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

— A high school artist called out Christian bigotry. Her school board is furious. (1:33)

— Southern Baptist membership dropped yet again to a 47-year low (17:48)

— A pastor who was "betrothed" to a child, then abused her, is finally in custody. (34:10)

— Lying preacher John MacArthur: "There's no such thing" as PTSD, OCD, and ADHD. (50:45)

— The Boy Scouts, despite its "inclusive" rebranding, will still exclude atheists. (1:03:19)

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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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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)

— MaÃÑori atheists say Christian colonization helped push them away from the faith. (1:01:59)

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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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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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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)

SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/atheist today to get 10% off your first month.

— 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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In this interview, I spoke with Jess Piper.

Jess was an American Literature teacher for 16 years before deciding to take the plunge and run for office. She ran for the Missouri State House in a deeply red district. And while she didn't win, she continues her activism as Executive Director of Blue Missouri and hosts a weekly podcast called "Dirt Road Democrat."

I've been reading her essays at "The View from Rural Missouri" for a while now, but I was amazed by how much one of her recent pieces, about the "Fundie Baby Voice," really resonated with so many people.

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

— Satanists sue Tennessee district for trying to thwart After School Satan Club. (1:09)

SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/atheist today to get 10% off your first month.

— Evangelicals are using a data-harvesting app to target new potential converts. (22:24)

— FOX & Friends promotes Catholic app Hallow with on-air (paid) prayer segment. (34:07)

— Wisconsin Supreme Court: Catholic-aligned charities don't get an automatic religious tax break. (41:27)

— Despite the threat of Christian Nationalism, 80% of Americans say religion is "losing influence." (55:25)

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

— Texas State Rep. Matt Schaefer: Every elected official in America is required "to worship God." (0:40)

— Preacher John MacArthur faces backlash after saying Martin Luther King, Jr. was "not a Christian at all." (7:52)

— SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/atheist today to get 10% off your first month.

— Researchers say Christian leaders will embezzle an estimated $86 billion in 2024. (21:27)

— "God & Country" highlights the growing threat of Christian Nationalism. (32:32)

— Indian state criminalizes "magical healing" in move widely seen as anti-Christian. (52:47)

— Wyoming Supreme Court dismisses atheist's $24M lawsuit over religious invocations. (1:06:29)

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

— Christian Nationalists are furious at reporter Heidi Przybyla for accurately reporting on them. (1:45)

SPONSOR: This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/atheist today to get 10% off your first month.

— Why Liberty University's $14 million fine from the Dept. of Education is well-deserved. (25:42)

— Norwegian court upholds ban on state funding for Jehovah's Witnesses. (59:46)

— Owners of Lighthouse Christian Academy arrested for alleged kidnapping. (1:13:26)

— President Biden restored protections for anyone getting help from faith-based, taxpayer-funded groups. (1:26:42)

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