Friendly Atheist Podcast

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- 50 years ago, the pope said birth control was immoral. (1:15) -- Did you know Gwyneth Paltrow hired a fact checker for Goop? (9:40) -- This 11-year-old college grad wants to pursue astrophysics so he can prove God's existence. (19:44) -- Computer models could help us understand the future of religion...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. ---- Republicans just passed another bill to repeal the Johnson Amendment. (0:22) -- If you're running for governor, don't belittle someone who asks a good question about climate change. (6:35) -- Russian spy Mariia Butina infiltrated the government via the National Prayer Breakfast. (12:25) -- Science denier Jenny McCarthy has solid verifiable proof that a ghost is in her house...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The new Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the one right-wing group that opposed him (temporarily), and his claim that church/state separation is "based on bad history." (0:30) -- This is why it's a problem believing communion wafers are the literal body of Christ. (20:14) -- Apparently you're not a real man unless you have a first-born son...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Is Ark Encounter lying about attendance again? (0:39) -- A Republican congressional candidate thinks women are best described as "helpers." (15:52) -- What does Scott Pruitt's resignation letter say about God? (26:22) -- The man who destroyed the Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas doesn't regret it. (30:40) -- In Virginia, a new city council was sworn in... and they got rid of prayer...

In January, Jessica found out her brother Kevin was reading a book about the Satanic Panic and she thought it would be fun to sit down and have him walk her through the ins and outs of that era. They recorded in February. They had technical issues and had to scrap it. They tried again in April. It went very poorly. They scrapped it. But, third time's a charm, and so now we present to you "The Bluemke Sibling Dollop Tribute Journey Through the Satanic Panic...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- What does Anthony Kennedy's retirement mean for church/state separation? (1:05) -- The Supreme Court banning abortion will backfire on evangelicals. (18:25) -- A Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for a woman who miscarried. (32:00) -- Your thoughts and prayers alone won't help the victims in Annapolis, Maryland...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Should Catholic Church confessionals about child abuse be reported to the cops? (2:01) -- Apparently, Australia doesn't exist. (9:45) -- Two Christian women released a marriage checklist. It's disturbing. (13:14) -- In Alberta, religious schools want the ability to "out" members of Gay-Straight Alliances to their parents. (26:00) -- PA State Rep...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Trump administration is using Bible verses to justify tearing children away from their parents. (1:29) -- Canada's Supreme Court says legal societies can reject the accreditation of an anti-gay Christian law school. (14:52) -- Abortion: Why won't anyone think of the men? (28:14) -- A Christian Right group plans to spend $20 million for the upcoming midterms...

In this bonus episode, Hemant spoke with David Ellis Dickerson. He's a writer mostly known for his many appearances on "This American Life," telling stories about growing up a conservative Christian in Tucson, Arizona. In 2013, he became an Emmy-nominated game show writer for his work on the Christian game show "The American Bible Challenge," which aired on the Game Show Network and can now be seen on Netflix...

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Catholic League's Bill Donohue is already using Anthony Bourdain's suicide to celebrate himself. (0:50) -- The Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was the worst of all possible worlds for conservative Christians, even though they won...