In the news: football prayer and religion in the military. We hear a tribute to George Gershwin ( Rhapsody in Blue , Bernstein; "I Got Rhythm," Mary Martin; "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off," Billie Holiday; "Someone To Watch Over Me," Nancy Wilson; "It Ain't Necessarily So" Sammy Davis Jr; "Embraceable You," Kiri Te Kanawa; American in Paris ; "Summertime" Ella Fitzgerald). Then we talk with Sam E...

"God and Cosmology." This week we are happy to report four state/church victories around the country: one in Florida, two in Pennsylvania, and one in Arkansas, dealing with the Pledge of Allegiance, "In God We Trust," hotel bibles, and crosses on football helmets. After hearing Dan Barker's freethought song, "Life is Good," we talk with physicist Sean Carroll, author of The Particle at the End of...

"Science flies you to the moon. Religion flies you into buildings." After hearing news of  FFRF state/church victories and complaints, we remember the life of physicist, author, and FFRF Honorary Director Victor J. Stenger. Then we talk with Lance Dodes, M.D., about his new book debunking Alcoholics Anonymous: The Sober Truth: Debunking the bad science behind twelve-step programs and the rehab ind...

After hearing Dan Barker's appearance on the Nancy Grace Show, and reporting the Vatican's coddling of a pedophilic priest, we honor the birthdays of freethinking baseball great Ted Williams and early feminist activist Frances Wright. Then we talk with Matthew Stewart, author of the new book: Nature's God : The Heretical Origins of the American Republic .

FFRF complains about an Arkansas restaurant giving illegal discounts to church-goers. We celebrate Women's Equality Day, and observe the 100th anniversary of the original Broadway "Book of Mormon" (The Girl From Utah) with freethinker Jerome Kern's first hit song. Then we listen to 20 short videos from FFRF's new "Out of the Closet" Freethinker video campaign.

We talk about the Kountze, Texas, bible-banner cheerleaders, and the FFRF state/church victory over a restaurant offering a discount for prayer. Then we celebrate the birthday of freethinking composer Claude Debussy. Our guest this week is FFRF attorney Sam Grover, who will explain how he convinced the Navy to remove Christian bibles from Naval Accommodations.

This week we correct right-wing media that is mischaracterizing FFRF's recent IRS victory about politicking pastors. We celebrate the birthday of 19th-century freethought author, orator and politician Robert G. Ingersoll. Then we talk with Roane County (Tennessee) Commissioner Steve Kelley, an atheist, about why he voted against "In God We Trust" being installed at the county offices and courthous...