The Thinking Atheist Podcast

When tragedy befalls spiritual people, they often find solace and comfort in their faith. They pray. They envision reunions in Heaven with lost loved ones. They remind themselves that God has a higher purpose. But how does one deal with tragedy and grief outside of the belief in God? How do atheists cope in their own lives, and how can they offer comfort to others? A difficult subject. But an important one.

Every day, skeptics with Facebook accounts encounter status updates like, "It's a beautiful, sunny day! God is so good!" Or, "My mother has cancer, prayers please!" Or "Jesus loves you more than anything!" Many of us who reject the notion of a god that brings pretty sunshine and rainbows, yet ignores millions of starving children, find these daily Facebook one-liners increasingly hard to stomach. We talk about the soapbox for belief that Facebook has become, and whether or not it's effective for the free-thinking community to engage.

How is YouTube helping to propel the rising tide of reason? Who are the men and women behind much of the grass-roots YT atheist movement? We interview 3 YouTube icons whose channels stand against religion: BionicDance, DarkMatter2525 and Evid3nc3. DarkMatter2525: http://www.youtube.com/user/darkmatter2525 BionicDance: http://www.youtube.com/user/BionicDance Evid3nc3: http://www.youtube.com/user/evid3nc3

After millions of web page views, dozens of posted videos, our forums, Facebook, Twitter and podcasts, you probably have some questions or comments. This...is your show!

Every day, skeptics do intellectual battle with people who believe in everything from talking donkeys, unicorns, curses, giants, and 900-year-old humans. Are we wasting our time?

How do non-believers approach the Christmas holiday season? How do they handle the mealtime prayers? What are the reactions of religious family members to atheist or agnostic loved ones? Your calls. Your letters. Your experiences. Your opinions.

The Creator Himself will be our guest for this special evening podcast. The Mr. Deity satire website and videos are clever, insightful and wildly entertaining. We'll talk about the site, the show, the hate mail, and your calls. www.mrdeity.com

Ever had an encounter with the religious world that made you want to scream, "Stop The Insanity?" Tell us your story.

In a world where people can't even agree on which God to worship, how can the religious give atheists a "Reason To Believe?"

Are God and the supernatural mutually exclusive? Can you be a non-believer in God, and still believe in ghosts, spirits, entities and energies beyond the physical realm? Or is it all a bunch of nonsense?

Your calls welcome, as we explore the consequences of teaching children that Heaven and Hell are real places.

Your calls as we talk about our experiences and challenges in "coming out" to the ones we love.

The self-proclaimed "Queen of Atheism" addresses gender questions, God, the mosque controversy, and thoughts on why religion needs to be eliminated in every form.

While religious cultures are encouraged to shout their message from the mountaintops, atheists are expected to sit quietly and say nothing. For a long time, non-religious people have held their tongues. But the tide is turning, and men, women and young people everywhere are quoting Peter Finch from the classic film "Network." They're mad as hell...and they're not gonna take this anymore.

Dan Barker is co-President of the Freedom From Religion Foundation. A former evangelist, Dan speaks to his early life as a believer, the catalyst which caused him to embrace atheism, and gives advice on the challenges and opportunities atheists face in religious culture.