Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Kent Hovind is advertising his new Creationist theme park using a meme mocking Creationists. (1:41)-- White evangelical Christian support for Donald Trump is at an all-time high. (7:37)-- The frighteningly conservative White House Bible st ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Why was David Silverman fired from American Atheists? Because of this. (1:05)-- Attendance at Catholic churches is going down. (33:16)-- Evangelical Christians can't save their "brand" from Donald Trump since it was a problem to begin with ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Whether atheists are indeed "veering dangerously" toward the alt-right. (0:15)-- Why Creationist Ken Ham has a lot of job openings, but no takers. (30:20)-- Some incredibly manipulative faith-based backstabbing in Victoria, Australia. (34: ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Gwyneth Paltrow's pseudoscience repository Goop is now worth a quarter-billion dollars because America is an embarrassment. (0:50)-- One of the most liberal federal judges in the nation has died. He was so liberal, he agreed "Under God" in ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- The Johnson Amendment is (temporarily) safe again! (0:41)-- The Navy has rejected the application of a Humanist chaplain after pushback from Republicans. (6:08)-- The new director of the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of He ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- The people who think Stephen Hawking is burning in Hell. (0:18)-- PA Republican House candidate Rick Saccone claimed his critics "have a hatred for God." Nope. He's confusing God with Donald Trump. (13:55)-- Trump supporters who continue t ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Kentucky County Clerk Kim Davis wrote a memoir. I read it. I hate myself. (1:02)-- A gay escort was right to expose dozens of Catholic priests who were clients. (17:53)-- Mississippi now bans abortion after 15 weeks. (26:30)-- The dominoes ...…

Welcome to the first episode of the Friendly Atheist Bonus Listeners Entertainment Show (or FABLES).We're releasing this one on the public feed; all future episodes will only go to Patreon subscribers.For this debut episode, Jess sits down with her bestie from college and they discuss Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. Along the way they also discuss ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- -- Tennessee's Lt. Gov. is telling voters to reject an atheist candidate because she's "dangerous." (1:07)-- Even country music stars want nothing to do with Mike Huckabee. (10:40)-- Rep. Blake Farenthold hasn't paid an $84,000 harassment ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Lawrence Krauss faces sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women. (1:00)-- The death of Billy Graham and his sad legacy. (20:54)-- GMOs are good for you, says a new study. (28:47)-- The phrase "In God We Trust" will not stop bullet ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Republicans should just admit their prayers to stop school shootings aren't helping. (1:09)-- A pastor was found with a naked, tied-up man in his car. He swears “on a stack of bibles” that nothing happened. (11:45)-- This racist cartoonist ...…

Sarah Levin is the Director of Grassroots and Community Programs at the Secular Coalition for America. She has served in various roles at the Secular Coalition since 2013, including as the organization's chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill and as the State Chapter Coordinator, managing and growing the organization’s state chapter program and impleme ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Eric Trump is mad Democrats didn't stand up for God during the State of the Union. An atheist lawyer schooled him on why that happened. (0:32)-- Wait for it. Donald Trump says he's not a feminist. (8:15)-- Canada's Prime Minister Justin Tr ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- A GOP House member got called out on CNN for not knowing what the “Immaculate Conception” was. (4:14)-- The Christian Right is giving Donald Trump a "mulligan" on everything immoral he did before his presidency. (9:44)-- Generation Z, born ...…

Jessica and I celebrated our 200th episode... and discussed the past week in politics and atheism.-- Your letters, questions, and emails! (2:38)-- Hawaii's false alarm and the lack of atheist conversions. (45:05)-- Rick Saccone, a GOP House candidate in PA for an upcoming special election, doesn't care about church/state separation. (48:40)-- T ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- All the action in local governments: A secular affirmation, the end of one city's invocations, how one politician compared atheist invocations to baby murder, a delightful atheist invocation in Florida, and two officials in California who ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- A Mississippi legislator wants to make the Bible the official state book. For the third time. (1:38)-- The head of the Mormon Church, Thomas S. Monson, is dead. What should he be remembered for? (7:21)-- South Carolina Republicans wanted t ...…

On this podcast, Jessica and I discussed the past year in news! We covered a whole variety of topics, going month by month, so feel free to jump around and listen in at any point!

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Did the CDC really ban words like "science-based" and "transgender"? (1:21)-- An Oregon atheist threatened to sue over a religious street banner, but he has no case. (5:42)-- An Australian politician plans to defend Christianity against mo ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Doug Jones won the Senate race in Alabama! That means Roy Moore can ride Sassy horribly into the sunset. (1:47)-- Roy Moore's spokesman doesn't understand we're not a theocracy. (11:30)-- Kentucky pastor and State Rep. Dan Johnson killed h ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- The Supreme Court heard the case of an anti-gay Christian baker. (1:13)-- Roy Moore only has one issue on his platform: Abortion. Should Democrats have run an anti-abortion candidate? (10:40)-- Pat Robertson told a woman collecting unemplo ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- Donald Trump screwed up Christianity 101 at the White House Christmas Tree Lighting. (1:17)-- Will anything prevent evangelical Christians from voting for Roy Moore in next week's special election to the Senate? (7:36)-- In a tragic story, ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.(We had an echo during the recording. Sorry! We'll fix it next time.)-- A Scottish shop owner got pushback for keeping her store open on Sundays. (1:16)-- A New Zealand megachurch will lose its tax exempt status after failing to file tax retu ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.-- How should we be reacting to the news that Sen. Al Franken once groped and kissed a model without her consent? (0:42)-- Roy Moore's defenders are not making him look good. (18:17)-- An Australian lawyer will help a Christian couple get div ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Texas shooter was allegedly an atheist. Is it true? What would that even mean in this situation? (0:49)-- Roy Moore, the family values Christian and Senate candidate, allegedly molested a 14-year-old girl several decades ago. (14:41)- ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Some critics are angry that Canada's Governor General Julie Payette mocked pseudoscience. (1:05)-- Pat Robertson tried comforting a grieving mother by trashing atheists. (13:00)-- The GOP's tax plan would let pastors endorse candidates fr ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert and the Ten Commandments monument going up (again) in Arkansas. (0:30)-- Alberta Catholic schools want to teach an alternative sex ed curriculum. (13:25)-- The dad from Duck Dynasty is spreading the lie ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The new Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, is an ex-Mormon who describes herself as Agnostic. (1:41)-- There's a push for Christian churches to clarify where they stand on issues involving LGBTQ rights. (8:18)-- An ad campaign ...…

81% of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump last year, despite his bragging about sexual assault, despite his multiple marriages, despite his wealth and complete lack of concern for the poor, despite his flip-flopping on matters of abortion and saying women who had them needed to be punished, despite the lies and racism and bigotry. It ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Your thoughts and prayers after the shooting in Las Vegas aren't helping. (1:06)-- The folks at Fox and Friends think the shooter just “didn’t believe in God.” (14:31)-- The worst response to the shooting came from a Mormon who blamed the ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Conservative Matt Walsh criticized a male actor subbing in for a sick actress as promoting a transgender agenda. (1:39)-- Kyrsten Sinema, an Arizona Democrat who is religiously unaffiliated, will run for Senate in 2018. (10:20)-- Christia ...…

In a bonus episode of the podcast, I spoke with Camille Beredjick about her new book Queer Disbelief (which I helped edit).We spoke about why atheists should be on the front lines of LGBTQ activism, what aspect of the book was most difficult to write, and how she celebrated the completion of her first book.Please support the project at Kickstarter!…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Hemant and fellow writer Camille Beredjick have been working on a new book about the intersection of LGBTQ rights and atheism. (0:09)-- BYU is finally selling caffeinated soda on campus. This is the most exciting thing EVER, said Mormons. ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- An Australian minister refused to perform a straight wedding because the couple supported marriage equality. (0:58)-- Evangelical Christians suddenly don't care about a president's private morality. I wonder what changed their minds... (8 ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics.-- Here's how atheists are helping people in Houston after Hurricane Harvey. (0:38)-- An Illinois library board member was voted out of his seat after his anti-gay comments. (7:55)-- Should atheist groups speak out against Donald Trump’s DAC ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics.-- Why Pastor Joel Osteen didn't open his Houston megachurch for people needing shelter during Hurricane Harvey until after he was publicly shamed over it. (0:37)-- The Nashville Statement, an anti-LGBTQ manifesto written by conservative Chr ...…

Amber Cantorna was a home-schooled child raised in a conservative Christian family. But her father wasn't merely a believer. He's spent 30 years as an executive at Focus on the Family, the ministry founded by James Dobson and known as one of the most anti-LGBTQ groups out there.All of that became a problem when Amber came out as gay, a pivotal ...…

Jessica and her brother Kevin sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (Hemant was out once again dealing with a newborn.)- Kentuckians for Coal are boycotting the eclipse.- A Melbourne archbishop says he'd rather go to jail than report child abuse told to him during confessional. - Donald Trump ...…

Jessica and Anne Bouleanu sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. (Hemant was away this weekend.)-- Are serial killers more likely to be atheists?-- An evangelical advisor says Donald Trump has God's authority to take out Kim Jong-un.-- A waitress was stiffed on her tip because of her rainbow e ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics.-- BYU-Idaho asked a student why she dropped out... so she told them the truth. (0:42)-- The Mayor of Knoxville (TN) finally admitted a Bible sign hanging in the police department was illegal. (5:30)-- The White House Bible Study is bad enou ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics.-- Donald Trump said "We Worship God." All of us. (02:21)-- Trump's ban on transgender troops. (06:21)-- The Colorado atheist who gave his invocation slot to a Satanist. (12:04)-- Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback will become a “Religious Freedom” a ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. -- Ark Encounter lost a tax rebate worth up to $18 million to avoid a 50-cent-per-ticket safety fee. -- Creationists are mocking Flat Earthers for taking the Bible too literally. Really.-- The "inspirational" Mormon story that is anything b ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- The "Activist Mommy" who can't handle an article in Teen Vogue.-- An Appeals Court decision saying Christian prayers led by elected officials is unconstitutional.-- Eugene Peterson, the Bible scholar who inched toward suppo ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- Hobby Lobby's owners smuggling black market Iraqi artifacts that may have helped ISIS.-- The Pakistani pizza shop owner who made sure his robot waitress wasn't offending customers.-- The Muslim woman who thinks ex-Muslims a ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- Cardinal George Pell just became the highest-ranking Vatican official charged with sex abuse.-- Sarah Huckabee Sanders' irrational godly defense of Donald Trump's misogyny.-- The Christian who vandalized the new Ten Command ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- The Christian terrorist threatening atheists over a statue in Tennessee.-- The Christians harassing the atheist attorney who won a lawsuit in Florida.-- GuideStar's decision to highlight "hate" groups using the Southern Pov ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- The rise of the Religious Left.-- Ken Ham is now blaming atheists for the failures of Ark Encounter and the local economy.-- Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader in the UK who resigned saying he couldn't reconcile his Pa ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. But because the audio crashed after we recorded (oh, computers...), I recorded this brief episode to bring up two important events from the week. They included:-- Sen. Bernie Sanders' misguided questioning of an evangelical nominee to a maj ...…

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included:-- Donald Trump's irresponsible decision to back out of the Paris climate agreement, and the conservatives who don't care because of Jesus.-- Trump's decision to allow religious employers, then all employers, to block birth co ...…

If you've followed the articles, movies, and TV shows about the Church of Scientology recently, you're probably familiar with the name David Miscavige, the man who runs the Church. His father is Ron Miscavige, and he joined the church in 1970. David was 10 at the time. It wasn't until 2012 that Ron escaped. Since then, he's worked hard to undo ...…