Friendly Atheist Podcast

Jessica and I celebrated our 200th episode... and discussed the past week in politics and atheism. -- Your letters, questions, and emails! (2:38) -- Hawaii's false alarm and the lack of atheist conversions. (45:05) -- Rick Saccone, a GOP House candidate in PA for an upcoming special election, doesn't care about church/state separation. (48:40) -- Televangelist Kenneth Copeland just got a private plane. Thanks, Jesus! (53:13) -- Pope Francis is doing an awful job of letting sexual abuse victims know he's on their side. (56:45)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- All the action in local governments: A secular affirmation, the end of one city's invocations, how one politician compared atheist invocations to baby murder, a delightful atheist invocation in Florida, and two officials in California who aren't standing for the Pledge. (4:46) -- Feminine hygiene products are free for public school students in Illinois and California. (18:32) -- An elected official told his committee they needed another man to fill a vacant seat because the Bible said so. (20:02) -- Dan Harmon's worthwhile apology. (26:39) -- Megachurch pastor Andy Savage received a standing ovation for assaulted a girl decades ago then giving a half-hearted apology for it. (31:21) -- Joshua Feuerstein said the actresses at the Golden Globes couldn't credibly speak out against assault because they were "dressed like hookers." (44:35) -- Gwyneth Paltrow wants you to spend $135 to spray coffee up your butt. (59:54) -- A Turkish scientist claims Noah called his son on a cell phone before boarding the Ark. (1:00:30) -- Bill Donohue claims the Catholic Church is a "model" for handling sexual misconduct. (1:02:03) -- Singer Charlie Daniels doesn't like that Taco Bell mocked the Illuminati. (1:03:20) -- Donald Trump's "spiritual advisor" is capitalizing on her fame by asking everyone to give her a month's salary. (1:04:37)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- A Mississippi legislator wants to make the Bible the official state book. For the third time. (1:38) -- The head of the Mormon Church, Thomas S. Monson, is dead. What should he be remembered for? (7:21) -- South Carolina Republicans wanted to honor black people who fought for the Confederacy, but they missed a key detail... (18:48) -- Roy Moore's Jewish lawyer is actually a Christian. (21:58) -- FEMA says churches can get taxpayer funding to rebuild after "Acts of God." (30:18) -- "Raw water" is a thing now... at least if you're rich and dumb. (35:42) -- This church has "documented proof" that God answers prayers. (43:04) -- Bill Nye needs to read more books, says rapper who believes the Earth is flat. (47:23) -- A Texas mall just installed a giant Ten Commandments monument. Oh, the irony... (50:02) -- A Noah's Ark replica broke free in the Netherlands and then caused massive damage. (53:33)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On this 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.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Did the CDC really ban words like "science-based" and "transgender"? (1:21) -- An Oregon atheist threatened to sue over a religious street banner, but he has no case. (5:42) -- An Australian politician plans to defend Christianity against mockery. (9:49) -- Ivanka Trump wishes everyone "Happy Holidays!" (16:45) -- It doesn't matter that the BBC's Head of Religious Programming is an atheist. (17:45) -- OKCupid says liking Donald Trump is a dealbreaker for users. (21:26) -- Democratic men are more likely to be feminist than Republican women. (23:50) -- A Milwaukee priest came out as gay, everyone celebrated it, but it's still heartbreaking. (30:57) -- Cardinal Law is dead. (38:11) -- "Feminism" is Mirriam-Webster's Word of the Year. (41:37)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Doug Jones won the Senate race in Alabama! That means Roy Moore can ride Sassy horribly into the sunset. (1:47) -- Roy Moore's spokesman doesn't understand we're not a theocracy. (11:30) -- Kentucky pastor and State Rep. Dan Johnson killed himself after his lies were exposed by investigative journalists. (21:45) -- Why the Catholic Church covered up the death of Irene Garza. (30:35) -- Liberty Counsel's "Naughty and Nice" list is more sinister than you think. (34:05) -- What the heck just happened in Israel? (38:21) -- Donald Trump just ruined Christmas in Jesus' hometown. (41:49) -- The Johnson Amendment repeal won't be in the GOP's tax scam bill. (43:30) -- The Mormon Church was teaching a lot of lies about homosexuality in 1981. (49:33) -- Christianity was the big loser in Alabama's election. (58:10) -- How to tell your kids about Santa without lying to them. (1:04:24) -- Satanists want $35,000 from a Minnesota town for a monument they built but couldn't use. (1:07:44) -- The CDC is banning words like "science" and "evidence" from budget documents. (1:14:14)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Supreme Court heard the case of an anti-gay Christian baker. (1:13) -- Roy Moore only has one issue on his platform: Abortion. Should Democrats have run an anti-abortion candidate? (10:40) -- Pat Robertson told a woman collecting unemployment checks that she needs to keep tithing if she wants to find a job. (27:50) -- Kim Davis will be challenged for her county clerk seat by a gay man whose marriage license she once denied. (29:43) -- The Pope may change the Lord's Prayer. (32:10) -- A GOP-appointed Florida commission may put church/state separation on the 2018 ballot. (35:04) -- Why would Mike Pence stick with Donald Trump? Because it's part of God's Plan for him. (40:48) -- Ravi Zacharias, whose falsified his credentials for years, blames you for his lies. (48:29) -- A former priest was finally convicted of a murder that happened 50 years ago. (56:44) -- Jessica unleashes an epic rant brought about by the question: Is hugging still okay? (58:09)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Donald Trump screwed up Christianity 101 at the White House Christmas Tree Lighting. (1:17) -- Will anything prevent evangelical Christians from voting for Roy Moore in next week's special election to the Senate? (7:36) -- In a tragic story, an atheist activist killed his wife, then himself, in a "suspected murder-suicide." (27:26) -- American Atheists' new billboard campaign says "Just Skip Church‚ It's All Fake News!" (32:24) -- Does the Creation Museum's new exhibit make Creationists look dumb? Or did I speak too soon? (34:10) -- And what can we learn from Ark Encounter's attendance numbers? (39:15) -- Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias can't explain his biographical lies. (45:25) -- These Christian standardized exams are bad indicators of college performance. (58:13)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (We had an echo during the recording. Sorry! We'll fix it next time.) -- A Scottish shop owner got pushback for keeping her store open on Sundays. (1:16) -- A New Zealand megachurch will lose its tax exempt status after failing to file tax returns. (7:26) -- Why are these UK water companies okay with workers who use divining rods? (12:33) -- This guy wants to launch himself in space to prove the world is flat. (16:30) -- The problems with atheist conventions. (23:35) -- Bob Marshall, the VA Republican who lost to transgender challenger Danica Roem, is furious that his letter to the editor was edited. (52:37) -- An Australian official won't support marriage equality because of crocodile attacks. (56:55)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- How should we be reacting to the news that Sen. Al Franken once groped and kissed a model without her consent? (0:42) -- Roy Moore's defenders are not making him look good. (18:17) -- An Australian lawyer will help a Christian couple get divorced after marriage equality passes. (24:43) -- An assisted suicide bill was defeated in New South Wales, in part due to misinformation. (27:30) -- Will Donald Trump hurt the "pro-life" movement in the long term? (31:49) -- A conservative Ohio lawmaker resigned after getting caught having an affair in his office with another man. (37:44) -- Should Muslim Barbie wear a hijab? (42:00) -- Televangelist Jim Bakker says "They outlawed 'Merry Christmas' a few years ago." (44:45) -- Did this truck driver break any laws when she put a derogatory message about Trump on her back window? (48:55)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.