In today’s episode Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Chris Mallard go back in time to 1976 and wrestle with the truths of NASA before unraveling whether aliens look like us or not. 

Castle of Aughhhh, a repeat caller in CA calls to make a claim that NASA lied about the faces on Mars found on some old photos. How do you know that if photos were filed improperly that it was done intentionally? Why would they put this out to the public in the first place if they wanted to cover it up so bad? How would the indigenous race on Mars have evolved to have faces that look like humans? You don’t have to believe everything you read, such as a book written in 1991 that says someone other than NASA was running around getting photos of Mars in 1976. Still better timing than the writing of the Gospels! 

Jon in Canada asks about us finding extraterrestrial life that did not look like us and how it would disprove the Bible saying that we were created in god’s image. How can we tell which planet would come from god? Even among humans, which one of us looks like god? The Biblical stories are very specific and don’t vibe with aliens.

Kelley Laughlin, our back up host joins us to close out the show and remind us of the question of the week: Which crypto would win in a fight and why? Remember to always keep wanting the truth!


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In this week's episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptick and special guest Calvin Smith (@UnquestionableCal) navigate a failed rapture prediction, challenge the notion of modern martyrdom, and explore whether the concept of god can exist without language.

Michelle in NY, a theist, calls to argue that all religion should be abolished due to the harm and division it causes. The hosts explore this contradiction, questioning how her personal beliefs might still influence her actions despite her wanting to keep them private. If one recognizes the danger in religious systems, what keeps them tethered to the core belief?

Jon in Canada believes the late Charlie Kirk was a hero who died for his beliefs and should be viewed as a martyr. Jon and Calvin strongly push back, clarifying that while his murder was tragic, it does not erase the racist and bigoted statements he made. When does honoring the deceased cross the line into sanitizing a harmful legacy?

Derek in TX proposes that god concepts are entirely dependent on human language and asks for advice on engaging with theists productively. The hosts recommend Street Epistemology, focusing on asking questions rather than making assertions to avoid defensiveness. Could this method be the key to more fruitful discussions across belief divides?

Thank you for tuning in this week, and we will see you next time, and don't forget to add your answer to this week's We Want The Truth question: Wrong answers only: Why didn't the rapture happen this time?.

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Jimmy Jr. work through some family dynamics before diving into Biblical history showing the inconsistencies of gospels. 

Joseph in TX is looking for ways to help his siblings break free from the dogmatic lifestyle. It helps to start by exploring why you believe it is your responsibility to convince them of the harm this lifestyle can cause. The people that we are closest with often take the most offense with these things. Try and be the most consistent person you can be with these things. Remember that your brother’s decision is ultimately his. You can only lead a horse to water and it is not your responsibility at the end of the day.

Mikhail in MN makes the argument that if the Bible is true and reliable, then there is a high probability that god is real. How do you explain the 40 year gap between the time that Jesus lived and the gospels were written? Scholars agree that there is no way that these were not eyewitness accounts. When looking at Hebrew culture throughout the Bible, how does one discern propaganda against their oppressors from historical fact? If we found another contemporary source other than the Bible, does that mean we must believe it is true? The teachings of Christianity being different from other stories has nothing to do with whether Christianity is true or not. Christianity borrows from many of its predecessors and contemporaries and developed as a religion just like all the others developed, spreading to benefit itself. It is compelling to a poor person to convince them that all they need to do to get an afterlife is to believe in some guy that rose from the dead. 

Thank you for joining us this week! Flabbergasted, our back up host joins us to close out the show and remind us of the prompt of the week: Why are the aliens aiming comet 3I/Atlas at us? Remember to check yourself and always keep wanting the truth.

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and The Cross Examiner unravel some helpful points about a recent event before taking a caller who was not wearing his big boy pants. 

Jon in Canada, says that now is not the time to talk about the political stance of Charlie Kirk, people should not be saying he deserved to be shot, and we should be mourning him. As good humans, we can all condemn what happened, however, not everyone needs to grieve about it. One can care about the action and the outcome of the action, and at the same time be apathetic about the individual. If this is not the time to discuss the political stance of Charlie Kirk, when would be a better time to reflect on this? Is it cool to talk about his politics for people who agree with him, or does this rule only apply to those who oppose his views? What is the proposed solution for controversial figures being targets? How do we talk about politics without living in fear? Even when someone advocates for violence, nobody deserves what happened to Charlie Kirk. If you are a horrible person who is considering political violence, don’t do it because you will be creating a martyr. 

Catholic Traditionalist in Paris asks the hosts to define god, tries to shift the burden of proof with a bit of snark, and states that if the hosts answer his questions, it will prove god exists. To make sure that we don’t make false conclusions, we don’t start with an assumption and work backwards. Instead of complaining and claiming repression, why don’t you provide refutable proof that god exists? When you don’t call to have a conversation, and prefer to whine and complain instead, you are wasting time and you get dropped. Sorry we are not on your script, man. 

Thank you for hanging out with us tonight! Godless Engineer, our back up host closes out the show with us and shares the question of the week: What is a job you can get in heaven?

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Mike Brigandi sort through nihilism and the utility of spiritualism. How would this life be different if our inherent and objective purpose is only to believe in things that are untrue?

Michelle in NY has some thoughts on the utility of god and spirituality; the earth exists because god wants us to feel good and if something is beautiful, it is true. How do we explain cancer in children based on this hypothesis? What is the difference between a cursed world and a natural world that has things you don’t like? The belief in unicorns and leprechauns may also help people feel good. How important is it that these things are true? How can untruthful statements that make you feel good, affect your life in negative ways? 

Tucker in IA is skeptical of nihilism and believes we have an inherent purpose to make this world a little bit better before we are gone. How do we know what our own inherent purpose is? If the purpose is to leave this world without regrets, how do we explain serial killers fulfilling their purpose? If purpose is not subjective, how can this objective purpose be linked with us?

Thank you for tuning in this week! Eli Slack, our back up host joins us to review the calls and remind us of the question of the week: Name a time believers don’t mind playing god. We will see you next week!


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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Kelley Laughlin explore modern alien theories with callers and remind us to keep asking: Why should we believe this?

Lane in LA brings up the Interstellar Object 3I Atlas that will be passing by earth this November or December and the possibility of this being an alien probe. When a Harvard professor says that something could be aliens, should we have a plan to let these potential aliens know that we are here? The conversation turns to Nephilim in Afghanistan and the conspiracy theory of Navy Seals encountering them, along with huge camel spiders. Maybe AI could convince the aliens that giants are roaming the planet. 

Castle Anthrax om Canada, believes that we are on the verge of something being announced with aliens. When there are “bad actors”, does it mean there must be something greater? How can we tell the difference between people who are wishful believers and those who are intentionally spreading misinformation? Why is it that those who are the most proud of their work with intelligent life outside of earth, have the least to show for it? 

Jon in Canada is open to the idea of aliens existing. If we were to make the assumption that it is certain that aliens are out there, what are the possibilities of contact? Would this contact be a mistake? How do we hide from something that is highly advanced? Maybe we should figure out how to deal with AI before deciding what to do with aliens. 

Thank you for hanging out with us today! Our back up host, Scott Dickie joins us to close out the show and announce the question of the week. Complete the sentence: Everybody knows that vampires don’t appear in mirrors but few people know that vampires also don’t____. See you next week!


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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Justin Frechette (Skeptic Spinn), work through some topics of veganism, fire balls, and contradictory Christian beliefs. 

Nick asks if a decent person should take the lives of vulnerable, love capable beings for their own convenience. At what point is it wrong to use an animal as a means to an end? How would your perspective change if the industry were different and the animals were treated well? Where is the line drawn between sentient consciousness and non-sentient consciousness?

Robert in CA, describes seeing two fireballs that moved together when he was working outside, and when it happened the next night, he recorded them. How can we tell the difference between this and a meteorite? What is your hypothesis of what this could be? How do we know for sure that these balls are going in and out of reality, and the light is not just turning on and off? What are some normal and mundane explanations for this? Post your videos for what they are and leave them there. 

Jon in Canada, is skeptical about ghosts, and finds it weird that Christians will not believe in spirits of the deceased but will believe in the ultimate supernatural force. There are explanations for what people think are miracles and how they have these beliefs. 

Thank you for tuning in this week! Justin’s great dane joins us to close us out along with Scott Dickie to remind us of the question of the week: What would Jesus’ podcast be named?


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Objectively Dan hosts our in-studio live show for Truth Wanted today with multiple guest hosts who traveled in from multiple places to attend the annual Bat Cruise!Kelley Laughlin, Jonathon Roudabus, Helen Greene, Eli Slack, Jamie the Blind Limey, Ben Clodfelter join Dan to receive both audience questions and calls.

Jon from Canada does not think that an actor should be chosen for a role for “woke” reasons just because they are black or Latino. Being woke is aware of the institutional prejudices that are present and is recognizing real problems that need to be discussed. How do we address the past injustices of certain groups of people? When you are talking from a point of privilege about things you have not experienced yourself, you are lacking emotional and intellectual honesty on the subject. How does a black or Latino person getting a fictional role affect you? Please show us where the “woke” hurt you. 

Lucy Spina in TX wants to talk about the intersectionality between Catholicism, rural New Finland, and ghosts. There were 106 people who died in these five mines that contribute to the myth of the area being haunted. What determines the degree and intensity of the haunting of a location? How does Catholicism contribute to the belief in ghosts? When we have a culture of superstition, it can contribute to the marketing value of places that are believed to be haunted. 

Thank you for joining us this week! All our shows this weekend are live and we hope to see you for the Bat Cruise!

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Eli Slack, work through indoctrination before relaxing into some ghost encountering sleep paralysis. Just try to “free will” yourself out of that state!

Adrian, a believer in CA, uses a concordance to support claims of prophecies that have been fulfilled such as the book of Zechariah mentioning piercing. How can you tell the difference between a narrative and a prophecy? How do we know this reference point can be used to get to the truth when there is the potential of bias? How do you prove that something in the Old Testament points to Jesus? Remember, the Bible is not proof of anything; it is just a series of books that make a bunch of claims. It is important to dig deep to discover why and when you started to believe these things. If you were born in India or Arabia, would you still be a Christian? Question the evidence of your beliefs and look for other sources for Christianity besides the Bible. The same standards used to determine if other religious scriptures are real need to be applied to the Bible. Why would you settle for anything less than 100% of prayers being answered? 

Cynthia in IL, describes an encounter with a ghost while experiencing sleep paralysis in an old dormitory that was thought to be haunted. How do you think perception shaped this experience? Looking back at things with skepticism can be an excellent tool for these things. The brain can do some freaky things! 

Stephen in Australia asks about free will and rather we truly have it. Where do you think decision making takes place, within the self or outside of the self? You can do what you want, but you can’t will what you want. There is a difference between free choice and free will. 

Backup host, Jon the Skeptic, joins us to share the question of the week: What is the possible fallout of Jesus turning water into wine at the wedding? Thank you for joining us and we will see you next time!

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Dr. Blitz

Steve in NE informs us of the fringe theory of Mars being nuked. A former NASA scientist writes that there are locations on Mars where explosions occurred and there are certain elevated isotopes. If this happened, why is no one else in the scientific community taking this seriously? His submissions have not been accepted by peer review journals. When someone with a PHD goes off their rocker, how do we educate people to think critically when reviewing their purported findings?

John in CA tells us some prophecies from his deceased grandfather that he believes to be true.This includes a number of ideas such as his mom being the Anti-Christ, LeBron James, the Anti-Judas helping Cleveland end the sports curse, Bin Laden being a good guy, presidential elections, and others all tied into one big prophecy leading to the movie Die Hard. If you do believe this, it is a suggestion that you talk to a professional for your mental health. 

Fiz in CA has been thinking about what it means to live a happy life and asks the hosts what evidence there is to support or deny the existence of free will. If determinism is true, then you do not choose your will, however, this is not incompatible with the idea of being happy. How far do you go when including external forces as influences on free will? If we truly had free will, would that make the world a better place?

Jon from Canada calls to thank the hosts for the discussions they have had with him and now identifies as an atheist. We only want you to live your best life, Jon. Congratulations to you!

Kelley Laughlin, our back up host, joins us to add some commentary and remind us of the question of the week:What do demons do when they are not tormenting or torturing us? Thank you for tuning in this week!

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