The Atheist Experience

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13 OCTOBER 2019 / 4:30-6:00 PM /
HOSTS: Eric Murphy, Christy Powell

SHOW ITINERARY
0:00 Announcements & Updates.
0:04 Richard from Malaysia,
0:19 Joel from Alabama,
0:24 John from NY,
0:54 James from LA,
1:14 Ian from UK,
1:22 Marcus from Germany,
1:33 Lucas from South Dakota,
1:44 Alex from Hawaii,

SHOW NOTES
In this episode of the Atheist Experience and continuing the day of Eric Murphy, we have as hosts Eric Murphy and Christy Powell. Christy is a host from Secular Sexuality and we are stoked to have him co-host AXP today. Should be a great show!
After a few announcements, the first caller of the day is Richard from Malaysia. He claims that everyone experiences god and this god can be proven to exist. We now wait for Richard to prove it… We are still waiting Richard. Can Eric and Christy finally get him to prove it?

The next caller, Joel calls in pondering about the soul/awareness and recurrent reincarnation. He claims the soul/awareness can be passed on and incorrectly asserts that evolved instincts are proof of this reincarnation. You know, badgering the hosts isn’t always a good tactic. Eric’s first hangup as host! Congrats!

The call following is John from NY. He wants to talk about uniformity in nature, the laws of logic, and using the Christian worldview as a way to determine morality, logic, and intelligence. Will Eric and Christy find the right approach in dealing with this pre-sup?
After some followup conversation because pre-sups can make your mind melt with their word salad, the next caller is James, a Catholic who wants to further the conversation about the laws of logic and how they can prove a god exists. He continues to talk about the miracle of Fátima and how this also proves god. Watch Eric and Christy debunk these assertions!

Next up we have Ian from the UK, he humorously tries show the insanity of deathbed conversions. He posits that by using Pascal’s Wager and beating someone with grandma’s bible, the atheist on their deathbed will go to heaven due to being a martyr. Is this a joke? How does Eric respond?
Afterward, Marcus from Germany calls in to talk about proving god through the Kalam cosmological argument. Can Eric and Christy unpack this to reach the truth? Tune in to find out!

Next in the queue we have Lucas from South Dakota. He’s calling about how a cult he left is threatening him for standing up to them. It sounds like he needs some support and resources outside of the show. The hotline project through Recovering from Religion (https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org) is there for him. Calling 184-I-DOUBT-IT, Freedom from Religion https://ffrf.org, and the legal team at American Atheists https://www.atheists.org/legal/ can also help.

Our last caller of the day is Alex from Hawaii wants to know our thoughts on religion in public school, forcing religious based education on children, and the legality of that. As always, if you need to, please do reach out to Freedom from Religion, American Atheists, and Recovering from Religion for help if you need them!

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SHOW NOTES
In this episode of the Atheist Experience, we have Matt Dillahunty and Don Baker as co-hosts. While this episode is not a milestone show like Talk Heathen’s 100th episode, this episode should prove to be just as memorable. Why? Because Don is co-hosting, we love Don! Also Happy Birthday to Matt’s dad!
Before we jump into calls, a couple announcements and Don’s list of failures. Today’s topic: Ensoulment. Ensoulment and when the soul gets a body, it is nonsensical at best says Don. Theists and Christians say the soul is intentionally imperfect and created by God. But when do they get put into a body? Does it happen at conception or at first cell division? There are a lot of problems with ensoulment at conception, one being that 50% of fertilized eggs fail or don’t implant. Other problems include but are not limited to, science, chimeras, and developing identical twins! Does one twin go to hell without a soul? Do Chimeras have two souls?
Our first caller of the show today is Sean in Nebraska. Sean wonders why we atheists don’t believe in god? Why or why not? He continues to ask about how the Bible claims to be the work of god, how do we demonstrate or prove that it is true? Interestingly he agrees at the ancient age of the Earth, but the “testimonies” of the people in the Bronze age should be accepted. Matt questions his belief in this line of thinking.

Our next caller is Chloe from Maryland, She is beginning to have doubts about her faith after coming out LGBTQ. She also questions if it is normal to be angry after being challenged on belief? She is also struggling with the idea that after death there is nothing. Matt attempts to help her understand it’s important to live the one life we all have. (Carpe Diem Chloe!) https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org May help anyone who is struggling with similar issues like Chloe.

Next in the queue we have Nate in Alabama. He asks about the laws of logic & science and how would an atheist explain their existence? Matt explains they are non-physical and descriptive. Don chimes in and says it sounds like there is a false equivalency happening due to a lack of context.
Our next caller is Greg in Colorado. Whispers they can provide evidence for the existence of god and claims that 0 theists are arguing that god is physical and non-physical. Matt counters saying: Arguing for a conceptual god doesn’t mean that a god exists and the concept of a thing is not the thing. There seems to be a major conflict though, Greg is saying they’re an atheist, but is also claiming to be able to prove a god exists. Greg may be a bit confused, Matt recommends they collecting their thoughts and call back during another show.
Next up, Vik in Indiana. Family claims to have experienced a supernatural event and he wants advice on how to approach this story when he visits them. Can Matt and Don provide best practices on how to debunk this and explore the available resources on being a skeptic?
The caller following Vik is Stevie in NY. His questions were philosophical in nature. There are things we disagree about, but if there is an observable answer that we agree on, we should all get along. It’s not the topics we agree on that are troublesome, it’s the topics we disagree on where there are potential conflicts and pitfalls. Reminder to all though, don’t tell us what we believe, we will react negatively. AT-HEIST, phooey.
Next up, William in Arizona. Has questions about intelligent design, may be approaching the blind watchmaker fallacy. Having one watchmaker make you a watch can be inferred that a watch you happen upon may have been intelligently designed and created, yes we agree on that. William continues, What happens when humans guide the evolution of things or artificial selection? Does it rule out intelligent design or a creator? Matt and Don answers: Nobody made a species in the same way we make a watch. Arguing by analogy isn’t a great way to explain things.
Ready for some fireworks? Next we had Otangelo from Brazil. Oh boy. Questions why we answer “I don’t know.” Says “I don’t know” isn’t a justified answer due to the evidence provided. If you can demonstrate the truth of theism, then we can have a conversation. When Otangelo calls in, he claims god instead of “I don’t know” and says we lie about god when we say it. If we don’t know something, then I don’t know is the right answer and we don’t lie nor are we dishonest about it.
Afterwards the next caller is Jeff in Florida. Has a 6 year old child and she mentioned her non-belief to a friend. Needs advice on how to encourage his young daughter to talk with him about her friend’s theism and negative reaction to his daughter’s exclamation of atheism. Matt responded People believe different things, and some believe so strongly they could be construed as being mean. But at no point should the desire for friendship override her happiness as a person. Dale McGowan’s book “Parenting beyond belief” may help him traverse this prickly situation.
On deck, is Anonymous in Colorado. If I don’t believe in any theology, does that make me an atheist? Does the negation of theology make me an atheist? For some reason didn’t want to hear any answer from Matt and basically didn’t listen to Don. Quite a quick call… Shortest in AXP history?
Our final caller is Nicolas in Norway. Has a question about morality. Matt explains how the rules of chess can be fairly similar objectively to the rules of morality. There are objective rules we can make in reference to morality.
EXTERNAL LINKS (If needed or discussed during the show)
https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org
https://ffrf.org
http://clergyproject.org
https://www.seculartherapy.org/

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

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

In this episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty has a special guest, Gayle Jordan, on the show. Gayle is an Executive Director on the Recovering From Religion. In addition, she ran two-times as a Democratic candidate for a State Senate seat in a very red part of Tennessee but did not win. Not to mention, she won the American Atheist's Atheist of the Year Award this year! At the beginning of the show, Gayle discusses what she does at Recovering From Religion and building communities for nonreligious people.

Afterwards, they begin taking calls. The first caller is John from Connecticut. He discusses the difficulty of leaving religion because he still believes in God at the back of his mind and asks Matt to help him out with that. Can Matt help him?
The next caller, Aaron from Pennsylvania discusses his difficulties with the AA and its method. Is there another method to deal with alcoholism without turning to a higher power? Listen in and find out!

The following caller named AC from Illinois claims to have a simple proof that shows that atheism is not possible by logic. Carl Sagan once said that extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Let's see if AC meets this requirement.

Following a lengthy conversation, the next caller Ron from San Antonio, Texas discusses how the human body complexity is evidence for God. The classic Watchmaker Argument brought up again but debunked by Matt Dillahunty.

Next on the list, Dale in Ohio steps up to the plate to discuss his "discovery" of the Garden of Eden? Is this discovery worthy of a Nobel Prize? Tune in and find out!
Afterward, Mojo from the UK talks about how Intelligent Design is a scientific theory. Or is it? This is something worth listening to.

Subsequently, Oliver in Washington discusses the difference between belief and knowledge. Do you know something or merely suspect something? Word choice is very important.
Finally, Guillermo from California discusses if Atheists can use phrases such as OMG or Holy Cow. This is probably the shortest call you will ever see at the Atheist Experience.

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In this episode of the Atheist Experience with Matt Dillahunty and Don Barker, Don first discusses the Do No Harm Act. The Do No Harm Act clarifies that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) is intended to protect religious freedom without allowing the infliction of harm on other people. However, how far should religious freedom go?
Afterwards, Matt and Don begin taking calls. The first caller is Michael from Maryland. Michael discusses how churches have the wrong description of Lucifer (the devil), and that he knows what the correct description is. Is Lucifer really Satan or is he actually Tom Ellis? Will the real Lucifer please stand up?
The next caller is Karen from California. She discusses if sight and feelings are the necessary and sufficient criterion for believing in something or if there are other things necessary. In addition, Matt and Karen get into a heated debate about what it means to be a professional. A clip definitely worth listening to!
The following caller is Justin from New Jersey. He claims that he knows the truth about how the universe works through observing purposes and designs. Is his argument worthy of a Nobel Prize? Listen in and find out!
The next caller, Tasha from Nevada, claims that Jehovah's Witnesses have the correct doctrine of the Bible due to revelations by them. Maybe all that door-to-door business is not in vain. Or is it?
Despite appearing exhausted at this point, Matt and Don continue the calls with Ellen from Michigan. Matt jokes at the start of call by talking about a commenter who said that the microphones were in the wrong place, because they wanted to see the hands of the hosts when they talk. Truthfully, they wanted the microphones moved down so they could see the cleavage from the female hosts. Afterwards, Ellen discusses with Matt how to plan a funeral with religious family members.
Following the previous difficult conversation, a new caller, Doug from Ohio, discusses how people make ridiculous claims made about natural disasters being the result of unrelated things such as slavery.
Another caller from Ohio, Mike brings up the Do No Harm Act that Don discussed earlier and how important it should be to protect individuals who are victims of religious exemptions such as children who are denied blood transfusions and those who are sent to conversion therapies. Afterwards, Mike discusses how Secular Charities are better than Religious Charities. One of the reasons is because religious charities don't have to reveal how much their income is whereas all other nonprofit charities have to. Scary right?
Finally, the we wrap up the calls with Michelle from California. She discusses the difficulties that she went through during her deconversion process such as anxiety, PTSD, and even an attempted suicide attempt. Afterwards, she asks Matt how to deal with leaving religion.

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Part 2 of the AxP Double Header!

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Part 1 of the AxP Double Header!

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