The Atheist Experience

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Dave Warnock is joined by Forrest Valkai!First up is Devon from CA who asks our hosts why tragedies, big or small, influence people’s position on the God belief either one way or the other? Why do bad things happen to good people, and vice versa?Next up is Daniel from NJ who recently had a conversation about evolution with their creationist father, and felt scientifically unequipped to rebut the creationist claims. Creationism itself is a claim that requires evidence, and the truth of evolution is entirely irrelevant to proving creationism.Gabe from KY acknowledges that since their deconversion from Mormonism, they have struggled to put the magical thinking they utilized while religious behind them and engage in critical, skeptical thinking. The caller wants advice on how to rectify this, and apply skeptical thinking practically.Patrick from FL claims Atheism is a faith. Is it faith to say “I don’t believe you,” to a claim? Patrick sure thinks so.Next is Timothy f

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by JMike!First up is John from CA who says that there are multiple pathways to reaching the truth about God’s existence, and that a pathway available to one person might not be accessible to another.Next up is Dean from CA who believes that science doesn’t require methodological naturalism, but does require philosophical naturalism. So scientists get to use unmeasurable supernatural phenomenon to create new theories? Seems legit.Questioning Theist from WA finds the host’s arguements for God relatively convincing, but doesn’t think their credible due to the caller’s disagreements with the host’s other positions. So if we both agree that the sun causes skin cancer, but you don’t like my position on a women’s rights to bodily autonomy, therefore you won’t be a pro-sunscreener like me? Wut?Next up is Brandon from WA who claims that the time doesn’t exist in the subconscious, and uses the perceived time before death as evidence of this.Serge f

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Forrest Valkai!First up is Christian from the UK who has a hypothetical argument for the existence of a God or a divine being.Next up is John from India, who has found a connection between Anti-Natalism and Anthropodicy and has concluded that the only justification for having children in this imperfect universe is universal salvation.Next is John from TX claims to have scientific, historical, and testimonial evidence for God. When the hosts push for the scientific evidence, the caller continually wants to return to their personal testimony instead.Declan from Australia is calling to ask why atheists don’t believe in the Christian God when he’s made the caller’s life, and apparently everybody’s life, better?Alex from CA is a deist who believes that a non-interactive intelligent creator-God can be demonstrated through perceived coincidences? Wouldn’t coincidental creation imply that things weren’t intelligently designed?Mr. Warlight from

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Secularity Rarity is joined by Apostate Prophet!First up is David from Canada who is calling to argue for a necessary uncaused first cause for the universe, ie a creator god.Next up is Kevin from UT who is calling to ask for advice on how to help comfort religious family members who are grieving the death of a family member. The caller is out as an atheist, so they are unsure of how to approach them without potentially triggering a confrontation.Ben from AK makes an argument for something, in theory about a necessary first cause being. If anyone watching can piece this puzzle together, please let us know on the Facebook group.Next is Kevin from GA who is against the support for trans individuals because they don’t understand how someone knowing their trans is any different than someone claiming to have spoken with God in the bedroom.Up next is Ahmad from WA is calling to talk about the anchor point for objective theistic morality, and the lack of one when it comes

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Secular Rarity is joined by Dave Warnock.First up is Sebastian from IL who is calling to voice their disagreement with Matt’s bodily autonomy abortion argument.Next up is George from MD who is looking for advice for talking to their girlfriend who is a Young-Earth Creationist & biblical literalist. The caller wants to know how to go about approaching them about this subject to potentially start them changing their mind.Next is Karol from Europe who apparently has a certain set of conditions that apparently, somehow, help indicate that heaven and hell “might” be real. Loving these odds so far.Up next is Nikki from OR who is once again calling to tell everyone that they believe in God now after years of being Atheist, but still refuses to answer the host’s question regarding why they believe.Vincent from UT is calling to discuss the relationship between humans and our flavor of consciousness, to use Secular Rarity’s term, compared to other animals, and whether t

Hello everyone and welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience. This week, Shannon Q is joined by the one and only Forrest Valkai!First up is Anthony from VA who is calling to argue that the body of God is the universe. The argument is founded on the idea that complex arrangements of atoms can lead to consciousness, and solar systems look similar to atoms and they might be the atoms of God?Next up is Noah from CA, a deist who claims that we are born and are currently living in hell. They abhorrently suggest that all of the sufferings that occurs in the world is just the waiting room to get to the perfect place, and is something that we can all laugh about later once we get to the other place after spending years being hazed by this bully of God. Piss off!Next up is Jeffrey from PA who believes that God created two genders. The idea of two genders is a very antiquated western viewpoint that is not reflected by other cultures. Thank you for being a great caller Jeffrey.John from Canada is the less plea

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by @Paulogia!First up is Issac from Israel who presents an argument for the truth of Judaism and its version of God by using the continued existence of the Jewish people.Next up is Clarence from OH who is confused about the laws of identity, non-contradiction, and excluded middle.Kevin from NY has a claim that will help our hosts find God. What’s the claim? The book of Enoch apparently describes supermassive black holes, but only if you interpret the text correctly. Whatever you say dude...Next up is Jonathan from CO who questions why Atheists would choose to help others and make the world a better place if there is no God to motivate them. Please keep believing in a God.Up next is Shiela from KY who had a recent confrontation with a family member who used their husband’s declining health as leverage to bring the caller back into religion.Next is Mercy from China is wondering what Matt’s position on assisted suicide and death with dignity

Welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience. Today we have Apostate Prophet in the host chair alongside Shannon Q, this is going to be a good one!First caller Gregory in AZ asks how to talk with muslims about hijabs and other face coverings as he feels it’s outdated. We mainly have a problem with islam societies mandating wearing hijabs. Try arguing against the idea that it empowers women.Eric in NH claims god exists and is the foundation for all reality and is an omnigod, and other word salad. How can one summarize this call when Eric can’t seem to agree on his definitions. Yeah no, lucid dreaming is not a pathway to understand physics or to prove god. Ahmet in OH continues on the hijab call claiming it’s a human rights issue. We agree people can wear what they want but we disagree with making it mandatory. Some muslim women feel it’s subjugating and not actually a choice. Ben in AK believes god is the universe and we have to forget everything we know about the universe. God, a young solar system, S

Welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience. This week, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Dave Warnock!First up is Aiden from IL who is calling to update our hosts on their life since their previous call about dying with dignity.Next up is Cody from TX who wants to talk about the importance of the Secular Student Alliance and its role in normalizing atheism and providing opportunities for atheists to find community.John from Canada is calling to express their opinion on the overturning of “Roe vs Wade.” Your opinion has been noted; we thank you for your business. Next customer, please.Art from PA is calling to present an argument that Jesus isn’t actually God. Flawed premises equal a flawed conclusion.Oh, Mykil from Canada is mad. Really mad.Next up is Tory from IL, an ex-Jehovah's Witness who lost everything when they departed the organization.Up next is Victor from TX who claims that God cannot be demonstrated by using reason, but can be using intuition.Next is David from AZ who is apparently super pro-

Welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience. This week, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Forrest Valkai!First up is John from Georgia, who has been asked by others in their community the classic question, “If we came from monkeys, why are there still monkeys?” The caller wants to know if our hosts have a better response to that question than they do.Next up is John from CO who is wondering how Matt could have possibly lost faith when the truth of the Bible is apparently as obvious as math.Dan from FL believes that abortions are murders and that there should be a penalty for those who get one.Joseph from the UK believes that mathematics provides evidence for a creator through the use of probability calculation.Next up is Tony from CA, who is wondering if biological evolution has any connections to societal evolution and the widespread tribalistic polarization we see today?Next is John from the UK who engaged a creationist on a forum, and has questions for our hosts regarding abiogenesis and the origins of

Welcome to another episode of the Atheist Experience! This week, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Shannon Q!First is Larry from VA who is curious to know what parts of our brain are utilized when a person speaks or listens to someone speaking in tongues?Next up is Rosalind from FL who doesn’t understand how Atheists can be moral since their morality can be anything.Next is Anthony from VA who says you can still have Christianity without Christ.Up next is Mark from PA who believes that theists are mentally ill and that society should not be tolerant of them. Take it away Shannon.Next is Jay from MO who asks if Atheism is a mental illness, among other enlightening questions.Next up is Gary from CT who asks what makes a real, “insert group label here,” and what type of evidence is acceptable.Next is Luke from FL who believes that xenophobia and racism don’t occur naturally, but are generated through science.Our final caller is Victor from TX who seems to have invented their own God with their chosen qualities, but c

In today’s episode of The Atheist Experience, Matt is joined by Everyday_Atheist to see how capable callers are answering questions this week.First caller is Dane in KS who is suggesting that a bracelet that dates back to the 14th century BCE is proof that the Bible is true. How does this bracelet confirm the Biblical stories in a way that proves god? In 2,000 years, when NY City is dug up, will it confirm that Spider Man is real?Next caller is Jamaal from CA who believes that our consciousness is our soul since we don’t have a scientific explanation for consciousness. He believes that consciousness can affect the brain state and that the supernatural explains experiences. If we don’t have an explanation, you don’t get to make something up. Labels that religions tie to a soul are emergent properties of the brain. You can’t solve a mystery by appealing to a bigger mystery. Can you prove that consciousness is magic and that it exists? How do you know that consciousness is a soul?James in SC brings up how othe

Welcome to another episode of the Atheist experience! This week, Jim Barrows is joined by Forrest Valkai!First up is Alex from Israel who wants to talk about lucid dreaming and its possible naturalistic explanatory power for out of body & near death experiences.Next is Nate from CA who identifies as an atheist, but takes a 50/50 confidence stance on the true/false claim that a God exists.Next is Brett from MO who asks us if Atheism is an objective position or subjective?Up next is Matthew from SC who doesn’t understand what makes someone biologically transgender, versus someone just “choosing” to identify as a sex they weren’t born as.Next up is Theodore from PA who reasons that after death, our consciousness continues onward via the consciousness of others. So is consciousness like an organic version of distributed computing?Next up is Jay from TX who claims to have had a near death experience, and believes it to be evidence of the afterlife.Finally, Jay from MO is calling in to present the standard “it’

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Shannon Q!First up is Dominic from CA who claims to be able to prove the existence of God using the concepts of “Objective Morality” & “Karma.”Tim from CA is calling to see if our hosts agree with their assessment that religious belief is a psychological disorder.Next up is John from Sweden who wants to know what motivates someone who does not believe in a God or afterlife, why care about creating a better world if we are just going to die and not get to experience it?Isaiah from NV is calling to present a definition of spirituality. I am convinced that spirituality is necessarily first person at this point because I’ve yet to hear a single, consistent definition for that word. “The Mind is everything...” O_oNext is Anthony from VA who wants to take a crack at arguing for intelligent design via a hypothetical, and an appeal to probability.Anthony from FL is calling to argue that there is a proto-consciousness within all matter in t

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Apostate Prophet!First up is Samuel from UT who is calling to suggest that Matt’s chess model of secular morality is incomplete and needs to be expanded on.Anthony from VA is calling back to present a new and “improved” argument for intelligent design.Next is John from Sweden who wants advice from AP on how express their dwindling faith in Islam to their close family.Javier from IA calls to ask our hosts why they are called transphobic & islamophobia by others. I think we can figure out why.Next is Nikki from OR who was formerly an Atheistic Jew who found Jesus, but won’t tell us what the experience was or at least where Jesus was hiding.Henri from Estonia believes that God doesn’t physically exist, but exists metaphysically within humans?Patrick from FL claims that Matt caused them to develop faith, but they don’t know what the God they believe in actually is.Jacob from TX claims that they were once an Atheist, but was convinced l

First up is Mark from PA who recently lost a loved one and is struggling with the typical Christian belief that God is loving when such suffering is allowed to persist. Next up is Anthony from PA who claims that intelligent design is philosophically sound. Can the caller demonstrate the truth of intelligent design without being fallacious? Find out now! Next is Bob from TN who calls to read us bible verses, specifically John 4:10, that somehow demonstrate the truth of...itself? Start the clock. Tru from TX is calling to ask for advice on dealing with extremely religious family members who act hurtfully whenever the topic is broached. Next up is Patrick from FL who wants to know why many skeptics deem extrasensory perception as “hooey” and dismiss it out of hand. Next up is Matthew from England who believes that explicit (capable of assessing evidence), weak (not claiming certainty) atheists have a burden of proof. How? Next is Jack from FL who presents a “simple” syllogism to prove God. Typically, syllogi

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Apostate Prophet!First up is Padraic from Ireland who calls in to claim that belief in a god is more reasonable than atheism. A great many claims are made...Next is David from AZ who wants to convince the hosts to adopt their theology using “logical” premises only. Oh, if only that were true.Joseph from MD calls into ask what motivates an Atheist to act morally without a God? Queue a presentation on secular moral systens.Next up is Abu from England who was kicked out of their home and lost man family connections when the deconverted from Islam. The caller wants to know if something similar happened to our host AP when they left.Next is Noah from OR who believes that the laws of logic and nature were created, much in the same way that societal laws are created, and that this is evidence of a creator.Next is Patrick from FL who called to ask why our hosts are atheists rather than pantheist. While the caller’s audio dropped, our hosts pro

Join us today with the fun dual of Shannon Q and Phil Ferguson who will be looking for callers to finally present the proof of god.Clarence in Ohio would like to talk about the arrogance of anthropocentric religions leading to dangerous consequences. His perspective is that secular humanism tends to be this way where pantheism does not. This is more of a philosophy than a religion. Is there a specific list of rules with scientific pantheism that needs to be adhered to? And what did the people who made these rules call themselves before the rules were made?Next up is Shane in GA that is going to lay some math on us. He is fixing to show us something that is irrefutable. He starts with Revelations and then Daniel. He talked about Mohammed dying in 632.5. And then we are supposed to go forward 1335 years and to 1967. Abraham has two sons going back to Genesis. His feelings got hurt and started yelling and cussing. Still no math.Kevin in Canada believes miracles are proof of god because god is the only one that

Welcome to another episode of The Atheist Experience. This week, Jim Barrows is joined by JMike!First up is Mark from Australia has faith that we are living in a situation. It doesn’t matter if you would prefer to have evidence and not employ faith, if you admit that you can’t back up your belief, why continue to believe it?Next is John from MO who proposes that it is reasonable to pre-suppose a God because we don’t have any other explanation and therefore we should employ common sense. The caller argues that rationality is only possible if we have enough information to examine a claim.B from VA asks who gets to name a group of people. The members of the group get to determine what they want to be called, not outsiders. It is disrespectful and offensive, especially if they continue to ignore the preferred label.Kevin from WA is calling to compare humans eating animals is akin to slavery. Factory farming does contain traits that parallels slavery, but eating animals itself isn’t on its own slavery.Next is Vict