Freethought Radio

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."

This weekend's show features a conversation with the legendary author Ursula K. Le Guin, winner of many literary awards and best-known for her classic science fiction and fantasy writing. Also: an interview with Grand Junction, Colo. activist and FFRF member Anne Landman about local attempts to protest public piety by politicians on government time, and timely updates.

Topics: "Unabashed atheist" Ron Reagan, host of Air America's Ron Reagan Show, is back for a new interview as a preview to his appearance at FFRF's 32nd annual FFRF convention in Seattle in November. Also featured: an interview with Foundation member Karen Buchanan, the original complainant in FFRF's request to the city council of Lodi, Calif., to drop prayers. That request has set off months of c...

An important interview with Rita Swan, director of Children's Healthcare is a Legal Duty, will focus on insidious amendments to healthcare reform bills that would force medical insurers to cover prayer as medicine. Local California atheist and Lifetime FFRF'er Sue Robinson will talk about why she testified against government prayer in Turlock, Calif., where there has been heated debate over an FFR...

Freethought Radio will include timely updates on various state/church and freethought activism, including a segment about a state/church prayer controversy heating up in the Dallas, Texas area. In honor of the Sept. 26 anniversary of the birth of nontheist George Gershwin, the Foundation will air his irreverent classic, "It Ain't Necessarily So," and talk about other famous freethinkers born in th...

Freethought Radio will discuss new billboards in Indianapolis, bus signs in San Francisco, and the furor Foundation complaints over government prayer is creating in Tehachapi, Calif. (a TV news clip will play on the controversy there). A teaser trailer for the new film, Creation, concentrating on Darwin's loss of faith and starring major actors, will play, with discussion about how the film so far...

Freethought Radio will interview 2 timely guests: Foundation member Ed Hensley, who will talk about why he is 1 of 9 plaintiffs challenging an egregious Kentucky law requiring "dependence on God" by the state Department of Homeland Security, and bestselling atheist author and scientist Victor Stenger. Stenger will talk about his hot-off-the-press book, The New Atheists: Standing Up for Science & R...

Energetic state/church actions by the Foundation will be featured. Staff attorney Rebecca Kratz will also talk about the Foundation's unique amicus brief in the upcoming Mohave "veteran monument" cross case before the U.S. Supreme Court, written in part on behalf of FFRF's "atheist in foxhole" veteran members. Tune in also for some commentary on Rev Steve Anderson's sermon bragging about how he pr...

Topics: Jazz as "Religion", FFRF Legal Victory in Denver Schools A unique legal victory for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, ending a religious endorsement by Cherry Creek Public Schools in Denver, Colo., will be discussed by the always-interesting guest, Robert R. Tiernan, the attorney who brought the case. And jazz legend/great Ben Sidran will join the cohosts in studio for a conversation a...

Co-host Dan Barker will talk about recently experiencing the bizarre creationism museum in Kentucky. Brad Pitt's nonreligion and new Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayer's request for "divine guidance" will get some play. Interviewed will be linguist and Daniel Everett, author of Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle (2008). In an amazing adventure, Everett--a m...