The Atheist Experience

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.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jenna Belk!Our first caller this afternoon is Riyaz from the UK. The caller proposes a scenario where there exists a place where snakes don’t bite and scorpions don’t sting and claims that this example would indicate the presence of a supernatural force.Next up is Paul from TX who claims that without a belief in God and that their existence in the universe is purposeful, society is diminishing.Next is Kevin from GA who wants to talk about how a God’s morality is irrelevant to whether it exists or not. Blindly worshipping a God whether you approve of its moral code or not because you believe that they are above you, without justification of its existence, is both irrational and degrading to yourself.Next up is Lisa from CO is wondering why they feel guilty or fearful whenever they see an image depicting Jesus. You are feeling guilty because you were indoctrinated to feel guilty by your religion, not because God is actively making you feel guilty.Up next is Orin from OR who knows with 100% certainty that they have communicated with God via a mysterious sentient cloud. Honestly, I’ve got nothing at this point...absolutely nothing.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 Dr. Darrel Ray!The first caller is Aaron from TX who wants to accuse Matt of being a bully. If you are going to accuse somebody of something, please have clear examples ready to go.Up next is Clifford from VA who has recently escaped from religion through applying skepticism, but is concerned about his mother’s religious religious beliefs and the impact they may have on the caller’s son. Here is the article like that Dr. Ray mentioned during the show: http://tiny.cc/rfrrecoveryUp next is Anthony from IL who wants to know how Atheists have disproven all gods as well as claims that they have scientific and personal evidence to support the existence of the Christian God.Next is Alvin from NC who claims that a Pew Research study shows that Christians live seven years longer than Atheists. Assuming the finding in the study is true, the actual results do not necessarily explain the reasons why this is the case.Next is Lexi from OK who recently became an Ex-JW, and has questions about how they should identify themselves given that they no longer accept the claims by the organization, but are still struggling to detach themselves from the indoctrination.Up next is Marquis from NC who wants to talk about their motivations behind their decision to leave their religion. Thanks for calling Marquis!Next is George from AZ who believes that they have evidence of Jesus being crucified. The caller’s understanding of biblical history and the Christian tradition are lacking and is very confused about the definition of the word “anonymous.”Next is Brandon from AZ claims that Atheists look at science using rose colored glasses when it comes to evidence for Jesus. “Hey Ya’ll, Watch This” is not evidence for the truth of biblical claims.Next is Oliver from Brazil who is looking for advice on how to break free of indoctrination, specifically with regards to human mortality. As Dr. Ray says, exposing yourself to other ideologies is a great way of teaching your brain that you don’t have to be bound to one belief system.Our final caller is Honey from NC who wants to talk about their fear of leaving religion. Religion connects directly to our baser emotions and thrives on those. This is why religious belief doesn’t necessarily correlate to intellect or analytical abilities. It’s going to take time to break free, but there are resources out there to make the journey easier.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.