Podcasts about secular coalition

We have some good state/church news to report out of Oklahoma and Arizona. Then, in response to Trump's remarks at the May 1 "National Day of Prayer," we celebrate the May 4 "National Day of Reason" by hearing impassioned and humorous remarks at the Second Annual "Reason Reception" in D.C., sponsored by FFRF, American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America, for the Congressional Freethought Caucus. The "Very Funny Lady" comedian Leighann Lord kicked off the event, followed by U.S. Reps. Jared Huffman, Calif., Jamie Raskin, Md., Laura Friedman, Calif., and a poignant keynote by former Rep. Susan Wild, Pa.

In this episode, we talk with Maggie Ardiente, the board president of the Secular Coalition for America. In a wide ranging discussion, we learn how joining a small freethinkers group at university led to a lifelong career in secular activism. Against the harrowing backdrop of “religious freedom” and Project 2025, we talk about how secularism is a growing presence on Capitol Hill and what the next steps for growth are. We also learn whether a True Atheist can believe in ghosts and if freethinkers should attend a religious school.Learn more about the Secular Coalition for America: https://secular.org/ For more on Project 2025: https://secular.org/project-2025/ To donate to the Secular Coalition for America: https://secular.org/donate/ –Nathan's new article, “Reincarnation, Secular Style”: https://freethinker.co.uk/2024/09/reincarnation-secular-style/ Follow Nathan on BlueSky: @nathgalexander.bsky.socialBeyond Atheism is produced and distributed by Atheists United Studios: https://www.atheistsunited.org/au-studios 

Ron Millar is our guest. He is the political action committee (PAC) manager for the Center for Freethought Equality, which operates under the American Humanist Association. With over 40 years of experience in nonprofit education and advocacy, including a significant tenure at the Secular Coalition for America, Millar shares his insights into the intersection of politics and humanist values. We discuss the structure and purpose of the Center for Freethought Equality, explaining its dual role: as an advocacy group (C4) that engages in lobbying and running a political action committee that can donate funds to candidates. Millar elaborates on the importance of having a visible humanist constituency within the political landscape, indicating that social and political biases against atheists and humanists persist, though they are diminishing. The conversation also reveals the importance of networking and community-building among secular elected officials. Millar highlights the establishment of the Association of Secular Elected Officials, which aims to create a support network for elected representatives who identify with humanist and atheist values. He speaks about recent activities, including their presence at the Democratic National Convention, where they engaged attendees and raised awareness for the secular community. We address the ongoing challenges posed by growing movements of white Christian nationalism, stressing the need for increased engagement from the humanist community in the political process. Millar encourages listeners to become active participants by volunteering for local campaigns, sharing their identities as humanists, and advocating for policies that align with their values, thus building recognition as a political constituency. Full show notes

After reporting on efforts to keep state and church separate in Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida, we get acquainted with FFRF's new multimedia producer Leo Costello. Then, South Carolina humanist and atheist debater Herb Silverman, founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America, tells us "How to talk to Christians."

“But religious diversity on its own is not religious pluralism; that requires a bit more: Individuals have the legal rights and de facto freedoms to worship, believe, practice, and join in community with others according to their conscience. Individuals are also able to abstain from these activities. In the U.S., these rights and freedoms are guaranteed by the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses of the First Amendment; Individuals and communities protect their own and others' rights and freedoms to worship, believe, practice, and join in community with others, or not, according to their conscience; Individuals and communities protect each others' safety to worship; and Communities engage with each other, acknowledging areas of deep and irreconcilable difference, but focused on areas of common ground. And finally, since religious pluralism does not happen without sustained and diverse religious communities: Diverse religious communities themselves thrive, meaning leadership is good, community institutions are sustainable, community ties remain strong, and congregants know the basic theological content of their own traditions. What is religious pluralism NOT? Religious pluralism is not: The simple fact of religious diversity in a society A synchronistic mix of religious beliefs that pares down theological ideas to the lowest common denominator Religious belief being prioritized over non-belief.” -Aspen Institute. “Who Are Secular Voters? Religiously unaffiliated (“nonreligious”) Americans are the largest and fastest growing religious demographic in the country. While the nonreligious are a diverse group who span the political spectrum, these Americans are united on key political issues. According to the 2015 Pew Religious Landscape Survey, the nonreligious overwhelmingly support legal access to abortion (73%) and same-sex marriage (78%) compared to evangelicals who oppose those same policies by smaller margins (63% and 64%, respectively). Similarly, a 2016 Public Religion Research Institute poll found that 71% of the nonreligious oppose religiously-based service refusals compared to only 56% of evangelicals who support that same policy. Despite recent trends, secular voters continue to be severely underrepresented in government. According to an analysis by the Pew Research Center, while the nonreligious comprise nearly one-quarter of all Americans, they comprise only just 0.2% of the 115th Congress. That means there are 100 times as many religiously unaffiliated Americans as there are religiously unaffiliated Members of Congress. We are determined to change that by mobilizing a voting bloc united by shared secular values and investing in strategic programs that empower secular values voters to be active, influential players in the electoral process.” -Secular Coalition of America. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/antonio-myers4/support

SWAJ Premium IS ON SALE! $50 for the whole year! Subscribe to get bonus content most Mondays, bonus episodes every month, ad-free listening, access to the entire 500-episode archive, Discord access, and more: https://axismundi.supercast.com/ Sometimes we have to pivot from analysis to organizing. From study to action. In order to do that, Brad speaks with the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, President of Interfaith Alliance. They discuss ways to organize and mobilize for the 2024 elections in order to build a coalition of non-religious and religious Americans who share a commitment to democracy, inclusiveness, and equality. Linktree: https://linktr.ee/StraightWhiteJC Order Brad's book: https://bookshop.org/a/95982/9781506482163 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many FFRF victories and legal complaints to talk about this week. Since today is "Pi Day," and π is irrational, we hear the irreverent Joe Hill song about the irrational belief of "pie in the sky" called "The Preacher and the Slave." Then we speak with Steven Emmert, Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America, working to "protect the equal rights of nonreligious Americans."

Philanthropy is one of the most important tools for families to strengthen their communities, establish their legacy and communicate their values - both inwardly and outwardly. What happens when the organizations that receive family resources don't fulfill the donor's intent? What if the charities mean well, but aren't effective? What if the charities use the resources for something else entirely? Well, these issues came up in a big way when the Robertson Family of A&P Supermarket fame disagreed with the way Princeton handled the proceeds of a $35 million gift. Author, DOUG WHITE is going to lay out the case, explain where it went wrong, and give us some lessons on how to avoid future quagmires around donor intent. https://open.spotify.com/show/51hVAo0WB8Lp1ECeyCWZhC DOUG WHITE, a long-time leader in the nation's philanthropic community, is a 5-time author, teacher, and an advisor to nonprofit organizations and philanthropists. He is Co-Chair of the FoolProof Foundation's Walter Cronkite Project Committee and a governing board member of the Secular Coalition of America. He is the former director of Columbia University's Master of Science in Fundraising Management program, where, in addition to his extensive management responsibilities, he taught board governance, ethics and fundraising. He is also the former academic director of New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. He has also been an advisor to BoardSource, the nation's leading organization dedicated to “building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service.” Doug has written five books: “Wounded Charity” (Paragon House, 2019) “Abusing Donor Intent” (Paragon House, 2014) “The Nonprofit Challenge: Integrating Ethics into the Purpose and Promise of Our Nation's Charities” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010),  “Charity on Trial: What You Need to Know Before You Give” (Barricade Books, 2007), “The Art of Planned Giving: Understanding Donors and the Culture of Giving” (John Wiley & Sons, 1997) His expertise includes fundraising strategy, board governance, improving organizational processes, and ethical decision-making. Introduction and Doug's Background The Role of Philanthropy Help for Donors Help for Charities Donor Intent - The Robertson / Princeton Case The Robertsons (Descendants of Charles and Marie Robertson) Source of Wealth (A&P Supermarket Fortune) The Desire to Build the Woodrow Wilson School After JFK in 1961 The Gift- $35 Million in 1961 (Robertson Foundation: > $900mm in 2008) The Mistake in Structuring (and codifying) the Gift Where did Princeton veer off course? Funds used for other purposes The Conflict between Charity and Family when the Patriarch Died The Expense ($45mm in legal fees by both sides!) Princeton's Explanation: Good practices for families making the gift (and monitoring it) Establishing and Codifying Donor Intent Balancing Rigidity and Flexibility around terms and uses of the gift Drawing up a Binding Agreement Communication (Oversight at the Charity and the Family) Performance Metrics Accountability Structures and Procedures https://www.amazon.com/Abusing-Donor-Intent-Robertson-University/dp/1557789096 DOUG's CONTACT INFORMATION https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Actually-Intelligent-Decision-Making-1-ebook/dp/B07FPQJJQT/

Todd Stiefel had nagging doubts about his Catholic faith during his youth. He says in college, he found the answers he was looking for...by walking away from his Christian upbringing. In this conversation, hear what led Stiefel to this decision as he and Warren Smith have a frank conversation about love, beauty, and truth. Stiefel is the founder and president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. He was the chair of the Openly Secular campaign. He is currently chair of the ScienceSaves campaign and is on the advisory board for Secular Coalition for America and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life's most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

Todd Stiefel had nagging doubts about his Catholic faith during his youth. He says in college, he found the answers he was looking for...by walking away from his Christian upbringing. In this conversation, hear what led Stiefel to this decision as he and Warren Smith have a frank conversation about love, beauty, and truth. Stiefel is the founder and president of the Stiefel Freethought Foundation. He was the chair of the Openly Secular campaign. He is currently chair of the ScienceSaves campaign and is on the advisory board for Secular Coalition for America and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science.Listening In is a listener supported program produced by WORLD Radio. Additional support comes from Summit Ministries. Now We Live invites and equips Christians to propel faith into action. This free, worldview Bible study will spark rich discussions about some of life's most foundational questions. These six videos from Summit Ministries offer life-on-life discipleship for churches, small groups, and families. Get free access today at summit.org.

We have an interview with Steven Emmert from the Secular Coalition for America https://secular.org https://secular.org/2022-voter-scorecard/ The feedback form is at htotw.com/contact Leave us voice message at +1 (208) 996-8667 or htotw.com/speakpipe Support the show on a monthly basis with Patreon or just once with PayPal, credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay links are at htotw.com/donate Subscribe at htotw.com/subscribe Join our Discord server at htotw.com/discord Feedback Anonymous via the website Sylia via the website Margaret via YouTube Nolan via YouTube Support Arthur This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Danielle Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho SoJo Big Easy Blasphemy Darryl G Arthur K Samuel C Beatriz A Levi C Richard G Balázs Steve F Brad R And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. Contact information, show notes, and links to Social Media and the like can be found at https://htotw.com The music in this episode is: Welcome to the Show by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4614-welcome-to-the-show License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license NewsSting by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newssting License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Ditty Pong by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4676-ditty-pong License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Disco Sting by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3653-disco-sting License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Sweeter Vermouth by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4450-sweeter-vermouth License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license Full shownotes can always be found at https://htotw.com/16 Download episode

We have an interview with Steven Emmert from the Secular Coalition for Americahttps://secular.orghttps://secular.org/2022-voter-scorecard/The feedback form is at htotw.com/contactLeave us voice message at +1 (208) 996-8667 or htotw.com/speakpipeSupport the show on a monthly basis with Patreon or just once with PayPal, credit or debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay links are at htotw.com/donateSubscribe at htotw.com/subscribeJoin our Discord server at htotw.com/discordFeedbackAnonymous via the websiteSylia via the websiteMargaret via YouTubeNolan via YouTubeSupportArthurThis episode is brought to you by:Henry KDaniellePat Acks from the Humanists of IdahoSoJoBig Easy BlasphemyDarryl GArthur KSamuel CBeatriz ALevi CRichard GBalázsSteve FBrad RAnd by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward.Contact information, show notes, and links to Social Media and the like can be found at https://htotw.comThe music in this episode is:Welcome to the Show by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4614-welcome-to-the-showLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseNewsSting by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4124-newsstingLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseDitty Pong by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4676-ditty-pongLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseDisco Sting by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3653-disco-stingLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseSweeter Vermouth by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4450-sweeter-vermouthLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-licenseFull shownotes can always be found at https://htotw.com/16Support the show

Critical reception Rushdie has had a string of commercially successful and critically acclaimed novels. His works have been shortlisted for the Booker Prize five times, in 1981 for Midnight's Children, 1983 for Shame, 1988 for The Satanic Verses, 1995 for The Moor's Last Sigh, and in 2019 for Quichotte. In 1981, he was awarded the prize. His 2005 novel Shalimar the Clown received the prestigious Hutch Crossword Book Award, and, in the UK, was a finalist for the Whitbread Book Awards. It was shortlisted for the 2007 International Dublin Literary Award. Rushdie's works have spawned 30 book-length studies and over 700 articles on his writing. Academic and other activities Rushdie has mentored younger Indian (and ethnic-Indian) writers, influenced an entire generation of Indo-Anglian writers, and is an influential writer in postcolonial literature in general. He opposed the British government's introduction of the Racial and Religious Hatred Act, something he writes about in his contribution to Free Expression Is No Offence, a collection of essays by several writers, published by Penguin in November 2005. Rushdie was the President of PEN American Center from 2004 to 2006 and founder of the PEN World Voices Festival. In 2007, he began a five-year term as Distinguished Writer in Residence at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he has also deposited his archives. In May 2008 he was elected a Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2014, he taught a seminar on British Literature and served as the 2015 keynote speaker In September 2015, he joined the New York University Journalism Faculty as a Distinguished Writer in Residence. Rushdie is a member of the advisory board of The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organisation that provides daily meals to students of township schools in Soweto of South Africa. He is also a member of the advisory board of the Secular Coalition for America, an advocacy group representing the interests of atheistic and humanistic Americans in Washington, D.C., and a patron of Humanists UK (formerly the British Humanist Association). He is also a Laureate of the International Academy of Humanism. In November 2010 he became a founding patron of Ralston College, a new liberal arts college that has adopted as its motto a Latin translation of a phrase ("free speech is life itself") from an address he gave at Columbia University in 1991 to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the first amendment to the US Constitution. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salman_Rushdie

Issues Over Ideology. Steve Williamson and Karen McClelland welcome Jeanne Casteen, teacher, school board member, and director of the Secular Coalition of Arizona. She is running for the LD2 Senate seat in the Arizona legislature with hopes of reducing the … Continue reading →

This week's guest is Robert Peoples of Affinis Humanity. Robert grew up in a Black Baptist church in New Jersey. When he was young, he enjoyed church but was an inquisitive child with many questions and no satisfying answers. As a teenager, Robert looked for answers outside the church—from Thomas Paine to Allah to the Buddha. By 18 years old, Robert could no longer believe in anything supernatural. His understanding of the world came from philosophy, history and science. This was incredibly difficult for his family, but they continued to faithfully love and support him. One frustration Robert has with the Black church community is that it works to change unjust systems but then uses phrases like, “We couldn't have done this without God.” In recent years, Robert has been working with a political non-profit to ensure the “separation of state and church” and to change unjust policies. Human suffering is caused less by individuals “in need of heart change,” and more by systemic racism, homophobia, classism and other inequities. [Humanism] has increased my love for humanity exponentially. I no longer love people with conditions. In the midst of all the work to be done, Robert is hopeful. He is effecting change in the world and reminding others that “being human is enough.” He stands in awe of the beauty of nature, his daughters and this short life. His story is one of world-changing secular grace. Links Affinis Humanity https://www.affinishumanity.org/ Secular Coalition for Arizona https://secularaz.org/ Interact Join the Deconversion Anonymous Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/deconversion Full episode show notes https://gracefulatheist.com/2022/04/10/robert-peoples-affinis-humanity/ Secular Grace https://gracefulatheist.com/2016/10/21/secular-grace/ Deconversion https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/ Deconstruction https://gracefulatheist.com/2017/12/03/deconversion-how-to/#deconstruction/ Attribution "Waves" track written and produced by Makaih Beats https://makaihbeats.net/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gracefulatheist/support

We need a vaccine to keep religion from infecting government. After reporting FFRF victories and complaints, we call for putting our trust in science and for vaccine mandates. We hear Roy Zimmerman's irreverent song, "I Want a Marriage Like They Had in the Bible." Then we speak with Debbie Allen, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America, which lobbies to keep state and church separate.

The radical restructuring of the Supreme Court is bound to lead to radical revision of core American rights and protections. Is that about to happen? I’ll ask attorney and author Rabbi Jay Michaelson. Also, the previous administration acted like non-religious people simply didn’t exist. Now, the White house is meeting with them. We’ll get a briefing from Debbie Allen, Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America. And working to heal the toxic polarization that is poisoning our nation. The inspiring head of the One America Movement, Andrew Hanauer, will be back with us.

In this episode, Nathan and Todd are joined by Dr. Clare Stainthorp, an expert in atheism and freethought in nineteenth-century Britain. We talk about Clare's exploration of the brief but amazing life of freethinking scientist/poet Constance Naden. We draw links between freethought and radical politics, and also make connections between the way freethinkers created community in the past and ‘zine culture. Another amazing and insightful hour!Follow Clare on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClareGS87Clare's book, Constance Naden: Scientist, Philosopher, Poet:https://www.peterlang.com/view/title/65828Clare's article on Constance Naden's life: https://dangerouswomenproject.org/2016/11/11/3646/Nineteenth-Century Religion, Literature and Society: Disbelief and New Beliefs, co-edited by Clare Stainthorp and Naomi Hetherington: https://www.routledge.com/Nineteenth-Century-Religion-Literature-and-Society-Disbelief-and-New-Beliefs/Hetherington-Stainthorp/p/book/9781138572850For more on freethinkers and feminism in the nineteenth century, see Laura Schwartz's Infidel Feminism: Secularism, Religion and Women's Emancipation, England 1830–1914: https://manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719085826/Information from the Secular Coalition on the upcoming American Supreme Court decision in the Fulton v. City of Philadelphia case, which has important implications religious organization's ability to discriminate on grounds of sexual orientation, marital status, religion, etc.: https://www.decisionday.org/Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexanderNathan's website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/If you find the podcast valuable and want to support it, go to https://anchor.fm/beyond-atheism and click the “Support” button. We are grateful for every contribution.

In this episode, Nathan and Todd talk with Andrew Grossen, the Communications Manager at Secular Coalition for America. Among other things, we talk about the referendum campaigns Andrew worked on while in Ireland for the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage, and blasphemy, and his current work with the Secular Coalition.Secular Coalition for America: https://secular.org/Twitter: https://twitter.com/seculardotorgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecularCoalitionAndrew's recent piece about Ireland: https://secular.org/2021/03/stpaddys/The tweet dunking on Ted Cruz: https://twitter.com/seculardotorg/status/1285168729119170560?s=20For Todd's post-episode reflections, check out: https://todd-tavares.medium.com/Follow Nathan on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NathGAlexanderNathan's website: https://www.nathangalexander.com/

With a rare opportunity for secularism to make big gains in America, we have one organization that can help. Casey Brinck is the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Secular Coalition for America. We talked about his religious upbringing, being an atheist in a foxhole and being an atheist in Republican congressional staff.    Secular.org https://twitter.com/seculardotorg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor https://twitter.com/caseybrinck https://www.facebook.com/SecularCoalition/ https://www.instagram.com/secular_coalition/?hl=en   Live read: Hasan Piker's youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hR37tDGG0U   Support me on Patreon:  http://www.patreon.com/zachrilege Itunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/zachrilege-cast/id996785602?mt=2 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/zachrilege  

This week we are joined by Casey Brinck from the Secular Coalition for America to get some updates on rebuilding the wall of separation between church and state. Before that we have right wing wacos getting in trouble, nuns selling orphans, and Boston not having to fly the Christian flag. Got feedback? Use the contact form or leave us a voice message using atheistnomads.com/speakpipe Support the show at atheistnomads.com/donate Subscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe Join our Discord server at atheistnomads.com/discord Announcements The Facebook page is being being fazed out. News Wisconsin Vaccine Saboteur Steven Brandenburg Was a Flat-Earther Anti-vaxxers briefly shut down Dodger Stadium vaccination site over weekend, police say Christian Nationalist Jason Rapert Fast Tracks Arkansas's Church Superspreader Bill, Disregards COVID-19 Infections and Deaths A nazi from Sandpoint, ID to move to Montana a couple of years ago got fined for almost $20 million by the FCC for racist robocalls SBC report calls Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission a 'significant distraction' that's costing the denomination a lot of money Army National Guard chaplain called Joint Chiefs memo 'seditious' Nuns Sold Orphaned Children to Sexual Predators Boston Can Reject Religious Flag at City Hall Support New Patron - Jonathan This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Danielle M Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho SoJo Beatriz A Zoe Darryl G Arthur K Samuel C Erik from Wyoming Jennifer N Erica B Jonathan N Richard G Balázs Rebecca P And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice message using SpeakPipe. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

This week we are joined by Casey Brink from the Secular Coalition of America to get some updates on rebuilding the wall of separation between church and state. Before that we have right wing wacos getting in trouble, nuns selling orphans, and Boston not having to fly the Christian flag. Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message using atheistnomads.com/speakpipe Support the show at atheistnomads.com/donate Subscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe Join our Discord server at atheistnomads.com/discord Announcements The Facebook page is being being fazed out. News Wisconsin Vaccine Saboteur Steven Brandenburg Was a Flat-Earther Anti-vaxxers briefly shut down Dodger Stadium vaccination site over weekend, police say Christian Nationalist Jason Rapert Fast Tracks Arkansas’s Church Superspreader Bill, Disregards COVID-19 Infections and Deaths A nazi from Sandpoint, ID to move to Montana a couple of years ago got fined for almost $20 million by the FCC for racist robocalls SBC report calls Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission a ‘significant distraction’ that’s costing the denomination a lot of money Army National Guard chaplain called Joint Chiefs memo ‘seditious’ Nuns Sold Orphaned Children to Sexual Predators Boston Can Reject Religious Flag at City Hall Support New Patron - Jonathan This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Danielle M Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho SoJo Beatriz A Zoe Darryl G Arthur K Samuel C Erik from Wyoming Jennifer N Erica B Jonathan N Richard G Balázs Rebecca P And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice message using SpeakPipe. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

This week we were joined by Casey Brinck the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Secular Coalition for America Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message using atheistnomads.com/speakpipeSupport the show at atheistnomads.com/donateSubscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribeJoin our Discord server at atheistnomads.com/discord News What To Know About Patriot Prayer, A Far-Right Group Backed By Portland Shooting Victim Christian fund raising site has earned nearly $200,000 for alleged Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse Feedback Rich via the website Support New Patron - Big Easy Blasphemy This episode is brought to you by: Henry KDaniel MRebecca PPat Acks from the Humanists of IdahoDarryl GRachel BGeorge GKim BSoJoJenErik from WyomingThe Flying Skeptic And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice message using SpeakPipe. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

This week we were joined by Casey Brinck the Director of Policy and Government Affairs for the Secular Coalition for America Email us at contact@atheistnomads.com or leave us a voice message using atheistnomads.com/speakpipe Support the show at atheistnomads.com/donate Subscribe at atheistnomads.com/subscribe Join our Discord server at atheistnomads.com/discord News What To Know About Patriot Prayer, A Far-Right Group Backed By Portland Shooting Victim Christian fund raising site has earned nearly $200,000 for alleged Kenosha shooter, Kyle Rittenhouse Feedback Rich via the website Support New Patron - Big Easy Blasphemy This episode is brought to you by: Henry K Daniel M Rebecca P Pat Acks from the Humanists of Idaho Darryl G Rachel B George G Kim B SoJo Jen Erik from Wyoming The Flying Skeptic And by our $1 patrons and those who want no reward. You can find us online at www.atheistnomads.com, follow us on Twitter @AtheistNomads, like us on Facebook, email us at contact@atheistnomads.com, and leave us a voice message using SpeakPipe. Theme music is provided by Sturdy Fred.

Casey Brinck from Secular Coalition For America joins John and Seamus to discuss military chaplains, Church-State separation issues, and being an atheist in US military

Interview with Casey Brinck. Casey is the Director of Policy and Goverment Affairs for The Secular Coalition for America. We discuss the involvement of religion in government.Investing Skeptically: Mail bag.Bonus audio: Christopher Hitchens https://secular.org/

Doug White is a leader in the nation's philanthropic community, is an author, teacher, and an advisor to nonprofit organizations and philanthropists. He is Co-Chair of the FoolProof Foundation's Walter Cronkite Project Committee and a governing board member of the Secular Coalition of America. He has also been an advisor to BoardSource, the nation's leading organization dedicated to “building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service.” He completed a comprehensive review of the media allegations against Wounded Warrior Project: The First Casualty: A Report Addressing the Allegations Made Against the Wounded Warrior Project in January 2016. That report has been expanded into a book, Wounded Charity and we talked with him about that in the fall of 2019. Doug's knowledge about good management of nonprofits is so extensive that we invited him to come back to talk with us again. This time, we're inviting other nonprofit organizations to call in and ask Doug for his advice. Call 516-418-5651 with your questions.

Today I speak with Mandisa Thomas. Mandisa is a native of New York City and is the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally indoctrinated into belief, Mandisa was heavily exposed to Christianity, Black Nationalism, and Islam. As a child she loved reading, and enjoyed various tales of Gods from different cultures, including Greek and Ghanaian. “Through reading these stories and being taught about other cultures at an early age, I quickly noticed that there were similarities and differences between those deities and the God of the Christian Bible. I couldn’t help but wonder what made this God so special that he warrants such prevalence today.” she recalls.Mandisa has many media appearances to her credit, including CBS Sunday Morning, CNN.com, and Playboy, The Humanist, and JET magazines. She has been a guest on podcasts such as The Humanist Hour and Ask an Atheist, as well as the documentaries Contradiction and My Week in Atheism. Mandisa currently serves on the Boards for American Atheists and the American Humanist Association, and previously for Foundation Beyond Belief, and the Secular Coalition for America. She is also an active speaker and has presented at conferences/conventions for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Secular Student Alliance, and many others.In 2019, Mandisa was the recipient of the Secular Student Alliance’s Backbone Award and named the Freedom from Religion Foundation’s Freethought Heroine. She was also the Unitarian Universalist Humanist Association’s 2018 Person of the Year.As the president of Black Nonbelievers, Mandisa encourages more Blacks to come out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of such strong religious overtones. "The more we make our presence known, the better our chances of working together to turn around some of the disparities we face. We are NOT alone."*****Now that we’ve begun to process our history with toxic religion, we seek to regain autonomy over our minds and bodies from residual narratives, whether cultural or religious; while working towards respecting and empowering the autonomy of others. Together, we seek to rejoin the human race and participate in this chaotic experience of existence Thanks for listening and remember: You are autonomous and so is everyone else. Please subscribe to my podcast and leave a review wherever you listen to podcasts. Your financial support, if you are willing and able, can make a huge impact on my ability to continue in secular activism. You can become a Patreon supporter or make a one-time donation via PayPal. Links are on EA's website. *** Podcast Links*** www.everyonesautonomous.com facebook.com/everyonesautonomous twitter.com/s_autonomous instagram.com/everyonesautonomous/ *** Marie's Links *** mariedelephant.com fb.me/mariedelephant twitter.com/MarieDElephant Instagram.com/mariedelephant *** MarKei Photo & Video Links *** markeiphoto.com www.facebook.com/markeiphotography/ www.instagram.com/markeiphoto/ twitter.com/markeiphoto *** Credits *** Produced by Marie D'Elephant Edited by Post Christian Podcasting (Caleb Rowe) *** Time Stamps*** 1:08 Monologue 6:53 Intro9:36 Interview 2:03:15 Announcements

A double-episode for the end of the year! Friend of the show Caitlin Clarkson Pereira is back as co-host to talk about the news from around the state, including the new college for all plan in CT, plus a deep dive on a candidate running for Congress who has shown his true colors in all their MAGA glory, and should be jettisoned by the GOP ASAP. Plus, a conversation with Secular Coalition for CT’s Pat McCann on being and doing good without God, and Connecticut’s overall growing lack of belief in the supernatural.  Happy New Year!

Doug White is a leader in the nation's philanthropic community, an author, teacher, and an advisor to nonprofit organizations and philanthropists. He is Co-Chair of the FoolProof Foundation's Walter Cronkite Project Committee and a governing board member of the Secular Coalition of America. He is the former director of Columbia University's Master of Science in Fundraising Management program, where, in addition to his extensive management responsibilities, he taught board governance, ethics and fundraising. He is also the former academic director of New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising. He has also been an advisor to BoardSource, the nation's leading organization dedicated to “building exceptional nonprofit boards and inspiring board service.” He completed a comprehensive review of the media allegations against Wounded Warrior Project: The First Casualty: A Report Addressing the Allegations Made Against the Wounded Warrior Project in January 2016. That report has been expanded into a book, Wounded Charity, published in the fall of 2019, bringing his total of books to five.

“You don’t speak up for yourself, someone else will.” This is the age for activism. The great part about getting active in politics or your community is there are people ready to help. You can talk to your local district representatives for your Senators or you can just meet up. Sarah Levin has been with the Secular Coalition for America for six years, going from intern to Director of Governmental Affairs. We discussed dropping out of Hebrew school, activist burnout and keeping a steady supply of Franks Red Hot sauce. Links https://secular.org/profile/sarah-m-levin/ https://twitter.com/SarahMLevin Previous interviews Thinking Atheist interview 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugy51_x1dcM Mythinformed interview 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN9vepdVo_0&t=21s Just Us Women 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdE9GUYcWjE Secular Coalition for America https://secular.org/ https://secular.org/grassroots/rapid-response-network/ https://twitter.com/seculardotorg https://www.facebook.com/SecularCoalition/ Live “Read” Chrisiousity talks about Rationality Rules and the ACA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzASGYst5QI Thomas Smith and Eli Bosnick discuss “milkshaking” https://seriouspod.com/sio194-milkshaking-with-eli-bosnick/ WHO removes transgender as a mental disorder: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190526_10/?fbclid=IwAR3UtAN4c809oig_6i1v7fzRgK411lhe_pLtm1991pJDj-GJwOybk_WE5ig Support me on Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/zachrilege Itunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/zachrilege-cast/id996785602?mt=2 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/zachrilege

FFRF’s director of strategic response, Andrew L. Seidel, joins host Annie Laurie Gaylor for a lively dissection of the oral arguments last week in the Supreme Court’s Bladensburg cross case, including clip excerpts of the arguments and Andrew’s eye-witness impressions. Then they interview David Steketee about his exciting win Monday in FFRF’s successful challenge of billions of tax dollars for church repairs, in clear violation of the N.J. state constitution. This week the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of FFRF’s victory, making it final. Then we play a rousing, timely pep talk on the recent threats to secular government by Larry Decker, until recently the executive director of Secular Coalition for America, who spoke at FFRF’s 2018 annual convention. By the way, you’ll hear musical teasers of Ravel, an atheist who was born on March 7, 1875. We also give a shoutout to International Women’s Day and the anniversary of the landmark McCollum v. Board of Education case (both on March 8.)

February 24, 2019 This week we are joined by Mandisa Thomas to chat about her talk at the February Minnesota Atheists public meeting, "Fear of a Black Atheist". Mandisa Thomas is the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally indoctrinated into belief, Mandisa was heavily exposed to Christianity, Black Nationalism, and Islam. Ms. Thomas has a number of media appearances to her credit, including CBS Sunday Morning, CNN.com, and JET magazine. She has been a guest on podcasts such as Life After God, The Humanist Hour and Ask an Atheist, as well as the documentaries Contradiction and My Week in Atheism. Mandisa served on the Board for Reason Rally 2016, and previously for Foundation Beyond Belief, and the Secular Coalition for America. She has presented at conferences/conventions for American Atheists, Freedom from Religion Foundation, Secular Student Alliance, and many others. As the president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., Ms. Thomas works to encourage more Blacks to come out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of such strong religious overtones. LINKS http://wocbeyondbelief.com/ https://www.meetup.com/Black-Nonbelievers/events/257513734/ https://blacknonbelievers.wordpress.com/ If you enjoyed this show, we'd love to have you come back next week for another episode.  You can catch Atheists Tall live, every Sunday Morning at 9am Central on AM950 KTNF online at http://www.am950radio.com/listen-live/  Contact us during the show with questions or comments at 952-946-6205 or contact us anytime via radio@mnatheists.org or tweet us @atheiststalk Support this show by visiting https://www.patreon.com/AtheistTalk

Just returning from our national convention in San Francisco, we hear the Moment of Bedlam at the annual Nonprayer Breakfast and hear parts of speeches by actor John de Lancie, Secular Coalition for America director Larry Decker, U.S. Representative (Ca.) Jared Huffman, and comedian Leighann Lord. After hearing Dan Barker's song "The Freethought Blues," we talk with Maryam Namazie, who is organizing the "International Sharia, Segregation & Secularism" conference in London this month.

This week Secular Coalition of America grades the candidates, Atheists and protestants are interested in similar qualities when searching for a new community of like-minded individuals, California Democratic Senator Ricardo Lara fight to end religious exemptions from anti-discrimination laws, and I explain the process by which we select certain stories. Thanks for watching!Sources:Secular Coalition for America Voter Guide:Secular Values Voter, “2016 Presidential Voter Guides.” Accessed August 24, 2016. http://www.secularvaluesvoter.org/get... Move to Lift Anti-Discrimination Exemptions from California’s Religious Schools:David Greene & Ben Adler, “Latest Religious Liberty Battle: Church-Affiliated Colleges & LGBT Students.” Accessed August 25, 2016. http://www.npr.org/2016/08/23/4910247... Pew Polling Data:Pew Research Center, “The Search for a New Congregation.” Accessed August 25, 2016. http://www.pewforum.org/2016/08/23/1-... News Ticker:Lynn Horsley, “Atheists sue over use of tax dollars relating to KC Baptist convention.” Accessed August 8, 2016. http://www.kansascity.com/news/politi... Hemant Mehta, “Arkansas is One Step Closer to Putting an Illegal Ten Commandments Monument on Capitol Grounds.” Accessed August 24, 2016. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendly... Ian Dunt, “The atheist parent guidebook: Campaigners give advice on combating religion in schools.“ Accessed August 18, 2016. http://www.politics.co.uk/news/2016/0... Fred Lucas, “Texas Judge Victorious Over Atheist Group in Prayer Dispute.” Accessed August 24, 2016. http://dailysignal.com/2016/08/16/tex... Bhavya Dore, “In Germany, secular ‘confirmation’ thrives again.” Accessed August 8, 2016. http://religionnews.com/2016/07/22/in...

Encore release September 8, 2018. Encore release June 1, 2017.   We interview Staise Gonzalez, mover and shaker with Houston Atheists, about her recent (and thus far successful effort) to prevent Helen Ukpabio from visiting the United States. For those unfamiliar with Ukpabio, she is an infamous Nigerian preacher/filmmaker whose poisonous teaching about demon possession has led many children to be abandoned, abused--even murdered--by their families. To see just how nutty Ukpabio is, check out her film "End of the Wicked." Also...North Carolina preachers with an anti-gay agenda are in the news again. This time it's Pastor Charles Worley of Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden, NC. Worley's Final Solution for "the lesbians and the queers" has gone viral on the web. Finally, we review the controversy surrounding one-time Republican lobbyist Edwina Rogers as the new executive director of the Secular Coalition for America. Rogers has gotten off to a rocky start with prominent freethought bloggers, mostly for her insistence that Republicans are NOT largely anti-choice, anti-gay and anti-seperation-of-church-and-state. Read and/or listen to her interview with Greta Christina for more. Meanwhile, videos from her Republican lobbying days, like this one in which she's shown living in an 18,000 square foot mansion and wrapping gifts in money, can't help. ANNOUNCEMENTS If you're in Atlanta on Saturday, May 26, come to the Atlanta Science Tavern to hear "The Christian Right's Assault on Public Education and the Science Curriculum," a talk by Katherine Stewart, author ofThe Good News Club: The Christian Right's Stealth Assault on America's Children (hardcover or Kindle). The Tavern requests RSVPs, and since it fills up early, the sooner you reserve your place the better. CONTACT Visit our blog at AmericanFreethought.com. Visit the podcast at AmericanFreethought.LibSyn.com. Email us at john@americanfreethought.com or david@americanfreethought.com. (John and David are available, either together or separately, to speak in person to your group.) If you like what you hear, take a moment and leave feedback on our iTunes feed. Join our communities at Facebook, Atheist Nexus, Think Atheist or Yahoo Groups. Shop through us at Amazon.com or at CafePress.com. If you’d like to donate to the operation of this podcast, you can contribute through PayPal to editor@scifidimensions.com. We promise not to spend it on beer. May 27, 2012. Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll.

Encore release August 24, 2018. Encore release May 17, 2017.   We interview Sean Faircloth, author of Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What We Can Do about It. Sean was formerly Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America, but recently accepted the position of Director of Strategy and Policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation. CONTACT Visit our blog at AmericanFreethought.com. Visit the podcast at AmericanFreethought.LibSyn.com. Email us at john@americanfreethought.com or david@americanfreethought.com. (John and David are available, either together or separately, to speak in person to your group.) If you like what you hear, take a moment and leave feedback on our iTunes page. Join our communities at Facebook, Atheist Nexus, Think Atheist or Yahoo Groups. Shop through us at Amazon.com or at CafePress.com. If you'd like to donate to the operation of this podcast, you can contribute through PayPal to editor@scifidimensions.com. We promise not to spend it on beer. November 20, 2011. Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll.

Encore release July 1, 2018. Encore release March 24, 2017. Originally posted March 8, 2010.

Mandisa Thomas is a founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally indoctrinated into belief, Mandisa was heavily exposed to Christianity, Black Nationalism, and Islam. As a child she loved reading, and enjoyed various tales of Gods from different cultures, including Greek and Ghanaian. “Through reading these stories and being taught about other cultures at an early age, I quickly noticed that there were similarities and differences between those deities and the God of the Christian Bible. I couldn't help but wonder what made this God so special that he warrants such prevalence in today's society,” she recalls. Mandisa has a number of media appearances to her credit, including CBS Sunday Morning, CNN.com, and JET magazine. She has been a guest on podcasts such as The Humanist Hour and Ask an Atheist, as well as the documentaries Contradiction and My Week in Atheism. Mandisa currently serves on the Boards for American Atheists and the Reason Rally Coalition, and previously for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Coalition for America. She also is an active speaker, and has presented at conferences/conventions for Freedom from Religion Foundation, Secular Student Alliance, and many others. As the president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., Mandisa works to encourage more Blacks to come out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of such strong religious overtones. "The more we make our presence known, the better our chances of working together to turn around some of the disparities we face. We are NOT alone."  

Sarah Levin is the Director of Grassroots and Community Programs at the Secular Coalition for America. She has served in various roles at the Secular Coalition since 2013, including as the organization's chief lobbyist on Capitol Hill and as the State Chapter Coordinator, managing and growing the organization’s state chapter program and implementing various grassroots campaigns on the national and state level. I spoke with her about the biggest church/state separation concerns facing Americans, what counts as a success in the age of Trump, and how the Secular Coalition for America wants to empower atheists nationwide to get active in state politics.

Thomas Buonomo is the Humanist Studies Coordinator with the American Humanist Association. His areas of concern revolve around the influence of religion in politics, U.S.-Middle East relations, conflict prevention and resolution, energy and climate security, and human rights. His writing on these subjects has been published by the Atlantic Council, The National Interest, Securing America's Future Energy, Forbes, The Cipher Brief, Oil&Gas Investor, Renewable Energy World, The Hill, CQ Roll Call, The National (UAE), Daily Star (Lebanon), Secular Coalition for America, The Humanist, and other outlets. His articles in The Humanist are here: https://thehumanist.com/contributor/thomas-buonomo

This week, Rissy and Bethany are joined by the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Mandisa Thomas.  Bio: Mandisa Thomas is the founder and President of Black Nonbelievers, Inc. Although never formally indoctrinated into belief, Mandisa was heavily exposed to Christianity, Black Nationalism, and Islam. As a child she loved reading, and enjoyed various tales of Gods from different cultures, including Greek and Ghanaian. “Through reading these stories and being taught about other cultures at an early age, I quickly noticed that there were similarities and differences between those deities and the God of the Christian Bible. I couldn't help but wonder what made this God so special that he warrants such prevalence in today's society,” she recalls. Mandisa has a number of media appearances to her credit, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBS Sunday Morning, CNN.com, and JET magazine. She has been a guest on podcasts such as The Humanist Hour and Ask an Atheist, as well as the documentaries Contradiction and My Week in Atheism. Mandisa currently serves on the Boards for American Atheists and the Reason Rally Coalition, and previously for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Coalition for America. She also is an active speaker, and has presented at conferences/conventions for the Freedom from Religion Foundation, Secular Student Alliance, and many others. As the president of Black Nonbelievers, Inc., Mandisa works to encourage more Blacks to come out and stand strong with their nonbelief in the face of such strong religious overtones. "The more we make our presence known, the better our chances of working together to turn around some of the disparities we face. We are NOT alone." http://www.myajc.com/lifestyles/religion/every-day-sunday-atheism-rises-nonbelievers-find-one-another/xsKDGVgIgfAXzEoMQdX66K http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/28/living/black-atheist-confession/index.html https://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-challenges-facing-atheists-in-the-u-s/ https://www.wabe.org/atlanta-atheist-wants-erase-stigma-black-community/ http://www.patheos.com/blogs/accordingtomatthew/2015/10/angry-christian-outburst-shows-why-its-hard-to-be-a-black-atheist/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B0SuDwlilU www.blacknonbelievers.org Twitter: @mandy0904, @BNonbelievers This show is part of the Trans Podcaster Visibility Initiative.

Should Christian bakers and photographers be forced to offer services to gay couples under the Civil Rights Act, or does religious freedom exempt them? Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America, Larry Decker, and Executive Director of Secular Student Alliance, Kevin Bolling, join David in studio.

Can Jews be atheists and still be Jews? Hosts Dan Crane and Jessica Chaffin explore the question of Jewish atheism with Rabbi Susan Goldberg of LA's Wilshire Boulevard Temple, president of American Atheists David Silverman, British comedian David Baddiel, and founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America Herb Silverman.

President & Founder of Mercy For Animals, Nathan Runkle, is in studio with David to discuss his recent farming episode, and the misinformation Nathan believes is being given to the public about the farming process. Sarah Levin from Secular Coalition for America gives activists an easy way to make a difference. Please do this survey! podcastone.com/mysurvey

Pete calls in to discuss SSACON, Sarah gives quick updates on Secular Coalition for America, and Adam and David discuss safe spaces, and why Adam still hopes for a heaven, as an atheist.

Christian Counselor & Baptist Pastor Chris Legg joins David to debate issues of the Bible, God, Jesus, and LGBT rights. Darrel Ray & Gayle Jordan also stop by to discuss Recovering from Religion, and Secular Coalition for America gives quick updates on 2 bills.

In this episode, we discuss the recent policy change by the Boy Scouts to allow transgender boys into their program as well as their continued ban of atheists. Sarah Levin of Secular Coalition for America joins us to talk about lobbying, the various marches being planned around the US, and what each of us can do to affect public policy, including taking part in SCA's Lobby Day.

The original U.S. Pledge of Allegiance calls the USA, "one nation...indivisible."  Yet it remains a nation splintered and divided, with many of those divisions fueled by religious ideas.  This broadcast welcomes several special guests to talk about America, the rise of secularism, the influence of the Religious Right, and the future of a country that seems unable to agree about anything.Our guests appearing throughout the broadcast:Amanda Knief: National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, and author of "The Citizen Lobbyist: A How-to Manual for Making Your Voice Heard in Government."Matthew De Dora: Director of Office of Public Policy for the Center For InquiryMatthew Bulger: American Humanist AssociationJustin Scott: Director of Eastern Iowa AtheistsRebecca Markert: Managing Staff Attorney for the Freedom From Religion FoundationLarry Decker: Executive Director for the Secular Coalition for AmericaHerb Silverman: President of the Secular Coalition for AmericaSarah Levin:  Senior Legislative Representative for the Secular Coalition for AmericaSUPPORT OUR SPONSORS:The Great Courses Plus:  http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethStamps.com  http://www.stamps.com (promo code sethandrews) 

The religiously unaffiliated, also known as the “nones,” are currently the largest “faith” demographic in the country. Yet evangelicals beat them two to one in turnout at the polls. We live in an increasingly secular nation based on secular principles, but in government, the secular worldview is badly underrepresented. President-elect Donald Trump spoke to many American’s economic struggles, but his is also a victory for the religious right that rallied strongly behind him. Much of Trump’s platform and policy agenda is incredibly unpopular with the American people, which is part of what is so perplexing about his victory. Yet despite being a relative minority within the population, evangelicals reliably vote, and secular Americans overwhelmingly do not.   Here to talk about how we got here and the effort to fix this voting disparity is Larry Decker, Executive Director of Secular Coalition for America. Decker believes that much of America’s core secular values are in grave danger with a Trump presidency. He asserts that SCA and its contributing members (which includes the Center for Inquiry, which produces this program) are preparing to fight relentlessly to make secular American voices heard in order to defend the wall of separation between church and state.

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.

This week, I first discuss the recent presidential election and the importance now more than ever of critical thinking and recognizing the misinformation spread rampantly on social media. After that is my interview with David Niose, author, activist and lawyer. He is the former president of the American Humanists Association and the Secular Coalition of... The post Sensibly Speaking Podcast #64: Anti-Intellectualism is Killing America (ft. David Niose) appeared first on The Sensibly Speaking Podcast.

tSE 023 - Herb Silverman, Founder of Secular Coalition for AmericaBe like James, Alice, the trio of Michaels, Kris, Sarah, Janet, Amanda, Yoana, Andrew, and Astrid:  Become a patron at patreon.com/tSEpodcast! Hosts: Natalie Newell (Skeptical Parenting) and Dan Broadbent (A Science Enthusiast)! Login to access this episode's bonus-level content! Guest: Herb Silverman! Herb Silverman is founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America; founder of the Secular Humanists of the Lowcountry in Charleston, South Carolina; and founder and former faculty advisor to the College of Charleston student Atheist/Humanist Alliance. He is a board member of the American Humanist Association; advisory board member of the Secular Student Alliance; an "On Faith" blogger for the Washington Post online. Herb's website is HerbSilverman.com. Be sure to check out Herb Silverman's new autobiograph

Author & Philosopher Dan Dennett joins us to talk about Free Will & Sam Harris, James Lindsay discusses his new book "Everybody is Wrong About God," David, Alix, & Brandy recap the final presidential debate, and Larry Decker gives a political update from the Secular Coalition for America.

Today I have two guests. The first Ron Millar, the PAC coordinator for the Freethought Equality Fund. According to his bio, “He researches and interviews political candidates and elected officials for possible endorsement by the FEF PAC. Ron has spent more than thirty years in the Washington DC area working for nonprofit education and advocacy groups, including serving as the associate director of the Secular Coalition for America from 2005 to 2009. Earning a PhD from Virginia Tech, his dissertation explored organizational learning among groups litigating church-state cases before the Supreme Court.” The second is Dan Arel, author of the new book “The Secular Activist.” Dan is a freelance columnist for AlterNet and The Huffington Post. His work has also appeared in TIME Magazine, Salon, OnFaith, American Atheist Magazine and other print and digital publications around the world. Today we’re going to talk about why atheists and secularists should care about the upcoming election.Links:•Freethought Equality Fund PAC: http://freethoughtequality.org/ •Center for Freethought Equality: http://www.cfequality.org/ •Dan Arel’s website: http://www.danarel.com/ •The Secular Barbershop: http://www.thesecularbarbershop.com/ •The Brainstorm Podcast: http://www.brainstormblog.net/ •The Biskeptical Podcast: http://www.spreaker.com/show/the-biskeptical-podcast•Dream Youth: http://dreamyouth.bandcamp.com •Asher Silberman: http://www.ashersilberman.com/ •My Twitter: http://twitter.com/tmamone •Bi Any Means on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bianymeanspod •Bi Any Means on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bianymeanspodcast •Email: bianymeanspodcast@gmail.com •Listener line: 410-690-3558 •My Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/tmamone •Bi Any Means Blog: http://freethoughtblogs.com/bianymeans/

Today I have two guests. The first Ron Millar, the PAC coordinator for the Freethought Equality Fund. According to his bio, “He researches and interviews political candidates and elected officials for possible endorsement by the FEF PAC. Ron has spent more than thirty years in the Washington DC area working for nonprofit education and advocacy groups, including serving as the associate director of the Secular Coalition for America from 2005 to 2009. Earning a PhD from Virginia Tech, his dissertation explored organizational learning among groups litigating church-state cases before the Supreme Court.” The second is Dan Arel, author of the new book “The Secular Activist.” Dan is a freelance columnist for AlterNet and The Huffington Post. His work has also appeared in TIME Magazine, Salon, OnFaith, American Atheist Magazine and other print and digital publications around the world. Today we’re going to talk about why atheists and secularists should care about the upcoming election.Links:•Freethought Equality Fund PAC: http://freethoughtequality.org/ •Center for Freethought Equality: http://www.cfequality.org/ •Dan Arel’s website: http://www.danarel.com/ •The Secular Barbershop: http://www.thesecularbarbershop.com/ •The Brainstorm Podcast: http://www.brainstormblog.net/ •The Biskeptical Podcast: http://www.spreaker.com/show/the-biskeptical-podcast•Dream Youth: http://dreamyouth.bandcamp.com •Asher Silberman: http://www.ashersilberman.com/ •My Twitter: http://twitter.com/tmamone •Bi Any Means on Twitter: http://twitter.com/bianymeanspod •Bi Any Means on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bianymeanspodcast •Email: bianymeanspodcast@gmail.com •Listener line: 410-690-3558 •My Patreon page: http://www.patreon.com/tmamone •Bi Any Means Blog: http://freethoughtblogs.com/bianymeans/

David Diskin is the President of Camp Quest West. Camp Quest is a summer camp for children that embraces science, natural wonder, and humanist values. David has worked with the group since 2010. He has been a long-time activist in California, co-founding the Stockton Area Atheists and Freethinkers and Sunday Assembly Sacramento. He also serves on the boards of California Freethought Day, the Secular Coalition for California, and the national Reason Rally Coalition. At the recent American Humanist Association conference in Chicago, we spoke with David about whether children of religious parents ever attend the camp, how the camp's curriculum has changed over the years, and what he hopes Camp Quest achieves in the next few years.

Larry Decker, the Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America joins us. We talk about the success of Advocacy Day (before the Reason Rally) and all of the important work they are doing.Investing Skeptically: The effect of high turnover funds in a taxable account. Whole life - personal example!

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Amanda Knief, the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, touching on several issues relating to law and politics. Later, correspondent Gina James interviews Joe Dougherty about the militarization of American law enforcement and the psychological effect it can have on police officers and civilians. Amanda Knief is a public policy and constitutional expert on religious freedom and civil liberties. She is the author of The Citizen Lobbyist: A How-to Manual for Making Your Voice Heard in Government. Knief has a JD from Drake University Law School and a BS in journalism and science communication from Iowa State University. She has previously worked as a legal counsel and legislative drafter for the Iowa Legislature and the lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America. Currently, she serves as the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, where she directs policy advocacy, legal strategy, and serves and In-House Counsel.

With misinformation about vaccines proliferating among certain groups in the U.S., diseases that had previously been thought eradicated are creeping back into American life. As far as the law is concerned, whether or not a parent chooses to put their own child at risk by denying them vaccinations remains, largely, their personal choice. But this hands-off attitude toward vaccinations, particularly among children, puts everyone else at risk.   Here to talk about the threat posed by the anti-vaccination movement, and what we can do to stop it, are Sarah Levin and Ed Beck. Sarah Levin is the Legislative Associate of the Secular Coalition and Ed Beck is the senior policy analyst for the Center For Inquiry’s Office of Public Policy. CFI is working with SCA to launch a new campaign called Put Kids First. For additional information about how you can help combat anti-vaccination laws in your area check out the campaign website, and visit CFI’s Keep Health Care Safe and Secular website to learn more about the fight to keep religion and pseudoscience out of health policy.

David Niose has been the president of two major organizations, the American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America. He currently serves as the AHA’s legal director. He’s also a lawyer who has argued in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court about why the Pledge of Allegiance shouldn’t be recited in public school classrooms. And he’s the author of Nonbeliever Nation and Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. We spoke with David about the legal issues affecting young atheists and how they should respond. Topics addressed include: Saying the Pledge of Allegiance, "See You at the Pole" events, religious choir music, science education, Gideons Bible giveaways, faith-based assemblies, and prayers at football games.

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with AHA Legal Director David Niose about many of the issues humanist students can face in public school, and more importantly, what can be done about these issues. David Niose's background includes experience in law and mass communication. Having practiced law in Massachusetts since 1990, Niose has also worked in print and broadcast media, taught both history and law, and written extensively on a wide array of issues. Upon joining the AHA board in 2005, Niose initiated and helped develop the AHA's media campaign. Niose has appeared in national media and spoken to groups around the country, emphasizing the importance of utilizing mass media to inject humanist ideas into the public dialogue, improve the public image of humanists, and sway public opinion away from the religious right. As an attorney, Niose has advocated for church/state separation and the rights of humanists and other nontheists, and he is currently involved in implementing a legal strategy to enforce the rights of humanists and other nontheists via the avenue of equal protection law. He has worked with the Secular Coalition for America in various positions to help advocate for the rights of Secular Americans, and has served on the boards of Greater Worcester Humanists and Greater Boston Humanists.

Ryan is out communing with nature and doing some canyoneering, so Chris Reed (the Ambassador of Commas) joins us in-studio to talk to Brian Fields, President of Pennsylvania Nonbelievers and Co-Chair of Secular Coalition for Pennsylvania about the 2015 PA State Atheist/Humanist Conference, and to rant about a few recent news items. There's also a teaser for our guest next week! Links: Show Opener: Christopher Hitchens Marathon Dad on Facebook Kill the F*ggot Game Josh Duggar Thinks He's Being Repressed Richard Dawkins - Thug Life PA State Atheist/Humanist Conference Feed the Hungry! Woman Files Lawsuit Against All Homosexuals Mormon Sunday School Teacher Dismissed for Teaching Mormon Doctrine Show Closer: Tool - Opiate

David Niose has been the president of two major organizations, the American Humanist Association and the Secular Coalition for America. He currently serves as the AHA’s legal director. He’s also a lawyer who has argued in front of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court about why the Pledge of Allegiance shouldn’t be recited in public school classrooms. And he’s the author of the fantastic book Nonbeliever Nation. His latest book is called Fighting Back the Right: Reclaiming America from the Attack on Reason. We spoke with David about how we can convince unreasonable people to embrace reason, why the election of George W. Bush was a turning point for organized secularism in America, and which atheist ad campaigns are the most effective.

In this episode, Bo Bennett has the honor of getting to know Maggie Ardiente and Roy Speckhardt from the American Humanist Association, when they drop by the recording studio for a live, wide-ranging discussion. Maggie Ardiente is the director of development and communications at the American Humanist Association and senior editor of TheHumanist.com. She graduated with a B.S. in sociology from James Madison University and served as Vice President of the JMU Freethinkers, a student group for atheists, agnostics, and humanists. She is a former board member of the Secular Student Alliance and a graduate (Class 15) and board member of The Humanist Institute. Roy Speckhardt has served as executive director of the American Humanist Association since 2005. He is a frequent media commentator, having appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News, and NPR, among others. He also writes a regular column for The Huffington Post, and has given speeches at colleges, conferences, and local humanist groups across the country. Speckhardt also serves on the boards of The Institute for Humanist Studies, the United Coalition of Reason, The Humanist Institute, and the Secular Coalition for America Education Fund. He served as deputy director of The Interfaith Alliance from 1995 to 2001. Speckhardt holds an M.B.A. from George Mason University and B.A. in sociology from Mary Washington College.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.naturebox.com/thinkingatheist"The United States is a Christian nation!"We hear this charge quite often, usually accompanied by references to the Ten Commandments in government courthouses, references to God in the pledge of allegiance and on American currency, and most recently, in the ruling by the Supreme Court that government meetings can open with Christian prayers.In this podcast, we speak with David Niose, author of "Nonbeliever Nation," Amanda Knief, constitutional expert and author of "The Citizen Lobbyist,"  and Kelly Damerow, director of federal and state affairs at the Secular Coalition for America.  LINKS:Religion Clause:  http://religionclause.blogspot.comReligion Law:  http://religionlaw.blogspot.com 

 36th Annual FFRF Convention wrap-up. Announcing Steven Pinker as new Honorary President of FFRF. Tennessee PTA prayer nixed. Five freethinking composers with birthdays this week! This week we talk with Aisha Goss, Deputy Director of the Secular Coalition of America.

Congressman Steve King...issues.  Edwina Rogers with the Secular Coalition wants humanism to be our state religion.  Stephen Baldwin and Kevin McCullough are visiting the State Fair before their visit to the Family Leadership Summit on Saturday.    Alaskan Senate candidate Joe Miller visits Iowa too.  Issues.

Is it possible to be an atheist and serve your country in the military? Some would say no. My guest was Jason Torpy the President of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF), a national non-profit building community for atheists and humanists in the military. Mr. Torpy also holds seats on the board of the Secular Coalition for America, the premier lobbying organization for secular issues, and the American Humanist Association, which fosters Humanist community and ethics. Since joining the military in 1994, Mr. Torpy has been active with the nontheist community, addressing issues of separation of church and state and equal opportunity for nontheistic service members in Army basic training, Army parachutist training, military academy programs, and in combat situations. His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering Management from West Point and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Ohio State University. After earning top graduate honors from two intelligence training programs, Mr. Torpy was offered direct admission to the U.S. Military Academy and upon graduation was commissioned as an officer, serving for five years in Germany, Kuwait, and Iraq with the Army’s 1st Armored Division. He left the service in 2005 at the rank of Captain to pursue an MBA. Jason Torpy currently lives in Washington, DC. We discussed religion in the military and what is't like to be nontheist service member, as well as the history and the role of the Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers. This program originally aired on 11/12/12. Contact Information: Military Association of Atheists and Freethinkers (MAAF) - http://militaryatheists.org

Host: Chris Mooney Can people who care about secularism take America back from the religious right? Of all the questions that concern us on this show, this is perhaps the most important, the most central, of all. And David Niose has an answer to it. Simply put, he thinks we can. In his new book, Nonbeliever Nation: The Rise of Secular Americans, Niose outlines the damage the religious right has done, and how the growing forces of secularity stand poised to finally effectively counter them. Central to the strategy? Embracing the atheist, or at any rate, the secular identity, and wearing it proudly on one's sleeve. David Niose is an attorney and president of the Washington-based American Humanist Association. He has appeared widely in national and international media advocating for secularism and humanism, and serves as vice president of the Secular Coalition for America.

Host: Chris Mooney A common goal of freethinkers, humanists, skeptics, and atheists is to preserve Thomas Jefferson's "wall of separation" between church and state. But we haven't always been successful in this area—help from the courts notwithstanding—or at beating back the steady advances of the religious right. How can we do better? Our guest this week has a new book on the topic, and just as important, a new way of thinking. His name is Sean Faircloth, the director of strategy and policy for the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science. Before that, Faircloth served five terms in the Maine Legislature and went on to serve as executive director for the Secular Coalition for America. He's author of the newly released book Attack of the Theocrats: How the Religious Right Harms Us All and What to Do About It.

This past week has been particularly troubling for secular humanists   and freethinkers, as the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the   words "In God We Trust" on American currency and "Under God" as part   of the Pledge of Allegiance are not in violation of the First   Amendment rights of nontheists. Meanwhile, the conservative majority of the Texas State Board of   Education (whose sheer size and buying power influence textbook   content nationwide) revised its curricula to reflect a less secular   version of history, economics and sociology. Among other revisionist   changes, this reduces the role of President Thomas Jefferson as a   revolutionary author. This week on Skepticality, Swoopy talks with Sean Faircloth (the new   Executive Director of the Secular Coalition for America) about these   troubling current events. Sean also talks about the Coalition's recent   historic meeting with White House officials to open a policy dialog   with the Obama Administration — the first of its kind for American   nontheists.

The distinguished civil rights attorney George Daly, of Charlotte, N.C., will talk about the lawsuit he has filed on behalf of FFRF and two South Carolina parents, challenging the granting of academic credit for religious release-time instruction. Also interviewed will be the new director of Secular Coalition of America, who is an attorney and a former Maine legislator.

This Tuesday, November 4th, Americans head to the polls. But despite the outcome, the question remains: under the new administration, can nontheists, science advocates, and critical thinkers expect better representation in government? In recognition of Election Day 2008, Skepticality is pleased to present a talk by Lori Lipman Brown of the Secular Coalition for America (the only Washington, DC lobbyists working on behalf of skeptics, rationalists and nontheists), entitled Pastafarian, Zoroastrian, Atheist — Can't We All Just Get Along?

This week, Skepticality rounds out its Dragon*Con coverage with the Skeptrack panel inspired by Junior Skeptic Editor Daniel Loxton's op-ed essay, "Where Do We Go From Here?"  Daniel also joins Swoopy to share his thoughts upon hearing the panel discussion, and about skeptical trends. Panelists for this conversation about the future of skeptical activism include the JREF's James Randi and Jeff Wagg, Skeptical musician George Hrab, The Secular Coalition for America's Lori Lipman Brown , Center for Inquiry's D.J. Grothe and Benjamin Radford, Australian skeptic Dr. Karen Stollznow — and by popular demand, new JREF president Dr. Phil Plait.

This week, Skepticality tackles matters of politics on Earth, and discoveries out in the universe.  First up, environmental engineer Kelly Comstock returns to answer listener questions from our bottled water episode and address concerns about potential dangers lurking in municipal water systems (like chlorine and fluoride). Then, Derek and Swoopy check in with their favorite lobbyist, Lori Lipman Brown from the Secular Coalition for America, regarding ongoing investigations into abuses of non-theists serving in our military, how the question of separation of church and state is being highlighted in recent political debates, and what to look for when the legislature reconvenes in the Fall. Lastly, astrophysicist Dr. Pamela Gay shares her insights about recent media attention paid to NASA troubles, the paper by two German physicists who claim to have broken the speed of light, and the potential discovery of inorganic cosmic dust with lifelike properties.

On our last episode, Skeptic publisher Dr. Michael Shermer shared his thoughts about a recently televised Nightline debate between evangelical ministers Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron and "Rational Response Squad" members Brian Sapient and Kelly. Brian and Kelly contacted Skepticality, and Swoopy had a chance to talk with them this week about the work of the Rational Response Squad, and about what went on behind the scenes of the Nightline debate. Most relevant to skeptics, the gang discusses Brian's recent involvement in a lawsuit against Uri Geller, who recently pressured online video host YouTube to remove a James Randi Nova expose regarding his spoon-bending psychic claims. Also, Skepticality's Washington DC correspondent former Nevada State Senator Lori Lipman Brown, the federal lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America updates Derek and Swoopy about legislative issues pertaining to nontheists.

On this week's Skepticality, we continue our coverage of The Amazing Meeting 5. Derek and Swoopy talk with some of their favorite Real Skeptical Heroes including author and CSICOP spokesman Benjamin Radford, Mythbuster Adam Savage and the first Congressional lobbyist for non-theists and director of the Secular Coalition for America, Lori Lipman Brown.