The Atheist Experience is a weekly show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist and atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.We define atheism as the lack of belief in gods. This definition also encompasses what most people call agnosticism.
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows and JMike have fun with antinatalism, and most importantly, blasphemy!Kirsten in TX asks about the benefits of religion providing community, and how secular communities can provide the same benefits. We now have many choices on social media where you just can find your community. You can even start your own group! You can use words like “critical thinker”. If we do not do this ourselves, it is not going to happen.Samuel in Canada asks how to talk with a pastor that believes there is no evidence for creation or evolution and to just decide based on faith. There is more evidence for evolution than there is gravity. Everything in biology and in medicine is related to evolution. Changes in allele frequencies in a population over a period of time is already a fact that evolution occurs, and we haven’t even got to natural selection yet.Jon in Canada believes that evidence for god is that people have faith. Does the number of people who believe something have any bearing on whether it is true? If we have evidence that god exists, we will believe in god. We do not have anything against something that does not exist. Queue in IL asks about the hard atheist stance with the belief that god does not exist and needing to provide the burden of proof. You can give a strong inductive case of why god is not probable. Every theist tends to make deductive cases for their god. Every phenomenon that we know of has a natural explanation or we just don't know how it happens. Even in places where naturalism might be improbable, it is just as improbable under theism with extra ontological baggage.Amanuel in TX says there should be a restriction on freedom of speech or expression because of an experiment of his that showed panic caused when some hosts tore up the scriptures. What kind of experience do you have setting up these experiments and was there a control group? How is bias not built into your study if these were people you knew? Stating a position of non god belief is not blasphemy or causing harm. Your irrational fear that should not be someone else's problem is used to justify atrocities such as gay conversion therapy. How does a blasphemous meme harm you? Look at how the Islamic world goes nuts for drawing on magazines. Restricting freedom of speech and what artists can portray is the totalitarian way and downright wacky.Andrew in FL calls to state that atheists tend to lean towards antinatalism and how they are damaging the population. Where do you get this claim? If this is true, why is atheism the fastest growing segment? If correlation is causation, then the increase of ice cream would increase the crime. Up until the last 10 years, the US was 90% Christian. The No True Scottsman fallacy does not work with the Baby Boomers messing up the population.Thank you for tuning in this week and the question of the week is to capture the image shown on the screen by giving us a caption!
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, ObjectivelyDan and Jamie the Blind Limey are live in studio wrestling with callers who believe the Bible is scientifically accurate and a progressive document.Josh in FL asks about the Bible being taken literally. Do Christians literally heal people by laying on of hands? People make incredibly important decisions about their life, health and family by this flawed way of thinking. What positivity comes with prayer? How do you explain replacing people’s medical care with prayer? It is the secular values that have corrected Christianity, not the other way around. The atheists in this country did not fight to take away rights from people; can you guess what group has?Somber in WA postulates that god is not real if the universe can be reduced to a non-dimensional point because there is no outside space and time for god to exist. A physical universe requires physical things to happen. Sir Le Chef in Quebec believes the Bible is 100% true because there is nothing we can disprove that is in the Bible. How do you know this? Of course, he knows this because of the seven day week! You don’t get to just call into the show and say this without proving it; that is not how logic works. The seven day week existed before Jesus so we do not accept your premise. Is the creation narrative the word of god or not? Rick in Canada says the Bible is 100% accurate because Jesus says that only the sick need a physician. How do you explain people who have cancer with no symptoms? If the disciples had magical powers, is every other Christian who claims to have these powers a liar because only the elite can do it? So the people who prayed for Jamie’s eyes(not faith) were not part of the special 144,000? There are people who pray to get better daily and we have never seen evidence that it works. Isn’t it interesting that cancer can go into remission, but blindness can’t? Can prayer regrow a hand that has been cut off? Can you find someone who can heal Jamie’s retinas through prayer?Jose in TX says that god created a “snowglobe with a dome”, not the universe, and that theists try to make the myth work. Many cultures explained the world without knowing what was happening. The problems with Genesis are a mile high! Andrew in FL says the Bible is a progressive document and just because it is not scientifically accurate that doesn’t mean god doesn't exist. We hope the god that inspired that book is not real because he is obviously not a nice person. Do you believe that god changes himself to suit the times? Does the Bible have literal falsehoods? Why do we even look at the Old Testament in the first place if it is so bad? Why should we care about Christianity any more than Islam or another religion? If cancer does not have intentions, why do you think it is evil? If you believe that god made us, why were we made with the capability of having cancer? Thank you for joining us with these fun callers! The question of the week is: The hardest part about being an atheist is what?
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Johnny P. Angel and MD Aware work through questions from callers that range from evolution to morality. Louis in FL says that scriptures are a revealed message from god to Moses that support evolution. How do you explain god creating plants before creating light? Call back when you are not driving or distracted. Beast in CO describes how he was harmed by the church by sexual abuse among others, and how the pastor did not do anyting about it. What we end up seeing, is there are no reparations needed in this religion because of confession and the forgiveness of Jesus. Voices that report abuses are downplayed and diminished because the church has too much at stake. This is because if people start to ask if the church is wrong, then they will ask if its interpretations are wrong. Check out Recovering from Religion and the Secular Therapy Project for help and support. Joseph in GA reads something to us that says atheists put too much trust and can limit the imagination. What do you think about how a healthy understanding of science can spark imagination? Imagination is key with science because we are trying to figure out the explanations for things, once we know the basics. If atheists are putting too much trust in science, what would be the alternative? How does atheism limit the imagination? Ely in TX believes the historicity of the Bible is what makes it true. If the Bible is not true, does that mean that someone made it up? Could the people who wrote the Bible have been wrong? What is to be said about a useful character such as Jesus being used to tell stories that are trying to educate people about morality or ethics? We know that the Jewish people existed for a long time, but we don’t know that the fantastical claims such as the Red Sea parting happened. What evidence matters most and where is it found? When a book predicts something that happened that is in the same book, there is a problem. Are the witnesses that verified Joseph Smith and his magical seeing stones and golden tablets correct, are they mistaken, or are they liars? Just because brimstone is found in a location does not mean the mythical story is true. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Alok in CA says that the slow growth of atheism in the US is due to people on the fence not understanding where we get our morality, and people looking for some higher purpose that atheism does not offer. People made up the rules to both secular and Biblical morality. The spiritual journey that atheists sometimes pursue involves humans, animals, and plants and can take a lifetime. Michael in FL asks if morality is supposed to be thought of in a social and psychological context, very much the same way we see health. Our sense of fairness, justice, and right or wrong has evolved with its base level in biology. Thank you for tuning in this week! Our question of the week is: What do you think the last words of Jesus really were?
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows and Secular Rarity take on calls about divorce, single parents, trans women, and technology before Armin Navabi flies in to help.Andrea in FL calls to claim that atheism leads to higher divorce rates and that Christians have more satisfactory sex lives than atheists. How do you explain the Pew Research Center studies that contradict this claim? Is it more important to stay married and be miserable for the children or is it better to teach them about happiness? What is it specifically about being married and not getting a divorce that makes people better?Otari in the nation of Georgia proposes that children of single parent households are more likely to be delinquent. What studies do we have that single parent households are radically problematic? Could the problem be linked to only one income for the household and poverty? Other than income, how are two parents raising a child better than one? Is the real problem divorce, or is it socioeconomic status? Would abortion cut down on single parent households?Nate in CA asks if trans people competing in sports would have a physical advantage, and what the difference is between sex and gender. Some cis women can have naturally higher levels of testosterone than other cis women. In sports, why are we testing women for testosterone levels but not men? People can be born intersexed, and also be born with different gendered brains. We would rather be on the side of inclusivity to give everyone a chance to participate. Corey in TX asks how technology changing our environment affects our evolution, and is it causing it to speed up. We may be able to evolve to handle higher levels of pollution, but how rapidly do the pollution levels change? There can be a new species of hominids that evolves alongside homo sapiens. Theist in the USA claims that theists have better lives than atheists. There is nothing about community building that is better with religion, and there is no link of intelligence to either atheism or religion. There is no data to demonstrate that atheists are more likely to go down a bad path. If an action increases the overall happiness, then it is good. The evangelical stance on LGBTQA increases the number of suicides in that community, and that is a bad thing. Do NOT Google dolphins having sex with blow holes. Mr. Porter from IL asks what the worst evidence for god is. Jim mentions to look at the trees and Armin says it is the argument for chicken. Kathy in IL calls as an atheist attending the Unitarian Universalist Church, and explains how their model is not conversion, but cooperation. Compared to other religions, this may be good, but secular humanism is a better instrument. When a church seems loving and tolerant, but accepts bad ideas, we must oppose that. Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: What should the Norse have had a god of, but didn’t?
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, our hostesses with the mostess are Forrest Valki & Armin Navabi.Let’s welcome our first caller is Alan from Wisconsin, who as an atheist, is dealing with the all too common issue of a theist’s view that bad things happen to people due to their lack of faith. He discusses wanting to have that frustrating conversation with as much respect and tact as he can. Our hosts share what has worked for them and how this is a common misperception.Second caller up to the proverbial bat is Dave from Connecticut. Now Dave gives his explanation of why faith is the only access we can have with God and “smart” people know this where those of “less” intelligence cannot understand what faith is and needing it to access God. Does this sound a little bit egotistical? A mental gymnastic game? You are right! Let’s listen to Armin and Forrest break this down and how silly that is.Caller number three gives a ring, his name is the Monkey King, and he doesn’t know anything.Ohhh boy! Michael is the fourth caller and he tries to give God a pass on biblical slavery. Do you need any more detail than that? Yeah, I didn’t think so. Oh! And some antisemitism to boot!Moving to a more productive topic, Carlos in Puerto Rico calls in dealing with the title of being an anti-theist. Forrest explains his hostility against religious teachings, the harm it does, and how he identifies as an anti-theist. Armin adds on explaining why we as activists, care for religious people as they are the victims of theism and pushing against the bad ideas that actively hurts our fellow human beings.Caller number 6 comes from John living with our friendly neighbors of the north, Canada. Now John brings up Pascal’s Wager which is easy to refute, but then takes a hard right turn to God creating the USA, as the greatest nation? Dear reader, if you belong to another country, I do apologize for this idiotic opinion. Oh! And a touch of trans-phobia. This call goes a little all over the place.
Today’s Atheist Experience is live in the studio with Forest Valkai, JMike, and Johnny P. Angel! They operate as a triple host power team to help us work through pubic angles, Biblical interpretations, more pubic angles, bad design, and casting off religious weights.Evan in VA knows Jesus is true because the Bible says so, and asks the hosts how they know if something they believe is true. Simplicity works for philosophy and evidence works for science. If there is not a good reason to know something, we either stop believing, or look for evidence to see what we should believe. Functionality works if we are not trying to shoehorn something into our beliefs. The perceived reality that we live in has facts that are true and can be tested. Which version of the Bible is true? How do you know that the red lettering are the words of Jesus? Amanuel in TX says that the teachings of the Old and New Testaments are consistent with each other. In Judaism, was the Messiah a concept of a dying and rising god? How do you know what parts to believe and what to not believe? Was there a talking donkey? Other than the book, what raises the probability that this is true? Do you understand the difference between something being evidence based and something being book based? What use is a mental model that will allow you to believe absolutely anything?An audience member asks how we change our brain space to recognize our own power and ability to cast off religious weights. The biggest deconversion manual is the Bible. Exploring and analyzing your faith with a critical eye is a start.Otari, in the nation of Georgia, asks how evolution accounts for bad design in humans like the way the fall of man does and why homosexuality does not lead to extinction. Recent evolution in humans explains this because we can make testable predictions. According to the Bible, god told the very first lie in history to explain bad design. The reason why homosexuality does not lead to extinction is because they are not 100% of the population. This has been observed in over 1,500 species and something that is this ubiquitous, clearly has some sort of benefit.Jimmie in TX feels there is no contradiction in scripture, Forrest’s interpretation is outrageous, and we should listen to Joseph Campbell when interpreting the endemic myth. Do you have access to god’s intentions and know what he wants you to interpret? How do you know that god did not want us to interpret the Bible literally, or a different way? When you criticize another’s view, you have to beg the question.Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: What is the best comeback for when someone says, “A fool says in his heart, there is no god.”
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Johnny P. Angel and Hemant Mehta work through calls of free will, the supernatural, and morality. Art in PA says god is believable because people have seeked thousands of gods over thousands of years and you still have to believe in god to give up the Bible. Just because people were looking for something does not mean they were on the right track for what they are seeking. Wanting something to exist does not make it true. Why would an appeal to popularity make something true? If you care about truth, what is the best thing to do? David in Ireland asks how to deconstruct supernatural beliefs when using things such as Tarot cards or crystals. Going through a ritualistic process can put yourself in a different mental state of focus, but does not mean the items used in the ritual have any special powers. How do you know these items are helping more than any other practice? If all these tools you use disappear, would you end up in the same place? The power is within you and you do not need magical items. Tyler in NC does not believe god exists, but is not sure about free will. The idea of free will or not free will is a false dichotomy. How can a circumscribed universe of limited choices be considered free will?Sam in NY says that if people don’t pray, they are incomplete. Are people who believe in a different god from you incomplete? What is the feeling of the power of prayer? How did you become complete? Is god’s power limited to that of sight? Why do you believe the Bible is true? What if something is in the Quran but not the Bible? Are people who pray that use other books than the Bible or Quran? Shinobi Sheran in the USA believes a woman should have the right to choose all around. Who should make medical decisions on people’s behalf? Once a politician starts making these decisions, it can be a slippery slope. Jon in FL does not believe religion is needed for morality. Why do you believe this? Countries that have the smallest belief in religion are arguably the most moral. How do you define morality? If you Google Phil Zuckerman you will find some interesting information on this. It will be hard to find anything that shows religious people are more moral when the playing field is even. The differences between secular morality and religious morality reside in the goals of each. Dave in India asks if god is the government’s way of controlling people and part of the military industrial complex. What version of these beliefs would get people to think a certain way? The belief in a higher power has been around before nations had militaries and leaders may sprinkle the fairy dust of religion on their mission. This does not mean it is part of a conspiracy. When politicians use religion as a weapon, it backfires. Thank you for tuning in today! The question of the week is: What is the weirdest Bible story?
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity(a.k.a. "Schmike") and Jmike get philosophically fun as callers discuss deconstruction and free will.Devon in CA calls to discuss how worshiping in two religions at one time does not make sense. Some religions have beliefs that are mutually exclusive, but there are also some that are not. How often do you run into people who have dual beliefs? When you see this, analyze the two and compare the contradictions. What is the criteria used to pick these two different beliefs? It is important to have consistency to help not hold two contradictory beliefs. Austin from TX informs us that Alex Grey is building a Chapel of Sacred Mirrors in NY, and this work of art encompasses all the theist ways of being. How do you arrive at this being what your religion is about? What are they doing to demonstrate their truth claim of there being a god? How do you determine what is true from religions to incorporate into your world view? How would this be independently verified?Alan in TX believes we have choices with consequences so therefore we all have free will. Do you believe that if you were given the ability to rewind life, that you would not make the same decision you did five minutes prior? If you chose A over B, is there something that explains why? Are there agents in your brain that can break the causal chain? Where does the free will sneak in? How do you demonstrate that free will exists without referring to things that are predetermined? Do you think your thoughts before you think your thoughts?Jason, a former megachurch pastor in CA, asks how to latch on to something larger than the self to find new purpose when in the state of post deconstruction. Secular Rarity explains there is nothing that is needed if one already knows how to connect with other people. There is no space to be filled because all you have is the beauty of the world around you, and no longer have the need for added magic. There are lots of systems out there that are incredibly worthwhile in terms of understanding the world and giving us a framework of what we should be doing next. When you step away from the supernatural, you get to discuss the big questions in life. The Clergy Project and Recovering from Religion are two great resources for people that are deconstructing. Love and grace from some religious communities might be conditional. Dustin in WI believes we have free will because language informs decisions. Free will is not defended by being defeated. How do you demonstrate that something does not work out the same way if we go back in time? Just stating that you can move your arm, does not tell us that the movement was your own free will. Where does the free will come from if it exists?Thank you for tuning in! You are pre-determined to consider the question of the week: What would be a red flag on a religious dating app? We will see you next week because you don’t have a choice in the matter.
Today’s Atheist Experience has Objectively Dan and Christy Powell in the studio take audience questions in between wrestling with concepts from callers.God’s Sign in CA calls to say that Christianity is not immoral because it teaches one to be selfless. Why does this need to be Christianity and not the Boy Scouts or some other organization? Many people have a moral problem with the scriptures, including the words of Paul from the New Testament. If Jesus was god, was the crucifixion really a sacrifice? How do you feel about the extortion threat of hell?Gene in TX brings up Matthew 10 where Jesus tells the disciples to not preach his message to anyone but the people of Israel, and that some of them will still be living when he returns. There are weird differences in each of the gospels. Gene also tells us about Southern Baptist groups called the Royal Ambassadors(RAs) and Girls Auxiliary(GAs) that seem to be somewhat of a mystery. Lee from the audience asks why it takes some people longer to figure things out with their beliefs. It is not the individual brain power; it is about how you grew up. Being smart and believing in god are not mutually exclusive ideas. PG in TX wants to know why it seems like atheists switch from the supernatural god to the god state because they leave religion and become authoritarian. People are leaving Christianity often because of political issues. There are a lot of atheists who lean left, but why do so many people on the right have a god belief?Omar from the audience asks if there are Bible verses or ideas that contradict the possibility of aliens. This world was supposed to be for people made in his image and if it is only 6,000 years old, aliens don’t factor into that.Jay in IL claims that god is life and life created everything. Is cancer in children and war from god too? Why should we believe the Bible is true without using the Bible as a reference? If we all have “common sense”, why do we need the Bible? Would you have the same notion of god if you have been born in Japan where less than 2% of people believe in god?Figgy in NY brings up that sometimes callers are questioning their beliefs. If your belief system can’t hold up to scrutiny, that is something you need to be questioning.Jose in Honduras asks the hosts what caused them to lose their faith. Christy explains the reasons as logical errors in the bible and how LGBTQIA people would be rejected by Christ. Dan realized there were man made parts in the Bible and god has never contacted him.Robert in TX has a dilemma because science can’t really explain the origin of things. There is a human desire to fill in any question we don't have an answer for with something else. Have Christians proved the origin?Thank you for tuning in! The question of the Week: Where did the Catholic Church really get all their money? (Wrong answers only).
Welcome to The Atheist Experience! Our hosts Secular Rarity and David Warnock are looking for proof of God. Or Allah. Or Jesus. Or even Thor. Will they get it? Probably not, but you will be entertained!Peter from MA wants to talk about blasphemy, having humility, and where does that come from. Our hosts discuss how human beings need to be “checked”. That science shows us where we are wrong and to learn from being wrong. We all have limits in our knowledge, and that’s a good thing. We are all human after all.Mason from Florida is asking why we care for animals, children, each other, etc? Unless some God or other outside entity gives us that love? Does this sound like circular reasoning? Yes reader, you are correct, it is.Lisa from CO is on the journey! YAY! And like many, has had these thoughts, moments, feelings that feels “outside” their own thinking/experience/perspective. So, how do we differentiate between what is our own minds and something “outside” of our minds? The hosts walk through the philosophy and the psychology of how we process information, how we learn, and how it manifests into our consciousness. Our brains are amazing! (though very flawed)Yoel from NY tells our hosts what he believes. Now, can God be the creator of everything and be everything? Confusing isn’t it? Listen in folks, this is gonna be good!Ultimated Judeo Christian from Australia calls. He is saying words about his belief in his God and wants our hosts to convert. How does he do this? This show notes’ writer is not sure, as he sounds like a random word generator. The hosts tried to get UJC to make sense. They tried.
Let’s welcome our first caller Michael, whose limited understanding of quantum mechanics somehow equals consciousness and that leads to God existing. Now, if this seems like a leap in logic, well because it is. This also has something to do with abiogenesis and life wouldn’t be likely without a God? Well dear audience, this seems a bit confusing & a bit of a gish gallop. Let’s watch our hosts walk Michael through the flaws in his thinking shall we?Hey Arnold from Texas! Our number two caller brings to our hosts the probability of God due to the predisposition of human beings to believe in a God. Emma gives a great response on the flaws in evolution, animals having supernatural beliefs, and how socially we used religion/beliefs to form cultures still doesn’t prove a God/Gods.Jimmy, our third caller from the great state of Texas asks our hosts, does rationality lead to an atheistic perspective? The hosts argue that rationality and intelligence does not mean atheism comes afterwards, nor is it a perfect tool, and in some cases may lead to flawed thinking and logic. Jimmy also explains how a “spiritual” experience informed his beliefs and our hosts question how that proves a God exists.John from Canada calls to argue (terribly) for the “merits” of being anti-choice. Though he agrees the government shouldn’t be involved in making decisions when it comes to his own body, but if you own a uterus? Nah! Hypocritical much? This show notes writer could go into why this is silly, but our hosts do a fantastic job. Listen in!Otari from Georgia wants to have a conversation about how it seems illogical to think the Universe came into being without a creator. Johnny and Emma bring up certain logical fallacies such as the entropy principle and the randomness of the universe as a way to counter that thinking. Nick from New York calls in asking for help and a new perspective on the gospels, specifically that the authors would knowingly lie to say salvation comes through Jesus. Emma and Johnny bring up that the Bible can be used as a historical and mythology book for the people at that time, but still cannot be used to prove divinity or anything supernatural. This moves into a conversation of morality, God’s role to the believer, and the arguments how God, even if he existed, is not needed for morality.
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Christy Powell and Jimmy Jr., are live with fun words of encouragement! Darius in CA asks about how to have a conversation with believers at his grandmother’s funeral. This is the time to be with family and get through this rather than discuss beliefs. How upsetting are ideas of the afterlife or lack thereof for you? Be mindful of your own experiences and how painful this can be. Arthur in NY asks how religious extremists and atheists can get to a place where they can harmonize. It takes these conversations to move the needle. There will always be diversity which means conflict, but we are getting better by working together as a species. We can create a more harmonious society in part by having these discussions. JR. in WA asks about private revelations leading to public revelations, and if god is pushing towards the model of prophets. Which god would it be that is pushing this model? How can you tell the difference between a visit from your god or something that was made up? It would be good to understand what your own thoughts sound like and how to figure out how to differentiate between those thoughts and god’s revelation. Frank in NC does not believe in the god that commands violent actions, but the god that is about love and freedom. Who is the god you believe in and how do you know it wants love and freedom for everyone?Christian in MI has changed beliefs and come out to his wife and this is causing problems with the in-laws and asking for advice about raising children. Alongside the magical stories your children are receiving, teach critical thinking. This can be a conflict heavy situation, and there will be sacrifices made, just don’t harm yourself in the process. Christian in GA asks why the hosts think the gospels are unreliable. We can start with the four contradicting each other, and then look at how they tend to progress in a mythical way. Why would something contradict itself if it is inspired by god? How is Christianity consistent with the message we are supposed to receive in the New Testament? How is this stone age poetry that is supposed to be the perfect word of god not perfect? If the four gospels are not the word of god, then what makes them so special? Ellis in Canada asks if there is any value in a person not identifying with social stereotypes and the usage of pronouns. A lot of these ideas are about functionality so we should be descriptive and not proscriptive. If one were to lose a bunch of weight, we don’t like people giving commentary on how we express ourselves. Felix in GA states that human corruption is the problem and not religion, and that religion is a tool to reduce anxiety. How does the crime that is done in the name of religion factor in with this concept?Thank you for tuning in this week. The question of the week is: What is an inappropriate thing to say at the crucifixion?
In today’s episode of The Atheist Experience, for the first time ever, Johnny P. Angel and Armin Navabi discuss what makes Johnny face-palm, the hypocrisy of atheists accepting trans experiences but not claims about Muhammad, and the existence of religious characters.James from CA claims that homosexuality is physically harmful and should be banned in the same way that environmentally damaging actions are banned.Xavier from FL claims that the hosts are hypocrites for accepting the experiences of trans people and not the supernatural claims of Paul or Muhammad.Ahmad from OH is shocked that the hosts don’t believe that Paul and Muhammad existed in their religiously claimed form.
In today’s episode of The Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows wrestles with multiple callers that trigger the best Forest Valkai science rants ever. First caller is Art in PA who says that atheists are quitters because they skip a step. We are at a point where the god explanation is no longer needed. The first attempt to explain the natural world is oftentimes the worst attempt. Atheists have one less assumption than theists do. Mikal in CO asks how to reply to someone that says atheists must have faith for what they believe. Faith and belief are not the same things and we proportion our beliefs to evidence. Not believing someone does not require faith. Atheists do not have the TV on any channel; it is simply off. Elias in TN asks how to respond to people when they claim that sex is binary since gametes production determines sex. What if someone does not have gonads? Does that mean they do not have a sex? This is not new science and is undergraduate level stuff. This has only recently become a hot topic issue that is controversial. The model of sex is useful and helps explain nature, and nature does not care about our explanations. Binary for lack of a better word, is just not good enough. Dan in Canada asks why the Laetoli footprints were huge when Lucy was supposed to be small, and not bipedal. No part of Lucy’s skeleton tells us she was ever a knuckle walker. The size of the foot does not change much about the big picture or disprove evolution. What the footprints tell us is that 3.5 million years ago there was something like us walking in this area. It is recommended you go to https://humanorigins.si.edu/ to learn more. Humans are apes, primates, mammals, and animals! Do you believe any part of the Bible is wrong? Were humans created before or after animals? In the Book of Genesis, is Chapter 1 correct or is it Chapter 2? When you try to justify the many things in the Bible that are not true, it is like carrying around a miltone. Would you use faith based thinking for anything else? Why would you not use faith to start your car?David, an educator in AZ, asks how to respond when students ask about his beliefs. When in a public setting, it would be unethical to talk about religion or politics in any capacity to a captive audience. This would be a misuse of public funds and trust. Answering these questions will change the way the students see you and can take away their objectivity. Thank you for tuning into the show and never stop learning! The question of the week is: What did the caller say to make Johnny P Angel look distraught?
SHOW NOTESToday’s Atheist Experience is the “show of hair” with Jmike and Secular Rarity. They sort through philosophical naturalism, because morality changes when god creates evil that is spoken through the unfalsifiable Quran and the all inclusive Catholic Church. First caller is Matt from CA who tells us about The Secular Student Alliance Convention. Vist Secularstudents.org to register before it closes on Wednesday.Rogue Show in SC calls to clarify Jmike’s position on philosophical naturalism. Natural sciences exhaust natural reality. The simplest theory is the one with the least amount of axioms, commitments, and predicates. Unjustified assumptions do not hold up to stacks of evidence. Kevin in GA asks why we think we do not get morality from god and if morality changes over time. We see more benefit and less harm when looking at other moral systems compared to god’s system. Do you think that what is good is in virtue with god’s commands? Will the basics of mathematics be the same in the future?Slave of Christ in TX asks about the problem of evil and says that god is all good for only the chosen ones. Does god intend there to be evil? How do you believe in an irrational god that creates evil? Either god permits the impermissible or there is not anything that is impermissible. How do you resolve this contradiction? Why would you take commands from a villain? If a view is contradictory, would you agree that the view is false?Jamal in Ca does not know if the hosts are really atheists, and asks the hosts what proof is needed to believe god exists. How is what the Quran says about embryology true? There is nothing in this book that is novel. We are going to be tortured in hell for eternity under Allah’s view and so will you unless you can provide some evidence to convince us because our sins are yours now. The Quran places other people’s burdens on you. Mary in FL asks about the difference between ought and is and had some general questions about logical fallacies. Ought and “is” are unrelated except for when the premise contains both an “is” statement and a value. Descriptive premises do not follow value statements, and we can’t get prescriptions from descriptions. There must be more work put in to fill in the gap. Search for intro books about logic, inference rules, formal and formal fallacies, and propositional logic. Xavier in FL wants to know what is wrong with the Catholic Church. The church puts aside money that is specifically used for fighting against holding people accountable for abusing children. Enough said. Thank you for tuning in everyone! The question of the week : If it weren’t for ____________, I would still believe in God.
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jmike and Doctor Ben die for Jesus so immorality won’t cause riots from atheists with meaningless worldviews after disconnecting emotionally from religion. Davis in CO wants to know why people would die for Jesus if it was not true. What does the psychological state of your reasoning have to do with whether it is true or not? When death is the gateway to getting to a better existence, and people honestly believe it, they will embrace it. Huge amounts of people believing in something does not have any bearing on its truth. People are willing to risk their existence for smaller things than a reason for eternity. Patrick in AR experienced his wife having a vision after dying in his arms. After she was revived, he was told her recovery was miraculous. The treatment used at the facility such as epinephrine and CPR increase the chances of survival. We don’t know medically why someone survives in this state for so long, but we also don’t have a reason to believe it is supernatural. Statistically, the outlier events are going to occur, and there will always be someone who asks why that happens to them. Hug the people around you and love them. Trevor in MI has some questions about Biblical interpretations when having conversations with his dad. If you want to be correct about something, then you need to have a principle and intention of what was said. How do you validate anyone’s interpretation? You could follow a weird train of interpretation to the original which turns out to be a different denomination entirely. God is seemingly the author of confusion. Jon in Canada says that god is necessary for morality, and immorality is what causes riots. How do you explain wrong things that occur in god’s world? Can people do good things for bad reasons? What evidence do you have that supports the claim that people being immoral are the cause of riots? Icon in Canada presents a thought experiment where we attach reasonableness to time, where a belief is reduced by a percentage slowly over time. What metric would we use to assign the percentages? Adam in Saudi Arabia finds it unattractive to accept life being meaningless as part of atheism. If an intrinsic value is not forced on something, does that make it any less valuable? If everything has a purpose, then can we agree there is a reason for all events, good and bad? When babies die suddenly, are we going to say they need to die as some sort of a sacrifice for whatever a deity needs to prove? It makes no sense to simultaneously have evil and good if evil is the thing that leads to the good.Shi in the USA asks how to disconnect from religion emotionally after already disconnecting intellectually. What does emotional disconnecting mean to you? You may not need to entirely disconnect in that way.Thank you for tuning in this week! The question of the week is: What do you think is the weirdest prayer god has ever heard?
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Jim Barrows and Christy Powell are live in the studio! They will discover different economic systems through absolute morality before performing a thought experiment with god as the arbiter of morality. This god is responsible for the high level grammar of the Quran and the fine tuning of the universe. We know this because we can’t replicate abiogenesis and the messianic prophecy is all we need for proof of Jesus. Julia in Florida would like to hear input on other gods that we have in our society such as different systems. Economic systems can be one of these things. Look at what you are willing to do to support what you believe. Audience Question- Kathy wants to know about absolute morality. Morality is a judgment of behavior. How do you prove that an animal is acting out of forethought and no instinct? Michael in GA presents a thought experiment. If there was a god, then that god must be the arbiter of all morality. The god of the Bible is not only imaginary but also sounds like a narcist. Omar in CA presents the Quran as the highest level of grammar and is a sign of the original being preserved. What does the highest level of grammar mean? How is the Quran different from any other book? Before voice recordings, how do you prove the voice vocalizations are the same? Why is the Quran superior? Frank in NC asks what the hosts would accept as proof for god. We don’t know what that evidence would be exactly. It is frustrating to see people indulging in antidotes that don’t work in place of real life solutions. What is the evidence for the god you believe in? If we talk about probability, there is a problem with sample size and inherent sampling error. The problem with fine tuning is we only have one universe to draw samples from. If you don’t know what something is, how do you know that it is fine tuned? Mike in WA asks if we have ever been able to replicate abiogenesis. Just because we can’t replicate this, does not mean that it did not happen. Not knowing the answer to something does not prove that something else exists. Over the last 3,000 years, we have no new evidence for the existence of god, and no phenomena has been proven to be supernatural. Are you trying to make the watchmaker argument from design? This will not work for people who think critically. Anthony in MA brings up the Messianic Prophecy argument. If there are a number of books in a series, and the first book is true, how does that make the other books true? There are a number of stories in the Bible that we know did not happen as written. The people who wrote the gospels knew of the prophecies and they were more interested in theology than they were history. Thank you for being here everybody! Question of the week is: If god is so powerful, then why hasn’t she___________?
SHOW NOTESIn today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Johnny P. Angel and JMike discover that earth is god that communicates to transgender people through prophets with intuition.First caller is Eric in AR who has concluded that earth is god because the earth created us. What is your definition of god? Is the earth conscious with thoughts, goals and intelligence? We can use this same logic to say that our parents are god. Rather than thinking the earth is god, ry thinking that the earth is home. Kevin in GA would like to know why supporting the trans community is important. What do you think the members of the LGBTQ+ community are trying to do? How do you know that someone is not transgender? What is the difference between sex and gender? Expression of gender is not the same as genitalia. Once you speak to a human in the community, you will realize they want the same things you want. When you start making friends and talking with people, you also start seeing life through their eyes. Jamar in PA knows that transgenderism has always been around but has insights that there is a greater emphasis on terms. It is not for us to say that an experience of another is real or not. When somebody tells you something about their own experience, you may argue the source, but not deny the reality of the experience. Rodney in MI declares that atheists are not smart because when we die, there will be a problem with god. Which god? What if it is the wrong god? What if there is a god who set up all these religions to test people of their critical thinking abilities? Look into the arguments against Pascal’s Wager and you will find that there is a joke in there. What do you use to raise the probability that the Christian god exists? Historians do not appeal to supernatural events to verify facts. How is the resurrection the most likely thing to have happened when it is the most improbable event? Do you care about whether or not the text that you read is true?Ronan in Saudi Arabia was born a Muslim started applying philosophical arguments and is now asking why god communicates through prophets. We don’t know what the sure fire way is for a deity to communicate to all of humanity. A shared ghostly experience with many people might be a good method. How can you apply a tool set to your imagination to show that it reflects reality? Andrew in SC disagrees with the hosts when they say that the Christian religion is morally bankrupt and does not believe that all someone has to do is accept Christ. How do you know who is right and wrong and what methodology do you use to prove this? What method do you use to separate opinion from the truth? Would you believe it if your intuition tells you the earth is flat?Thank you for tuning in this week! The question of the week is: It was a real jerk move when god created_______.
SIn today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Johnny Angel and Christy Powell will work both sincere calls and trolls.First caller is Emmanuel from GA who asks how to come out as an atheist to his parents. It is about setting healthy boundaries. Do you feel like you have to do this? Are the interactions filled with tension? Sharing this part of yourself could make the tensions worse, however, some transparency can be an important step. Make sure your parents know it is about your own beliefs, and not them. Wesley in WV thinks that the hosts witches because they do not believe in angels and are sluggish with the holy spirit. We hope that you get the care that you need and are surrounded by loved ones that will help you work out your thoughts on this subject. Mr. Warlight in AK has proof in the form of stories that leprechauns exist that wear green suits and hide gold. Where are you getting this folklore from? Is there any evidence beyond the story? Where are they documented to show up and why can’t we see them today? If you aspire to be a troll, bring a better game than this. Do some research. Carpe Diem in CO wants to know the distinction between obligation and virtue. If you can do better, then you must do better. If every virtue is imperative then we would wear ourselves out by spending all our time performing virtuous acts. Is there good and evil in the world, or can we step away from these words and look through the eyes of preference?Rick in Canada states that atheists are slowing scientific progress. How do you think scientists do their job? Do you think that a scientist sits at their desk and disproves a theory? Did you examine all the evolution? Examine your sources on some of your data points and recognize there are many tiny contributions to this thing we call science. Chuck in HI believes science is just another religion that says there is no god. Science is the opposite of religion. Science starts with observation; religion starts with the conclusion and works backward. Science is evolving and religion is holding people back. Science delivers the goods and religion causes us to kill each other. Sam in NY has evidence of Jesus performing miracles and resurrecting. Who are the witnesses? There are statements such as the writings of Paul that are not allowed into evidence because they do not meet the hearsay exceptions. Why do we drop the standard of evidence for how we spend eternity? Just because we don’t know something, does not mean there was a supernatural cause. You don’t solve a mystery with a greater mystery. Is there anything you could not believe based on faith? Thank you everyone for tuning in folks! The question of the week is: What is a life hack that god does not want you to know about?
Welcome to this week's episode of The Atheist Experience. Host Jim Barrows is joined by Talk Heathen regular Secular Rarity. It's going to be a great show, so let's get onto the calls.Unbeliever discusses the difficulties and the benefits of coming out as an atheist in a Muslim family. How do we navigate these conversations and in the long run, is it worth having?What does an open or closed universal system show there is a God? Our hosts and John debate the flaws in this concept, that solipsism cannot be proven or disproven, and adding assumptions where we don’t have answers doesn’t solve anything.Caller Roland asks if having faith in a God the more reasonable explanation for everything vs. the skepticism atheists have. Does existence have a purpose?Romeo is curious, have our hosts heard any “good” arguments for God? Romeo,Jim, & Secular Rarity discuss what is convincing evidence for a God and how does one move from being an atheist into a believer? Are those reasons valid? Ehh, probably not. Also, an evolution argument..again! Science Time! Eli calls in and asks “where does energy and mass come from?” Jim patiently explains the science and how to avoid the argument from ignorance fallacy. Eli admits to having some doubts as well while our hosts how we become more skeptical. Ni and the hosts explore what absolute truth is, the standard for it, scientific proof, and what standard of evidence would be sufficient to prove God is real. Slave of Christ explains what sin is and how it is a “good” standard of immoral acts. Our hosts pushed back against this argument followed with a discussion of ethics, morality, and the areas of gray the bible does not provide answers for. Also biblical slavery defended again—ugh!
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Johnny P. Angel is joined by Shannon Q!Josh from FL asks how Atheists get around the first mover argument. There are a number of flaws with that argument, which one would you like to hear first?Frank from USA asks if the existence of God is plausible and cites how beautiful the world is as evidence to support their view that it is.Jon from Canada is back and claims they have the ultimate generic proof of god. Just think about maaan. It makes sense if you open your heart to the universe maaaan.Bubblegum Gun from CA asks if we never found transitory fossils, what evidence do you have to support evolution?Aaron from MO claims to have eight steps to prove the existence of a soul. What’s the over-under that step one is actually a stable stepping stone to get to step two?Amanual from TX claims they are able to prove God and the truth of the bible using the very bulletproof chapter of Genesis 1.Fritz from FL is an agnostic who doesn’t want to rule out the possibility of God. Thermodynamics and such.Clarence from OH wants to discuss the dilemma of trying to teach critical thinking and skepticism to children and young people.
In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Forrest Valkai is joined by Jmike!Frank from the USA claims that if you don’t believe in God, your life is meaningless. The first premise of this fallacious “argument” is the existence of objective morality. Here’s my advice, slow down and think this through.Chris from SC wants clarification on the difference between sex and gender. Cliff from Canada wants to ask, eventually, why we ought to worship God assuming it is real. Mr. Warlight is calling in with an argument for the supernatural that our hosts just CAN’T HANDLE. Abhishek from India wants to know why it’s so important to question religious beliefs and focus on its problems when it does have benefits. Andrew from Canada’s argument for God is the same processes science textbooks go through when they are updated. Why revamp the bible? If it’s outdated in terms of its conclusions about reality, why would it be useful to go back and rewrite it with our current scientifical findings integrated when the bible has nothing to do with modern science? Instead of having a story with inaccurate claims about reality, you now have a story with some inaccurate carry-overs, because they have to be there for the bible to still be the bible, with some modern scientific understandings sprinkled in. Chuck from HI believes that matter, space, stars, and Earth are all eternal. Oxygen is as eternal as everyone’s excitement about Marvel’s Eternals. I would add more, but anything I say would detract from whatever just happened.
