Friendly Atheist Podcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: - What was the point of the Johnson Amendment executive order? (And why did Trump lie about the military ban on Bibles?) - What was Trump's reaction after the Access Hollywood tape? - Why did Franklin Graham blame Kate Middleton for an invasion of her privacy? - Is it okay to say an emotional congresswoman is in "hysterics"? - Why aren't Millennials religious? - Do the Girl Scouts support abortions? - Should a Christian school force faculty members to oppose gay marriage? - Why did Alabama's governor sign legislation allowing religious adoption agencies to discriminate against gay couples? And an update on the Athena Salman invocation!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 religious and politics. They included: - The atheist politician who created a "men's rights" subreddit - Is the star of The Handmaid's Tale avoiding the word "feminist" because she's a Scientologist? - Did a Christian homeless shelter actually make a wise strategic decision when it rejected money from a gay chorus to appease other donors? - If a Christian university imposes severe restrictions on the type of material students are exposed to, what are they actually learning? - Why would a woman want to be harassed by someone like Bill O'Reilly? - Why would the mayor of San Antonio say godlessness was the root cause of generational poverty? - Why was the IRS visiting Benny Hinn's ministries?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

- Why did Arizona Republicans oppose an atheist invocation delivered by State Rep. Athena Salman? - Is it ethical to tell a dying man that Donald Trump was impeached? - Would you vote for a Democrat who once ran a psychic network? - When your child narrowly averts tragedy, is it reasonable for religious parents to thank God? - Is Christianity a religion or something else? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

- Should you protest a Chick-fil-A on campus? - What effect will Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch have on a major church/state separation case? - Should a church be allowed to have a police force? - Why isn't the media talking about how the San Bernardino shooter was an outspoken Christian? - What do you have to believe in to be a True Christian? - Why do we still have blue laws? - Do atheists need to have more babies? - Is the Bible Bee like the Spelling Bee? - How will Republicans sneak the Johnson Amendment repeal through? - Can reality TV shows like Survivor and The Bachelor offer a benefit to society? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Susan Gerbic is a photographer and skeptical activist from California. She contributes to the Skepticality podcast and Skeptical Inquirer magazine. In addition to co-founding the Monterey County Skeptics, she leads a group called Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia. We've spoken before about her group, but we spoke this time about how to spread our ideas beyond our bubble, how to support other atheist activists, and why updating Wikipedia is so vital. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does Vice President Mike Pence have to eat alone? Why can't ultra-Orthodox Jews handle looking at a picture of Smurfette? Who fears death more: Atheists or the devoutly religious? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anne Bouleanu is a freelance journalist from Chicago. She has worked in digital media and television covering a range of topics including U.S. politics, women's rights, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, political tensions in South America, and police brutality and race relations in the United States. She covered the primaries during the 2016 U.S. presidential race, focusing on policy issues and increasing divisions among the American electorate. During her time at Al Jazeera America, Anne produced breaking news segments as well as packages on underreported global issues. Prior to this, Anne worked at Bloomberg TV focusing on global and domestic financial news. Jessica spoke with Anne about her experience in South America over the summer, their experiences as women in a largely male workplace, and what the media will look like under Donald Trump. (Full disclosure: They've been friends and coworkers for years... in case that's not abundantly clear!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bart Campolo is the Humanist Chaplain at the Univ. of Southern California, the host of a fantastic podcast called "Humanize Me," and the author of a new book written with his evangelical father Tony Campolo called Why I Left, Why I Stayed. Bart, if you haven't figured it out already, is the one who left Christianity. The book is all about that conflict, and their love for each other, and how they can both advocate for beliefs that are in direct competition with each other without losing their own bond. I spoke with Bart about how his parents were devastated by his apparent apostasy, what atheists don't get about Christians, and why hot dogs aren't the key to a happier life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Louis Theroux's new film, My Scientology Movie, the Church of Scientology doesn't give him access to the key leaders or buildings themselves... That sounds like quite the obstacle for a documentarian, so Theroux does the next best thing: He hires actors to recreate well-documented scenes in Scientology's history. All the while, the actual Church seems to be keeping tabs on him. Theroux has worked with Michael Moore, and his projects have often focused on interesting subcultures -- everything from the KKK to Westboro Baptist Church. I spoke with him about Scientology's version of "turn the other cheek," the harassment that one key defector of the Church still has to put up with, and what one thing could hurt the Church the most. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Richard Hatch is the winner of the first season of Survivor, where he basically created the whole concept of an alliance. He also competed on the 8th season of the show (Survivor: All-Stars) in 2004. In 2011, he was on Celebrity Apprentice, and last year, he appeared on The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation. Along the way, he spent time in jail over unpaid taxes, though he maintains his innocence in the matter. We spoke about whether he'll be returning to the show he helped popularize, his journey out of religion, and whether there's anything redeeming about Donald Trump. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.