Freethought Radio & Podcast

After discussing some of Trump’s religiously motivated executive orders and appointments, we focus on some of the bad bills in the states, including Oklahoma, Idaho, Alabama, Kentucky, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin. Then we speak with David Clohessy, a survivor of childhood sexual molestation by clergy, who is the former director of SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. He outlines the severity of the problem and offers hope for dealing with the dangers of pedophilic priests and ministers.

We announce the first atheist billboard in Africa! We report on a tsunami of Christian nationalist bills and executive orders at the federal and state levels, including Texas, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Iowa and Tennessee. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we hear Dan Barker’s secular love song “It’s Only Natural.” Then sociology Professor Ryan T. Cragun, author of Goodbye Religion: The Causes and Consequences of Secularization, shows us, with data, that religious people are not happier, healthier or more moral than nonreligious people.

The first half of our show this week deals with the many Christian nationalist executive orders and actions of the Trump administration. We hear part of the “Stop Project 2025” rally in Madison, Wis. Then, we listen to Black/Latino atheist actor Jon Huertas, best known for playing Miguel Rivas in NBC’s “This is Us,” as he spoke to FFRF’s Denver convention about “True Freedom: Breaking The Shackles Of Religious Indoctrination.”

We cover a range of state/church news on the federal and state levels. We announce FFRF’s Scopes Trial Centennial celebration to be held in Tennessee in July. After hearing the irreverent Monty Python song, “Every Sperm is Sacred,” we memorialize the life of former Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards, an ardent proponent of feminism and democracy and author of the book Make Trouble, by replaying our 2018 interview with her on Freethought Radio.

This week we comment on the overtly religious nature of President Trump’s inaugural “Christian Coronation,” including invocations and benedictions claiming we are “one nation under God.” Then, we speak with journalist Gareth Gore about his book on the Opus Dei called OPUS: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy inside the Catholic Church.

Most of the news on this week’s show centers on Trump’s nominations, many of whom are blatant Christian nationalists. FFRF Staff Attorney Sammi Lawrence describes our newest lawsuit, just filed this week, challenging unconstitutional tax exemption for religiously owned commercial rental properties in Madison, Wis. Then we talk with a former “church lady,” Carolyn Shadle, who was the Director of Religious Education at a Presbyterian church before she abandoned her faith. Her new book is called From Religion to Reason: My Journey.

We celebrate the release from prison of Nigerian humanist Mubarak Bala who was convicted of the “crime” of blasphemy. FFRF Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover updates us on our lawsuit challenging the law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments in Louisiana public schools. Then, we hear some shocking stories about early Christianity from Catherine Nixey, author of the book Heretic: Jesus Christ and the Other Sons of God.

We listen to Seth Andrews, host of “The Thinking Atheist” podcast, read Dan Barker’s article “The Top 10 Absolute Worst Old Testament Verses.” Then, we hear Washington Post columnist Kate Cohen’s entertaining and thought-provoking speech at FFRF’s 2024 convention called “Tampon Tim and the Long Reach of Religion.”

After reporting on state/church news in Iowa, California, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Texas and Washington state, we listen to jazz vocalist Susan Hofer sing “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?” accompanied by Dan Barker on the piano. Then, we hear Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, as he accepted FFRF’s $50,000 Henry Zumach “Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism” award on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign.