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Seth Andrews spent 14 years as a Christian radio host before becoming one of the most recognisable voices in atheist and humanist media as host of The Thinking Atheist Podcast. In this conversation, he traces his slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to skeptic, why he now leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist," and why leaving religion is no inoculation against tribalism, dogma, or bad ideas, on either side of the God question.

Our guest is Seth Andrews, host of The Thinking Atheist podcast, YouTube channel and online community, and of the podcast True Stories with Seth Andrews. A former Christian radio broadcaster, he is the author of six books, including Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason and his latest, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot.

In this conversation we cover:

• His decades-long, slow-burn deconstruction from devout evangelical broadcaster to "The Thinking Atheist," and the fear that kept him anonymous for the show's first two years
• Why he leads with "humanist" rather than "atheist" today, and why disbelief in God guarantees nothing about a person's rationality or character
• How online tribalism and algorithm-driven echo chambers have reshaped debate on both sides of the God question, and why he's leaned harder into humanism and politics as a result

LINKS & REFERENCES

Seth Andrews

• Personal site: https://www.sethandrews.com
• The Thinking Atheist: https://www.thethinkingatheist.com
• True Stories with Seth Andrews: https://www.truestoriespodcast.com
• Books: https://www.sethandrews.com/books
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sethandrewstta/
• X: https://x.com/SethAndrewsTTA
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheThinkingAtheist

Mentioned in this episode

• Seth Andrews, Christianity Made Me Talk Like an Idiot: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1977250785
• Seth Andrews, Deconverted: A Journey from Religion to Reason: https://www.sethandrews.com/books

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"I don't think that we have any solid evidence of a religious revival underway in England, or for that matter, anywhere else." — David Voas

In April 2025, the Bible Society published a report claiming church attendance in England had surged by more than 50% since 2018, with young men's churchgoing up fivefold. It made national headlines. A year later, both YouGov and the Bible Society retracted it. This episode unpacks what actually went wrong: bots and bogus respondents in online survey panels, why the data never supported the story, and what decades of solid evidence tell us instead about religious decline in Britain.

Our guest is Dr. David Voas, Emeritus Professor of Social Science at UCL, where he led the Social Research Institute from 2016 to 2020. A quantitative social scientist, he has spent his career studying religious change in modern societies, and his TEDx talk, "Why There Is No Way Back for Religion in the West," has been viewed nearly two million times.

In this conversation we cover:

• How AI chatbots, survey farming and bogus respondents undermined the survey data, and why this is an industry-wide problem, not a one-off
• The three ways sociologists actually measure religiosity — identity, practice and belief — and why they don't always move together
• Why secularisation is a generational process that plays out over centuries, and what fills the space religion leaves behind

LINKS & REFERENCES

David Voas

• UCL profile: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/56605-david-voas
• TEDx talk, "Why There Is No Way Back for Religion in the West": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtAR_OGzlcg
• "Why Humanism Is the Future" — Humanists UK Convention 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfI7VgkDFMg
• "Is there really a religious revival in England? Why I'm sceptical of a new report" (UCL News/The Conversation, 16 June 2025): https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2025/jun/comment-there-really-religious-revival-england-why-im-sceptical-new-report
• British Religion in Numbers: https://www.brin.ac.uk

Mentioned in this episode

• Bible Society, "The Quiet Revival" report (retracted): https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/research/quiet-revival
• BBC News coverage of the report's retraction: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwjxx5eyn1o
• Christian Smith, Why Religion Went Obsolete (Oxford University Press): https://global.oup.com/academic/product/why-religion-went-obsolete-9780197800737

If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review — it helps more people find the show. Support Humanism Now from just £5/month for exclusive content, a say in future episodes, and we'll plant a tree each month in your name. Follow us @HumanismNowPod.

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

Most of us think of eugenics as a horror confined to the past. It isn't. This episode examines the worrying re-emergence of eugenics and scientific racism, from discredited claims about race and intelligence to the far-right money funding them, and asks how we defend good science against bad-faith actors. Along the way, Rebecca overturns another myth, that the isolated nuclear family is "traditional", and explains why demographers are far calmer about falling birth rates than the headlines suggest.

Our guest is Professor Rebecca Sear, an evolutionary behavioural scientist and demographer at Brunel University London, where she directs the Centre for Culture and Evolution. She is co-founder of the European Human Behaviour and Evolution Association and a Fellow of the British Academy.

In this conversation we cover:

• The re-emergence of eugenics and biological essentialism, and how old ideas are being repackaged for a modern audience
• Richard Lynn's discredited national IQ database, the far-right money behind scientific racism, and how to spot bad-faith science
• Why cooperative childrearing is the human norm, and how "population panic" over falling fertility has been used to justify real human rights abuses

In this conversation we cover:

• Why cooperative childrearing is the human norm, and what the "male breadwinner" nuclear family gets wrong
• Why demographers are not panicking about falling fertility, and how "population panic" has been used to justify real human rights abuses
• The modern resurgence of eugenics and scientific racism, from Richard Lynn's discredited national IQ database to how to spot bad-faith science

LINKS & REFERENCES

Rebecca Sear

• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/rebeccasear.bsky.social
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sear-8183551
• Sear, R. (2021) The male breadwinner nuclear family is not the 'traditional' human family. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 376: 20200020. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2020.0020
• Sear, R. (2021) Demography and the rise, apparent fall and resurgence in eugenics. Population Studies 75(Suppl 1): 201-220. https://doi.org/10.1080/00324728.2021.2009013
• Samorodnitsky, Bird, Carlson, Lingford, Phillips, Sear & Townsend (2024) Journals should retract Richard Lynn's racist 'research' articles. STAT. https://www.statnews.com/2024/06/20/richard-lynn-racist-research-articles-journals-retractions/

Mentioned in this episode

• Sarah Hrdy (2009) Mothers and Others: The Evolutionary Origins of Mutual Understanding. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674060326
• Quinn Slobodian (2025) Hayek's Bastards: Race, Gold, IQ, and the Capitalism of the Far Right. https://press.princeton.edu/books/ebook/9781890951931/hayeks-bastards
• The Guardian / Hope not Hate investigation into a US-funded 'race science' network (October 2024). https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/16/revealed-international-race-science-network-secretly-funded-by-us-tech-boss

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

 "One of the things I heard again and again was: I thought I was the only one." — Muhammad Syed 

Leaving religion can be one of the most liberating decisions of a person's life. For those leaving Islam, it can also be one of the most dangerous. This episode looks at why so many ex-Muslims stay hidden, how community breaks that isolation, and what the data really tells us about people leaving the faith worldwide.

Our guest is Muhammad Syed, human rights activist, writer, and co-founder and president of Ex-Muslims of North America (EXMNA), the first ex-Muslim advocacy and community organisation in North America.

In this conversation we cover:

• Why so many ex-Muslims believe they are "the only one", and how visibility and community change that
• What scripture, interpretation and culture each contribute to the risks ex-Muslims face, from loss of family to threats of violence
• The numbers behind a global trend, and how both the political left and right get the conversation wrong

Links for support:

• Ex-Muslims of North America: https://exmuslims.org
• Faith to Faithless (UK support): https://www.humanists.uk/our-work/faith-to-faithless/
• r/exmuslim global reddit community: https://www.reddit.com/r/exmuslim/

References:

• Pakistan college student lynched after discussing Adam and Eve/incest
• Nigeria college girl lynched over a WhatsApp class chat
• Ayan Hirsi Ali threatened, lost security/neighborhood in Netherlands, moved to U.S.
• Somali gay atheist kidnapped/taken to Kenya for “re-education”
• Canadian mother whose children were taken to Africa; hasn’t seen them in over a decade
• Ex-Muslim husband/wife/siblings chain deconversion story
• IIraq lowering age of consent/marriage age to nine
• 
  
• -Pew: one in four U.S. Muslims raised Muslim have left Islam
• -Pew: among U.S. ex-Muslims, ~55% became nonbelievers and ~23% became Christian
• -Arab Barometer: younger people in parts of North Africa around 18% nonreligious/nonbelieving
• -Turkey survey showing rising nonbelief
• -Iran survey showing roughly 40% nonbelief 
• -Saudi Arabia survey showing ~4–5% confirmed atheists, higher broader nonbelief
• -Pakistan poll: ~60–70% support killing apostates
• -EXMNA data/reporting: ~60% lost friends/social circle; similar share verbal abuse; high 40s/around 50% lost family; one in three experienced threats of violence

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

What does it take to stay human in a world that often forgets what that means? This episode explores storytelling as an act of resistance: why humans need fiction, why representation matters, and how meeting difference with curiosity rather than judgement can ease the loneliness of modern life.

Our guest is Kestral Gaian, an award-winning writer of fiction, theatre and poetry, whose debut young adult novel "The Boy From Elsewhere" is out now.

In this conversation we cover:

• The origins of "The Boy From Elsewhere", born from a 26-hour charity writing livestream, and what tiredness taught Kestral about creativity and craft
• Why storytelling is fundamental to being human, and how representation shapes what young readers believe is possible
• Whether all art is political, the recent publishing pushback against LGBTQ+ fiction, and meeting strangeness with kindness

Links:

• The Boy From Elsewhere: https://reconnectingrainbows.co.uk/book/tbfe/
• Kestral Gaian's website: https://kestr.al
• Support Humanism Now: https://ko-fi.com/humanismnowpod

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

What does humanism actually ask of us when we confront the Israel-Palestine conflict? In this episode we preview a special Festival of Humanism session, exploring how secular, rational and compassionate values can cut through motivated reasoning and moral blind spots to rebuild shared ground between Palestinians and Israelis.

Our guests are Dr Jasr Kawkby, a British-Palestinian paediatrician raised in Gaza, and Yaniv Aknin, a British-Israeli software engineer and former soldier, who work together on peacebuilding, dialogue and nonviolent advocacy.

In this conversation we cover:

• Their personal journeys from a Gaza refugee camp and a secular Zionist household in Tel Aviv to a shared humanist platform
• How humanist values (curiosity, rationality, secularism and the dignity of every life) can reframe history, accountability and the path forward
• Why both believe nonviolence and sustained dialogue, not force, are the only routes to peace, justice and equality

Jasr and Yaniv host "No Hope But Peace: A Dialogue Between an Israeli and a Palestinian" at the Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth on 13–14 June.

Links:

• Festival of Humanism 2026: https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

 "It's amazing how enduring humans can be with their willingness to look for good."

Kimberly Haley-Coleman is the founder and executive director of GlobeAware, a nonprofit building ethical, community-led volunteer service programmes across more than 25 countries. With a background spanning international business, nonprofit leadership, and global partnership building, Kimberly has spent years thinking deeply about how service, cultural exchange, and shared work can bring people together with dignity, curiosity, and compassion.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What ethical volunteering actually looks like — and why locally led, community-designed programmes are so different from voluntourism 
✔︎ How shared work breaks down assumptions faster than almost anything else — and what that means for building genuine cross-cultural empathy 
✔︎ How GlobeAware's programmes are responding to sweeping foreign aid cuts and what resilience looks like on the ground in 2026

Connect with Kimberly and Globe Aware

• Website www.globeaware.org
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/globeaware
• Linkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberlyglobeaware/
• Podcasts https://open.spotify.com/show/6n9cfb4QIVb2aqUD6XSttE
• Instagram https://www.instagram.com/globeaware/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@globeaware
• X Twitter: https://twitter.com/GlobeAware
• Linkedin:  https://www.linkedin.com/company/globe-aware/
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@globe_aware
• Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_Aware
• Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/globeaware.bksy.social
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/globeaware/

Send us Fan Mail

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

Support Humanism Now and Join Our Community! 

"Dogmatism is the enemy of reason, after all."

Dr Anjan Chakravartty is the Apignani Foundation Chair for the Study of Atheism, Humanism, and Secular Ethics at the University of Miami and a philosopher of science whose work explores the nature of knowledge and what science tells us about the world. His latest edited volume, Science and Humanism: Knowledge, Values, and the Common Good, brings together leading philosophers to examine the relationship between science and humanist values — historically deep and increasingly urgent.

Topics we cover

✔︎ Why science is not a value-neutral tool — and why humanists need to think more carefully about what science is actually for 

✔︎ How disinformation campaigns exploit the language of science to manufacture doubt on climate, health, and more 

✔︎ What a genuinely humanistic science looks like in practice — from diversifying research communities to confronting scientism

Connect with Dr Chakravartty and find out more

• University of Miami profile: https://people.miami.edu/profile/[email protected]
• Science and Humanism: Knowledge, Values, and the Common Good: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/science-and-humanism/
• Personal Website: https://anjanchakravartty.com/

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

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Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

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"Culture is a representation of what our habits are on a daily basis. If we drop the habit, we are not building the culture we're wanting to see."

Dr AJ Lauer is a leadership and diversity educator, executive coach, and founder of Thriving IBIS Leadership Solutions. With two decades of experience across higher education, non-profit research, and STEM, she specialises in imposter syndrome, psychological safety, and helping organisations make more human-centred decisions. She is also the author of My Monster Mungo, an illustrated book for adults about the imposter phenomenon.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What the imposter phenomenon actually is — and why 82% of people experience it 

✔︎ How to build psychologically safe, inclusive teams where dissent and creativity are welcomed 

✔︎ Why burnout and perfectionism are connected — and how leaders can interrupt the cycle

Connect with Dr AJ Lauer

• Thriving IBIS Leadership Solutions: https://www.thrivingibis.com
• My Monster Mungo — illustrated book: https://www.thrivingibis.com/my-monster-mungo

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

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Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSky

Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.

"You are unlocked to a whole new world... you're not alone, and it's that community that makes you reaffirming yourself"

Timothy David, known as Tim Talks, is a UK-based content creator whose TikTok videos on humanism, faith deconstruction, and Black freethinking have racked up millions of views. Drawing on his own journey away from Pentecostal Christianity, Tim uses social media to spark honest conversations about belief, identity, inclusivity, and what it means to question everything.

Topics we cover

✔︎ What deconstruction really means and why it is a lifelong process rather than a single moment 

✔︎ Why social media is a powerful tool for humanists — and why more of us should be using it 

✔︎ How to start questioning your own beliefs and build community on the other side of faith

Connect with Timothy

• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_timtalks
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_t1m24
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TimTalksUK

Send us Fan Mail

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Humanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.

Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]

Music: Blossom by Light Prism

Podcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.