Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Atheism, politics, and the consequences of the midterm elections! We discussed canvassing for a great candidate, the atheists who were elected, and what the GOP Senate majority could do to the courts. (1:00) — The anti-gay county clerk from Kentucky, Kim Davis, is now out of a job having lost her re-election bid. (39:08) — The Trump administration wants to make it even harder for women to o...
Nov 10, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Kellyanne Conway blamed the synagogue shooting on anti-religiosity, not anti-Semitism. (3:04) — Don't invite a Jews for Jesus rabbi to speak after a mass shooting of Jewish people. (10:32) — Muslims covered the funeral expenses for victims of anti-Semitic mass shooting. (16:35) — Did the University of Utah properly handle the death of a student? (19:05) — Don't ever go to a gynecologist who...
Nov 03, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Tasmania may remove gender from birth certificates. (3:55) — The Trump administration may revoke legal protections for transgender people. (8:35) — Ark Encounter attendance is still dropping faster than ever. (18:18) — Astrological chapstick is now a thing. (20:37) — The Museum of the Bible realized five of its Dead Sea Scrolls are fake. Who wants to tell them? (22:47) — If the Australian p...
Oct 27, 2018•2 hr 30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — A Catholic pharmacist wouldn't give a woman the medicine she needed to abort a miscarriage. (2:35) — Christian videographers want the right to discriminate against gay customers and it may go to the Supreme Court. (10:48) — Republicans are rushing to confirm an enemy of church/state separation before Democrats can weigh in. (21:12) — Stephen Hawking is adamant about his atheism in his final...
Oct 19, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Atheist charity Nonbelief Relief just had its tax exemption revoked by the IRS‚ arguably on purpose. The group says this amounts to religious discrimination by the government. (0:45) — Here are the major church/state separation cases in front of the Supreme Court that Brett Kavanaugh could soon be ruling on. (11:55) — Secular Democrats are among the most enthusiastic about the midterms. But...
Oct 13, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Tucker Carlson says the Brett Kavanaugh backlash is due to an atheist "theocracy." (4:40) — Does Purity Culture explain why evangelical women still support Brett Kavanaugh? (11:06) — Former Southern Baptist leader Paige Patterson is teaching a class on ethics for some reason. (14:58) — Even Catholics are getting sick of Pope Francis. (19:52) — In a letter, Albert Einstein called God a "prod...
Oct 06, 2018•56 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Even if Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, half of evangelicals wouldn't care. (1:30) — A Jesuit publication rescinded its endorsement of Kavanaugh. (11:25) — The question to Kavanaugh from Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) about God was inappropriate. (15:49) — A Kentucky city council member is holding a school district hostage unless they take back their support of churc...
Sep 29, 2018•52 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — White evangelicals say we shouldn't listen to Brett Kavanaugh's accuser unless there were 2-3 witnesses because the Bible says so, and that he was respectful after she said no. (0:35) — A man who strangled a woman received no jail time. (26:35) — A Louisiana congressman claims atheists are spying on students in one high school. (29:42) — An art gallery owner found a clever way to get church...
Sep 22, 2018•1 hr 17 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — This is a great way to respond to an anti-abortion protest outside a high school. (0:45) — A 9-year-old girl protesting the National Anthem in Australia. And she has a good point. (6:20) — Republican candidates' old videos are catching up to them in their races. (11:36) — What is causing Hurricane Florence? These Christians have all the (wrong) ideas. (24:35) — Here's the biggest problem wi...
Sep 15, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — These Christians are threatening to follow the law if they don't get to pray over the loudspeakers before football games. (2:20) — A new book talks about the harm of the evangelical "purity" movement. (7:53) — Several states are launching their own investigations into the Catholic Church. (17:37) — Researchers calculated how much money victims of Catholic Church abuse lose over their lifeti...
Sep 08, 2018•2 hr 50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Donald Trump held a dinner party for conservative Christian leaders, screwed up a quotation, and urged pastors to tell their congregations how to vote. (6:22) — The Pope's visit to Ireland was not nearly as popular as organizers expected. (13:51) — A critic of the Pope says he knew about the abuse and did nothing but the messenger has problems of his own. (18:02) — Louis CK is performing ag...
Aug 31, 2018•1 hr 22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) used Christianity to cover up his campaign finance fraud. (2:55) — The Catholic Church has spent millions of dollars in New York lobbying against bills that would let victims of child sex abuse seek justice. (7:50) — Good news! Claiming to have flown in an alien spaceship is no longer a dealbreaker to get an endorsement from the Miami Herald. (11:50) — Christine Ha...
Aug 25, 2018•58 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — The grand jury's report on the child sex abuse in six Pennsylvania Catholic dioceses and it's the most disturbing stuff you'll ever hear. (0:35 with details at 5:15) — The Catholic League's Bill Donohue, as usual, is downplaying the seriousness of the allegations against priests. (24:10) — Mormons don't want to be called Mormons anymore. (37:55) — The Christian baker who famously refused to...
Aug 18, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — The rest of Willow Creek church's leadership resigned over the Bill Hybels scandal. (0:28) — Brock Turner lost his appeal to overturn a sexual assault conviction. (16:14) — A one-minute video promoting animal rights was too controversial for a Southern Baptist group. (20:40) — An anti-abortion pamphlet was found inside a box of diapers. (28:30) — An Atlanta charter school tried to avoid a P...
Aug 11, 2018•59 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. — Willow Creek megachurch's founder Bill Hybels has now been accused of sexually harassing his assistant decades ago, and the lead pastor quit as a result. (2:15) — Jeff Sessions' "Religious Freedom Task Force" is just a government program to help conservative Christians discriminate against groups they hate. (18:09) — Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church would stop if only seminaries re...
Aug 06, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- 50 years ago, the pope said birth control was immoral. (1:15) -- Did you know Gwyneth Paltrow hired a fact checker for Goop? (9:40) -- This 11-year-old college grad wants to pursue astrophysics so he can prove God's existence. (19:44) -- Computer models could help us understand the future of religion. (30:25) -- A Republican candidate for office thinks the Founding Fathers put "One Nation ...
Jul 26, 2018•1 hr 19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Republicans just passed another bill to repeal the Johnson Amendment. (0:22) -- If you're running for governor, don't belittle someone who asks a good question about climate change. (6:35) -- Russian spy Mariia Butina infiltrated the government via the National Prayer Breakfast. (12:25) -- Science denier Jenny McCarthy has solid verifiable proof that a ghost is in her house. There's even v...
Jul 21, 2018•1 hr 27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The new Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, the one right-wing group that opposed him (temporarily), and his claim that church/state separation is "based on bad history." (0:30) -- This is why it's a problem believing communion wafers are the literal body of Christ. (20:14) -- Apparently you're not a real man unless you have a first-born son. (25:29) -- Kentucky can't decide if religiou...
Jul 14, 2018•1 hr 10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Is Ark Encounter lying about attendance again? (0:39) -- A Republican congressional candidate thinks women are best described as "helpers." (15:52) -- What does Scott Pruitt's resignation letter say about God? (26:22) -- The man who destroyed the Ten Commandments monument in Arkansas doesn't regret it. (30:40) -- In Virginia, a new city council was sworn in... and they got rid of prayer. (...
Jul 07, 2018•2 hr 53 min•Transcript available on Metacast In January, Jessica found out her brother Kevin was reading a book about the Satanic Panic and she thought it would be fun to sit down and have him walk her through the ins and outs of that era. They recorded in February. They had technical issues and had to scrap it. They tried again in April. It went very poorly. They scrapped it. But, third time's a charm, and so now we present to you "The Bluemke Sibling Dollop Tribute Journey Through the Satanic Panic." Notes: This podcast is a hat tip to T...
Jul 04, 2018•1 hr 23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- What does Anthony Kennedy's retirement mean for church/state separation? (1:05) -- The Supreme Court banning abortion will backfire on evangelicals. (18:25) -- A Walgreens pharmacist refused to fill a prescription for a woman who miscarried. (32:00) -- Your thoughts and prayers alone won't help the victims in Annapolis, Maryland. (37:50) -- The American Family Association thinks a man spyi...
Jun 30, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Should Catholic Church confessionals about child abuse be reported to the cops? (2:01) -- Apparently, Australia doesn't exist. (9:45) -- Two Christian women released a marriage checklist. It's disturbing. (13:14) -- In Alberta, religious schools want the ability to "out" members of Gay-Straight Alliances to their parents. (26:00) -- PA State Rep. Brian Sims had a one-finger salute for Mike...
Jun 23, 2018•2 hr 46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Trump administration is using Bible verses to justify tearing children away from their parents. (1:29) -- Canada's Supreme Court says legal societies can reject the accreditation of an anti-gay Christian law school. (14:52) -- Abortion: Why won't anyone think of the men? (28:14) -- A Christian Right group plans to spend $20 million for the upcoming midterms. How will you respond? (40:4...
Jun 16, 2018•1 hr 28 min•Transcript available on Metacast In this bonus episode, Hemant spoke with David Ellis Dickerson. He's a writer mostly known for his many appearances on "This American Life," telling stories about growing up a conservative Christian in Tucson, Arizona. In 2013, he became an Emmy-nominated game show writer for his work on the Christian game show "The American Bible Challenge," which aired on the Game Show Network and can now be seen on Netflix. We spoke about how our paths inadvertently crossed about a decade ago, how an atheist ...
Jun 14, 2018•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- The Catholic League's Bill Donohue is already using Anthony Bourdain's suicide to celebrate himself. (0:50) -- The Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was the worst of all possible worlds for conservative Christians, even though they won. (12:08) -- Does a Muslim beautician have the legal right to tell a trans woman she won't wax her private parts? (23:44) -- A Texas church's list of dangerous "...
Jun 09, 2018•2 hr 41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Now that abortion will be legal in Ireland, Focus on the Family is lying about what will happen next. (2:54) -- Donald Trump pardoned Dinesh D'Souza because nothing matters anymore. (19:44) -- The Mormon Church is way richer than we thought. (24:15) -- A Republican politician knows why school shootings happen: Kids are buying smut at grocery stores. (33:24) -- Atheists have filed a lawsuit...
Jun 02, 2018•2 hr 45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Adam Laats is Professor of Education and History (by courtesy) at Binghamton University (State University of New York). He has contributed essays to Education Week, Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington Post, Time, and Newsweek. He blogs about education, history, and culture-war angst at I Love You but You ºre Going to Hell. He is the author, most recently, of Fundamentalist U: Keeping the Faith in American Higher Education. I spoke with him about how fundamentalist Christian colleges handle...
May 25, 2018•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Note from Hemant: I'm out of the country right now, but Jessica and her friend Anne got together to record this episode! They talked about a weird school policy regarding smiling, the new U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem (and why Robert Jeffress and John Hagee were there), and how I (Hemant) got called out by Ken Ham during his news show. (Timestamps will return when I get back home!) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-...
May 19, 2018•2 hr 37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Franklin Graham says Donald Trump's affair with Stormy Daniels is "nobody's business." That's not what he said when Bill Clinton was in office. (3:14) -- The Natural History Museum in Jerusalem is covering up an evolution exhibit so they don't offend ultra-Orthodox Jews. (12:47) -- The 13-year-old "miracle boy" from Alabama, who survived brain trauma, isn't a miracle at all. (14:52) -- Sou...
May 11, 2018•1 hr 13 min•Transcript available on Metacast Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics. -- Paige Patterson, a leader of the Southern Baptists, has horrible advice for abused wives. (0:42) -- The problem with Incels. (17:52) -- A Michigan Catholic school told girls they'd have to wear "Modesty Ponchos" at Prom if they were dressed too sluttily, but they caved after backlash. (31:09) -- We learned about a new fossil that marks a transition between dinosaurs and modern birds. Creat...
May 05, 2018•2 hr 38 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
