Friendly Atheist Podcast

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. — An Idaho church held an indoor service. Masks optional. 1,000 people came. (0:55) — Jehovah's Witnesses are among the few groups not taking part in an Australian program meant to help sexual abuse survivors. (5:06) — A pastor and his wife were arrested for taking part in an embezzling scheme. (11:33) — The Supreme Court just made it possible for private religious schools to receive taxpayer money. (16:58) — Sen. Rand Paul hates experts. (24:23) — A powerful megachurch pastor let a potential predator work with kids. Now we know why. (41:18) — A Catholic priest was suspended after comparing Black Lives Matter organizers to maggots. (50:23) — The numbers are in! The Catholic Church spent more than $280 million on sex abuse cases in 2019. (54:20) — "Cancel Culture" doesn't need to get rid of Darwin. But it wouldn't matter if he got canceled. (1:02:14)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — An Arizona church lied and claimed it had air filters that blocked out 99% of COVID. (2:30) — The daughter of a Republican candidate for State House in Michigan says you should not vote for her dad. (10:44) — Should statues of "white European" Jesus be taken down? (18:40) — A Republican senator cited J.K. Rowling when voting against an LGBTQ rights bill. (33:38) — Mississippi wants to replace its racist flag with a religious one. And here's a Roman Mars video about flags! (36:30) — A Catholic Church fired a married lesbian because it remembered how Catholicism works. (42:00) — A couple of anti-maskers in Florida don't want mandates that get in the way of God's Wonderful Breathing System. (56:25) — Five years after Obergefell, the Religious Right's predictions never came true. (1:00:55)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/friendlyatheistpodcastJessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.— A Christian conversion therapy group is shutting down. (3:50)— Pastor Louie Giglio wants to replace the phrase "white privilege" with "white blessing." He then apologized for suggesting it. (17:40)— Having more kids is not the way to win the Culture Wars. (35:37)— Does anyone know what Donald Trump's "Religious Freedom Task Force" did? (41:38)— Trump's pathetic photo op in front of a church may have cost him support in swing-state Michigan. (48:11)— The Boy Scouts are offering a merit badge for inclusion. The one for irony can't be far behind. (51:04)— This is a horrible way to ask kids about Purgatory in a religious education class. (57:36)— This lady wants everyone to burn their face masks. Because she's not smart. (59:20)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — The Trump administration finalized a rule that allows doctors to deny care to transgender people. (1:14) — A Christian group leader says America is not racist because interracial marriages are going up. (11:46) — The GOP's 2020 platform is a gift to the Christian Right. (17:55) — Should a pastor receive any sort of backlash for liking a right-wing blowhard's tweets? (28:32) — Former Black staffers at Liberty University are trying to help others leave due to Jerry Falwell, Jr.'s racism. (47:08) — Creationist Kent Hovind wants half a billion dollars' worth of revenge against the U.S. government. (50:11) — Want to vote early in Tennessee? This secular church is eager to help you. (59:46) — A Tennessee bill would allow kids to skip an hour of school each day to go to church. (1:04:15) — An Ohio Republican lawmaker suggested COVID disproportionately affects Black people because they don't wash their hands. (1:10:00)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Donald Trump's photo ops in front of two churches pleased nobody. (1:07) — Is Trump finally losing some of that white evangelical support? (10:44) — Southern Baptist churches had their largest membership drop in a century. (18:28) — Should a high school graduate be denied college acceptance for a racist comment online? (25:49) — According to the Lt. Governor of Texas, we can't fix racism without Jesus. (39:53) — Pope Francis condemned the murder of George Floyd. (48:44) — The Department of Education, under Betsy DeVos, says allowing trans athletes to compete in high school sports could lead to government defunding of those schools. (1:00:33)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne is planning Christian COVIDpalooza this weekend. (0:36) — The CDC website has removed sensible virus guidance for churches. (5:02) — There's a black Republican Jewish atheist on the Cincinnati City Council. (7:48) — After Jerry Falwell, Jr. tweeted a "joke" about blackface and the KKK, one Liberty University professor resigned in protest. (30:29) — Conservative Christians are very concernstipated about Pixar's short film "Out," which is a love story featuring a gay man. (45:59) — A well-known Jehovah's Witness published a book denouncing the religion's leaders. Will he be kicked out because of it? (48:04) — A former star of Christian rock said he's no longer Christian. (53:02) — The dad from Duck Dynasty has a secret love-child, but it's okay since the affair occurred before he found Jesus. (58:01) — The Museum of the Bible is returning a stolen Gilgamesh tablet. (1:05:05)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Jenkins is a national reporter for Religion News Service and a former Senior Religion Reporter for ThinkProgress. He's also the author of the new book "American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country." It's a deep dive into what many people call the Religious Left. Hemant and Jack talked about whether the Religious Left can effectively counter the Religious Right and what role (if any) atheists have to play in this movement. 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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Christian writer Eric Metaxas is super-racist and a hypocrite. (3:00) — A Mississippi church was burned down. An atheist-associated "A" symbol was included at the scene of the crime. (15:18) — This is a very bad reason not to wear a mask. (22:03) — A Pakistani education board banned a kids' math textbook for including pictures of pigs. (29:14) — Norma McCorvey, a.k.a. the "Roe" of Roe v. Wade, said she only pushed a pro-life position because she was paid. (34:44) — This list of atheist Republicans is tiny. Very tiny. (47:55) — Donald Trump wants churches to open up this weekend. Is it weird that he wants to kill off his own base? (55:52) — A Texas mayor says only men can deliver invocation prayers. (1:05:48) — Child marriage has been legally banned in Pennsylvania and Minnesota. (1:07:18)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Liberty University just got rid of its entire Philosophy Department. (4:44) — Forget Jim Bakker. Now a respected evangelical couple is under fire for promoting a fake COVID cure. (12:26) — A majority of white evangelicals trust Donald Trump for COVID news, proving yet again that they'll believe anything. (17:32) — A banner flying over a re-open protest read "Fewer graves if we reopen in waves." (24:00) — Illinois pastors say not meeting for church is the same as being "sentenced to death." (31:40) — Pastors are still making the idiotic argument that if grocery stores are open, churches should be too. (33:40) — A Wisconsin hairdresser says she should be allowed to open her salon because it's a ministry. (39:34) — The game show "The Price is Right" made a donation to Planned Parenthood. (46:22) — This Christian school's leaders are bragging about how easy their classes are. (48:40)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 Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Televangelist Jim Bakker had a stroke. And his legal team had a bad reason to keep selling his Silver Solution. (1:35) — Do churches deserve stimulus money during the pandemic? (8:50) — A New Mexico sheriff "deputized" 20 church members‚ which not-so-coincidentally means they don't have to follow lockdown orders. (16:44) — An Illinois judge told a pastor the Bible says he doesn't need to gather in person to have a church service. (25:54) — Just because Jesus didn't wear a face mask doesn't mean you should avoid one. (29:27) — Guess how much a lifetime pass to Ark Encounter costs? (31:49) — Cardinal George Pell escaped conviction for child sex abuse but he still knew about child sex abuse. (35:18) — Here's what a major study of atheists found. (39:06)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.