The Atheist Experience

Welcome back to The Atheist Experience! Today’s show is hosted by Matt Dillahunty and friend of the show Dragnauct Sylvas. We start the show with discussion about the coronavirus and its effects on daily life, from isolation depression to grocery store gross-outs. Then, we get to caller numero uno!Dragnauct picks an interesting topic from Gavin, who says he wants to check in on his own rationale. Gavin says he believes in a soul, or at least something like it, based on some experiences he’s had in life, but he’s pretty sure something about that rationale is faulty. Is he right?Brian in Washington, DC calls in to convert Matt by asking, “What’s wrong with being a saint?” and using a version of Pascal’s Wager. When Matt and Dragnauct bring up the fact of Catholic cover-ups of child molestation, Brian starts to get a little squirrely.We have a few frequent callers, and one is coming back: Kamal in Alabama was brought into a Facebook intervention by his family, who tried to bring him back to Jesus. We’ve all had this experience, unfortunately, and it’s nice to relate to each other sometimes. We love you, Kamal.Carlos is another newly frequent caller, and his argument today is...well, it’s a little confusing. He says that God as described in the Bible gives life so he can determine how long it is for you. Then there’s an analogy from Batman. Essentially, Carlos thinks we shouldn’t see God’s action as distasteful if we read the Bible as fiction, because you’re not allowed to think fictional characters are bad guys, I guess?Can somebody say Clergy Project? https://clergyproject.org/ Well, not quite, but our caller is in that sort of predicament. Cade went to a Christian high school where he lost his faith, but he’s stuck in the church. No one knows about his non-belief, and he’s not sure what to do. Matt ends up turning this caller into a co-host for a moment!Laura in Michigan has personal access to God, and Matt attempts to use this access to have Laura ask God what she should say to convert Matt. Turns out, you just have to study the Bible and be open to love! We should have known.Our last call is an important one. Justin has a wife, and the two are currently awaiting a child’s birth. His wife has started to express concern about her child “being told there is no God,” or something along those lines. Dragnauct takes over most of this call, as his wife is also a believer, so he has some experience here. The key: communication between spouses, education for the child!That’s our show today! If you want to support the show you can check out https://www.patreon.com/theatheistexperience for a monthly subscription to podcasts with NO ADS and other fun goodies, or https://tiny.cc/aenmerch for merch from all of the ACA’s shows! Hosts can be found on Twitter @Matt_Dillahunty and @Dragnauct. Thanks for watching/listening!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SUMMARYWe look funny today, but it’s because our awesome crew figured out a way for us to continue the show from individual hosts’ and crew members’ homes! Thanks, guys! We start off with a bang: What do we do about church gatherings that could spread the corona virus more? If God isn’t real, why is religion influential? Can you even test science, and do the same forces that “created” the universe still exist? Isn’t there something “higher” that’s apparent? Why is Matt inconsistent with standards of evidence for others’ beliefs vs. his own? Ending the night with a beautiful summary of so much of this show’s history: Why don’t we believe in Jesus and his resurrection? But then technical issues cause us not to end the night, so we talk to Lana about her family’s gross treatment of her transgender daughter. And that ends our show.SHOW NOTESToday’s show looks different, because we’re all at home right now! Hosts, crew, all of us! Even me, writing these notes (although that’s no technical feat). Thank you to our wonderful Vern and Mark for making it possible for us to continue doing shows throughout the corona virus pandemic and Austin’s shelter-in-place ordinance.In relation to the pandemic, Dave in Austria asks a question of alarming importance: What do we do about all of these churches and religious groups having massive gatherings in tight spaces when the way to prevent this pandemic’s spread is staying home and social distancing? What can we do?Anthony in Florida has a kind of “gotcha” question: If God isn’t real, how is religion so influential? Checkmate, atheists!In what seems to be another attempt at a wording gotcha, Alex in Saskatchewan asks a couple things: Can we test science? Are the forces that created the universe still in the world? (He lists a few things that aren’t necessarily their own types of forces...there seems to be a misunderstanding here of what a force is.)A wild(ly confused) agnostic (atheist) appeared! (It’s okay to be confused. It happens.) Shawn in Minneapolis says he’s “between” believing and not believing to our call screener. He seems unable to let go of a concept of something “higher” as his first reason for not being an atheist is along the lines of, “Don’t you channel something higher when you play music?” Hm...I don’t think I do…You know what’s fun? Being accused of having different standards of evidence for beliefs you disagree with! Omar in California wants Matt to know that that’s exactly what he does! He provides awesome examples and Matt is forced to turn in his Atheist card and walk away in shame.Our final caller, Aaron in Arizona, wants to know why Matt and Jenna don’t accept Jesus and his resurrection.HAHA, we lied, that wasn’t the final call. Our show has to run long today...what a strange tech issue! Caller Lana is having issues with her family’s poor treatment of her transgender daughter, and she’s looking for advice.That’s our show today! If you want to support the show you can check out https://www.patreon.com/theatheistexperience for a monthly subscription to podcasts with NO ADS and other fun goodies, or https://tiny.cc/aenmerch for merch from all of the ACA’s shows! Hosts can be found on Twitter @Matt_Dillahunty and @Belk_Jenna. Thanks for watching/listening!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW SUMMARYWelcome to the Atheist Experience where we experience life as atheists. Today’s episode we have our wonderful host Matt Dillahunty being joined by Shane Isgrig. Welcome to the show Shane! We begin the show with Dean claiming ancient oral tradition like the Dead Sea Scrolls are more accurate than modern human communication. Brent the pantheist calls in saying the universe is conscious and alive. We have an update call, Traci calls to update us on how she’s doing. Damon “thinks” he can prove reincarnation due to the universe expansion and contraction (LOL ok.) Anna Marie is seeking to understand coincidences and un-explainable events. And lastly Brian doesn’t think it’s fair that atheists can cherry pick the bible (sounds like projection!)CALL NOTESIn today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Shane Isgrig. Shane is a host on Atheist Vanguard and he is Welcome to the co-host chair Shane!Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Dean from North Carolina. Why are the transmission of the stories of the bible not historically accurate? He gives an example of the Dead Sea Scrolls and oral tradition because the new testament was written 50 years after the ‘fact.’ Dean, have you played the game telephone right? Are ancient humans and their communication style more accurate than modern humans? Sigh, he said they were than us.Brent the pantheist calls in saying the universe is conscious and alive. Hmmm… parts are, but as a whole this is a problematic claim. If anything, the universe has been created for black holes, hates living things, and his argument in favor that the universe is conscious and alive is arrogant and biased.Traci the ex-christian is next, she is struggling with completely letting go of god. Congratulations on moving on from religion. Unpacking the religious suitcase and baggage is tough, but you’ll get through it. Shane also brings up a good point: If someone specifically made COVID-19, would you trust them to come up with the vaccine and cure? Why is god more comfortable then if he made this virus?Oooooh, Damon thinks he can prove reincarnation due to the expansion and contraction of the universe over and over. Ummmm…. He claims he has reasonable justification of this using a TON of assumptions. Next up, Anna Marie, a recently deconverted atheist in Indiana seeking understanding of un-explainable events. Saying ‘I don’t know’ isn’t providing the solace she is looking for. But it is the best answer in some of these situations. Our last caller of the day, Brian in South Carolina would like to discuss language semantics and translation due to a previous call. He moves on to talk about how atheists cherry pick the bible, ah, that sounds like projection to me!And that’s the show for today! We end the show with a word from Matt and Shane about staying safe, stay home, and if things escalate, please keep an eye for announcements as things are always changing.Send your prayer postcards for Matt to answer on the show to 1507 W. Koenig Lane, Austin, TX, 78741. Otherwise...goodbye!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

The Atheist Experience 24.11 2020-03-15 with Matt Dillahunty & Don BakerSHOW TIME-STAMPS00:01:33 Announcements Regarding Coronavirus & the ACA00:08:58 The Coronavirus & the People Taking Advantage of It for Money00:12:11 Failures of Christianity: Why Won't God Just TALK?00:29:08 Tom - MO - Struggling Out of My Lutheran Faith (Doubting God)00:53:01 CJ - NC - How Are You Feeling About Debating David Wood?00:06:15 Hassan - CA - God is to the Universe as Zero is to Math01:16:12 Luke - AZ - Why Aren't You Nihilists?00:00:00 Caller - PL: Topic00:00:00 Caller - PL: TopicSUMMARYIn today’s show, Matt takes us through the steps the ACA is taking to prevent the spread of coronavirus locally, Don and Matt chat about coronavirus charlatans, and Don has a new Failure of Christianity! We have questioning believers from Matt’s old stomping grounds (near his old church, even!), discussion of debate tactics, God being analogous to zero somehow, and Matt turning an empty truck of gotcha around with a whole trailer full of GOTCHA! And that’s our show!SHOW NOTESHi, folks! We’re in weird times with a pandemic turning its ugly head at us, so Matt starts the show by explaining what the ACA is doing. The tl;dr version: The ACA has issued Defcon levels regarding how many and which people we allow into the Freethought Library, and International Atheist Day events have been moved to online-only, as the Austin capitol has officially closed to the public.Before we get into Don’s failures, we highlight people taking advantage of fear around the coronavirus. Jim Baker has weird silver supplements, Alex Jones has...anti-coronavirus toothpaste? What? And Matt Dillahunty has F BOMBS!What’s this week’s failure of Christianity? Well, God keeps hiding from us! He won’t answer our calls, he seems to be answering a bunch of people’s calls with different information, and he won’t heal amputees! WHY?! https://whywontgodhealamputees.com/ (Also Matt puts his Christian hat on...and an atheist hat...and another hat.)Our first caller shares some ground with Matt, as he lives near Matt’s old church! Tom has some questions, as he feels he’s struggling out of his faith, so he runs some thoughts by our hosts about how he’s deconverted so far (and whether the reasons are good), and what his current questions are. (He does something fun at the end of his call.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, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Denis Loubet. We are borrowing Denis from the long standing Non-Prophets show also produced by the ACA. Glad to have you Denis, welcome to the co-host chair!Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Sam from the UK. Oooooh boy, he wants to talk about why there is slavery in the Bible and why it’s misunderstood. Ready for some fireworks? Here we go!Next up, Minh from California would like to talk about when you deconvert from religion, what do you replace it with? (and Denis’ reply, “when you cure cancer what you replace it with… um health”) The following caller is Christopher from Pennsylvania is concerned about how to help mend a relationship with his family after avoiding them after deconverting. He is struggling with how to proceed. Christopher, you may find some solace in contacting the folks at Recovering from Religion. https://www.recoveringfromreligion.orgJames in Canada is next, calling in about having discussions with a Catholic friend who is questioning their faith. He is expressing some discomfort in helping this friend deconverting. He is troubled with feeling as though he is pushing him towards atheism and is concerned with the repercussions.Next up, David in New Jersey attempts to argue that he can apply the rules of logic to presuppositional arguments, I think. Some if not all of this word salad makes my head spin… Whoa, do not tell Matt he doesn’t understand the laws of logic. We have a live one here.Afterwards we have Jeremy from Louisiana. He ponders about Pascal’s Wager and asks Matt about it. “Which creator is the right one?” Matt did say at the beginning of the episode he has talked about Pascal’s Wager at least every episode the past 15 years he’s been on the show.And that’s it folks! Send your prayer postcards for Matt to answer on the show to 1507 W. Koenig Lane, Austin, TX, 78741 and check out the amazing artwork of Denis Loubet at http://www.denisloubet.com ! :)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

TIME-STAMPS00:03:21 Arthur - (CA): Seeing My Family For First Time Since Coming Out Atheist00:17:06 Thomas - GA: Evidence Jesus Exists (I Know Too Much, I HAVE to Tell You)00:28:04 Mark - ME: What's the Point of Looking at the Bad Parts of Holy Books?00:45:44 Arturo - TX: Let's Build a Strawman Ep. 666: SATANISTS!01:01:11 Akeem - PA: I Have Scientific Proof Homosexuality is Wrong! (He Doesn't)01:10:44 Hallie - CA: Hallie - CA - I'm a Questioning Fundamentalist Christian, I Have Questions01:21:21 Danny - UK: What Caused God? Why Can't We See Him?01:26:15 Jason - SC: I'm a Theist That Leans Atheist (Moral Argument for God)SUMMARYToday’s episode is hosted by Jenna Belk, with guest host Phil Ferguson of The Phil Ferguson Show! How do you deal with seeing your religious family after coming out as an atheist...in a different COUNTRY?! A guy who knows Jesus exists, a guy who doesn’t understand why we’re just so darn hard on the worst part of “holy” books, a guy who has actually encountered baby-eating Satanists (supposedly), scientific proof that homosexuality is wrong (not so much), a formerly fundamentalist Christian who’s honestly questioning her religious beliefs, a guy telling us that god is just whatever caused the universe, and a theist who is merely convinced by a moral argument for god, because it would be really sad if we didn’t have some ultimate arbiter!That’s our show! If you’d like to donate monthly, you can visit us over at https://www.patreon.com/theatheistexperience. Chat with other fans at https://tiny.cc/acadiscord. Check out our merch at https://bit.ly/aenmerch. SHOW NOTESToday’s show is hosted by the powerful Jenna Belk and Phil Ferguson of The Phil Ferguson Show, where Phil talks religion, politics, and money (the 3 things you shouldn’t talk about with your family!).Our first caller today is Arthur, who is concerned that his Nigerian family will try to re-convert him when he goes back to see them for the first time since he has publicly identified as an atheist.Thomas in Georgia doesn’t seem to have ever had this conversation before, and we seem to be able to offer him new questions. We’re hoping he calls back if he finds some answers for us.Our next caller, Mark in Montenegro, asks why we “throw out” the Koran “just because it had bad things in it.” He seems to miss the part where people base their entire morality on these books… He then tells Jenna her argument comes from ego. Fun!Let’s talk about Satan, ba-by, let’s talk about you and me! Arturo came to the show to straw man Satanists, or something! Apparently he found some real Satanists who eat babies, or something?Akeem in Philadelphia thinks he has a good secular reason why homosexuality is wrong by quoting a debunked article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonentine/2014/03/10/did-the-new-yorker-botch-puff-piece-on-frog-scientist-tyrone-hayes-turning-rogue-into-beleaguered-hero/#1bcbf81147f6 ..we don’t end up agreeing with Akeen. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Next up- Hallie in California is a fundamentalist Christian...or was until recently. She’s starting to back away from that, and has questions about her faith in general. Hallie may be in the midst of a skeptically motivated de-conversion!Caller Danny from London presents us with a version of the Kalam which includes a definition of God as “whatever caused the universe.”Jason in South Carolina says he’s a theist who leans atheist. Apparently he’s so compelled by a perceived lack of moral arbitration “beyond human beings” without god that he believes in a god. Hmm.That’s our show! If you’d like to donate monthly, you can visit us over at https://www.patreon.com/theatheistexperience. Chat with other fans at https://tiny.cc/acadiscord. Check out our merch at https://bit.ly/aenmerch.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW TIME-STAMPS00:00:00 Introduction (to Darrel Ray & Recovering From Religion)00:21:21 Mary - MN: My Relatives Fear Me Going to Hell (Atheist w/ Pancreatic Cancer)00:32:32 David - MEX: Demons & Sinful Behavior Cause Paranormal Events00:38:12 Rami - FR: The Scientific Method Proves God (Over-Simplifying Science)00:43:40 Alex - MD: I Know What Unites All Religions/Ideologies00:54:58 Shannon Q - NS: How do we combat "Christian counseling?"01:05:47 Matt Dillahunty Answers Prayers Again!01:12:03 Tom - (CA): Can you explain Our Lady of Guadalupe? (Real Miracles! ...not)01:22:00 Mike - VT: Rude Caller Hung Up On (Bible & Masturbation)01:24:56 David - LA: Fictional Science Diabetics Book...and other word salad.01:32:51 Alex - AUS: How Do I Get My Wife to Raise My Kids Secular?01:39:50 David - AZ: Disproving God Via Math...not so much.SHOW NOTESDr. Darrel Ray is back on the show to talk to us about the mission of Recovering From Religion (1-84-I-DOUBT-IT, 1-844-368-2848, https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/). Matt and Darrel discuss how religious beliefs impact therapy when therapists bring religion into their practice, and go over Religious Trauma Syndrome.Mary in Minnesota asks what to do about the fact that her friends and family seem to be afraid of hell for her as she faces imminent death from pancreatic cancer. Matt & Darrel offer some useful advice, but the best thing to know from this call is that Mary will be meeting friend of the show Dave Warnock. If you’re interested in a perspective on actively dying as an atheist, please check out Dave Warnock and Dying Out Loud. (Website: https://daveoutloud.com/, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DaveWarnock.DyingOutLoud/, Twitter: @dwwarnock, Instagram: @warnockpa, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZpN57H2-9Nv2u5rqIMLZwg?fbclid=IwAR2ygIagoXdW7yxQ-geZbazPrvghM6ZBLV_AUttjb8TdQxjv57ZTY5ouPOs, e-mail: daveoutloud@gmail.com.)We have some unfortunate issues hearing what caller David says, but he starts to imply that “our sin” has caused some sort of physical change in the universe. He eventually gets to dark energy, at which point Matt drops the call because it’s unfortunately likely that this caller is severely misunderstanding dark energy.Rami in France seems to offer a similar sort of proof of God, but his is mathematic rather than scientific. He is hung up on after not allowing hosts to address points of disagreement. Womp, womp.Deepities! Deepities abound! Caller Alex in Maryland uses a LOT of language fluffing to explain the fairly basic concept that a lot of people want good things. He uses this to justify what he calls “meta-theism.”Speaking of friends of the show, Shannon Q is here! We announce as she calls in that she’ll be here to host the show during Faithless Forum, but her question for Dr. Darrel Ray is this: How do we deal with so-called “Christian counseling?” Shannon takes a look at this on her own YouTube channel in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6vDhtBWFtc. (It’s a long one, grab some popcorn! But if you’re into it, subscribe.) Matt hangs up on Shannon with a soundboard button of his own voice. She asked for it. Literally.Matt answers more postcard prayers!We’ve been having calls pop up every now and then recently about Catholic miracles. Tom in Canada wants to ask if the hosts have a natural explanation for Our Lady of Guadalupe.Mike in Vermont gets hung up on pretty quickly. Don’t come on the show to complain about how long you were on hold… It’s quite rude, and you’re not owed our platform. Next.Alex in Australia asks what to do about the fact that he and his wife share different religious views, and how to make sure his wife helps him raise their children secularly. Dr. Darrel Ray provides great answers about honest communication and setting of boundaries.Our final caller, David in Arizona, thinks he can prove God doesn’t exist...with math! He doesn’t. But he really tries!Please check out The Atheist Experience at https://www.patreon.com/TheAtheistExperience, subscribe on YouTube and your favorite podcast app, and check out our merch at https://www.tiny.cc/aenmerch! Please check out Recovering From Religion at https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org, or call their hotline at 1-84-I-DOUBT-IT (1-844-368-2848). Thanks for checking out our show! Join other fans at Discord at https://www.tiny.cc/acadiscord.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW TIME-STAMPS00:00:00 Introduction00:03:03 Daniel - MN: I Want to Believe in An Afterlife, but I'm an Atheist00:10:40 Alex - CO: A Rational Person Can Use Faith, & Faith Can Be Rational00:24:09 Mark - ME: The Koran/Quran is More Accurate than the Bible00:35:47 Dalton - NJ - Used to Be Christian, Now Hindu but Doubting...What Do I Do? 00:44:35 Joshua - NY: How Do I Come Out as an Atheist to My Family?00:54:37 Joseph - NY: People Misunderstand the Zodiac Signs (Astrology is Real)01:01:05 Shattered - OR: Personal Experiences Are Reliable for Personal Beliefs01:10:43 Samuel - GM: Star Wars is a Religion01:19:53 Mark - FL: What is the ATHEIST AGENDA? (Guy tells US what WE believe.)01:33:05 Julian - WA - Are Atheists Willing to Abandon Christian Morality?01:47:17 OutroSHOW NOTESToday we’re hosted by Don Baker & Jenna Belk, who spare no time in getting straight to calls!Our first caller, Daniel, is an atheist who wants to believe in an afterlife. He describes his discovery of Carlin as his first steps toward being an atheist, but seems confused about gods and related topics.Alex in Colombia thinks that a rational person can use faith, and that faith can be part of a rational worldview. Jenna and Don explain that rational people can use non-rational tools, and get a little into epistemology with Alex.We get a rare sort of call with Mark in Montenegro, who wants to defend the Koran/Quran is more accurate than the Bible because we’re closer to it in time, know that it hasn’t been changed as much, and is written in a living language rather than a dead language. Don & Jenna explain some of their issues with the book, and the caller continues attempting a defense of the book.Dalton in New Jersey is an interesting case. He started years ago as a Christian, is currently a Hindu, but is doubting his beliefs. He seems to be headed down a road of skepticism, and Jenna gets to throw him Street Epistemology as a recommendation for his topic.Joshua in New Jersey is a deconvert of only 4-5 years ago, and calls to ask the question so many of us have dealt with in the past: how do I come out to my family as an atheist? Specifically, Joshua is concerned about coming off as an “angry atheist” and “without being flashy.” We get to go over that with him, and also get a little into death and grieving as an atheist.Joseph in New York explains to us that zodiac signs and astrology are actually reliable, but people mis-apply them by using the sun sign...which is correct in its own way? Uh, vaguery is fun, I guess.Shattered in Portland, OR is a pantheist. He doesn’t offer up a defense or justification for his belief, but instead tells us that personal experience is reliable for personal beliefs, but can’t be used to convince people. The question is, why is such reasoning reliable for oneself but not for others?Samuel in Germany thinks that Star Wars has a cult-like following and fascination because people dress up and get upset when movies “violate canon” and similar issues. Does this guy know about the actual Jedi religion? Someone should tell him.Mark in Florida tells us that all the atheists he’s encountered are aggressive anti-theists to point out that we’re more than “just” agnostic atheists...people telling us what we believe is always the best.Here comes a Pordan B. Jeterson fan to ask if “atheists are willing to abandon a Christian morality.” Apparently we’re actually Christians. At least he didn’t call us murderers...actually, never mind, he does say something about Pol Pot.Now, it’s meatloaf time. Goodbye! Join us at tiny.cc/acadiscord, and support us at patreon.com/theatheistexperience. Check out our merch at bit.ly/aenmerch.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW TIME-STAMPS00:00:00 Matt - TX - Epic postcard reading by Matt00:16:55 Jonathan - KY - Is there a moral question about slavery?00:27:07 Walter - MI - Proof of God because of a NDE00:38:07 Jonathyn - AZ - Can believe in something and not know it/be aware of it.00:50:58 Jonathan - AL - How to create a secular community when in a hostile area.01:05:39 Kevin - TN - Agnostic theist, believes in emanation01:25:03 Keith - OK - People in prison are better off with religious belief.01:27:20 John - TX - Evolution points to theismSHOW NOTESWoooot! Your normal notes writer is back in the writer’s chair. Just kidding, there is no writer’s chair, it doesn’t exist. In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jim Barrows. Does Matt have more postcards to read? (Oh yes he does and it is EPIC!) Who is this Jim Barrows character? Does God exist? Stay tuned to find out all this and more!Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Jonathan from Kentucky. He is wondering if there has always been a moral question regarding slavery. What about prisoners of war? He claims that in history, it was more moral to have slaves than now because of tribal warfare. That’s not an excuse. Walter is next up calling in from Michigan, claims to have met God after a very violent car wreck. He experienced a near death experience and saw the light! People convinced him that it was all God’s doing. Sadly, he doesn’t provide any evidence though, except “look at the trees.” Oh and science isn’t real.The following caller named Jonathyn from Arizona is wondering about the argument that folks can believe in something and not know it. He queries Matt on it and Matt responds in kind. Tune in to watch the salad spin!Jonathan from Alabama is next, he is calling in about how to create a community when in a hostile and possibly violent area to secular/atheists.Next up, Kevin in Tennessee has an argument he’d like to share. He believes and is an agnostic theist and that this reality we deem as real is only a small part of something greater.Afterwards we have Steve from Canada. He is an Atheist turned Catholic and is wondering if there is purpose or point in life if you don’t believe. Why does it matter if anyone benefits he asks. It absolutely matters to those around us. C’mon dude, a scribe?!Keith in Oklahoma would like to discuss how prisoners are better off religious. This was a speedy call and Matt definitely disputed that. Might want to watch it to capture more than I did. Our last caller of the day, John in Texas claims that evolution is linked or tied to theism. Um, nah. Natural selection is random and is all about time. Thank you very much, Goodbye!Whew! And that’s it! See you all next week!Send your prayer postcards for Matt to answer on the show to 1507 W. Koenig Lane, Austin, TX, 78741. Otherwise...goodbye!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

SHOW TIME-STAMPS00:00:00 Introduction00:07:50 Hermer-NY: The Bible Supports Science00:18:01 Yoel-NY: I Can Convert Everyone!00:43:39 Brant-CA: Native American Church Member’s Peyote Path to God01:00:34 William-NE: Deductive Proof of NO God01:12:36 End of Show AnnouncementsSHOW NOTESMatt and Jenna are back to experience being atheists, and we’re starting off today with some shenanigans! Matt Dillahunty answers prayers sent in on postcards, including a miracle healing of a hen! Jenna has some Christian music looping in her brain today, and has a thought about why this music is such an effective indoctrination tool.Hermer calls us from a cavern deep inside the Earth, approximately 5 meters from its core, and explains to us how the Bible says, “Avoid opposition to science.” He somehow completely misses the fact that the Bible is loaded with scientific inaccuracies. He proceeds to justify Lot’s wife turning into salt because sweat tastes like salt. (“I Tasted Lot’s Wife and It Tastes Like Sweat | Hermer - NY | Talk Heathen 03.51” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE5RxZzVKHw) Also, everyone who has ever seen Hermer’s face believes in God! Wow! How does he know this?Yoel from Brooklyn calls in to give us PROOF of God that will turn all of us into believers! Pack it in, folks, the Atheist Experience is over. What will I do with my Sundays now? At the end of the call, it appears that Yoel has some trouble constructing proper syllogisms...while discussing this, Matt demonstrates a concept by eating crickets with Jenna. Ew.Brant presents a case for his Native American Church beliefs, which involve a peyote path to God, because we all know altered brain states are the way to truth!After all this life-altering proof God DOES exist, William is able to provide us with deductive proof that NO god exists. Matt expects to disagree with him just as much as the “proof of god” callers...let’s see if he’s right.Send your prayer postcards for Matt to answer on the show to 1507 W. Koenig Lane, Austin, TX, 78741. Otherwise...goodbye!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.