Thank God I'm Atheist

Frank and Dan break down the Democrats' sweeping midterm victories and the surprising rise of the religious left. What does it mean for atheists when progressive Christians are helping lead the charge, and could a kinder, more inclusive Christianity reshape America's religious landscape? But first some news... Etsy cracks down on witches selling spells, a Texas teacher sues over forced Christian prayer at school, the Mormon Church leases ranch land for a massive data center, Florida drives a Muslim civil rights group out of the state, the Taliban burns musical instruments confiscated from weddings, and an Irish Catholic church puts 3,000 pieces of dead saints on display.

Pope Leo XIV casts his ballot in the U.S. midterms, raising an unusual question: Should the head of a foreign state be voting in American elections? Frank and Dan take a look at the pope's multiple citizenships, the Vatican's absolute monarchy, and the strange intersection of religion, politics, and democracy. But first some news... Fake priests run amok in Mexico, a Michigan school bus driver fired for handing out Jesus candy, Marco Rubio used State Department platform to declare America a Christian nation, Orthodox Jews fight gun restrictions in Maryland, a pro-ICE Christian blogger gets detained by ICE, and a weird little Egyptian cult in Salt Lake City fights to save its pyramid from the shade.

A new PRRI survey reveals stark differences in how Americans view empathy, particularly across political parties and religious affiliations. Frank and Dan discuss the growing tendency among conservative Christians to characterize empathy as dangerous, the particularly troubling attitudes among white evangelicals, and why expanding empathy beyond one's own community is essential to a healthy society. But first some news from the week... A Trump-voting pastor regrets his decision as immigration raids empty his church, Texas pastors take sides in the Senate race while a megachurch doubles as a polling place, Catholic officials try to rein in celebrity exorcists, an Ohio court strikes down school vouchers while Christian groups plan thousands of new schools, a Kenyan starvation cult leader is convicted in the deaths of hundreds, and an Ecuadorian priest is killed by a falling crucifix.

The pope speaks out against the death penalty as the Trump administration considers livestreaming an execution. Frank and Dan discuss the barbarism of capital punishment, the ethics of public executions, and the Catholic Church's long history of changing its supposedly unchanging moral positions. But first some news! New polling shows British Christian nationalism is more about identity than actual Christianity, Trump goes after a Muslim Senate candidate in Michigan, Indonesia gets upset about Andrea Bocelli's past support for Israel, a far-right pastor calls for Mike Huckabee's execution, another rapture prediction comes and goes, and a Texas school pulls a girl from the lead in Little Shop of Horrors because she's playing a boy. Support the show! Become a patron! www.thankgodimatheist.com/donate

Mormon leaders double down on their opposition to gambling, and young Mormons are losing their minds over being told to stay away from sports betting and prediction markets. Frank and Dan discuss the backlash, the church's longstanding rules against gambling, and the outrage of young Mormons discovering that their religion still expects them to follow its rules. But as always, we first discuss some news... A study links Christian nationalism to lower cognitive ability, the Supreme Court turns away firefighters seeking religious vaccine exemptions, a Satanic prayer freaks out an Iowa town, religious hate crimes are rising in the UK, Pope Leo nudges the Catholic Church toward being nicer to divorced and LGBTQ Catholics, and disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker dies ("mmm... that's right...")

The Pentagon drops "atheist" as a military belief category, and Frank and Dan debate whether that creates much practical harm for atheist service members or whether the bigger problem is the message it sends about who the military considers worthy of recognition and accommodation. But first there's some news of the week... Texas Christians brainstorming ways to make life harder for Muslims, Tim Tebow backs away from a sketchy Christian financial seminar operation, India tears into a mosque to make room for Hindu pilgrims, the EEOC sides with a Christian who refused to use a trans coworker's pronouns, a church leader mostly avoids punishment for beating a gay teenager during an exorcism, and Sean Feucht gets sued over where a donor's $250,000 actually went.

With the rise of the "spiritual but not religious" category, more people are turning to AI for spiritual guidance instead of pastors. What does it mean for people to seek spiritual, moral, and life guidance from a source that guides you toward an ever more personalized and isolated spiritual experience? We also discuss: Noah's Ark hunters are digging around in Turkey again, a judge shuts down an attempt to weaken the Johnson Amendment, assisted dying gets voted down in England and Wales, New Zealand finally hits Gloriavale where it hurts, new Pew numbers show Mormon retention slipping, and Christians lose it over Meryl Streep being cast as the Christ-like lion in the new Narnia. Support the show: www.thankgodimatheist.com/donate

How did you become an atheist? Do you feel like you had any choice in the matter? Or was it something you ultimately couldn't ignore? This week Frank and Dan discuss the road to atheism and the surprising paths people take on their way to accepting the nonexistence of the god. Also some wacky religious news from the week: abortion pills in the water, a pastor clashes with Native American traditions, religious holiday displays in Dearborn, a Texas city denies a Pride event, Jehovah's Witnesses loosen their blood transfusion rules, and a megachurch takes surveillance to a whole new level.

Frank just got back from Italy and has some stories to tell! Catholic churches, baby Jesus art, so much Jesus blood, Mary's wedding ring, and a visit to Assisi to see St. Carlo's dead body. But first, there's a bunch of wacky religious news from the week: Eiffel Tower workers strike over hiding female staff, Trump leads a bizarre voting pledge, Austria bans hijabs for young girls in schools, a convicted pastor shows up at a Senate campaign event, OpenAI sued after ChatGPT feeds man's delusions, and Giuliani loses it over Mamdani attending the 9/11 ceremony.

Kate fills in for Frank this week, joining Dan for a conversation about neurodivergence, religious belief, and why some brains may process spiritual experiences differently than others. They compare religion to imagination, play, and believing in Santa, and wonder whether neurodivergent people may be less inclined to attach supernatural meaning to powerful emotional experiences. But first: A Texas evangelical takes matters into his own hands when the flag is lowered to honor Dolly Parton. Samaritan's Purse turns down $300 million from the Trump administration—and nobody seems quite sure why. Bethel Church racks up scandals, failed prophecies, and some remarkably durable forgiveness for badly behaved men. A Maine court rules that a father can restrict his daughter's exposure to a church whose teachings were causing her severe anxiety. Christian evangelists get kicked out of Burning Man and, naturally, call it persecution. Catholic televangelist Fulton Sheen is headed for beatification, complete with a miracle, a mysterious relic, and possibly a piece of the man himself.