Friendly Atheist Podcast

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— The Church of England will finally bless same-sex marriages. But don't cheer just yet. (0:50)— The Pope called for the decriminalization of homosexuality. Does it matter? (5:44)— Stop praising Pastor Andy Stanley for pretending to care about gay people. (12:50)— Former NFL coach and current commentator Tony Dungy hid behind his faith during an acknowledgment that he lied to people about kitty litter boxes in classrooms. (37:48)— After a Mormon man murdered his family, why was his obituary so positive? (44:30) — During a right-wing rally, former SNL cast member Jim Breuer mocked flu shots, vaccines, and NFL player Damar Hamlin. (51:27)— Anti-abortion activist Nathaniel Darnell celebrated the death of the former Speaker of the Georgia House. (56:52)— 13 clergy members have filed a lawsuit "challenging Missouri's abortion ban and several related abortion restrictions." (1:00:45)— Who allowed controversial "influencer" Woah Vicky to preach to kids at a Georgia high school? (1:04:55) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Please join our Discord server!— A Mississippi Democrat filed a "trigger" bill to bring Christian prayers back to public schools. (1:00) — Idaho's "faith-healing" exemption has led to more children's deaths, and one Republican told me he wants to fix that. (15:53)— If Iowa passes a controversial voucher bill to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to private religious schools, one atheist plans to open up a Satanic school. (28:58)— Judge Alfred T. Goodwin, a church/state separation hero, died at 99. (39:00) — Atheist activist Chaz Stevens wants Fort Lauderdale, Florida to respect religious freedom by honoring the Shinto "Festival of the Steel Phallus. (42:02)— The ARISE Church in New Zealand hired an investigator to look into allegations against it‚Ķ and now they're punishing the investigator. (57:52)— The Decatur County Sheriff's Department in Greensburg, Indiana has been pushing Christianity on inmates in the county jail. (1:11:28) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Please join our Discord server!— An art history professor at Hamline University in Minnesota was fired after showing students an ancient depiction of the Prophet Muhammad in class. (0:40)— The Catholic Church in Kansas was home to 188 predators, according to a four-year investigation. (19:05) — When it comes to contraception, most Catholics in the U.S. completely ignore the Church's position. (27:40)— The Christians behind a viral "Eye of the Tiger" cover see all your comments calling them "cringy." (37:00)— The legislature of New Brunswick rejected an invocation request from a Hindu activist because lawmakers insisted the prayer could only come from a fellow Christian. (50:50)— Church attendance among young people has suffered a major decline since the pandemic. (57:05) — A pastor was given a short jail sentence after subjecting homeless people to forced labor. (1:04:45) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Please join our Discord server!— Prayers won't help NFL player Damar Hamlin, especially when they come from on-air NFL analysts like Dan Orlovsky. (1:45)— Mark Rozzi, the new Speaker of the Pennsylvania House, is a self-described "freethinker" who has fought against the Catholic Church's abuse. (25:00)— Dennis Prager is very sad that conservatives are no longer welcome in their kids' homes over the holidays. (38:00)— Kirk Cameron is still spreading lies to publicize his new book but got called out by a library. (47:52)— Nearly a year after the launch of "He Gets Us," the $100,000,000 ad campaign for Jesus is still failing to get a positive reception. (1:03:48)— The Jehovah's Witnesses just lost its "religious community" status in Norway, a huge blow to the group. (1:21:35)— Governor Kathy Hochul vetoed a bill that would have expanded treatment options for secular people struggling with substance abuse and addiction. (1:33:14)— Congressman Jamie Raskin released a statement revealing his cancer diagnosis. Perhaps unusually, there was no mention of God. (1:37:59) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode. On this (extra-long) podcast, Jessica and I discussed the past year in news! We covered a whole variety of topics, going month by month, so feel free to jump around and listen in at any point! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode.Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— Please join our Discord server!— Singer Amy Grant was condemned for hosting her niece’s same-sex wedding at her family farm. (0:43)— A prominent Black atheist leader was accused of ethical violations. (12:00)— Bucksport, Maine chose to take down a Nativity scene before allowing an atheist sign to go up. (21:02)— Christian hate-preacher Jonathan Shelley needs a new home because “nobody really wants to lease to us.“ (26:07)— SPONSOR: God Pod! Check it out and subscribe! (32:18)— Catholic MAGA cultist Frank Pavone was (finally) kicked out of the priesthood. (33:33)— Two Christian schools can no longer shield their identities after requesting censored field trips to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. (40:25)— “The Church at Planned Parenthood” will have to pay heavy fines for blocking an abortion clinic. (48:45)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode. Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Please join our Discord server! — Emily Olson, the newest city council member in Owosso, Michigan, has received backlash for trying to end the tradition of Christian prayers at meetings and refusing to stand during the Pledge of Allegiance. (0:55) — The nephew of GOP bigot Rep. Vicky Hartzler spoke out after she cried on the House floor about a bill protecting same-sex marriages. (18:50) — The first meeting of an After School Satan Club had to be delayed in Virginia after the Chesapeake Public Schools board cited safety concerns. (23:05) — SPONSOR: God Pod! Check it out and subscribe! (32:54) — Rep. Louie Gohmert praised a Christian pastor whose church has ignored serious allegations. (33:56) — New York's governor should sign a bill that bolsters secular addiction treatment programs. (40:30) — A Christian teacher at Franklin Academy, a public charter school in Florida, was fired after interrupting three Muslim students in the middle of a prayer. (46:25) — A Christian mother in British Columbia has lost her case arguing that an Indigenous "smudging" ritual at her kids' school violated her religious freedom. (50:50) — A lawyer tasked with helping the Archdiocese of Montreal be more transparent when it comes to child sexual abuse allegations has discovered that Church leaders were sabotaging her efforts. (56:13) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode. Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Please join our Discord server! — "Top evangelicals" are not backing away from Donald Trump, no matter what the headlines suggest. (2:11) — A restaurant in Virginia refused to serve members of a Christian hate group. Is that religious discrimination? (13:15) — An atheist delivered an invocation in Lake County, Florida‚Ķ only to be followed by a Christian giving his own prayer as a sort of correction. (29:29) — SPONSOR: Check out Elle the Humanist, an introduction to Humanism for young readers! Using this link or the code "friendlyatheist" will get you 10% off anything on the website! (37:04) — Actor and evangelist Kirk Cameron is pretending public libraries are censoring him for not hosting events for his new book. (38:30) — Matt Chandler, a megachurch leader with a history of downplaying sexual abuse, returned to the pulpit after his own scandal, but he's not offering any details about what happened. (49:11) — Uber and Lyft allow drivers to preach at riders, setting up a very uncomfortable and potentially dangerous situation. (1:04:23) — Will Democrats notice that non-religious voters helped tip the scales in their favor during the midterms? (1:12:15) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast. Donors now get access to a new BONUS episode. Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Please join our Discord server! — Christian hate-preacher Aaron Thompson celebrated the Club Q shooting, calling it a "good thing." (3:00) — Former Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis says the victims of the shooting are probably in Hell. (9:45) — Focus on the Family's sign was vandalized. Was it justified? (12:30) — Christians are now in the minority in England and Wales. (33:55) — SPONSOR: Check out Elle the Humanist, an introduction to Humanism for young readers! Using this link or the code "friendlyatheist" will get you 10% off anything on the website! https://labelfree.com/discount/FriendlyAtheist (41:53) — Christians in Tuscumbia, Alabama are furious that a Krampus-friendly Festival of Yule is taking place in their community. (43:17) — In Bangladesh, two men sentenced to die for murdering an atheist author and his publisher escaped police custody. (52:48) — At least two instructors at BYU-Idaho, an affiliate of Brigham Young University in Utah, have been fired for not receiving "ecclesiastical clearance." (58:29) — Adnan Oktar, a Creationist preacher in Turkey, was sentenced to 8,658 years in prison for a variety of crimes including running a criminal organization, sexual abuse, torture, and abduction. (1:15:05) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this solo episode, I spoke with Rachel Laser, who became president and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State in February of 2018. She is the organization's first non-Christian and female leader in its 75 year history. Rachel is a lawyer, advocate and strategist who has dedicated her career to making our country more inclusive. We spoke about her work with religious organizations, whether the Johnson Amendment will ever be enforced, what people still don't get about church/state separation, and more. 0:00 Intro 2:00 What did you take away from the results of the midterm elections? 5:16 What's the relationship between AU and religious organizations? 10:02 How does your strategy shift given the Supreme Court's right-wing shift? 17:23 How fundamental are lawsuits to AU's mission? 22:18 Are there ways to get Republicans to support church/state separation? 27:04 What misconceptions do Americans have about church/state separation? 32:57 Will new IRS funding lead to enforcement of the Johnson Amendment? 36:03 What are the biggest looming church/state issues we should be concerned about? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.