Truth Wanted

Bienvenue dans un autre… wait sorry, my Canadian is showing. Tonight our fabulous Canuck host MD Aware is joined once again by Vino for an all-star episode of Truth Wanted! Let’s dig in!Tonight’s Patron of the Week is SG! Thanks for the support!David’s up first, he supports abortion rights, but has a few what-ifs for our hosts to ponder. Is it ethical for parents to keep aborting zygotes until they get the perfect mix of chromosomes they’re seeking? Short answer, yes. Clumps of cells aren’t people, and the person with the uterus has the call. Does this decision approach eugenics? Not really. Keep asking questions David, this was an interesting chat.Average Andrew has beef with our host’s determination of the intrinsic value of human life. His god assigns value, and our subjective morality can lead to genocide! Like the thing your god did multiple times in his manifesto Andrew? Yes, we want to avoid that. Our hosts illustrate the superiority of secular humanism using the example of euthanasia. Sucks to be dead, but sucks more to be suffering.Our third caller is Jay, he wants to talk about the is/ought gap from the previous caller, and how that affects our use of the word “arbitrary.” Our hosts draw a metaphor with the rules of gaming, be it chess, volleyball, or anything else. The people playing have to agree on the rules before we can start playing.Sal wants to talk more about how the rights of a fetus balance out with the rights of the person carrying it. Specifically, how adoption as an option might be a better choice than abortion. In a perfect world, sure, unwanted pregnancies might result in a loving adopted family, but this doesn’t get us past the right of the person with the uterus to decide. We discuss the flaws of the current adoption system before we move on.That Truth Wanted this week! See you all in seven Earth rotations!

What’s everyone’s favorite day of the week? If you said Friday, you’re correct, and not just because it’s time for Truth Wanted! This week, Erin is joined by atheist content creator Scott Baker.This week’s Patron of the week is Kori K Reine! Thank you for the support Keri, you get the corner piece of lasagna!Melissa’s got a few good reasons that she thinks the USA is a Christian nation. Erin agrees that having Christian events as stat holidays is favoritism, and that political candidates who don’t espouse religious belief stand a far smaller chance of being elected. Scott talks about how the Christian nationalist agenda has twisted formerly secular American traditions.Terry’s up next, and we quickly move from “Christmas is stolen from pagans” to a truly strange and long-winded no true scotsman fallacy. All Christians nations are fake because of the plurality of biblical interpretation? I think? Erin isn’t having it, she interrupts this odd sermon, and Scott quickly pokes a few holes in this caller’s argument before we move on.Next up is Isaiah, he’s got a theist friend, Scott’s got a theist friend, how do we navigate holding opposing beliefs with our pals? Scott thinks maturity is key, and Erin recommends setting boundaries, and sticking to the stuff that made you friends in the first place. Pick your battles Isaiah!Nate in Canada is looking for ideas on handling theists in the workplace, specifically a Muslim subordinate. Balancing the urge to free minds with remaining productive in the workplace is tough, Erin recommends Street Epistemology combined with boundaries and restraint. Scott works from home and hasn’t had this experience, but recommends exposing Nate’s colleague to the ACA’s own former Muslim host, Apostate Prophet! This caller is likely very handsome, and also does show notes for Truth Wanted.That’s the show folks, we’ll see you all next week!

Whaddya buying, stranger? Not theism? Well you’re in the right place, it’s time for Truth Wanted, and this week Dan is joined by Alice Greczyn! She has an IMDB page!This week’s Patron of the Week is Jay Gu! Thank you for the support Jay!Jessica is a mental health professional in Texas, and she’s called in to speak about the struggle of being true to your beliefs while providing care to folks who don’t always share your worldview. Alice recommends the Secular Therapy Project as a resource for maintaining Jessica’s integrity, and Dan shares how his own nonconformity contributed to his own deconversion. We also find out a bit more about Dan’s family’s contempt of male jewelry.Second is Jay, who quizzes our hosts on their knowledge of how the Bible treats women. Dan and Alice are down for a quote battle. Despite Jay’s claims that we haven’t read the Bible, ours host's response call is clear evidence to the contrary. We get the weak argument for context. Context. CONTEXT! Jay isn’t listening, We close out with some misogynistic garbage from Jay, and this show notes writer is fed up. Gay people work in construction, women are mechanics. We see it every day. Get stuffed.Adam’s up, and he is super miffed by the misrepresentation of the null hypothesis. For someone who isn’t familiar with the concept, Alice gives a great response. Dan speaks to the nomenclature of miracles, and how that might apply to our caller's topic of conversation.Our penultimate caller is Jan, with a story of how purity culture affects our sex lives. Dan illustrates the absence of consent in biblical conceptions of sex, and both hosts agree that we’ve moved on from these ancient concepts of what constitutes a healthy sex life. Sex good, dogma bad.Finally, Drew wants to talk about incest and genetic viability from a Biblical perspective. Our hosts agree that the stories in the Bible are scientifically impossible. Alice talks about how inter-marriage in European monarchy is an example of why this can be dangerous. Hapsburg jaw anyone?That’s a wrap folks! Thank you for joining us, and never don’t not keep unwanting the truth!

Hey Truth Seekers! Welcome to another episode of Truth Wanted! This week Nate Smith is joined by Paulogia!First up is Otangelo from Brazil who wants to know what kind of evidence for god the hosts would accept, and what it would take to thoroughly convince them.Next up is Raymond from FL who wants to continue the conversation about why people are so easily indoctrinated to fear hell, even long after they’ve deconverted.Next is Red from OH who believes that religious indoctrination is often, although not always, a pathway to child abuse.Our final caller for the evening is Kristen from NC who recounts a past experience with an “apparition,” and how that interpretation of events made it challenging to deconstruct their faith.

Tonight’s the night for another episode of Truth Wanted! This week ObjectivelyDan is joined by our guest Eve was Framed. Eve was raised as an evangelical christian in and around Seven Mountain Theology and attended the Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry… You can now find her at www.tiktok.com/@eve_wasframedOur Patron Of The Week is SkeptiKarl, thank you so much for donating.First caller up to tonight is Mary in FL asks Eve if she was shunned by her family. While they hold different beliefs, she is still loved and accepted by her family! Only a lucky few get to say that, given that background. Evangelical Christianity seems to be about a third of the population with a surprising amount of young people. Eve has been pushing back on Tiktok and talks about her experience dealing with christians on that platform. Doug in CA dives into Eve’s experience at Bethel’s as he has a healing school nearby and has people trying to try to lay hands to heal him. Eve had to go out “treasure hunting” to try “healing” people, usually visually disabled, and never saw anyone magically healed. Apparently, the school even had award ceremonies for someone that “healed” the best.Red from OH wants advice on how to come out to parents as atheist. If it’s important, we totally accept that. Make sure you are safe and have a plan if a catastrophe happens. A normal conversation is best, don’t make an ordeal out of it. Eve wrote an email, it gives space and allows them to take it in and respond when they are ready. Boundaries are important, make sure to enforce them. Good luck Red!Jon in Canada asks why Eve chose her name. Eve was Framed retells biblical stories and dislikes how Eve was punished in the bible. Biblical Eve got a bad rap. We don’t believe it and are out here looking for the truth…Wesley in WV claims Jesus gave us all a vision. Before you dive into this, how can you know god told you this? Going on, Wesley claims all perverted religious texts turned to dust for a minute, as per his last call’s prophecy. Hmm, we don’t see any news on this one anywhere… Thank you to all who joined us in person for last week's live show and especially those that donated to the UTSA SSA! We ended up raising $4002.64!!!

SHOW NOTESThis Friday the 13th Dan is on location at UTSA, with Secular Student Alliance and special guests! Not to worry folks, none of them are surnamed Voorhees.Zach Shedd speaks with Dan about creating secular communities, and our first caller asks the hosts how to approach conversations with a budding atheist. Dan recommends Street Epistemology, and agrees with Zach’s point that setting boundaries is important. We hit up our audience for some Q&A. Some strange Johnny guy asks Dan if he prefers the live show format to the remote, and Jamal asks what was most difficult about Dan’s deconversion process.Our next guest is John Dye, he studies volcanoes, and erupts into the background of the SSA and why he joined. Needs more magma.An audience member suspects that her child may be faking faith to further their romantic pursuits. Neither Dan nor John recommend it, and John is very clear that he will not be dating any crystal cuties. Finally, Madison shares a story about his first date experience with a spiritualist.After a quick chat with John about his deconversion, Paul in the audience asks how to get involved with the secular movement. A former Muslim asks how to find community after leaving religion, and finally Donovan asks how the SSA approaches activism.We take a call from Michael, who asks our hosts for their perspective on the recent odious activities of the Supreme Court. Surprising zero people across the globe, our hosts are champions of women’s bodily autonomy. This is why activism is so important!Back to our audience, Zoe encourages locals to show up for the Bans off our Bodies protest, and Jamal asks how to promote positive atheism. Cody Valdez joins us on stage, and shares his experiences as a newcomer to the atheist movement. Next we’ll talk to Larry, who has a grandson starting at U of T, and asks Cody how he can get involved! The power of SSA grows!Shifting back to our audience emcee, Johnny talks to another SSA member who expresses his gratitude for the exposure today. We’re happy to do it! Joel asks our hosts what other beliefs they’ve shed, and Dan admits he used to have some misguided views about the LGBTQ+ community. It’s ok Dan, we forgive you. Tanjil calls in and asks about coming out as an atheist to family. Our hosts recommend kindness and discretion, and an audience member offers his perspective.Hal has an argument from incredulity that will shock and amaze. Jk, no it won't. Dan and Cody make short work of this, but Hal seems nice.Special guests Christy Powell and Jim Barrows join the conversation with some banter before we wrap up, thanks for watching!

Hellooo fellow combers of candor, it’s Friday night, and this week ExXtian Erin will be joined by Neil the 604 Atheist, a familiar face from the ACA show Non-Prophets, and host of his very own Youtube channel featuring deconversion stories. It’s a Canadian takeover, and no, we will not apologize. We will, however, feast upon poutine and be terrorized by geese.This week’s Patron of the Week is Freethinker 215! Many thanks, but we’re still waiting on cheques from freethinkers 1 thru 214.Patrick wants to talk about overpopulation and the tendency of religion to encourage procreation in the interest of making more Christians. Neil thinks that part of this might be a holdover from an age before modern medical care, when juvenile mortality was much higher. Both hosts touch on how education is the key to healthy skepticism, and agree that the younger generations seem to be breaking the cycle of indoctrination. Up next is Sven, who asks our hosts if they believe that a soul is intrinsic to the human experience. Neither Erin nor Neil have seen evidence of consciousness existing outside a physical body, so one might say this is a… no-brainer? I’ll show myself out. We’ll dabble in the potentiality that souls might be real and we haven’t figured them out yet, but until we can demonstrate it, we’re not convinced. Mark had a brush with death that reinforced his atheism. This is a great perspective from an atheist in his 70’s, Mark’s takeaway from almost dying is that kindness is paramount. Couldn’t agree more ol’ timer! We appreciate this nugget of wisdom!Finally we have some more international representation! Isaiah in South Korea missed the community that religion offers, until Jesus paid him a visit one lonely night. Our hosts quiz Isaiah on how Jesus changed his mind, but he’s reticent to describe the experience. It’s tough to parse your conversion without details! Spill that tea!That’s a wrap folks, join us next week for a very special episode as Dan joins the Secular Student Alliance live at the University of Texas! This episode will be a fundraiser for SSA, and we’ll be joined by some very special guests as we promote this great cause, don’t miss it!

Welcome back to the best thing about your Friday night, it’s time for Truth Wanted! Tonight, are two terrific titans of the show, we have ExXtian Erin hosting with MD Aware for the very first time!This week’s Patron of the Week is James Fitzwater! A thousand blessings upon your ancestors James.Our first caller is the big cheese, the man upstairs, the sky wizard we’ve all been waiting for, it’s God! Our hosts never learned not to play with their food, they ask the caller a few leading questions, and quickly discover there are other god’s, but this god’s not sure how many. I thought this character was omniscient! We have an exchange about free will and souls, and move on.Estevan thinks using profanity is a poor way of communicating ideas, and asks our hosts if they think it’s moral to use curse words. Erin doesn’t think swearing is intrinsically bad, and MD traces the religious aversion to cursing to the commandment dealing with taking the Lord’s name in vain. He points out that folks usually associate swearing with some negative event, and it’s more about how you say a phrase than what you say. Estevan says a bad word for the very first time, and it’s quite liberating. Curse on, Estevan!Next on our list is Mark, and he thinks that religious folk that claim to speak to God should be called out more and confronted as being mentally ill. MD clears up what constitutes a mental illness, and asks Mark why he wants to connect those dots between prayer and psychosis. Mark sees harm happening, and while Erin partially agrees that making bad choices based on unverifiable religious belief is dangerous, it doesn’t make a person mentally ill.Gohan’s in Texas, and knock me over with a feather, is opposed to female reproductive autonomy. MD helps him drill down his definition of an organism, and we finally get to the real DNA of this call when MD compares the abortion debate to euthanasia. Gohan’s got no rebuttal when we establish that brain dead people are indeed organisms, and he agrees that terminating life can be a morally correct decision. Eventually, Gohan admits that his stance is “God says so,” and has no legitimate position. This is actually a civil conversation about a touchy topic, with a shade of nebulous goal posts, enjoy!Jon’s back, and as usual he’s got a big bag of bad ideas. This may be the first time we see MD Aware become visibly annoyed, you’re gonna want to watch this one. It may be short, but it’s oh so sweet.That’s the show folks, join us on Facebook or on Discord to continue the conversation! Never don’t not un-want the truth!

It’s Friday, it’s 7p Central, and you know what that means! Tonight, Objectively Dan is joined by his first supernatural creature, shaking the very foundations of his worldview. Welcome WIllow the Wendigo!This week’s illustrious Patron of the Week is Maxxxwell Carlisle! Gracias, merci, danke, however you say it, thanks for the support!Chelsea’s up first, she’s dealing with a toxic relationship with her mother. Dan asks if the relationship is salvageable, and Chelsea asks for some details on the dynamic. Both hosts recommend surrounding yourself with people who are a positive influence, and reassure our caller that it’s ok to draw a line in the sand when it comes to the people in your life. Family isn’t who you’re related to genetically, family are the people who accept and love you!Alison used to be a ghost hunter, and sadly, didn’t find any in ten years of investigation. We get an insight into some of the flawed techniques of ghost hunting in the media, and then we get an epic story that would make for a great Scooby Doo episode, you’ll have to listen to this one! Zoinks!Next up is Chadwick who wants to talk about the different versions of the Bible, and how we arrived at our current iteration. Dan’s got some great insights on how this book has been shaped for the agenda of those choosing what’s included, and Willow points out that the works attributed to Paul are the true framework of what we know as Christianity. We’re gonna riff on the subject of Paul’s influence on early Christianity for a bit, and end up agreeing that early Christians…. didn’t agree.Ernie in Canada asks about why hateful bigots are platformed on certain internet sites that shall remain unnamed, and our hosts commiserate. Awful people gonna awful Ernie. Good grief… it’s Jon in Canada again. Willow absolutely owns this weak-ass apologist, and he retreats to the Arctic. Poor Dan didn’t even get to weigh in, but really, did he need to? Shoulda have known better than to tangle with a wendigo Jon.That’s a wrap folks, and in case you were wondering, next week’s guest is probably definitely mayyybe not a cannibalistic cryptid.

Welcome back to a very good Friday, and not just because it’s time for Truth Wanted. This zombie Jesus day, Dan’s guest is the host of the Bloody Good Film podcast, a three-time guest on Non-Prophets, and a Facebook moderator for the ACA fan groups, welcome Josh Entner!This week’s Patron of the Week is J.P. Young, thank you for the support!We’ll kick it off with Jeff, who feels some skeptics suspend their standards when it comes to UFOs. Our hosts agree that unidentified doesn’t mean aliens, and offer a few potential explanations for weird stuff in the sky. We talk about how to approach these conversations with friends; as the mantra goes, confront ideas, not people!David in Florida wants to talk about Canadian legislation banning Holocaust denial. We talk about sensible limits to free speech, and Josh points out that misinformation can be harmful. Dan draws a great parallel between libel and slander laws, illustrating the importance of having sources when making claims. Josh and Dan chat about journalistic integrity before we move on.Jay in Florida is up next, he offers a different take on why Holocaust denial should be illegal. Josh isn’t convinced that promoting bad ideas is tantamount to yelling “Fire!” in a crowded space, and Dan asks how the legislation would look in practice. Jay thinks Germany’s approach to the ugly history of WW2 is a good model, that being honest education combined with a banning of hate speech.Biblically is back! He’s got a deity on call, right next to him on the couch, and wants to talk about Genesis. Dan and Josh try to dissect his bizarre web of claims, and attempt to nail the caller down on a few specific elements of his narrative. Unfortunately, Biblically is just waiting for his turn to talk. Josh makes an attempt to lead this list of assertions into a constructive conversation by redirecting to one point of contention Dan asked about. It doesn’t work. This is apologetics at its worst, but it is kinda entertaining, so without further ado… we announce that… The winner of the Award for Worst Pre-Suppositionalist of 2022… is… BIBLICALLY!!That’s a wrap folks! Shoutout to Judas for the long weekend, we’ll see you next week!

It’s Friday, it’s 7pm Central, and it’s time for another episode of Truth Wanted! Tonight we’re joined today by two terrific titans of truth testing, Objectively Dan and MD Aware! Let’s take some calls! This weeks Patron of the week is Zachary Wilkes, thanks for the support Zachary!Out of the gates we have a familiar voice, it’s Tim in Washington! He’s concerned with the recent Florida legislation known as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and with good reason. Is throwing a blanket over the subject of sex education good for our kids? Both our hosts think not, as does every study examining this subject. LGBTQ+ people don’t disappear if you cover your eyes Ron DeSantis!Andrew is next and isn’t convinced that the “Don’t Say Gay” bill is as insidious as some make it out to be. MD Aware offers a brilliant comparison between the teaching of math and sex ed, in that we don’t teach calculus to first-graders. He makes a case for teaching sex ed before 7/8th grade, but Andrew’s intransigence prevents him from seeing the light. Also, gay. I said it.Buckle up for Jon in Canada, who thinks sex ed before the age of 16 is wrong because one time he wrote a dirty sentence and got in trouble. Jon thinks any level of sex ed is tantamount to handing out condoms to 6 year olds, and MD tries to explain the concept of gradation using a bicycle analogy. Dan weighs in on why LGBTQ+ representation isn’t the indoctrination Jon thinks it is, but Jon’s not listening. Dan gets a break while these two Canucks battle it out, and it becomes evident Jon’s brought a knife to a gunfight. This man does not represent the True North, Strong and Free. (It’s our anthem)Aaaand if you didn’t think tonight’s show could get any better, we’re going to wrap up with Biblical. I’ve listened to this call three times, and I’m still not sure what his point is. The claims of the Bible must be true if you acknowledge that it exists… I think? Our hosts fence with the caller for a few minutes, but biblically, even God has his limits for tolerance. Biblically. Floods and towers, folks. It’s biblical.That’s the show tonight folks! Seek the truth, say gay because it makes Ron DeSantis cry, but don’t say biblically, because our callers have that covered. See you next week!

Welcome to a very special episode of Truth Wanted! Tonight, ObjectivelyDan is joined by everybody!First up is Barry from New Zealand who has a question for MDAware regarding behaviors exhibited by individuals who are reaching the end of their life, that are so common that they are accurately documented by hospital workers.Next is Michael from CA who calls to talk about the cultural weirdness of forcing kids to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or National Anthem every morning before school.Next is Stan from NY who asks our hosts what their objections are to God’s morality, either through their actions or commandments.Next is Douglas who is calling to ask our hosts how they think the Earth and Universe Came to be if they don’t believe God did anything?Next up is Lauren from Canada who has become more fearful of death since their deconversion and would like advice from our hosts on how to address these feelings.

Hey everyone and welcome to another episode of Truth Wanted! This week ExXtian Erin is joined by Brady Hardin!First up is ObjectivelyDan from TX who wants to talk about some of the issues surrounding Progressive Christianity, and the “aren’t you on the same side” questions that get flung about whenever the subject is breached.Next up is Jay from FL who is calling to see what our hosts would retcon from the bible if they had the power to do so? Great question Jay!Up next is Jon from Canada who wants our host's opinion on critical race theory. Whew, this one is a doozy.Next is Melvin from TN who recounts their time living through the segregation era, and their observations of how little many systems have progressed since that period.

First up is Chris from Canada who wants the hosts opinions on the anunnaki (an example of an ancient alien theory), and the belief that humans are genetically modified to be slaves.Next is Jeff from Japan who thinks that non-vegans use a different definition of veganism than vegans. The caller draws parallels to the arguments theists create that are based upon definitions of atheism that atheists may not ascribe to.Up next is Setuf from Spain who believes that the purchase of animal products supports the unnecessary killing of animals.Next up is Paul from FL who has recently found out that their friends and family are convinced that the 2020 election was stolen, but when pushed for their justification, they choose to avoid the subject. This begs the question, how far should we go to have these questions on epistemology?Next is Phil from TX who calls into talk about the contradictions in the story of Noah's flood and the absurdity of it.Our final call is from Mr. Crabs who asks our hosts if it would even be reasonable to presume that anything we see from Earth using advanced telescopes could actually be evidence of life.

Hello truth seekers! Welcome to another episode of Truth Wanted! This week MD Aware is joined by the fabulous Shannon Q!First up is Setuf from Spain, who asks our hosts if they perceive theism as illogical and if so why? The call eventually shifts topics to discuss the ethics and medical need for eating meat.Next up is Barry from New Zealand who shares their experience with hypnotherapy. The caller tested the procedure in an attempt to break a knuckle-cracking habit, and while it seemed to help at first, it ended up failing after the doctor shattered the placebo.Jim from Canada wants to talk about brain stimulation, specifically with regards to porn consumption, and if it is even possible to over-stimulate your brain with this activity.Next is Bill from IL who asks our hosts what the difference is between the terms “atheist” & “agnostic”. Ask a person what position they actually hold, rather than attempt to strongarm them into a definition they may or may not ascribe to.Next is Alison from CA who is battling MS, and wants advice from Shannon on how she is managing to cope with it.Matthew from CA is engaged in a debate with a friend about the origin of consciousness, and wants the host’s input on the topic.Our final call is from an individual who is very excited by Florida’s attempts to investigate and charge the parents of transgender youth as child abuse. Bye bye Peter from Canada!