John Dehlin just completed his PhD in clinical and counseling psychology. But you may know him best as the founder of the Mormon Stories podcast, one that celebrates the faith and also critiques it when necessary. Because of some of his views supporting same-sex marriage and the ordination of women within Mormonism, Dehlin was excommunicated from the Church earlier this year for apostasy. That story was covered in the New York Times.

We spoke with John about how discovering the truth about Mormon history pushed him away from the Church, why he still has a soft spot for the faith, and why Mormons have strategic reasons for standing firm against LGBT rights.

Notes:

Here’s a link to WhyMormonsQuestion.org, a site we referenced during the show.

Shulem Deen is a former Hasidic Jew. Since leaving that world, he’s founded the website Unpious which is a voice for other ultra-Orthodox Jews who may be rethinking their faith. His new memoir is called All Who Go Do Not Return.

We spoke with Shulem about the hypocrisy of Hasidic Jews regarding modern technology, how that community reacted to an episode of This American Life focusing on them, and how America Online became his gateway to the outside world.

Notes:

Shulem was featured in a recent episode of the podcast Reply All.

He is also on the Board of Directors for an organization called Footsteps, which helps Orthodox Jews leave the fold.

(Image credit: Pearl Gabel)

Bart Campolo is a former evangelical Christian leader (and son of famed pastor Tony Campolo) who currently serves as the Humanist Chaplain at the University of Southern California and the University of California, Los Angeles.

We spoke about progressive Christianity, what it was like coming to terms with his Humanism, and death. Lots about death.

In all seriousness, it’s one of the most interesting and inspiring conversations about death I’ve ever had. That segment begins around the 27:00 mark. Do yourself a favor and listen to it.

Notes:

Be sure to check out Bart’s podcast right here!

And if you appreciate the work he’s doing, please consider making a donation to the Humanist Chaplaincy of Los Angeles.

Dr. Paul Offit is the director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of Vaccinology and Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. He’s written tons of published peer-reviewed papers and received countless awards for his work. His latest book, Bad Faith, is all about how religious belief can undermine modern medicine.

On the day of taping, California had just passed a law making vaccinations all but mandatory, Jim Carrey had gone on a Twitter rant about vaccines, and a woman had died of measles.

We spoke with Dr. Offit about why people still don’t get vaccinated, how he responds to the most common arguments offered by anti-vaxxers, and why Bill Maher is wrong when he says we don’t need to get flu shots.

Notes:

We had a few audio issues during this interview, but the information seemed to come through just fine. Sorry about that!

Near the end of the conversation, we spoke about a Jewish circumcision procedure involving a rabbi’s mouth. You can read more about metzitzah b’peh here.

Dr. Offit and Hemant are both on the board of advisors for the Child-Friendly Faith Project.