Freethought Radio & Podcast

We report on state/church violations in the White House, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Then, FFRF Rapid Response Attorney Chris Line tells us what it means now that the IRS has announced that places of worship can endorse political candidates. Finally, we speak with distinguished Dartmouth historian Randall Balmer, who is an Episcopal priest, about his new book, America’s Best Idea: The Separation of Church and State.

We criticize Texas Governor Gregg Abbott for using the flood devastation as an opportunity to preach his personal religious views. We point out that in spite of the IRS decision not to punish two churches for politicking from the pulpit, the Johnson Amendment prohibiting such action is still the law of the land. After honoring the life of our friend, the Pulitzer Prize-winning political cartoonist Steve Benson, who died this week at age 71, we talk with attorney Kat Grant about their Freethought Now “Pride Month” blog: ”Don’t make sacrifices on the altar of authoritarianism.”

FFRF announces another Ten Commandments lawsuit, this one in Texas. After covering state/church news at the federal, state and local levels, we talk with Joe Gerstein, M.D., founder of SMART Recovery, a secular program for dealing with alcoholism and other addictions that is based on science and evidence, not faith.

We discuss the Supreme Court decision allowing states to defund Planned Parenthood and we decry many attempts by Christian nationalists to force religious conformity on a diverse nation. After celebrating the life of the irreverent comedian, actor, filmmaker, songwriter and playwright Mel Brooks (who turns 99 this month), we hear opening statements in two debates in the United Kingdom that FFRF co-presidents participated in. We hear the Opening Statement by Dan Barker in a debate at Oxford University on the topic: “This House Believes God Is a Delusion.” Then we hear the Opening Statement by Annie Laurie Gaylor at Cambridge University on the topic: “This House Believes Religion and Feminism Are Incompatible.”

We celebrate Juneteenth, recognizing the end of slavery, and World Humanism Day, which occurs at the Summer Solstice as a secular alternative to religious holidays. After covering national and FFRF news, we speak with FFRF’s Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne and Regional Governmental Affairs Manager Mickey Dollens about the slew of good and bad bills dealing with religion at the state level around the country.

We announce that FFRF is a sponsor of the “No Kings Day of Action” protesting the erosion of democratic and constitutional safeguards against a monarchical administration, especially its embrace of Christian nationalism. After hearing Dan Barker’s protest song “We, The People,” we introduce three new FFRF lawsuits. FFRF Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover and FFRF Legal Fellow Hirsh Joshi join us to talk about the new lawsuits challenging religious symbols on government property in Illinois, Arkansas and Massachusetts.

We announce new FFRF litigation this week. In honor of Pride Month, we celebrate the birth anniversary on June 9 (1891) of the gay/atheist songwriter Cole Porter by listening to his irreverent song “Experiment.” Then, we speak with professor David C. Hoffman, author of American Freethought: The History of a Social Movement, 1794-1948.

We announce two new lawsuits this week that FFRF is taking with a coalition of state/church groups. The first challenges the placement of statues of Catholic saints at the entrance of the public safety building in Quincy, Massachusetts. The second challenges a new Texas measure that mandates the placement of the Ten Commandments in every public school classroom. Then, we speak with Pulitzer Prize finalist Rollo Romig, author of the book I Am on the Hit List: A Journalist’s Murder and the Rise of Autocracy in India.

This week we honor the life and work of our friend, the Broadway composer Charles Strouse—who died last week at age 96—who wrote “Annie” and “Bye Bye Birdie” and many other musicals and songs, by hearing some of his music, including “Poor Little Me,” which he co-wrote with FFRF Co-President Dan Barker. Then, we speak with journalist Talia Lavin, author of the book Wild Faith: How the Christian Right Is Taking Over America.