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Show notes upon receipt.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Show notes upon receipt.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/talk-heathen--3195702/support.

In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, Sydney Davis Jr. Jr. and Richard Gilliver tackle challenging ideas like questioning divine authority, the role of religion in addiction recovery, and the very nature of existence and belief in a post-truth world.

Christina in the USA discusses how religion can impede addiction recovery, arguing that 12-step programs often attribute relapse to divine will instead of personal accountability. The hosts emphasize that people should take credit for their wins (sobriety, achievements) to build a foundation for accepting responsibility for their losses. How can we shift the focus to individual empowerment rather than external blame or praise in recovery?

Vitali in the USA proposes that an infinite universe implies infinite possibilities, including personal rebirth or an afterlife. The hosts challenge him to define "logical possibility" and demand scientific evidence for such claims, rather than speculation. Vitali's anecdote about inventing similar myths independently prompts a discussion on why humans across cultures often invent similar religious concepts. Do shared human experiences inevitably lead to similar philosophical conclusions?

Stephen in NY argues that the human body's complexity, like the immune system's function, points to a "magical aspect" or spirituality beyond physicalism. The hosts press him to explain what spirituality actively does and how it manifests measurably, cautioning against invoking it as a "god of the gaps" explanation for natural processes. Is complexity alone sufficient evidence for a supernatural explanation?

Tom in NY asserts that "pro-life" is better termed "pro-birth," as many advocates neglect the welfare of children post-birth. He provocatively suggests that if women face criminalization for abortion, men responsible for unwanted pregnancies that lead to a woman's death should be charged with manslaughter. Does redefining "pro-life" accurately expose inconsistencies in the movement's stance?

Stuart, a mental health nurse, shares a simple analogy of an overgrown garden to help religious patients accept credit for their achievements, rather than solely attributing them to divine blessing. This strategy aims to build self-esteem and a sense of agency without directly challenging their faith. Can such nuanced approaches bridge the gap between faith and personal responsibility?

Nathan describes his terror over the widespread mistrust in scientific consensus, fearing a "dawning of a dark age" due to the systematic erosion of epistemology. Sydney offers hope, noting that the current anti-science push is a "reactionary gasp" from a dwindling demographic. Richard stresses the vital role of education and critical thinking to combat misinformation and foster nuanced understanding. Is robust education our primary defense against epistemological decline?

Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time! and don't forget to add your answer to this week's Talk Heathen To Me question: what would you say to an evangelizer that they would never forget.

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Welcome to Talk Heathen! Today our host Dr. Ben has a special guest, Secular Spirit! Secular Spirit is coming from an ex-muslim point of view after leaving Islam in his later teen years.

Van in California has been encountering the ontological argument for god's existence when talking to theists. He would like some advice on how to counter those arguments. You will often see specific or “perfect” traits of god argued along with the ontological argument. You can point out that there is no way to know if these “perfect” characteristics are traits of any god but really  they need to prove god first. One would need to make a giant leap to god exists but even more of a leap to get to a perfect god existing. 

Annie in Canada takes issue with a claim we made in the previous call: christians can't close the gap between the first cause and their god. They want atheists to concede the universe was caused. We tend to lean more to the “i don’t know” answer, it’s not something currently known so why insert supernatural or something has to exist to cause a universe. There are so many variables, known and unknown, to the origins of the universe. It’s a huge question that science works to figure out and until then it’s pointless to ascribe any specific origins to the universe. What makes you so confident a supernatural deity would be the source of truth? 

Michelle in California had a dream-like event while under anesthesia and later learned it was a near death experience after going through medical school. She was raised secularly and says the experience wasn’t religious at all. It’s just a thing that brains do when near death. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!

Jeffrey in Pennsylvania wades back into talking about God is truth that we touched on in Annie’s call. Well if we all have access to the truth of god, why do so many people disagree across the world? So you found truth in Jesus and found inner peace and love but that's exactly how Secular Spirit felt in Islam and he rejected Jesus being the son of God. Feelings, being at peace, or experiencing love does not show any deity nor anything supernatural. 

Steven in Florida pushes back on christians taking the Holy Bible as literal truth, pointing out odd stories like Adam and Eve having 3 sons that populate the earth. There definitely are some weird and fantastical tales found in the bible. It’s interesting to watch christians justify those fun errors in the bible. 

Thank you for tuning in everyone! The prompt of the week is: What would Jesus Tweet? Remember to put your answers in the comments of this video. The top 3 will be read live next week!

WHAT IS TALK HEATHEN?
Talk Heathen is a weekly call-in internet show in Austin, Texas geared toward long-form and on-going dialogue with theists & atheists about religion, theism, & secularism. Talk Heathen is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.\

Call the show on Sundays 1:00pm-2:30pm CDT, tell us what you believe and why!
-Use your ☎ and call 1-512-991-9242
-Or use your 💻 and click https://tiny.cc/callth

We request pronouns as part of the call screening process on our shows, and we display the pronouns our callers provide.  If you see a caller with no pronouns indicated, this is because they chose not to provide us with any, and we respect that decision


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