Friendly Atheist Podcast

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 enough, but the instructor is worse. (13:42) -- Donald Trump's Religious Right lawyer can't stop lying for him. (17:56) -- An NFL player thinks dinosaurs aren't real and fossils are fake. (23:23) -- The Activist Mommy has a lot of advice on how to beat your children properly. (26:33) -- Bastyr University, a naturopathic school, says a former student is defaming them online. She says she's just sharing what she learned there. (37:24) -- Atheists are asking the Supreme Court to rule on prayers at school board meetings. (52:11) -- Rod Dreher is frustrated by Christians who support Trump, but he's part of the problem. (59:50) -- Ark Encounter has a new silly excuse for why attendance is low. (1:06:17)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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" ambassador... for some reason. (17:45) -- The Boy Scouts' pathetic apology for Trump's speech. (26:51) -- Ark Encounter will finally pay the Williamstown safety fee. (36:34) -- The anti-abortion crowd's interest in reverse abortions. (40:04) -- Don't get suckered in by a Catholic church's seemingly pro-LGBT comments. (47:00) -- England's NHS will ban prescriptions for homeopathic remedies. (54:34) -- A Pakistani village's "reverse" rape. (103:30)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 but uplifting. -- The MN town that shut down a "free speech zone" to prevent Satanists from using it. -- How Wisconsin is considering a bill that would make it harder to train OB/GYNs. -- The BYU-Idaho professor who lost her job for supporting LGBT equality. -- The Boy Scouts may allow girls before they allow atheist boys. -- The African-American pastor who renounced his ordination with the Southern Baptist Convention.-- The Muslim Democrat running for Senate who received a surprising message from her Republican opponent. -- Richard Dawkins getting de-platformed by a radio station in Berkeley, CA. -- Doctor Who isn't a man. And other things Hemant doesn't understand. (1:26:48)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 support of marriage equality, then ran back to the other side. -- Pat Robertson's useless interview with Donald Trump. -- The "gay Muslim" marriage that's more heartbreaking than inspiring. -- Why Republicans dislike higher education. -- The worst possible explanation for why God allows suffering. -- The growth of the Flat Earth movement. -- How Jesus apparently needs gluten to transubstantiate.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 are just trying to cash in on apostasy. -- The sad rise of female genital mutilation cases in England. -- How some Hindus believe the Ganges River can't be polluted because it's divine. -- Ken Ham is still blaming others for the economic failures of Ark Encounter. -- The demise of Utah's irrational "Zion Curtains" law. -- An excellent episode of the Sawbones podcast dealing with vaccines. -- Amelia Earhart's apparent resurrection.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Commandments monument outside the Arkansas Capitol building. -- Judge Sonia Sotomayor's eloquent dissent in the Trinity Lutheran case. -- How the Christian harassing an atheist lawyer defended himself by saying he's "man enough" to stand behind his hateful words. -- Whether hooking up really happens less often on Catholic campuses and what that really means. -- How the people buying products from Infowars and Goop are all irrational. -- The House Republicans' plan to use a budget bill to repeal the Johnson Amendment. -- How Canadians would rather see an atheist Prime Minister than an Evangelical one. -- There are no longer any openly atheist elected officials in the Republican Party. -- Upcoming talks, including one outside Ark Encounter.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Poverty Law Center's database. -- The woman who won a lawsuit against an Israeli airline because she didn't want to switch seats for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men. -- How the Catholic Church is forcing more people to suffer in Canadian hospitals. -- Why "Breatharians" aren't real.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 Party's platform with his evangelical faith. -- The Virginia church that wants you to pray for the resurrection of a man who died earlier this week. -- The pantyliner invented by a man who clearly doesn't understand female anatomy. -- Walgreen's absurd policy regarding pharmacists who don't want to do their jobs. -- Joshua Feuerstein's crusade against McDonald's rainbow-colored fry boxes. -- Can God love you if you're a woman with short hair?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 major government position. -- A New York high school that accommodated Muslim students who wanted to pray during Ramadan. Did administrators go too far or were they making the right decision?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 control coverage for their employees. -- The evangelical women who use Planned Parenthood. -- The Keepers on Netflix. Watch it. -- Australian tennis star Margaret Court's anti-gay Christian bigotry, and whether the Margaret Court Arena should change its name. -- How Brio, a magazine for Christian girls, wants them to cover up so they don't tempt boys. -- The all-women screening of Wonder Woman and the people who get all worked up about it.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 some of the damage caused by the Church, including their policy of basically shunning those outside of it. His book, now out in paperback, is called Ruthless: Scientology, My Son David Miscavige, and Me. I spoke with Ron about whether his son knows that the Church's beliefs aren't real, why Scientology is so appealing to some people, and how he managed to break out of the bubble. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: -- The high school student punished by her Christian school for not having an abortion. -- How Ark Encounter has been bad for the local economy in Kentucky.-- The Manchester mayor calling the suicide bomber a terrorist who isn't a Muslim. -- Greg Gianforte, the violent Creationist who will represent Montana in the U.S. House. -- How Joel Osteen unintentionally summoned the Devil in the minds of his fans. -- Betsy DeVos' inability to say no to discrimination when it comes to taxpayer dollars funding schools. -- How Jesus isn't going to fix the offshore tax haven loopholes in the law. -- The Arizona Democratic Party's brand new Secular Caucus.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Maggie Rowe grew up as an evangelical Christian in the suburbs of Chicago. And for reasons we'll get into, when she was 19, she landed in a Christian mental health center where she spent three months. While parts of that experience were disturbing, some of it actually helped her eventually walk away from Christianity. She's now a comedy writer who has worked on the show Arrested Development and currently works on Netflix's Flaked. Her book is called Sin Bravely: A Memoir of Spiritual Disobedience. I spoke with her about the "spiritual terrorism" of teaching kids about Hell, what someone with a Christian upbringing notices in a comedy writers' room, and how long it took to finally overcome her faith-based guilt. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: - The resignation of the atheist State Rep. from New Hampshire who created Reddit's "Red Pill" forum. - The Virginia atheist who painted an "offensive" Bible verse on his truck. - Why you should be skeptical anytime you hear about an African pastor who drowns while trying to walk on water. - The Christian mother who treated her gay son as if he were dead. - How a video of a baby crying out for Jesus isn't "adorable." - The juror who was dismissed from a corruption trial after saying God told her the suspect wasn't guilty. - Why a photo doesn't show that God was taking accident victims to Heaven.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: - Comedian Stephen Fry's blasphemy ordeal and what it says about blasphemy laws. - The Missouri Republican who thinks there's a difference between being gay and just being human. - Whether circumcision should be banned? - If banning a method for animal slaughter is religious discrimination. - The absurd lawsuit claiming discrimination against a Creationist "researcher." - What religious people would like to learn from atheists.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: - What was the point of the Johnson Amendment executive order? (And why did Trump lie about the military ban on Bibles?) - What was Trump's reaction after the Access Hollywood tape? - Why did Franklin Graham blame Kate Middleton for an invasion of her privacy? - Is it okay to say an emotional congresswoman is in "hysterics"? - Why aren't Millennials religious? - Do the Girl Scouts support abortions? - Should a Christian school force faculty members to oppose gay marriage? - Why did Alabama's governor sign legislation allowing religious adoption agencies to discriminate against gay couples? And an update on the Athena Salman invocation!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religious and politics. They included: - The atheist politician who created a "men's rights" subreddit - Is the star of The Handmaid's Tale avoiding the word "feminist" because she's a Scientologist? - Did a Christian homeless shelter actually make a wise strategic decision when it rejected money from a gay chorus to appease other donors? - If a Christian university imposes severe restrictions on the type of material students are exposed to, what are they actually learning? - Why would a woman want to be harassed by someone like Bill O'Reilly? - Why would the mayor of San Antonio say godlessness was the root cause of generational poverty? - Why was the IRS visiting Benny Hinn's ministries?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

- Why did Arizona Republicans oppose an atheist invocation delivered by State Rep. Athena Salman? - Is it ethical to tell a dying man that Donald Trump was impeached? - Would you vote for a Democrat who once ran a psychic network? - When your child narrowly averts tragedy, is it reasonable for religious parents to thank God? - Is Christianity a religion or something else? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

- Should you protest a Chick-fil-A on campus? - What effect will Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch have on a major church/state separation case? - Should a church be allowed to have a police force? - Why isn't the media talking about how the San Bernardino shooter was an outspoken Christian? - What do you have to believe in to be a True Christian? - Why do we still have blue laws? - Do atheists need to have more babies? - Is the Bible Bee like the Spelling Bee? - How will Republicans sneak the Johnson Amendment repeal through? - Can reality TV shows like Survivor and The Bachelor offer a benefit to society? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Susan Gerbic is a photographer and skeptical activist from California. She contributes to the Skepticality podcast and Skeptical Inquirer magazine. In addition to co-founding the Monterey County Skeptics, she leads a group called Guerrilla Skepticism on Wikipedia. We've spoken before about her group, but we spoke this time about how to spread our ideas beyond our bubble, how to support other atheist activists, and why updating Wikipedia is so vital. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why does Vice President Mike Pence have to eat alone? Why can't ultra-Orthodox Jews handle looking at a picture of Smurfette? Who fears death more: Atheists or the devoutly religious? We discuss all these stories and more in this episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anne Bouleanu is a freelance journalist from Chicago. She has worked in digital media and television covering a range of topics including U.S. politics, women's rights, conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa, political tensions in South America, and police brutality and race relations in the United States. She covered the primaries during the 2016 U.S. presidential race, focusing on policy issues and increasing divisions among the American electorate. During her time at Al Jazeera America, Anne produced breaking news segments as well as packages on underreported global issues. Prior to this, Anne worked at Bloomberg TV focusing on global and domestic financial news. Jessica spoke with Anne about her experience in South America over the summer, their experiences as women in a largely male workplace, and what the media will look like under Donald Trump. (Full disclosure: They've been friends and coworkers for years... in case that's not abundantly clear!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Bart Campolo is the Humanist Chaplain at the Univ. of Southern California, the host of a fantastic podcast called "Humanize Me," and the author of a new book written with his evangelical father Tony Campolo called Why I Left, Why I Stayed. Bart, if you haven't figured it out already, is the one who left Christianity. The book is all about that conflict, and their love for each other, and how they can both advocate for beliefs that are in direct competition with each other without losing their own bond. I spoke with Bart about how his parents were devastated by his apparent apostasy, what atheists don't get about Christians, and why hot dogs aren't the key to a happier life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Louis Theroux's new film, My Scientology Movie, the Church of Scientology doesn't give him access to the key leaders or buildings themselves... That sounds like quite the obstacle for a documentarian, so Theroux does the next best thing: He hires actors to recreate well-documented scenes in Scientology's history. All the while, the actual Church seems to be keeping tabs on him. Theroux has worked with Michael Moore, and his projects have often focused on interesting subcultures -- everything from the KKK to Westboro Baptist Church. I spoke with him about Scientology's version of "turn the other cheek," the harassment that one key defector of the Church still has to put up with, and what one thing could hurt the Church the most. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Richard Hatch is the winner of the first season of Survivor, where he basically created the whole concept of an alliance. He also competed on the 8th season of the show (Survivor: All-Stars) in 2004. In 2011, he was on Celebrity Apprentice, and last year, he appeared on The Biggest Loser: Temptation Nation. Along the way, he spent time in jail over unpaid taxes, though he maintains his innocence in the matter. We spoke about whether he'll be returning to the show he helped popularize, his journey out of religion, and whether there's anything redeeming about Donald Trump. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jessica and I sat down to talk about some of the biggest stories from the week involving religious and politics. They included: - A Danish man charged with blasphemy. - Death threats to a mother who fought to take down a Ten Commandments monument outside her daughter's public school. - The Broken Windows Theory of Church/State Separation - How Christians still feel persecuted despite having all the power. - The Pope's backhanded compliment to atheists - What happens when a fake psychic pretends to be a real psychic (who's not really psychic). - Communion: Is it really haunted bread? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alex J. O'Connor is a YouTuber who makes videos on the Cosmic Skeptic channel. He also runs a blog of the same name. I've really enjoyed his work in the few months since he began posting content and this was my first opportunity to talk to him. We spoke about advice he would offer aspiring YouTubers, why anyone interested in becoming the next Richard Dawkins should start now, and whether there's a difference between atheists who were influenced by the New Atheism books versus those influenced by YouTube (and if one is better than the other). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Daniel Dennett is a philosopher, professor at Tufts University, and author of several books including Breaking the Spell and Darwin's Dangerous Idea. His research also led to the formation of The Clergy Project, an online forum for closeted religious leaders who no longer believe in God. His latest book is called From Bacteria to Bach and Back, and it's all about how our minds evolved. I spoke with him about why our minds are like a loaded iPhone, what we would do if the internet broke, and his new art exhibit. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Moline is President of Interfaith Alliance. In his long career, he's become a powerful voice fighting for religious freedom for all Americans, regardless of their faith or belief system. As a rabbi, he has worked to create common ground between people of diverse religious and secular backgrounds. He's advocated for a number of issues, including services for this disabled, affordable housing, marriage equality, pay equity and civil rights. Rabbi Moline has authored two books and offered commentary on a number of news programs. I spoke with him about whether Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch could be a surprise on church/state issues, why Trump's proposed repeal of the Johnson Amendment would be a disaster in more ways than you might think, and what role atheists play in the interfaith movement. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In our latest podcast, Jessica and I discussed the first week of the Donald Trump presidency. We spoke about the Women's March (and whether they were right to push aside anti-abortion groups), whether religious pandering still matters in politics, and what Trump did in his first week in office. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Maggie Garrett is the Legislative Director for Americans United for Separation of Church and State. She leads the National Coalition for Public Education (NCPE), which opposes school voucher legislation, and is the chair of the Coalition Against Religious Discrimination (CARD), the national coalition fighting to repeal the Bush Faith-Based Initiative. On the day of Donald Trump's inauguration, we spoke about the church/state issues affecting his Cabinet nominees, what a future Supreme Court might look like, and whether a right-wing government is good for groups like Americans United. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rebecca Hensler is the founder of Grief Beyond Belief, a Facebook group devoted to faith-free grief support for those who have just lost a loved one. We spoke about how honesty about death can be comforting for atheists, what she would say to religious people who want to help atheists grieve but say the wrong things, and her go-to resources for secular people coping with loss. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Galen Broaddus is a writer, web developer, and occasional secular activist currently living in the flatlands of central Illinois. He just won a lawsuit that will allow Secular Celebrants to solemnize weddings in the state. I spoke with Galen about why this lawsuit was necessary, what services he provides families as a Celebrant, and why some atheists wish he never took on this battle at all. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We (Hemant and Jessica) sat down to answer several of the questions atheists told us they had trouble answering. They included: Should you be vocal about your atheism in the South? Is it okay to have your child baptized to please your parents? And could you ever date someone who was religious? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This past week saw the launch of a website called MormonLeaks (formerly Mormon Wikileaks), a "safe, secure, and anonymous way to submit documents, videos, or any other information regarding the Church." The site was created by Ryan McKnight, a former Mormon. I spoke with Ryan about why he left the Mormon Church, why he hopes to achieve by exposing the Church's secrets, and what the ultimate secret would be. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Monica Long Ross and Amy Ellison are two of the producers at 137 Films, a non-profit production company based in Chicago that promotes science through storytelling. (The other producer, Clayton Brown, couldn't join us for the interview.) In 2008, they released the film The Atom Smashers, all about physicists at Fermilab working to find the Higgs boson. In 2013, they put out The Believers, all about the two scientists who wrongly claimed to have discovered "cold fusion" in 1989. Their next project, currently in post-production, is called We Believe in Dinosaurs, all about Noah's Ark, Creationism, and America's troubled relationship with science. I spoke with them about Ken Ham's reaction to their project, whether Ark Encounter has led to an economic boom in the community it's in, and why the word "Believe" is in the title of the film. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We (Hemant and Jessica) sat down to discuss all the big stories from 2016. By which we mean whatever stories we could cram into two hours. Those topics included atheism, our future traveling roadshow, and Donald Trump. Fair warning: There was a box of wine between us during the taping of this podcast. See if you can guess when the Merlot kicks in. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Barbara Mancini is an ER nurse from Pennsylvania. In 2013, she was arrested and prosecuted on charges of trying to help her terminally ill 93-year-old father take his own life. She is now an advocate for medical aid in dying. We spoke with Barbara about her heartbreaking personal story, the connection between assisted suicide and abortion rights, and her correspondence with Brittany Maynard. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ali A. Rizvi is a Pakistani-Canadian writer, physician, and musician who resides in Toronto. He's the author of a new book called The Atheist Muslim: A Journey from Religion to Reason. Ali lived in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, as part of a progressive Muslim family, before he moved permanently to Canada in his twenties. He is a trained physician and a vocal advocate for secularism, science, and reform, particularly in the Muslim community. We spoke about whether someone can be culturally Muslim, whether there's something uniquely problematic with the doctrine of Islam, and what people like Reza Aslan get wrong about the faith. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Steven Tomlins is a researcher and graduate of the University of Ottawa who has just co-edited a new academic book called The Atheist Bus Campaign: Global Manifestations and Responses. It looks at the various atheist advertising campaigns -- billboards, bus ads, and the like -- all over the world. We spoke about how this idea went viral, which kinds of ads are more successful, and whether the media coverage matters more than the messages themselves. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Levin is the Senior Legislative Representative for the Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying group in Washington, D.C. representing non-religious people on Capitol Hill. She graduated from American University with a degree in International Studies, focusing on the Middle East and Israeli domestic politics. Following Tuesday's elections, we spoke about what church/state separation advocates should be worried about over the next few years, the positive developments (and there were some!) from Election Day, and what atheists need to do to become more of a political force in the future. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brendon Marotta is an award-winning filmmaker based out of Austin, Texas. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Film School, to work as a professional film editor. His first feature-length documentary as director is called American Circumcision. (You'll never guess what it's about.) We spoke about why male circumcision is problematic, the dubious health benefits of getting circumcized, and whether there's any chance of passing laws to prevent the procedure (at least without consent of the patient). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you've ever seen VeggieTales, you're familiar with Phil Vischer. He's the animator, puppeteer, writer, voice actor, and songwriter who co-created that series. His production company soon grew to over 200 workers by the year 2000 before a lawsuit sent the company into bankruptcy and forced Phil to basically start over again. He now runs Jellyfish Labs, where he produces faith-based content. He also hosts the Phil Vischer Podcast which is a very entertaining show all about Christianity in a post-Christian America. We spoke with Phil about why Christian media is so cringeworthy, how he tells Bible stories that may offend parts of his audience, and what the hell is happening with evangelicals in the upcoming election. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Luke Fevin has fought against mandatory prayers in Alberta (Canada) secular schools. He sits on the Board of the Society of Edmonton Atheists and founded the advocacy group Albertan's for Equality Education. I spoke with Luke about some of the major church/state issues taking place in Canada, including within the public schools, local governments, and Catholic hospitals. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Vyckie Garrison was once a prominent member of the "Quiverfull" community, a rapidly growing Christian fundamentalist movement that bans birth control and encourages huge, "Biblical families" (much like the Duggars of TLCs 19 Kids and Counting fame). Garrison edited and published a Christian "pro-life, pro-family" newspaper for 16+ years in northeast Nebraska while home-churching, home birthing, and home schooling seven children. She made waves when she left the Quiverfull movement, divorced her husband, and began speaking out against the lifestyle. She recently received American Atheists' Atheist of the Year award and runs the blog "No Longer Quivering" to provide support to women and children who are escaping abusive religious movements and to provide the public with accurate and compassionate information on the unique challenges faced by the spiritually abused. We spoke about what her Quiverfull lifestyle entailed, how she escaped it, and what advice she would give to other women in her position. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Janet Heimlich is the founder of the Child-Friendly Faith Project, and author of Breaking Their Will: Shedding Light on Religious Child Maltreatment, both of which examine child abuse and neglect that is enabled by religious belief in the United States. Janet is also a reporter who has worked for NPR and written for a variety of publications. (Full disclosure, I'm on the advisory board for the Child-Friendly Faith Project.) I spoke with her about the way children suffer at the hands of religion, whether teaching kids about Hell constitutes abuse, and what atheists can do to help. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Leigh Eric Schmidt is the Edward C. Mallinckrodt Distinguished University Professor in the Humanities at Washington University in St. Louis. He joined the John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics in 2011. He previously taught at Harvard and Princeton. He has appeared in and on all kinds of media to talk about his work and he's the author of several books. His latest is Village Atheists: How America's Unbelievers Made Their Way in a Godly Nation. We spoke with Leigh about whether we were ever a "Christian nation," why the "New Atheists" really aren't new at all, what we can learn from a cartoonist who lived a century ago. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In another life, Frank Schaeffer would probably be an evangelical leader and someone with a powerful position in conservative politics. His father was the influential Christian theologian Francis Schaeffer and Frank himself, along with his father, helped create the modern Religious Right. Frank is the author of "Crazy for God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back" and, more recently, "Why I am an Atheist Who Believes in God." We spoke about his role in creating the Religious Right, why evangelicals are flocking to Donald Trump when he shares almost none of their values, and what he would say to anyone who might vote for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Karen Garst is the former executive director of the Oregon Community College Association and Oregon State Bar. She writes at the website Faithless Feminist, and she's the editor of a new book called Women Beyond Belief: Discovering Life Without Religion. We spoke about how women are uniquely affected in a negative way by religion, what's stopping more women from leaving their faith, and why we don't see more women celebrated as atheists. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Britt Marie Hermes is a former naturopathic doctor who now speaks out about the pseudoscientific ideology. Hermes is currently obtaining her Master of Science degree at the University of Kiel. Since her departure from her previous career, she has been working to understand her former biases within naturopathic medicine. She hopes her stories will protect patients from the false beliefs and bogus treatments sold by alternative medicine practitioners. We spoke about how she went from studying naturopathic medicine to fighting against it, what caused her to change her mind, and what she would say to patients who reject western medicine. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.