We talk to Lori Lipman Brown, director and lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America [secular.org]. Until recently, Lori was the only full-time lobbyist working with Congress on behalf of non-theistic citizens. She recently got an assistant.
PZ Myers - We talk to the University of Minnesota Morris biologist and author of the popular science blog Pharyngula [scienceblogs.com/pharyngula]. Dr. Myers is an atheist whose outspokenness often raises the hackles of fundamentalists. His recent missives on the controversy centering on University of Central Florida student Webster Cook’s “stealing” of a Eucharist wafer has brought him to the attention of Blowhard Bill Donahue and his Catholic League.
Barbara Forrest - We talk to Dr. Barbara Forrest about SB 733 [link], the so-called Louisiana Science Education Act, a piece of legislation sitting on the desk of Governor Bobby Jindal that, if signed, would enable teachers and administrators in state schools to sneak Creationism/Intelligent Design in under the radar. Dr. Forrest is a professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University, the co-author of Creationism’s Trojan Horse [link], and was one of the star witnesses in the celebrated Kitzmiller v. Dover court case. She’s also a co-founder of the Louisiana Coalition for Science [lasciencecoalition.org] and active in defending science against religio-political encroachment at the national level.
Happy 150th Birthday, Evolution! - In 2009, the thinking world will celebrate Darwin’s 200th birthday and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his Origin of Species [link]. But we’re popping the cork early - a landmark in the history of science occurred on July 1, 1858. That’s the day that the theory of evolution by natural selection had its first public reading (at London’s famous Linnean Society). We’ll talk about how Charles Darwin and his associates gave naturalist Alfred Wallace the subtle shaft, ensuring that religious nutjobs in the 21st century would be railing about “Darwinism” instead of “Wallacism”. (For an excellent analysis of this episode, read Robert Wright’s fantastic book The Moral Animal [link].)
Independence Day- Now, here’s a holiday even the grumpiest atheist can get behind. Everybody knows that on July 4th, 1776, the American Colonists told the Brits where they could shove it. Sort of. We’ll look at some of the myths surrounding the birth of America, and revisit that pesky semi-religious language that has the fundies crowing about how this is a Christian Nation.
Goodbye, George Carlin- The skeptical world lost one of its funniest and most adamant stars. Carlin fought for free speech (and even pissed off politically correct left-wingers in the process) during the course of his five-decade career. He will be missed.
South Carolina Approves I Believe License Plates - The SC legislature just approved specialty license plates that include the words “I Believe” along with a Christian cross and a stained glass window. Florida tried the same trick and failed. We’ll talk to Herb Silverman, longtime SC resident and president of the Secular Coalition for America (www.secular.org), about their opposition to this.
City Halls Display In God We Trust - A listener in California alerted us to a movement intent on convincing city councils across the country to display the national motto. The fact that the motto is “In God We Trust” has nothing whatsoever to do with religion, of course.
Listen to American Freethought’s John Snider and David Driscoll as guests on the 3/31/2008 episode of The Reason-Driven Podcast, a show which steps chapter-by-chapter through Robert M. Price’s engaging book The Reason-Driven Life. We discuss Chapter 20 “Healing Religious Divisions”, which encourages freethinkers to engage in friendly, intellectually honest debate with believers, and to try to find common causes which don’t involve religion.
Price wrote The Reason-Driven Life as a counterpoint to Robert Warren’s bestselling The Purpose-Driven Life, which claims that everything happens in accordance with God’s Divine Plan.
Thanks to Danny Schade and the Reason-Driven Crew for having us on the ‘cast!
John McCain - We talk about Senator John McCain’s likely stance on church-state issues. We also interview Steve Yothment, president of the Atlanta Freethought Society (www.atlantafreethought.org), about AFS’s new permanent facility. Plus a discussion of Calvin Wayne Inman, a Texas youth minister who recently confessed to a murder committed 14 years ago.
Darwin Day 2008 - Charles Darwin’s birthday is February 12, which is as good a day as any to celebrate his achievements and those of science in general. We talk to evolutionary biologist, philosopher and popular science writer Massimo Pigliucci of the State University of New York in Stony Brook, the organizer of SUNY’s Darwin Day events, and who organized the University of Tennessee’s first Darwin Day in 1997. Massimo maintains several web presences, including RationallySpeaking.org, PlatoFootnote.org, and GenotypebyEnvironment.org. We’ll also feature a special “scientific gospel” song from the California based band The Galapagos Mountain Boys.
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).
Send us feedback at contact@americanfreethought.com.
Join us for chat at the American Freethought Yahoo Group.
Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll. Recorded 1/30/2008.
Galileo Galilei - An exploration of his life and influence, including an interview with UNLV professor Dr. Maurice A. Finocchiaro (author of Retrying Galileo); a discussion of the recent controversy involving Pope Benedict XVI (whose 1990 speech defending the Inquisition has come back to bite him in the cassock); and a special musical contribution by singer/songwriter Ellis Paul from his album Essentials.
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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