The Atheist Experience

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity(SR) and JMike sort through a variety of callers before being joined be Scott Dickie to wrap it up. Jackie in MS misgendered Dr. Ben on Talk Heathen and then refused to issue a proper apology so he was dropped! Be a man, Jackie and do the right thing if you want to play with us. Olivia in TX has questions about the Bible being true and how things she was told would come true when she was a kid are true now. How did you independently verify this if you have not read the Bible? The book alone making a claim is not sufficient. How are the things that have come true now any different than how they were hundreds of years ago? At what point do you trust the things people are telling you? Why is the church telling you the Bible is true, a reason to accept it?Caleb in OH asks the hosts how they have come to the conclusion that there is no god. JMike explains how there are no minds that can exist, and how the commitments that need to be taken on for theism are massive, and therefore not simple. SR confirms that is his position as well. The evidence available leads us to a conclusion that leads to a belief of something being likely to be true. Probability may be interesting, but has no bearing on whether something is true or not. What is the reasoning that you have come to your conclusion about the universe being designed? Does god have free will to create other constants? Why not add more gods?Johan in FL is a pantheist instead of an atheist because for the ethical reason that words have power and atheists tend to play on the word, “god”. What does god/goddess mean to you? What are you adding to the word, “universe” that we don’t share? What does the philosophy of mind stuff have to do with this? Why is there a moral imperative to believe something that supports well being? Polo in PA wants to talk about secular humanism and how he wants to start a new religion that does more interfaith with other religions who see themselves as humanist organizations.  The word “religion” can connote a set of rituals and dogma that may not work for many humanist organizations. Alexander in the UK has gradually stepped away from the Christian religion and is curious why some smart people are still so involved. Scott reminds us how smart people can be excellent at justifying what they believe and compartmentalization. There are people that have great arguing skills. None of us properly adhere to the correct methodology 100% of the time.Dee in IA thinks the hosts missed the mark by not having a stronger acknowledgement when speaking with Olivia. What she got out of Olivia was fear and understands her not reading the Bible. Dee was also in a charismatic cult that took decades to claw out of. We always want to do better and not discount the emotions entirely. Your criticism and suggestion is well taken. Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: If you want to get banned from Bible Study, which Bible story should you pick?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Show notes upon receipt.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Show notes upon receipt.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Forrest Valkai and The Godless Engineer sort through lack of evidence for god, a caller defending slavery of all things, and abortion in the Bible. Chris in FL wants to know what it would take for the hosts to believe. The Godless engineer mentions that it would take profound evidence for him to believe in the god of the Bible. Forrest is not sure what it would look like because it is hard to rule out tricks or mind stuff, and god would know what it takes to convince him. Even if this god was real, we would not be fans or worship him. Why does it always go to worship and not be good enough to acknowledge that god exists? How is god a reasonable being by burning people in hell for now worshiping him? Why does god have this hall pass for ethics and morality?  Why does hell exist in the first place?Andrew in NC says that Biblical slavery is not what it is propped out to be. We are concerned with chattel slavery and comparing this to American slavery is not going to go well. How do you think people in the Bible acquired slaves? There is no good slavery, PERIOD. How would you consider most marriages in the Bible where there was no consent from the women? Why does the Bible have clear instructions for Hebrew slaves, and non-Hebrew slaves? How would you feel about being someone’s slave for life? Why can’t god just say this is not cool when he has clear instructions on how to cut hair? Why is it acceptable for you to worship a god that says slavery is good? In what world are hired people treated as property and ownership is passed down to their children? When is it okay to beat these hired people? Why did god torture and kill tons of innocent people just to embarras the Pharaoh and what did the babies do to deserve this? This is a war crime. Which is worse: owning a human being as property, or cutting the sides of your beard? Why does god consider not eating shrimp a bigger priority than not owning people? Your god is a monster and it is a good thing he does not exist. Dre in AL asks the hosts to explain why they are atheists. Forrest explains that god is a big claim and we need a lot of evidence, he doesn’t have a use for a god, and he has no desire for a god that would run a universe like this. Godless Engineer also has not seen evidence that warrants a belief and remains agnostic on the concept of a general god. Why do you believe in your version of god? What part of history contorts with what the Bible says? If you don’t have an explanation for something, does it make sense to just say it is magic? Why should we assume a supernatural explanation for something?Mr. Michael wants to know why atheists consider it abortion when it is a miscarriage caused by a fight in Exodus. Why were fetuses not considered full blown people? The context of the verse referenced considers a married woman property. The father is paid for this action, not the woman. Why must a woman be forced to marry her rapist in the Bible? Abortion is not only used as a punishment, but also a fidelity test. To cap this off, criminalizing abortion drives up unsafe abortion rates. Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: Title a Bible story in a clickbaity way. Believe in God? Call the show on Sundays 4:30pm-6:00pm CT: 1-512-991-9242 or use your computer 💻 http://tiny.cc/callaxp and tell us what you believe and why!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s episode of The Atheist Experience, Armin Navabi and Jimmy Jr. dive headfirst into the challenging waters of religious apologetics, dissecting attempts to rationalize harmful doctrines within Islam and Christianity. Brace yourself for critical analyses of faith-based justifications for abhorrent practices and an exploration of how to critique ideologies without demonizing people!Steve, a simulationist, defends Prophet Muhammad’s child marriage using Pascal's Wager. Armin counters with a religion demanding fighting Islam, exposing the wager's flaws. Hosts emphasize the objective, timeless harm of child marriage. Does respecting all faiths justify such practices?Adam asks where to draw the line in fighting dangerous ideologies, specifically against hating Muslims. Armin distinguishes hating Islam (the ideology) from Muslims (victims), comparing it to cancer vs. patient. Being anti-Islam but pro-Muslim is strategic for deconversion. How can extremism be fought without fostering bigotry?Frank discusses Christians dismissing Old Testament barbarity as "Old Testament," a recent rationalization. Jimmy calls this "doublethink." Armin questions how an immutable God could endorse genocide then not. Is denying problematic aspects a convenient way to reconcile a "good" God?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Today we have a Bat Cruise edition of the Atheist Experience live in the studio with Forrest Valkai, ObjectivelyDan, JMike, and Secular Rarity! David in CA, wants to create an experiment where we remove religious teachings from a society, and if it leads to a god explaining things that science is leaving out. Notice how the things we can’t explain keep getting smaller. We would find that we can use rationality to come up with morality. Sean in TX, wants to talk about the Eucharist miracle of Lanciano, where it turned into actual flesh and blood, and they found the specimen was still alive. If this is true, why is ritualistic cannibalism part of your practice? What if we wanted to be more like another person and decided to eat that person? Why would god choose this miracle instead of ending world hunger? Ivan in CA feels that religions are man’s attempt to explain things, and is curious about how to cross the threshold to believing there is not any god at all. If there is a god, what kind of god is it? What does your god actually do? Joshua in the USA, thinks the fine tuning argument is one of the best arguments that exists for theists, and proposes a thought experiment, where every piece of matter has the words, “made by Jesus”. Why does god create a world with life permitting constants rather than no world at all? Mike in WA believes that if a scientist can’t make a complete set of amino acids, then abiogenesis could not possibly happen. Why are you not accepting the evidence that amino acids can self assemble? Was there a time where we could not create lightning in a lab? Benjamin in AL is calling once again to defend slavery in the Bible. What is the motivation for you wanting this and why do you want to defend slavery? Does that make god a good person if he is okay with slavery and would you worship this god? Why do you believe certain parts in the Bible over others? You are better than your god. Steve, a theist in NE, wants to discuss a research paper that argues for panspermia titled, "The Cause Of Cambrian Explosion, Terrestrial or Cosmic?” While cephalopods are life, it does not say anything for the rest of life on earth. Why are you making the leap of intentionality from this event? Jimmy in NY asks the hosts why they don’t believe in god. How can the whole Bible be true if different parts say different things? Why do people go to hell and what kind of asshole would send someone there for not believing in him? Billy, a deist in TX, asks about the observer effect where 95% of the universe is not observable. This has been misunderstood for decades. Think some more on this and there is no need to get mad. Mike in SC says that god did not create a lousy world. Who made the Garden of Eden and who was in charge of where the trees were placed? Who allowed the serpent to tempt them? Thank you for tuning in! Question of the week is: What is a warning label that god forgot to make?Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today’s thought-provoking episode of The Atheist Experience, The Cross Examiner and special guest Seth Andrews tackle complex issues surrounding faith, doubt, and human experience. They delve into topics from the personal struggles of deconverting from high-control religion and the challenges of discussing biblical slavery, to alleged extraterrestrial messages in DNA and the ethics of compassionate communication in difficult life circumstances. This episode also invites listeners to ponder a compelling question: if there is an intelligent designer, what would they need to explain? D from IA, a former charismatic fundamentalist Christian, shares her struggle to abandon foundational beliefs in the supernatural despite embracing atheism. The hosts encourage her not to feel guilty, emphasizing that escaping the fear of damnation from her previous faith is a significant achievement. They suggest focusing on verifiable evidence to determine what is real, allowing herself time on this journey. Ben discusses why he believes God allowed slavery in the Bible, presenting arguments rooted in subjective morality and historical context. Seth Andrews challenges this, asserting that an all-powerful God could have simply prevented slavery altogether, rather than "condescending" to primitive societal norms. The conversation highlights the logical inconsistencies of a "gradualist" God in the face of clear moral wrongs. Steve from NE calls in to present claims that scientists have found an "informational signal embedded in genetic code" pointing to extraterrestrial intelligence, citing specific numerical patterns. The hosts, acknowledging they are not biologists, question the scientific validity, the lack of widespread recognition or a Nobel Prize for such a discovery, and highlight how such claims often echo numerology or conspiracy theories. Derek from Canada shares a deeply personal dilemma: his wife, suffering from dementia, fears eternal damnation, and he, an atheist, finds himself comforting her with religious assurances. The hosts advocate for prioritizing compassion and humanity over strict adherence to data or logic in such situations, suggesting that "white lies" or carefully phrased words of comfort can minimize suffering without betraying one's core values. Big Soap from SD proposes a non-religious theory of reincarnation, suggesting that consciousness is most likely to transfer after death based on the possibility of existence and the concept of neuroplasticity. The hosts challenge this assertion, asking for empirical evidence, questioning the definition of consciousness without memory, and concluding that such a theory remains an unproven guess. Ellenie from AZ disagrees with the hosts' stance on biblical slavery, arguing that morality is contextual and that past generations shouldn't be judged by present standards. The hosts counter that fundamental harms like slavery are wrong regardless of historical context, and an omnibenevolent deity would have established a morally superior system from the outset. Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Have a complete atheist experience today as Armin Navabi and JMike observe the simulator rearranging the stars before being joined by Kelley Laughlin to discuss more mind stuff. Chris in Canada asks if there is any chance the hosts would change their beliefs if god were to come down and show himself to them and show some sort of miracle. We must first verify that there is a god to be able to answer the question. We can’t just assume that god is talking to us or that the miracle performed is from god. If god were omniscient, wouldn’t that god know what it takes to get someone to believe? How do we know that anything that we see is from the creator? If the stars got rearranged, we would check the water supply first to see if we were all hallucinating before assuming that a god did it. Steve in NE, has a way for the Simulation Theory to be tested by looking at the information of the particles. This sounds more like metaphysics than a hypothesis. What explanatory benefit is there for having more hypotheses? There are more than just two options. Just because something is not “A” does not mean it is “B”. How do we even falsify this? Saran in India asks about the moral standards that atheists have. The only position that atheists hold is the lack of belief in god. We have a natural desire to see each other happy and not make our fellow human beings upset. Even if theists had excuses to be moral, and atheists don’t, how does that add any points to a claim that there is a god? Do you need god to tell you that incest is wrong? What if god says it is okay? Saran then asks about the Kalam argument. The universe may have had a beginning, but that does not mean there was a cause. Daisy in CA, an atheist, is still having a hard time with the concept of free will, and is hoping for an argument against libertarian free will. This about making a choice about something, and if there is an explanation for that choice. Libertarian free will is just another way of saying randomness, and this will cause a collapse in the intention, and the outcome. How do we know that we are making choices and it is not just an illusion of making choices? What is important is if the direction is in alignment with your desires. Shoridon in AK, asks about past hosts claiming that time started with the Big Bang and not sure if the Big Bang is the beginning of time. How sure are we that this is propositional that can either be true or false? We are not making claims about this and maybe it would be good to call in when a host is present who has. Reincarnation Entertainment in the UK says that we can disprove Christianity. Either god is not all knowing, or not omnipotent. These logical arguments won’t do the trick because people chose their belief to serve different utilities such as belonging and membership. The key is to offer alternatives. Darius in CA made an easy transition to being an atheist, and has been for a few years. How has this affected your life? Some of his family is not accepting, and this seems more like their problem rather than his problem.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.