Freethought Radio

After reporting on state/church news in Iowa, California, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Texas and Washington state, we listen to jazz vocalist Susan Hofer sing "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" accompanied by Dan Barker on the piano. Then, we hear Brandon Wolf, a survivor of the 2016 Pulse Nightclub shooting, as he accepted FFRF's $50,000 Henry Zumach "Freedom From Religious Fundamentalism" award on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign.

The winter solstice (December 21 this year) is the real reason for the season. We celebrate this festive time of year with music and freethought humor, including songs and performances by Kristin Lems, Dan Barker, Tim Minchin, Roy Zimmerman, Irving Berlin, Trey Parker, Tom Lehrer, the London Humanist Choir, Ken Lonnquist and Brent Michael Davids.

After covering state/church news in Illinois, Wisconsin, California, West Virginia, and Minnesota, we celebrate "Bill of Rights Day" (December 15) by hearing Dan Barker's song "The Battle of Church and State." Then, we speak with renowned biblical scholar John J. Collins of Yale Divinity School about his book, Does the Bible Justify Violence?

After criticizing some of Trump's Christian-nationalist departmental and cabinet picks, we speak with FFRF Deputy Legal Director Liz Cavell about this week's oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in a case dealing with Tennessee's law (based on religious doctrine) banning medical care for transgender minors. Then, we hear New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg, author of the book Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism, accepting FFRF's Clarence Darrow Award, where she describes the history and present dangers of Christian nationalism.

This Thanksgiving we give thanks not to a deity, but to real people. After reporting state/church news and victories, we hear Tahira Clayton and the Godless Gospel group perform Dan Barker's song "Let's All Give Thanks." Then, we talk about the "fine-tuning" argument with astronomer Kelsey Johnson, author of the new book, Into the Unknown: The Quest to Understand the Mysteries of the Cosmos.

We talk about Trump's cabinet picks and report on state/church news around the country. FFRF's Senior Litigation Counsel Sam Grover joins us to talk about our recent complaint over Oklahoma Superintendent of Education Ryan Walters pushing religion in public schools. Then, we hear Annie Laurie Gaylor and Maryam Namazie (Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain) debate the topic "Feminism and Religion are Incompatible" at Cambridge University last week.

As we prepare for President-elect Donald Trump's second term, we hear a speech from Bradley Onishi, author of Preparing for War: The Extremist History of White Christian Nationalism -- And What Comes Next, about the growing threat of Christian nationalism.

After the election results, FFRF is determined to keep fighting. We hear the song "Keep Marching On" from the Broadway musical "Suffs." Then, Bonnie Garmus, author of the award-winning best-selling feminist/freethought novel Lessons in Chemistry, tells the charming and funny story about how she lost her faith as a teenager in the Presbyterian Church.

It's a scary show this week. We report on our Denver billboard saying: "Keep Freedom Alive: Stop Project 2025." Dan Barker talks about his trip to Nigeria to visit humanists and freethinkers combating superstition in that country. Annie Laurie Gaylor describes the danger to women's rights in the current election. Then, we talk with Alex Aronson, founder and president of Court Accountability, who describes the scary details of Project 2025.

After we report on state/church news and victories in Florida, California and North Carolina, FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliott describes FFRF's new lawsuit challenging proposed bible distribution in Oklahoma public schools. Then we hear author and journalist Katherine Stewart, accepting FFRF's "Freethought Heroine" award, warn of the dangers of religious nationalism.

We announce FFRF’s new lawsuit against bible-toting Oklahoma state Superintendent Ryan Walters. Producer Leo Costello interviews "Democracy in Chains" author Nancy MacLean, who is touring with "Bad Faith" documentary screenings. And veteran reporter Linda Greenhouse tells us how some justices are engaging in "grievance Christianity."

After reporting state/church news in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Alaska, we devote a segment to the dangers of the proposed Christian-right authoritarian "Project 2025." Then, we hear the engaging speech by Ron Reagan (son of the former president) given at FFRF's annual convention last month, where he tells us about the authoritarian threats to our planet and to democracy -- and what we can do about those threats.

Coach Deion Sanders is at it again, and FFRF is again complaining to the University of Colorado about his mixing religion and government. We report state/church complaints and victories in Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. After we hear Roy Zimmerman's hilarious satirical song, “I Want a Marriage Like They Had in the Bible,” FFRF Senior Policy Counsel Ryan Jayne and State Advocacy Specialist Ryan Dudley tell us about the FFRF Action Fund's work tracking and influencing legislation affecting the rights of nonbelievers -- and how you can make a difference in your community.

Annie Laurie reports on religiously motivated abortion referenda in seven states around the country, as well as the repressive 19th-century Comstock Act that is still invoked today to limit women's rights as it did with Margaret Sanger. We hear Dan Barker's tribute song to Margaret Sanger called "No Gods, No Masters." Then we speak with scholar Matthew D. Taylor about his new book about the January 6 insurrection, The Violent Take it By Force: The Christian Movement that is Threatening Our Democracy.

After reporting state/church news in New York, Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri and Virginia, we hear Dan Barker's song "Life is Good!" performed by Tahira Clayton and the Godless Gospel singers. Then, we speak with Tia Levings, author of the bestselling book A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy.

FFRF Legal Director Patrick Elliot and FFRF Legal Fellow Hirsh Joshi join us to talk about state-church developments in Utah, Alabama, Colorado, Missouri, Tennessee and Minnesota. Then, we speak with Michigan State University Professor Josh Cowen about his new book, The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers.

After news updates, the hosts recap the "Celebrate Dissent" conference in Oslo about ex-Muslims. Annie Laurie Gaylor then interviews co-host Dan Barker about Contraduction, his new book on "the death of the Design Argument."

After summarizing secular activism and victories around the country, we talk about secularism and Hindu nationalism in India (the world's largest secular democracy) with our two guests: activist Shabnam Hashmi from India and Professor Barry A. Kosmin from here in the United States. Interspersed through the show is the music of freethinking jazz legend Charlie "Bird" Parker, whose birth anniversary we celebrate today.

We announce FFRF's Chicago billboard saying "Keep Freedom Alive: Stop Project 2025." After reporting state/church complaints and victories in Texas, Missouri, Florida, and Arkansas, we announce FFRF Action Fund's "Secularist of the Week." Then, we take a time machine back to 2006, our first year of broadcast, to hear our first interview with philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, the year of release of his blockbuster book Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon.

After reporting on efforts to keep state and church separate in Tennessee, Indiana, Oklahoma, and Florida, we get acquainted with FFRF's new multimedia producer Leo Costello. Then, South Carolina humanist and atheist debater Herb Silverman, founder and president emeritus of the Secular Coalition for America, tells us "How to talk to Christians."