Freethought Radio

Philosophy great Daniel C. Dennett will be the guest, to discuss his new study, "Preachers Who Are Not Believers," just published and posted by In Faith at the Washington Post Web site. The hosts will also discuss the religious composition of the Supreme Court, a timely topic with the announced resignation of John Paul Stevens. Famous freethinkers born in April will be highlighted, with the bonus...

Guest John Loftus discusses his new book, the Christian Delusion. Dan and Annie Laurie discuss the Catholic Church's long history of sexual abuse and cover up, including the Pope's involvement. Easter's origins and resurrection evidence are explored

Highlights from Dan Barker's historic debate on religion with Cardinal George Pell, archbishop of Sydney, Australia, will be featured. Dan, along with cohost Annie Laurie Gaylor, will talk a bit about freethought "Down Under" and then interview Ryan Valentine, deputy director of the Texas Freedom Network, about the latest fundamentalist incursions on textbooks in the State of Texas.

FFRF Staff Attorney will serve as Freethought Radio's special substitute host, joining Annie Laurie Gaylor while cohost Dan Barker is in Australia. Rebecca Markert will talk about her recent FFRF state/church victories, then First Amendment hero Michael Newdow will join the hosts to dissect the recent decision by the Ninth Circuit of his challenge of "under God in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the...

State/church separation and controversies will be discussed with Law School Prof. Jay Wexler, author of the entertaining new book, "Holy Hullabaloos — A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars." Bonus: Excerpts of an ode to Wexler's book, written and performed by Mike Newdow.

Guest Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of "Infidel," will talk about her escape from an arranged marriage in Somali, about becoming an atheist, and how religious terrorism has changed her life. The entire show will be devoted to the harm of religion to women, in honor of International Women's Day.

This weekend's guest, Prof. James Coors, will talk about evolution in tribute to Charles Darwin, born in February. Jim is the Foundation's newest officer and a retired professor of agronomy. Also featured: A clip of Dan Barker's opening remarks in a recent debate, "Can you be good without God?"

A lively show dedicated to the contributions of African-American freethinkers during Black History Month will include an interview with Norm Allen, editor of "African-American Humanism: An Anthology," and will feature music and movie clips.

TOPIC: WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS AND A STAMP HONORING MOTHER TERESA Journalist Christopher Hitchens, author of "God Is Not Great" and an expose on Mother Teresa, "The Missionary Position," gives a sneak preview of his April Vanity Fair article about the Ten Commandments, and talks about the controversy over the Mother Teresa stamp, among other topical issues. The hosts also parse Pres...

Professor Richard Dawkins discusses his latest book The Greatest Show on Earth.

Nonbelief relief for Haiti and the biblical roots of Islamist brutality toward rape victims will be discussed. Guest Jerry Coyne is professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago, where he speciallizes in evolutionary genetics. His new book, Why Evolution is True, has been much praised by Richard Dawkins, next week's guest!

Saturday's program features interviews with Mikey Weinstein of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation over "Jesus rifles" and with freethinking novelist and MacArthur Fellow Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, whose new book, Thirty-Six Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, was just released (and was reviewed yesterday in The New York Times). Goldstein is married to evolutionary psych...

This weekend's show will comment on the Rev. Pat Robertson's remarks on Haiti and look other imprecatory prayer. The special guest: Philosophy's best and "Brightest": Daniel C. Dennett of Tuft University, author of the bestseller about religion, "Breaking the Spell."

Tune in for "the ABCs of atheism," a look at the threat posed by the bible and bible-toting evangelists to Uganda gays, and an interview with Dann Glenn, internationally known jazz musician and nonbeliever.

Tune in for a special broadcast of the pith and wisdom of Ruth Hurmence Green (born in January), author of The Born Again Skeptic's Guide to the Bible—an interview taken 30 years ago about what's wrong with the bible, and an interview of Michael Gordon, a retired IRS attorney, who will tell us how the parish exemption works, and how the IRS law preferentially permits "ministers of the gospel" to e...

After discussing lots of timely news and FFRF activism attracting media around the nation, the Foundation interviewed Asheville, N.C.'s first atheist city council member, Cecil Bothwell, who attracted international attention when he won office there, despite a prohibition against atheists running for public office in that state. An investigative reporter, Bothwell is author of the only critical bi...

TOPIC: THE UNCHRISTMAS SHOW To provide respite from the seasonal state/church and religious onslaughts, Freethought Radio devotes most of its program to great secular songwriting. The very special guest is Lynn Lane, 86, widow of the legendary songwriter Burton Lane, who reminisces about her husband and lyricist Yip Harburg, both unbelievers, and creators of "Finian's Rainbow," now a hit Broadway...

Margaret Downey, president of the Freethought Society of Greater Philadelphia, will talk about why her FFRF chapter erects a "Tree of Knowledge" every year by a courthouse creche and how officials have tried to sabotage that solstice observance. Well-known journalist Hanna Rosin will talk about her cover story in the December Atlantic: "Did Christianity Cause the Crash? How Preachers Are Spreading...

Author and Jesus Seminar member Robert M. Price, a professor of theology at a seminary, talks about what moved him out of his fundamentalist fold into freethought, and tackles some of the biblical myths about Jesus and Christmas. The hosts talk about timely topics, including Dan's London debates last week and seasonal state/church violations.

Freethought Radio will talk with world-renowned opera singer Markella, who has gone from Greek Orthodox to unorthodox. Markella has recorded a new pop song, "The God Delusion." Timely news updates include local coverage of FFRF's splashy 10-billboard campaign in Albuquerque. A bonus: a clip of Jay Leno's joke about FFRF's 32nd annual national convention in Seattle.

Freethought Radio will talk with Harvard's Humanist Chaplain, Greg M. Epstein, author of the new book, Good Without God: What a Billion Non-Religious People Do Believe.

Freethought Radio will play some coverage of FFRF's jolly new bus sign campaign in Seattle, play some coverage of its 32nd annual convention there and discuss how religious lobbies sabotaged the House health care reform bill over abortion. Shawn Francis Peters will talk about the Christian Science lobby's promotion of a "sham" repeal of faith exemption in the Wisconsin Legislature. The show will a...

Editorial cartoonist Steve Benson unveils his brand-new Seattle bus sign that he designed for the foundation (HO! HO! HO!). Ernie Harburg, retired scientist and son of famous songwriter Yip Harburg will discuss the smash Broadway success of the revival of Finian's Rainbow and tell us about his new book.

Scary theocratic developments in the news, will be followed by an interview with one of America's scariest figures: an IRS tax auditor! Retired IRS auditor Robert Baty will expose the many tax privileges and benefits accruing "ministers of the gospel" in the IRS tax code, which are being challenged in a new federal lawsuit by the Freedom From Religion Foundation. An "ode" to John Keats, born on Ha...

Scientist and "Lucy" discoverer Donald C. Johanson will talk about his atheism, evolution and how he feels about "Ardi" displacing "Lucy." FFRF'er John Whiteside will talk about why he underwrote a billboard blitz in Las Vegas for the Foundation, featuring 10 billboards variously reading: "Imagine No Religion," "Beware of Dogma" and "Praise Darwin: Evolve Beyond Belief."