Friendly Atheist Podcast

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.

Evan Clark is the founder and creative director of Spectrum Experience, the nation's first private Humanist consulting firm that has also been behind the campaigns of several atheists running for local, state, and federal office. His candidates just had a wildly successful primary day in Arizona this past week. Evan is also chair of the Secular Student Alliance and co-host of the Humanist Experience podcast. We spoke about how he began Spectrum Experience, the most strategic ways for atheists to run for office, and why coming out as non-religious matters in politics. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Brad Levin is the director of FreeBYU, a group whose mission is to "promote freedom of thought and freedom of religion at Brigham Young University." We spoke about how BYU punishes students who become ex-Mormons, why BYU's law school nearly lost its accreditation, and the progress his group has made in changing the Honor Code at the school. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rob McWilliams is the founder of South East Texas Atheists Helping the Homeless. (The name is fairly self-explanatory.) We spoke with him about how his group is different from churches, how listeners can help his cause, and the most amazing love story ever. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ray Comfort is the founder and CEO of Living Waters. He's written dozens of books, co-hosted "The Way of the Master" with Kirk Cameron, and produced several movies including Audacity and Evolution vs. God. He recently released Fat Chance (subtitle: Why Pigs Will Fly Before America has an Atheist President) and the movie The Atheist Delusion. Rather than have a debate about God's existence, Ray and I spoke about whether Christians must accept a literal interpretation of Genesis, what he thinks will happen if atheists are elected to political office, and what might change his mind about Christianity. Also: Crocoducks. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Emma Green is a senior associate editor at The Atlantic, where she covers politics, policy, and religion. We spoke with her about how Democrats appeared to be the Party of God during their recent convention, what stood out while reporting and editing The Atlantic's recent series on young people choosing their religions, and what she would report on with unlimited time and an unlimited budget. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Tracey Moody, a frequent contributor to FriendlyAtheist.com and co-moderator of the Friendly Atheist Facebook page, went to Ark Encounter (the Noah's Ark theme park) in Kentucky on opening day to find out what a $100 million attraction looks like. We spoke about the atheist protest outside the Ark, the exhibits inside of it (including one about how they removed all the excrement), and whether it's worth visiting just for the sake of curiosity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leighann Lord is a comedian and co-host of the StarTalk podcast with Neil deGrasse Tyson. She has performed stand-up on Comedy Central and HBO, has won several awards for her work, and written books including Dict Jokes and Real Women Do It Standing Up. At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, I spoke with her about how she went from a corporate job to a comedy stage, why performing at colleges has become tougher for comedians, and why unique outreach to African American atheists is worthwhile. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Diskin is the President of Camp Quest West. Camp Quest is a summer camp for children that embraces science, natural wonder, and humanist values. David has worked with the group since 2010. He has been a long-time activist in California, co-founding the Stockton Area Atheists and Freethinkers and Sunday Assembly Sacramento. He also serves on the boards of California Freethought Day, the Secular Coalition for California, and the national Reason Rally Coalition. At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, we spoke with David about whether children of religious parents ever attend the camp, how the camp's curriculum has changed over the years, and what he hopes Camp Quest achieves in the next few years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John de Lancie is an actor best known for his portrayal of Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager. He's also appeared on Breaking Bad and The West Wing. In September, he filmed a video for the Openly Secular campaign. So what happens when two people who have never watched Star Trek get a chance to interview him on extremely short notice? We talk about the current golden age of television, what defines a great actor, and whether we need to use labels like "Humanist" at all. We spoke at the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, where he was receiving the Humanist Arts Award. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Elizabeth Loftus is a cognitive psychologist who specializes in the malleability of human memory. She has done groundbreaking research into why our memories are not always reliable and how we might create false memories that we fully accept as real. Since earning her Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University, Dr. Loftus has published 23 books, more than 500 scientific articles, and is currently a Distinguished Professor at the University of California, Irvine. At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, where she was receiving the Isaac Asimov Award, we spoke with her about how faulty memories can form in our minds, whether research into this subject is ethical, and if "believing the victim" is always the way to go. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Jerry Coyne is a now-retired Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at the University of Chicago. He has written over 115 refereed scientific papers; 130 additional articles, book reviews, and columns; and a scholarly book about his field (Speciation, co-authored with H. Allen Orr). He may be most familiar to listeners for his books Why Evolution is True (which spawned his blog of the same name) and Faith Versus Fact: Why Science and Religion Are Incompatible. At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, we spoke with Dr. Coyne about why science and religion are incompatible, the problems with the "Regressive Left" on college campuses, and what he discusses with his atheist/scientist friends. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Katherine Ozment is the author of "Grace Without God: The Search for Meaning, Purpose, and Belonging in a Secular Age." She has worked for National Geographic and Boston magazine and been published in the New York Times. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children. For years now, she has been exploring how the ever-growing segment of non-religious parents raise their children. They're not all atheists, but they have to grapple with the Big Questions about life and death and belonging, all without supernatural faith. She wrote a magazine article about it a few years ago, and she has now written a full-length examination into the topic. I spoke with her about what secular "grace" looks like, why atheists may want rituals traditionally reserved for the religious, and how the landscape for atheist parents is rapidly changing. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Julia Sweeney may be best known for her years on Saturday Night Live, where she famously played the androgynous character Pat. But she has since written multiple one-woman shows and books which speak to her experiences as a cancer survivor (God Said, Ha!), atheist (Letting Go of God), and mother (If It's Not One Thing, It's Your Mother). Speaking of which, if you haven't heard Letting Go of God yet, stop what you're doing and go listen to it. It's an incredible, funny story of how Julia shed her Catholicism. (A condensed version of the show was featured on a 2005 episode of This American Life.) At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, we spoke with Julia and her daughter Mulan about how the character Pat would go over today, the movie Mulan finally watched for the very first time, and what Julia thinks about the new all-female Ghostbusters reboot. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Elizabeth Drescher is a professor of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University and the author, most recently, of Choosing Our Religion: The Spiritual Lives of America's Nones. We spoke with her about what atheist "spirituality" really means, the problem with the language we use to talk about faith, and how religion is no longer being passed down generation after generation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

At the American Humanist Association conference in Chicago recently, we had a chance to speak with a number of incredible people and we'll be posting those interviews over the next few weeks. Today, we're posting our conversation with Margaret Downey, a life-long atheist activist and a member of the Reason Rally Coalition Board of Directors. She is also founder and President of the Freethought Society and a former President of Atheist Alliance International. We spoke with her about what to expect at this weekend's Rally, how she plans to gauge its success, and what she wants people to take away from the event. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.