Freethought Radio

"Welcome to the end of democracy," said a Christian nationalist leader. This week, we parse many of such anti-democratic comments made by evangelical leaders. After hearing a Spanish-language version of the love song "It's Only Natural," we talk with Enrico Gnaulati , author of the book Flourishing Love: A Secular Guide to Lasting Intimate Relationships .

FFRF's Equal Justice Works Legal Fellow Kat Grant describes the amicus (friend-of-the-court) brief they wrote for FFRF in a case involving an Oregonian Christian who is challenging the law prohibiting her from discriminating against LGBTQ+ children in the adoption process. Then, we talk about the new documentary film "God and Country," produced by Rob Reiner, that warns against the looming threat...

This week we talk about Christian nationalism, leaving the Mormon Church, and religion in the classroom. After listening to part of our TV interview with Rep. Jared Huffman about the theocratic Speaker of the House, we talk with historian Robin Vose , author of The Index of Prohibited Books: Four Centuries of Struggle Over Word and Image for the Greater Glory of God .

Prayer is the target of this week's show: the National Prayer Breakfast and school-board prayer. For Valentine's Day, we hear Susan Hofer sing Dan Barker's freethought love song, "It's Only Natural." Then, we speak with FFRF attorneys Sammi Lawrence and Chris Line about their watchdog letters of complaint to public officials who violate state/church separation and the legal friend-of-the-court bri...

This week, we call out governmental prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast and an egregious Christian nationalist invocation before the House of Representatives. Then we hear Kate Cohen , Washington Post contributing columnist and author of the book We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too) , deliver her entertaining and riveting talk: "The Tiny Titanic Ac...

FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal describes how India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple on the site of a demolished mosque in a political effort to establish Hindu nationalism in that country. Then we speak with Devin Moss , the humanist chaplain who was called in to support an atheist death-row inmate executed in Oklahoma.

After we hear from atheists Ron Reagan and Richard Dawkins,  we listen to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan greet attendees at FFRF's annual convention. Then we speak with author and essayist  Sarah Stankorb about her new book, Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning .

Emily Olson , a very brave member of the Owosso, Michigan city council, tells us what happened when she challenged prayer at board meetings. Then we speak with the founder and president of Atheists in Kenya  Harrison Mumia  about that group's successful lawsuit challenging government discrimination against atheists and their activities to promote human rights in a country drenched with religion.

We report on FFRF state/church victories and complaints and honor the 2023 "Secularist of the Year." After welcoming the New Year by hearing the sparkling performance of Godless Gospel, we speak with FFRF contributing writer Barbara Alvarez about the current state of abortion rights and the challenges we will face in 2024 as Christian nationalists continue to restrict women's healthcare.

On this important date, we remind listeners of the real reason for the season: the Winter Solstice. After reporting on FFRF's Solstice and "Bill of Rights nativity" scenes erected on public property to counter religious displays, we hear from the justice correspondent for The Nation magazine, Elie Mystal , author of the book Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy's Guide to the Constitution .

Secularism is growing around the world, and in the United States resistance to Christian nationalism is increasing. FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence and FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line join us to talk about some of the encouraging state/church legal victories (in court and out of court) that the FFRF legal staff has been winning in recent weeks.

FFRF Co-President Dan Barker discusses his recent debate at Oxford University on the topic "Is God a Delusion?" Then we have some fun hearing comedian, activist and political satirist Lizz Winstead , co-founder of "The Daily Show" and founder of Abortion Access Front, tell us how "to bring joy and fun to expose hypocrisy and to have hope."

We are asking Oklahoma's Superintendent of Education to resign for pushing religion in the schools and for verbally attacking FFRF. After honoring the life of freethinking TV correspondent Betty Rollin, we hear from two brave students — Marcus Stovall and Bear Bright — who are suing West Texas A&M University for censoring their drag show fundraiser to prevent suicide among gay youth.

Our Thanksgiving 2023 show features Godless Gospel performing "Let's All Give Thanks," interviews FFRF Counsel  Sam Grover on FFRF's new brief against religious censorship of drag shows, and features law Professor Mary Ziegler warning about the anti-abortion movement's goal of fetal personhood.

This week we announce a Triumphant Trifecta of legal victories, ending high-school proselytizing in West Virginia, eliminating a religious test for public office in New Jersey, and stopping $1.5 million of South Carolina state funds from going to a religious school. Then we hear Jen Castle , the national Director of Abortion Services for Planned Parenthood, deliver an impassioned speech in accepta...

Guest host FFRF Communications Director Amitabh Pal first recounts the state/church watchdog's achievements over the past few days — and the resulting media coverage. Then, he talks with University of Turin Professor Marzia Casolari about her groundbreaking book, " In the Shadow of the Swastika ," spotlighting the influence of Italian fascism and Nazism on the Hindu nationalist movement currently...

FFRF Legal Director Rebecca Markert and FFRF Attorney Liz Cavell fill in as guest hosts this week. They discuss the alarming election of a Christian nationalism devotee to the Speaker of the House of Representatives. FFRF Senior Counsel Patrick Elliott joins to share an exciting update in one of FFRF's lawsuits on behalf of West Virginia public school students.

For a special themed show, FFRF co-presidents  Annie Laurie Gaylor  and  Dan Barker  discuss the harm of belief in heaven and hell. Songs include "Heaven" by Rupert Brooke, "Pack Up Your Sins (and Go to the Devil in Hades)" by Irving Berlin, "Declaration of the Free" by Robert Ingersoll, "Preacher & the Slave" by Joe Hill, "Spooky Mormon Hell" from The Book of Mormon, "This World" by Malvina Reyno...

Oklahoma's Superintendent of Public Education Ryan Walters is going after FFRF for complaining about that state's creation of a "public" religious charter school. FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence tells us about the new amicus brief we filed in favor of Southwest Airlines enforcing their policy against religious harassment. Then we hear from three eloquent 18-year-old college students who read thei...

FFRF Co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor energetically demolish the Ten Commandments, both as moral guides and as an influence on U.S. law. After hearing the Philip Appleman poem "Noah," read by Phil and his wife Marjorie, we listen to Dan's song "Lucifer's Lament," about how Satan gets none of the credit for God's destructive punishments.

FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence describes FFRF's newest lawsuit challenging a religious test for public office in New Jersey. FFRF's Equal Justice Works Fellow Kat Grant tells us about the testimony she gave at the Wisconsin capitol in opposition to a religiously motivated bill that would prohibit gender-affirming care for minors. Then we speak with Washington Post contributing columnist Kate Coh...

Find out why Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and Texas Senator Ted Cruz are dissing the Freedom From Religion Foundation. After hearing Dan Barker's song "The Battle of Church and State," we talk with the distinguished scholar Steven K. Green about his book Separating Church and State: A History .

We report  four  state-church victories this week: Minnesota, Oklahoma and two in California. We also report on the advocacy group FFRF Action Fund, working to keep religion out of politics and law. Then we speak with  Robert P. Jones , president and founder of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) about his powerful new book  The Hidden Roots of White Supremacy: and the Path to a Shared A...

We protest coaches forcing prayer and baptism on students, a public library system closing on the sabbath to "honor God" and judges who inject bible verses into their decisions. Courageous freethinking high-school student Will Larkins tells us how he is protesting Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law. Then we honor Margaret Sanger by hearing Dan Barker's song "No Gods, No Masters." 

We expose the hypocrisy of praying football coach Joe Kennedy and complain about religious incursions into the public schools. After remembering the life of "Lone Star Freethinker" Catherine Fahringer (1922–2008), we talk with  R. Scott Okamoto , author of  Asian American Apostate: Losing Religion and Finding Myself at an Evangelical University .