Talk Heathen 04.13 2020-03-29 with Eric Murphy & Jim Barrows

SHOW SUMMARY
Good morning Heathens! Our hosts today are Eric Murphy and Jim Barrows, he is an all around awesome dude who has been on many ACA shows. You can find him on AXP, Atheist Vanguard, and many more. And now introducing the callers… Carlos from California claims he has proof of god, are you ready for it? It’s in the BIBLE! He’s also super defensive from the get-go. Dishonesty will get you nowhere Carlos, try again. After Carlos, we have Mark who says we as atheists can be absolutely 100% certain about experiences and perceptions… except we can’t. Am I really here? Next up, Zach who is concerned about his younger brother being raised with belief. Uh Oh, we have a new presup on the scene, TE called in to talk about the secular “agenda” and whether the separation of church and state is sound. Debbie in Nebraska provides a nice respite and good conversation about her beliefs. Kevin knows he has soul dude (and not a Kia Soul,) and wants to prove it. While Randy is struggling with raising children to think critically and skeptically. The last caller of the day, Brandon wonders about the burden of proof of an omnipotent god. It’s a good one folks, be sure to tune in!
SHOW NOTES
Good morning Heathens, today’s episode of Talk Heathen is technologically advanced! After some testing (yesterday), we were able to completely remote all ACA shows due to quarantines/shelter-in-place orders. Being completely remote is good news for everyone, we can continue to be your sanctuary online and provide the content you rely on daily and weekly. It definitely helps me stay sane. On with the show! Today Eric Murphy is joined by the wonderful Jim Barrows.
Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Carlos from California. He has proof of god, it’s in the bible. Right away he is quite defensive about his claim, asking that we refrain from swearing at him and getting upset about perceived slights against him at the very beginning of the call. Except neither Eric nor Jim swore at him, yet. Hmmm…. Selective listening and no willingness to have an honest conversation is at play here.
Mark calls in from North Carolina (no not Mark our wonderful producer!) Claims we can be absolutely certain about experiences and perceptions. How though? How would we prove this?
The following caller named Zach from Ohio is concerned about how he may be a problematic influence on his younger brother. Take your time and teach him gently about your stance on how you see the world along with the tools for skepticism and questioning.
TE from Illinois would like to discuss teaching the bible in public schools, the secular “agenda,” and our take on the separation of church and state. They believe that teaching it is true is ideal but only the abrahamic bible and no other. Also claims that the US was founded on Christian ideals and by Christian founding fathers… mmmm. No it wasn’t. Uh oh, this guy may be a presup… weeee!
Next up, Debbie in Nebraska wanting to talk about atheists she has met are jealous of Christians because they have something to look forward to after death (aka wishful thinking.) She seems to be clinging to the idea of life after death and a heaven. Is there justification for heaven? Is there free will in heaven? Call us back Debbie, we love talking to you!
Kevin has a soul and wants to prove it to us over the phone. He can prove it due to personal experiences and testimonies. We are all ears Kevin! Is there a “ghost in the machine?” How have you determined there is a soul or something like it?
Randy in Texas calls in talking about the beliefs of his children. Be gentle, be patient, seek to understand and gently question their beliefs and belief structure. Be a positive guide in their understanding, it will be a good thing as they grow up.
Our last caller of the day, Brandon in Japan would like to discuss the burden of proof of an omnipotent God. It’s a quick call, I didn’t catch all of it.