Freethought Radio

We report state/church victories and complaints in Texas, Alabama, Utah, California and Wisconsin, and we chastise Sen. Josh Hawley for his erroneous and tone-deaf Juneteenth comments about Christianity and slavery. Then we speak with Catholic journalist Mary Jo McConahay about her new book, Playing God: American Catholic Bishops and the Far Right.

Students complain about graduating in a church. We talk about women pastors, Catholic charter schools, Ten Commandments and prayer in public schools, child marriage and book banning. We talk with  Sheryl Monk , a brave South Carolinian who is complaining about the "Lord's Prayer" at school board meetings. Then we interview  Jon Ward , chief correspondent for Yahoo! News, about his new book  Testim...

Oklahoma Catholic charter school complaint; bibles banned in Utah schools; state/church complaints in Arizona and Georgia schools. After noting the death of televangelist Pat Robertson, we commemorate the 60th anniversary of the June 1963 Abington v. Schempp Supreme Court decision that removed bible reading and the Lord's Prayer from public schools by speaking with octogenarian  Ellery Schempp , t...

Americans are losing confidence in God's existence; Tulsa massacre anniversary; exoneration of 'witches'; Uganda's anti-gay law; state/church complaints in Arkansas and Michigan. We hear Roy Zimmerman's hilarious "Wedding of Church and State" song and Shelley Segal's moving "Apocalyptic Love Song." Then 11-yr-old Elle Harris describes her book  Elle The Humanist .

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Texas Ten Commandments bill fails; anti-abortion laws proliferate; Illinois reports widespread clergy sex abuse; proselytizing school bus driver; legislative prayer; graduations in churches. After we hear Dan Barker's song "The Freethinker Blues," FFRF's Director of Communications Amit Pal joins us to interview Professor  Irfan Nooruddin , co-author of  The Everyda...

We talk about abortion, book banning and the X-rated bible. We also talk with "God." After hearing the song "The Trinity" (words by Robert Ingersoll), we speak with investigative journalist  Christine Kenneally about her chilling new book  Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, a Conspiracy of Silence, and a Search for Justice .

We talk about religion and abortion rights, the IRS and church electioneering, the Texas Ten Commandments bill and clergy sexual abuse. After Annie Laurie describes the bible's role in asking rape victims "Why didn't you scream?", FFRF contributing author  Barbara Alvarez tells us about her new book (published by the American Library Association): The Library's Guide to Sexual and Reproductive Hea...

We celebrate the National Day of Reason, recommend the new movie "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" based on Judy Blume's banned book, and advocate for meaningful court reform. Then we speak with distinguished Bible scholar and bestselling author Bart D. Ehrman  about his new book,  Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End.

We announce plans to sue the state of Texas over their new Ten Commandments edict, and we celebrate the upcoming National Day of Reason on May 4. After hearing Sammy Davis Jr. sing "It Ain't Necessarily So" (written by George and Ira Gershwin), we speak with  Evan Clark , Executive Director of Atheists United, about the "Atheist Street Pirate" campaign to remove religious signs from public propert...

In the news: religious privilege in Minnesota, predator priests, ancient "Comstock law" revived, Latinos losing religion, and Walter Reed military hospital's phony "crisis." After hearing the wistful Richard Rodgers song "Spring is Here," we talk with Michelle Dowd , author of the new memoir  Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult .

We discuss some troubling state/church news (and a few victories) in New Jersey, California, Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Oklahoma. FFRF attorney  Liz Cavell  describes the Groff v. DeJoy case before the Supreme Court that will likely extend religious privilege in the workplace. Then we hear a voice from the past, the never-before-played "God is not Great"...

We announce the "Theocrat" & "Secularist" of the Week, play Bill Maher's very funny "Atheists Day" monologue, then interview University of San Francisco Professor and Middle East expert Stephen Zunes  about the theocratic threats in Israel and what's at stake.

After reporting international and U.S. state/church news, we talk with Kentucky activist  Linda Allewalt , whose op-ed opposing a new state law that encourages public school teachers to promote religion was printed in the Lexington paper. Then we hear Val Benavidez , executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, tell us how her group is "messing with Texas" by fighting religious extremism in th...

FFRF's "Equal Justice Works Fellow"  Kat Grant  describes the letter they wrote to the president of West Texas A&M University protesting his cancellation, for religious reasons, of a student-hosted drag show. Then we speak with former minister and religion scholar  Bradley Onishi  about his new book  Preparing For War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism—And What Comes Next.

Local and federal state/church victories and complaints; Walgreens and abortion; new rules for faith-based providers. FFRF attorney  Chris Line  describes the controversy over University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders praying with students. Then we talk with neurologist and financial theorist  William J. Bernstein  about his book  The Delusions of Crowds: Why People Go Mad in Groups.

We applaud President Biden's repeal of religious discrimination. FFRF joins in an abortion appeal to the United Nations, and appreciates a State Department reward for Avijit Roy's killers. Vashti McCollum's heroic lawsuit is honored and Gov. Greg Abbott's idea of education is exposed as indoctrination. FFRF attorney  Sam Grover  explains our brief challenging the Ten Commandments monument in Arkan...

Our guest this week is Dr.  Christine Henneberg , author of the book  Boundless: An Abortion Doctor Becomes a Mother . FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence describes some first-amendment legal victories she was involved in, and describes the problems nonreligious seniors have while living in religious nursing homes. After reporting state/church news around the country, we hear the freethinking singer/...

After reporting state/church news in Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, we talk about the tragic religious persecution in Pakistan and Afghanistan. FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne  discusses the more than 1,000 state-level religiously based bills introduced in 2023 that we are monitoring and reports a "Health Care Sharing Ministry" victory in Missouri. Then we speak with Leonard Presberg , fo...

Amy Hagstrom Miller , with Whole Woman's Health Alliance, tells us about the devastation to abortion access wrought by the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision. We hear jazz singer  Tahira Clayton  perform freethinking composer Jerome Kern's song "I'm Old Fashioned," and we cover many local, national and international stories about religion and government.

A new PRRI study shows that Americans overwhelmingly reject Christian nationalism. FFRF Attorney  Chris Line  talks about this week's Wisconsin State Journal story, "The Running Man," that features his successful effort to lose more than 250 pounds. Then we speak with  Jonathan Larsen , managing editor of The Young Turks, about his revealing investigation into the National Prayer Breakfast.

We have many state/church victories to report, including against the National Prayer Breakfast and proselytizing Colorado coach Deion Sanders. FFRF litigation counsel Sam Grover describes our newest federal court win against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who censored our display in the state Capitol. Then we hear Nebraska state Sen. Megan Hunt , an atheist working to keep religion and government separat...

After addressing the numerous problems with the National Prayer Breakfast, we speak with Central Florida Freethought Association director  Joseph Richardson about how his secular invocation before a county board was "corrected" by a Christian prayer. Then we speak with Owosso, Mich., City Councilor Emily Olson , who received a death threat after she complained about prayers before council meetings...

After we report on national and local state/church news, FFRF Legal Fellow  Karen Heineman  describes a disturbing case before the U.S. Supreme Court that will most certainly expand religious privilege. Then FFRF Co-President Dan Barker and Communication Director  Amitabh Pal  report on their trip to India this month to meet with brave rationalists who are battling superstition and Hindu nationali...

We celebrate Martin Luther King Jr Day and National Religious Freedom Day, "eulogize" Cardinal Pell via Tim Minchin's song, "Come Home Cardinal Pell," then hear irreverent  Jim Hightower  pillory religious entanglements in Texas.

We review secular highs and lows of the week. FFRF Legal Fellow Karen Heineman tells us why the Catholic Church cannot run public charter schools in Oklahoma. Then we hear the entertaining conversation between actress/comedian Julia Sweeney and Dan Barker at FFRF's 2022 convention.