Another Goddamned Podcast #31: September 11th, 2008

So the U.S. is attacked and the very first thing Congress does is sing "God Bless America." Great for freethinkers, eh? Ex wonders whether fundy political clout increased after 9/11. Did lots of people believe that our country was attacked specifically because we're a "Christian" nation? Chappy thinks that for many conservative Jesoids, Christianity is conflated with Americanism. Philly says the ever-growing atheist community should thank George Bush. Is he right?

Evo sees an ugly face peeking out of an open window. Relax, though -- it's probably not you. In response, SI teaches the Herd about the "buttfer" test. Ex asks: Is it possible to imagine a world free of religion? Philly can imagine something, but it involves flatulation and butterflies. OG, channeling evangelicals, compares rejecting religion to rejecting Americanism. Are moderate-to-liberal theists partially responsible for the acts of 9/11? Or does the morality of a society shape its religion rather than vice versa? And what does a Chinese menu have to do with anything?

Which came first: the disgusting chicken or the rotten egg? Are nationalism and religion related? Who's persecuting whom? More important question: Can people ever stop playing "the Game"? And why does everybody hate atheists -- particularly Chappy?

Another Goddamned Puzzle is solved with the help of some fictional characters, but Ex imagines having to console some puzzlers about his con job for next week. Talk about wack-a-doo ideas: Amazingly, 51% of the world's population believes that Evo exists. Whoever "Evo" is, he (or she) poses a science question about climate change. Why not give it a try while you're still comfortable?