Freethought Radio

Breaking news! FFRF won its lawsuit against a Texas judge who opens his courtroom sessions with a prayer. We hear Christopher Hitchens talking about facing death, and then a "funny" song about death by Dan Barker called "No Hurry To Die." Then we speak with philosopher and author Andy Norman about his new groundbreaking book Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind-Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think.

It is the merry month of May and the scary month of May. Secular groups make history by meeting with the White House Office of Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, but the Supreme Court decision to hear an abortion ban case is very bad news. After listening to Kristin Lems' song Days of the Theocracy, we talk with sociologist Phil Zuckerman, a professor at Pitzer College, about his Secular Studies program and his LA Times article claiming: "There is no reason to fear a secular nation."

A state/church victory in Georgia, praise for Secretary of State Blinken's inclusion of nonbelievers and for an HHS proposal to expand family planning services. After hearing the Sherry Matulis poem "Benediction," expressing pride in being an atheist, we talk with author Anu Garg, a former Hindu who is now an atheist, the founder of Wordsmith (wordsmith.org) and the writer of the popular "A Word A Day" email that has hundreds of thousands of subscribers in almost 200 countries.

VICTORY! Today we announce a major victory in our lawsuit against Texas Gov. Greg Abbot's censorship of FFRF's Bill of Rights display. Margaret Downey of the Freethought Society tells us how atheists and agnostics are helping the homeless and the hungry through the Mayday For Humanity event featuring well-known comedians, actors and musicians. Then, FFRF's Director of Communications Amit Pal describes how Hindu nationalism and religious beliefs are exacerbating the current COVID megatragedy in India.

We talk about rogue priests, predator priests, sanctimonious senators, creationist lawmakers and charitable atheists. After hearing Dan Barker's first freethought song, "You Can't Win With Original Sin," we talk with Jennifer Taylor, the new president of the Rationalists of East Tennessee, about how she escaped the Jehovah's Witnesses to become a happy freethinker.

We celebrate Earth Day and 15 years of broadcasting Freethought Radio by announcing some good news on the state/church front. After hearing Dan Barker's song "None of the Above," we talk with psychologist and educator Dr. Marlene Winell, author of Leaving the Fold: A Guide for Former Fundamentalists and Others Leaving Their Religion, who tells us how to deal with religious trauma.

Annie Laurie Gaylor reveals that the governors who resist pandemic science are white Christian nationalists. FFRF Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel tells us how the new congressional Supreme Court expansion bill, introduced today, will affect state/church separation. Then, Mexican-American actor, author, activist and atheist Indra Zuno describes her new book about white indentured servitude in early colonial America, Freedom Dues: A Novel.

Major court win! FFRF attorney Liz Cavell joins us to talk about FFRF's successful lawsuit blocking the state of Alabama from requiring the religious "So Help Me, God" oath on voter registration forms, a victory for state/church separation as well as voting rights. After listening to freethinker Yip Harburg sing "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", we hear Ron Reagan, son of president Ronald and Nancy Reagan, tell us why he is a life-long "unabashed atheist" who is "not afraid of burning in hell."

We celebrate the fact that U.S. church membership is now below 50 percent, complain about voter suppression by evangelicals, and announce a historic endowment for Secular Studies. After hearing the Dan Barker/Charles Strouse song "Poor Little Me," we talk with neuroscientist and freethinker (and creator of the Palm Pilot) Jeff Hawkins about his new groundbreaking book, A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence.

"Thoughts and prayers" are not enough. Violence — often prompted or exacerbated by religion — must be addressed with meaningful legislation. We encourage people this week to take action to protect state/church separation in Arizona, Delaware and Tennessee. After hearing Dan Barker's song "Get Off Your Knees (And Get To Work)," we talk with former Madison Avenue adman John Follis about his award-winning documentary film, "Leaving God: Why I left God and why so many others are too."