Friendly Atheist Podcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Tasmania may remove gender from birth certificates. (3:55) — The Trump administration may revoke legal protections for transgender people. (8:35) — Ark Encounter attendance is still dropping faster than ever. (18:18) — Astrological chapstick is now a thing. (20:37) — The Museum of the Bible r...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — A Catholic pharmacist wouldn't give a woman the medicine she needed to abort a miscarriage. (2:35) — Christian videographers want the right to discriminate against gay customers and it may go to the Supreme Court. (10:48) — Republicans are rushing to confirm an enemy of church/state separatio...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Atheist charity Nonbelief Relief just had its tax exemption revoked by the IRS‚ arguably on purpose. The group says this amounts to religious discrimination by the government. (0:45) — Here are the major church/state separation cases in front of the Supreme Court that Brett Kavanaugh could so...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Tucker Carlson says the Brett Kavanaugh backlash is due to an atheist "theocracy." (4:40) — Does Purity Culture explain why evangelical women still support Brett Kavanaugh? (11:06) — Former Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson is teaching a class on ethics for some reason. (14:58) — Even C...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Even if Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, half of evangelicals wouldn't care. (1:30) — A Jesuit publication rescinded its endorsement of Kavanaugh. (11:25) — The question to Kavanaugh from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) about God was inappropriate. (15:49) — A Kentucky c...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — White evangelicals say we shouldn't listen to Brett Kavanaugh's accuser unless there were 2-3 witnesses because the Bible says so, and that he was respectful after she said no. (0:35) — A man who strangled a woman received no jail time. (26:35) — A Louisiana congressman claims atheists are sp...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — This is a great way to respond to an anti-abortion protest outside a high school. (0:45) — A 9-year-old girl protesting the National Anthem in Australia. And she has a good point. (6:20) — Republican candidates' old videos are catching up to them in their races. (11:36) — What is causing Hurr...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — These Christians are threatening to follow the law if they don't get to pray over the loudspeakers before football games. (2:20) — A new book talks about the harm of the evangelical "purity" movement. (7:53) — Several states are launching their own investigations into the Catholic Church. (17...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Donald Trump held a dinner party for conservative Christian leaders, screwed up a quotation, and urged pastors to tell their congregations how to vote. (6:22) — The Pope's visit to Ireland was not nearly as popular as organizers expected. (13:51) — A critic of the Pope says he knew about the...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) used Christianity to cover up his campaign finance fraud. (2:55) — The Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars in New York lobbying against bills that would let victims of child sex abuse seek justice. (7:50) — Good news! Claiming to have flown in an alien spac...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — The grand jury's report on the child sex abuse in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses and it's the most disturbing stuff you'll ever hear. (0:35 with details at 5:15) — The Catholic League's Bill Donohue, as usual, is downplaying the seriousness of the allegations against priests. (24:10) — Mo...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — The rest of Willow Creek church's leadership resigned over the Bill Hybels scandal. (0:28) — Brock Turner lost his appeal to overturn a sexual assault conviction. (16:14) — A one-minute video promoting animal rights was too controversial for a Southern Baptist group. (20:40) — An anti-abortio...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Willow Creek megachurch's founder Bill Hybels has now been accused of sexually harassing his assistant decades ago, and the lead pastor quit as a result. (2:15) — Jeff Sessions' "Religious Freedom Task Force" is just a government program to help conservative Christians discriminate against gr...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- 50 years ago, the pope said birth control was immoral. (1:15) -- Did you know Gwyneth Paltrow hired a fact checker for Goop? (9:40) -- This 11-year-old college grad wants to pursue astrophysics so he can prove God's existence. (19:44) -- Computer models could help us understand the future of...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Republicans just passed another bill to repeal the Johnson Amendment. (0:22) -- If you're running for governor, don't belittle someone who asks a good question about climate change. (6:35) -- Russian spy Mariia Butina infiltrated the government via the National Prayer Breakfast. (12:25) -- S...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The new Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the one right-wing group that opposed him (temporarily), and his claim that church/state separation is "based on bad history." (0:30) -- This is why it's a problem believing communion wafers are the literal body of Christ. (20:14) -- Apparently...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Is Ark Encounter lying about attendance again? (0:39) -- A Republican congressional candidate thinks women are best described as "helpers." (15:52) -- What does Scott Pruitt's resignation letter say about God? (26:22) -- The man who destroyed the Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas doesn't...

In January, Jessica found out her brother Kevin was reading a book about the Satanic Panic and she thought it would be fun to sit down and have him walk her through the ins and outs of that era. They recorded in February. They had technical issues and had to scrap it. They tried again in April. It went very poorly. They scrapped it. But, third time's a charm, and so now we present to you "The Blue...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- What does Anthony Kennedy's retirement mean for church/state separation? (1:05) -- The Supreme Court banning abortion will backfire on evangelicals. (18:25) -- A Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for a woman who miscarried. (32:00) -- Your thoughts and prayers alone won't h...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Should Catholic Church confessionals about child abuse be reported to the cops? (2:01) -- Apparently, Australia doesn't exist. (9:45) -- Two Christian women released a marriage checklist. It's disturbing. (13:14) -- In Alberta, religious schools want the ability to "out" members of Gay-Strai...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Trump administration is using Bible verses to justify tearing children away from their parents. (1:29) -- Canada's Supreme Court says legal societies can reject the accreditation of an anti-gay Christian law school. (14:52) -- Abortion: Why won't anyone think of the men? (28:14) -- A Chr...

In this bonus episode, Hemant spoke with David Ellis Dickerson. He's a writer mostly known for his many appearances on "This American Life," telling stories about growing up a conservative Christian in Tucson, Arizona. In 2013, he became an Emmy-nominated game show writer for his work on the Christian game show "The American Bible Challenge," which aired on the Game Show Network and can now be see...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Catholic League's Bill Donohue is already using Anthony Bourdain's suicide to celebrate himself. (0:50) -- The Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was the worst of all possible worlds for conservative Christians, even though they won. (12:08) -- Does a Muslim beautician have the legal right to...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Now that abortion will be legal in Ireland, Focus on the Family is lying about what will happen next. (2:54) -- Donald Trump pardoned Dinesh D'Souza because nothing matters anymore. (19:44) -- The Mormon Church is way richer than we thought. (24:15) -- A Republican politician knows why schoo...

Adam Laats is Professor of Education and History (by courtesy) at Binghamton University (State University of New York). He has contributed essays to Education Week, Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post, Time, and Newsweek. He blogs about education, history, and culture-war angst at I Love You but You ºre Going to Hell. He is the author, most recently, of Fundamentalist U: Keeping the Fai...