When Harold Camping announced his calculated date for The Rapture to be May 22, rational people laughed at his certainty. We were also saddened that his deluded followers sold everything they owned and devoted their lives to spreading the word that the "End is Near." The rapture didn't happen, and Camping made excuses and decided that he meant that it will all happen in October of this year. But Camping is not the only crazy preacher out there, getting publicity by saying and writing outrageous things that no sane person would accept.
Freelance writer Ed Brayton, who writes at ScienceBlogs' Dispatches from the Culture Wars has been following and writing about religion and politics and highlighting the more stupid and insane conservative and fundamentalist preachers, priests, rabbis and imams. He and Greg Laden and I will highlight the funny, and yet scary people who use fear, bigotry religious certainty to attract followers, money and even influence public policy because of their fractured religious beliefs.
Greg Laden is a frequent guest on Atheists Talk, as well as a frequent interviewer. Greg is an evolutionary anthropologist and blogs at ScienceBlogs.
Atheists Talk is produced with funding from the Minnesota Atheists, the Humanists of Minnesota and the generous support of our members and donors. We also wish to thank Q. Cumbers restaurant for purchasing on-air advertising and for providing a great place to eat and gather.
Listen to AM 950 KTNF on Sunday at 9 a.m. Central to hear Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. Stream live online. Call in to the studio 952-946-6205, or send an e-mail to radio@mnatheists.org during the live show.
So, are we making inroads or not? Is skepticism spreading due to all the new media tools that we use in the 21st century? Desiree Schell, who produces the podcast "Skeptically Speaking" and Greg Laden will be bringing out the possibilities. We may be only reaching the already converted with our show and with Desiree's show, and other skeptic broadcasts; but even if so, there is always more to see, to hear and to learn about skepticism, atheism and humanism.
This episode will touch on a broad range of topics, including a preview of what Desiree will be talking about at this year's Skepchick track at CONvergence.
Desiree explores the connections between science and skepticism, and strategies for promoting critical thinking beyond the ranks of current skeptics. She is also known for delving into the slippery social issues surrounding skepticism. Her show has been near the forefront of conversations about gender issues in skepticism, and about “Skepticism 2.0’s” rebirth as a demographically broad social movement. “We really want to spread critical thinking to the broadest possible audience,” Desiree says. “In order to do that, we as skeptics need to discuss ways that we can make our message more inclusive.”
Greg Laden is a frequent guest on Atheists Talk, as well as a frequent interviewer. Greg is an evolutionary anthropologist and blogs at ScienceBlogs.
Atheists Talk is produced with funding from the Minnesota Atheists, the Humanists of Minnesota and the generous support of our members and donors. We also wish to thank Q. Cumbers restaurant for purchasing on-air advertising and for providing a great place to eat and gather.
Listen to AM 950 KTNF on Sunday at 9 a.m. Central to hear Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. Stream live online. Call in to the studio 952-946-6205, or send an e-mail to radio@mnatheists.org during the live show.
Choosing one's own death should be the right of every living person facing the process of a long, debilitating, painful terminal illness. Not everyone finds "dignity in suffering," and yet religions insist that the value of "life above all else" trumps individual choice. Eric MacDonald and his wife faced the decision in her choice to end her life. The government of Canada and the authorities of the Anglican Church, of which MacDonald was a priest, threw up legal roadblocks and threats if Elizabeth were to choose to terminate her own life in Canada.
Since his experience, Eric decided that the doubts he had been carrying about his religion could never be resolved considering the weight of the cruelty in not allowing Elizabeth to choose how she was to end her life. He has since become an outspoken atheist, defending the "New Atheists" against charges of shallow philosophy and a light understand of theology. He writes about his interpretations of Church authority and atheism at his blog.
Atheists Talk is produced with funding from the Minnesota Atheists, the Humanists of Minnesota and the generous support of our members and donors. We also wish to thank Q. Cumbers restaurant for purchasing on-air advertising and for providing a great place to eat and gather.
Today's show is produced by Mike Haubrich and Scott Lohman is the host.
Listen to AM 950 KTNF on Sunday at 9 a.m. Central to hear Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. Stream live online. Call in to the studio 952-946-6205, or send an e-mail to radio@mnatheists.org during the live show.
Jehovah's Witnesses are an offshoot of Christianity founded as a bible study group in the 1870's by Charles Taze Russell. They have since been evangelizing their unique view of the readings of the Bible all over the world and have grown to a membership, as they claim, of 7.5 million people worldwide. They believe that we have been in End Times since 1914, the year that the whole world went haywire as the end of the "Age of the Gentiles."
Leaving the Jehovah's Witnesses is a difficult process because of the tremendous pressure to remain. Once a member leaves, they are "shunned" by the society. Even family members; sisters, brothers, parents, children along with cousins and uncles and aunts will refuse to have contact with apostate JW's. James Zimmerman, our guest, is a former Jehovah's Witness who could not believe the tenets of the faith. His wife also left the church, and they are now members of the Minnesota Atheists.
James and I will talk about the beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses, how he came to question the faith and finally left it.
James is the editor the Minnesota Atheists newsletter, and frequent host of the Atheists Talk television show.
Atheists Talk is produced with funding from the Minnesota Atheists, the Humanists of Minnesota and the generous support of our members and donors. We also wish to thank Q. Cumbers restaurant for purchasing on-air advertising and for providing a great place to eat and gather.
Today's show is produced by Mike Haubrich and Scott Lohman is the host.
Listen to AM 950 KTNF on Sunday at 9 a.m. Central to hear Atheists Talk, produced by Minnesota Atheists. Stream live online. Call in to the studio 952-946-6205, or send an e-mail to radio@mnatheists.org during the live show.
