Friendly Atheist Podcast

Chrystine Trooien is an eco-conscious, secular, vegan mother based out of Hawaii. About a year ago, she launched a Kickstarter campaign for a book called Christian Mythology for Kids. It's essentially a book that explains the stories of the Bible as just that: Stories. They don't disparage religion, and they don't pretend any of it is real, either. They read just like Greek mythology -- with beautiful illustrations by artist Christopher Zakrzewski to boot. It's a wonderful way to introduce your children to these characters without indoctrinating them in the faith. We spoke with Chrystine about why it's important to teach kids these stories objectively, how she handled stories with no redeeming message, and whether she'll continue the series with other religions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Wynne LeGrow spent two years as a physician in the Army, where he was promoted to major, and then nearly three decades in private practice. For most of his career, he practiced internal medicine. In 2010, after he retired, he decided to run for Congress from Virginia's 4th District, which was represented then (and now) by Republican Randy Forbes. Forbes is so conservative, he founded the Congressional Prayer Caucus. LeGrow, on the other hand, ran as an open atheist. He lost the race, but wrote about the experience in his new book Last Leper in the Colony: An Atheist Runs for Congress in the Bible Belt. We spoke to him about what it was like being an atheist in the 1960s/1970s, the surprising politician who inspired him to run for office, and the advice he would give atheists running for office 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.

David Smalley, host of the show Dogma Debate, was in my area a few days ago and took some time to chat with me about his new series of children's books, the most effective ways to talk with people who disagree with us, and all things politics (Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, and atheist candidates for office). Smalley is a former Christian musician who became an atheist after studying psychology, sociology, world religions, and his own faith. He soon turned into a secular activist. He was the editor-in-chief of Secular World and American Atheist magazines, the author of Baptized Atheist, and now runs the Secular Media Group. His company will soon release a children's book titled Tiny Thinkers: Charlie and the Tortoise. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kelly Carlin is the author of A Carlin Home Companion: Growing Up with George, an autobiography and one-woman show that talks about growing up with her famous father, comedian George Carlin. She's also host of the podcast Waking from the American Dream and a speaker at the upcoming Reason Rally. We spoke with Kelly about what her father was like off the stage, how being the daughter of a world famous comedian can be a mixed blessing, and how she created her own identity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeremy Runnells was raised in the Church of Latter Day Saints as a 6th generation Mormon. He went on his two year mission. He graduated from BYU. He was an Eagle Scout. But in 2012, he began doubting some of his beliefs. He was asked by a Church Educational System (or CES) director to share his concerns. Jeremy did that in what became known as the Letter to a CES Director, or the CES letter. It is a damning document that exposes so many holes in the Mormon faith and it quickly went viral online, giving a lot of people reason to leave the Church themselves. And then, earlier this year, wouldn't you know it, Church officials began a process to kick him out. Before they could excommunicate him for good in April, Jeremy announced he was resigning from the Mormon Church himself. He wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of kicking him out. We spoke with Jeremy about what led him to start doubting his faith, how the "Mormon moment" from a few years ago has come to an end, and why he left the Church before it could get rid of him. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Dawn Eden was born into a Jewish family, became an Agnostic during her teenage years, and then found God and became a Catholic in her 30s. Along the way, she was a rock journalist and worked as an editor for the New York Post and Daily News. Since her conversion, she's written several books including The Thrill of the Chaste and Remembering God's Mercy: Redeem the Past and Free Yourself from Painful Memories. She's also a long-time blogger at the Dawn Patrol. Before giving a talk at a church just outside of Chicago recently, we had 20 minutes to chat. We used the limited time to talk about her unique religious journey, whether allowing priests to have sex is a good idea, and how she arguably kickstarted my own career with one blog post. (As I make clear in the podcast, there were several points I would love to have pushed back on and debated further, but time didn't allow for it.) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Monica Miller is Senior Counsel at the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center. If the AHA is involved in a lawsuit, she's the person doing the legwork, and that involves everything from letters to city councils to amicus briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court. We spoke with her about when anonymity can be used in a case, the surprising number of religious people who complain about church/state violations, and when a Christian cross isn't a Christian cross. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reddit Atheism may be the largest online community in the world for atheists. Whenever you have an anonymous group of that size, bad things may happen. And the site certainly has a reputation for low-brow memes, smugness, anger, and a disdain for the religious. But they've also used their power for good, raising money for groups like Doctors Without Borders. We spoke with two of the moderators of the atheism "subreddit," Feinberg and LurkBeast, about the positives and negatives of the site, the power of the ex-religious subreddits, and why r/atheism isn't as bigoted as one research paper claimed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Teresa MacBain is a former Methodist pastor and the first female member of the Clergy Project to publicly "come out" as a nonbeliever. She did that at the 2012 American Atheists convention. She's now the director of the Hotline Project, which offers callers who are grappling with their faith a chance to talk (anonymously) with an atheist about any questions or concerns. Their number is 1-84-I-Doubt-It (1-844-368-2848). We spoke with her about how she began having doubts about religion while in the pulpit, the type of people who call the Hotline Project, and how to volunteer to be on the receiving end of that call. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're talking about the presidential race and how religion plays a role in it. We discuss our primary votes, which Republican candidate would be the worst case scenario for atheists, and the openly atheist candidates running for state and federal office. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're celebrating our 100th episode with the conversation we never get to have because we're always talking to other people. Our goals for the near future are having more in-person interviews, talking to big-name guests, and making sure we're always asking the questions you want answered. Thank you for sticking with us and we hope you continue listening! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anthony Magnabosco is best known as a Street Epistemologist. He's like a preacher you might run across on your college campus, except he's not trying to convert you. He just wants to ask you questions about religion and get you to think. He posts videos of these interactions on YouTube and they're fascinating to watch, in part because he deconstructs what went right and wrong each time. We spoke with Anthony about his surprising goals when it comes to chatting with people about religion, why people would ever talk to him at all, and whether debates about God are ever useful. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Phil Torres is a philosopher and author who writes extensively about the intersection of religion and technology. He's a regular contributor at the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies. His latest book is called The End: What Science and Religion Tell Us About the Apocalypse. We spoke with him about why super-intelligence could come back to haunt us, how religious thinking mixed with weapons could bring us closer to doom, and whether we can reason with those who want to get closer to the afterlife. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Kate Shellnutt is an associate editor at Christianity Today magazine. She helps run their social media accounts and she also edits their popular site for women, cleverly called Her.meneutics. Before this, she worked as a web producer for the Houston Chronicle's religion site. She's a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, where she earned her masters in reporting and online journalism. We spoke with Kate about how Christianity Today deals with hot-button issues, what a faith-based publication can bring to the table that secular outlets can't, and how comedy and religion go hand-in-hand. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Stephen Prothero is a professor in the department of religion at Boston University and the author of several books, including Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't. You may have seen him on his appearances on The Daily Show or The Colbert Report. His latest book is called Why Liberals Win the Culture Wars (Even When They Lose Elections). We spoke with him about why conservatives pick losing issues, what issues will get liberals out to vote this November, and what surprised him during his research for the book. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jeffrey Tayler is an author of several books all about different parts of the world, but you may know him best for his wonderful articles defending atheism and atheists, and criticizing the Religious Right on Salon.com. He's also the Russia correspondent for the Atlantic. His latest book is called "Topless Jihadis: Inside Femen, the World's Most Provocative Activist Group." I spoke with Jeffrey about Salon's reputation for publishing just about anything criticizing atheists, what the public doesn't understand about the New Atheists, and the impact religion will have on the 2016 elections. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lyz Liddell is the Executive Director of the Reason Rally Coalition. Before that, she worked with the Secular Student Alliance and played a large role in the Openly Secular campaign, which got celebrities like Bill Maher, Arian Foster, and Barney Frank to talk about how they're not religious and encouraged others to join them. I spoke with Lyz about the newest slate of speakers at the Rally, how she balances the competing agendas of the various atheist groups participating in the event, what she's learned from a decade in the movement. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Robyn Blumner spent 16 years as a nationally syndicated columnist and editorial writer at the Tampa Bay Times newspaper, where she wrote a lot about civil liberties, church/state separation, and free speech issues. In 2012, she was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize along with the rest of her editorial team. Before she was writing professionally, she headed up ACLU affiliates in Florida and Utah. She entered the world of organized atheism, if you will, in 2014, when she was tapped to run the Richard Dawkins Foundation. Recently, RDF announced a merger with the Center For Inquiry, and Robyn will soon become CEO of the new merged organization. I spoke with Robyn about her experience coming out as an atheist publicly long before it became commonplace, how the CFI/RDF merger took shape, and -- yes -- Richard Dawkins' tweets. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

William Shunn is the author of The Accidental Terrorist, a book about his time as a Mormon missionary. He was supposed to preach in Alberta, but it wasn't long before he was convicted of felony mischief after making a false bomb threat. He's still not allowed to return to Canada. We spoke with Bill about what it's like to be a Mormon missionary when your heart's just not into it, how the Mormon Church catches escaped missionaries, and the extreme length he went to to prevent his mission partner from leaving the base. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Linda K. Wertheimer is a former education editor of the Boston Globe and a reporter at the Dallas Morning News and Orlando Sentinel. She recently published a book called Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance. We spoke with Linda about groups that oppose the teaching of basic Islamic beliefs in public schools; whether teachers are properly equipped to objectively discuss religion in the classroom; and why atheists, Mormons, and Jews tend to know more about religion than larger faith groups. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chris Shelton spent 27 years in the Church of Scientology, where he attained those high levels you only hear about in HBO documentaries. But he got out about three years ago and is now a vocal critic of the Church. He just published a book called Scientology: A to Xenu: An Insider's Guide to What Scientology is All About. We spoke with Chris about what tipped him off to the Church's deceptions, what he was taught about Xenu, and what he believes would be the single biggest blow to the Church's existence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cristin Padgett is a Democrat hoping to win a seat in the Texas State House. She's doing that in a heavily gerrymandered district in a very red part of the state. What makes her candidacy so unique, though, is that she has made public the fact that she's an atheist, making her one of the only openly non-theistic candidates this election cycle in any part of the country. Not exactly part of anyone's playbook in Texas politics. We spoke with Padgett about how she can convince Texans in her district to support her, what she could accomplish with a Republican majority in the House, and what she learned from the failed gubernatorial campaign of Wendy Davis. 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. Her goal in that last group is to improve the content of skeptic-related content on Wikipedia. We spoke about why editing Wikipedia is so important, how she avoids charges of bias in the articles, and how you can join her cause. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Eric is a writer currently living in Chicago. He was raised in California in the Worldwide Church of God, a Christian organization that is now known as Grace Communion International and has been considered by many to be a cult. Jessica spoke with him about his upbringing in the church, how it affected his childhood, and how he ultimately left it all behind. *We apologize for the sound quality in this episode! The audio equipment wasn't working properly so we had to resort to alternate means. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Ken Miller is a Professor of Biology at Brown University and the co-author of a Biology textbook used in schools across the country. He's also the author of "Finding Darwin's God" and "Only a Theory." I'm talking to him now because it's the tenth anniversary of the Kitzmiller v. Dover case which gutted the Intelligent Design movement. Miller was an expert witness for the science side. I spoke with him about whether evolution advocates can finally relax, how a Roman Catholic like himself reconciles science and faith, and the effect of Creationist propaganda on science literacy. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael De Dora is director of the Center for Inquiry's Office of Public Policy and he's also CFI's representative to the United Nations. He's currently the president of the UN's NGO Committee on Freedom of Religion or Belief. I spoke with him about what we can do about the bloggers currently under attack in Bangladesh, whether our government is doing anything to protect atheists overseas, and what his conversations are like with the Saudi Arabian representatives at the United Nations. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chaz Stevens is an activist who's especially passionate about the First Amendment. In response to a Nativity scene in the Florida Capitol Building, he put up an 8-foot-tall Festivus pole made of Pabst Blue Ribbon cans. This year, he's attempting something similar with a 6-foot pole covered in rainbow colors. He has also been requesting to deliver invocations as a Satanist, forcing several city councils to abandon the prayer practice altogether. I spoke with Chaz about what a Satanist invocation would look like if he ever got to deliver one, why he prefers an over-the-top approach, and what he hopes to accomplish with his activism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

For this episode, I just answered a whole bunch of questions sent in by listeners! They include: - How can we help the "victims of religion"? - What are the differences between atheists who were once religious and those who have never been religious? - Are there any original atheism-related thoughts left to have? - How has the pressure to generate content changed the way that you interact with people and respond to issues? - Am I less "friendly" than I used to be? - How did I go from math teacher to full-time atheism blogger? And how much does that pay? - What tips do I have for young atheists trying to start a secular school group? - Have I ever been discriminated against due to my beliefs? - What are the positives of religion and the negatives of atheism? - How can "Nones" organize better to leverage our increasing numbers into political and social action? - What do I do to produce so much content? - Will I be speaking at the upcoming Reason Rally and how should it be different from the first? - Why bother with YouTube and podcasting? - Since the religious demographics are shifting so rapidly right now, will we continue heading down the "right path" as a country? - Why do you talk over your guests during podcasts? - Why do I post so many articles and videos on marginal preachers and religious people? - Do I always read the comments? - How do I select guest bloggers? - Will religion ever disappear completely? - How will my wife and I deal with religion with regards to our child? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Haider was born in Pakistan as a practicing Shia Muslim. She moved to Texas and, in her late teens, began reading the Qur'an critically. It wasn't long before she became an atheist. In 2013, she co-founded Ex-Muslims of North America, where she advocates for the acceptance of religious dissent and works to create local support communities for those who have left Islam. We spoke with Sarah about why it's dangerous for Muslims to leave the faith even in the United States, what the New Atheists get right and wrong about Islam, and why we need to stop using the word "Islamophobic." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Smalley is a former Christian musician who became an atheist after studying psychology, sociology, world religions, and his own faith. He soon turned into a secular activist. He was the editor-in-chief of Secular World and American Atheist magazines, the author of Baptized Atheist, and co-founder of AtheistAudiobooks.com. His Secular Media Group will soon release a children's book titled Tiny Thinkers: Charlie and the Tortoise. You may know him best, however, from his incredibly popular podcast Dogma Debate which has tens of thousands of weekly subscribers. We spoke with David about why it's so important not to be an angry atheist (if you can help it), what it takes to be a successful podcaster, and why he's so passionate about atheist activism. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shawna Leneé is an openly atheist adult film star who has appeared on the cover of Penthouse and won an AVN award for “Unsung Starlet of the Year.” She left the adult industry temporarily, at which point she attended college began a couple of small businesses, but she’s back making movies now. (You should assume everything in this interview is NSFW.)We spoke with Shawna about why she believes her atheism is the most controversial thing about her, whether she meets a lot of religious people on set, and what she plans to tell her kids about her career.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John W. Loftus should be a Christian. He attended and graduated from Great Lakes Christian College, Lincoln Christian University, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he learned under apologist William Lane Craig. But he's spent the last several years debunking the faith. His books include Why I Rejected Christianity, Why I Became an Atheist, and The Outsider Test for Faith. His latest book is strangely called How to Defend the Christian Faith. I spoke with John about the worst argument Christian apologists use, how learning the Bible caused him to leave the faith, and whether rejecting Christianity is the same thing as becoming an atheist. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Williamson is the founder and President of the Central Florida Freethought Community. His group has been leading the way when it comes to getting atheists to give invocations at local government meetings. I spoke with David about why secular invocations are so valuable, step by step instructions on what local activists can do to get on these invocation lists, and what atheists should say if they get the opportunity to speak in front of government officials. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Cathy Lynn Grossman is a senior national correspondent for Religion News Service, a wire service for faith-based news. She often writes stories involving research and statistics. She also worked for more than two decades with USA Today. I spoke with Grossman about the toughest story she's ever written, what the Internet is doing to religion, and whether the amount of religion currently in politics is a new phenomenon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 76 - Jocelyn Floyd, Attorney with the Thomas More Society by Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lauren Lane is the Founder and Executive Director of Skepticon, a national conference located annually in Springfield, Missouri that promotes skepticism, science education, and community building. I spoke with Lauren about how her team runs a free conference for more than a thousand people, how they improve the event every year, and what goes on behind the scenes. (Disclosure: I've spoken at Skepticon multiple times, though I won't be able to attend this year. It's a wonderful event and you should all attend if you can!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're thrilled to speak with the team behind YouTube sensation Mrs. Betty Bowers. Andrew Bradley is the creator and writer for BettyBowers.com. If you haven't seen the videos, Betty is American's Best Christian, and she has a lot to say about traditional marriage, abortion, the upcoming elections, and so much more. She's a hilarious parody of right-wing extremists. Andrew was also one of the main writers for Landover Baptist Church, a parody of a fundamentalist Christian church that featured articles that people still believe are real. He's also the author of Welcome to JesusLand. Deven Green plays Mrs. Betty Bowers. She's a comedian, musician, and performer. She was also a comedy judge on RuPaul's Drag Race. We spoke with Andrew and Deven about how they collaborate, the kind of hate mail they receive, and the origins of Landover Baptist Church. By the way, this is our first time trying to host four people on the same phone call, so the audio's not always ideal, but hopefully it's all still audible! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Keith Devlin is a mathematician who's also known as The Math Guy on NPR's Weekend Edition. He has written several books explaining math to the masses. And he's also the co-founder and Executive Director of Stanford University's Human-Sciences and Technologies Advanced Research Institute (H-Star). We spoke with Dr. Devlin about why math is difficult to understand and explain, how we tend to know more about mathematicians' lives than their work, and whether programs like Khan Academy help or hurt students. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Leah Vincent is a former Orthodox Jew and the author of Cut Me Loose: Sin and Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood. She's the first person in her family to attend college and she earned her Masters degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. We spoke with Leah about her life growing up in the culture, what fundamentalist faiths have in common, and what she plans to teach her daughter about her religious background. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sarah Morehead is the President of the Reason Rally Coalition. She is also Executive Director of Recovering From Religion, the group that runs the Hotline Project and Secular Therapist Project. She was named American Atheists' 2014 "Atheist of the Year." We spoke about what's in store for the 2016 Reason Rally and how it'll be different from the 2012 event, as well as her work behind the scenes putting together Apostacon. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Niose has been the president of two major organizations, the American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America. He currently serves as the AHA's legal director. He's also a lawyer who has argued in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court about why the Pledge of Allegiance shouldn't be recited in public school classrooms. And he's the author of Nonbeliever Nation and Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. We spoke with David about the legal issues affecting young atheists and how they should respond. Topics addressed include: Saying the Pledge of Allegiance, "See You at the Pole" events, religious choir music, science education, Gideons Bible giveaways, faith-based assemblies, and prayers at football games. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dan Barker was a teenage evangelist and longtime preacher before he stepped away from God for good. He is now the co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (along with his wife Annie Laurie Gaylor), a group dedicated to the principle of separation of state and church. Barker is also the author of Godless (2008) and Life Driven Purpose (2015). I spoke with Barker about why he goes on The Daily Show even when the segments aren't very kind to him, his next project encouraging people to read the Bible, and how all Christian ministers are "slaves traders." (Yep.) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Neil Carter is a blogger at Godless in Dixie, where he writes about being an atheist in the Deep South. He's a teacher, a personal trainer, and a father. I spoke with Neil about what it's like being non-religious in Mississippi, the "evandelism" that followed his coming out, and the importance of having someone to talk to when you have religious doubts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

John Dehlin just completed his PhD in clinical and counseling psychology. But you may know him best as the founder of the Mormon Stories podcast, one that celebrates the faith and also critiques it when necessary. Because of some of his views supporting same-sex marriage and the ordination of women within Mormonism, Dehlin was excommunicated from the Church earlier this year for apostasy. That story was covered in the New York Times. We spoke with John about how discovering the truth about Mormon history pushed him away from the Church, why he still has a soft spot for the faith, and why Mormons have strategic reasons for standing firm against LGBT rights. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shulem Deen is a former Hasidic Jew. Since leaving that world, he's founded the website Unpious which is a voice for other ultra-Orthodox Jews who may be rethinking their faith. His new memoir is called "All Who Go Do Not Return." We spoke with Shulem about the hypocrisy of Hasidic Jews regarding modern technology, how that community reacted to an episode of This American Life focusing on them, and how America Online became his gateway to the outside world. 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 a former evangelical Christian leader (and son of famed pastor Tony Campolo) who currently serves as the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles. We spoke about progressive Christianity, what it was like coming to terms with his Humanism, and death. Lots about death. In all seriousness, it's one of the most interesting and inspiring conversations about death I've ever had. That segment begins around the 27:00 mark. Do yourself a favor and listen to it. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dr. Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He's written tons of published peer-reviewed papers and received countless awards for his work. His latest book, Bad Faith, is all about how religious belief can undermine modern medicine. On the day of taping, California had just passed a law making vaccinations all but mandatory, Jim Carrey had gone on a Twitter rant about vaccines, and a woman had died of measles. We spoke with Dr. Offit about why people still don't get vaccinated, how he responds to the most common arguments offered by anti-vaxxers, and why Bill Maher is wrong when he says we don't need to get flu shots. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Evangelist Ray Comfort has released a film called "Audacity" with the goal of convincing gay and lesbian viewers to renounce homosexuality. Jessica and I watched the film (so you don't have to) and we give you the play-by-play along with commentary. So there's your spoiler alert! After that, beginning at the 34:44 mark, we have an *exclusive* interview with the film's star Travis Owens. He plays Peter, a very devout Christian who wants to spread the Good Word, but sometimes hesitates because it might be awkward. Because he hesitates, bad things happen -- especially to gays and lesbians who didn't accept Jesus into their lives. In real life, Travis is actually very supportive of LGBT rights, which makes his appearance in this film both questionable and fascinating. We spoke with him about what it's like to work with Ray Comfort, whether he's received more feedback from LGBT viewers or Christians, and why he took on a role that contradicted his personal beliefs. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Linda Stephens was one of the two plaintiffs in Town of Greece v. Galloway, the 2014 Supreme Court case that legalized religious invocations at government meetings (with a few caveats). She worked as a librarian for two decades, served as president of the Greater Rochester Chapter of the National Organization for Women, and was vice president of a local chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. We spoke about the worst moment of the oral arguments, how she followed SCOTUSblog.com to get updates on her own lawsuit, and why losing the case has ironically worked out in atheists' favor, See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Matt Dillahunty is a former fundamentalist Christian who now debates religious apologists. He was the President of the Atheist Community of Austin for several years and co-hosts The Atheist Experience call-in show. He recently began a video series teaching viewers how to respond to frequently-used apologist arguments. Jessica spoke with Matt about his religious upbringing, why he loves debates, and what he sees as the future of faith. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.