Freethought Radio

Honoring International Women's Day, we talk with two women who have made a difference: one in high school and one in her 80s. (Note: Barbara Ehrenreich was announced, but was unable to join us due to a scheduling conflict.) Krystal Myers is the Tennessee high-schooler whose article on atheism was censored by her high-school newspaper, and Anne Nicol Gaylor is the founder of the Freedom From Religi...

Is the separation of church and state "absolute," as JFK said, or does it make you want to vomit (as Rick Santorum said)? This week we talk about FFRF's challenge of Alabama school board prayers, and then interview Jim McCollum, whose family's landmark 1948 Supreme Court victory is the bedrock of modern law regarding religion in the schools. We also hear the song "I Don't Believe in Fairies" by at...

Jessica’s victory, Santorum’s intolerance, Green Bay prayers, Annie Laurie’s open letter encouraging liberal Catholics to exit “en mass,” and an interview with Katherine Stewart, author of the eye-opening investigative book  The Good News Club: The Christian Right’s Stealth Assault on America’s Children .

What  don't  we talk about on this week's show? God at the Grammys, atheism at the Golden Globes, Jon Stewart and the "attack on religion," prayers at county board meetings, Ten Commandments in City Hall. We also talk with Canadian professor Christopher DiCarlo, author of  How To Become a Really Good Pain In The Ass:  A Critical Thinker's Guide to Asking the Right Questions

This week we look at religion in politics, applaud Bill Maher and boo Denzel Washington for their comments on atheism, congratulate "The Book of Mormon" musical, and talk with First Amendment champion Ellery Schempp about how his 1963 Supreme Court victory over religion in high school compares with Jessica Ahlquist's current fight in Rhode Island.

"Everything's Coming Up Roses." This week we talk with the intrepid freethinking Connecticut florist (of Glimpse of Gaia) who delivered flowers to the victorious teenage Rhode Island atheist litigant Jessica Ahlquist after nobody in Rhode Island would do it. We also celebrate a victory 30+ years in the making, and announce the filing of FFRF's newest lawsuit challenging the Jesus Statue on federal...

This week we'll celebrate Roe v. Wade with journalist Sunsara Taylor. Then, we'll interview Jessica Ahlquist, the besieged 16 year old litigant in a Rhode Island school prayer lawsuit. Her harassment is an object lesson in why religion does not belong in our public schools.

To celebrate a court victory, you'll hear teenager atheist and champion of the first amendment Jessica Ahlquist, who was defamed by her legislator as an "evil little thing." Then we'll talk with the author George Levine about joy of secularism. Tune in for an uplifting show celebrating secularity.

Dan and Annie Laurie are back from one vacation, learn why they have been invited to some place a LOT warmer.  This week we'll talk with a fifth generation minister who saw the light is now a nonbeliever. John Compere's book is called  Towards the Light: A fifth generation minister's journey from religion to nonbelief .

Wishing all you heathens, skeptics and hell-bound atheists a happy new year! Steven Pinker is quite the thinker. The Harvard professor and evolutionary psychologist has a new book on the decline of violence. We'll hear from Prof. Pinker and the good news of why rationality reduces violence.

We'll take a cup of kindness and make a toast to freethought in the New Year. Then, we'll hear the "Good News" on "Why you don't have to go down into my basement." We'll cover end of the year violations, looking back and looking forward.

Life goes on . . . without a Hitch. Tune in to listen to the immortal provocateur, Christopher Hitchens, in his own voice. Freethought Radio will play a quintessential excerpt of Hitchens' Emperor Has No Clothes Award acceptance speech before a national FFRF convention in 2007 in Madison, Wis. The rest of the show will be devoted to "Reason's Greetings," a recap of FFRF's whirlwind actions this pa...

Away with the manger and in with the solstice. Is there room at the inn for freethought displays? Tune in to hear about FFRF's first-ever 'natural nativity scene.' We wish you a happy solstice and a very merry new year!

We're bringing reason into the season. Its away with the manager on city property! Professor Stephen Hirtle of the University of Pittsburgh will give us an eye-witness account of one city's Holy War against the Constitution.

Tis the season for fa-la-la-la-lawsuits. We'll report on seasonal violations. Then, we'll interview an atheist who is African-American. Journalist Jamila Bey will talk about black women who use the "A" word.

Heathen's greetings! Its the most violated time of the year. They are making a litmus test and checking it twice. We'll check in on the battle of state and church with Andrew Seidel, the newest member of FFRF's legal team.

How can the US motto be "In God We Trust" when so many Americans are Out of the Closet atheists? We'll talk with one of those out of the closet atheists: a former Roman Catholic priest, Steven Uhl, author of "Out of God's Closet." His motto is "Atheists work to make this life heavenly."

It's only November, but already the war on atheists and state/church separation has begun! Tune in for news updates, then hear Prof. Phil Zuckerman of Claremount talk about his new book, "Faith No More," the first major sociological study in book form about why believers lose their faith!

This week's show is devoted to FFRF state-church victories and complaints in South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Montana (with "hate mail" readings), and Colorado (a victory 3 years in the making). The show ends with Dan's song "The Stay Away Pope Polka" in commemoration of the planet's 7 billionth human inhabitant.

Its time for trick or treats. this halloween weekend we'll talk about some scary theocratic tricks FFRF is combatting. The treat is novelist and Freethought Heroine Rebecca Newberger Goldstein talking about overcoming her Orthodox Jewish childhood.

Guest: High school state/church activists Jessica Ahlquist and Harrison Hopkins Atheists are not rapturous over the rapture, once again predicted by Harold Camping. Learn about FFRF's 40 billboards criticizing religion and the bible regarding Famly Radio's (once again) failed prediction that the world would end on October 21. We will also hear stories about what its like to be high school state/ch...

Are those of us who work for state/church separation Satanists? Terrorists? No, we're first amendment fundamentalists. We'll talk about FFRF's demand that a Tennessee town remove a lighted cross from its water tower. We discuss with our attorney, Alvin Harris, of Nashville.

FFRF's complaint removing a cross from a water tower in Tennessee is getting attention. And so is Steven Pinker's hot off the press new book released this week, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence is in Decline . We will talk with Steven Pinker about why he thinks humanism is triumphing.

If you had a choice, would you choose jail or church. We'll talk about FFRF's latest legal complaint. Then we'll talk with Penn Jillete, the well-known Las Vegas entertainer and magician is also a well-known atheist. He'll discuss his new book God No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist.

This week's show will make you laugh and will make you groan over the many religious violations in public schools. We'll talk to FFRF staff attorney Stephanie Schmitt about how she is working hard to protect school children from illegal proselytizing.