American Freethought Podcast

Original release September 15, 2016. Encore release December 23, 2018. Encore release September 15, 2017. John Snider (sans David Driscoll, sadly) presents another live show at DragonCon's Skeptrack in Atlanta. He's joined by Mandisa Thomas (founder and president of Black Nonbelievers) and Gina Colaianni (student activist and former president of Kennesaw State University's Secular Student Alliance) in discussing "Diversity in the Skeptic/Freethought Community." Many thanks to Derek Colanduno (organizer of the Skeptrack and co-host of the pioneering Skepticality podcast), as well as Mark Ditsler of Abrupt Media for providing stellar audiovisual services.

Original release August 30, 2016. Encore release December 22, 2018. Encore release September 14, 2017. We discuss a recent article by Donald Prothero in Skeptic magazine, in which he looks at the state of the Intelligent Design movement, ten years after its stinging defeat in Kitzmiller v. Dover. The overwhelming majority of scientists are against ID (and Creationism in general), and the courts have ruled that it's purely religious. They're not gone, but the IDiots are shifting their tactics. Can Intelligent Design make a comeback? Plus: An anti-gay preacher who gloated in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub massacre has been arrested on suspicion of molesting an underaged male. Islamophobia at home and abroad! Newton County, Georgia has issued a moratorium on ALL religious construction, now that a Muslim group from metro Atlanta wants to build a mosque there. And in France (where they're still reeling from devastating terrorist attacks) several townships are trying to ban the burkini (a modesty swimsuit f

Original release August 18, 2016. Encore release December 21, 2018. Encore release September 13, 2017. We interview Matthew O'Neil, author of After Life: Solving Science and Religion’s Great Disagreement. In his new book, he looks at what the Bible actually says about things like Heaven, Hell, the soul and Resurrection, and how it differs from modern, mainstream Christian ideas. He also delves into what science can tell us about an afterlife and about the process of death. We previously spoke with Matthew in episode #242 about his book What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn’t Say) about Sex. Plus: If you're coming to DragonCon, come see American Freethought live at the Skeptrack, Monday, September 5th at 11:30am. The topic will be "Diversity in the Freethought/Skeptic Community" and there will be special guests.

Original release July 29, 2016. Encore release December 20, 2018. Encore release September 12, 2017. We take a look–from a freethinking and skeptical viewpoint–at Democratic Platform 2016, as well as the political positions of Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton's pick as Vice Presidential running mate. Plus: The recent leak of emails from the Democratic National Committee shows that some staffers, at least, entertained the despicable notion of using presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' supposed atheism against him in an effort to aid rival Hillary Clinton among the "Southern Baptist peeps." Body Found--an alt-rock band active in St. Louis, Missouri in the early 1990's, whose song "To Be Dead" is this podcast's theme song--has a new album! Desert Ressurection is available August 1st via Amazon.com, iTunes, and all the usual places you can download music. Show your appreciation for their contribution to American Freethought!

Original release July 23, 2016. Encore release December 19, 2018. Encore release September 11, 2017. We take a look--from a freethinking and skeptical viewpoint--at Republican Platform 2016, as well as the political positions of Indiana Governor Mike Pence, Donald Trump's pick as Vice Presidential running mate. Plus: A new Pew poll shows evangelicals and so-called "nones" falling in line behind Trump and Clinton, respectively and unsurprisingly. The poll also shows a reasurring drop in the number of voters who say that it's important that the President have strong religious beliefs.  

Original release July 10, 2016. Encore release December 18, 2018. Encore release September 10, 2017. For the third presidential election cycle in a row, evangelical fundamentalist Christians have failed to nominate a Republican candidate that's a full-throated theocratic nut job (although they came close with Ted Cruz). And once again they're faced with the daunting task of keeping themselves relevant by throwing their weight behind the inevitable candidate, no matter how odious he may be. And so, we have people like Focus Crosshairs on the Family president James Dobson declaring, with no evidence, really, that Donald Trump (he of the bloviation and baby fingers) is now a "baby Christian" who was brought to Christ "recently." Trump himself has made laughable attempts to ingratiate himself to the fundamentalist vote, quoting "Two" Corinthians and saying his favorite Bible verse is "an eye for an eye"--the one Bible verse that Jesus explicitly refuted! Anyway, a road is being paved to give conservative Christia

Original release June 19, 2016. Encore release December 17, 2018. Encore release September 9, 2017. We interview Dr. Franklin T. Lambert, author of Separation of Church and State: Founding Principle of Religious Liberty. In this, his latest book, he corrects the claims of revisionist "historians" like David Barton that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, and that separation of church and state is a myth promulgated by a conspiracy of left-wing elitist academics. Dr. Lambert is professor of History at Purdue University, where he teaches courses on Colonial and Revolutionary American History and American Religious History. He is the author of eight books, including The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America and Religion in American Politics: A Short History. Plus: A brief discussion of the recent massacre of 49 people in Orland0, Florida by a self-proclaimed follower if ISIS. A brief discussion about the American Ethical Union (aeu.org), which has permanent congregations in sever

Original release June 4, 2016. Encore release December 16, 2018. Encore release September 8, 2017. David Driscoll offers his on-site observations from Reason Rally 2016, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. For more info on the event visit ReasonRally.com. 

Original release June 3, 2016. Encore release December 15, 2018. Encore release September 7, 2017. Whoo-hoo! It's our 250th episode! We'll celebrate by continuing to put out some more episodes. Meanwhile, we interview Mary Roach, whose latest book is Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War (available in hardcover, audiobook and for Kindle). Roach is the author of other insightful and humorous nonfiction titles like Stiff (an exploration of the ethical issues associated with the use of cadavers), Spook (at look at scientific evidence for the afterlife), Bonk (the study of human sexuality) and Gulp (eating and digestion). We last spoke to Mary waaay back in episode #99 about her book Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void. For more about Mary Roach and her work visit MaryRoach.net. Plus: Look for David Driscoll at the Reason Rally, June 4th at the Lincoln Memorial.

Original release May 25, 2016. Encore release December 14, 2018. Encore release September 6, 2017. We discuss Larry Alex Taunton's new book The Faith of Christopher Hitchens: The Restless Soul of the World's Most Notorious Atheist (available in hardcover, as an audiobook, or for Kindle). In this memoir, Taunton (a Birmingham, Alabama based minister and founder of the Fixed Point Foundation) recounts the friendship that developed between himself and Christopher Hitchens. Considerable controversy has arisen over Taunton's insinuation that Hitchens, while he had no deathbed conversion, may have re-evaluated religion (if not Christianity) during his final months.

Original release May 5, 2016. Encore release December 13, 2018. Encore release September 5, 2017. Recently retired Speaker of the House John Boehner told a Stanford University audience that  Texas Senator and presidential candidate Ted Cruz was "Lucifer in the flesh" and "the most miserable son of a bitch" he's ever worked with. Nobody's less happy about the comparison than actual Satanists, who don't think Lucifer is real to begin with, and who object to Cruz's incessant moralizing and desire for full-on Christian theocracy. (Of course, Cruz has since dropped out of the campaign, leaving the field wide open for walking id Donald Trump.) Alabama Supreme Court Justice Roy Moore continues his crusade to make life miserable for the LGBT community. He's sticking to his orders to state officials to ignore the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v Hodges, which ensures equal treatment for same-sex couples who want to get married. Moore held a press conference recently, saying that "atheists, homosexuals and transg

Original release April 20, 2016. Encore release December 12, 2018. Encore release September 4, 2017. More fallout in the aftermath of North Carolina's infamous law that prevents local governments from passing LGBT protections. Bruce Springsteen and former Beatle Ringo Starr are among the artists who have cancelled shows in the Tar Heel state. Meanwhile, Mississippi has passed HB 1523, the "Protecting Freedom of Conscience from Government Discrimination Act," which more or less allows anyone to discriminate against LGBT citizens as long as they cite sincerely held religious beliefs. This law is seen as so extreme that some other state governments (including New York and Washington) and even local governments have issued (largely symbolic) bans against traveling to Mississippi for government business.  Finally, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has vetoed a bill aimed at making the Bible the official state book, saying it trivializes the Bible (rather than giving the more obvious reason that the law is blatantly u

Original release April 2, 2016. Encore release December 11, 2018. Encore release September 3, 2017. So-called Religious Freedom Restoration Acts are meeting with mixed success at the state level. RFRAs are ostensibly about protecting religious freedom, but they're really just pandering to religious conservatives who want to discriminate against the hated gays (just like Jesus would have). In Georgia, under pressure from civil liberties organizations and business interests who warn the state could lose its lucrative movie-making industry, Governor Nathan Deal (a conservative Republican!) just wielded his veto power on a discriminatory bill, citing the lack of need for such a law and appealing to love and tolerance. Meanwhile, North Carolina just passed a law prohibiting local governments from protecting LGBT rights (this in response to a Charlotte city ordinance allowing transgendered people to use restrooms that correspond with their self-identity). Supporters are crowing about "common sense," but others are

Original release March 20, 2016. Encore release December 10, 2018. Encore release September 2, 2017. We are bemused and befuddled by the tendency of the pious to thank God for their good luck (especially when it comes to medical recoveries), but ignore the direct and obvious contributions of medical researcher, doctors, nurses, paramedics, etc. (And why is it that God occasionally cures cancer and other diseases, but never bothers to cure missing limbs and organs? Curiouser and curiouser.) Plus: The Roman Catholic Church has scheduled September 4th as the date when the late Mother Teresa will achieve sainthood. Nevermind that she seemingly valued the transcendence of suffering over the relieving of suffering, and hobnobbed with dictators. And nevermind that the "evidence" supporting her alleged miracles would be laughed out of a court of law. Apparently the gullibility of the faithful is enough to become a saint. Florida Senator Marco Rubio has dropped out of the presidential primary after getting trounced in

Original release March 1, 2016. Encore release December 9, 2018. Encore release September 1, 2017 We interview Dr. Bart D. Ehrman about his new book Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior. Dr. Ehrman looks at what research on memory--how it's formed, how it's recalled, how it can change when transmitted from person to person, and how it can be remolded based on historical perspective and current events--and what it can tell us about how the written accounts of Jesus' life were created. Jesus Before the Gospels is available in hardcover, audiobook and for Kindle. For more about Dr. Ehrman's work, visit bartdehrman.com. Plus: Here are some recent and upcoming books our listeners might find interesting: Scientology: A to Xenu by former Scientologist Chris Shelton. It's a detailed and critical analysis of every aspect of Scientology, focusing on its organization and the damaging actions it takes against its current and former members. Al

Original release February 17, 2016. Encore release December 8, 2018. Encore release August 31, 2017. Comedian and television talk show host Bill Maher gave "Dr." Sam Chachoua nearly ten minutes on a recent show to talk about his quack cure for AIDS that involves the milk from arthritic goats. "Dr. Sam" supposedly cured Charlie Sheen during a retreat in Mexico, and he claims to have eradicated AIDS/HIV completely from the island nation Comoros. None of which is true. Check out Dr. Harriet Hall's analysis at Skeptic.com. But this isn't the first time Maher has danced on the edge of madness. He told David Letterman that Western food and prescription medicine are killing Americans (some part of which is true, but not quite in the way Maher implies). On Larry King Live, he said that flu shots cause Alzheimer's. His opinions on vaccines are so disconnected from reality that conservative Republican Bill Frist (a medical doctor) tried without success to talk him off that ledge. Maher got a lot of blowback from the Fr

Original release February 1, 2016. Encore release December 7, 2018. Encore release August 30, 2017. We interview Matthew O'Neil about his new book What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn't Say) about Sex. Matthew is an activist, theologian, and teacher. He has his MA in theology from Saint Michael’s College with graduate certification in Mediation and Applied Conflict Studies, and he is a certified Humanist chaplain and celebrant through the American Humanist Association. He is also the author of the books Judas and You Say That I Am: Jesus and the Messianic Problem and writes for the Danthropology blog through the Patheos network. Plus: We get email. Chris in the UK urges us to cover more international news, and spiritual-but-not-religious Larry in the US laments that atheists are running roughshod over the rest of America, and wants to know whom he should sue.

Original release January 15, 2016. Encore release December 6, 2018. Encore release August 29, 2017. We look at three recent cases in which violent perpetrators of excuse their crimes by pointing to their victims atheism. Earlier this month, a woman in Louisville, Kentucky was arrested for savagely beating a disabled man with his own cane, reportedly because he denied believing on God. (Luckily the man survived.) Late last year, Phoenix, Arizona's Anitra Braxton (pictured) was arrested for shooting an acquaintance in the eye and keeping her corpse on the couch as a "shrine from God," all for "not believing in her God." Meanwhile, Texan Justin Green is serving a 30-year sentence for murdering a fellow veteran, burying him in a shallow grave, and using his credit cards to buy pizza. Family members--who helped Green hide the body--say that Green killed the man because he did not believe in God. Granted, in all these cases, there are plenty of other plausible reasons--greed, anger, mental illness--why these crimes

Original release December 31, 2015. Encore release December 5, 2018. Encore release August 28, 2017. The Reverend Franklin Graham (prominent Protestant fundamentalist and son of legendary evangelist Billy Graham) says he's quitting the Republican Party. Why? He says it's because Republicans aren't standing on principle. He cites as an example the Republican-dominated US Congress passing a massive spending bill that retains funding for the much-hated Planned Parenthood. In other words, Republicans compromised with the Democrats in order to keep the government running. Graham's exit may be part of a larger movement within the conservative movement: For years, Tea Partiers and their fellow travelers have been calling on their elected officials to toe the line, NOT to compromise in any way with the hated liberal-progressive-secularists when it comes to abortion, gay rights, etc. This rift (and the eternal desire to have "easy" solutions to problems that are always someone else's fault) in the GOP is what has craz

Original release December 15, 2015 Encore release December 4, 2018. Encore release August 27, 2017. Gun violence continues to be a problem in America, and conservatives continue to call for more prayer, more guns, and not much else. No one would deny the right of citizens to embrace prayer as a consolation in times of tragedy, but it's no substitute for substantive public discussion and legislative action to finally make mass-murder as rare in the US as it is in the rest of the developed world. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidates, including Marco Rubio, continue to promise that, if elected, they'll roll back LGBT protections and women's rights, and nominate like-minded Supreme Court justices. And while you can't get elected dogcatcher in America if you're an atheist, that's not stopping a handful of candidates around the country from running for office despite this "disability." Check out Cristin Padgett, who's an "out" atheist running for a seat in the Texas legislature. She's in a very red distric