Freedomfromreligion Podcasts

Americans are losing confidence in God’s existence; Tulsa massacre anniversary; exoneration of ‘witches'; Uganda’s anti-gay law; state/church complaints in Arkansas and Michigan. We hear Roy Zimmerman's hilarious "Wedding of Church and State" song and Shelley Segal's moving "Apocalyptic Love Song." Then 11-yr-old Elle Harris describes her book Elle…

The good, the bad, and the ugly: Texas Ten Commandments bill fails; anti-abortion laws proliferate; Illinois reports widespread clergy sex abuse; proselytizing school bus driver; legislative prayer; graduations in churches. After we hear Dan Barker's song "The Freethinker Blues," FFRF's Director of Communications Amit Pal joins us to interview Prof…

We talk about abortion, book banning and the X-rated bible. We also talk with "God." After hearing the song "The Trinity" (words by Robert Ingersoll), we speak with investigative journalist Christine Kenneally about her chilling new book Ghosts of the Orphanage: A Story of Mysterious Deaths, a Conspiracy of Silence, and a Search for Justice.…

We talk about religion and abortion rights, the IRS and church electioneering, the Texas Ten Commandments bill and clergy sexual abuse. After Annie Laurie describes the bible's role in asking rape victims "Why didn't you scream?", FFRF contributing author Barbara Alvarez tells us about her new book (published by the American Library Association): T…

Re-release After sharing his story intially, Kenny needed space and time to work on healing and therapy. The initial recording of his story was taken down at his request, and he opted to rerecord it when it would be healing for him. Kenny is a documentary film maker and activist for social change. His most recent film, Healing US, is set to release…

We celebrate the National Day of Reason, recommend the new movie "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" based on Judy Blume's banned book, and advocate for meaningful court reform. Then we speak with distinguished Bible scholar and bestselling author Bart D. Ehrman about his new book, Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says About the End.…

We announce plans to sue the state of Texas over their new Ten Commandments edict, and we celebrate the upcoming National Day of Reason on May 4. After hearing Sammy Davis Jr. sing "It Ain't Necessarily So" (written by George and Ira Gershwin), we speak with Evan Clark, Executive Director of Atheists United, about the "Atheist Street Pirate" campai…

In the news: religious privilege in Minnesota, predator priests, ancient "Comstock law" revived, Latinos losing religion, and Walter Reed military hospital's phony "crisis." After hearing the wistful Richard Rodgers song "Spring is Here," we talk with Michelle Dowd, author of the new memoir Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult.…

Myndee shares her story of the decades-long trauma she suffered after giving up her baby for adoption through LDS Family Services. Her story includes themes of abuse, religious trauma, adoption trauma, and deception. Join us for an in-depth discussion into Myndee’s healing journey. A wife and mother of three daughters, Myndee also enjoys raising Ro…

We discuss some troubling state/church news (and a few victories) in New Jersey, California, Texas, Indiana, Arkansas, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Oklahoma. FFRF attorney Liz Cavell describes the Groff v. DeJoy case before the Supreme Court that will likely extend religious privilege in the workplace. Then we hear a voice from the …

Stacey Brown is an intuitive healer, certified reiki practitioner, podcast host, author, and spiritual mentor & coach. Her recently published book is titled, "Journey to Soul: Discovering the Gift of Surrender." Her story includes an upbringing in Mormonism and how an incredibly traumatic event caused her to reevaluate everything she knew and which…

We announce the "Theocrat" & "Secularist" of the Week, play Bill Maher's very funny "Atheists Day" monologue, then interview University of San Francisco Professor and Middle East expert Stephen Zunes about the theocratic threats in Israel and what's at stake.

After Taylor Sundberg (30) was sexually assaulted as a teen, she turned to her bishop for help. Instead of finding help or resources, she faced church discipline and was blackmailed into silence. She shares her journey from the assault, the aftermath, and the realization she’d been blackmailed, to the unraveling of a toxic and dangerous belief syst…

After reporting international and U.S. state/church news, we talk with Kentucky activist Linda Allewalt, whose op-ed opposing a new state law that encourages public school teachers to promote religion was printed in the Lexington paper. Then we hear Val Benavidez, executive director of the Texas Freedom Network, tell us how her group is "messing wi…

FFRF's "Equal Justice Works Fellow" Kat Grant describes the letter they wrote to the president of West Texas A&M University protesting his cancellation, for religious reasons, of a student-hosted drag show. Then we speak with former minister and religion scholar Bradley Onishi about his new book Preparing For War: The Extremist History of White Chr…

Ashley discovered clairaudient abilities when an ancestor came through with a message. The message he shared led her out of the church and helped her reclaim her life, her soul, and her health. The healing she has experienced has been so profound that she felt called to write a book. Ashley is an author, life coach, and budding medium. She feels pa…

Local and federal state/church victories and complaints; Walgreens and abortion; new rules for faith-based providers. FFRF attorney Chris Line describes the controversy over University of Colorado coach Deion Sanders praying with students. Then we talk with neurologist and financial theorist William J. Bernstein about his book The Delusions of Crow…

We applaud President Biden’s repeal of religious discrimination. FFRF joins in an abortion appeal to the United Nations, and appreciates a State Department reward for Avijit Roy’s killers. Vashti McCollum’s heroic lawsuit is honored and Gov. Greg Abbott’s idea of education is exposed as indoctrination. FFRF attorney Sam Grover explains our brief ch…

You-Tuber Payton Haws shares her harrowing story of repeated sexual abuse as well as her recent faith crisis journey. She is raw and honest in her story in hopes that it will help other survivors know that they are not alone. One thing that isn’t talked about enough is the fact that in many cases when someone is victimized, they are more likely to …

Deep thoughts - This is a departure from our normal format. Get a glimpse into the deep thought conversations hosts Kindra and Christina routinely engage in. They start out discussing ritual abuse, spiral down rabbit holes about many other topics and ultimately bring it back around. Don’t miss this conversation filled with squirrels, twists, and tu…

Our guest this week is Dr. Christine Henneberg, author of the book Boundless: An Abortion Doctor Becomes a Mother. FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence describes some first-amendment legal victories she was involved in, and describes the problems nonreligious seniors have while living in religious nursing homes. After reporting state/church news around…

After reporting state/church news in Ohio, North Carolina and Florida, we talk about the tragic religious persecution in Pakistan and Afghanistan. FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne discusses the more than 1,000 state-level religiously based bills introduced in 2023 that we are monitoring and reports a "Health Care Sharing Ministry" victory in M…

Saige is an exmormon up-and-coming queer writer and director. Her current project is a short film called Girls Camp in which a young girl must make a choice between going against her community and identity she's always known or being her authentic self. Saige's goal is to connect to the nuances of the human experience through a mixture of comedy an…

Amy Hagstrom Miller, with Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, tells us about the devastation to abortion access wrought by the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. We hear jazz singer Tahira Clayton perform freethinking composer Jerome Kern's song "I'm Old Fashioned," and we cover many local, national and international stories about religion and government.…

Sarah shares her emotional story of stepping away from high demand religion through poetry and prose which she has compiled into her book "STRAY, A Journey In, Through, And Out Of Faith." She used poetry to process through grief, loss, doubt, self-healing, self-worth, inspiration and motivation through the lense of spirituality. Her journey, much l…