Truth Wanted

Join us with Truth Wanted today as Objectively Dan and Unquestionable Cal go to Mars to pass out flyers door to door advocating for atheism. 

Nirro in TN practiced the Threefold Law devoutly for three years and not a thing ever came out of it, however, he did notice the positive mindset turning into positive action and results in the same way positive psychology works. Why do we need magic or extra layers to a working system of positive mindset? 

Jupiter 2 from Canada shows us a photo of a rock formation on Mars from NASA. If you use a magnifying glass, it can show what looks like a little guy with a plate against the chest and a tube that goes into the ground. How do we know this is not just a weird shaped rock? Kelley used a gigantic magnifying glass(the biggest I have ever seen) to look at the photo and it still looks like a rock. Next, he shows a photo from an unknown source that is classic alien stuff from Roswell, NM. A random screenshot of a guy holding a photo of an alien does not even meet your own standards. Why did you settle for this? Hilarious at best. 

Ulises from FL has an idea of the animals being put into hibernation by god to survive a year on the ark during Noah’s Flood. Why should we believe the flood happened in the first place? How is it logical that animals will sleep for a year? The caller revealed that he is figuring some things out as a Jehovah Witness and there is so much more to the world, and how he just wants to live and die with the truth. If god is real and just, he will recognize this desire for you to find the truth. We are happy that you had the courage to call the show and you are always welcome to call! Recovering from religion is a helpful place to start as you navigate through this liberating way of living. 

Daisy in WA wants to know what the hosts think about going door to door the way religious people do or at least doing some more outreach. We should make ourselves known, but approaching someone’s property is crossing a line. Calvin has over 100K followers on another platform and he knew almost no atheists to begin with. We can make an impact without going door to door. Be warned that many people view atheists in the same way they view Muslims and it is not in a positive light. If there is not a group around you, you can form one. 

Bagel in Canada, explains that the only way to win the game is to forget you are playing the game. In other words, if you are a good person but never heard about Jesus, then you get a free pass at the pearly gates. This will work depending on the denomination and has been talked about by theologians. There is one extreme where Baptism is what counts and the other where children under 12 are innocent and get the pass. By introducing somebody to the concept of Christianity, you risk them going to hell.  

Thank you for tuning in! Kelley Laughlin, our back-up host joins us to close out the show and remind us of the question of the week. Complete the sentence: Due to the cesspool of social media, people now believe god is _______. 

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In today’s episode of the Objectively Dan and Secular Rarity, take calls that bring us back to the show basics with aliens out there, aliens changing religion, post death beings judging us, and aliens here on earth! Aliens, aliens, and more aliens!

Steve in NE, wants to talk about evidence for energy transmissions that is coming from an alien civilization near a sun-like star. How do we know that the alien civilization is the only explanation for this? Why is this the best explanation for these signals? It is cool, many of us are rooting for aliens to be out there too. We may find evidence for aliens later, but do not have it now. More space research is needed!

Michelle in NY wants to talk about another realm where we might be judged for the actions of this life and questions if the beings who judge us will have an ethical and moral structure. If there is an omnibenevolent being, they would probably make their identity known to us. Why would we change what we do if we are already doing the best we can? How do we determine the characteristics of this being that will judge us and how do we know what we are being judged on? The sound is worked between the caller and the screener and Caleb’s call is received before Michelle returns for more dialogue.

Caleb in WY has some thoughts on the K2 18-B planet that is showing signs of possible life and asks how that would change religious dogma. Some will drop their beliefs and yet others will double down and claim that god created this alien life. What would happen if we found alien dinosaurs? How would countries manage the panic about this discovery?
Nostromo from Canada saw a report where Harvard researchers say aliens may already live on earth. It has to be more than, “could be” and we are going to need to see the receipts. Why is the alien explanation the best conclusion? Finding more unexplained events does not explain other unexplained events. If there is no good reason to believe this, why should we entertain it?

Thank you for tuning in this week! Kelley Laughlin, our back-up host, joins us to close out the show. We want the truth of the week is: What would you expect with the apocalypse?

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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Kayse Melone jump into hell to find it does not exist. They then sort through ways of telling people they are wrong and the merits of an atheist evangelizing in a church. 

Sven in WA has some questions about the value of the soul from a Christian point of view and god as an entity vs. a mind. How useful is it to believe in the concept of a soul? Sven also has a second question about the Pope’s belief in hell and the infernalist mindset causing religious trauma. How would things change if masses of people stopped believing in hell? There is plenty of suffering in the here and now; how can we focus on easing that suffering now?  

Bob in MS wants to know how to tell someone wrong in a good way, a flip on our question of the week. Starting with common ground and using empathy will get you further than picking apart the logic. When we start with empathetic questions, we find similarities. Understanding how people get their truths matters, and if you can examine a claim together by asking how they got to the claim can be effective. These types of conversations are not encouraged in church environments. Giving people tools to help them realize where their ideas are coming from can help them liberate themselves from their false beliefs, even if it takes some time. Check yourself: What is the purpose of telling someone they are wrong?

Billy Pilgrim in TX reminds us of how hard it is to get people to believe the truth when they want to believe in other things. People have an investment in these beliefs and oftentimes feel trapped. They may not have a concept of what it is like to be an atheist and do good things. What kind of bandwidth and time does it take to be a truth seeker? How would an atheist within a church provide a benefit?

Thank you for tuning in this week! Kelley Laughlin, our backup host joins to close us out and deliver the We Want The Truth segment of the week: What is a bad way to tell someone that they are wrong? We will see you next time!

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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Jim Barrows jump into social media to separate the art from the artist, and are careful not to be echo chambers as they float through space to trigger a speciation event.

James in NY has some thoughts about how social media can help with deconstruction. The process of deconstruction is not just one time and happens repeatedly. Jim mentions some YouTube programs that not only help him but also are entertaining. This can also be helpful when it is hard to leave some things behind, Dan describes. What kinds of things can be difficult to accept as true?

Bagel in Canada wants to talk about separating the art from the artist and presents an example of a musician who did something awful yet still produces a great song. How can you separate the revenue stream from the artist? The thing that makes a person a moral monster is not necessarily their art. Knowing everything about every celebrity ever can give us some problems to wrestle with. How can you tell when the actual art is the problem? What if the cameraman of a series that you love comes out as a Nazi? Even bad people say and do good things on occasion. We can rephrase this as separating the science from the scientist.

Caleb in WY wants to figure out how to not be an echo chamber and take the proper approach to find what is true. Dan draws off his experience to explain how helpful it is to use five different news sources for every story you find. Information is misreported on all sides and you must take an active attempt at absorbing information. Jim will surf different sites in incognito mode so he is not recognized. This will help prevent the information being tailored to you. The same article will have different headlines depending on the audience.  The hosts share other helpful tips: Never share an article on social media that you have not read yourself, paid subscriptions will generally give you better quality information, and look for news sources that expose the blind spots on the right and left. 

Dan in Canada has a thought about the commercialization of space travel and asks if people will have a speciation event. Jim confirms that when the environment changes, we will definitely see this take place, and Dan explains that evolution does not just stop. If you stay in space long enough, you can’t return because of how it affects the body. How do you think humans will change if we were to colonize Mars?

Kelley Laughlin, joins us to close out the show. We want the truth of the week: Name something that people worry about too much. Jim reminds us that all hardware and software suck. People make mistakes. Thank you for joining us this week!

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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Allegedly Ian, use words to interpret words as they are on troll alert. 

John in Ca is a Biblical literalist that says we have mistranslated The Lord’s Prayer by using a different definition for the word, “bread”. Once he sees the Bible in a different light by replacing the word “God” with “food”, everything makes sense with evolutionary history. What process caused you to be convinced of this interpretation? How did the kangaroos get to Australia from the Middle East if Noah’s flood is true? How are the stories of Genesis allegorical from a literalist point of view? 

Tweep in Canada wants to know how the word “objective” is being used and if it means 100% good when used as an adjective for good. There could be more than one value that has different worths under this umbrella. Knowing the rules of chess doesn't give you the ability to know what moves to make as an example. 

Austin in the USA asks Ian how he thinks the earth was created. Ian describes how a solar nebula cooled and particles came together in bigger and bigger masses until the earth was formed and it is a fact that the earth is 4.5 billion years old. 

Daisy in WA has observed atheists like Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins that have gone far right and have hateful opinions of trans people. We can’t tell you the individual psychology, but we did notice a cultural trend around 2010 that may have its roots in rage baiting. It is sad to see that some atheist influencers were part of this. Right wing spaces will take in a lot of people, especially when they are fringe. When the food in your mouth depends on you believing the thing that you believe, it is hard to think about anything else. 

Thank you for tuning in this week! Supposedly Eli joins us to close us out. We want the truth question of the week: What conspiracy theories do you think will arise in the future? The unexamined life is not worth living.

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Sara, with Leaving Faith, work through calls of deconversion, original sin, and ancient alien origins. 

Steve in NE has strong evidence that the planet K2 18b has life, and uses that as a reason to believe that there is a god that is technologically advanced. How does this potential life make it more likely that a technologically advanced god exists? Why does there have to be a creator involved? We can find patterns in almost anything, but that does not prove anything. Rearranging this to get to the conclusion that you started with is not a good way to find the truth. 

Chris in MI asks Sara if there was a higher power, is it most likely a floofy cute loaf of banana or a floofy cute dog that barks at things. Sara says it is the dog! Fastest call ever!
Roy in MA has some questions about how to approach some conversations. The first question is about where original sin and atonement are referenced in the Bible. Dan describes how the Old Testament’s narrative involves people being held accountable for the sins of the father but was more strongly mentioned by Paul. Sara agrees this is more of a New Testament thing and an idea of Paul. Dan then explains how the Bible is a collection of blog posts with Paul being one of the biggest bloggers. Roy then asks the hosts their opinions about whether we can be punished for not worshipping god. Sara reminds us how the Bible lacks clarity about salvation and is full of contradictions. 

Chuck in CA tells us his deconversion story, and we are the first ones to hear it! During his teenage years he started to question things after some conversations with friends. When he arrived in college, he had his first philosophy class where he encountered several god arguments that he could not shake. After watching several years of the AXP, and a few classes, he considers himself a firm atheist. He taught his mother, who is a lifelong believer, yoga and meditation that seemed to help her have a higher quality of life. Remember, you are not responsible for everything that happens and to be kind to yourself. What would you tell someone that told this same story to you? We appreciate you sharing this with us for the first time! 

Thank you for tuning in this week! Our backup host, Kelley Laughlin joins us to close out the show. We want the truth prompt: Aliens thought they would have an easy time on earth, but they did not anticipate______.

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Dr. Blitz, show us how to do an amazing job with thought provoking calls!

Steve in NE has evidence that dark energy is weakening over time, implying that the Big Rip Theory is incorrect. Dr. Blitz confirms this big news and cites studies that consistently show that dark energy is weakening. We should be hesitant because we don’t know what dark energy will do. Could the expanding universe be a trick of time dilation?

Omega Weapon in NY has a position that any god that is both independent of space/time and the creator of it can’t logically exist. To have conversations with people who believe this, it helps to put yourself in their shoes and try and figure out how they are thinking about this.

Jim in FL currently has a deist perspective and knows there is a higher power that people do not understand yet. What does a deist god do for you and how does this god provide direction? Why believe in a higher power that does not interact with the physical world? If there is a god that we can’t know, why should we care? Your desire to help people is admirable, but keep in mind that your religion has nothing to do with helping people. We are not judging you or here to be confrontational; we are just trying to figure out what it is you want to do.

Dan in Canada wants to know if Dr. Blitz believes that the Pyramid Power Plant theory would actually work and what the physics breakdown would be for this to produce microwaves. There may have been some weird chemistry in those times, but there is no evidence they had a copper coil or the ability to produce electromagnets. It is easy to take apart most pseudo science.

Jasmine in Canada asks if the hosts would compromise their beliefs to get well paying jobs in Christian private schools even though they don’t believe. You can’t just change your belief on a whim and making a pledge for faith would be where the line is drawn. It is one thing to lie to your employer, and another thing to lie to kids. How would you approach science? There is a value to being a friendly face to LGBTQ kids in a hostile environment. There are reasons these jobs pay so well such as the conservative mindset being so restrictive.

Dee in IA has some encouraging comments for the earlier deist call. It sounds like a lonely position; instead of looking at a deity that can make you feel better, take a look at what is important to you and find a way to do something about these things. You have the strength to call in, you can have the strength to do the things in your community that make a difference!

Eli Slack, our backup host, joins to help close us out. We want the truth segment of the week: Name a time when protesting would be an overreaction.

Thank you for tuning in this week and keep wanting the truth!


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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptick and Kelley Laughlin kick off the show before being joined by Amanda Bonanza who shows her amazing ability to offer wise guidance and questions to ponder to a bigoted caller.

James in NY asks about having hope that mythical beings exist and the value of this hope when it can give us comfort with mortality. Why would believing in something like a dragon give us hope and what purpose would it serve? What happens when two people have opposing hopes? What would you need for something to be higher than you? When you die, the same thing will happen to you that was before you were born. If you make amazing memories and help people feel great about themselves, they will pass it on for you! Make it brilliant now!

Jon in Canada thinks that trans women are putting cis women in danger by saying that men and women are the same. Amanda gives Jon a generous helping of questions that Jon seems to be unable to honestly answer. Who says that men and women are the same? The common misconception that trans women are men or that they are trans for sport, to be cool, or to gain access to feminine spaces is wildly wrong and factually incorrect. This is a prenatal condition where the body produces the wrong hormones that requires medicine where the person feels better. People confuse this with something that is aesthetic and often results in premature death. How is treating this condition putting women at risk? The approval rating for the treatments used for this transition is off the charts positive. Gender and biological sex are different things that sometimes overlap but not always. Jon then goes on to claim that this is all a fantasy. How do you know you are a man; do you need to check your genitals? If you are straight, can you one day decide to be gay and think that men are attractive? Do you choose to write with your right hand and how do you know you are right handed? It would take a lot of work to start doing things with your left hand and it would not feel natural, wouldn’t it? How many conversations have you had with trans people about this? You are incongruent with yourself, Jon. What happens when you take estrogen? If a cis woman does not look feminine enough, does that make her a man? If Mike Tyson transitioned and became a woman, would you be able to kick his ass because he is no longer a man?

Gabe in MO is meeting his girlfriend’s parents soon and the father is a Lutheran pastor and wants some ideas on how to deal with it. How does your girlfriend feel about this and how often will you be seeing them? Sometimes it is best to keep the peace; you don;t have to agree but diplomacy comes into play and can go a long way. 

Thank you for joining us! We want the truth question: If atheists are not in fox holes, where are they?

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Almost a Doctor, shift through how to not lionize science and provide some insights on how to deal with science being under attack and then kindly addressing some fears of hell with a repeat caller.

Jamie in TX is not a fan of lionizing science for science itself by saying “In Science We Trust”; science needs to be taught and funded properly in a manner that instills the scientific method. Slogans can make science into an entity or belief system. Science is a tool and a method, not a thing that people worship or religion. How do you think we should solve the problem of the media writing misinformation after improperly reading the data?

Dee in IA finds it disturbing how science is under attack and compares it with how people were oppressed in the medieval times. It is about how you approach it to change the base framework of how people view the world because not everyone is going to respond the same way. Always be careful to not represent what the scientific method is. It is important to remember that science is not the enemy. What will the future bring for science when we have this social movement that is against it?

Jon in Canada, has been thinking about his faith, and lately the fear of Hell has been on his mind. Which hell will it be and how do you know it is a real thing? People normally can’t just rid this fear overnight. It can take years to work with this. Many atheists used to be theists and struggled with this same thing. What part of this are you most fearful of? The idea of it being forever makes it worse, doesn't it? What if your version of hell is wrong or you chose to worship the wrong god? Do any of the hells have more evidence than the others?

Thank you for joining us! Ely Slack, our back-up host, joins us to close out the show by leaving us some words of wisdom, “Be like a proton and stay positive.” We want the truth for this week: What is really causing the loneliness epidemic?

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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptic and Drew Bekius take a dive into animal rights before realizing the dive was deep enough to encounter octopi of potential alien origins.

Connor in UT would like to know the hosts’ opinions on animal rights being an extension of human rights. Jon mentions the struggle associated with soy allergies when going to a plant based diet. As Drew emphasizes the importance of this conversation, he describes the need to exercise mindfulness and gratefulness towards other beings on the planet. What is the best option for animal testing? How can the pain and harm be minimized?

Dee in IA says that farmed animals in the future need to reside with local farmers where farm animals are bred for food. If dogs are bred for fighting, does that make it right? What does ethical farming mean and how do we explore these practices? Would it be cool for aliens to come down and have a human farm because we are so tasty? If an animal is bred for a certain purpose, what would make that purpose ethical? Though Industry and employment are important, they are not the right reasons to keep this in practice. 

Jon in Canada saw a plate move all by itself after having a conversation about ghosts. What is your best explanation for this? How do you go about getting all the information before making the conclusion that it was caused by a ghost? Sometimes taking the position of not knowing is the way to go.

John in OH says that he can prove there is no afterlife because the mind is a separate substance from the body and consciousness is a property of the brain that can be turned off. If the mind is a process of the brain that stops when the brain dies, why is this important to theists?

Dan in Canada wonders if the awesomeness and weirdness of octopi indicates they might be from other planets. Are there other connections that go beyond this category? How would the disconnect be explained between the animal kingdom and Cephalopods if there are in fact disconnections? How convinced are you that the octopus is not of earth origin?

Thank you for tuning in! Kelley Laughlin, our backup host, joins us to close out the show. Question of the week is: What says I am an asshole without saying I am an asshole?

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