Category Archives: news

Podcast #204 – Whatever You Do, Don’t Marry an Atheist

Posted on June 28, 2014 by John C. Snider

A recent Pew Research poll shows that Americans express a (perhaps not so) surprising unhappiness at the prospect of an immediate family member marrying an atheist. Plus: The Secular Coalition of America has fired executive director Edwina Rogers, after just … Continue reading →

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Podcast #198 – Hobby Lobby at SCOTUS

Posted on March 29, 2014 by John C. Snider

This summer’s Supreme Court ruling on the Hobby Lobby case will decide whether or not private, for-profit employers can opt out of federal legislation based on sincerely held religious belief. (Cartoon from RobRogers.com.) Fred Phelps, founder of the infamous Westboro … Continue reading →

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The Ham-Nye Debate will be Live Streamed

Posted on January 30, 2014 by John C. Snider

For those interested in the February 4th debate between Bill Nye (The Science Guy) and Ken Ham (founder of the Creation Museum), it will be available via live streaming at DebateLive.org. Registration (providing an email address) is required, but free. … Continue reading →

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Podcast #194 – The Tide Turns in Virginia

Posted on January 28, 2014 by John C. Snider

President Obama mentions “atheists and agnostics” in his annual Religious Freedom Day proclamation and there’s hardly a peep from the conservative blogosphere. In year’s past Obama has made occasional mention of “non-believers” so I guess an explicit mention is a … Continue reading →

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Podcast #193 – Kicking Open the Closet in Sports

Posted on January 17, 2014 by John C. Snider

The sports world continues to be rocked by controversy over gay rights. NFL punter Chris Kluwe (who’s straight, for what it’s worth) claims he was let go because of his advocacy for gay rights. (Kluwe is also the author of … Continue reading →

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Podcast #191 – Monumental Free-for-All

Posted on December 17, 2013 by John C. Snider

Recent Supreme Court rulings on Ten Commandments displays on government property have opened the door to all kinds of groups (including Satanists, Hindus, and even American Atheists) wanting to clutter the landscape with their own monuments. Oy! Now there’s a … Continue reading →

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Podcast #189 – 666: The Race Number of the Beast

Posted on November 15, 2013 by John C. Snider

A high school track-and-field athlete in Kentucky decides to skip the state championship rather than run with race number 666. We discuss Denise Spellberg’s book Thomas Jefferson’s Qur’an: Islam and the Founders, which explores what Enlightenment thinkers thought about Islam … Continue reading →

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Podcast #188 – Stenography Unhinged

Posted on October 27, 2013 by John C. Snider

We discuss the puzzling sideshow of Diane Reidy, the stenographer who works for the US House of Representatives, who grabbed the microphone after the vote to end the government shutdown, ranting about the Freemasons, the Constitution, and how this was … Continue reading →

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Podcast #180 – DOMA Overturned

Posted on July 7, 2013 by John C. Snider

The Supreme Court ends its session with historic decisions affecting marriage equality, including overturning the federal government’s so-called Defense of Marriage Act, and letting stand a challenge to California’s Proposition 8, which would have made same-sex marriage illegal in that … Continue reading →

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Podcast #179 – Manchester TN Gets Ugly

Posted on June 14, 2013 by John C. Snider

After a local politician in Manchester, Tennessee posted an anti-Muslim image online, the American Muslim Advisory Council organized a public event aimed at encouraging discussion of religion diversity and informing citizens about the difference between free speech and hate crimes. … Continue reading →

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