Freethought Radio

Masks, vaccinations and religion. After reporting FFRF legal complaints and victories, we celebrate the birthdate of 19th-century freethinker Robert G. Ingersoll by listening to his voice on an early 1890s Edison cylinder and hearing the song "The Time To Be Happy Is Now," which is based on Ingersoll's creed. Then we speak with former minister Candace Gorham, a licensed mental health counselor, about her new book Death, Dying, and Disbelief.

We discuss the Christian nationalism behind the Jan. 6 insurrection and call for increased vaccination. After reporting state/church news and hearing the song "Just Say NO To Religion," we speak with Lon Ostrander, a former Wesleyan minister who is now president of The Clergy Project, which helps ministers and priests who no longer believe to leave the pulpit.

After listening to state/church news and decrying the religious anti-vaxxers, we hear Shelley Segal's song "I Don't Believe in Fairies" from her "Atheist Album." Then we talk with cognitive psychologist, linguist and author Steven Pinker (FFRF's Honorary Chair) about his book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Humanism, Science, and Progress.

Proselytizing deputies, anti-abortion lawmakers, sexual predators, praying judges — FFRF is fighting them. After hearing irreverent humor from the comedians Robin Williams and Phyllis Diller, we talk with Robert P. Jones, CEO of Public Religion Research Institute, about the organization's new unprecedented county-by-county "2020 Census on Religion in America" showing that while religion is shrinking, the nonreligious percentage is holding steady.

This week, we report state/church victories in Colorado and Pennsylvania. After hearing poems by feminist, activist and atheist Sherry Matulis— "Religion's Child" and "Benediction," set to music by Dan Barker— we talk with Pakistani-American Muhammad Syed, co-founder and president of Ex Muslims of North America (EXMNA), about the new and unique "Apostate Report" that surveyed hundreds of former Muslims who have left Islam.

We honor Independence Day by celebrating our independence from religion. After hearing the optimistic song "There's a Good Time Coming" by Stephen Foster (born July 4, 1826), we talk with reporter and author Sarah Posner about her book, Unholy: Why White Evangelicals Worship at the Altar of Donald Trump.

We cover state/church news at the federal and state levels and talk about a new global study showing (unsurprisingly) that Christians are not happier than atheists. After hearing the song "Adrift On A Star," words by freethinking lyricist Yip Harburg and music by Dan Barker, we talk with FFRF's Reproductive Rights intern Barbara Alvarez about the growing threats to abortion rights from religiously motivated legislators.

Happy Juneteenth and Happy Summer Solstice! FFRF attorney Patrick Elliott joins us to talk about today's Supreme Court Fulton decision over whether a publicly funded religious organization can refuse to place foster-care children with same-sex parents. Then we speak with journalist Helen Christophi about her article in the April/May Progressive magazine called "For Christ's Sake: Leonard Leo's Network Is Trying To Reshape the World Into the Kingdom of God."

This week there is plenty of evidence that "nothing fails like prayer." We report on state/church complaints in Utah, North Carolina, Milwaukee, Texas and Oregon. After hearing freethinking Broadway composer Charles Strouse's song "Poor Little Me" (lyrics by Dan Barker), we talk with historian Kristin Du Mez about her new book "Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation."

We celebrate Pride Month and President Biden's decision not to fund the religiously repressive Hyde Amendment. After hearing the Cole Porter song "Experiment," we honor the legacy of U.S. Founder Thomas Paine by hearing his words in the song "The World Is My Country." Then we talk with leading constitutional scholar Geoffrey Stone about the Supreme Court's decision to accept a Mississippi case restricting abortion.