The Atheist Experience 30.42 with Forrest Valkai and Justin (Show Rebroadcast)

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Godless Engineer and Jim Barrows ask how the God who drowned and slaughtered children became the Jesus who loves the little children, with Sofia Spina joining later as backup host!Bob in NY claims the world would be better if everyone followed Jesus. The hosts bring Matthew 15, Bible slavery laws, Deuteronomy 22, and the ICC definition of genocide. When the Amalekites come up, who is Bob to judge God?Ibrahim in Canada, an ex-Muslim atheist, asks how believers can think disbelievers deserve eternal torment yet still befriend and trust them. Is it out of sight, out of mind, or is cognitive dissonance doing the heavy lifting?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of The Atheist Experience, Kelley Laughlin, Jamie The Blind Limey, and Fe tackle the problem of evil, Christian mythicism, and the slippery nature of spiritual claims!33 on TikTok, a Christian mythicist and agnostic theist, accepts some biblical texts but rejects the Gospels as historically inaccurate. Which parts of the Bible do you accept and why? If you don't believe the Gospels, what's left of Christianity? The hosts press him to explain his belief framework, but he struggles to articulate why he holds any of it at all.Onu in Romania shares his deconversion story from Orthodox Christianity, criticizing religious hypocrisy and calling religion a facade comparable to mental illness. What made you realize the church wasn't what it claimed to be? His journey highlights the damage done when institutions prioritize control over truth.a7402745.8 on TikTok claims personal experience as evidence for God but can't define spirituality or provide a coherent framework. What does spirituality even mean to you? If you can't explain your beliefs, how do you know they're true? The hosts challenge the caller to move beyond vague feelings and offer something testable.YH on TikTok argues that evil is subjective and tied to evolutionary strategy, defending divine command theory while questioning human rationality. If evil is just what God says it is, does that make genocide moral when God commands it? The conversation dives into whether morality can exist without objective grounding.Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

Due to technical difficulties, we were not able to broadcast the normal live episode of the show. As such we ran previously recorded content so as to not miss a broadcast date. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and invite you to enjoy these great moments from our previous shows. We fully expect to resume our normal broadcast schedule next week. Thank you.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.This episode includes AI-generated content.

In today's episode of The Atheist Experience, Godless Engineer, Secular Rarity, and Scott Dickie tackle biblical justice, inherited guilt, and the clash between faith and reason!Michele in NY asks if peace is possible between religion and atheism. Can we respect people while critiquing their faith? The hosts emphasize humanism over atheism and challenge religions to shift toward humanistic values. What would it take for believers to prioritize human well-being over divine commands?Malik in KS defends God punishing children for their parents' sins, citing biblical examples. Is this justice or divine cruelty? The hosts challenge him on objective morality and whether salvation comes from faith or works. Does his reasoning hold up under scrutiny?Kelly in MN, a liberal spiritual person, discusses interpreting the Bible morally and rejecting violent passages. The hosts encourage her to own her moral decisions rather than attributing them to God. Is she following scripture or her own conscience?YeCross Legends on TikTok argues salvation is by faith under the new covenant, not works under the old law. The hosts challenge his claim that God's law doesn't apply to burning witches, citing Jesus affirming Mosaic law. Does the new covenant really erase the old?Chuck in IL asks where the Bible says God is omniscient. The hosts explain the concept is derived from verses like Psalm 147:5, not explicitly stated. They discuss subjective versus objective morality and empathy as a framework. What does it mean to derive doctrine from implication?Rob in CA, an atheist married to a Christian, refuses to fund his daughter's Christian college education unless she can provide evidence Christianity is reasonable. The hosts advise researching colleges and making it a joint decision. How do you balance parental authority with respect for your child's autonomy?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity and Jim Barrows put the God of the Bible and Quran on trial for war crimes under international law!Tron Uprising on TikTok wants to debate whether God is a war criminal. After extensive back-and-forth, Tron eventually concedes that God's command violated the Rome Statute but refuses to engage honestly on the definition of genocide or morality. Why grant that God broke international law but then refuse to call it what it is? If you're willing to admit the statute was violated, why the resistance to the word genocide? The hosts systematically walk through each element of the Rome Statute's definition, and Tron grants every single point yet still won't connect the dots. Is this intellectual honesty or motivated reasoning?Ad on TikTok, a Muslim caller, attempts to deflect the genocide charge against God by claiming context of war justifies the commands. The hosts confront him with Surah 9:5 and other Quranic passages that explicitly command killing. Ad insists these verses are taken out of context, but when pressed on what context makes genocide acceptable, he struggles to provide a coherent answer. If your holy book commands the killing of entire groups of people, does adding historical context really make it better? The call ends contentiously when Ad refuses to engage with the actual text and runs away.Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Godless Engineer, Secular Rarity, and Scott Dickie dissect biblical slavery, divine command theory, and the moral gymnastics required to defend scripture's darkest passages.Mark in NE, a progressive Christian, insists slavery laws in the Bible are human cultural assumptions, not God's perfect morality. How do you distinguish divine commands from human insertions without an objective method? If God inspired the text, why include immoral laws at all? Your methodology seems designed to rescue God from accountability rather than discover truth.Papo in Puerto Rico claims whatever God ordains is objectively good. When asked if he'd kill a baby if God commanded it, he says yes. This chilling admission exposes divine command theory's moral bankruptcy. If morality is just "whatever God says," then the word "good" becomes meaningless. Why call God good if good means nothing beyond obedience?Kelly in MN presents verses she believes oppose slavery but can't reconcile them with explicit pro-slavery passages. She filters scripture through John 10:10 yet lacks consistent criteria for determining God's intent. If the Bible requires external moral standards to interpret it, why trust it as a moral guide at all?Kell in FL questions why gold appears in Genesis, suggesting the Bible reflects existing values rather than divine revelation. The conversation shifts to his extreme views on militarizing atheism. The hosts recommend therapy resources and emphasize that violence isn't the answer to ideological disagreements.Thank you for joining us this week! We'll see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of The Atheist Experience, Thinker, Fe, and The Beard of Empathy examine whether Christianity is a scam, the problem of divine attribution, and when beliefs become harmful.Andrew argues Christianity isn't a scam because there are no customers or payments. But believers do pay costs: tithes, sacrifices, obedience, all in exchange for salvation. That's a transaction. When you promise eternal reward for compliance and eternal punishment for refusal, how is that not a protection racket? What makes this different from any other pay-to-play scheme?Yolanda in MD credits God's voice for saving her life during a brain aneurysm, telling her not to lie down and to call 911. Why didn't God just heal the aneurysm? Why give cryptic instructions instead of preventing the crisis? If God intervened, why did you still need surgery? How do you distinguish God's voice from your own survival instinct?Heresy in Canada asks whether we should respect comforting beliefs or prioritize knowledge. Personal beliefs are fine if kept private, but they become harmful when imposed on others or used to shape policy. Comfort doesn't make something true. When does your right to believe what you want end and someone else's right to live free from those beliefs begin?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity, Godless Engineer, and Kelley Laughlin tackle biblical gender equality, Quranic slavery, and the emotional aftermath of deconversion.Loveisthewayfr on TikTok insists Genesis isn't a dating tool and the Bible teaches gender equality. The hosts point to Leviticus 12, where a woman's purification after birthing a daughter takes twice as long as for a son. If men and women are equal in the Bible, why does childbirth gender determine ritual impurity duration? What other passages might reveal this claimed equality isn't quite so equal?Salahuddin Ayyubi on TikTok argues Quranic slavery differs from American chattel slavery and compares Islamic prisoner treatment to modern secular systems. The hosts counter that the Quran explicitly permits owning people as property. If you can own, buy, sell, and inherit a person, how is that fundamentally different from chattel slavery? Does rebranding ownership make it moral?David in the USA shares he misses the comfort of belief, especially about death and the afterlife, even knowing it's not real. The hosts suggest death cafes and therapy to process these feelings. Is it possible to find peace with mortality without supernatural promises? Can secular communities offer the same emotional support religion once did?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of the Atheist Experience, Godless Engineer, Jim Barrows, and Jamie The Blind Limey confront the uncomfortable truth about Jesus and Old Testament atrocities!Albert in MA argues the Bible should be read allegorically, not literally. The hosts challenge him on Old Testament violence and slavery laws, pointing to Matthew 5:18 where Jesus explicitly affirms all Old Testament law remains valid. If it's all allegory, why did Jesus say not one letter of the law would pass away? What moral lesson justifies selling your daughter?Emanuel in Sweden questions whether Jesus actually taught Mosaic law. The hosts walk through Matthew 5:17-18, Leviticus slavery laws, and dietary contradictions, demonstrating Jesus affirmed Old Testament law including morally problematic commands. If Jesus fulfilled the law, why does he say it all still applies? How do you reconcile loving Jesus with endorsing genocide?Jock from Earth claims the Bible has esoteric or inner spiritual value beyond the literal text. The hosts press him to provide biblical support for his mystical interpretations. He cannot cite chapter and verse, only vague spiritual concepts. If the Bible requires secret knowledge to understand, how is anyone supposed to know what it actually means?Quincy in TX accuses the hosts of sending themselves to hell. When confronted with God's command to beat children in 2 Samuel 7:14, he admits it's wrong but says he'd obey God anyway, then references The Chosen TV show as his Bible source. If you'd beat a child because God commanded it, what does that say about your morality?Milton from Earth argues the Orthodox Church, not the Bible itself, is the ultimate authority. The hosts point out this doesn't address biblical commands like selling daughters. Milton becomes circular and confrontational, unable to explain his position clearly. If the church is the authority, why appeal to the Bible at all?Parker in VA, an atheist, seeks advice on handling presuppositional apologists on campus who claim logic requires God. The hosts and Jamie suggest slowing the conversation, demanding definitions, and asking how God actually grounds logic rather than accepting assertions. What would a world without logic even look like?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.

In today's episode of The Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity, Godless Engineer, and Kelley Laughlin tackle miracle claims, biblical slavery, and the cultural legacy of colonialism.Larry in Poland insists that miracles at Fatima and Coptic churches prove God exists. The hosts challenge him on mass hallucinations versus actual miracles and compare his claims to Hindu miracle reports. When pressed on animal consciousness and pain, Larry struggles to defend his positions. Why should we accept Catholic miracles but reject all others?Jim in MO calls with a tongue-in-cheek argument for Carlinian sun worship based on George Carlin's comedy bit. He explains it's a parody showing how absurd belief systems can be. The hosts agree it's satire, not serious theology, and appreciate the humor.David in TX asks what if both camps are correct about God's existence. The hosts explain the law of non-contradiction: God either exists or doesn't. David struggles to engage seriously and lists his pronouns as human being, leading to a tense exchange. Can something both exist and not exist?JayFame in TX, a former Satanist turned believer, claims he saw two angels while incarcerated. The hosts challenge him on biblical slavery passages in Exodus 21:7 and ask him to distinguish satanic from godly acts. Jay deflects, preaches, and cannot defend scripture. What makes selling your daughter into slavery moral?Jesse in MI, an atheist of indigenous and Latino heritage, shares frustration about being a minority in his own culture due to Christianity's colonial legacy. The hosts offer support, discuss resources like Recovering From Religion and therapy, and encourage community involvement and activism.Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.