In the News: Black atheists of Chicago, “Tea with Mr. Darwin,” Nonbelief-Relief, and National Day of Prayer protested with Dan’s song, “Get Off Your Knees and Get To Work.” We interview author Andrew Solomon (“Far From The Tree”), president of the PEN American Center, who this week awarded satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo its “Free Expression Courage Award."
In the News: Venice, Florida, city council rejects “In God We Trust;” Doug Marshall’s Reason Station goes up in Warren, Michigan, city hall; creationist teacher disciplined in Arroyo Grande, California, public high school. After celebrating the birthdays of Peter Tchaikovsky and Pete Seeger, we talk with Princeton history professor Ken M. Kruse about his eye-opening book, One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America.
In the News: The dumbing down of America with Tennessee House voting the bible as the state book, global warming talk barred from Wisconsin state agencies, and prayer before university football games. After celebrating the birthday of feminist pioneer Mary Wollstonecraft and hearing Roy Zimmerman's "Creation Science 101," we talk with Len Eisenberg, founder and CEO of Evogeneao, promoting evolution education.
Find out why the pious Attorney General of Oklahoma is on the warpath against FFRF, why vouchers - ouch - hurt our public schools, plus other recent FFRF activism, then meet Amanda Metskas, executive director of Camp Quest, which provides secular summer camps around the nation, and is celebrating its 20th anniversary. We honor the birth of Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev, an atheist, by playing some of his enchanting music, and, with a camping theme, play Dan Barker and Steve Benson’s parody o...
FFRF continues to fight Vouchers and RFRA. When FOX News goes after you, you must be doing something right. Listen to a former DOJ employee attack FFRF and defend Christians' so-called right to discriminate. After celebrating the birthdays of freethinkers Charlie Chaplin and Thomas Jefferson with music, we talk with FFRF's Legal Publicist Maddie Ziegler about her work to defend Jefferson's wall of separation between church and state.
In The News: The Madison, Wisconsin, City Council passed the resolution to add atheism as a protected class to city ordinances; FFRF takes out TV and New York Times print ads opposing religious school vouchers and the state and federal Religious Freedom Restoration Acts. After celebrating the birthdays of freethinking songwriters Tom Lehrer and Yip Harburg, we announce the winners of the drawing for a signed copy of Dan Barker’s new book, Life Driven Purpose . Our guest this week is Wendy Thomas...
In the News: FFRF reports on its successful commercial by Ron Reagan on CNN, salutes Robert Kastenmeier, a former member of Congress who died last week, and its March Madness complaints over basketball chaplains at state universities. After celebrating the birthday of Eric Idle (by playing two of his irreverent Monty Python songs), Annie Laurie interviews Harry Shaughnessy, president of the Triangle Freethought Society (an FFRF chapter), whose family was featured this month in a CNN online story...
After reporting on the success of FFRF's national ad featuring Ron Reagan on CNN, we announce FFRF victories stopping prayer and bible reading in public schools in Texas and Maryland. We celebrate the birthdays of nonbelievers Elton John, Stephen Sondheim, Keira Knightly, Richard Dawkins, and freethinking feminists Matilda Joslyn Gage and Gloria Steinem. Then we talk with journalist and author David Seidman about his new book, What If I'm an Atheist: A teen's guide to exploring a life without re...
Good news: FFRF reports many state/church victories around the country; federal Appeals Court won’t allow Milwaukee Catholic diocese to shield cemetery trust from bankruptcy to pay for victims of molesting priests. Bad news: Supreme Court temporarily sides with Catholic university to deny birth-control coverage; Wisconsin moves to expand school vouchers for mainly religious schools. After hearing the song “None of the Above,” Annie Laurie interviews Dan Barker about his new book, Life Driven Pur...
FFRF's TV ad featuring Ron Reagan was censored by the major news networks. After celebrating the birthday of freethinking botanist Luther Burbank and hearing “Bread & Roses” in honor of International Women’s Day, we talk with Kimberly Veal, an organizer with Chicago Black Skeptics.
After celebrating the 100th birthday of freethinking biologist Peter Medawar, we talk with Douglas Marshall, the victorious plaintiff who sued the city of Warren, Michigan, and won the right to display a Reason Station next to the Prayer Station in city hall. Then we speak with journalist Jeffrey Tayler, of The Atlantic (calling us from Russia), about his “It’s Time to Fight Religion” article and the problem with the media’s hesitation to criticize religion itself for the violence it creates....
In the News: Wisconsin Governor Walker's office confirms he has no record of communications with a deity; the dangers of school voucher expansion analyzed. After hearing astronomer Neil DeGrasse Tyson interview "God," we talk with Madison city council woman Anita Weir about her proposal to expand the city's protected class ordinance to include atheists.
In the News: After analyzing Obama’s Prayer Breakfast remarks and chastising the “lovely couple" Antonin Scalia and Judge Roy Moore for resisting gay marriage, we announce a new federal lawsuit over religious proselytizing by teachers in a Georgia school. We celebrate the birthday of Susan B. Anthony and hear the freethought love song “It’s Only Natural,” then we talk with the leading feminist author, activist, blogger, radio host and atheist Robin Morgan about the plight of women in today’s rel...
After commenting on religious violence around the globe, we talk with Rachel Harger about the upcoming Texas Secular Convention in Austin. We hear actor/novelist Stephen Fry denounce the “wicked” god of the bible, and then celebrate the 89th birthday of freethought poet laureate Philip Appleman by hearing his lyrics set to music in the song “Fleas.” Then we talk with journalist Katherine Stewart, author of the book The Good News Club , about the movement to plant a church in every public school....
In the News: New FFRF billboards in Chicago, Greece’s atheist prime minister sworn in, California mayor refuses prayer, Mike Huckabee disses atheism, and Obama recognizes nonbelievers. We celebrate the birthday of freethinking composer Burton Lane by hearing his irreverent song “The Begats,” from Finian’s Rainbow. Then we talk with skeptical author Michael Shermer about his new book, The Moral Arc: How Science and Reason Lead Humanity Toward Truth, Justice, and Freedom.
Pope Francis says we should not "make fun of faith," but we point out that blasphemy is a victimless crime. After honoring the birthdays of freethinking composers Mozart and Jerome Kern, we celebrate the birthday of founding patriot Thomas Paine, the deistic freethinker who wrote T he Age of Reason, by listening to Dan Barker's tribute, "The World is My Country." Then we talk with Steven Hewett, a retired Army sergeant and Afghanistan veteran who successfully stopped religious symbols from being...
In The News: FFRF’s donation to Charlie Hebdo and a full-page FFRF "Atheists in Foxholes” ad in USA Today’s Defense Commemoration issue. We talk with Eric Stone, an FFRF Life member who helped stop prayers at Concord, California city council meetings. Then we ask former Seventh Day Adventist minister Ryan Bell what happened after his experiment to live a “Year Without God.”
We honor the French cartoonists who were killed this week by religious extremists by talking with the irreverent Pulitzer-Prize winning editorial cartoonist Steve Benson. Then we chat with Marshall Brain, the founder of “How Stuff Works,” about his new freethinking book, How “God” Works .
We start the show talking about three recent movies with freethought connections. Then we ask, "How do atheists deal with death?” Greta Christina tells us about her new book, Comforting Thoughts About Death That Have Nothing To Do About God . Then we talk with Barbara Mancini, who was arrested and prosecuted for handing her terminally ill 93-yr-old father prescribed medicine that he requested, a charge of "assisted suicide" that was religiously and politically motivated, and ultimately dismissed...
In the news: FFRF on ESPN basketball, North Carolina nativity scene victory, and the first winter solstice sign in Puerto Rico. We celebrate the New Year with a light-hearted performance of Phil Appleman's "Noah," and Jim Malcom's Scottish rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." Our guest is Tom Cara, director of FFRF's Metropolitan Chicago chapter, talking about 11 Out of the Closet billboards and other freethought seasonal displays.
FFRF announces two new lawsuits: suing Wisconsin governor Scott Walker's administration over open records violation and challenging a nativity scene in Indiana. We celebrate the Winter Solstice with seasonal freethought music. Then we speak with FFRF attorneys Patrick Elliott and Rebecca Markert about the new lawsuits.
Nativity scenes, county grants to churches, praying high-school coaches, and Winter Solstice displays top the news this week. Then we speak with evolutionary psychologist Steven Pinker about his newest book, The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century .
FFRF's Winter Solstice and Natural Nativity are back at the Wisconsin Capitol. After talking about a victory stopping a "Keep Christ in Christmas" parade in Piedmont, Alabama, we celebrate the birthdays of secular songwriters Ira Gershwin and Jay Gorney. Then we talk with FFRF intern and activist Jarvis Idowu, a 3rd-year law student at UW-Madison, about the Secular Law Students Society that he started and his work to keep state and church separate.
FFRF attorney Andrew Seidel tells us about FFRF's victory against Hobby Lobby, stopping a bible class in Mustang, Oklahoma public schools. Then we talk with author and researcher Roy Sablosky about his recent article in Social Science Journal, "Does Religion Foster Generosity?"
After discussing FFRF’s temporary setback (on standing, not merits) in federal Appeals Court over the IRS “Housing Allowance” case, we announce a new lawsuit challenging prayer at Chino Valley, California, school board meetings. We celebrate the 88th birthday of FFRF’s principal founder Anne Nicol Gaylor by honoring the feminist freethinker Margaret Sanger. Then we talk with author and scholar Barbara G. Walker about her new book, Belief and Unbelief .
FFRF's "legal fellow," attorney Katherine Paige, tells us about her recent victory stopping county funds from supporting a religious ministry in Alabama. Then we talk with Carol Fiore, widow of test pilot Eric Fiore, about her new book, A Grief Workbook for Skeptics: Surviving Loss Without Religion.
Timely news updates include FFRF’s reports to the IRS of illegal politicking by 501(c)(3) tax-exempt churches. We report some Bible Belt victories against blatant promotion of religion in public schools. Then Freethought Radio salutes artistic freethinkers born this week, including Schiller and Aaron Copeland. We interview former minister John W. Loftus about the last in his trilogy anthology, called “Christianity Is Not Great: How Faith Fails,” which is hot off the press!
In The News: football baptisms, proselytizing teachers, Fox & Friends lecturing FFRF on "culture of the South," and USA Today acknowledging FFRF's accomplishments. Then we talk with John Figdor, Humanist Chaplain at Stanford University, about his new book Atheist Mind, Humanist Heart: Rewriting the Ten Commandments for the Twenty-First Century.
In the News: Landmark Minnesota Church abuse case. Freethought Hall expansion progress, including video of the artist making commemorative tiles. Then we hear from two former ministers who no longer believe: Randy Bender (Lutheran) and Matt Killingsworth (Pentecostal).
Life Beyond Belief. After state/church news in South Dakota, Georgia, Ohio, and Oklahoma, we hear from science-fiction writer Ursula K. LeGuin, and listen to part of Malala Yousafzai's Nobel Peace Prize remarks. Then we talk with Bob Ripley, former pastor of the largest mainline Protestant church in Canada who resigned after discarding his faith. His new book is Life Beyond Belief: A Preacher's Deconversion.
