The Atheist Experience

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! Today Matt Dillahunty is joined by DB Ramsey, author of “Speaking of God We Don't Know Sh*t”. Mr. Ramsey’s book takes a look at religious practices and god beliefs, learn more at https://www.dbramsey.com/Our first caller, Michael in CO is engaged to a Christian who wants to baptize his daughter and make him go to classes about it first. No one should be forced to participate in religion. Making you go to classes seems more like she is trying to change you. Decide what you are comfortable with and have those discussions with your wife.Paul in England argues that atheists are straw-manning prayer, citing atheists equating prayer to wish granting from a genie. We don’t espouse that position. Paul agrees that the Bible supports answered prayers but says people skip the thanks part. The notion that someone’s prayers aren’t answered because they aren’t thankful or positive enough is abhorrent.Enoch in PA asks how we address morality with someone who says they care abo

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows. Yay, another Jim week!Our first caller, Enoch in PA wants to know why man would evolve and think up a god concept? We imagine beings with more capabilities to one with maximal capabilities, it's a natural progression. Enoch fails to prove god using his hypothetical scenarios. It’s no surprise that man made up the god concept. Charles in TX starts out spouting bible verses, even on hold. We aim to have a conversation, not just be preached at. Matt addressed some verses after the call, make sure to listen!Jason in TN asks if secular humanism comports with the reality of human nature that exists today or is at a utopian idea? Humanism is an ideal. In the absence of supernatural health, we recognize we need to work together to make this world a better place. The hosts break down secular humanism. We need to be more altruistic.Patrick in NH doesn’t believe but finds value in eastern religions,

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are Matt Dillahunty and Shannon Q! Glad to have you back Shannon.Our first caller, Bonnie in WI read some horrible passages in bible and that is what sparked her journey to non-belief, specifically child sacrifice and slavery. We agree the bible is whacky and full of horribleness. Alvin in NC argues for his 100 patterns in Genesis 1:1. Matt sits back on this one while Shannon breaks down the math for statistical analysis. If you can’t answer Shannon’s questions, you need to take your claim to mathematicians or statisticians.David in PA feels his theistic beliefs are not rooted in reality. He has a history of psychological issues, Shannon talks with him about how religion can affect those mental states and drives home that no one deserves abuse. We are glad you are doing better and that ACA shows have helped you!Lord Methane from CA continues our first call, comparing blood atonement and sacrifices. We think the old testament

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are our very own Matt Dillahunty and Jenna Belk. Tune in to see Jenna’s big announcement!!Our first caller, Eddie in Canada objects to Matt’s use of a moral/slavery argument. Matt’s position is slavery in the bible is immoral but Eddie thinks if a god commands it, it is moral. How can you tell the difference between someone thinking god told them versus god actually commanding it?Ulrich in Mexico says that phrases akin to “oh my god” proves god’s existence. We are not calling on a literal god, just using a phrase found commonly in society’s lexicon. Lester in NC asks about objective morality, asking if certain situations are objectively bad. What does it matter if something is objectively immoral? Christians can not demonstrate morality comes from a god, let along prove that god. Anne in Turkey worries thinking about skepticism triggers mental health issues. Skepticism is just not believing something without good evidence. C

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are our very own Matt Dillahunty and Johnny Angel. Not only is Johnny a co-host but he co-produces the Non-Prophets reboot! Nice hats Johnny, very clever.Our first caller, Heath in TX asks how you can tell if a claim is extraordinary or not? Does it comport to our human experiences? All claims warrant as much evidence as is needed to believe that claim. You need different levels of evidence for the sky is blue versus there is a god. Adam in Romania asks advice on how to deal with an irrational fear of death and dealing with grief? These fears hit Adam mainly right before he goes to sleep. Johnny has had these kinds of episodes and gives his advice. Contact the secular therapy project and see if they have resources in Romania. They talked about what an atheist funeral should look like. Meerkat in UT asks why he should bother convincing an atheist that god exists if that atheist doesn't want to convert to Christianity. The ans

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of Atheist Experience today are our very own Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows. Glad to have you have on Jim!Our first caller, Kel in UT asks for advice on talking to his brother about going on a mission trip, after regretting his own. Have a sit down talk with him about how you felt on your mission and leaving the religion. Let him know you are someone that cares but also respect his boundaries.Al in Poland easily left the faith and wonders why it is difficult for others and thinks AXP is helpful for leaving one’s faith. It can be difficult to leave your faith and that is why we do this show, thanks for thinking highly of our production! Alvin in NC offers his theory on a biblical code, that there are over 100 numeral patterns in genesis 1:1. How can there be 100 patterns in 7 words? All the arguments just sound like numerology. Genesis 1:1 shows pi? Granting this theory, it still doesn’t prove a divine author. Rj in CO doesn’t think Christianity spread

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Paulogia! Paulogia is a recent atheist and has a popular YouTube channel addressing Christianity.Our first caller, Jelmer in The Netherlands argues that god exists and god doesn't exist is a false dilemma. Matt explains it is a direct logical negation and the laws of logic holds up, even in a black hole. Jelmer confuses laws of science and logic. Marius in AL argues that Matt’s interpretation on Exodus 21, great another slavery argument. The bible explicitly endorses owning a human. Marius argues that it permits indentured servitude. Even if we grant that, it still outlines some horrific actions, like beating their property. People are not property.Omniskeptic in Canada claims most atheists activists misunderstand the no true Scotsman fallacy and feels Christians are just amending their definitions. A good practice is to let people give their label and what they mean by it. Atheists catch a lot of f

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and our own Jenna Belk.Our first caller, Hunter asks our experience coming out to religious family members now that he is embracing atheism. It went badly but not the worst thing in the world, don’t make it a huge sit down event. Also look into resources like books, forums, recovering from religion, etc. Nat in Mexico thinks there is no way to justify an ethical point of view as an atheist and argues theism provides grounding to ethics. There is no objection to secular morals by appealing to a deity. At least we agree well being is the only rational grounding to morals, too bad we can’t agree on the definition of atheism.Ricky in Columbia thinks people need Christianity to form the basis of a society. Actually society remains intact despite religion. Ricky can’t seem to point to a Christian value that couldn’t be secular and implies LGBT people are dangerous.Alvin in NC wrote a book about 100 provable p

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and ObjectivelyDan. Dan joins us from ACA’s own Truth Wanted (airs every Friday), and we're glad to see him on AXP!Our first caller, Jake in CA shares his beliefs with us. For instance, the devil is walking around and only has power through god. How could you know that? … oh the bible, of course. Jose in GA feels Matt is dismissive of peoples stories about experiences with the holy spirit. How can we tell if someone had a genuine experience with the holy spirit? We don’t just shut people down, we care about what beliefs are true. Matt demonstrates to Jose that feelings don’t justify beliefs.Lauren in NY has logical proof for god, arguing if the universe is a closed system then consciousness would extend to the universe itself. We’re not sure how consciousness would extend to the universe. Lauren goes on to talk about astrology and predicts Matt’s friends will have air/fire signs and Dan’s would have ear

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Dr. Hector Garcia! Hector is an author, podcaster, and youtuber. Heh has been spending his Covid time making a new YouTube channel, shout out to Genetically Modified Skeptic.Our first caller, Jonathan in the UK wants to know how to help his believer wife without challenging her beliefs. Tough request Jonathan. Is the belief of a punishing god damaging to begin with? Be honest, come at with concern and let her know this is you and you are not taking away her beliefs. Reach out to Recovering From Religion. Shawna in NY asks what to say to people that say consciousness is proof of god. There needs to be more to the argument, a statement is not enough to conclude a god exists. The brain is malleable, it can be altered and fundamentally change the person affected.Dean in CA argues that wellbeing is not robust enough to base morality on. Dean argues coronavirus harms our wellbeing. We agree but there are

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows, welcome back Jim!Our first caller, Isaac in OH thinks differences in DMT experience is evidence that one could be transported to another dimension. The hosts talk hypotheticals and testing methodologies with safeguards using DMT. We would need evidence to be on board here.Alexander in Norway defines spirituality as wise thoughts that deepen the understanding of existence. Wouldn’t that then make philosophy spiritual? This is just giving spirituality a new definition but we need to find common ground on nebulous concepts.Patrick in WA has simple scientific evidence from the bible that modern science has confirmed, for example mountains and valleys in the ocean. That sounds like something one could discover skin diving or diving for food. Jose in GA gives evidence of people experiencing the holy spirit. How can we tell if someone has actually had an experience with a real holy spirit? We

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jenna Belk! Happy Birthday to our audio engineer Vern, the Lord of Levels!Our first caller, John in FL, asks if christianity negatively affects people? We don’t even know if it's actually true. Is it good for people to believe something that isn't true? John holds onto belief because of Pascal's Wager and may call Recovering From Religion. Good idea John!Ralph in FL asks what makes values valuable? The person making the assessment imbues it with value, morality is rooted in well being after all. We can’t access god’s thoughts on morality or well being. It seems the biblical god doesn’t care about the quality of human life, just who gets to what afterlife.Syngyn in PA thinks we should follow god’s word and asks why it is hard for people to put faith in something they don’t know of? Do you have any evidence? At least we agree the bible isn't the word of god. If you won’t find out what god wants until

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Shannon Q, so happy to have Shannon Q on today!Our first caller, Jack in Canada, says that he thinks religious groups “walk on eggshells” more than atheist groups. The bible does not preach religious tolerance and we oppose beliefs not religious people. Matt points out Deuteronomy 13 commands you to kill other believers. Ryan in NY asks what proof there is of atheism. What is your definition of a god? Atheism just means disbelief in god/s, the burden of proof is on the claimant. Ryan gives us his personal experience and talks about morality and once again we find another caller cool with slavery…Linguistie in the Ukraine asks if god appearing in believers dreams are a style of lucid dreaming? Your brain functions while you sleep, as well as parses memories, and can affect your waking perceptions. People can use this to solidify their beliefs. Sain in TX asks about divine command theory. The problem

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and David McRaney. David is an author and got into podcasting as a way to promote his book. You can check out his work at https://www.youarenotsosmart.com and the You Are Not So Smart podcast!Let’s get to calls! Our first caller, Jacob in IL, tells a story of a man who went into a coma and saw many-eyed animals next to god and that made Jacob think it was true. Just because people have an experience regarding a religion, doesn’t mean we should leap to believe the experience or the religion. Arthur in Europe asks if we think it's wrong that someone believes in something with zero evidence. There may be bad evidence, but we can't see people believing based on no evidence. It’s best not to believe anything without sufficient evidence.Josiah in CA asks how we are interpreting evidence of paranormal or religion correctly to poke holes in evolution. He then tells us of a dream where he foresaw a man and the d

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! The hosts of today’s Atheist Experience are Matt Dillahunty and Jim Barrows! Glad to see Jim back! As an update, our show will remain remote throughout the year and into next year.Let’s get to calls! The first caller, Rick in CA, has a quick question on the efficacy of prayer. Who knows how many times our hosts prayed and nothing happens. The hosts don’t see any evidence that prayer works. Aaron in WI calls to talk about morality as it pertains to atheists vs theists for an argument for god. Neither theism nor atheism takes a position on morality inherently. Aaron feels we would agree with most of the morality in the Bible, but Aaron has more in common morally with the hosts than what's in the Bible. Carl in Ontario calls to tell a story about saving a kid from a car wreck. While reflecting back he has a purpose to protect people and needs no gods. One would hope any decent person would do the same in that situation, with or without a god belief. Mark in FL asks

Hello all you atheists (and theists) out there! In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Jenna Belk, who we’re all happy to see return! Welcome back to the co-host chair, Jenna! This episode (and all episodes hereafter) is dedicated to Ed Breyton. Ed has been an integral part of the ACA over the years and while he isn’t as active as he once was, he will always be remembered. Thank you, Ed!Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Dennis in New York. He was in the hospital for a time (due to illness) and his Christian friends say his condition improved due to God. Thankfully he knows his improvement was due to doctors’ diligence and treatment.Are rocks atheist? Oh no, not this question. Steve in Virginia switched up his original question from ‘What is the lack of belief?’ to the weird rock question...sigh. To answer the original question: for explicit atheism, it requires a conscious being who is able to determine and evaluate this. There’s plenty of philosophical ground to be c

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Shannon Q is joined by our longtime friend and co-host, Matt Dillahunty. Welcome back to the co-host chair Matt, we’re glad you are here to join us! (Shannon is taking the reins this week!)Let’s get to calls. Our first caller is Jenna from California. She’d like to discuss how her current boyfriend is freaking out about COVID and thinks they would be better off believing in his previous religion (JW) because we are clearly in the “end times.” Next up, Ricky from Georgia says Matt, theologians, and philosophers are all wrong about morality. He also talks about social cohesion and how it relates to morality. But, he seems to agree with Matt for most of the call...so, how again is Matt wrong?Pack it up folks, AXP is done. The next caller says Matt already believes in God. James is saying this in a roundabout way by intentionally manipulating words and trying to pull a “Gotcha!” Boring, NEXT!Next up, Mike in California misinterprets some of Matt’s previous videos. Ooh

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Hemant Mehta of The Friendly Atheist! https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/ Welcome, Hemant, we’re so glad you’re here!Time for calls! The first caller is a returning caller, Keith from Nebraska. He poses a question about hauntings and the supernatural...in a graveyard?! This story sounds very true and legitimate.Next up, Steve in Ohio. He is claiming his prediction about Trump is coming true, except that small part where it’s not even possible for it to be true or untrue yet...Nicolas asks: What if we devise a way to test or measure the supernatural? Will that prove the supernatural and God? The supernatural just means science may not have a way to understand it yet. Once it is understood, then it ceases to be supernatural. Craig in Texas wonders if people have the right to be stupid. Willful ignorance can be harmful to others, so in that sense, no, but this definitely seems to be a grey area.Julian asks a brand new question: how can A

The Atheist Experience is hosted today by Matt Dillahunty and Scott Clifton! Scott is an actor who’s well-known for his award-winning soap opera roles in shows such as “The Bold and the Beautiful”, but he’s also a secular activist! (Check him out at https://www.youtube.com/user/TheoreticalBullshit, or on Twitter @TheoreticalBullshit.) After sharing some sweet stories of Scott sending Matt’s grandmother Christmas headshots, we jump into calls!Josh in Tennessee was asked by his atheist wife to call in. Judging by his “evidence” for god, it seems as though he maybe hasn’t questioned his belief, but he’s friendly and open to conversation. This is awesome! (Be like Josh.)Russell in Georgia calls in to talk about how alien encounters are consistent with the Bible, then offers an analogy between himself as a parent using “tough love” to what God does to us as “his children.” He ends up saying morality is fickle because our perception as humans changes overtime, It’s yet another misunderstanding the difference betwee

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Matt Dillahunty is joined by Seth Andrews. Seth is a long time friend of Matt and a friend of the show. Welcome back!First up, we have Jonathan in MI, who claims to have solid evidence for god. For example, he takes it on faith that they found Jesus’ tomb and his cross still stands in Jerusalem. Faith is not a good pathway to truth. Work on your Google-fu, Jonathan.Stephen in IL is up next. He was raised reform Jewish and is questioning if Jewish history and Hebrew school is right for his son, more for the culture of it. Our hosts are for religious history classes, just not the advocacy for a god.Matthew from NC is next up. His dad had cancer and Matthew believes his father's faith gave him strength to make it through the ordeal and into experimental treatments. We shouldn't have to lie to ourselves to push through. Great topic caller!RJ in CO is calling to argue that evolution is false and the Judeo-Christian theory is correct. He goes on to argue the origin of