Thank God I'm Atheist
Frank and Dan's off-the-cuff conversations focus on current events cast through the lens of their shared atheism.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 11
- Latest publication
- Sep 16, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 8, 2026
Latest episodes
Catholicism is a Trip! (opens the original)
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Frank just got back from Italy and has some stories to tell! Catholic churches, baby Jesus art, so much Jesus blood, Mary's wedding ring, and a visit to Assisi to see St. Carlo's dead body. But first, there's a bunch of wacky religious news from the week: Eiffel Tower workers strike over hiding female staff, Trump leads a bizarre voting pledge, Austria bans hijabs for young girls in schools, a convicted pastor shows up at a Senate campaign event, OpenAI sued after ChatGPT feeds man's delusions,
Can Neurodivergent People Know God? (opens the original)
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Kate fills in for Frank this week, joining Dan for a conversation about neurodivergence, religious belief, and why some brains may process spiritual experiences differently than others. They compare religion to imagination, play, and believing in Santa, and wonder whether neurodivergent people may be less inclined to attach supernatural meaning to powerful emotional experiences. But first: A Texas evangelical takes matters into his own hands when the flag is lowered to honor Dolly Parton. Samari
Saint Dolly, Devilish Tim, and Radical Acceptance (opens the original)
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This week, we remember two iconic figures who helped make the world feel a little more accepting in very different ways. Dolly Parton embodied a version of Christianity rooted in love, generosity, and an instinctive refusal to exclude people who weren't like her. Tim Curry, meanwhile, helped bring transgressive sexuality, camp, and gender-bending performance into the cultural mainstream. Together, they represent two very different paths toward the same idea of giving people permission to be full
Religious Freedom Guaranteed* (See Terms and Conditions) (opens the original)
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Texas conservatives are taking their anti-Muslim crusade to a new level: questioning whether Islam should even count as a religion. Frank and Dan look at the effort to redefine religious freedom so Christianity gets ever-expanding protections while Muslim beliefs and practices can be dismissed as merely "cultural" and therefore fair game for government restriction. Elsewhere, a transgender wedding in Bangladesh triggers a police inquiry; Israel turns away a delegation of American Christians head
The Power of Religious Symbols (opens the original)
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Who owns a symbol? And who gets to decide what it means? This week, we look at how symbols can be stolen, reclaimed, transformed, or ruined, from the swastika and pink triangle to the rainbow and the cross. Also this week: the sky evangelist picks a fight with Alaska Airlines, Canada's military makes room for nonbelievers, halal barbecue takes off in Texas, a Christian influencer says aliens harvested her eggs, the State Department sends billions through faith-based aid groups, and the White Sox
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