The new head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV, has insulted "practical atheists," but it is really his own church that needs to apologize for bad behavior. After hearing Dan Barker's song "The Battle of Church and State," we speak with FFRF’s Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne and Regional Governmental Affairs Manager Mickey Dollens about the man…

EVERYDAY ACTS OF KINDNESS Showing kindness is fundamental to the human experience. Acts of kindness are psychologically and even physically beneficial to both those who act kindly as well as to the recipients. It’s easy to miss the everyday acts of kindness happening all around us. Audio for Show #32 can be heard below!…

We have some good state/church news to report out of Oklahoma and Arizona. Then, in response to Trump's remarks at the May 1 "National Day of Prayer," we celebrate the May 4 "National Day of Reason" by hearing impassioned and humorous remarks at the Second Annual "Reason Reception" in D.C., sponsored by FFRF, American Humanist Association and the S…

Mayday! Mayday! We listen to some of the oral arguments in a pivotal Supreme Court case heard Wednesday about whether a private Catholic charter school can be funded with public money. If allowed, this would deal a serious blow to public education. After reporting on state/church news in Oklahoma, Louisiana and Texas, and decrying Attorney General …

ON LOSS & GRIEF Audio for Show #31 can be heard below!由etff

We first do a round-up of the news nationally and globally, including the death of Pope Francis and the Trump administration's setting up of a dubious religion-based task force. Then, guest host FFRF Communications Director Amitabh Pal interviews University of Louisville Professor David T. Buckley on his recent book, Blessing America First: Religio…

MISANTHROPY 2025 may be remembered as a dark year for America. Our leaders want us to believe that our society is filled with fraudsters, criminals, cheaters, and dangerous people. Our media is filled with stories about crimes and a dystopian future to which we are supposedly headed. At such a time how can we avoid collapsing into a misanthropic mi…

This week, we report that Christian nationalism is on full display at all levels of government. After covering national state/church news, FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne tells us about the many bills, good and bad, that FFRF's Action Fund is tracking in the states (and Puerto Rico). Then, George Mbuagbaw, acting president of the Humanist Ass…

EASTER IMMORTALITY SPECIAL For the Easter/Eastre holiday, Naturalistic Support celebrates with a special look at immortality with the foremost advocate for radical life extension and chief science officer for the SENS foundation, Aubrey de Grey. We’ll also feature our annual Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny debate; and lots more! Audio for Show #29 can b…

FFRF's IT Director Scott Knickelbine gives us the inside scoop on the case by Catholic Charities in Wisconsin that is before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to deny workers unemployment insurance based on religious privilege. Then, we talk with Maryland Delegate Heather Bagnall about the bill she introduced to exonerate people accused of witchcraft …

Naturalistic Spirituality Pt. III! Naturalistic Support is a peer-support program based on evidence and reason, exploring human behavior through the lens of cause and effect. Focused on personal growth and relationship building, the show delves into topics like anger, betrayal, grief, and forgiveness. Join Arnell as he discusses how we can free our…

Besides covering state/church issues in Kentucky, Wisconsin and Arizona, most of the news is out of Oklahoma, including the fact that Oklahoma's Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters is suing FFRF for allegedly interfering in the right of his office to promote religion in the public schools. FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott joins us …

After a roundup of state/church news around the country, we celebrate the birthday of Eric Idle, 82, (who calls himself an "old agnostic") by listening to his irreverent song, "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life," from the movie "Monty Python's Life of Brian." Then, professor and author Josh Cowen tells us about his book The Privateers: How Bil…

After reporting state-church news at the federal level, as well as in Massachusetts, Texas and Missouri, we hear riveting testimony from Georgia state Rep. Karen Lupton opposing a hateful Christian-nationalist anti-trans bill in that state. Then, former evangelical preacher Rob Haskell, author of God of the Mind: An eXvangelical Journey, tells us w…

SENESCENCE AND SENIORHOOD Sooner or later all of us will deal with the people we love growing old. And if we live long enough, we eventually will have to deal with our own aging as well. Despite the ubiquity of old age, the way American society cares for its seniors is uniquely inadequate with as many as half of elder Americans lacking sufficient i…

We report on the threats and actual harm of Christian nationalism to the country, to the Department of Education and to Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas, New Mexico and Wisconsin. After hearing the Yip Harburg song "One Sweet Morning," yearning for the end of winter and the end of war, we speak with attorney Kat Grant, a contributing FFRF writer and host …

Betrayal There are a lot of ways we can feel betrayed. Having our trust violated, or our expectations breached can be deeply emotionally painful. And during this turbulent time of political unrest our communication with family and friends can be fraught with frustration and disappointment. One way to react is to put up a protective wall, but doing …

This week, we track a tsunami of (mostly bad) bills in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa, West Virginia and North Dakota. After hearing sneak previews of some of FFRF's other shows — "Ask an Atheist," "Freethought Matters" and "We Dissent" — we talk with Brian Ruder, president of the board of the Final Exit Network, which offers people who are unbea…

Call Out Culture Virtue Signaling and Shaming Pt. 2 Hatred and fear of others is a virus which takes control of the minds it infects. But is calling out and shaming people who engage in hateful speech or behavior a helpful response? Is there a more effective way to liberate our brothers and sisters and lead them toward being kinder, more inclusive,…

We celebrate the fact that Pew reports 43 percent of young adults are nonreligious, and that overall the "Nones" (nonreligious) are larger than any religious denomination. Mandisa Thomas, founder and president of Black Nonbelievers, tells us about the upcoming Revival of Reason conference in Atlanta. Then, we speak with public-health expert Profess…

Call Out Culture Virtue Signaling and Shaming Hatred and fear of others is a virus which takes control of the minds it infects. But is calling out and shaming people who engage in hateful speech or behavior a helpful response? Is there a more effective way to liberate our brothers and sisters and lead them toward being kinder, more inclusive, and m…

After discussing some of Trump's religiously motivated executive orders and appointments, we focus on some of the bad bills in the states, including Oklahoma, Idaho, Alabama, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Then we speak with David Clohessy, a survivor of childhood sexual molestation by clergy, who is the former director…

How to Avoid Hopelessness! Join host Arnell Dowret as he explores a completely naturalistic approach to spirituality. And as usual, we’ll be taking your calls to hear how a naturalistic approach to spirituality sounds to you. Naturalistic Support is a peer-support program based on evidence and reason, exploring human behavior through the lens of ca…

We announce the first atheist billboard in Africa! We report on a tsunami of Christian nationalist bills and executive orders at the federal and state levels, including Texas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa and Tennessee. In honor of Valentine's Day, we hear Dan Barker's secular love song "It's Only Natural." Then sociology Professor Ryan T. Cragun,…

The first half of our show this week deals with the many Christian nationalist executive orders and actions of the Trump administration. We hear part of the "Stop Project 2025" rally in Madison, Wis. Then, we listen to Black/Latino atheist actor Jon Huertas, best known for playing Miguel Rivas in NBC's "This is Us," as he spoke to FFRF's Denver con…

We cover a range of state/church news on the federal and state levels. We announce FFRF's Scopes Trial Centennial celebration to be held in Tennessee in July. After hearing the irreverent Monty Python song, "Every Sperm is Sacred," we memorialize the life of former Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards, an ardent proponent of feminism and de…

This week we comment on the overtly religious nature of President Trump's inaugural "Christian Coronation," including invocations and benedictions claiming we are "one nation under God." Then, we speak with journalist Gareth Gore about his book on the Opus Dei called OPUS: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside …

Most of the news on this week's show centers on Trump's nominations, many of whom are blatant Christian nationalists. FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence describes our newest lawsuit, just filed this week, challenging unconstitutional tax exemption for religiously owned commercial rental properties in Madison, Wis. Then we talk with a former "church…

We celebrate the release from prison of Nigerian humanist Mubarak Bala who was convicted of the "crime" of blasphemy. FFRF Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover updates us on our lawsuit challenging the law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools. Then, we hear some shocking stories about early Christianity from Cat…

We listen to Seth Andrews, host of “The Thinking Atheist” podcast, read Dan Barker's article “The Top 10 Absolute Worst Old Testament Verses.” Then, we hear Washington Post columnist Kate Cohen's entertaining and thought-provoking speech at FFRF's 2024 convention called “Tampon Tim and the Long Reach of Religion.”…