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. — Please join our Discord server! — 81% of Americans believe in God, an all-time low. (2:05) — Students at Seattle Pacific University protested their school's anti-LGBTQ hiring policy by handing rainbow flags to the university president as he gave them their diplomas. (7:22) — The Canadian Armed Forces just got its first Humanist chaplain. (12:45) — A man wearing a "GOD" shirt tried to burn down The Satanic Temple's headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts. (17:55) — A man who left flowers on his dead fianc√©e's gravesite, only to be turned in to law enforcement by her preacher father, was found guilty of littering. (22:20) — Christian cops are now saying COVID swab tests violate their faith. (27:37) — Is the atheist movement too narrow-minded when it comes to pushing back against misinformation? (40:20) — A Catholic school near Boston lost its "Catholic" designation for keeping up Pride and Black Lives Matter flags. (57:57) — A Jewish synagogue is suing Florida over its impending 15-week abortion ban because they say it would violate their religious beliefs. (1:09:27) 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 delivered an anti-gay sermon that's even worse than you imagine. (2:20) — A conservative school board candidate checked out all the LGBTQ books in a local library's Pride display so kids couldn't get to them first. (16:28) — A popular Ontario preacher was arrested on charges of sex abuse. (24:03) — What should we make of Amy Coney Barrett's bizarre religious cult? (36:35) — An army chaplain earned his Ph.D. saying the military is an ideal place to win over Christian converts. (52:15) — Poland (!) just made God optional in their boy scout oath. (1:05:26) 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 Oklahoma candidate for U.S. Senate claims his church was "shut down." (1:13) — Atheists don't have to defend Richard Dawkins if he says ignorant things. (12:50) — The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard non-story involving atheism. (55:13) — Students are protesting a Christian school's homophobic hiring policies. (58:30) — A superintendent in Georgia used a graduation ceremony to win converts for Christianity. (1:10:43) — Another graduation speaker in Ohio told kids to avoid gay marriage. (1:14:25) 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 shooting in Uvalde, Texas. (1:03) — Christian predator Josh Duggar is going to jail. (3:24) — After a pastor confessed to "adultery," the victim got on stage and said it was sexual assault that began when she was 16. (12:25) — The Southern Baptist Convention's sexual abuse report ignored the most obvious solution. (24:50) — A woman is urging Florida voters not to send her anti-trans, anti-abortion mother to Congress. (44:12) — Christian hate-preacher Greg Locke says he's asked the IRS to rescind his tax exemption... but don't take his word for it. (51:54) — Michigan GOP candidate Jacky Eubanks said she'd vote to ban birth control because the Catholic Church says so. (59:20) — A Catholic archbishop says Nancy Pelosi can't receive communion. It's a hypocritical, partisan move. (1:03:28) — An Idaho atheist just won a GOP primary for State Senate. He may soon become the only elected atheist in the Republican Party. (1:10:31) 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 school told students to write a letter urging a (fictional) friend to stop being gay. (1:45) — A Kansas town reversed course and will allow "In God We Trust" stickers on police vehicles... but there's a twist. (4:30) — A West Virginia school district finally settled a lawsuit involving Christian indoctrination in the classroom. (16:15) — A school board member in Colorado justified her bigotry with Jesus. One mother wasn't having it. (25:38) — Christian hate-preacher Greg Locke was reported to the IRS for telling his congregation they can't vote for Democrats. (33:33) — The Louisiana Supreme Court dropped charges against a preacher who held massive, maskless, in-person church services at the beginning of the pandemic. (47:35) — A shared delusion led to the exorcism and death of a three-year-old girl. (53:40) 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 Kansas town voted to remove "In God We Trust" from police vehicles. (2:03) — Canada's Parliament rejected a motion to end invocation prayers in the House of Commons. (6:41) — Evangelical pastors shouldn't be surprised that their churches are turning into MAGA cults. (15:51) — Predator megachurch leader Jack Schaap was released from prison earlier than expected. (37:05) — Idaho's Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin says "Christ will reign" if she becomes governor. (53:17) 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! — The Supreme Court's supposed Roe decision could backfire on conservative Christians. (1:15) — A Christian college punished a sexual assault victim for having premarital sex. (39:05) — The Supreme Court also said Boston couldn't say no to putting up a Christian flag outside City Hall. (55:35) — In a cruel ritual, an 8-year-old Jain girl had her hair plucked out by hand. (1:12:18) 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 show's viral "persecution" marketing campaign backfired. (2:15) — The Supreme Court is about to fumble a simple church/state separation case. (15:05) — An atheist in Florida says if controversial books are banned, then the Bible needs to go too. (35:15) — An Alabama couple can't adopt a kid because they're non-religious. (40:46) — Christians sang worship music on an airplane. (49:06) — A Christian "health insurance" ministry left families high and dry because it was all a grift. (58:09) — Canadians say evangelicals hurt society more than any other religious group. (1:09:18) 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 (Jessica will be back next week), I spoke with Dr. Katie Gaddini, a sociologist at the Social Research Institute, University College London and a research associate at the University of Johannesburg, Department of Sociology. She recently released her debut book, The Struggle to Stay: Why Single Evangelical Women Are Leaving the Church, which is based on over four years of in-depth ethnographic research with single evangelical women in the US and the UK. We talked about purity culture, the mixed messages sent to Christian women, and whether their churches do more harm than good. 1:00 How did you get interested in this topic? 2:10 Are Christian women leaving church or the religion? 3:35 When they leave their churches, what are they missing out on? 4:55 What role does modern-day feminism play in women leaving church? 7:40 Do Christian women have opportunities to date, or is it always about courtship and marriage? 10:00 How do Christian women deal with sex loopholes? 15:30 What happens to women in the church as they get older but are still single? 17:40 Does the pressure to find a perfect Christian guy make things worse? 19:45 What's been the effect of #MeToo on these Christian women? 21:20 What do you make of the messages sent to Christian girls by modern Christian "influencers"? 24:18 Do churches ever offer sex ed for adults? 26:40 What's the message being delivered to older, single Christian men? 27:50: What happens when Christian women realize they've been lied to about the sexual binary between abstinence and anything-goes? 29:50: Are church leaders adapting to any of this? 32:10 Are evangelical churches a force for good in these women's lives? 33:50 Who are positive role models for Christian women wanting responsible advice about sex? 35:10 What surprised you in your research? 36:40 What has been your family's reaction to your book? 37:20: What is your current research focused on? 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! — Hemant will be giving a talk in Orlando on Sunday, April 24. Details here! — Kandiss Taylor, a wannabe governor of Georgia, has no respect for church/state separation. (3:19) — An Arkansas official brazenly bragged about pushing Christianity at government meetings. (14:30) — A "quieter approach" to atheism isn't necessarily a bad thing. (24:10) — A Tennessee senator used Hitler as an example of someone overcoming homelessness. (38:40) — A Tennessee cop baptized a woman against her will. A judge says the lawsuit can continue. (44:19) (UPDATE: The woman in question was found dead Wednesday night. The cause of death is unknown. We did not know about that when we were discussing this story on Thursday.) — David Barton is spreading a new lie about churches and the Constitution. (53:41) — There's a new member of the Congressional Freethought Caucus and it's a non-story. (1:00:17) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.