-AUDIO WARNING-
The first few minutes of the call with Drew includes an echo. We are able to resolve the echo within a few minutes, but feel free to skip to 3:30 if the echo is unbearable.
Personal friend and fellow YouTuber Drew aka Genetically Modified Skeptic joins the show today! Before we take calls, he shares how he has taken a scholarly approach to trans issues and has been going to bat for the community in responses to seriously bad arguments made by the religious right. Here is a link to the videos that Drew is referring to during the intro. If you haven’t seen them, check them out! They’re fantastic!
https://youtu.be/ABojJ2rW6vA?si=GEOcTJ75tss5FfIA
https://youtu.be/22W7I3yV-NY?si=BTwBYfP9wSxUN2VB

As always, getting the show started came with its technical setbacks, but we were able to get up and rolling for a fantastic show. Here are the timestamps if you’d like to skip to specific calls.


___________________
TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES 
00:00 - Intro  
03:30 - Drew’s Echo is fixed!
14:58 - Why are there so many denominations? | Ronan (He/Him) - NY
30:33 - How to build interfaith community | Isaiah (He/Him) - South Korea
45:41 - Where do morals come from? | Tug (He/Him) - CAN
55:48 -  Reliability of the Gospels | Phil-oginy (He/Him) - USA
1:06:56 - Atheists shouldn’t cohabitate | Andrew (He/Him) - FL
1:22:48 - Atheism has a branding problem | Brian (He/Him) - CA
1:38:46 - Faith, Community, and Smart Recovery | David
1:56:07 - Understanding our religious neighbors | Connor (He/Him) - VA
2:03:38 - Community building and smart recovery | David (He/Him) - NC
2:10:57 - Superchats

14:58
Ronan was raised in a non-religious household and is really wondering why there are so many denominations even if they are all reading the same bible.
For more resources, we recommend resources like:Dan McCclellan - https://www.youtube.com/@maklelanReligion for Breakfast- https://www.youtube.com/@ReligionForBreakfastDigital Hammurabi- https://www.youtube.com/@DigitalHammurabiAndEsoterica- https://www.youtube.com/@TheEsotericaChannel

32:03
As a believer, Isaiah is finding it harder and harder to connect with fellow religious friends and family. He wants to know, how can a Christian like himself both connect with more hardcore family members as well as find common ground to engage with nonbelievers? Speaking for the show, this is the exact kind of conversation we hope to have and applaud anyone making the effort!
45:41
I don’t think we’re ever going to get away from questions like what is morality, but at least we can do it serving Kant! In this call, Tug wants to know just how we develop morals and why. We ask ourselves, do we need a transcendent lawgiver to ground our morality? Does objective morality exist? Let us know what you think in the comments!
55:48
Stepping back from the narrative, how much can actually be taken from biblical scholarship? What about secondary sources? Lets talk about what we have, what we want, and what we can hope for!
1:06:56
Andrew thinks that atheists should still wait until marriage to live together. We talk about taboos against divorce, the positives of living together, and what that means with data from religious sources.
1:22:48
Brian sees a shift in the way atheists have talked about themselves in the last 20 years, and thinks a new label would be helpful. Drew has wondered about how useful it could be, and Eric shares the shameful history of atheist rebranding.
1:38:46
John has been on the path to deconstruction for a few months now, and has a few questions. Eric and Drew chime in on reading the room, setting boundaries, and atheist evangelism.
1:56:07
Connor wants to talk about the nature of discourse with religious folks. Drew talks about how our history informs our approach and how former believers have an easier time understanding the other side. Eric talks about respecting people vs respecting ideas.
2:03:38
David follows up to John’s call about secular community building and resources for recovery that don't rely on a higher power. You can learn more by going to smartrecovery.org
___________________
Skeptic Generation is LIVE every Sunday at 11:00am-1:00pm CTCall on your phone: 412- SKEPGEN (412-753-7436)  Call online: https://tiny.cc/skepgen
Love the show? Become a patron: https://tiny.cc/donatetoSG Join us after the show on Discord: tiny.cc/SGdiscord
To find out more, visit https://www.skepticgeneration.com 
Copyright © 2024 Skeptic Generation. All rights reserved.

No, you read that correctly. This is the last live show of 2022, and we will be going on hiatus after that to figure out what's next for us and for SkepGen.

This episode is a 2.5-hour long extravaganza, with many familiar voices calling in to say hi. We also lifted all previous bans on topics and callers, which makes for some interesting (and heated) conversations before we say goodbye.

If you would like to provide $1/month to support the show as we are on hiatus, please make sure to become a Lifelong Skeptic on our Patreon: https://tiny.cc/donatetoSG

Check out our official “SG Hosts DESTROY Callers!” playlist by visiting our YouTube home page or following this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgAFtcRCck1woYD2zC8z4DePc7m6Q4aH6
___________________
TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES

00:00 - Intro - So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish!
11:07 - Should You Sacrifice Yourself for the Greater Good? - Javier (he/him) - SC
20:45 - Thanks For All You’ve Done! - Steven (he/him) - AZ
26:22 - Should We Be Skeptical of Whiteness? - Steve (N/A) - NY
41:25 - This Vegan Caller Says He’d Eat People! - Chase (he/him) - ID
1:04:54 - Merriam-Webster Is LYING About Christmas?? - Sunny (she/they) - IN
1:12:41 - Would You Ever Eat Engineered Meat? - Chris (he/him) - CA
1:22:19 - Repeat Theist Caller Tries ONE MORE TIME… - Connor (he/him) - TX
1:31:26 - “God Is The Answer!” - Xeno (he/him) - SK
1:54:30 - Secular De-Colonization and Spirituality - Rosy (she/they/it) - CAN
2:05:06 - Another Thank You for the Show - Jim (he/him) - OH
2:09:12 - Should We Start a Santa Claus Religion? - Chris (he/him) - SCT
2:13:11 - What Would Convince You of Miracles? - Dean (he/him) - VA

00:00
Eric and Vi discuss the hiatus, address concerns, and talk through what happens next.

11:07
Repeat caller Javier returns to discuss altruism and self-sacrifice. Are they overrated? Are they actually selfish? Why would someone ever sacrifice themselves for the greater good if we only have one life to live?

20:45
Steven calls in to wish us well and tell the hosts how much the show meant to him. We appreciate it, Steven!

26:22
Repeat atheopagan caller Steve asks about how to approach the social construct of whiteness, especially if you enjoy discovering your own cultural heritage as a white person. Vi points out the validity of the concerns around neo-Pagan use of ancient cultures to promote white supremacy, but insists there is a healthy way to learn about yourself while using that knowledge to help others.

41:25
We lifted the subject ban, and we have our first vegan caller! This conversation gets heated and contains a lot of loaded language and appeals to emotion. The hosts call this out, attempting to steer clear of strawmen while getting to the heart of the issue: are honeybees people too?

1:04:54
A dictionary has a really shocking entry and this caller wants to talk about it! Vi says this call both made and ruined their day at the same time.

1:12:41
Another vegan caller appears, and this time the hosts are asked what their thoughts are on lab-grown meat. Eric and Vi are both down with some test tube chicken, and offer their understanding of why some vegans might still be against it.

1:22:19
Repeat theist caller Connor tries one more time to talk about how he came to his Baha’i faith. Eric points out the difference between “faith” and “trust,” and Vi says that a testimony might be riveting but doesn’t hold the evidence they’re looking for.

1:31:26
Yes, we let him back on. Xeno wants to make sure the hosts have the correct takeaway from their multiple calls with him: “God is the Answer!” To what? Everything, of course! The question remains: will we miss Xeno? Well, if we’re being totally honest… God?

1:54:30
Why do so many people use religion and spirituality as a way to “connect to their culture”? Are there other ways of reaching into the past that are more secular? This caller discusses their own experiences trying to reconnect with their Indigenous culture as a secular person.

2:05:06
Jim calls in to thank the hosts for their time on the show and to offer some suggestions about where they might go next. Thanks, Jim!

2:09:12
Repeat caller Chris from Scotland is wondering if we should ditch Christianity and make a Santa Claus religion instead. He seems nicer than God, anyway. Eric advocates for a non-omniscient deity instead. Vi suggests Hermey the Dentist Elf. Hail Hermey?

2:13:11
Finally, we end on a classic: the argument for God from the existence of miracles. Repeat apologist caller Dean is wondering what would make us believe in miracles, and if those hypothetical miracles would then be good evidence for God? Vi points out that if miracles were proven, they’d no longer be called miracles. Eric gets Dean to admit he hates babies.
___________________

Copyright © 2022 Skeptic Generation. All rights reserved.

We are talking about New Year's resolutions this week, since it's officially December! Call toll-free at 585-526-8774 or tiny.cc/callSG.
___________________
Skeptic Generation is LIVE every Sunday at 11:30am-1:00pm CT
Call on your phone: 585-LA-MURPH (585-526-8774)
Call online: https://tiny.cc/callSG

Love the show?
Become a patron: https://tiny.cc/donatetoSG
Buy our new Class of ‘22 merch: http://tiny.cc/SG22Merch
Help with our studio: https://tiny.cc/SGwishlist
Join us after the show on Discord: https://tiny.cc/SGdiscord

To find out more, visit https://www.skepticgeneration.com

Vi leads this show solo and reads from their old Christian journal from nine years ago. What was their deconversion process like? Is it similar to yours? Call toll-free at 585-526-8774 or tiny.cc/callSG to share your story or just vent about the holiday season.
___________________
TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES

00:00 - Intro - Vi Is Solo This Week
02:23 - Can People Choose Their Beliefs? - Javier (he/him) - SC
18:13 - Vi Reads from An Old Deconversion Journal
25:44 - My Family Doesn’t Believe I’m An Atheist - Cameron (he/him) - MN
38:16 - What Kind of Culture Should Atheists Build? - Mark (he/him) - CA
55:53 - Why Is It So Easy to Believe In God? - Steven (he/him) - AZ
1:07:04 - My Friend Thinks God Is Punishing Her… HELP? - Caleb (he/him) - MD
1:15:30 - Jesus Wants Us To Be Mean to Atheists - Jim (he/him) - OH
1:22:16 - How Do I Deal with Street Preachers? - Chris (he/him) - SCT

02:23
Can people choose their beliefs? Vi says that answering “Yes” or “No” are both wrong: this is a “yes, and” situation. People both have the ability to choose what beliefs they strengthen, and are ultimately not in charge of the moment one belief wins out against others. That’s why it’s always dangerous to hold harmful beliefs, even if you don’t act on them.

18:13
Vi has brought an old journal that they wrote almost a decade ago. “The Quest for God” laid out how 20-year-old Vi was struggling with belief, parsing apart what was true and untrue about what they’d been told, and trying to figure out what next steps were. A raw, real moment that hopefully resonated with others.

25:44
This caller is having trouble with his family after coming out as an atheist. They are telling him he’s broken, they are unfollowing him on social media, and generally making him feel unwelcome. They also happen to be in an MLM, which makes things even worse! Vi gives this caller permission to kick these folks out on their ear: “Jesus said to avoid you.”

38:16
Now that atheists are growing as a demographic in the US, what should we be focusing on to make sure we aren’t repeating the problems we are seeing with a Christian majority? Repeat caller Mark is wondering what next steps are, and Vi says something shocking: We need to stop talking about religion.

55:53
This caller points out that God is easy to believe in because the idea of God is so baked into our culture. Vi agrees: this is why apologetics work. You have to believe in God already in order to be convinced by any of the major arguments for God. We need to eradicate the idea of a maximally great God before we can truly be free.

1:07:04
What do you say to someone who is convinced that God is punishing them? Vi points out that it’s actually scarier to imagine that things happen for no reason than to imagine a god is punishing you. At least you’re still kind of the main character, and not just an incidental casualty of the universe. Also, landlords suck.

1:15:30
We talked about some atheists having trouble with their families this episode, but isn’t that exactly what Jesus said to do? Didn’t he tell Christians to desert their families, even end things violently, in order to follow him? Vi once again says “Yes” and “No.” If we’re looking at the historical context of Jesus’s words, he’s actually talking about a political rebellion!

1:22:16
Repeat caller Chris asks how to deal with the street preachers that he’s seeing everywhere. He’s tried reasoning with them and he never makes any progress! Vi says it’s a lost cause to try and debate with them, but what this caller CAN do is make them seem utterly ridiculous.

___________________
Skeptic Generation is LIVE every Sunday at 11:30am-1:00pm CT
Call on your phone: 585-LA-MURPH (585-526-8774)
Call online: https://tiny.cc/callSG

Love the show?
Become a patron: https://tiny.cc/donatetoSG
Buy our new Class of ‘22 merch: http://tiny.cc/SG22Merch
Help with our studio: https://tiny.cc/SGwishlist
Join us after the show on Discord: https://tiny.cc/SGdiscord

To find out more, visit https://www.skepticgeneration.com

Copyright © 2022 Skeptic Generation. All rights reserved.