Freethought Radio
931 episodes - English - Latest episode: 11 days ago - ★★★★★ - 524 ratingsA weekly show, broadcast live from Madison, Wis., on 92.1 FM, Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12 noon. Hosted by Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-presidents, Freedom From Religion Foundation. Slightly irreverent views, news, music and interviews.
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Episodes
Guest: Atheist magician Penn Jillette
October 03, 2011 12:30 - 42 minutes - 39 MBIf you had a choice, would you choose jail or church. We'll talk about FFRF's latest legal complaint. Then we'll talk with Penn Jillete, the well-known Las Vegas entertainer and magician is also a well-known atheist. He'll discuss his new book God No! Signs You May Already Be an Atheist.
Guest: Staff attorney Stephanie Schmitt
September 26, 2011 15:57 - 42 minutes - 39 MBThis week's show will make you laugh and will make you groan over the many religious violations in public schools. We'll talk to FFRF staff attorney Stephanie Schmitt about how she is working hard to protect school children from illegal proselytizing.
Guests: Virginia ACLU attorney Rebecca Glenberg and "Seraphime," an Orthodox monk who lost his faith
September 19, 2011 12:30 - 44 minutes - 40.5 MBThe Virginia ACLU and FFRF are suing to remove the Ten Commandments from Virginia schools. We'll talk about the suit with ACLU attorney Rebecca Glenberg. Then, don't miss our interview with an Orthodox monk who lost his faith. Help us keep state and church separate at a special time, 10 a.m. on the Mic 92.1 FM.
Guest: Secular Studies expert Phil Zuckerman
September 12, 2011 12:30 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBReading, writing, arithmetic and religion in public schools? Not if FFRF has its way. After updating you on legal skirmishes we'll catch up with secular studies expert Phil Zuckerman. He'll announce the very exciting updates in the first ever Secular Studies department. It's about time.
Guest: Former minister Jerry DeWitt
September 05, 2011 12:30 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBAre hurricanes and earthquakes really acts of god? Why worship such a diety? We'll talk about more state/church violations in public schools. We talk with a brand new atheist and ex-minister who just left a pentecostal church in Louisana. Jerry DeWitt talks about why life is better without god.
Guest: Atheist high school teacher James Corbett
August 29, 2011 12:30 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBIts our back to school special. We'll report on school/church entanglements that FFRF has already nipped in the bud. Then we will talk to atheist high school teacher, James Corbett, whose academic freedom was upheld this month by an appeals court.
Guest: Matt Douglas, ACLU attorney
August 22, 2011 09:30 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBLearn about FFRFs victory against CareNet in Wisconsin. Lead ACLU attorney Matt Douglas will talk about their victory stopping a scheme in Colorado to use public money for religious schools.
Guest: State/church activist Kay Staley, author Frank Schaeffer
August 15, 2011 11:00 - 42 minutes - 38.6 MBWe'll talk about FFRF's suit against Texas Gov. Rick Perry with state/church activist Kay Staley. Then we'll talk with the fascinating Frank Schaeffer, the fallen son of the religious right icon Francis Schaeffer, who criticizes the bible and the religious right in his new book, Sex, Mom, and God: How the Bible's Strange Take on Sex Led to Crazy Politics
FFRF legal intern Arash ("Ash") & Khosrowshahi Student activist awardee Jessica Ahlquist
August 08, 2011 05:00 - 43 minutes - 40 MBAsh, one of FFRF's outstanding summer legal interns, will talk about his work for FFRF, and how he became the atheist son of a Shiite father from Iraq and a Roman Catholic mom from Iowa! Brave Rhode Island high school student Jessica Ahlquist, 16, who will receive a $1,000 student activist award at FFRF's October national convention in Hartford, Conn., will talk about why she became a plaintiff in an ongoing federal lawsuit against a religious painting at her high school ... and how she lost...
Guest: Larry Beinhart
August 01, 2011 14:00 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBAn update on FFRF vs. Gov. Rick Perry will air, along with an interview of Larry Beinhart, author of Salvation Boulevard, a mystery- turned-into-new-movie starring Pierce Brosman and Greg Kinnear, a study of faith vs. atheism wrapped inside a comic thriller.
Guest: Matthew Chapman
July 25, 2011 14:57 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBHey Rick Perry! Get off your knees and get to work. After discussing FFRF v. Perry, FFRF's newest federal lawsuit, the hosts talk with Matthew Chapman, screenwriter and director of the new movie with an atheist protagonist, The Ledge. Chapman, an author, is the great-great grandson of Charles Darwin.
Guest: Taylor Myers, FFRF legal intern
July 18, 2011 12:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBBeware prayer by pious politicians! FFRF sues Gov. Rick Perry
Guest: Skeptic author Michael Shermer
July 11, 2011 10:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBScientific American columnist and author Michael Shermer discusses his new book, The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies -- How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths. The cohosts talk about the successful 2011 July gathering at Lake Hypatia, hosted by FFRF's chapter, the Alabama Freethought Association, and other FFRF news.
Guests: Author Sara Paretsky and Dylan Galos
July 05, 2011 14:21 - 51.2 MBDylan Galos discusses his billboard that shocked a church so much, it had to be taken down. Sara Paretsky talks about her radical roots growing up in a godless household.
Guest: Former Church of Ireland priest
June 27, 2011 09:30 - 50.3 MBEvolution wins at the "Miss USA" pageant. Patrick Semple, former Church of Ireland (Anglican) clergyman explains why he is now an atheist, and why he was known as "the rector who wouldn't pray for rain."
Guests: Joe (Ojo) Taylor, Grammy Award winning Christian songwriter turned agnostic and Philip Appleman, Poet, Author (New book: Perfidious Proverbs)
June 20, 2011 13:00 - 51.4 MBGuests: Joe (Ojo) Taylor, Grammy Award winning Christian songwriter turned agnostic and Philip Appleman, Poet, Author (New book: Perfidious Proverbs)
Guest: Prof. Victor Stenger, Physicist, Philosopher, Atheist
June 13, 2011 06:00 - 51.1 MBThe show will also celebrate Tony-nominated "The Book of Mormon" songbook. Victor Stenger says the universe was not designed for us.
Guest: "Chris," Southern Pastor/Nonbeliever
June 06, 2011 13:00 - 50.7 MBTopic: Atheists in the Pulpit Did you know there are atheists and agnostics in the pulpit? Freethought Radio will announce the new Clergy Project, promoted by Dawkins, Dennett, Barker and a contingent of former ministers who are now atheists, to help nonbelieving clergy leave the pulpit. We'll interview "Chris," a nontheist "in the closet" who is a senior pastor at a Southern evangelical church. Also featured: Too much religion in Minnesota politics, and a sneak preview of "Book of Mormon" ...
Guests:Damon Fowler, High school senior secular activist, Rhonda Dorle, Tulsa FFRF activist
May 31, 2011 09:00 - 50.2 MBTopic: Secular activism in the bible belt Damon Fowler talks about how things got ugly in his small Louisiana town and school when he courageously protested illegal graduation prayers last week. Oklahoma native and atheist Rhonda Dorle, local coordinator for FFRF's Tulsa "Out of the Closet" billboard campaign, talks about that exciting and positive new campaign.
Guest: Janet Heimlich, author of Breaking Their Will
May 23, 2011 10:00 - 50.5 MBFind out why Stephen Hawking and FFRF think the afterlife is a fairy tale. We talk with a brave high school student who wants to stop graduation prayers. Our guest is Janet Heimlich, author of Breaking Their Will, which looks at religious abuse and mistreatment of children.
Guest: Benjamin Burchall, Founder of Black Non-Believers of Atlanta
May 16, 2011 12:00 - 50.3 MBTune in - LAST SHOW before the rapture! Benjamin Burchall, a former preacher, shares his experiences with freethought in Atlanta.
Guest: Ayanna Watson, Founder, Black Atheists in America
May 09, 2011 11:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBIf congress can make no law respecting the establishment of religion, then why has the US congress set a side the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer. Ayanna Watson discusses bridging the gap between atheism and the black community.
Guest: Professor of Law Paul Bender "You Can't Winn with this Supreme Court
May 02, 2011 14:30 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBFFRF's cool, new interactive web application, its "Out of the Closet Freethinkers" virtual billboard campaign, will be announced. Prof. Paul Bender, who argued Arizona Christian Tuition Organization v. Winn before the U.S. Supreme Court, will discuss why the Supreme Court erred earlier this month in denying standing to Arizona taxpayers to challenge indirect voucher subsidy benefiting religious schools.
Guest: Jay Rosenstein, writer/director of The Lord Was Not On Trial
April 25, 2011 15:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBWhat is atheist bliss? Religion in public schools is the topic of discussion with Jay Rosenstein, writer and director of the documentary The Lord Was Not On Trial.
GUEST: HEMANT MEHTA, THE FRIENDLY ATHEIST
April 19, 2011 16:23 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBWe'll talk about the hit musical "The Book of Mormon" by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Dan and Annie Laurie speak with author Hemant Mehta, who left Jainism and sold his soul on e-bay. Mehta founded the Friendly Atheist blog.
Guest: PZ Myers
April 11, 2011 05:00 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBFind out which famous people have come out of the closet this week. You can receive a genuine certificate of debaptism. We talk with science and atheism blogger PZ Myers.
Guest: Triangle Freethought Society President Mark Zumbach
April 05, 2011 14:30 - 42 minutes - 39 MBFFRF asks the SCOTUS to remove the words "under god" from pledge of allegiance. Dan and Annie Laurie examine how religion promotes child abuse. FFRF chapter Triangle Freehthought Society President Mark Zumbach discusses the Raleigh-area "Out of the Closet" billboard campaign.
Guest: FFRF Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert on Important Victories
March 28, 2011 14:29 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBIs religion going extinct? Census data from several countries suggest it might. Fundamentalist homophobia is alive and active in the US. Senior Staff Attorney Rebecca Markert discusses a variety of important legal victories.
Guests: Attorney Richard W. Morris and author Sikivu Hutchinson
March 21, 2011 14:38 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBRichard W. Morris, co-counsel in FFRF v. Jan Brewer, will talk about FFRF's newest lawsuit, seeking to enjoin Gov. Brewer from calling an Arizona Day of Prayer. Sikivu Hutichinson, author of Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics and the Values War, will talk about what it's like being a black, feminist atheist in a religious nation.
Guests: Activists Sarah McNair and Justin Griffith
March 14, 2011 14:58 - 41 minutes - 38 MBSarah McNair will talk protesting Ten Commandments in Giles County schools and Justin Griffith, an atheist in a foxhole, will talk about the distasteful favoritism for Christianity by the military at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Guest: Ellenbeth Wachs
March 07, 2011 16:50 - 42 minutes - 29 MBSanta in February? Ten Commandments in schools? Atheists arrested for talking during prayer? Tune in to hear these stories and more, including an interview with Florida activist Ellenbeth Wachs about protesting prayer at the school board in Polk County, Florida, and other Florida state/church violations.
Guest: Secular Student Activist Evan Clark
March 04, 2011 21:07 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBFeaturing news updates on the Ten Commandments controversy in Giles Co., Va., freethinking labor songs and an interview with an atheist activist welcomed at a Lutheran University.
Guest: Congressman Pete Stark
February 21, 2011 15:45 - 43 minutes - 39.6 MBDan and Annie Laurie discuss religious extremism at the CPAC conference. Congressman Pete Stark, the only open nonbeliever in congress, discusses his resolution to honor Charles Darwin.
Guest: Actor, atheist Madison Arnold
February 14, 2011 15:46 - 40 minutes - 37 MBFreethought Radio will memorialize two young women freethinkers, air rocker Frank Turner's new freethought anthem "Glory, Hallelujah," and feature as guest FFRF Lifetime Member Madison Arnold, a busy character actor who has appeared in many TV shows, films and stage plays.
Now with Extended Interview: Mikey Weinstein and Patrick Elliott
February 09, 2011 20:54 - 39 minutes - 27.4 MBAir Force Academy, Ricky Gervais
Legislators shouldn't have a prayer! Guest: Mitch Kahle
January 31, 2011 15:51 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBGuest Mitch Kahle, an FFRF member and state/church activist in Hawaii, will talk about how he persuaded the Hawaii Senate earlier this month to drop government prayer. The hosts will also be joined in studio by lawyer Sarah Braasch to talk about FFRF's new campaign to stop pervasively Christian prayers in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Don't miss the amusing audio clips of out of control government prayers. There will also be coverage of FFRF's headline-creating complaint about the pos...
The Great American Songbook
January 24, 2011 15:43 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBThe January 1, 2011 show, "Name that secular songwriter!" will be replayed (due to cohosts both being felled by ailments which are not life-threatening, but kept them from the studio this week). This is a chance to enjoy the enormous contributions of nonreligious composers and songwriters who have built the Great American Songbook if you missed the New Year's Show, or to enjoy a repeat performance.
Guests: Agnostic Dad Craig Scarberry and Atheist in the Foxhole Litigator Steve Trunk discuss legal updates
January 10, 2011 15:57 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBIndiana dad Craig Scarberry discusses the custody battle for his kids hinging on his lack of belief. Steve Trunk reports his legal victory this week when an appeals court ruled the Mount Solidad cross must move off public property.
Name That Secular Songwriter
January 03, 2011 23:08 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBWelcome the New Year with a fun game: "Name That Secular Songwriter!" Learn of the enormous impact made by nonreligious composers and lyricists who have built the Great American Songbook.
FFRF MAKES SEASONAL NEWS; FREETHOUGHT RADIO'S COZY XMAS DAY SHOW FEATURES "FREETHOUGHT AT THE FLICKS"
December 27, 2010 12:00 - 40 minutes - 37.4 MBTo put the "saturn back in Saturnalia," Freethought Radio will play Dan Barker's broadcastable version of South Park's "Merry F------- Christmas" as well as Dan's "Solstice Tribute." After sharing news coverage of FFRF seasonal state/church actions, including placement of its Winter Solstice sign in the Mississippi State Capitol to counter a nativity display, the hosts will look at the best of "freethought at the flicks." Memorable clips about atheism and religion in film history will air.
Guest: Mike Newdow
December 20, 2010 13:30 - 39 minutes - 36.6 MBHappy Winter Solstice! We'll keep you up to date on all the latest December state/church violations. We speak with Mike Newdow about his ongoing litigation regarding the pledge of allegiance.
Guest: Sarah Braasch
December 15, 2010 15:59 - 37 minutes - 26.1 MBReason's Greetings? Heathen's Greetings? FFRF discusses the French burka ban with lawyer Sarah Braasch who just returned from France.
Guest: Hawaiian State/Church Activist Mitch Kahle and The Atheist's Guide to Christmas editor Stephanie Meyers
December 06, 2010 16:16 - 39 minutes - 36.5 MBMitch Kahle discusses why he was physically removed in the Hawaii Senate Chambers by the Sargent at Arms. Stephanie Meyers talks about what to get an atheist for Christmas.
Guest: Jesse Galef, Secular Student Alliance
November 29, 2010 14:00 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBDid you know the least religious segment of the population is young, teens and twenty-somethings. This week we talk with Jesse Galef, Communications Director of the Secular Student Alliance about the growing number of young nonbelievers. We celebrate Mark Twain's birthday, Nov. 30.
Guest: Sawyer Frey
November 22, 2010 15:47 - 43 minutes - 39.4 MBA "blasphemous student," Sawyer Frey of Ohio, will talk about why he decided to dress up like Jesus for "Fictional Character" day at his public school, and what the school made him change! Also discussed: why "under god" in the Pledge of Allegiance continues to divide our nation, and the latest in FFRF's litigation efforts to remove it.
Guests: Gerardo Romero Quijada, Bill van Druten
November 16, 2010 15:51 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MBWe talk about freethought up north and freethought down south. We'll talk with the leader of a Minnesota chapter and a Mexican atheist Gerardo Romera Quijada "Ramas". We'll talk about the first national atheist conference in Mexico where FFRF will be participating.
FIXED! Guest: Opera Singer Melody Moore
November 16, 2010 15:23 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBWe review Wisconsin's Lt. Gov's historic welcome speech to the 33rd annual FFRF national convention in Madison, Wis. Rep. Pete Stark accepts the Emperor Has No Clothes Award as Congresses'only out non-believer. Melody Moore, soprano opera singer, shares why FFRF is special to her.
GUESTS: FFRF ATTORNEY REBECCA MARKERT & STUDENT AWARDEE ERIC WORKMAN
November 01, 2010 14:25 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBTOPIC: KEEPING RELIGION OUT OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS FFRF staff attorney Rebecca Markert reports on the prayer in school violation FFRF has contested that is turning Daisy Soddy School District and the rest of Tennessee upside down. This year's Thomas Jefferson Youth Activist Awardee Eric Workman talks about why, as class valedictorian, he sued his public school district over illegal commencement prayers, and how he won.
Guest: Julia Sweeney
October 25, 2010 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBFFRF unveils the "Out of the Closet" bus sign and billboard campaign for atheists and agnostics. Atheist and comedian extrodinaire Julia Sweeney previews her speech at the FFRF convention next weekend.
Guest: Julia Sweeney
October 25, 2010 11:00 - 42 minutes - 39.4 MBFFRF unveils the "Out of the Closet" bus sign and billboard campaign for atheists and agnostics. Atheist and comedian extrodinaire Julia Sweeney previews her speech at the FFRF convention next weekend.