Freethought Radio

Douglas Krueger, author of What is Atheism? Also, Illegal religious displays are discussed with one Ohio member.

Author of Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects ChristianityJohn W. Loftus, a seminary-trained minister in the Restoration Movement of Churches, will talk about why, after earning a Master of Divinity degree and other theological degrees, he realized he could no longer believe in biblical claims. The hosts will also discuss the Freedom From Religion Foundation's newest lawsuit, filed this week in state court in Denver, suing Colorado Gov. Jim Ritter over his National Day of Prayer proclamations.

Topics: Post-Election: State of the Supreme Court & Judiciary & Postmortems on Religious referendaNan Aron, expert head of the judicial watchdog, Alliance for Justice, will be this week's guest, to talk about what Nov. 4 will mean for the judiciary. Dan & Annie Laurie will comment on the Nov. 4 fate of religious-right sponsored referenda.

Topic: Prop 8 & the Religious War Against Gay Rights The show will be devoted to an expose of the religious backing of Proposition 8, to deny same-sex marriage to California residents via a Nov. 4 ballot initiative. Listen for clips of religious ads, and of religious leaders inveighing against gay marriage. FFRF Lifetime Member and Gay Atheist founder Dick Hewetson will be interviewed about Proposition 8 and the religious war against gay rights

Topic: 50 Reasons Not to Believe in a GodGuy P. Harrison, author of the new book, "50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God," will gently debunk some of those reasons. The latest twists in the epidemic of religion in politics and church politicking will be discussed. As an antidote to all that religion, the hosts will air the 2008 "Moment of Bedlam" from FFRF's annual national NonPrayer Breakfast!

Topic: Society Without GodProf. Phil Zuckerman talks about his hot-off-the-press book, Society Without God, which refutes the myth that religion is necessary for happy citizens and moral societies. Zuckerman, an FFRF member, cites statistical evidence showing the "happiness index" tends to be much higher in godless societies, and offers Scandinavia as a prime example. The broadcast also looks at the contributions of famous freethinkers born in October.

Annie Laurie and Dan talk to author Larry Beinhart about his new book Salvation Boulevard. Plus, details of ffrf's new "Day of Prayer" lawsuit.

This week's show will preview Bill Maher's irreverent film on religion, "Religulous," and play audios of the infamous "witchcraft" prayer by Gov. Sarah Palin's Kenyan minister-friend and her response. For a change of pace, "Women Without Superstition" will be showcased in an interview featuring Annie Laurie Gaylor, as editor of the first anthology of women freethinkers.

Journalist and Newsweek contributing editor Eleanor Clift will join Freethought Radio to talk about her new book, "Two Weeks of Life." The book is part memoir, tracing the last days of her husband, Tom Brazaitis, who died of cancer in 2005. Mr. Brazaitis, a well-known journalist, was a longtime FFRF member and, as Ms. Clift writes, "an unwavering atheist." She parallels Tom's last two weeks, with the Terri Schiavo debate occurring over the same time period. Also interviewed: state/church activist and Foundation member Carl Silverman, about getting an "Imagine No Religion" billboard posted in Harrisburg, Penn., last week.

Feminist icon and atheist Robin Morgan will be interviewed about the 40th anniversary of the first Miss America pageant protest, which Robin organized in 1968, among other free-ranging topics. Ms. Morgan is Ms. Magazine's former editor, now consulting editor and author of the classic "Sisterhood is Powerful," as well as "Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right." Religion seeping into current politics will come under analysis in "Theocracy Alert."

Dan Barker will change hats from interviewer to interviewee to talk about his new book, "Godless: How an Evangelical Preacher Became One of America's Leading Atheists" (Sept. 2008, Ulysses Press). And Freethought Radio will be joined by a member of the Freedom From Religion Foundation in Phoenix who helped FFRF place five billboards saying "Imagine No Religion" to talk about both the censorship encountered--and the fun!

Topic: Abortion and the Religious RightThis week's Freethought Radio will interview the campaign manager of the organization working against Measure 11, a nationally-watched referendum to ban abortion which will be on South Dakota's Nov. 4 ballot. The show will also cover more religion in politics at the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, and analyze the Assembly of God beliefs of McCain's vice-presidential pick.

Freethought Radio interviews Denver attorney Robert R. Tiernan about why religion should stay out of politics. Bob, who has taken many lawsuits on behalf of the Freedom From Religion Foundation and is a lifelong Democrat, got a lot of media attention for protesting the interfaith worship service at the Democratic National Convention. FFRF co-president Dan Barker's new book, Godless, is announced, with the Foreword by Richard Dawkins read by Brian Turany.

This week Freethought Radio will talk with Nebraska's most famous state senator, Ernie Chambers, a nonreligious legislator and peoples' advocate, about what's happening with his lawsuit suing "God" over "acts of God." Also interviewed will be The Nation's columnist, Katha Pollitt, about her recent religion in politics piece, "Flocking to Faith." The Saddleback church "debate" will be briefly parsed.

This week Freethought Radio will talk with Julia Cicci, a University ROTC cadet and unbeliever, who recently delivered a nonreligious invocation at her ROTC commissioning ceremony. Also interviewed will be FFRF's articulate legal intern, Sarah Braasch, who will talk about growing up in the Jehovah Witnesses church and why she left it.

This week Freethought Radio will talk with state/church litigant Steve Trunk about a recent development in the Mt. Soledad cross challenge, including the bogus attempt to disguise the 43-foot-tall cross in San Diego as a war memorial. The cohosts discuss the grave implications of a hostile ruling by an appeals court in the Freedom From Religion Foundation's important challenge of pervasive religiosity in healthcare by the Veterans Administration. The contributions of august freethinkers born in early August will also be featured.

This week Freethought Radio talks with Jon O'Brien, president of Catholics For Choice (not all Catholics are alike), about his broad investigative indictment of William Donohue's obnoxious Catholic League, and with Ryan Valentine of the Texas Freedom Network about the troublesome plan to teach bible classes in Texas schools.

Since it's summertime and the living is easy, Freethought Radio will play an excerpt from Julia Sweeney's hilarious CD, "Letting Go of God." After a quick Theocracy Alert, Mike Christensen of Seattle will be interviewed. Mike, 28, is an FFRF Lifetime Member who will talk about why he is a freethinker and is sponsoring the current "Imagine No Religion" billboard in Seattle.

Tune in to hear the inside story about the young Orlando student whom Catholics have accused of committing a "hate crime" for not eating a communion wafer! And listen to Sarah Braasch talk about how some public-funded senior centers are imposing prayer on senior citizens and why that is illegal.

Guest: David MillsAuthor: Atheist Universe: The Thinking Person's Answer to Christian FundamentalismFreethought Radio will discuss "atheist in a foxhole" Jeremy Hall's federal lawsuit against the military, charging that it is promoting Christianity and has discriminated against his rights as a nonbeliever, as covered by CNN this week with Anderson Cooper. Journalist and science writer David Mills, the author of the popular book, "Atheist Universe,"  will be interviewed about what's wrong with fundamentalism. The show will also highlight contributions by the many famous freethinkers born in July.Hosts: Dan Barker & Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-presidents of the Freedom From Religion FoundationProduced by the Freedom From Religon Foundation