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Welcome to American Freethought, an atheist podcast hosted by John C. Snider. If you'd like to support the podcast, you can send funds via PayPal to sniderishere@gmail.com.

Aug 29, 2018

Original release January 22, 2012.

Encore release August 29, 2018.

Encore release May 22, 2017.

We look at the aftermath of highschooler Jessica Ahlquist's First Amendment victory in Rhode Island. After winning a lawsuit to have a prayer banner removed from a public high school, Ms. Ahlquist has received threats and harassment--even local florists refuse to deliver flowers to her house!

The Supreme Court has supported the concept of "ministerial exception," ruling that religious organizations may hire or fire "ministers" for any reason, even if the reason would otherwise violate laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act. Consider it fair warning that if you accept a job with a religious organizations, you could be checking your civil rights at the door.

Also discussed:

The new documentary Ayn Rand and the Prophecy of Atlas Shrugged, now in very limited release.

The 2003 documentary Touching the Void, about mountaineer (and atheist) Joe Simpson's hair-raising story of survival in the Peruvian Andes.

Holey Scripture! If Tim Tebow's 316-passing-yard victory over the Steelers points to John 3:16, what verse does his 136-passing-yard loss to the Patriots point to? True believers probably don't want to know.

Speaking of John 3:16, Crosshairs, er, Focus on the Family has a new TV ad that's running during football games. Where it's more annoying than effective, we may never know.

The Supreme Court refuses to hear two cases relating to prayer at government meetings, letting stand lower court rulings.

We're reading God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World by Cullen Murphy, and Wanted Women: The Lives of Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Aafia Siddiqui by Deborah Scroggins.

Giveaway! Either join our Facebook group or leave feedback on our new iTunes feed, and you're eligible to win copies of Christopher Hitchen's books Hitch-22 and Arguably. A winner will be randomly selected on February 1st.

 

[Opening soundbite from "My First Hardcore Song"]

CONTACT

Visit our blog at AmericanFreethought.com.

Visit the podcast at AmericanFreethought.LibSyn.com.

Email us at john@americanfreethought.com or david@americanfreethought.com. (John and David are available, either together or separately, to speak in person to your group.)

If you like what you hear, take a moment and leave feedback on our iTunes page.

Join our communities at FacebookAtheist NexusThink Atheist or Yahoo Groups.

Shop through us at Amazon.com or at CafePress.com.

If you'd like to donate to the operation of this podcast, you can contribute through PayPal to editor@scifidimensions.com. We promise not to spend it on beer.

January 21, 2012. Hosted by John C. Snider and David Driscoll.