

Friendly Atheist Podcast
Friendly Atheist Podcast
Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke Greiff cover the latest news, politics, and pop culture with a focus on atheism and religion. This is the official podcast for FriendlyAtheist.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 5, 2021 • 1h 12min
Ep. 364 - This Sermon Was Misogynistic Even By Evangelical Standards
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order anything from Stardust Science and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://stardustscience.com/discount/FriendlyAtheist — A Baptist pastor whose misogynistic nonsense went viral has temporary left the ministry. (1:11) — A New York woman saying allowing her husband to get a divorce violated her religious freedom. (17:00) — Sye Ten Bruggencate, a notorious Christian apologist, has resigned from his ministry citing unnamed "moral failure." (20:35) — Another Idaho lawmaker opposed a child education bill because it might push more moms to work outside the home. (27:45) — An Idaho lawmaker says face masks injure "our souls." (30:51) — Catholic leaders are stupidly urging people not to take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. (35:10) — An Academy Award voter told one director he wouldn't watch her film because it espoused a pro-choice message. (42:37) — Christians are furious that a Christian adoption agency will now work with gay couples in order to not lose taxpayer funding. (49:29) — Going to CPAC and celebrating how they embrace secular conspiracies instead of religious ones is really really dumb. (54:05)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Mar 3, 2021 • 37min
BONUS - Interview with Authors of "Secular Surge"
With so many Americans turning away from religion, it's natural to wonder whether a Secular Left can ever challenge the Religious Right. A new book attempts to answer that question. It's called "Secular Surge: A New Fault Line in American Politics," and it's written by three people who know this topic better than most people ever could.
David E. Campbell is the Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy at the University of Notre Dame who has written extensively about religion's role in American politics.
Geoffrey C. Layman is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame. He, too, has written a lot about religion and politics and is currently the co-editor of the journal Political Behavior.
David and Geoffrey are joining me today.
The third author is John C. Green, the Emeritus Director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron.
We talked about whether the "secular surge" has peaked, if the GOP can appeal to non-religious voters, and the single issue that could unite atheists and evangelicals.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 27, 2021 • 1h 12min
Ep. 363 - The Catholic Church vs. a Mom's OnlyFans Page
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order anything from Stardust Science and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://stardustscience.com/discount/FriendlyAtheist — This church staffer is super-racist. (1:29) — A Catholic School expelled three kids after learning about their mom's OnlyFans account. (15:40) — Should a judge have booted a juror who said God told him about the suspect's guilt before jury deliberations began? (22:29) — Tennessee Republicans want rapists to have veto power over their victims' abortions. (35:48) — Ken Ham says the Perseverance rover's budget should've been spent on Creationism. (40:50) — Rep. Al Green gave a stirring speech condemning Christians using God to justify their opposition to the Equality Act. (43:38) — A Texas bishop blamed atheism for all of society's problems. (46:18) — A heavy metal musician from Poland is fighting back against blasphemy charges. (50:40) — Progressive evangelicals are speaking out against Christian Nationalism, but it's not enough. (54:50)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 19, 2021 • 1h 16min
Ep. 362 - Is The White House's Faith-Based Office a Problem?
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order anything from Stardust Science and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://stardustscience.com/discount/FriendlyAtheist — Don't worry about the White House's faith-based office yet. (1:08) — A Newsweek article claimed atheists hate homeschooling because kids have to spend time with their parents. (16:48) — Why is a Kentucky city using FEMA relief money to build a church? (26:03) — This is what happens when a progressive church invites an anti-gay speaker. (35:34) — Georgia GOP lawmakers want three doctors to verify the genitalia of trans kids playing sports. (48:55) — There are very few Black atheists in America, according to a new survey. (56:28) — South Carolina's abortion ban is bad news but it could be worse. (1:00:00) — Two women are getting promoted after their boss strategically decided not to elevate them when Donald Trump was in office. (1:08:28)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 12, 2021 • 1h 13min
Ep. 361 - This Church Doesn't Represent America
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order anything from Stardust Science and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://stardustscience.com/discount/FriendlyAtheist — The late Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias was a bigger moral monster than we ever knew. (2:12) — Christian money manager Dave Ramsey says poor people don't need stimulus checks. (21:02) — Jeep's Super Bowl ad was an unintentional homage to Christian Nationalism. (42:10) — A conservative Christian reporter wants to know why the media won't condemn Joe Biden's Catholicism. (50:00) — 27% of white evangelicals believe in QAnon. (54:35) — A gay Christian who's critical of church culture is the top-selling artist on iTunes' Christian music charts. (1:01:15)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 6, 2021 • 1h 10min
Ep. 360 - Are Southern Baptists Still Racist? This Guy Has Exhibit 1
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order Elle the Humanist and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://ellethehumanist.com/discount/friendlyatheist — The Arkansas legislature has passed a bill that would force women seeking an abortion to call an anti-abortion hotline first. (0:42) — The same Arkansas legislature passed a bill allowing churches to hold super-spreader events during a pandemic. (5:30) — The leader of one of the largest atheist groups in the country is stepping down and hoping a person of color replaces him. (10:12) — Are Southern Baptists still racist? Here's Exhibit 1. (15:50) — A priest on YouTube called out "pro-life" hypocrisy and viewers lashed out! (32:00) — Democrats rejected saying the Pledge of Allegiance at House Judiciary Committee meetings because it's pointless. (40:45) — A report on a German archdiocese reveals some truly horrifying details. (44:15) — The Catholic Church hoarded billions of dollars in PPP loans. (49:53) — Are all Republicans evil? A discussion. (53:55)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Feb 2, 2021 • 53min
BONUS - Interview with Alice Greczyn, Actress and Author of "Wayward"
Alice Greczyn is an actress and writer who may be most familiar to audiences from her role as Mads Rybak in the ABC Family show The Lying Game.
What audiences may not know is that Alice experienced what she calls a "painful yet rewarding transition from Christianity to atheism." It led her to create a website called DaretoDoubt.org, a resource for people leaving their faith. She now lives in Los Angeles and has just published a book about her journey out of religion called "Wayward."
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 29, 2021 • 1h 17min
Ep. 359 - A Christian School Expelled a Girl with a Same-Sex Crush
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order Elle the Humanist and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://ellethehumanist.com/discount/friendlyatheist — A Christian school kicked out a child who told another girl she had a crush on her. (4:00) — Is Joe Biden an anti-Catholic Catholic? (9:28) — If half of Protestant pastors hear conspiracies in church, what does it say about them? (18:00) — The mayor of a California city took part in a Christian COVID super-spreader event. (25:48) — Christian liar Sarah Huckabee Sanders is running for governor of Arkansas. (28:21) — An Australian bigot, who happens to be a tennis star, is receiving an honor, and people are furious. (36:49) — What is Kellyanne Conway doing to her daughter? (44:58) — Poland's near-total abortion ban is now in effect. (53:08) — Joe Biden has reversed anti-abortion orders signed by Donald Trump. (55:59) — 14 states have already proposed laws targeting LGBTQ people. (1:07:28)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 22, 2021 • 1h 19min
Ep. 358 - What Joe Biden's Administration Will Mean for Atheists
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order Elle the Humanist and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://ellethehumanist.com/discount/friendlyatheist — What just happened with Atheist Alliance International? (0:33) — Should we be troubled by Joe Biden‚Äòs overly religious inauguration speech? (17:18) — White evangelicals still view Donald Trump favorably. (25:58) — James Dobson has a lot of irrational fears about the new administration. (36:30) — Christian terrorists were absolutely a part of the Capitol siege. (43:05) — A Catholic priest apologized to his church for not condemning Trump enough. (45:15) — A former anti-vaxxer is now urging everyone to get the COVID vaccine. (52:17) — Arizona Republicans want to pass a bill to execute women and doctors who have or perform abortions. (1:09:37)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jan 16, 2021 • 1h 13min
Ep. 357 - He Rioted Because God Didn't Tell Him Not To
Please support the show at https://www.patreon.com/friendlyatheistpodcast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Order Elle the Humanist and get a 10% discount with the promo code "friendlyatheist"! https://ellethehumanist.com/discount/friendlyatheist — This Christian conspiracist thinks the College Football Championship was God's way of saying Trump will stay in power. (1:38) — One of the arrested rioters includes an anti-gay, anti-abortion lawmaker from West Virginia. (6:04) — A man arrested in the Capitol siege said he prayed for guidance, but God never said no. (13:00) — We don't need a National Hymn. (23:18) — Help me understand this atheist running an anti-abortion group for Democrats. (28:42) — The Irish government admitted its Catholic-run homes for unwed mothers led to 9,000 deaths. (42:38) — Christians who prophesied Trump's victory are doing damage control. (48:15) — Evangelicals make up about half of Trump's most vocal supporters. (53:28) — A Turkish Creationist was given a thousand-year jail sentence for everything. (57:40)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.


