The Humanist Hour

We act sometimes as though we think women are new to the freethought movement, to atheist and humanist leadership. We're not. We've been here all along, and we've never gone away. Our history has just sat in boxes, disregarded where it hasn't been thrown away altogether. Our stories have gone untold. This week's guest, Vickie Stangl, did something about that. In her book, Etta Semple: Kansas Freethinker and "Ideal" Woman, she took that history out of the archives and made it live. Etta Semple was the founder of the Kansas Freethought Association and a leader of both that organization and the American Secular Union. She started the Freethought Idea newspaper to challenge the ideas of a nation and managed to do it so successfully that she received death threats and a probable attempt on her life. Semple is far too interesting to be lost to history. This week, Vickie Stangl joins Peggy Knudtson to talk about the book and about what we need to know to protect Semple's legacy.

The Humanists of Houston are American Humanist Association's largest local chapter and they're on pace to become the largest secular movement Meetup group very shortly. They've achieved that growth largely through reaching out to groups that we don't often see at humanist meetings, through executing strategies that some people try to tell us will drive people away. This week, Vic Wang, president of Humanists of Houston, and Benita Malone, volunteer coordinator, join the Humanist Hour to talk about embracing diversity and social justice, making meetings and volunteer opportunities welcoming to younger members, implementing a code of conduct, and adopting a transparency that's radical for local groups.

We tend to think of the process of converting from one religion to another as a religious experience, but how much of that reflects the outlook of the people who usually talk about conversion? When author Susan Jacoby set out to explore conversion from the perspective of an atheist, she found, by contrast, that many if not most religious conversions are undertaken for frankly pragmatic reasons. From politics to position in society, she details many of the reasons people convert in her latest book, Strange Gods: A Secular History of Conversion. This week, she joins Peggy Knudtson to talk about the book and what the current political season tells us about the influence of religion on the hearts, minds, and ballots of Americans.

"Interfaith" is not a word that comes easily to all humanists. Even more difficult for some is the idea of partnering with religious leaders and believers to work together on the world's problems. However, a panel composed of humanist minister Rebecca Armstrong, past American Humanist Association president Mel Lipman, former AHA board member Paula Rochelle, and former AHA regional coordinator Ben Wade came together at the AHA's national conference in Chicago this past May to argue that we should. They tell us that interfaith work is both an opportunity and responsibility that at least some humanists should pick up. This podcast features audio from that panel presentation.

If anyone in today's secular movement should require no introduction, it's Annie Laurie Gaylor, co-founder and now co-president of the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF). Fresh off a speech this past weekend at the Women in Secularism conference about her mother, Anne Nicol Gaylor, Annie Laurie joins us to talk more about her mother's accomplishments. She talks to us about how feminism requires secularism and how FFRF is carrying on Anne Nicol's outspoken legacy.

Today's adolescent humanists in the U.S. aren't the first generation of young people to be raised in a nonreligious philosophy. They are, however, the largest in modern times here – and the demographic shift means the generations that follow will likely be even larger. That means it's time for us to pay attention to the challenges and opportunities faced by teenaged humanists. At the American Humanist Association's annual conference in Chicago this past May, the AHA convened a panel of familiar names. At least the last names of the panelists were familiar. This was a new set of humanists, however, the teen-aged children of humanist leaders and other longtime humanists. They came together to discuss the challenges of being a minority among their religious peers, charting their own paths, and finding ways to live up to their humanitarian ideals. We're sharing audio from that panel this week.

Skepticon is an unusual conference in several ways. It started as a student-run event that survived its founders' graduation. It's an independent event, run as its own nonprofit organization. It's a free conference and vows to remain that way. In any given year, roughly half its speakers are women. It's held in a smaller city in the middle of the country in a very religious area. It attracts a younger audience on average, many of whom bring their families. It blends religious skepticism with what proponents call scientific skepticism with a minimum of friction. In short, Skepticon meets many of the demographic and other challenges the secular and skeptical movements have identified. It's no surprise, then, that it's the largest annual conference in either of these movements. This week, we talk with Skepticon co-founder and president Lauren Lane about Skepticon's past and its future. We talk about its history of innovation, and what’s changing this year. Lauren will tell you what you can expect at this year's Skepticon, November 11-13, 2016. We'll also laugh rather a lot.

We like to say that we’re “good without a god,” but the fact of the matter is that we’re not always very organized about it. One of the good things organized religion has introduced to the world is ways to encourage giving and volunteering to help those in need. Foundation Beyond Belief is a secular nonprofit organization that provides a similar structure to help those of us who have left religion or who never had religion in the first place when we want to give. Noelle George is the executive director of Foundation Beyond Belief and the former head of the Beyond Belief Network, Foundation Beyond Belief's program that supports secular volunteers across the country. She joins us this week to discuss the history of the organization, its various programs, and how people can contribute time, money, or word of mouth to Foundation Beyond Belief. She also talks about the matching grant that American Humanist Association is offering this month to support the Humanist Service Corps' work in Ghana.

When Callie Wright came out as a trans woman in 2013, there weren't a lot of queer voices in the secular movement that focused on issues affecting queer people. She set out to change that. With her partner in crime Ari Stillman, she now runs The Gaytheist Manifesto podcast and the blog of the same name. She is also co-chair of the American Humanist Association's LGBTQ Humanist Alliance. Callie joins Jenn Wilson this week to talk about founding the podcast and its mission to support the LGBTQ community within the secular movement. They discuss Callie's outlook on activism, her goals for the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance, and even a recent controversy in LGBTQ media representation. After we hear from Callie and Jenn, we'll also give you a quick sample of the work Callie does educating humanists at conferences.

Any year in which we have the first female major party presumptive nominee for president is going to be a busy one in feminist politics. Beyond Hillary Clinton, however, there's still plenty going on in current political discourse that's of interest to feminists. From the misogyny of Donald Trump to the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion, we have a lot to talk about. To cover these topics—as well as Clinton's rise to nominee—Stephanie Zvan talks this week with Amanda Marcotte, a political writer for Salon with more than a decade of experience covering these kinds of topics. Listen and catch up on the presidential campaigns, online discourse, and the state of abortion rights. (Marcotte photo by Brian Engler)

This year, the American Humanist Association's Appignani Humanist Legal Center celebrates a decade of service. The center provides legal assistance to defend the constitutional rights of religious and secular minorities by directly challenging clear violations of the Establishment Clause and seeking equal rights for humanists, atheists and other freethinkers. Through a combination of staff and pro bono attorneys, the center engages in amicus activity, litigation, and other legal advocacy. This May, at the American Humanist Association's annual conference, David Niose, legal director for the center, and Monica Miller, senior counsel, spoke about the center. They talked about its victories and challenges, and the cases in front of it today. Their discussion is presented here for those interested in the mission of the Appignani Humanist Legal Center. It has been modified slightly for this format, and the question and answer period has been truncated. To hear the full Q&A, please watch the panel video on the American Humanist Association's YouTube channel.

In spring of 2012, the secular movement was a different place for women. We were grossly underrepresented on stage, in print, and in the membership of our organizations. In a movement that prides itself on asking questions, the people asking why this under-representation was happening were being shouted down. The Center for Inquiry's (CFI) Women in Secularism conference in Washington, D.C. was created to address these problems. The brain child of Melody Hensley, the conference featured a weekend of only women speakers, and it changed the movement. This week, Stephanie Zvan talks to Debbie Goddard, Director of Outreach at CFI and Director of African Americans for Humanism, about the history of the conference and what people can look forward to this year. Debbie is organizing the fourth Women in Secularism conference, taking place September 23–25, 2016. Stephanie also talks with Monette Richards, president of CFI Northeast Ohio and co-president of Secular Woman, an organization that was born at the first Women in Secularism conference. We'll catch up on what it's been up to, as well as its hopes and plans for the future.

"So you're an atheist. Now what? The way we deal with life—with love and sex, pleasure and death, reality and making stuff up—can change dramatically when we stop believing in gods, souls, and afterlives. When we leave religion—or if we never had it in the first place—where do we go? With her unique blend of compassion and humor, thoughtfulness and snark, Greta Christina most emphatically does not propose a single path to a good atheist life. She offers questions to think about, ideas that may be useful, and encouragement to choose your own way. She addresses complex issues in an accessible, down-to-earth style, including: Why we're here, Sexual transcendence, How humanism helps with depression—except when it doesn’t, Stealing stuff from religion, and much more. Aimed at new and not-so-new atheists, questioning and curious believers, Christina shines a warm, fresh light on the only life we have." That's the publisher's blurb for Greta Christina's new book, The Way of the Heathen: Practicing Atheism in Everyday Life. This book is a distillation of more than a decade of thinking and writing about atheism. Greta joins us on this week's show to talk with Peggy Knudtson and Jenn Wilson about how the book came to be and why she's been wanting to write this particular one for so long.

Just before the American Humanist Association's 75th Anniversary Conference a couple of weeks ago, the organization announced that it was launching a new Black Humanist Alliance and the revamped and revitalized Feminist Humanist Alliance and LGBTQ Humanist Alliance. Stephanie Zvan caught up with several alliance advisory council members at and after the conference. In this show, we bring you the first of those interviews. Andy Semler is a trans nonbinary activist working in rural Indiana. They are a new member of the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance with a special interest in homelessness in the trans community. Heina Dadabhoy is a nonbinary writer and speaker who is new to organizational secular activism. They are part of the Feminist Humanist Alliance, looking forward to broadening our ideas on reproductive justice. Diane Burkholder is an HIV and Black Lives Matter activist out of Kansas City. She's one of the new co-chairs of the LGBTQ Humanist Alliance, working to get us looking past marriage equality.

Art has the potential to reach people in ways no simple argument can. As such, it's always been harnessed for activist pursuits. From design that adds impact to a message, to providing the sugar coating on an educational pill, to telling us stories we need to hear – activism needs art. Humanist activism is no exception. On this week's show, we talk to two artists whose art exists for far more than art's sake. Stephanie Zvan talks to Josiah Mannion about his photography and his motto, "I take pictures of humans. This is my Humanism." Later, Kim Ellington talks with Baba Brinkman about his album "The Rap Guide to Religion" and about having his work peer-reviewed by scientists. (Photo of Josiah courtesy of Lindsey Ford)

Of all the recent "religious freedom" legislation passed around the country, perhaps none is so restrictive as North Carolina's "Act to Provide for Single-sex Multiple Occupancy Bathroom and Changing Facilities in Schools and Public Agencies and to Create Statewide Consistency in Regulation of Employment and Public Accommodations". The short version of the bill's name is the "Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act," but it quickly became infamous as HB2. Passed as a response to a non-discrimination ordinance enacted by the city of Charlotte, HB2 removed the protections under that law and others like it, attempted to redefine "sex" under the law, and barred transgender people from using restrooms on state property that conform to their gender. The legal and economic consequences to North Carolina were swift, but so far, neither the legislature nor the governor shows any willingness to overturn the bill. On this week's show, Jenn Wilson and Peggy Knudtson talk to Chris Brook, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina, about the ACLU's suit against the state. Peggy Knudtson and Stephanie Zvan also speak with Danielle White, a transgender activist engaging in civil disobedience against HB2.

David Cobb is a lawyer and co-founder of Move to Amend, a coalition dedicated to winning a constitutional amendment to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights. He has sued corporate polluters, lobbied elected officials, run for political office himself, and been arrested for non-violent civil disobedience. He believes we must use every tool available to effect the systemic social change we so desperately need. In 2002, David ran for Attorney General of Texas, pledging to use the office to revoke the charters of corporations that repeatedly violate health, safety, and environmental laws. In 2004, he ran for President of the United States on the Green Party ticket and successfully campaigned for the Ohio recount. At the AHA’s 2015 Annual Conference in Denver, David discussed the legal doctrine of "corporate constitutional rights" and the idea that money should be treated as speech. He contended that these illegitimate, irrational, court-created concepts have allowed a small ruling elite to hijack the social, political, and economic institutions of this country. He described the growing efforts of Move to Amend, a multi-racial, multi-ethnic, intergenerational mass movement demanding a constitutional amendment to abolish these doctrines. David also made the case that humanists are uniquely positioned to attack and discredit these concepts. He provided concrete ways members of the AHA might get involved as individuals or through their existing local chapters. In this week's show, we bring you the audio from David's speech to introduce him and his ideas to a broader audience.

This year is a special one for the American Humanist Association – it marks 75 years since our founding. To celebrate, our annual conference returns to the AHA's original home of Chicago this May 26–29 with lots to do for everyone. In addition to being AHA's Director of Development and Communications, Maggie Ardiente also organizes AHA's annual conference. She took time this week out of her busy schedule to talk to us about the history of the conference, what attendees can expect, how to make the most of your conference experience, and the kinds of political considerations that go into creating a conference like this.

"We show up so you don't have to." That's the tagline for the Oh No, Ross and Carrie podcast. If you've ever wanted to get out and experience all the world's weirdness for yourself, this podcast might not be for you. If, however, you've been dying to have other people put themselves through that and then tell you about it, you're in the right place. Skeptics Ross Blocher and Carrie Poppy are ready to experience it all (or almost all) for you and share all the best stories afterward. On this week's Humanist Hour, Carrie and Ross join us to talk about how they got started, the roles compassion and honesty play in their skepticism, and a few of their favorite episodes. They also tell us just what they are and aren't willing to do for an episode.

Gene Roddenberry was openly humanist, and his best-known creation, Star Trek, reflects his views in many ways. Our guests this week talk about how Star Trek informed their humanism and how they use the show to educate others about humanism. Susan Sackett became Roddenberry's executive assistant in the mid-1970s and a humanist shortly thereafter. She contributed story ideas for two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and worked with Roddenberry until his death. She joins us to talk about her career with Roddenberry, working with some of the Star Trek original series actors, and her career in humanism after Roddenberry's death. Sackett also serves on the AHA Board of Directors. Scott Lohman is the former president of the Humanists of Minnesota and a self-professed “serious geek.” He runs Diversicon, a science fiction convention in Minnesota, and gives presentations on humanist principles using examples from Star Trek. He joins us to talk about teaching Star Trek to children at Camp Quest.

Over the past year or so, the American Humanist Association has been making changes to reflect its commitment to social justice. These changes can be found in the pages of The Humanist magazine and the words of its leaders. Change can also be found more recently in the announcement that Sincere Kirabo would be stepping into the role of the AHA's social justice coordinator. This week, we welcome Sincere back to the show. He speaks with Peggy Knudtson and Jenn Wilson about his new role, what social justice and intersectionality mean, and the ways that social media can be used to further the cause of social justice.

On this week's show, Stephanie Zvan interviews Dr. Bethany "SciCurious" Brookshire about effective strategies for convincing people of scientific truths, the common mistakes we make when we set out to teach people about science. Brookshire recently co-edited Science Blogging: The Essential Guide. For nearly a decade, former neuroscientist Dr. Bethany Brookshire has been writing about science for online audiences. Best known to science-blogging fans as "SciCurious," Dr. Brookshire writes about – among other topics – neurotransmitters (the chemicals that make our brains run), evaluating scientific results in context, rats in tiny pants, and duck penises. You can't forget the duck penises.

In this week's show, Stephanie Zvan introduces interviewer Peggy Knudtson, and Peggy and Jenn Wilson talk to Justin Scott about his work to get politicians on record on the separation of church and state. As an Iowan, activist, and atheist, Justin Scott has had a unique opportunity to represent nontheists in the political process. The timing of the Iowa caucuses means that 2016 presidential candidates spend a lot of time answering questions from average citizens, and Scott has used this opportunity to press the candidates on church-state separation and issues of religious privilege. His YouTube videos of the candidate's answers have propelled the debate over religion in the public sphere into the headlines.

In this episode, Jenn Wilson introduces our new producer, Stephanie Zvan, and Kim Ellington talks to Frank Edwards, Ronald F. Murphy, Cheryl Abram, and Darrell Smith – authors who presented at the Black Nonbelievers fifth anniversary celebration in Atlanta last month. On January 16, 2016, Black Nonbelievers from all over gathered together in Atlanta to celebrate the organization’s five year anniversary. One of the day's panels focused on black atheist and humanist authors. Kim Ellington attended the anniversary celebration and took the opportunity to talk to these panelists. --- Frank Edwards is the author of the Jupiter Strong series, books designed for children and parents. The focus of this series was to showcase images of African people in dignifying terms and rebuild family values. From our series, children will learn critical thinking skills, self love, communal responsibility and have fun doing it! --- Ronald F. Murphy, one of three children born to Raymond and Catherine Murphy, was raised in the quiet town of Maplewood, New Jersey. Having parents as educators, his upbringing was layered with the clichéd notions that education is the key to a better future, and moreover a necessity for acceptance in our modern society. Thus, it was Mr. Murphy’s inquisitive nature and desire for learning that bred in him a healthy skepticism and ultimately led to his pragmatic search for answers to life’s biggest questions. --- Cheryl Abram was born in 1975 in Houma, Louisiana. She is a mother of four and currently lives in Northern Virginia. A graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington D.C. she holds a Master's degree in Social Work and a Master's of Science in Quality Systems Management. A life-long learner, Cheryl is an Army veteran working as a learning and development specialist in a federal government agency in Washington DC. Firing God is Cheryl's memoir of her "leap of doubt" that led her to fire God. --- Darrell Smith is an educator, author, writer, lecturer, and atheist advocate. When he came out atheist to his children, they told him he couldn't be an atheist because there were no black atheist. You Are Not Alone was Darrell's answer to that charge.

In this episode, Bo Bennett has a conversation with Dr. Michael Britt about the genre of books and programs known as “self-help,” a roughly $11 billion industry. As Bo says, the self-help movement is not much different from many religious movements, and, like many religions, self-help does have some good things to offer. The key is to be knowledgeable in this area and to think critically. Bo’s guest, Michael Britt, has a Ph.D. in psychology from The State University of New York at Albany (specialization in social and industrial/organizational psychology). He is an adjunct professor in psychology and runs the most popular psychology podcast, The Psych Files.

In this episode, Kim Ellington welcomes new Humanist Hour co-host Jenn Wilson to the podcast and they both speak with author Dr. Mark Smith about his new book, "Secular Faith: How Culture Has Trumped Religion in American Politics." Mark A. Smith provocatively argues that religion is not nearly the unchanging conservative influence in American politics that we have come to think it is. In fact, in the long run, religion is best understood as responding to changing political and cultural values rather than shaping them. Smith makes his case by charting five contentious issues in America’s history: slavery, divorce, homosexuality, abortion, and women’s rights. For each, he shows how the political views of even the most conservative Christians evolved in the same direction as the rest of society—perhaps not as swiftly, but always on the same arc. During periods of cultural transition, Christian leaders do resist prevailing values and behaviors, but those same leaders inevitably acquiesce—often by reinterpreting the Bible—if their positions become no longer tenable. Secular ideas and influences thereby shape the ways Christians read and interpret their scriptures.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Associate Professor of Sociology Ryan T. Cragun about the sociology of religion. Are religious people more generous than the non-religious? Smarter? Better looking? (Actually, we don’t ask that last one) Ryan T. Cragun is a husband, father, and sociologist of religion (in order of importance). Originally from Utah, he now lives in Florida and works at the University of Tampa. His research and writing focuses on religion, with an emphasis on Mormonism and the nonreligious. His research has been published in a variety of academic journals, including: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Sociology of Religion, Nova Religio, Journal of Religion and Health, and Journal of Contemporary Religion. When he's not working, he's spending time with his wife and son, watching science fiction, hiking, playing soccer, or tinkering with FOSS, Gnu/Linux, or computer hardware. Cragun is the author of two books: What You Don’t Know About Religion (but Should) (2013), and How to Defeat Religion in 10 Easy Steps: A Toolkit for Secular Activists (2015).

In this episode, Kim Ellington speaks with author and activist Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson about her latest book, "White Nights, Black Paradise", and the state of race in America today. Later, Peggy Knudtson speaks with Dr. Richard Carrier about the “evidence” of miracles. Dr. Sikivu Hutchinson is an American feminist, atheist and author. She is the author of "Godless Americana: Race and Religious Rebels" (2013), "Moral Combat: Black Atheists, Gender Politics, and the Values Wars" (2011), and "Imagining Transit: Race, Gender, and Transportation Politics in Los Angeles (Travel Writing Across the Disciplines)" (2003). Moral Combat is the first book on atheism to be published by an African-American woman. In 2013 she was named Secular Woman of the year. Dr. Richard Carrier is a world-renowned author and speaker. As a professional historian, published philosopher, and prominent defender of the American freethought movement, Dr. Carrier has appeared across the U.S., Canada and the U.K., and on American television and London radio, defending sound historical methods and the ethical worldview of secular naturalism.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with author Dr. Daniel Everett. Dr. Everett is an American author and academic best known for his study of the Amazon Basin's Pirahã people and their language. He serves as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Daniel L. (Dan) Everett holds a ScD and a Masters of Linguistics from the Universidade Estadual in Campinas (UNICAMP), both based upon years of field research among the Pirahã people of the Brazilian Amazon jungle. He taught as an instructor and later Assistant Professor at UNI-CAMP, 1981-1986, until leaving Brazil to return to the USA. He next was appointed full professor of linguistics and anthropology at the University of Pittsburgh, where he also chaired the Department of Linguistics until 1999. At that time, Dan moved to the Amazon to live the majority of the next three years in the jungle among the Pirahãs. He left the jungle when the University of Manchester, England, offered him the position of Professor of Phonetics and Phonology.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with comedian Stewart Huff about the joys and pains of performing liberal, secular comedy across the country, especially in places that aren’t so, well… liberal or secular. Stewart Huff was born in Campbellsville, Kentucky and grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has been performing comedy for over 15 years, beginning when he decided to drop out of college to become a writer. Currently touring theatres, comedy clubs and special events across the country, Huff reaches past the norm for his genuine — and genuinely unexpected — comedy. His knack for embracing the foibles of humanity and his refreshing originality make him as likeable as he is hilarious. A storyteller at heart, Huff continues to amaze with his clever material and personal wit. Huff has performed in comedy clubs nationally and internationally, including the Improv in Los Angeles and New York, the Punchline in Atlanta and the Funny Bone in Omaha, as well as countless others. A finalist in the 2006 Boston Comedy Festival, Huff was also invited to perform in the HBO Las Vegas Festival, where his act can be viewed on pay-per-view. He currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his girlfriend. There he drops off the various items he collects while on the road, including an antique barber chair, countless vintage photographs, and an extensive collection of LP’s. She likes this. He is featured in the documentary Road Comics: Big Work on Small Stages, which was released in Fall 2009.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Mark W. Gura, a Secular Buddhist, humanist, and freethinker. They talk about a “woo-free” version of mediation and spirituality. Mark W. Gura has more than 20 years of experience in practicing mindfulness meditation. He is the Executive Director of the nonprofit Association of Mindfulness Meditation and Secular Buddhism. He is also an atheist, humanist, freethinker and practitioner of vipassana, a mindfulness meditation technique that was developed more than 2,500 years ago and does not require faith in gurus, religion, God(s), or the supernatural.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Peggy Knudtson speak with author James A, Lindsay about his new book, Everybody is Wrong About God. Later, Kim Ellington speaks with Derek Colanduno, director of the Skeptical track at DragonCon. James A. Lindsay is an author and outspoken atheist voice who holds degrees in physics and mathematics, including a doctorate in the latter. Motivated by a love of knowledge and learning, along with his life experience of growing up and living in the Southeastern United States--on the buckle of the Bible Belt, as they say--he writes and speaks in an attempt to clarify our religious and cultural landscape and by doing so to help heal the related harms.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Dr. David Kyle Johnson about his new book, "The Myths that Stole Christmas: Seven Misconceptions that Hijacked the Holiday (and How We Can Take It Back)". Later, Humanist Hour correspondent Patty Traynor interviews Kevin Davis, executive director of Young Skeptics. Dr. David Kyle Johnson is an associate professor of philosophy at King’s College in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and is also a professor for The Great Courses. His courses include Exploring Metaphysics (2014) and The Big Questions of Philosophy (2016). In addition to being the author of The Myths that Stole Christmas, he also blogs for Psychology Today, has written and edited extensively for Wiley-Blackwell’s Philosophy and Pop Culture series, and has a popular Authors@Google talk on the movie Inception. He has published work in journals such as Religious Studies, Sophia, Philo, Think, and Science, Religion and Culture regarding metaphysics and philosophy of religion. Kevin Davis is the head writer and editor at DividedUnderGod.com, and the author of "Understanding an Atheist: A Practical Guide to Relating to Nonbelievers", a book aimed at improving relationships between the religious and their atheist loved ones.

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Dr. Abby Hafer live, in studio, about her new book, "The Not-So-Intelligent Designer: Why Evolution Explains the Human Body and Intelligent Design Does Not." Dr. Hafer is a speaker, writer, and humorist who particularly loves taking about Intelligent Design & Creationism, the politics surrounding them, and science denialism in general. A few years ago she realized that Intelligent Design is a political pressure group, not a scientific issue. With this figured out, she realized that what we need are political-style arguments in defense of evolution. Her presentations contain bulletproof science, and she uses humor to puncture bad arguments. Crucial questions are raised, such as, “Why do men's testicles have such a bad location?” and, “Who does God like better, us—or squid?” She finds that once she mentions testicles, everybody pays attention. Dr. Hafer has given talks at the American Humanist Association’s Annual Conferences in 2009 and 2011, and at the American Atheists' 50th Anniversary Conference in 2013. She has a doctorate in zoology from Oxford University, and teaches human anatomy and physiology at Curry College in Milton, MA.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Amanda Knief, the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, touching on several issues relating to law and politics. Later, correspondent Gina James interviews Joe Dougherty about the militarization of American law enforcement and the psychological effect it can have on police officers and civilians. Amanda Knief is a public policy and constitutional expert on religious freedom and civil liberties. She is the author of The Citizen Lobbyist: A How-to Manual for Making Your Voice Heard in Government. Knief has a JD from Drake University Law School and a BS in journalism and science communication from Iowa State University. She has previously worked as a legal counsel and legislative drafter for the Iowa Legislature and the lobbyist for the Secular Coalition for America. Currently, she serves as the National Legal and Public Policy Director for American Atheists, where she directs policy advocacy, legal strategy, and serves and In-House Counsel.

In this episode, Bo Bennett teams up with guest co-host Peggy Knudtson at FREEFLO in Orlando, Florida for a live Humanist Hour recording. They begin with Woo Jeopardy, featuring an all-star panel of contestants including Matt Dillahunty, Seth Andrews, and Sarah Morehead. Keep listening for a religious jokes contest followed by a “wackiest beliefs” contest! FREEFLO is the annual conference of the Florida Humanist Association.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington speak with Dr. Peter Boghossian about the “Regressive Left,” safe spaces, trigger warnings, and what appears to be an alarming change in American university culture. Dr. Peter Boghossian’s main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 20 years and 30 thousand students – in prisons, hospitals, public and private schools, seminaries, colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, and small businesses. His fundamental objective is to teach people how to think through what often seem to be intractable problems. Dr. Boghossian’s primary research areas are critical thinking and moral reasoning. His doctoral research studies, funded by the State of Oregon and supported by the Oregon Department of Corrections, consisted of using the Socratic method to help prison inmates to increase their critical thinking and moral reasoning abilities and to increase their desistance to criminal behavior.

In this episode, Bo Bennett speaks with Guy P. Harrison about his latest book, Good Thinking: What You Need to Know to be Smarter, Safer, Wealthier, and Wiser. Later, Peggy Knudtson speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Jarman at The Skeptics of Oz conference about the art and science of debate. Guy P. Harrison has held numerous positions in the news industry, including editorial writer, world news editor, sports editor, photographer, page designer, and columnist. He is a veteran travel writer, having visited and written about more than 25 countries on five continents. He has also had some very rewarding jobs teaching history and science to bright kids.Guy holds a degree in history and anthropology from the University of South Florida. He has won many awards for his writing, including the World Health Organization Award for Health Reporting and the Commonwealth Media Award for Excellence in Journalism. Dr. Jeffrey Jarman teaches courses in strategic communications at Wichita State University’s Elliott School of Communication, including communication analysis and criticism, argumentation and advocacy, and various seminars on political communication.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Horus Gilgamesh, author of the "Awkward Moments (not found in your average) Children's Bible" series. From Horus’ website: Horus was raised Catholic before being "born again" in college when he began following a calling toward full-time ministry. Early on, his efforts were focused on youth evangelism and Biblical literacy around the world. When he was on a missions trip to Africa, a fearless young boy approached, pleading, "Chakula? Maji?" - the Swahili words for “food” and "water." Unfortunately, Horus had no food or water to offer the poor child – only Bibles. A few days later, Horus met a humanitarian relief worker from Spain who shared five simple words of wisdom that would change his life forever – "Empty stomachs have no ears." Horus realized that he was not meeting the very real needs of the people he was hoping to help – he was struggling to finding a purpose in his own life, as a self righteous servant of his Creator. To many Christians, the most important gift you could ever give to a man is a chance at eternal life through the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Living Water. But what about this life? There are billions who would give anything for a drink of regular old H2O. Over the years, Horus became more interested in critical needs and social justice initiatives, helping those at risk of severe poverty, disease, or violence. The pain and suffering he saw first hand led him to be more and more troubled by God's apparent disregard for the children of His creation. This led Horus to years of re-studying the Bible for himself, away from the "rose-colored" teachings of any church or seminary. He never returned.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Margaret Placentra Johnston, author of the book 'Faith Beyond Belief.' From Margaret’s Patheos blog: While the word spirituality can mean many different things to different people, on this site we consider it less as a supernatural (and perhaps escapist) concept, and more about living more authentically in this life. Rather than sequester herself away on a mountain-top, a spiritual person as I am using the word, involves herself fully in the world, faces its questions and problems honestly and directly and does what she can to help out. Specifically the term spiritual development, as used on this site, refers to the intention to move forward spiritually in three ways – Spiritual strength, spiritual maturity and spiritual courage. If you would welcome a broader perspective about religious belief versus nonbelief, please join me here for a bird’s eye view of the unitive and non-literal belief stance that often develops in true spiritual maturity.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington discuss discovering meaning and purpose with Gleb Tsipursky, co-founder and chief insights officer at Intentional Insights. From his bio at IntentionalInsights.org: Gleb's passion for helping people use science to find purpose and meaning, evaluate reality rationally, and make effective decisions to led him and his wife, Agnes Vishnevkin, to co-found Intentional Insights in the Spring of 2014. Since that time, Gleb has collaborated with a group of like-minded enthusiasts to translate complex academic research on rational thinking and emotional intelligence into pragmatic tools and strategies relevant to a broad public. He was always excited about studying and promoting such ideas, leading him to get a PhD in history, and to research and teach students about meaning and purpose, decision making, emotions, and agency in various historical contexts. As a historian, he is in the fortunate position of having scholarly expertise in combining research from many different fields into a cohesive whole, and translation of this information for a broad audience. Gleb currently holds a tenure-track professorship at The Ohio State University as a faculty in the History Department and a member of the Behavioral Decision-Making Initiative there. He is also a member of the International Network on Personal Meaning.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews social justice comedian and advocate Sam Killermann on gender issues, feminism, humanism, and intolerance. Also, find out how NOT to make small talk with Bo! Sam loves and appreciates all people, and hopes to someday live in a world where everyone shares those views and we all stop being jerks. He uses humor as a “social lubricant” to put people at ease confronting difficult issues, drawing on his master’s education in college student development from Bowling Green State University and his eight years of experience working stand-up comedian for guidance. Sam is a dedicated ally and advocate for social justice. Ultimately, he would prefer shows and websites like “It’s Pronounced Metrosexual” to become unnecessary and irrelevant, even at the cost of his dream job. Unfortunately, we have a long way to go before he has to worry about that.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews author Benjamin Radford about his book, "Scientific Para-normal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries." Ben is deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer science magazine and a Research Fellow with the non-profit educational organization the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. He has written over a thousand articles on a wide variety of topics, including urban legends, the paranormal, critical thinking, and media literacy. He is author of six books: "Hoaxes, Myths, and Manias: Why We Need Critical Thinking" (with sociologist Robert Bartholomew); "Media Mythmakers: How Journalists, Activists, and Advertisers Mislead Us," examining the ways in which deception is used in various media to influence decision making and public policy; "Lake Monster Mysteries: Investigating the World’s Most Elusive Creatures" (with Joe Nickell), a scientific examination of lake monsters around the world; "Scientific Paranormal Investigation: How to Solve Unexplained Mysteries;" "Tracking the Chupacabra: The Vampire Beast in Fact, Fiction, and Folklore" and "The Martians Have Landed! A History of Media-Driven Panics and Hoaxes" (with Robert Bartholomew).

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews author Marshall Brain about his book, "How 'God' Works: A Logical Inquiry on Faith". From the book description: "Does God exist? Using an intellectually rigorous, scientific approach, Marshall Brain—the founder of HowStuffWorks.com and author of the How Stuff Works series—sets out to resolve the eternal debate once and for all. With a compelling sense of curiosity, he breaks down mankind's search for a higher power, tackling such quandaries as: Who is God? What are his attributes? What is God doing and why? How does God interact with humanity? And ultimately, how can humans know with certainty whether God is real or imaginary? 'How God Works' is an enlightening journey in critical thinking that challenges readers to boldly approach the subject of personal faith and put aside intuition in favor of objectivity and logic." Marshall Brain is best known as the founder of HowStuffWorks.com, and is the bestselling author of the How Stuff Works book series. He has appeared on Oprah, Dr. Oz, Good Morning America, CNN, Modern Marvels, and in many other media outlets to apply his signature approach to unraveling the mysteries of life. He is also the host of the National Geographic Channel's "Factory Floor with Marshall Brain". He lives in Cary, North Carolina.

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview Ian Dodd and Amy Boyle from the Sunday Assembly in Los Angeles, CA. They talk how it got started, what it is, what it is not, and how they are keeping it going strong. From SundayAssemblyLA.org: Sunday Assembly Los Angeles is a new godless community that meets monthly to hear great talks, connect for service projects, sing songs and generally celebrate life. Assemblies are free to attend, and everyone is welcome. The Sunday Assembly: 1) Is 100% celebration of life. We are born from nothing and go to nothing. Let’s en-joy it together. 2) Has no doctrine. We have no set texts so we can make use of wisdom from all sources. 3) Has no deity. We don’t do supernatural but we also won’t tell you you’re wrong if you do. 4) Is radically inclusive. Everyone is welcome, regardless of their beliefs – this is a place of love that is open and accepting. 5) Is free to attend, not-for-profit and volunteer run. We ask for donations to cover our costs and support our community work. 6) Has a community mission. Through our Action Heroes (you!), we will be a force for good. 7) Is independent. We do not accept sponsorship or promote outside businesses, organizations or services. 8) Is here to stay. With your involvement, The Sunday Assembly will make the world a better place. 9) We won’t tell you how to live, but will try to help you do it as well as you can. 10) And remember point 1… The Sunday Assembly is a celebration of the one life we know we have.

This is a special live presentation episode of a presentation on positive humanism, given by Bo Bennett to the Concord Humanists in Concord, MA on December 3, 2014. What is positive humanism? Positive humanism is an applied humanistic philosophy based on the scientific findings of positive psychology that focuses on personal, professional, and societal flourishing. Translation: As an applied philosophy it offers practical solutions to increase well-being. As a humanistic philosophy, there are no appeals to the supernatural, the magical, or the mystical—the philosophy is founded on reason and critical thinking. The philosophy is science-based, meaning it is void of the unsupported and/or exaggerated claims and the constant confusing of correlation with causality often found in the self-help genre. The philosophy is grounded in the theories of positive psychology, which is the study of the other side of the mental health spectrum—human thriving. The philosophy focuses on concrete strategies to help individuals in all areas of personal growth and professional success, primarily through being of prosocial acts and through distributed kindness. Bo’s Links: Positive Humanism: http://www.positivehumanism.com About Bo: http://www.bobennett.com Twitter: @bobennett

In this episode, Kim Ellington interviews Sincere Kirabo, continuing the conversation from last week. Kirabo is a Board Member with Black Nonbelievers and a Regional Director for American Atheists. He has an insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding, and interested only in the cerebral. Kirabo’s hope is to dissect every observation, grasp the fundamentals of executing knowledge in his daily walk, and question the very fabric of reality. Kirabo on Skepticism: "Skepticism goes beyond doubt or disbelief. It is not close-mindedness or being negative about every new or controversial idea. Skepticism is a process of critical thinking and analyzing evidence to determine the validity of a hypothesis. It is a rational and an open-minded process to find a conclusion that is supported by evidence. It is not used to justify preconception. It is not used to irrationally reject evidence based on a personal desire for only one conclusion."

In this episode, Bo Bennett and Kim Ellington interview James Croft, humanist activist involved in the events unfolding in Ferguson, MO. James Croft is the Leader in Training at the Ethical Culture Society of St. Louis - one of the largest humanist congregations in the world. He is a graduate of Cambridge and Harvard Universities, and is currently writing his doctoral dissertation as a student at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a public speaker, teacher, and a passionate activist for human rights. James was raised on Shakespeare, Sagan and Star Trek, and is a proud, gay humanist. His upcoming book "The Godless Congregation", co-authored with New York Times bestselling author Greg Epstein, is being published by Simon & Schuster.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews entertainer and career skeptic Brian Brushwood. Brian is an American magician, podcaster, author, lecturer and comedian. He is known for the series Scam School, a show where he teaches the audience entertaining tricks at bars so they can "scam" a free drink from their friends. In addition to Scam School Brushwood co-hosts the podcasts Weird Things, Too Long Didn't Listen, Cordkillers and Night Attack. Brushwood is also a regular guest on the This Week in Tech podcast. Brushwood performs his Bizarre Magic stage show across the United States and is the author of six books. Brushwood has appeared on national television numerous times including on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, CNN and Food Network. From Brian’s website: Ever wonder how those guys on TV seem to talk to the dead? What about ESP and psychic surgery? How do street scams and cons work? Want to know how YOU can trick your friends into believing you have psychic powers? As a magician, Brian’s wise to all the tricks used by frauds, tricksters, and scam artists …and now he’s ready to take YOU to scam school. This is no ordinary lecture: we’re talking hands-on experiments, a live performance of psychic surgery, free giveaways of cash and prizes, and all the secrets TV psychics DON’T want you to know.

In this episode, Bo Bennett interviews Kevin deLaplante, philosophy and religious studies professor at Iowa State University. They discuss several aspects of critical thinking, including it is so important in everyday life. From Dr. deLaplante’s website, Critical Thinking Academy: When I’m not working on the Academy I teach at Iowa State University in the Depart-ment of Philosophy & Religious Studies. I was Chair of that department from 2009-2013. My early training was in physics. In graduate school I focused my studies on the history and philosophy of science. Over the years I’ve taught courses on Introduction to Philosophy, Ethics, Symbolic Log-ic, Logic and Scientific Reasoning, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Physics, Phi-losophy of Biology, Philosophy of Ecology, Philosophy of Mathematics, and others. I’ve always had an interest in critical thinking, human (ir)rationality and the psychology of belief and judgment. The Academy is a place where I can indulge my interests in this area and share what I’ve learned with a broader audience.