Friendly Atheist Podcast

In this bonus interview, Jessica spoke with Mike Flanagan, the writer/director behind "Haunting of Hill House," "Haunting of Bly Manor," "Doctor Sleep," and (most recently) the critically acclaimed "Midnight Mass." They discussed his sobriety journey as an atheist, why Bev Keane from "Midnight Mass" could probably get elected to Congress, how to engage with criticism, and why we probably shouldn't. 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! — Britney Spears said in a now-deleted Instagram reel, "I'm an atheist, y'all!" (3:45) — Even married advocates of Purity Culture can't handle Bridgerton. (12:57) — A federal judge ruled that an HIV drug mandate violated Christians' religious freedoms. (20:35) — These preachers have no idea how masturbation works. (35:00) — Pope Francis is lying about having a "zero tolerance" policy for handling abuse. (41:21) — The GOP lawmaker who condemned an extreme anti-abortion bill previously sponsored‚Ķ an extreme anti-abortion bill. (48:30) — A Christian school baptized 100 kids without telling their parents. (55:11) — The Archdiocese of St. Louis is putting dogma over decency, urging schools to let kids go hungry rather than feed them for free. (1:00:30) 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 pastor and church planter Matt Chandler is on a leave of absence because of "unwise" DMs he sent to a woman on Instagram. (4:20) — Valley Christian Academy in California will forfeit an upcoming football game rather than play an opposing team that has two girls on the roster. (22:00) — Wisconsin Republican Peter Schmidt wants to pass anti-LGBTQ policies but doesn't want anyone knowing about his own homosexuality. (32:20) — Catholic Charities in Omaha held a fake active shooter drill that traumatized countless employees. (43:03) — Christian hate-preacher Joe Jones listed out the evil people you should avoid and there's a pleasant surprise on the list. (49:15) — Despite a Supreme Court win, nearly all of Maine's Christian schools are rejecting state funding. (51:19) — Texas State Sen. Bryan Hughes is trying to fix up his horribly written "In God We Trust" law. (57:00) — Former Republican congresswoman Michele Bachmann insists the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were based on the Bible. She's lying. (1:06:50) 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 conservative Christian influencer wants women to stop touching themselves. (1:00) — A Texas law requiring donated "In God We Trust" signs in schools has a loophole, and one atheist is taking advantage of it. (13:27) — The Door McAllen, which staged a Christianized "Hamilton," has apologized. (23:45) — South Carolina stuck a $1.5 million gift for a Christian school in its budget. (34:29) — The Big Bang Theory is not a hoax, no matter how much Creationists try to lie about it. (38:23) — An article in Science recently connected a non-binary gender identity with a thirst for curiosity. And yet one professional science communicator is FURIOUS about it. (45:38) — A leaked investigation into New Zealand's ARISE Church reveals widespread abuse. (53:21) — Scott Esk once said sexually active gay people should be executed by the government. He was nearly the GOP's candidate for a State House seat in Oklahoma. (1:03:35) 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! — The attack on Salman Rushdie is an attack on free expression. (1:38) (Note: Read this for more background on Rushdie and why The Satanic Verses is controversial.) — An evangelical pastor demonized "wokeism" after making up his own definition of the word. (14:52) — The Fargo School Board in North Dakota nixed the Pledge of Allegiance at meetings‚Ķ then reversed course after threats. (22:28) — A Missouri pastor apologized after a sermon clip of him demanding a luxury watch from his congregation went viral. (32:09) — A Texas school district banned the Bible. Oops. (39:25) — The Department of Justice is investigating the Southern Baptist Convention. (48:52) — Evangelist Beth Moore's crush on Jesus infuriated Southern Baptist men. (54:30) — Atheists won a settlement against Arkansas State Sen. Jason Rapert. (1:02:20) 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 Texas church put on an illegal production of "Hamilton" in order to convert the audience. (0:55) — A Baptist school kicked out a five-year-old orphan after she was adopted by lesbians. (36:19) — Let's talk about Christian sword drills. (44:13) — Catholicism is not cool. Please stop saying that. (47:29) — An anti-"Satanism" dress code policy remains in effect in a Kansas school district. (59:57) — Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene falsely said "most Americans" are Christian nationalists like her. (1:09:07) — A man was charged with arson for setting fire to a Michigan Planned Parenthood. (1:12:17) 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! — SPONSOR: Check out God Pod! — The abortion referendum in Kansas was a rebuke to the Catholic Church. (2:10) — Christian furries are worried about being outed... as Christians. (16:15) — Do we really need a "new kind of atheism"? Not quite. (25:15) — Democrats want the IRS to investigate non-profit groups that call themselves "churches" to avoid transparency. (43:15) — The Mormon Church's "help line" is a weapon to bury allegations of sexual abuse. (50:45) — Australia's new Senate leader Sue Lines wants to end the tradition of Christian invocations. (1:07:05) — The number of atheists in federal prison is almost non-existent. (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! — SPONSOR: Check out God Pod! — Republican Rep. Glenn Thompson voted *against* a bill to protect same-sex weddings... then attended his gay son's wedding. (1:52) — Why is Ted Haggard back in the news? (13:07) — The Church of Scientology wants to enforce religious arbitration clauses in its contracts... against people who left the faith. (26:45) — Among Gen Z, women are less likely to be religious than men! (40:05) — With the Supreme Court getting rid of the Lemon Test, a previous church/state separation victory was wiped off the books. (46:15) — A Kentucky judge temporarily protected abortion access, saying that the state's anti-abortion laws were "theocratic" and therefore illegal. (1:00:48) 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 Christian hate-preacher condemned me‚Ķ for quoting him accurately. (1:05) — Creationist Michael Peroutka won the GOP primary for Maryland attorney general. (20:21) — A staffer found illicit pics on a priest's printer. Then the cover-up began. (28:35) — "The Transformed Wife" has some bizarre ideas for why teachers may soon quit their jobs. (39:58) — The ‚ÄòWatchman Decree' is a scary vision of Christian nationalism in action. (43:43) — A Canadian church was fined $80,000 for obstructing COVID health inspections. (55:45) 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! — Happy James Webb Telescope Images week for all who celebrate! (0:30) — How seriously should we take the allegations against right-wing radio host Jesse Lee Peterson? (10:28) — A Christian writer thinks she's being persecuted for her faith. Nope. It's just her bigotry. (27:02) — A former Texas football star says he was definitely coerced into praying with his coaches despite what the Supreme Court now says. (45:35) — The Christian hate-group Family Research Council is now technically a "church," a move that allows it to avoid being transparent about its finances. (55:16) — A female pastor's progressive views on LGBTQ people were censored from a book celebrating female pastors. (1:03:52) — A new bill in Congress would crack down on scammy Christian "health share" ministries. (1:14:38) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.