Episode 34: Not My God!
This week we have Sarah Trachtenberg with us to discuss the personal stories of atheists. She talks about the book she is writing entitled “Not My God – Personal Stories of Atheists in America,” based upon interviews that she’s conducting with atheists of various backgrounds from all over the United States. We share a bit about our own personal journeys and discuss a variety of issues of interest to us.
Before that, we talk about a recent visit by Neil deGrasse Tyson to a local OMSI Science Pub event here in Portland where he opined about atheists.
And of course, the news, in which we discuss another reason to not eat at Denny’s and the problem with people who kill their children through religious negligence. Don’t forget, REMEMBER THE ALAMO! We gab about The Lord’s “Prayers for Moisture” plan, the Chupacabra religious defense and our unbridled desire to own an authentic, plywood Jesus Riding A Dinosaur piece.
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So, I have a bit of a question for you guys. Why were you so down on the idea of crossing “In God We Trust” off of bills? To me it seems like a very simple way to get the message out there that this is an unconstitutional endorsement of religion with very little time or effort on one’s part. Why is this activity indicative of some kind of lesser person? Perhaps you did not mean to be so dismissive and critical of “that kind of atheist,” but it definitely came across in the episode as if you look down on someone who would do that.
Well, while we all saw it as a bit extreme, it was Neil deGrasse Tyson that was down on crossing those words off of currency. We were only pointing out that such an action is not common enough among the average atheist to warrant the stereotype. Hell, I’m not even sure if I buy Tyson’s anecdotal story about some “woman he knows” that does this.
As far as my personal opinion goes, I think it’s ultimately unhelpful to cross “In God We Trust” off of our money. I would only support such an action if humor is deployed in the message. For example, crossing out “God” and replacing it with “Xenu,” or trading “Trust” for “Truss” would be funny. The message would be the same but the delivery would be far more entertaining.
I’m catching up on past episodes these last few days, and today I’m finally at “Not My God!” I had to address the subject of the FBI agents.
Mulder didn’t have a porn career, he had a porn collection.
Scully was catholic. Very, very catholic. They devoted entire episodes to her faith and about how ironic Mulder thought her faith was, given her scientific background and the fact that she would scoff at Mulder’s supernatural theories.
Hi guys, great show. Regarding the couple who killed their child, it would be interesting to know whether they drive a car, or have a tv, or freezer, or anything similar, which, when it broke down, they called a repair man in to fix rather than pray. And did they pray to keep the weeds out of their garden, and their grass kept short? Did they visit the dentist, or wear glasses, or take a pill when they had a headache?
Just a random thought!