The Atheist Experience

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Dave Warnock!First up today is Mark from OR who has a question about the difference between the scientific consensus and a fallacious appeal to authority.Next is GB from CA who wants to argue that the bible argues for divine hiddenness. How can we differentiate between God’s desire to remain hidden, or whether they exist at all.Up next is Andre from MI believes that there is something greater than us and claims they can prove it. The caller’s interpretation of how the universe around them functions, (i.e. the need to breath & and squirrels killing one another), indicates to them that there is a greater will/Next up is DJ from Canada who claims to have made contact with a soul. How do we know that the electrical feeling experienced by the caller is actually dead people, let alone a specific soul. As of right now we have no evidence to support the idea that consciousness carries forward after death.Drew in CA wants to correct Matt’s assertion that the Bible says that “life is like dirty rags” when it does not. The caller gets one win token and immediately starts preaching.Charlie from TX believes that beliefs are supernatural because they don’t exist tangibly. Just because they cannot currently be tested individually by science does not mean that they won’t ever be, or that they are in any way unnatural.Next up is Ronald from MO who claims to have found the fabled third possibility for the divine hiddenness argument. The caller did not find it.Next is Josh from NJ who is struggling to come out as an atheist, for the wellbeing of both themselves and their family. The caller has noticed that anytime their lack of belief is referenced that their mother doubles down on their theism, and fears that this is indicative of what the future reaction will be if the caller fully comes out.Last up is Peter from Australia who is wondering if there are any legal ramifications for people who spew false prophecies or similar predictions.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jim Barrows!Our first caller today is Mark from GA. The caller claims that time robs the ability for information to be communicated, and that god will solve this by fulfilling the great commission through connecting our brains to computers.Next is Holy Rebel Movement from FL who claims that he received a prophecy from God of Joe Biden’s inauguration, after we knew Joe Biden had won the election. The caller also states that they have 6 to 7 more of these mundane prophecies.Next up, Arnie from WA is calling back to report the current status of his deconversion process, and how he has transitioned away from his mormon indoctrination. After their previous call to the show, Arnie has since come to the conclusion that they no longer have a good reason to believe.Jim from Canada asks our hosts if the possibility of consciousness disappearing after death either disappoints or scares them.Next up is Kim from the UK who wants to talk about the privilege needed to be a non-believer. While needing a community, specifically an atheist community, can require a certain degree of depending on their location and socio-economic status, being an Atheist on its own does not.Next up is Mike from CA who claims to have personal experiences that can prove God, but I can’t prove it to you. The paranormal experience was, “an urge to go home.”Our final call is Gilles from the UK who asks our hosts what an Atheist civilization would look like. What follows is a very pleasant call about the future of atheism and non-believers around the world.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Shannon Q is joined by Johnny P. Angel!First up is Writer from NY who perceives time as a measurement of the distance that a second-hand takes to move, and that this perception aligns with the attributes of their accepted God. The caller also claims to have spoken to and visited Heaven with this God.Next is Joshua from Canada who wants to offer testimony on why they converted. If Revelation is a personal experience and not applicable to everyone, then by definition it’s not going to be convincing to those who haven’t experienced it. At this point, it’s just a claim.Up next is Charlie from TX who is questioning the host’s acceptance of naturalism since the only way to falsify it would be to present something unnatural. The caller believes this creates a problem where naturalism is accepted without proper justification.Mr. Batman, the “Dark Knight Of Logic” calls in with a misunderstanding of science and his script in hand to present a convoluted spiel for the existence of God.Next up is Johan from FL who wants to know if a person should withhold belief without evidence for moral reasons, or something else. While there are certainly practical reasons for withholding belief, the moral implications of this are often addressed separately, (e.g. morality with regards to certain goals).Last up is Jim from Canada who is questioning Christian doctrine, but can’t get past the concept of a soul, and why our hosts do not believe in them.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jenna Belk. Welcome back to the co-host chair Jenna!First up is Mohammad from NE who defines god as any conscious entity that is capable of influence celestial objects beyond our (modern humans) comprehension. Nothing presented by the caller contains anything relevant to a scientific argument.Next up is Tommy from IL who wants to know if our hosts are still searching for an answer to a God question, or if they have gotten to where they have reached a point of certainty in their current position.Robin from DC is calling in to tell us about some slick new labels for Atheism: Local & Global. Local Atheism refers to someone who doesn’t believe that a subset of Gods exist, but accepts others. Unfortunately, Robin asserts the only way that a person can determine whether one subset exists and the other doesn’t is through God’s revelation.Up next is DJ from CO who is worried about leaving their child under the care of a religious family member. Exposure to new, different ideas, will likely help in the long run with the child’s development of critical thinking skills. However, making the violation of trust clear to the family members is important if you want to maintain a healthy relationship with them in the future.Next up is Nikki from CA who believes that they have made contact with a deceased family member. The caller had requested prior to their death that they give her a sign that they are alright, and a year later she receives a notification that his social media account liked her photo. How do we know that this was anything more than a bug in the app?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW NOTESHello everyone! Welcome to our fun episode of The Atheist Experience with Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows.First up is Ram from India who started to believe in god again six months ago because he met someone who says science does not explain everything, and that lots of people accept there are multiverses. Scientists are not saying god is the reason for this. God is not a valid, reasonable hypothesis for the universe. Can you name one thing that is demonstrably true and violates logic? Don’t give up on reality so you can have less pain and sadness. Next we have Jordan in VA who is starting to have doubts of his faith, but does not want to give it up. He wants to raise children with the Christian foundation but has concerns with the Bible. If you raise kids this way, you are telling them they are broken and flawed. Teaching kids about hell is child abuse and so is following what the Bible says to do. It is difficult to teach kids to think for themselves in a Christian household. Kevin in AZ thinks that Matt is asking the wrong thing about god because it should not be a binary question. Either you are convinced a god exists or you are not convinced a god exists, and this is binary. Next is Paris in CA who argues that people's reasons for the earth not being flat are not better than the reasons they bring up for the historicity of Jesus. When the Greeks proved the earth is round, it was done with simple geometry. Everything we do with navigation proves the earth has to be an oblate spheroid. Jesus in CA tries to use Exodus to prove that god exists because wheels were found in that region. Picking out verses that someone fed you does not prove that a god exists. He then goes on to say that many of us believe it to be true. The truth is not impacted in any way by the number of people who believe something. Next we have Thea in NC that wants to know why whenever bad things happen like school shootings, Christians think it is the end times. It is because they read Revelations and are always ready. Christian Nationalists are actively trying to bring this to happen. People have been profiting off this for ages. When have there not been rumors of wars?Next is Carlos in Puerto Rico whose friend described an example of no divine intervention that proves the non-existence of god. A particular god may be disproven, but without defined characteristics there is no way of doing this. Our last caller is Paul in VA who has an idea that Christianity was intentionally created to feel superior, not take responsibility for their actions, and that once you are a Christian, you can’t lose salvation. How did you rule out that this was not true? We don’t have any way to know what the actual doctrine is because god has not arrived to truly tell us. We will see you all next week. Lets try and focus on reality and not throw up our hands and think god has a plan.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience! This week Matt Dillahunty is joined by Mandisa Thomas from Black Nonbelievers!First up is Sam from TX who says that he believes in a god for the same reason that our hosts don’t believe that there is a god.Next up is Jaime from CO who claims to have photographic evidence for god. How do you know that what you captured in the photo is actually the face of God, or just a cloud?Up next is GB from TX who is curious why Matt states that if a God exists, it is the most important fact that anyone could ever know due to the repercussions that the existence of one would have on our reality. However, until one is demonstrated to exist, acting as if one does and legislating laws that are asserted to align with it is dangerous and irresponsible.Next Cathy from NM who believes that Matt’s approach is rude and unproductive, and that he sets up strawman with religious callers including those from this very show.Next is Hamid from the (UK) who wants to share his experience of reconverting to Islam. Just because you understand the concept of God as depicted in the Bible and the Quran doesn’t make those descriptions true or the God real.Next is Paul from NC who is wondering how true the claims of spirit mediums are and if it is possible to accept their claims or partake in the exercise yourself without engaging in “woo.” What you convince yourself of in private is up to you, but if you are trying to convince others that you can do these things and are charging them money, then you are preying on people who are struggling and coping with loss.Up next is Luke from MN who is curious as to why skepticism is the best path to truth when evaluating truth claims. We don’t choose our beliefs, but we can choose to act as if something is true. Because of this, there are going to be consequences caused by those actions that can range from minuscule to dangerously significant.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the The Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Arden Of Eden.Our first caller today is Andrew from PA. The caller is beginning to question their beliefs and is wondering how our hosts became comfortable with pushing back against their past indoctrination. Unless you have good reason to believe in a particular god, then worrying about any threats or boons derived from believing in that God isn’t justified.Up next is Sam from NE who believes that because there are things about the universe that we cannot explain today, that it must be supernatural. Sam also had some “important” information he wanted to bless the audience with.Next up is Aiden from FL who is looking for advice on how to manage their relationship with their family with regards to their opposing views of religion. There is probably no single argument that will help your family become accepting of your atheism, but this single disagreement isn’t the whole relationship with your family or how they feel about you as a person.Next is Hank from TX who is claiming that our ownership of non-human animals indicates that we are superior to those animals, and if we are superior, then there is likely a being superior to us.Up next is Robert from OR claims that a belief in a God is properly basic, that it is self-evident and doesn’t require a justification to be accepted as true.Next is Rivalod from the Netherlands who wants to know how Atheists can be moral without God. The caller states that they believe morality is based on whatever God says is right. How do we know what God says? Up next is Leo from Canada who has been pushed back theism because of Matt. The caller doesn’t understand Matt’s position against worshipping a deity, and somehow this has put them back on the fence?Our final caller is Christ from CT is curious as to why Fundamentalist Christians are so against the separation of sex and gender when they themselves ascribe gender to their own God. Part of it is because their books don’t refer to sex or gender directly, as well as the fact that it offers a mechanism to control others.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW NOTESIn today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Shannon Q is joined by Jenna Belk!Our first caller is Narder from Australia who claims that there is physical evidence for God. Unfortunately, we are not presented with the physical evidence we were promised, but a philosophical argument.Next is Nigel from New Zealand who is wondering if our hosts do not accept Christianity because of a lack of evidence or because of the inconsistencies within the religious doctrine. The answer obviously varies from atheist to atheist, but depending on someone’s background, it may end up being a combination of each.Up next is Joe from Canada who wants to know how our hosts dealt with the fear of leaving religion after years of being indoctrinated to fear hell.Next is Ryan from NY who presents a list of reasons why they aren’t an atheist. Presenting incohesive ideas in this format isn’t a conversation, especially when they don’t go anywhere.Next is Phillip from OH wants to correct Shannon on a previous terminology mistake. Thank you so much for calling Phillip!Our final caller is Clarence from OH has an issue with the term atheist because it’s a label that defines what they are not.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined once again by Shannon Q. Welcome back Shannon!First up is Jeroen from the Caribbean who questions whether believers actually have a grieving process, or if they just use religion as a bandage. They are concerned with the consequences if said believer stops believing and is suddenly hit with that grief.Next is Steven from Washington who has questions regarding how active religious organizations can be within political movements and what actions are acceptable within the bounds of church/state separation.Next is Jamen from Germany who believes that Atheism has a burden of proof. Anyone who makes a positive claim has a burden of proof, whether they are an atheist or not.Up next is Javier from Minnesota who is wondering if our hosts think it’s wrong to believe in a God if it makes someone feel good. Also using the host’s answer to shift the conversation to race and gender is dishonest and gross.Next is Nick from California who has God-like knowledge of the creation of the universe.Up next is Rob from Georgia who wonders why some Atheists are afraid of certain depictions of heaven.Next is Jeffrey from Texas who is wondering where morality comes from if it is subjective to a specific culture.Last up is Josh from the Netherlands who deconverted from Islam but is struggling due to the sudden loss of his spirituality. The problem is that spirituality doesn’t really mean anything and appears to vary from individual to individual.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows is joined by Johnny P. Angel!Our first topic is coming from the car of Gohan in TX. The caller wants to ask us if Thanos’s snap is considered moral using a secular moral system. I’m not going to answer that question in this description, but my secular morality deems calling the show while driving as immoral.Next up is Donna from NC who believes that the Bible has evidence for God in it. The Bible is the thing making the claims. It can’t also be the proof for those claims, that’s circular.Up next is Malcolm from IL who claims that a mad scientist created white people by grafting the genes of early humans. How does the caller back this claim up? They don’t.Derick from GA implies that plants are conscious because they react to environmental stimuli, and that therefore it is possible for a non-physical consciousness to exist.Up next is Otangelo from Brazil who once again has a long, winding script to present us that apparently gets us to God.Our next caller is Dave from TX who claims that Atheists are hurting Pagan culture because we allow Christians to get away with their “past crimes” against Paganism.Next is Printer Repair from NEw England who agrees with the Bible’s flat-earth claims. I would be annoyed by the subject matter, but I’m more perturbed that your name took up 26 characters of my title.Our final caller is Jesus from CA who says that Atheists don’t really understand the Bible. The caller then quickly moves past this inconvenient claim when confronted, and opts to bring up the Big Bang Model and The Theory of Evolution and how they are wrong.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.