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This week, we call out governmental prayer at the National Prayer Breakfast and an egregious Christian nationalist invocation before the House of Representatives. Then we hear Kate Cohen, Washington Post contributing columnist and author of the book We of Little Faith: Why I Stopped Pretending to Believe (and Maybe You Should Too), deliver her entertaining and riveting talk: “The Tiny Titanic Act of Telling the Truth.”
FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal describes how India’s Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple on the site of a demolished mosque in a political effort to establish Hindu nationalism in that country. Then we speak with Devin Moss, the humanist chaplain who was called in to support an atheist death-row inmate executed in Oklahoma.
Margaret Downey, president of the Thomas Paine Memorial Association, tells us about an exciting celebration of the birth of the “Forgotten Founder” Thomas Paine on his Jan. 29 birthday. Then, FFRF Director of Communications Amit Pal speaks with the actor, theater director and artist-in-residence at UW-Madison Vamsi Matta, a Dalit (the most oppressed in the Hindu caste hierarchy) who is fighting back against religious discrimination.
After we hear from atheists Ron Reagan and Richard Dawkins, we listen to U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan greet attendees at FFRF’s annual convention. Then we speak with author and essayist Sarah Stankorb about her new book, Disobedient Women: How a Small Group of Faithful Women Exposed Abuse, Brought Down Powerful Pastors, and Ignited an Evangelical Reckoning.
Emily Olson, a very brave member of the Owosso, Michigan city council, tells us what happened when she challenged prayer at board meetings. Then we speak with the founder and president of Atheists in Kenya Harrison Mumia about that group’s successful lawsuit challenging government discrimination against atheists and their activities to promote human rights in a country drenched with religion.
We report on FFRF state/church victories and complaints and honor the 2023 “Secularist of the Year.” After welcoming the New Year by hearing the sparkling performance of Godless Gospel, we speak with FFRF contributing writer Barbara Alvarez about the current state of abortion rights and the challenges we will face in 2024 as Christian nationalists continue to restrict women’s healthcare.
On this important date, we remind listeners of the real reason for the season: the Winter Solstice. After reporting on FFRF’s Solstice and “Bill of Rights nativity” scenes erected on public property to counter religious displays, we hear from the justice correspondent for The Nation magazine, Elie Mystal, author of the book Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution.
Secularism is growing around the world, and in the United States resistance to Christian nationalism is increasing. FFRF Legal Fellow Sammi Lawrence and FFRF Staff Attorney Chris Line join us to talk about some of the encouraging state/church legal victories (in court and out of court) that the FFRF legal staff has been winning in recent weeks.
FFRF Co-President Dan Barker discusses his recent debate at Oxford University on the topic “Is God a Delusion?” Then we have some fun hearing comedian, activist and political satirist Lizz Winstead, co-founder of “The Daily Show” and founder of Abortion Access Front, tell us how “to bring joy and fun to expose hypocrisy and to have hope.”
