The Friendly Atheist Podcast

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Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— The Trump administration finalized a rule that allows doctors to deny care to transgender people. (1:14)

— A Christian group leader says America is not racist… because interracial marriages are going up. (11:46)

— The GOP’s 2020 platform is a gift to the Christian Right. (17:55)

— Should a pastor receive any sort of backlash for liking a right-wing blowhard’s tweets? (28:32)

— Former Black staffers at Liberty University are trying to help others leave due to Jerry Falwell, Jr.‘s racism. (47:08)

— Creationist Kent Hovind wants half a billion dollars’ worth of revenge against the U.S. government. (50:11)

— Want to vote early in Tennessee? This secular church is eager to help you. (59:46)

— A Tennessee bill would allow kids to skip an hour of school each day to go to church. (1:04:15)

— An Ohio Republican lawmaker suggested COVID disproportionately affects Black people because they don’t wash their hands. (1:10:00)

If you support what we’re doing, please contribute to our Patreon page!

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Donald Trump‘s photo ops in front of two churches pleased nobody. (1:07)

— Is Trump finally losing some of that white evangelical support? (10:44)

— Southern Baptist churches had their largest membership drop in a century. (18:28)

— Should a high school graduate be denied college acceptance for a racist comment online? (25:49)

— According to the Lt. Governor of Texas, we can’t fix racism without Jesus. (39:53)

— Pope Francis condemned the murder of George Floyd. (48:44)

— The Department of Education, under Betsy DeVos, says allowing trans athletes to compete in high school sports could lead to government defunding of those schools. (1:00:33)

If you support what we’re doing, please contribute to our Patreon page!

Jessica and I sat down to talk about several stories from the past week involving religion and politics.

— Pastor Rodney Howard-Browne is planning Christian COVIDpalooza this weekend. (0:36)

— The CDC website has removed sensible virus guidance for churches. (5:02)

— There’s a black Republican Jewish atheist on the Cincinnati City Council. (7:48)

— After Jerry Falwell, Jr. tweeted a “joke” about blackface and the KKK, one Liberty University professor resigned in protest. (30:29)

— Conservative Christians are very concernstipated about Pixar’s short film “Out,” which is a love story featuring a gay man. (45:59)

— A well-known Jehovah’s Witness published a book denouncing the religion’s leaders. Will he be kicked out because of it? (48:04)

— A former star of Christian rock said he’s no longer Christian. (53:02)

— The dad from Duck Dynasty has a secret love-child… but it’s okay since the affair occurred before he found Jesus. (58:01)

— The Museum of the Bible is returning a stolen Gilgamesh tablet. (1:05:05)

(Screenshot via YouTube)

Jack Jenkins is a national reporter for Religion News Service and a former Senior Religion Reporter for ThinkProgress. He’s also the author of the new book American Prophets: The Religious Roots of Progressive Politics and the Ongoing Fight for the Soul of the Country. It’s a deep dive into what many people call the Religious Left.

Hemant and Jack talked about whether the Religious Left can effectively counter the Religious Right and what role (if any) atheists have to play in this movement.