A NY high-school science teacher pushing Christianity in the classroom, and a large portrait of Jesus in an Ohio middle school--these are some of FFRF's state-church complaints we discuss this week. Then we talk with freethinking feminist author and activist Robin Morgan, who is host of the new CBS radio show Women's Media Center Live.
Atheist activism among the youth. This week listen to high-school students Max Nielson and Jessica Ahlquist talk about the challenges of coming out as a young nonbelieving activist in predominantly Christian communities.
The past holiday season was not a time of "goodwill for all." This week we talk with Justin Vacula about the vandalizing of FFRF's Winter Solstice sign that was put up in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, one of 5 FFRF signs (out of 12) around the country that were stolen or defaced. And then, on a more hopeful note, we interview Ed and Michael Buckner, co-authors of the new book, In Freedom We Trust: An Atheist Guide To Religious Liberty.
Happy Unholy New Year! Out with the old orthodoxies, in with a new year of freethought! This week's show is a relaxing sneak preview of FFRF's new musical CD, Adrift On A Star, including debuts of new songs by Dan Barker and friends. We end with Scottish singer Jim Malcolm's touching version of "Auld Lang Syne."
Hear of recent nativity scene violation victories, FFRF solstice signs in numerous cities. Listen to Dan's version of "Merry Frickin' Christmas," seasonal songs by Tom Lehrer and Roy Zimmerman, as well as the debut of Dan's new song "Unfaithful," from FFRF's new CD, Adrift On A Star.
Heathens' Greetings. It's the most unconstitutional time of year. Atheist bus signs go up in Alaska. We talk with Marie Schaub, an atheist and a mother in a small Pennsylvania community. She's also a brave plaintiff in a hot-button lawsuit involving a Ten Commandments monument at a public high school.
"Get Off Your Knees And Get To Work," a new song by Dan Barker, is debuted this week, especially in response to Kansas Governor Sam Brownback calling for a "Day of Repentance." Listen to some brave Florida commissioners objecting to prayer, and hear an NPR interview of FFRF member William Cox objecting to the Jesus statue in the Montana federal park. Then we talk with Susan Jacoby who has a new book out about Robert Ingersoll: The Great Agnostic.
Find out why Fox News "can't stand the Freedom From Religion Foundation" (and the feeling is mutual). This week we cover a sleigh-load of state/church complaints: a federal decision allowing FFRF's Montana shrine case to continue, removal of a cross from a Kansas city seal, coverage of our IRS lawsuit over church politicking, and more. Then we talk with "Friendly Atheist" blogger Hemant Mehta about his new book, The Young Atheists Survival Guide: Helping Secular Students Thrive.
The winter solstice season is approaching, and with it comes holiday complaints. Listen to Damon Vix (photo) talk about his victory this week when a federal judge ruled that the city of Santa Monica, Calif., is free to discontinue nativity scenes on public property, after 58 years of Christian domination in Palisades Park. We also talk with Ph.D student Chris Calvey, head of the Atheists, Humanists and Agnostics (AHA!) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who were just awarded almost $70,000 ...
FFRF is suing the IRS! Find out more about our most recent lawsuit demanding that the IRS enforce its rules prohibiting churches from political activities. Listen to a Kentucky Mom, Suzanne Lamb, tell how she is fighting the Gideons in the public schools. Then hear an update from FFRF attorney Rebecca Market about stopping prayers at school-board meetings
We present a secular wrap up on election news. Then, we speak with Dr. Peter Boghossian who teaches a class on atheism at Portland State University. He is working on a book called A Manual to Create Atheists.
Why are "acts of God" and "gifts of God" always so bad? This week we report on theocratic politicians, more football prayer, and an early "holiday" controversy in Texas. Then hear interviews of Vashti McCollum, whose historic 1948 Supreme Court victory removed religious instruction from public schools, and Roy Torcaso, whose equally historic 1962 Supreme Court decision affirmed there should be no religious test for public office, in FFRF's 1988 film "Champions of the First Amendment."
DEBUT! Hear the radio debut of "Poor Little Me," the new song written by Broadway composer Charles Strouse (Annie, Bye Bye Birdie) and Dan Barker. We read editorials in favor of FFRF's high-school cheerleader complaint that ran in the New York Times, Washington Post, and USA Today. Then we talk with Michael Austin, author of the new book, That's Not What They Meant! Reclaiming The Founding Fathers From America's Right Wing.
The religious right is right about one thing: there definitely is a climate of hostility, and they are creating it. Listen to the Governor and Attorney General of Texas accuse FFRF of "menacing intimidation" over our First-Amendment complaint of the Kountze cheerleaders' Christian banners. Listen to Annie Laurie and Dan's response to "Wall Builder" David Barton accusing FFRF of creating a "toxic" climate of hostility. Then find out if there will be casseroles in an atheistic world.
The "nones" are growing, but the religious battles continue. This week we listen to FFRF's 1980 movie, A Second Look at Religion, showing that little has changed on the state/church front in more than three decades
The battle over Christian banners in Texas high-school football games continues, with much national media attention. FFRF victory in Oregon plus the music of John Lennon and Ralph Vaughan Williams round out the first half of the show. Then we talk with Robert Parham, a Southern Baptist minister who "saw the light" and is now a nonbeliever and board member of The Clergy Project.
"Blasphemy is a victimless crime!" This week we report on many "blasphemous" FFRF victories and complaints, and comment on the move to criminalize blasphemy around the world. Then listen to Oprah Winfrey's 1984 "AM Chicago" TV show where Dan and Annie Laurie met for the first time
The vernal equinox is here, and school year violations are piling up like fallen leaves.This weeks we cover numerous FFRF victories over high-school and Tennessee university prayers. Then we talk with popular blogger Adam Lee, the author of Daylight Atheism, who has a new book by the same name.
Public school football games don't have a prayer! Hear about 30 (!) recent FFRF victories removing prayer and other religious intrusions from government around the country. Then we talk with Lorena Rios of Hispanic American Freethinkers.
Religion in politics. Listen to the vote (3 times!) at the DNC, and YOU decide if there was a 2/3 majority wanting to insert "God" into the platform. This week we expose both major political parties mixing religion and government. Then we talk with Rene Chouinard, the Canadian father whose complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal is challenging the distribution of Gideon Bibles in public schools, and the refusal to allow distribution of Just Pretend , Dan Barker's book for children....
This week we announce FFRF's decision to sue the City of Memphis over governmental prayers, and denounce the American Family Association's complaint that FFRF is waging "the second war of northern aggression" against southern states. Our guest is Michael Nugent (calling us from Dublin), chair of Atheist Ireland, a group that recently donated to a Milwaukee charity to thank Irish Fest for stopping religious discrimination.
Hear about FFRF's billboard caveat at the RNC in Tampa: "God Fixation Won't Fix This Nation." This week we talk with University of Central Florida professor Charles Negy, whose Cross-Cultural Psychology course warns about bigotry, yet he was unable to avoid religious bigotry in his own class, prompting him to send an eloquent letter to his students which has gone viral on the internet.
Irish atheist eyes are smiling! FFRF complaint stops church discount at Irish Fest in Milwaukee. Listen to FFRF's new "Spotlight On Freethought" segment now airing on national public television. Guests this week are Alvin Harris, the Nashville attorney who handled the successful lawsuit challenging the water tower cross, and Josh Everett, a former fundamentalist evangelical minister and missionary who is now an outspoken atheist.
More FFRF victories and activism to report this week. Listen to Russian female punk band Pussy Riot protest the government in an Orthodox church, and hear Robert Ingersoll's "Declaration of the Free" set to music. Then we talk with well-known atheist blogger Greta Christina about her new book, Why Are You Atheists So Angry?
Government prayer, religious symbols on city seals, freethought billboards in Spokane, atheist Boy Scouts turning in their badges: it is a busy summer for state/church activism. This week we hear the testimony of a brave 12-year-old girl protesting prayer in her Tennessee county; we play a little-known Cole Porter song, "Experiment," about the value of science; and then talk with Linda Stephens, one of the plaintiffs in the victorious 2nd-Circuit Appeals Court decision outlawing governmental pra...
This week we have a whole lot of victories to report in the battle to keep religion and government separate, mostly in the south. We listen to country singer-songwriter Robbie Fulks' irreverent tune, "God Isn't Real," and then talk with Annalise Fonza, a United Methodist minister who gave up her faith and is now a happy atheist university professor.
Freethought in the Arts! After reporting on victories and positive developments in FFRF legal complaints in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and the U.S. Army, we talk about the many freethought connections in the movies, music, literature and poetry. For the second half of the show we play Bill Moyers' remarkable interview of freethought poet Philip Appleman that ran on PBS in early July.
Hasa Diga Eeebowai! After reporting news on our own continent--including an FFRF victory in Virginia stopping prayers at a county board meeting, a JFK billboard in Lubbock, press coverage of our full-page ad in the New York Times, and a clip of FFRF's "freethought poet laureate" Philip Appleman being interviewed by Bill Moyers--we talk with Leo Igwe, the leader of Humanists in Nigeria, about his heroic attempts to combat superstition, witchcraft, Christianity, and Islam in Africa with reason and...
Perhaps it should be called the "Godless Particle," since the newly discovered Higgs boson was named after an atheist. This week we honor nonbelieving lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, and talk with Barbara Forrest, professor of philosophy, author of Creationism's Trojan Horse: The Wedge of Intelligent Design , and expert witness in the Dover (PA) "intelligent design" trial.
This week we hear reaction to FFRF's provocative "Quit The Church: Put Women's Rights Over Bishop's Wrongs" billboard. We talk about (yet) more governmental prayer violations, then we interview Ron Williams, the Australian singer/songwriter and father of six who challenged state-paid chaplains in public schools, and this month won a victorious decision from the High Court.
