Florida just put a price tag on ignorance. A new bill (SB 1006) would ban "academic penalties" for students who express religious or ideological beliefs in class—even if their answers are factually wrong.

If a teacher fails a student for citing the Bible on a biology test, they don't just face a complaint. They face a mandatory $25,000 lawsuit.

I’m Mike Smithgall, and in this episode, we look at how "sincerely held beliefs" are becoming a get-out-of-grading-free card, and why Florida is creating the ultimate participation trophy for the religious right.

Get more details in our companion article at Atheistville.com

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Mike takes a drive through his hometown and counts the true cost of religious property tax exemptions. In just one ZIP code, he identifies 7 religious parcels representing $31 million in assessed value—all exempt from property tax.

Drawing on data from the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, the IRS and his local tax assessor, Mike explores how this "tax base erosion" shifts the financial burden of local services onto residents. He challenges the "charity defense," notes the lack of IRS Form 990 reporting for churches, and argues that public subsidies should require public evidence of community benefit.

Links:

IRS Exempt Organizations 

Research Report: How Secular Humanists (and Everyone Else) Subsidize Religion in the United States

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: "Reexamining the Property Tax Exemption"

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy: "Significant Features of the Property Tax" 

Listener Question:

Do you think churches should be required to file public financial disclosures (Form 990) just like secular charities?

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Welcome to the first broadcast of 2026. In this episode of Breakfast with a Heathen, we kick off the year by tackling the outrage over a New York mayor swearing in on a Quran and why Christian Nationalists ignore the irony when it comes to their own Bible.

I share a personal story from my teenage years working at a Shell station in Jacksonville that shattered the homophobic stereotypes I was raised with, and I get open about mortality—and how an old crockpot reminded me to focus on the "dash" between birth and death.

We also cover:

• The "No True Scotsman" Fallacy: Why saying ex-believers were "never real Christians" is a desperate defense mechanism.
• Toxic Family Dynamics: How to handle parents who force you to fake your faith and why "Woke" is being rebranded as "Satanic."
• The Judas Plot Hole: If the betrayal was necessary for salvation, did Judas ever actually have free will?

💬 Viewer Question

 "I discussed the 'Judas Paradox' at the end of the show: If Judas’s betrayal was required for the crucifixion and salvation to happen, was he just a puppet? Did he actually have free will? Let me know your theory in the comments." 

📑 Relevant Topics or Chapter Headings

• 00:00 Intro: 2026, Venezuela, & Christian Nationalism
• 03:15 The "Scary" Quran: Swearing in on Holy Books
• 06:40 God of the Gaps: Why Geography Dictates Your Religion
• 10:15 "Just Following Orders": The Cowardice of Religious Homophobia
• 13:20 The Shell Station Story: Unlearning Stereotypes
• 16:50 The "No True Scotsman" Fallacy
• 21:30 The Crockpot Story: Coping with Death & The "Dash"
• 27:10 In-Laws Who Force You to Fake Your Faith
• 32:00 "Cafeteria Christians" & Cherry-Picking Scripture
• 36:15 Purity Culture: The "Turn It Off" Light Switch
• 42:00 Is Being "Woke" Actually Satanic?
• 46:50 Responding to "Patterns Amazing" (The 4-Paragraph Sermon)
• 49:30 The Judas Loophole: Predestination vs. Free Will

Thank you to the following people for providing the questions:
TiTok'rs
Arthurmnizss
Available-Page-4443
Bitter_Low_319
drphil07734
Even-Bid-2843
goobli3s
Marcusmarcb0tI
nanialk
Objective_Nobody_734
patternsamazing 
Rough_Damage8838

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© 2025-2026 Atheistville Media

The noise we heard in 2025 wasn't the sound of a giant conquering the land. It was the sound of a machine breaking down.

In this episode of Mike Drop, we pull back the curtain on the Religious Right. 2025 felt like the walls were closing in—from the "Department of War" rebranding to mandatory Ten Commandments in schools. But when you look past the smoke, mirrors, and pyrotechnics, you find a movement that is terrified of its own demographics.

We analyze the "Zombie Church" data that proves their pews are emptying, the desperate hypocrisy behind their "bodily autonomy" arguments, and why their authoritarianism is actually proof of their irrelevance. The Great and Powerful Oz isn't rising; he's just turning up the volume.

Topics Discussed in This Episode:

• Why the "Department of War" rebranding is a sign of weakness
• The "Zombie Church" data explaining the decline of the Religious Right
• The hypocrisy of "bodily autonomy" regarding vaccines vs. abortion
• Pete Hegseth, Pam Bondi, and the "smoke and mirrors" of 2025 politics
• Secular morality and the argument for a neutral government

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Join Mike Smithgall, the unelected mayor of Atheistville, for a post-holiday edition of Breakfast with a Heathen. After a 27-day journey through Thailand, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, Mike returns to the mic to tackle listener questions on the friction between secular and religious life. From a heartbreaking discussion on evangelical families shunning siblings over same-sex marriage to a deep dive into the "carrot and stick" psychology of the fear of Hell, Mike shares personal stories—including his own experience as a parent in the South—to provide a roadmap for finding your own "tribe."

We also explore the boundaries of the workplace, the "wasteful wealth" of the Vatican, and the logical plot holes of Original Sin. Whether you're curious about why atheists still say "Oh my God" or how to host a secular Christmas dinner for a house full of immigrants and ex-believers, this episode is a blend of travel stories, critical thinking, and compassionate advice for the modern skeptic.

💬 Viewer Question

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Headlines claim a religious revival is happening, but the data tells a different story. Today on the Mike Drop, we’re looking at the "Zombie Store" of global faith. Using new research from Nature Communications and the latest 2025 Pew Global Sweep, I break down the 3-stage P-I-B model (Participation, Importance, Belonging) that proves religion isn't bouncing back—it's just rotting from the inside out.

Is religion actually "leveling off" in the US, or are we just watching a generational lag? Let’s look at the math.

to see the charts head over to https://atheistville.com/2025/12/22/zombie_church/

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Mike Smithgall explores the uncomfortable reality facing moderate Christians in America. As Christian Nationalism rises, many believers try to stay "above the fray," claiming the extremists don't represent them. Mike argues that this "Glass Bottom Boat" mentality is failing.

Using the logic often applied to police misconduct ("just a few bad apples"), Mike challenges the faithful to take responsibility for their institution. If the "good" Christians don't stand up to the "bad" ones, the whole system is complicit. An episode about integrity, reputation, and why an atheist is fighting to save the soul of the church.

Engagement:

• Viewer Question: "Do you think moderate Christians have a responsibility to publicly denounce Christian Nationalism, or is it unfair to expect them to police their own group?"

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In this episode, we tackle the dark theological implications of an all-knowing God: If the outcome is already known, did God create humanity just to send most of us to hell? We also dive into the heated debate over whether churches should lose their tax-exempt status if they fail to contribute tangibly to their communities.

Later, we analyze the "Telephone Game" of history regarding the existence of Jesus compared to figures like Alexander the Great, and address the personal side of leaving religion, from overcoming the guilt of enjoying secular music to the isolation of losing friends and family during deconstruction. Finally, we answer a listener's concern about whether you need a "goth" aesthetic to fit in as a Satanist.

💬 Viewer Question

"If the U.S. government mandated that churches must donate a specific percentage of their income to local charities to keep their tax-exempt status, do you think most churches would comply or close their doors?"

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Gallup reports a 17% point drop in Americans who say religion is important in daily life. This is one of the largest declines recorded globally in the last decade, and it signals a massive cultural shift in America.

In this episode of the Mike Drop, Mike Smithgall analyzes the #Gallup data, breaking down why this 17% drop is happening now, what it means for American politics, and how younger generations are redefining their relationship with faith and authority.

We explore:

• The difference between Christian identity and Christian practice in the U.S.
• How institutional scandals and the rise of #Christiannationalism have pushed people away from organized religion.
• Why the U.S. now sits in a "strange zone" of high religious identity but middling religiosity compared to other developed nations.
• The rise of personal agency and reason as people build morality from human needs, not ancient rules.

This analysis provides a measured, #secular, and skeptical look at the forces reshaping belief in America.

Source/Citation:

The analysis is based on the Gallup World Poll and its analysis of the dramatic drop in U.S. religiosity:

https://news.gallup.com/poll/697676/drop-religiosity-among-largest-world.aspx

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This week, we dive into the deep and often hypocritical intersections of faith, social welfare, and personal ethics. The discussion opens with the shocking findings from the viral TikTok experiment where churches denied basic aid like baby formula to the needy, contrasting this with the impending government shutdown and asking: Where is the promised Christian charity when the most vulnerable are suffering? The episode also explores the data showing a massive drop in religion's importance in America.

We pivot to the evolving moral landscape of sex and consent. Is the traditional religious argument against premarital sex fundamentally flawed? We explore the secular, pragmatic case for physical intimacy outside of marriage, focusing on mutual respect, consent, and well-being over outdated contractual concepts. Finally, the conversation tackles a foundational philosophical problem: The cost of faith and the question of consent—from mandatory school activities and Bibles in public spaces to the ethics of infant baptism and the profound, unconsenting nature of existence under a supposedly loving God.

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🔥 New episodes weekly from Atheistville — Mike Drop with Mike Smithgall, Ask an Atheist, and The Unholy Roundtable, Breakfast With a Heathen

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