Talk Heathen 04.21 2020-05-24 with Eric MurphyVi La Bianca

Greetings Heathens! In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, the dynamic duo are back together again, Eric Murphy and Vi La Bianca. Like a breath of fresh air, they bring to you another wonderful episode. Let’s do this!
Let’s get to calls. The first caller is Joe from Kansas. Joe is currently in a period of transition from theist to atheist, and has some lingering questions about belief in hell. Vi and Eric provide some gold standard advice in getting through this.
Tom in the UK is next, calling about how he as a theist can’t understand that life as we know it is the result of something random. Sounds like the watchmaker fallacy… Hmm.
Minh is calling once again, this time asking if we are ok with religion being viewed in a holistic way. Vi asks: Are there pragmatic reasons for being religious, like if it’s a good thing for one’s mental health and well being?
Ooooh, Rykis is calling in after being reincarnated a few times and says his soul is 3,000 years old. Also claims to be an indigo child, a past time traveler, and is here to change the world. This one is interesting. Ends the call wanting to promote his book, NOPE! Weee!
Next up, Dave in Toronto has an argument he’d like to share. He claims that using our overused and possibly bad linguistic habits can attribute agency and characteristics to current definitions. Basically redefining words such as saying the old word of nature is god. It’s an interesting concept, but not really utilized in the traditional sense of god. It doesn’t really compute. And I just wrote some word salad.
Marisa is needing advice about how she has been having an argument with their therapist about her deconversion. Her therapist is continually saying their deconversion is a choice. This bias (from a possible Christian worldview) could be clouding their counseling. This seems to me to be a red flag, I’d move onto a different therapist if possible. Definitely reach out to RFR and find a new therapist who will actually listen to you: https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org
Andrew is calling in, claims to stir up trouble in the churches he has attended. Likes to talk to atheists about science and factual events in the bible. He is looking to start a movement, is on a “monotheistic high,” and wants to unite people. He is all over the place and it’s tough to follow, but he is entertaining.
Our last caller of the day, Nick asks where do we draw the line at bad thoughts and protecting people from religion? Eric responds: “People are different from their beliefs, respect the person, dismantle or challenge the idea.”
Thanks for tuning in folks, please be safe and healthy. We need you around! See you all next week!