The Atheist Experience

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows and JMike find Jewish atheist communities to help not trust their brains for the truth while they travel into the past to discover that oral traditions are partly the root of religions and to finally confirm that gravity is real.

Chuck in HI is that humans are here to provide a dwelling place for Jehova and gravity is not real. If he is omnipotent, why can’t he provide his own dwelling place? How would he be omnipotent if he does not know who he is dwelling in? Where do you get your god claim if we do not have the sensors to detect him and you do not have evidence? Whining about things that fly in the face of science does not meet the criteria to make them true. Try and bring your A game next time.

Richard in NY is looking for a community of Jewish atheists. Jim points out that both Judaism and Islam are as much a culture as they are a religion and how people have a hard time accepting that. Mike mentions that it is not that weird to grow up never thinking about god. There are many social media platforms available, and if you don’t find what you need, you can create one.

Katelyn in WA asks why we should trust our brains for truth when the basis is to survive. Jim explains how we know that our thinking is faulty with the pattern recognition leading to cognitive bias. This and the need to reason better is why we developed science. We build machines that do better things than we do and see that god’s design is flawed. We are most fascinated about why you believe in a god; what is the reason? Why does god not stop suffering or allow us to survive off just sunlight? Why does god not have the ability to make a world where people do not choose evil? Would the most important message in the world be shrouded with ambiguity?

Colin in the USA wonders if the religions made laws because they were easier to remember as stories through oral traditions prior to the written word. We like tales and stories, but this is not the only reason why religions made laws.

Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: Name one of god’s unpopular opinions.

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In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, our hostesses with the mostess are Secular Rarity  & Armin Navabi.

Let’s welcome our first caller is Not Mohammad who is curious if coming out to your family as an atheist is worth it. Well, as the hosts that all depends on your circumstances and what is right for you. NotMohammad expresses his worry of losing his parents, but also is dealing with feeling if he should be honest. It is a cost/benefit analysis. Our hosts give some idea to consider, but ultimately it comes down to reminding your family how much you love them and than getting to a place where you can be honest.

Mikey is our second caller of the show and is calling to discuss his perception atheism is a belief system, just like lesbianism. This is news to me! (I thought atheism was the lack of a belief). Armand and SR try their best to get Mikey to define what atheism is and what a belief system is. Mikey seemed unable to give definitions of his own and did some dodging. Armand points out that humanism is a belief system atheists could have, but a belief in atheism? See why there’s a problem.

Let’s say “howdy!” to Alex from North Carolina, who believes the Gospel accounts are true. How does he know? Eye-witness accounts of course! SR points out that just because someone states (a couple thousand years ago) it is very difficult to prove. Alex seems to want to double down and is lacking the research of his claim.SR and Armin point out that just because something is stated, it doesn’t make it true.

Jared in Kentucky  is number four on the line and he gives our hosts a call that a belief in God may be necessary. In Jared;s mind, atheism is a contradiction with God being true. We must accept a God exists to reject Him. Yeah, that isn’t atheism. Jared gives a poor deistic argument for God which SR points out the flaws. If you can’t detect something is real, like a God, then there is no good logical reason to believe in it.

Love is my Religion aka Love from New Jersey is our last caller of the show. Love gave the show a call, as a theist, but believes in a God “within”. He starts off saying our hosts as atheists are always looking for something “higher” and that we have a will/drive/power within us to do good things. Though believers may contribute the desire to do good and kind to a power such a God, internal or external, as atheists we do good because we want to. Love and really any person can make any sort of claim based on feeling, but is it true. SR and Armin work to point out the flaw in Love’s logic. 

Call the show on Sundays 4:30pm-6:00pm CT: 1-512-991-9242 or use your computer 💻 http://tiny.cc/callaxp and tell us what you believe and why!

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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In today's episode of The Atheist Experience, Johnny P Angel, JMike, and Kelly navigate contentious claims about biblical translations, the deeply ingrained nature of religious habits, and the ill-defined concept of eternal souls. They also grapple with the profound question of why life's meaning persists for atheists even in the face of cosmic impermanence.

Mike in GA calls to clarify that the Hebrew Bible says "flying creatures," not "birds," addressing a perceived biblical error. Hosts Johnny, J Mike, and Kelly question his methodology, scrutinizing his belief rooted in his father's coma experience with an angel. They challenge the selective need for evidence, comparing it to fantastical claims, and emphasize the unreliability of trauma-induced accounts. Why demand evidence for a pterodactyl but not an angel?

Mory in Brazil, a new atheist, expresses guilt over continuing "believer things" like praying, due to her deeply religious family. The hosts explore the comfort and habitual nature of rituals, noting it's common for those distancing from faith. They advise against guilt, emphasizing personal autonomy in belief and the importance of finding community that aligns with her evolving worldview.

George in Europe asserts humans are "Eternal souls" inhabiting physical "suits," existing in infinite universes as a family of non-physical minds. The hosts rigorously challenge him to define "soul" and provide evidence, repeatedly asking "how do you know that?" George offers only assertions and refers to YouTube sources, leading to a breakdown in communication as the hosts emphasize the need for verifiable, foundational proof beyond metaphysical baggage.

John in SC asks why it matters if people believe in God, especially if atheism is true and the universe faces heat death. The hosts explain it matters due to the societal imposition of beliefs, the potential for harm, and the intrinsic value found in human interconnectedness and experience. They argue that meaning isn't contingent on an afterlife or cosmic relevance beyond our momentary existence.

Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!

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Welcome to 2024! Let’s kick it off this new AXP with Forrest Valki and Armin Navabi!

Well, we are starting off this show with a doozy! Ronnie from Florida (why is it always Florida?)  gives Armin and Forrest a call to talk about how aliens could be an explanation for angels. The key words are “could be”. Though Ronnie would like it to be true, as Forrest points it, we don’t really know. Admitting gaps in our knowledge is true intellectual honesty which our hosts try to guide Ronnie to consider.

Howard from across the pond (England) calls to ask why atheists ignore “empirical” evidence for God? We want to sin, duh! ;) Though Howard claims he has arguments atheists cannot refute according to him) that does not lead to atheists denying God. We cannot have a fear of God if we don’t believe in one. Also, there is some discussion on the scientific method and problems with flat earth claims. I just write the notes folks.

Third caller in line would be Xavier from Ohio asks Armin and Xavier that if he doesn’t believe in God logically, why does he still feel His presence? Indoctrination and the brain tricking itself. Psychology, nature, and indoctrination play a three way part in this feeling which each of the hosts dive into. Feelings are not fact and it is okay if people have not let go of the emotions or sensations of belief even though logically, they know it’s wrong. 

Jess from Iowa is our last caller this week who is a trans-woman having to deal with her religious family members still not accepting her gender identity and laying down an ultimatum of acceptance. She asks our hosts how to have a difficult conversation with family members without being confrontational. Forrest lays down some bio-science as well for not only for Jess to use, but anyone can benefit from when discussing this issue. Armin offers perspectives on how to prioritize what your values and boundaries are and what you are willing to do/not do. This is a valuable tool for all of us to use when making decisions and finding out our motivations.

Call the show on Sundays 4:30pm-6:00pm CT: 1-512-991-9242 or use your computer 💻 http://tiny.cc/callaxp and tell us what you believe and why!

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.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Happy New Year from The Atheist Community of Austin! This year we began a new segment called “Share Your Experience,” or as we generically referred to as “question of the week.” This segment is only as good as the comments we get to respond to, and you, the viewers, really rose to the challenge!

Here is a compilation of our ten favorite questions and answers.

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Dive into this year's best, most viewed calls of The Atheist Experience with 'The Atheist Experience Top 5 Calls of 2023.' Forrest Valkai, Seth Andrews ( @TheThinkingAtheist ), Johnny P. Angel, Jmike, Kenneth, and Dave Warnock in thought-provoking conversations that challenge beliefs and promote critical thinking, and in rare cases, change minds.

We're giving our valued hosts, guests and crew this holiday season off, but we still want to be able to bring you some of the moments that have made Season 27 one of the best ones so far! So from all of us at The Atheist Experience and The Atheist Community of Austin, we wish you Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. Join us in January when we resume our live productions.

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In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Christy Powell and Armin Navabi, meet god in a dream that tells them which gender is god’s gift before finally being told that god is in fact everything which is really nothing.

Trees in KS had an experience where they met infinite blackness in a dream and felt immense love being surrounded by faceless Grim Reapers. How do you explain what happened to you in this dream? How do you know it was some kind of god and not something generated from your brain? Calling an experience you had god does not make you a theist. How do you know the difference between an experience in your mind and actually meeting a deity? You can have the feeling of meeting god as an atheist just like you can feel like you are flying when dreaming, but those feelings do not make either of these things true.

Jon in Canada describes women as god’s gift to men. Are men god’s gift to women? How can you rectify the problematic ideas about men and women in the Bible? Are you able to provide reasoning to this 1950’s way of thinking? Do you have any data to suggest your suggestion is better than other households? If two parents are better than one, wouldn't it be true then that three parents or even four would be better than two? There is no reason to believe that the nuclear family is superior. What about two toxic parents that are fighting with each other?

Jared in KY rushes through a proposition that agnosticism’s claim is a contradiction to itself. What claim are you talking about? We are getting bored of people who think they are intelligent that put words together and then think they are winning. Watch out for theists purposely speaking in philosophical language just to be not understood.

Erasmus in CA believes that god talks to people through dreams and visions. Why is it that Muslims have Islam related dreams, Christians have Jesus related dreams, and so forth? What metric do you use to know that dreams are not from your mind? Why is it not possible for dreams to be both clear and unclear? What is your evidence that clear dreams are more than a product of the brain? Having a scientific understanding of dreams will help dispel some of these theories you have. Dreams might just be weird thought noise.

Rick, in Canada believes that atheists dodge evidence for god and that energy is god. We are not following your notion of evidence, but do see the word salad you put together. Deep emotional experiences are insufficient evidence for a supernatural claim. Where is the evidence that energy is conscious? If everything is god, then the word god means nothing and loses all utility. Is there anything that is not god? How does matter and energy being everything prove there is a god? How is any of this relevant to the existence of god?

TJ in TX asked god for less pain in a prayer and got beaten up in school the very next day. You can hate a character in a book that does not exist. Emotions do not have to be rational or true because it makes no difference to your nervous system. Don’t try to define yourself by how people see you. We are not seeking the approval of theists.

Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: What is a minorly inconvenient way that god punishes people?

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In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Forest Valkai and Johnny P. Angel works through issues of Genesis, Unicorns, suffering, reproduction and babies hating god.

Ray in WV says that asks if the hosts believe we evolved from higher apes He then states that god is sovereign and every human hates god when they are born. The scientific argument is not if evolution happened, but how and why. Why do you think there is a god? How does a baby know there is a god to hate? How can one hate something when they don’t believe it exists? How do you know that god exists? We feel the same way about Yahweh as we do other mythological villains and fictional antagonists. Our explanations for how the universe came about are based on evidence. How much time have you spent talking with people who don’t already agree with what you think? Being a Christian does not give you the ability to have a monopoly on goodness.

Camden in NC asks if the innate response of evolutionary reproduction compliments what god says in the bible. Reproduction is one way that we classify what is and is not alive. If something did not reproduce, we would not know about it and evolution is the logical outcome of reproduction. We did not suddenly jump from a worm with no eyes to a human with eyes. Once the earth cooled from this fiery hello, life appeared relatively quick, and this can show that it is possible for life to arise without needing a cause. There are certain biological constants throughout history that have been developed through evolution and can be seen in many cultures.

Andrew in FL says religion gives meaning to suffering and that atheism makes suffering meaningless. Atheism does not have the narrative that religion does, however humanism helps reduce unnecessary suffering. What is the issue with not seeing the meaning to human suffering or existence? Religion has been used by powerful groups to convince us that we should just accept that suffering has a greater purpose. What do you think about rooting out the causes of suffering and fixing it? The current work structure is not a call from god, it is a call from capitalism. If you did not believe in a god, and you believed this is the only life you have, what would you do for your life, family, and career?

CJ in KS references a previous call where he had evidence for Eve's creation from Adam’s rib and is calling to develop the conversation. He explains that the water mentioned in Genesis is a manifestation of Jesus. The writers of Genesis did not know there would be writers of John. The people who wrote the Bible had access to earlier writings, not the other way around. The later writing does not prove the book is true, but rather develops the theme. Why do you believe the Bible is not just a literary book? How is sin anything that causes death? What about children who die from SIDS? Do you believe in a literal hell?

Thank you for tuning in! Question of the week: What is an inappropriate thing to say or do at a holiday party?

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In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity(SR) and Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist, wrestle with the foreshadow of Jesus.

Christina in Canada calls to inform us that it is humans that are poisoning the earth, not god. What does people not being interested in saving the planet have to do with there being a god? If Allah speaks to you in your dreams, why do you read the prophecies of the Bible and not the Quran? Tethering these things to the real world is the concern.

Nikol in Armenia says that if we don’t believe in god, we would live better in this world than others rather than pretend we can help others. The less religious nations are the more peaceful and produce a better living. The changing of our scientific positions is a feature, not a bug. How does god allow all kinds of bad stuff if he is all knowing and all good? The belief in a divine essence produces all kinds of problems that a secular morality does not have. If you stopped believing in a deity today, why and how would you suddenly become more selfish?

James in CA describes circumcision as a foreshadow to the blood sacrifice Jesus made. Why does circumcision need to be the penis? What does our immorality have to do with this practice? Why is self mutilation as a reminder that we are not able to meet up to god's standards not a problem? Even 2,000 years ago, we would not just walk up to someone and ask to see the penis so we could cut off the tip, unless of course we had a need of 100 Philistine foreskins.

Jimmy in Texas thinks that an atheist view of god is naive and asks the hosts about what their conception of god is. SR does not have a conception of god, but uses the callers’ conception of god for discussion. Seth explains how the argument for any kind of benevolent god falls apart. If a benevolent and omniscient god wanted to have a relationship with us, why would he not intervene and prove himself to us? Would it make sense for a loving parent to be confusing on purpose when clarity is the goal? Why does god need Jimmy to do the heavy lifting by calling a show? Presumptively crawling into our skulls does not mean you know our view or experience.

Harvey in Canada asks why the hosts are convinced there is not a god. Which god are you talking about? If we are not really delving into what god is, we have not moved the needle with being convinced. Keep asking questions and being honest with yourself on your journey. If you find something concrete, have your people call our people.

Jon in Canada asks what the worst part of Christianity is. Seth answers with a list of awful things and most offensive being how Christianity sells itself as a love relationship when it is in actuality abusive at its core. SR says that at best, there is no methodology for knowing what is true, and the existing method used is what has led to the worst experiences we have had.

James in Ca asks if we can demonstrate morality. The question is ridiculous, offensive and lazy. Do we need to be told not to harm in order to know the difference?

Thank you for tuning in this week. Question of the week is: What would you give Jesus for his birthday?

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In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Armin Navabi and JMike exist only in god’s imagination as callers discover that you just can’t get to an all powerful god from the Kalem or patterns in books.

Peter in IL proposes that if god exists, then we are imaginary and are entirely within god’s mind. What is the reason that brought you to this conclusion and what argument do you have to support this? Describing more details is not the same as providing evidence. How do you know that other scenarios where god exists are not true? Are we being made imaginary to solve the problem of evil? What is the problem with two competing good things? Does god have reasons for evil to exist? It is important to spend time thinking of things that are real, and not just things that could be real. If you study how logical fallacies work and take some time to understand how the scientific method works it will help you build a stronger position.

James in MI claims there is evidence for god in the book of Numbers and that Christ, Jesus and Messiah are the three words that prove it. How are the three words evidence for your claim? How do you get from patterns in a book to an all powerful god that is the creator of the universe? If the Quran has patterns as well, why does that not make it the word of god? Why does this only work in English?

Robert in CA asks if Arabic has changed as much as English has since the sixth century, when the Quran was written. Early Arabic would be unreadable for Arabic speaking people today. The evolution of the Quran is more complicated than what Muslim narratives say, and it seems that some of it came from pre-Islamic periods and other languages than Arabic. The vast majority of Muslims do not speak Arabic and will need to read the translation of the Quran. There are many competing translators of the Quran and can be different from each other.

Roger in the UK asks why the Kalam cosmological argument is not taken seriously, and how to determine the difference between “no evidence” and “non convincing evidence". The difference resides within how language is used. No good evidence for something is essentially the same as no evidence. There is evidence for everything if bad evidence counts. Can you give an example of anything that has no evidence at all? What if someone dreams of a square circle and calls that evidence? What in the Kalam gives you the attributes and characteristics of god such as being all knowing? If you want to just call random things god, then anything can be god. Nothing from the Kalam will prove god based on your own definition of god.

Yeshua in the UK believes the universe only exists in the mind of god. How can you support this belief with a coherent sentence? Questioning the hosts does not support the view or produce an argument. Personal incredulity does nothing to support your claims.
Thank you for tuning in this week!

Prompt for the week is: Name a weird thing that god gets offended by.

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