American Freethought

Yet another reason to wonder about Sarah Palin.  Wasilla Bible Church, Palin’s home church, has a program designed to “pray away the gay.”  I mean, it’s one thing for an informed, consenting adult to submit himself to some church’s de-gay-ifying protocols (which won’t work, I suspect, any more than abstinence-only sex ed worked for Palin’s daughter).  But it’s another thing entirely when you’ve got a high public official sitting in the pews and apparently giving her tacit approval.  I’m willing to bet there’s no way Palin backs off her church’s stance if she’s ever called on it.  (Unlike Obama, who after some wringing of hands eventually bailed on Jeremiah Wright, to his credit.)

Real Stories of American Muslims

by John C. Snider © 2008

If there’s one point author Melody Moezzi drives home in her new book War on Error, it’s that American Muslims have their work cut out for them these days.  They are, to coin a phrase, caught between two worlds.  The English name “Melody” combined with the Iranian “Moezzi” is in itself a summary of the situation in which many young American Muslims find themselves.  Those who are first or second generation Americans (what Moezzi humorously labels Children of Fresh-Off-the-Boats, or COFOBs) struggle to find a day-by-day middle ground between mainstream American culture, which is largely and often willfully ignorant of any faith other than Protestant Christianity, and the deep-seated Islamic traditions of their forefathers.  They are often called upon by their non-Muslim fellow citizens to account for the actions of the extremists within their faith (”…this mistaken minority of hate-mongers and power-seekers who fraudulently claim to be acting in the name of Islam.”).  The Western world is very much in conflict with this highly vocal and decidedly violent minority, regardless of how much we might wish it to be otherwise.  Fortunately, the United States has so far been spared the variety of home-grown extremists that have caused so much trouble in Spain, France and the United Kingdom.

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Susan Werner - We interview the talented singer/songwriter whose latest album - The Gospel Truth - she describes as “agnostic gospel”, combining the music of faith with the lyrics of doubt.  Also worth a listen is her I Can’t Be New, which pays homage to classic songbook tunes by composers like Cole Porter.  Susan also appears in a supporting role in the concert DVD 3,000 Miles, starring Ellis Paul (who performed the song “Did Galileo Pray?” on our last episode).

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Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll.  Recorded 1/30/2008.

 American Freethought Podcast #10: Download (1388)

by John C. Snider © 2008

We conclude our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In Part One (The Genesis of The Gospel Truth) she discusses what motivated her to launch this project.  In Part Two (Reactions and Revelations) she talks about the fan response and what she learned about herself in the process.  In this third and final installment, she looks to what she might say about the future of America in her upcoming work.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

We continue our interview with singer/songwriter Susan Werner, whose latest album The Gospel Truth is an unusual collection of songs that combine”the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  In this second installment, she talks about the response of fans to this (as far as we can tell) unique artistic project.

Learn more about her on the web at www.SusanWerner.com.

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by John C. Snider © 2008

Singer/songwriter Susan Werner has been on the music scene for over fifteen years.  She has toured nearly constantly and released seven successful albums (including I Can’t Be New, her delightful homage to Tin Pan Alley), and despite consistent critical acclaim and positive audience response, she flies just under the mainstream radar.  Her output is eclectic, but generally skews to the soft side: jazz, folk, lounge, easy listening - Werner is difficult to pin down.  Equally at home with guitar and piano, she possesses a clear voice and a head for clever lyrics and biting satire (she’s opened for such diverse acts as Madeleine Peyroux and George Carlin).

Werner’s latest album is The Gospel Truth, released in February 2007, a unique collection of songs that combine “the music of faith and the lyrics of doubt.”  Musically, each offering sounds like something that could have been pulled from any Protestant hymnal or sung by an African-American choir, but in the finest tradition of folk and the blues, the lyrics express indignation, hope, and calls for social justice. 

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by John C. Snider © 2007

The Bible is pretty straightforward in its message when it comes to homosexuality: it’s a sin, and those who insist on practicing it are going to Hell.  It’s simple.

Or is it?  The growing movement to reconcile gay rights with Christianity is the subject of a fascinating new documentary called For the Bible Tells Me So (we’ll call it “FTBTMS” for short).

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