086 - Ex-Files: A Conversation with Tim Hellmann

In this episode Ryan shares a few thoughts about the victory of Joe Biden in the presidential election, followed by an interview with Juhem Navarro-Rivera of Socioanalítica Research about the political views and values of secular Americans as compared to all Americans. These results are revealed in a new report by Socioanalítica Research entitled, Secular Voices Survey.LINKSDownload the Secular Voices Survey | https://secularvoices2020.socioanalitica.comSocioanalítica Research website | https://socioanaliticaresearch.comFriendly Atheist guest post | https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/10/08/pay-attention-democrats-research-shows-secular-americans-are-a-voting-bloc"NoneDecision 2020" (The Humanist) | https://thehumanist.com/commentary/nonedecision-2020-secular-voters-disagree-on-more-than-candidatesSocioanalítica Blog (Medium) | https://medium.com/storias/how-secular-voters-can-decide-the-election-f45d72b0285fFollow Juhem on Facebook and Instagram, @Socioanalitica Follow Juhem on Twitter @JuhemNR

On this episode I speak with Victoria de la Torre and Margaret Downey about Secular Day of the Dead, a secularized celebration of an ancient pre-Columbian Mesoamerican celebration that goes back some 3,000 years.This year the Freethought Society is hosting International Secular Day of the Dead on Zoom, due to the pandemic. All are invited to join in this celebration of the lives of our dead loved ones and pets.Learn more about Secular Day of the Dead and register to attend at http://www.ftsociety.org.Reserve a 3-5-minute time slot to speak in celebration of your dead loved one by sending an email to [email protected] coverage of the first Secular Day of the Dead in 2018—https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/11/02/86926/angelenos-celebrate-first-secular-day-of-the-dead

On this episode I speak with Chris Stedman. Chris is a writer, speaker, and community organizer living in Minneapolis. His new book, out tomorrow from Broadleaf Books, is called "IRL: Finding Realness, Meaning, and Belonging in Our Digital Lives." The IRL in the title refers to the internet shorthand for “in real life,” in contrast to our online lives. But Chris thinks this designation is a mistake.Much of the time, Chris says, we don’t think of our time on the internet as “real” and therefore don’t approach it with the same critical analysis that we might a different kind of engagement. How much thought do you put into an activity you don’t think is real? Chris argues that while our lives online are different than other relational spaces, it is no less real. As such he invites us to think deeply and critically about how we engage with the internet, how it is shaping us, and what it’s telling us about what is real and what is important.::LINKS::Visit Chris Stedman's website | https://chrisstedmanwriter.comBuy the book | https://bookshop.org/books/irl-finding-realness-meaning-and-belonging-in-our-digital-lives/9781506463513Follow Chris on Twitter | http://www.twitter.com/ChrisDStedmanRead “The Problem of Free Speech in an Age of Disinformation” | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/13/magazine/free-speech.html

On this episode I speak with Jamie Lombardi about the humanistic philosophy of Albert Camus against the backdrop of our contemporary political situation: pandemic, wildfires on the west coast, police violence against black people, and the impending election. LINKSReading "The Plague" During a Plague, with Jamie Lombardi, Greg Epstein, and Ryan Bellhttps://youtu.be/EF5rsNl5QnE"The Best Books by Albert Camus," recommended by Jamie Lombardi (interview by Nigel Warburton)https://fivebooks.com/best-books/albert-camus-jamie-lombardiFollow Jamie Lombardi on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/euthyphroBecome a member of Life After Godhttp://www.patreon.com/lifeaftergodVisit our website at http://www.lifeaftergod.org

On this episode I speak with Robert P. Jones, founder and CEO of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) about his new bombshell of a book, "White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity."Jones speaks about his growing up in the Southern Baptist Church in Texas and Mississippi, his growing awareness of the crisis festering within his faith community, and how he has come to understand the role that history and theology play in Christianity's support for white supremacy. Then he backs all that up by polling Americans about their attitudes about racial difference. What he found is not at all unexpected and yet somehow shocking all the same.----------LINKSBuy "White Too Long" | https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781982122867Visit PRRI's website | https://www.prri.org/Read "Christianity Will Have Power" in the New York Times | https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/09/us/evangelicals-trump-christianity.html

On this episode I speak to Greg Epstein, humanist chaplain at Harvard University and MIT. In this wide ranging conversation, Greg and I talk about his upbringing and some of the events that led to where he is today at two of the most prestigious universities in the United States, working to build meaningful community among the non-religious and ask difficult questions about the ethics of technology.We recorded this conversation in the immediate aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and the uprisings for racial and economic justice around the United States.Mentioned in the episode:Greg's book, Good Without God. https://www.amazon.com/Good-Without-God-Billion-Nonreligious/dp/006167012XGreg's writing for TechCrunch | https://techcrunch.com/author/greg-epstein/Is this sadness or anger? Is there a difference? by Ryan Bellhttps://medium.com/radical-humanism/is-this-sadness-or-anger-is-there-a-difference-67cea83e3eeSecular Student Alliance virtual conference | https://secularstudents.org/2020conference/

In this episode I speak with Justin Clark about the relationship between secularism, humanism, and socialism. We even talk a little about Marx and the current political climate in the US.

In this episode I speak with historian Dr. Nathan Alexander about his new book, Race in a Godless World: Atheism, Race, and Civilization, 1850-1914. We talk about what Christianity and secularism have each done to engender and stem racist ideas and policies. We also discuss the peculiar resurgence of scientific racism in recent years, particularly among self-described atheists, skeptics, and freethinkers.Please buy and read Dr. Alexander's book, Race in a Godless World. More info here: https://nyupress.org/9781479835003/race-in-a-godless-world/If this podcast makes a positive contribution in your life, please consider becoming a supporter of the show. More information at www.patreon.com/lifeaftergod.You can visit our website at www.lifeaftergod.org

Today on the Ex-Files I speak with Pat Green. Pat is a former Christian pastor and recovering evangelical. Pat’s claim to fame is that he is a the father of Dave. Pat has been a successful business person, a taxi cab driver, and is currently a writer and photographer, living in Chicago.Pat was originally on the Life After God podcast back in 2015 when the I first started the show and I’m honored to have him back. This episode comes with a content notification. In the conversation that follows we discuss Pat’s recent suicide attempt, how he survived, and what he has learned about himself and what he wants from his life going forward. I want to express my deep gratitude to Pat for courageously sharing his story and courageously choosing life.Pat writes a column for the Patheos website entitled “Transparent Expedition,” where he writes in his characteristic raw, honest way about being the father of a gender fluid child and his experience of being a recovering evangelical. Please follow his writing by going to the link in the show notes.Please follow Pat's writing at www.patheos.com/blogs/transparentexpedition

On this episode of the podcast I speak with Tim Hellmann. Tim is a former Christian who grew up fundamentalist in Bible Methodist and Pilgrim Holiness congregations. He tells me that he’s not very comfortable with labels but mostly closely identifies with agnostic. He has a bachelors degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Truman State University, and, most importantly, Tim is the father of two sons.Tim is an honest, open-hearted, compassionate person whose commitment to authenticity keeps him learning and growing. I am endlessly inspired by his generosity of spirit and his fearless, whole-hearted approach to life. In this conversation, in addition to talking about his journey through Christian fundamentalism to where he is today, we talk about questions of healthy masculinity and where we might contribute to healing in our communities.Tim lives in Oregon but I had the privilege of recording this conversation with him in person, in Pasadena, on a recent visit. If you want to learn more about Tim and read this writings, please follow him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SubversiveLens