Dr. Steven Tomlins is a researcher and graduate of the University of Ottawa who has just co-edited a new academic book called The Atheist Bus Campaign: Global Manifestations and Responses. It looks at the various atheist advertising campaigns — billboards, bus ads, and the like — all over the world.

We spoke about how this idea went viral, which kinds of ads are more successful, and whether the media coverage matters more than the messages themselves.

Sarah Levin is the Senior Legislative Representative for the Secular Coalition for America, a lobbying group in Washington, D.C. representing non-religious people on Capitol Hill. She graduated from American University with a degree in International Studies, focusing on the Middle East and Israeli domestic politics.

Following Tuesday’s elections, we spoke about what church/state separation advocates should be worried about over the next few years, the positive developments (and there were some!) from Election Day, and what atheists need to do to become more of a political force in the future.

Notes:

Be sure to check out the Secular Values Voter website to learn more about openly secular candidates!

Brendon Marotta is an award-winning filmmaker based out of Austin, Texas. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts Film School, to work as a professional film editor. His first feature-length documentary as director is called American Circumcision. (You’ll never guess what it’s about.)

We spoke about why male circumcision is problematic, the dubious health benefits of getting circumcized, and whether there’s any chance of passing laws to prevent the procedure (at least without consent of the patient).

Notes:

You can contribute to his Kickstarter for the movie right here.

If you’ve ever seen VeggieTales, you’re familiar with Phil Vischer. He’s the animator, puppeteer, writer, voice actor, and songwriter who co-created that series. His production company soon grew to over 200 workers by the year 2000 before a lawsuit sent the company into bankruptcy and forced Phil to basically start over again. He now runs Jellyfish Labs, where he produces faith-based content. He also hosts the Phil Vischer Podcast which is a very entertaining show all about Christianity in a post-Christian America.

We spoke with Phil about why Christian media is so cringeworthy, how he tells Bible stories that may offend parts of his audience, and what the hell is happening with evangelicals in the upcoming election.