The Thinking Atheist Podcast

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR.  Your first month free!   http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethandrewsHow do we separate "nutrition" from "woo-trition?"  This show is about the science (and pseudoscience) of food.  We also spend time on nutrition celebrity "The Food Babe," Vani Hari, a best-selling author and activist named by Time Magazine as one of the 30 most influential people on the internet, despite the fact that she has no degree or expertise in the field of health and nutrition.Joining our discussion are actual health and science educators:Yvette d'Entremont (also known as SciBabe), with a B.S. in chemistry and an MSc in forensic science.  Yvette is a public critic of Vani Hari and a science educator.  http://www.scibabe.comMelissa Dobbins MS, CDE, RDN (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist).  www.SoundBitesRD.comLeah McGrath RDN  @LeahMcGrathRDDr. Steven Novella, clinical neurologist and assistant professor at Yale University School of Medicine.  Dr. Novella is a proponent of scientific skepticism and a vocal critic of pseudoscientific health claims and claimants. http://theness.com/neurologicablog 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR.  Your first month free!   http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethandrewsIs Buddhism a religion?  A philosophy?  Both?  Something else?  Many Buddhist organizations - physical and online - promote it as a way of "finding peace within oneself.  What about atheists who are Buddhists?  Is this a spiritual journey, or a method for framing a physical one?LINKS:David G. McAfee on Buddhism:  https://davidgmcafee.wordpress.com/2010/12/01/buddhisms-lived-and-portrayed-traditionsStephen Batchelor:  http://www.stephenbatchelor.orgNo Religion Required podcast:   https://noreligionrequired.com

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.casper.com/sethandrews  ($50 off any mattress purchase with promo code seth andrews)Aron Ra has a new book based on his popular YouTube video series, "Foundational Falsehoods of Creationism."  We talk to Aron about these falsehoods, and the new book.VIDEO of this discussion:  https://youtu.be/9bToIwtUQCAAmazon link for FFoC book:  https://www.amazon.com/Foundational-Falsehoods-Creationism-Aron-Ra/dp/1634310780The YouTube video series:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnJX68ELbAY&list=PL126AFB53A6F002CC

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR.  Your first month free!   http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethandrewsSummer has come and gone, but for many of us, our memories of summer camp remain fresh in our minds, partially because those camps were more interested in Christ than they were in campfires, swimming holes, nature hikes, team sports, friendships and fun.In this broadcast, we share some stories from our listeners, highlighting their own "Jesus Camp"-esque experiences, and we highlight Camp Quest, a secular summer camp which is providing a welcoming, woo-free alternative to the church-run (and church-funded) religious camps that sell camp...but deliver church.Help us support a secular solution:  Camp Quest.  Our goal is $15,000 raised by October 15, 2016.  Donate at http://www.campquest.org/donate

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR.  Your first month free!   http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethandrewsJohn C. Wathey is a computational biologist whose research interests include evolutionary algorithms, protein folding, and the biology of nervous systems. From 1991 to 1995, he was a senior applications scientist at Biosym Technologies (now named Biovia), a company that develops molecular modeling software for the pharmaceutical industry. In 1996, he founded his own business, Wathey Research, and since that time, most of his scientific research has been funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. John (who goes by "Jack") has written a new book titled, "The Illusion of God's Presence: The Biological Origins of Spiritual Longing."  In this broadcast, Seth andrews speaks with the author about humankind's (evolved?) tendency to seek the supernatural in a natural world.John Wathey's website:  http://www.watheyresearch.com

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR.  Your first month free!   http://www.thegreatcoursesplus.com/sethandrewsWhat happens when people with conflicting views about God, religion and spirituality fall in love and decide to share life together?  This broadcast features the stories of those who are either married or life partners, and who have differing faith traditions and beliefs (or none).  Their successes and failures.  The challenges of being divided on a critical (or not so critical?) issue.  And the meeting of two very different viewpoints within the same - and very small -space.Does love conquer all?  We discuss.  Plus, Dale McGowan, author of "In Faith and in Doubt," joins us to cap the show with some notes about his research on interfaith couples

This isn't a podcast, per se.  It's a short bonus clip highlighting a couple of interesting things happening in the freethought movement:  a film in production which links Batman to Jesus, and an October 2016 debate between Jesus historicist Bart Ehrman and Jesus mythicist Robert M. Price.Seth Andrews takes a few minutes to speak with Jozef Richards and Rob Moore about the projects.LINKS:The Ehrman/Price debate:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mythinformation-conference-iii-feat-bart-d-ehrmandr-robert-price-debate-tickets-19701931006Mythicist Milwaukee:  http://www.mythicistmilwaukee.comBatman & Jesus website: http://www.spadeheartclub.com/batmanjesusBatman & Jesus trailer:  https://youtu.be/cnS8FjMQx0k 

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://polarisfinancialplanning.com/polaris-blog/the-phil-ferguson-show-podcast/National Public Radio has declared that it is nixing the comments sections on its website.  This decision has resulted in a lot of discussion about the merits of comments sections, the nature of online discourse, and NPR's responsibility to the public.  We discuss.We also speak with Sarah Haider of Ex-Mulims of North America regarding France's (now suspended) Burkini ban, and we finish the show with a reading from Chris Matheson's humor book, "The Story of God."_____NPR article on its comments section decision:  http://www.npr.org/sections/ombudsman/2016/08/17/489516952/npr-website-to-get-rid-of-commentsSarah Haider's Heat Street article "Repressive Burkini Bans Will Do More Harm Than Good:"  https://heatst.com/culture-wars/repressive-burkini-bans-will-do-more-harm-than-goodDavid Smalley "What's Killing the Atheist Movement:"  http://www.patheos.com/blogs/dogmadebate/2016/08/whats-killing-the-atheist-movementChris Matheson's "The Story of God:"  https://www.amazon.com/Story-God-Biblical-Comedy-about/dp/1634310241/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1472478175&sr=8-2&keywords=the+story+of+god

An Oklahoma children's home happily accepted a $100 donation (given by Matt Wilbourne, a Muskogee resident), until it realized that the money was given in the name of the Muskogee Atheist Community.  The Murrow Indian Children's Home is managed and funded by the American Baptist Churches Association, and they apparently don't wish to associate with an atheist financial gift.  So they attempted to return the gift.  In a strange turn of events, this story has made national news, brought many atheists and Christians together, and propelled a GoFundMe page into the $10,000+ range.In this short bonus podcast, Seth Andrews speaks with Matt Wilbourne about the gift, the children, the money, and what happens next.DONATIONS VIA GOFUNDME AT:  https://www.gofundme.com/2zc57tpg

Jake and Hugo host the weekly podcast, "The Bible Reloaded," an irreverent show (hosted by atheists) which examines the Bible, lampoons Bible-based propaganda produced by companies like Chick Tracts, and reviews various religious films (like "God's Not Dead").Last week, the TBR hosts announced that they were suing a Christian film company owned by the Christiano Brothers (Christianfilms.com) over the filing of false DMCA claims in regard to TBR's reviews of some of their movies.  If you're unsure what any of this means, don't worry.  Jake and Hugo join Seth Andrews to talk about the lawsuit, the players, and the very real phenomenon where organizations use bogus copyright claims to silence the voices of (and potentially shut down the pages of) their critics.If you wish to support the lawsuit, click:  https://www.gofundme.com/tbrdefensefund

This broadcast is about the 2016 Olympic Games, but it's also a series of observations (ok, rants) by Seth Andrews on athletic God-speak, genuflection, glory, and the notion that Jesus cares who wins the gold medal.

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.lootcrate.com/sethandrews (promo code: sethandrews)Atheos is a new smartphone app, developed from the template outlined in Dr. Peter Boghossian's book, "A Manual for Creating Atheists."  In this interview, Seth Andrews interviews 2 key players in the development of Atheos, Christine Vigeant and Sarah Paquette, and he walks through a quick demo of the app for the viewers.LINKS: http://www.atheos-app.comTwitter: @AtheosFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/atheosappVIDEO of this discussion is at https://youtu.be/x0gT4aT_KaM

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.lootcrate.com/sethandrews (promo code: sethandrews)David G. McAfee is an atheist activist and author.  His first book, "Disproving Christianity and Other Secular Writings," brought him national attention, and three other books followed.  David has written for American Atheist Magazine, the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, and other sites and publications.Seth Andrews spoke with David about his work (much of it geared towards encouraging critical thinking in children).WEBSITE:  http://www.davidgmcafee.comFACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/AuthorDavidGMcAfeeTWITTER:  @DavidGMcAfeeVIDEO of this interview:  https://youtu.be/WkD5081JuYE 

This show is a random romp through recent pop culture phenomenons (and whatever else pops into the host's mind).  Plus some listener calls.  Enjoy!New Yorker Article: "Donald Trump Ghostwriter Tells All" - http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/07/25/donald-trumps-ghostwriter-tells-all

SUPPORT OUR SPONSOR:  http://www.warbyparker.com/thethinkingatheistKen Ham's "Ark Encounter" has been hyped - by some - as a tour de force of biblical truth, adventure, and potential tourism dollars.  It officially opened on July 7th.Our four (atheist) panel guests were there for the occasion: David Silverman, Tracey Moody, Dan Broadbent and Aron Ra.  They give us the report from the field.  VIDEO of this interview:  https://youtu.be/ZL2_q3sbdB4