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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A Christian mom who tried to ban LGBTQ books just got arrested for kidnapping her own daughter. (0:20)

— Will the Maine Supreme Court allow a mother to keep harming her daughter with religion? (20:10)

— Ohio appellate court lets makeshift church challenge local fire codes on religious grounds. (46:31)

— Four Christian pastors want their faith to override public safety concerns in a Colorado park. (1:05:05)

— Taxpayer dollars, Christian lies: What Alabama’s voucher program really buys. (1:15:41)

— Utah high school blasted for sermon-like video blaming "sin of laziness" for mental health struggles. (1:29:35)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— She turned in a Bible sermon instead of an essay and failed. Now conservatives say she’s the victim. (3:06)

— A Minnesota church told kids to hug and forgive their abuser. Then he found more victims. (44:15)

— Because of religion, a West Virginia judge just torched the state's best public health policy. (58:40)

— Florida Attorney General declares war on adults-only holiday drag show. (1:06:18)

— Religious leaders demand "immediate cancellation" of "Merry Gothmas" festival. (1:16:11)

— Texas families file class action lawsuit to halt Ten Commandments display in every school district. (1:19:49)

— UK Supreme Court strikes down N. Ireland's pro-Christian Religious Education curriculum. (1:23:29)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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Marissa Franks Burt is a novelist, editor, teacher, and cohost of the At Home with the Lectionary and In the Church Library podcasts. She lives in Washington state with her husband, six children, and heaps of books. She has a masters in theological studies from Columbia International University.

Her latest book, written with Kelsey Kramer McGinnis, is "The Myth of Good Christian Parenting: How False Promises Betrayed a Generation of Evangelical Families." (Amazon affiliate link: https://amzn.to/4pdy3ns)

The premise of the book is that Christian parents want to raise godly children. But many popular biblical parenting methods cause more harm than good. The stories bear that out. The research bears that out. And this book exposes how the Christian parenting industry has sold families false promises for five decades, leaving a trail of religious trauma, damaged relationships, and lost faith in its wake.

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant will be speaking in St. Louis this weekend for the Ethical Society of St. Louis. Events are free to the public. COME!

— Supreme Court declines case involving loudspeaker prayers at high school football games. (1:45)

— The Catholic League’s Epstein defense is even worse than you think. (21:45)

— New Hampshire town pulls plug on open forum after Satanists hoist flag. (40:26)

— How the Assemblies of God became a safe haven for sexual predators. (49:15)

— Colorado’s “first public Christian school” isn't a mistake. It's a test case. (1:05:15)

— Florida's proposed loyalty oath for educators would ban atheists from becoming teachers. (1:13:40)

— U.S. Catholic bishops double down on anti-trans policies in new hospital rules. (1:18:00)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— A TikToker is exposing churches that refuse to help a hungry baby. (2:32)

— Axios tried to shame Christian U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico—and ended up exposing itself. (24:30)

— Texas sues school district for following the law and not posting the Ten Commandments. (54:17) 

— Anti-abortion conservatives in Australia tried to turn a mother’s tragedy into a political game. (1:05:09)

— Texas’ third-largest school district just rejected Christian extremism on the board of trustees. (1:19:00)

— Pumpkin Palooza panic: How a cross-carved gourd sparked a mini culture war. (1:28:30)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

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Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— JD Vance wants his Hindu wife to convert. It’s Christian Nationalism: Home Edition. (5:09)

— How the American Humanist Association is empowering a new wave of atheist content creators. (30:36)

— Florida Republicans are furious that Muslims are using a voucher program meant to boost Christianity. (52:30)

— Texas Supreme Court says faith-based bigotry by judges doesn't violate ethics rules. (1:04:55)

— Federal judge rules against defiant teacher who refused to remove crucifix from classroom. (1:18:20)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Donor pulls scholarships after University of Arkansas Fayetteville posts Ten Commandments. (1:05)

— Christian HVAC tech fired after invoking the "Billy Graham Rule" sues employer. (11:08)

— The leader of the Anglican Church of North America is mired in a sexual misconduct scandal. (28:45)

— Indiana's Christian Nationalist Lt. Gov. says Zohran Mamdani wants to “force his values” on NYC. (44:19)

— Colorado’s “first public Christian school” is a constitutional disaster waiting to happen. (58:19)

— Christian Nationalist linked to Pete Hegseth defends slavery as "not inherently evil." (1:15:53)

— The Republican war on science is rapidly becoming a public health emergency. (1:30:21)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

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Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Pastor publicly shames woman for donating “only” $1,235 to his church. (2:40)

— How megachurches twist the Bible to defend billionaires and wealth inequality. (19:04)

— Sen. John Barrasso targets American Atheists in bizarre smear of "No Kings" protests. (39:33)

— Pastor who condemned book with gay characters charged with sexually assaulting child from church. (50:09)

— Judge blocks taxpayer-funded Catholic statues from going up at police HQ in Quincy, MA. (57:48)

— South Carolina bars atheist from serving as election worker unless he swears oath to God. (1:08:44)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free AND VIDEO version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Hemant will be speaking near Orlando, Florida this weekend!

— A Christian pastor aimed an AR-15 at the congregation to "run out the unbelief." (1:57)

— In victory for free speech, UK court overturns Qur'an-burning conviction. (16:31)

— Ohio Republicans used a life-saving Narcan bill to promote more religious indoctrination. (42:38)

— After settlement, Catholic priests in Washington can keep sex predators' confessions secret. (56:50)

— Anti-LGBTQ Catholic schools lose bid to discriminate in Colorado's universal preschool program. (1:13:09)

— Florida's first public school chaplain is a Jan. 6 supporter—and a warning to everyone. (1:26:18)

— Judge shuts down California school district's attempt to revive Christian prayers at meetings. (1:36:10)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Patreon supporters who give $5 a month will get an ad-free version of the show!

Join our private Facebook group and Discord server!

Jessica and I spoke about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— An appeals court has vacated a ruling saying Ten Commandments posters in Louisiana schools are unconstitutional. (1:26)

— Oklahoma has already started erasing Ryan Walters’ disastrous legacy. (14:14)

— The Christian Right tried to make a late-night talk show—and it bombed spectacularly. (36:09)

— Trump's NSPM-7 memo casts critics of Christianity as enemies of the state. (1:05:19)

— Megachurch founder and Trump ally Robert Morris pleads guilty to child sex abuse. (1:20:00)

— Faith, fear, and forced labor: The Kingdom of God Global Church scandal. (1:39:12)

This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.