In this bonus episode, Hemant spoke with Andrew Pledger, a former student at Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian school with a long and not-so-great history. Andrew is the host of a new podcast called "Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult."
The stories in that podcast are depressing as all hell but they're so important to hear if you want to get a real sense of what schools like these do to people.
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BONUS - Interview with Andrew Pledger, host of "Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult"

Hemant Mehta and Jessica Greiff cover the latest news, politics, and pop culture with a focus on atheism and religion.
This is the official podcast for FriendlyAtheist.com.

Religion & Spirituality

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Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.
— Despite pastor's opposition, Georgia man gets OK to open liquor shop near churches. (0:30)
— The United Methodist Church reversed its ban on gay clergy. Will it matter? (12:25)
— A beloved Alabama principal may have lost her job because she has a girlfriend. (33:22)
— Kentucky mayor lashes out after criticism of his "Prayer Breakfast" event. (42:07)
— Preacher gets unearned praise after calling Trump Bible "disgusting" & "blasphemous." (51:25)
— Doug Wilson has ludicrous ideas for how the U.S. could become a Christian Nation. (1:02:15)
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Ep. 529 - Liquor License in the Bible Belt

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.
— What I'll remember about Daniel Dennett. (0:28)
— Catholic priest resigns after backlash involving his criticism of a gay author. (8:43)
— Christian lawmaker says teachers should be allowed to hit special needs students. (24:38)
— A Christian ministry urged the Supreme Court to criminalize homelessness. (46:03)
— Māori atheists say Christian colonization helped push them away from the faith. (1:01:59)
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Ep. 528 - Corporal Punishment and Christianity

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.
— Christian Men's Conference descends into chaos over sword-swallowing acrobat. (1:02) 
— Wisconsin official blames homelessness on "sin," then votes against aid for the poor. (25:15)
— Christian Nationalist falsely claims Satanist chaplains "don't qualify" to work in schools. (39:27)
— Tennessee declares Aitken Bible one of its "official state books." (53:37)
— North Dakota GOP endorses Christian theocrat to run the state's public schools. (1:07:06)
— Louisiana High Court: Priests have a "right" not to be sued over decades-old abuse. (1:20:15)
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Ep. 527 - Christian Men's Conference Descends Into Chaos

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.
— Arizona GOP lawmaker lashes out at "god-haters" who criticized abortion ban prayer. (4:21)
— Christian school's pastor cancels Autism Awareness Week, calling it "demonic." (19:40)
— New Testament scholar Richard Hays now says God's cool with gay people. (35:53)
— The Vatican, a threat to human dignity, calls gender-affirming surgery a threat to human dignity. (45:57)
— Wisconsin public school district seeks new leader with "conservative, christian values." (1:01:09)
— Christian woman admits she was fired from Starbucks for being an anti-LGBTQ bigot. (1:11:24)
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Ep. 526 - Pastor Calls Autism Awareness Week "Demonic"

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.
— This pastor's wedding night "joke" epitomizes Christian sexism. (0:40)
— Richard Dawkins says Christianity is "fundamentally decent," but Islam "is not." (18:42)
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— Prominent Christians falsely claim Biden chose Easter to honor trans people. (34:13)
— Donald Trump is now selling a Bible that a Christian publisher walked away from in 2021. (41:13)
— New York prisoners, led by atheist, sue state in order to see solar eclipse. (48:28)
— Christians erect (another) $240,000 cross in Mississippi. (1:03:18)
— After ruining a school district, Christians in Colorado want to "take over" a city council. (1:09:40)
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BONUS - Interview with Andrew Pledger, host of "Surviving Bob Jones University: A Christian Cult"

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