For the last several months, Darren, our usual call screener has visited a church before answering calls for Ask an Atheist. A different church, every week. Today, Darren tells Mike and Sam about what interesting things he’s discovered.
Sam Mulvey is a producer and the technical brain behind Ask an Atheist. He is a collector of vinegar varieties, vintage computers, antique radios, and propaganda.
Reply to the Marias of our time: — “during that time it always has been a god-thinking world” –? During most of that time it has been a flat-earth world, during that time it has been a burn-the-witch world, during that time we have been for too long prevented from using our reason — during our time, we are just climbing out from under the rock/church, during our time, we are struggling to make civil rights more prevalent, — and, unfortunately, during our time, most religious people are harkening back to the time of oppression and unreason. –To Ask An… Read more »
“Coming out” has now become a useful metaphor for all kinds of personal revelation — to oneself and to others. I am gay and atheist — and know that my liberation has been encouraged and guided by Black liberation, women’s liberation, and all the other efforts to help our brothers and sisters come into a freer life. It’s a brief life, and spending it as an independent free-thinking person makes a big difference — like coming out of of the shade into some sunlight. The press in Luther’s day helped Protestants come out who in turned helped some Roman Catholics… Read more »
Just a thought. I, too, like church-visiting; for me, it’s free theater, with costumes, drama, speeches, and audience participation. As a former Roman Catholic, I have to admit loving the off-off Broadway theater that the Catholic church has been offering for two millennia — as theater. But — theater of the absurd, really. The pope just dubbed a bunch of new cardinals, who processed down amazing sets designed by Michelangelo in incredible (really!) costumes–to amazing music. The pope moves in unbelievable drag among supernumeraries dressed in matching costumes that Broadway can only envy. I remember seeing a new cardinal marching… Read more »
Oy! I’m listening to this week’s podcast while typing this, and I have to applaud how you handled the caller. Don’t let the bastards get you down.
Best episode ever. I still don’t understand why on a nearly all god channel there aren’t more people calling to give it the old college try to make god sound reasonable. Calls like that make the show infinitely more entertaining for me. I know some people don’t enjoy the antagonism, but I find it far more enjoyable than “preaching to the choir”. I really hope more people crawl out of the woodwork now. My favorite two bits of maria-ness were, 1) when she claimed she didn’t like talking with atheists because they get angry. You didn’t even raise your voice.… Read more »
I just had to comment on the last podcast, where the caller Maria said that atheist’s where being “Taken to task” by Christians like KIRK CAMERON!!! That comment is priceless!!! I laughed out loud and got more then a few looks for it. And her theory that Darwin was a prophet of god is pathetic! Keep up the good work people!