Armchair Atheism

AA016 – The Ebony Exodus Project, with Candace Gorham

In this episode, I speak with Candace Gorham about her book The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion – and Others Should Too. Candace is a licensed professional mental health counselor, a former ordained minister turned atheist activist, as well as a researcher and writer on issues relating to religion and the African-American community. She is a member of the African American Humanist advisory board, The Secular Therapy Project, The Clergy Project, and the Secular Student Alliance Speaker’s Bureau. Armchair Atheism is the official podcast of GodlessHaven.com, exploring subjects related to religion and non-belief through interview discussions with a variety of scholarly and thoughtful voices. To download the episode, right-click the link and select “Save As.” Follow the Armchair Atheism podcast feed.   The Ebony Exodus Project at Amazon Ebony Exodus on Facebook Black Nonbelievers The Secular Therapy Project The Clergy Project Secular Student Alliance  

AA015 – Atheism, #MeToo, and Men’s Rights, with Caroline Matas

For this episode, I speak with Caroline Matas about a handful of subjects revolving around New Atheism, the #MeToo movement, and Men’s Rights Activism. Caroline is currently a doctoral student in the Religion in the Americas subfield at Princeton University. She is also the news editor and social media manager at the Harvard Religious Literacy Project. She is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, where her work focused on contemporary American religious groups’ media use. Armchair Atheism is the official podcast of GodlessHaven.com, exploring subjects related to religion and non-belief through interview discussions with a variety of scholarly and thoughtful voices. To download the episode, right-click the link and select “Save As.” Follow the Armchair Atheism podcast feed.   Featured article: How Men’s Rights Activists are Finding Unlikely Allies in New Atheism… Caroline’s page at the Religious Literacy Project Follow her on Twitter   Some of what we discuss: Here’s the truth about false accusations of sexual violence, The Conversation Stephanie Zvan’s article on the demographics of MRAs The Warlock Hunt by Claire Berlinski BuzzFeed’s story on Lawrence Krauss Statement by American Atheists regarding Dave Silverman  

AA014 – Can Humanists Have a Savior Complex? with Rajani Gudlavalleti

Rajani Gudlavalleti is a community organizer, consultant, and writer. For over a decade, she has worked at the intersections of social justice, public health, and the legal system. Rajani has conducted this work through the Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore City Health Department, and Open Society Foundations. Currently, her primary passion is as community organizer for Baltimore Harm Reduction Coalition, coordinating BRIDGES, Baltimore’s grassroots movement for safer consumption spaces. In 2011, Rajani received her master’s in public policy from Hopkins, focusing on gender-specific and racially equitable approaches to criminalized issues such as drug use and sex work. Rajani is also a trainer with Baltimore Racial Justice Action, co-organizer of Baltimore Asian Resistance in Solidarity, and board member of Foundation Beyond Belief.Armchair Atheism is the official podcast of GodlessHaven.com, exploring subjects related to religion and non-belief through interview discussions with a variety of scholarly and thoughtful voices. To download the episode, right-click the link and select “Save As.” Follow the Armchair Atheism podcast feed.   Rajani’s page at The Humanist Her blog: Charmingly Hyphenated Secular Social Justice Conference 2018 Also check out her past appearance on the Bi Any Means Podcast

AA013 – What is a God? with Jaco Gericke

What was a god assumed to be, according to Hebrew scripture? How do our cultural contexts and philosophical assumptions impact the way we conceive of ancient religious concepts today? Can philosophy help us to understand how these issues have served to shape the very question of what a god is down through history? In this episode of the podcast, I speak with Jaco Gericke about these topics and others that raise important issues with much of our contemporary discourse about God. Dr. Gericke is Professor of Biblical Studies at North-West University, South Africa. He has doctorates in Semitic Languages and Old Testament Studies, and did post-graduate work in theology and philosophy. His work has been published in journals such as Old Testament Essays and the Journal for Semitics, as well as in various books, the most recent of which is What is a God?, released in 2017 by T&T Clark. Armchair Atheism is the official podcast of GodlessHaven.com, exploring subjects related to religion and non-belief through interview discussions with a variety of scholarly and thoughtful voices. To download the episode, right-click the link and select “Save As.” Follow the Armchair Atheism podcast feed.   Jaco Gericke at Academia.edu Gericke on philosophy of ancient Israelite religion at Common Sense Atheism   Dr. Gericke’s Books: What is a God? Philosophical Perspectives on Divine Essence in the Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible and Philosophy of Religion   Mentioned in the show: History of ancient Israel and Judah at Wikipedia Elohim at Wikipedia The Origins of Biblical Monotheism by Mark S. Smith Concepts of God at Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Perfect being theology at Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy Jacques Derrida at Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (see Section 2 in particular)  

AA012 – What is Religion? with Kevin Schilbrack

How should we understand the concept of religion? How does our understanding of it impact the way we see different traditions, communities, and practices? What are the ways religion has been understood in the past and in the academy? For this episode of the podcast, I speak with Kevin Schilbrack about his contribution to the long-running debate over defining religion. Dr. Schilbrack teaches in the Philosophy and Religion Department at Appalachian State University, he is a graduate of Chicago Divinity School, and has published widely on the conceptual and philosophical issues arising in the cross-cultural study of religions. He is the contributing editor of books such as Thinking Through Myths and Thinking Through Rituals, and his most recent work, Philosophy and the Study of Religions: A Manifesto (which forms the centerpiece of this interview), was published by Wiley-Blackwell in 2014. Armchair Atheism is the official podcast of GodlessHaven.com, exploring subjects related to religion and non-belief through interview discussions with a variety of scholarly and thoughtful voices. To download the episode, right-click the download link and select “Save As.” Follow the Armchair Atheism podcast feed.   Dr. Schilbrack’s university page: appstate.academia.edu/KevinSchilbrack Critical Realism and the Academic Study of Religion (YouTube) Kevin Schilbrack on What is Philosophy of Religion?   Books: Philosophy and the Study of Religions: A Manifesto Thinking Through Rituals: Philosophical Perspectives Thinking Through Myths: Philosophical Perspectives   Further reading: Pew Research Center’s Religious Landscape Survey Gallup, Five Key Findings on Religion in the US Some definitions of religion, Joseph Adler Sociology of Religion Resources