Atheists of Utah was fortunate to be able to work with Dr. Carrier to sponsor this event at the downtown Salt Lake City public library while he is moving across the country.

We apologize for the audio quality not being as good as the talk deserves, but the content is very interesting and informative. We have several friends in the polyamory community and thought we knew a lot about their world, but w learned more during this one talk than we have in the last two or three years combined. 

Richard Carrier, Ph.D., is a philosopher and historian with degrees from Berkeley and Columbia, specializing in the contemporary philosophy of naturalism, and in Greco-Roman philosophy, science, and religion, including the origins of Christianity. He blogs and lectures worldwide, teaches courses online at Partners for Secular Activism, and is the author of many books, including his defense of a naturalist worldview in Sense and Goodness without God, his academic case for the non-existence of Jesus in On the Historicity of Jesus, his work on historical methodology in Proving History, his study of ancient science in Science Education in the Early Roman Empire, his responses to 21st century Christian apologetics in Why I Am Not a Christian and Not the Impossible Faith, and an anthology of his papers on the subject of history in Hitler Homer Bible Christ. He has also authored chapters in many other books, and articles in magazines and academic journals, and on his namesake blog, covering subjects from politics and philosophy to feminism and polyamory. 

For more about Dr. Carrier and his work see www.richardcarrier.info.

We spend quite a bit of time talking about the notion of free will. Does it exist, or does it only seem to exist because of a post hoc rationalization? We also cover the following items:

It was a long night & we were all a little punchy by the end of the show, but we didn't want to leave the rebelutionaries without having anything from us this week. You're welcome.

We're all very busy for the next couple weeks so this episode is a bit shorter than usual, but it's still chock-full of blasphemous goodies. We even start a discussion about the existence of free will.

It's been a rough week at the Heathen Hacienda but we can't help thinking Ted Cruz dropping out of the race for POTUS is one of the best things ever. 

In this episode:

• Chaplin was a good dog
• Indonesians worship a blow-up doll
• God forgot he had anointed Ted Cruz as the next President of the United States
• The LDS Church does the very least it can to stop child predators in their ranks
• Tyler Glenn is PISSED OFF at the LDS Church
• Donald Trump is now the presumptive GOP nominee for POTUS
• Satanists dislike Ted Cruz being compared to Lucifer 
• Ryan has a Christian friend
• Attack of the Ed Geinster Bunny
• David Duke celebrates Trump's win
• US Justice Department says North Carolina's discriminatory legislation is unconstitutional
• The cost of prayer in the United States Congress
• We answer a listener question about the decreasing influence of religion in politics
• Glenn Beck's tall tales
• #TheBibleHasTaughtMe
• Philly Jesus
• Gordon Klingenshit fears people having sex in his guest room
• Gun dispute at Walgreens
• Bees are making "special" honey
• GMO is of the Devil!

Is everybody else as pissed off at all the trans* bashing going on as we are? It seems to be taking up the majority of all of the more recent news items. 

In this episode:

• It's a sad fact that people you trust will sometimes betray that trust
• BYU's Honor Code harms more than it helps
• Arkansas State Senator Jason Rapert is a gigantic asshole
• Atheists of Utah will be making a large donation to Planned Parenthood
• Pat Boone wants to make blasphemy illegal
• A woman was shot and killed by her two-year-old child
• A Texas Sherriff says he'll beat trans* people until they are unconscious 
• Is menstruation different in zero gravity?
• Ted Cruz taps dat Fiorina
• Beware the legend of the Goatman
• Oklahoma House of Representatives passes a bill banning all abortions
• Todd Starnes hates art
• A twist on the positions of the various candidates running for POTUS

Matt, Ryan, and Dan are all in-studio this week, and Ryan prepared a special song featuring the infamous Pastor James David Manning. In this episode:

The original plan for this week's episode was to cover the Democratic primary debate, but Dan screwed up the schedule because he forgot he had tickets to see Amy Schumer on the same night as the debate. Due to this scheduling mistake, Matt wasn't able to join us but Grant Larimer (A.K.A. The Purple Dragon) and Kyle Steenblik (from the Utah Outcasts podcast) were with us in-studio to talk about a variety of recent news items, including:

Matt, Ryan and I (Dan) have been doing the show together for nearly two years now, and we had a fantastic time recording this milestone episode. We talked about some current events, responded to some listener feedback, and shared some old memories & sound clips from previous shows. We've come a long way over the last two years, and we really appreciate our awesome listener base.  

Thank you all for listening, for your feedback, your input, and for all of the words of encouragement we've received!

In this episode:

• Recent screening of the movie "Spotlight" at the Salt Lake City Downtown library 
• Tommy Lasorda's amazing moose knuckle
• Pope Fluffy hasn't done much of anything to actually improve the Catholic church
• RFRA laws are bullshit
• Ellen DeGeneres speaks out against Mississippi's RFRA law
• The Internet is killing investigative reporting
• Trans* panic
• Radioactive boars in Japan
• A "monster" has been spotted in the River Thames
• Texas Governor Greg Abbott is a moron
• Naked Oregon man arrested after walking into the home of someone he didn't know
• Climate change is causing wild swings in weather
• Planned Nebraska license plate is changed after being widely mocked
• George Mason University changes the name of its law school
• Trump supporters are stupid
• Obama calls out people for conspiratorial thinking
• British Prime Minister David Cameron admits to owning offshore account
• The DC Madame case is still relevant a decade later
• Clips from previous shows

Matt, Dan, and Ryan are joined by Vicki Gettman, Rebekah McGraw, and Scott Smith who tell us all about the fantastic work they're doing to provide atheist and humanist services at Lackland AFB in Texas. They've had months of record-setting attendance for the services they offer in lieu of religious services for people entering the Air Force. They were wonderful guests, and we had a great time learning more about the all-volunteer services they offer to some of our military members. 

We're happy to offer our first bonus episode, recorded with Spike and Dan from the London based 2 Skeptical Chaps podcast. We had a lot of fun chatting about politics, geographical names, and the differing views & perceptions some people have about the United States and the United Kingdom.

This episode is a bit longer than last week because we had a few things we've been wanting to talk about or address, but that keep getting set aside to make room for debates and guests. 

We start this episode with a quick(ish) recap of the March 3 Republican primary debate, which was the most ridiculous of them all. This was the debate where Trump basically said he has a big dick and kept referring to Marco Rubio as "little Marco."

Bernie Sanders came out swinging and delivered quite a few sound bytes that have been picked up by a lot of the major news outlets. We all thought he did a much better job during this debate than he has in any prior debate, and that he handily beat Clinton. 

It's been a long time since it was just the three of us with no guest and where we're not covering a debate. So it's about time, right?

We cover a few news items and talk about a religious troll who decided to offer his wizdumb on a post on our Facebook page. 

We'll be covering the Democratic primary debate next week, and we've got a special bonus episode lined up with some friends across the pond. Stay tuned!

This was, by far, our favorite debate so far, but only because it turned into a total shit-show. The amount of mudslinging was EPIC. 

None of the candidates did themselves any favors this go-around. The numbers won't shift much, if at all. Any changes in the poll numbers will probably be a dip in Trump's numbers, with the losses being split between Cruz and Rubio. 

We also had to admit that we actually learned something from Donald Trump during the debate. We feel dirty now. 

Doug Mesner (A.K.A. Lucien Greaves), spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, was kind enough to join us via Skype from a sushi bar in Cambridge. He's a great guest, and we had a lot of fun with him both on, and off, air. 

We covered a lot of topics, including:

• The Bundy yeehawdists' treatment of the "Lamanites" 
• Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia takes a dirt nap
• Oklahoma is still trying very hard to get the Baphomet statue
• Ellen Lacter is a fraud who contributes to the death and suffering of countless people
• The Satanic Panic was, and remains, utter bullshit
• Lucien responds to some of the things we talked about with David Silverman last week
• An update on The Satanic Temple's Reproductive Rights Campaign
• Phoenix swallows the bitter pill of equality and religious pluralism

American Atheists' President, David Silverman, joins us in-studio while he's in town as part of the tour for his new book, Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World.  We talk a lot about the book and it's importance and ever-increasing relevance, as well as some of Dave's background and the upcoming Reason Rally 2016.

Lucien Greaves, spokesperson for The Satanic Temple will be joining us next week. Be sure to tune it to hear all about their recent efforts and big win in Phoenix, Arizona! 

Ryan is back & we're joined in-studio by Atheists of Utah President & Utah Outcasts co-host, Felicia Entwistle, for a quick(ish) recap of the seventh GOP primary debate, updates on planned events for Atheists of Utah (the Winter Gala is going to be AWESOME!), and some recent news items including...

• A Seminarian tries to purchase and have sex with a baby in Mexico
• Pastor David Manning rants about babies being birthed from anuses before his church will be sold
• The Satanic Temple continues their streak of awesome by offering to perform a city council's opening invocation in Phoenix, Arizona
• A woman escaped life in a cult
• Utah State Senator Todd Weiler thinks pornography is a public health crisis as bad as cocaine addiction
• Michelle Bachmann promotes yet another end-times fantasy

Ryan's schedule made him unavailable for this episode, so Megan dropped by the studio to chat with us & record some drops for the show (coming soon!). 

It really doesn't feel like we've had five shows since the last Republican primary debate. The good(...?) news is that we'll be skipping the next one. 

This debate was most notable for a moment between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Cruz tries to bash "New York values," and rather than shout him down, Donald Trumpenstein showed us all that despite the rumors, there's actually a human being under that thing he calls his hair.

We also break down (with facts!) some of the more egregious lies spouted by a few of the people on stage - we're looking at YOU, Chris Christie.

Ryan won't be with us next week, but he'll be back the following week to chat with our guest, Atheists of Utah President, Felicia Entwistle. 

We had a great time with Geoff Linville, a former Mormon, who joined us in-studio to tell us about his de-conversion story and life in Utah as an atheist.

We also cover a few news stories, including one where Dan was interviewed to provide an atheist's perspective on the Provo Fire Department and Police Department purchasing commemorative badges featuring the new LDS temple in their city. 

American Atheists President, David Silverman, will be joining us in-studio in one month! Be sure to grab a copy of his book, Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World, so you can send in any questions you'd like us to ask him!

It's a brand-spanking new year, and we're kicking it off with a show where we've done a lot to improve on our already-great sound.

We start this episode with a tip on how to really piss people off without even trying. From there, we take a trip through several recent news items, including coverage of the Y'allqaeda dipshits in Oregon. 

American Atheists President, David Silverman, will be joining us in-studio in one month! Be sure to grab a copy of his book, Fighting God: An Atheist Manifesto for a Religious World, so you can send in any questions you'd like us to ask him!

Matt, Dan, and Ryan review the plentiful problematic prognostications of the faithfully deluded, pay tribute to some of their favorite podcasts & the recently-departed rock & roll legend - Lemmy Kilmister, and review the biggest news stories of 2015 for each of the 50 states. 

We also make a couple big announcements about some exciting guests who will be appearing on the show in the next couple months (hint: at least one of the names mentioned rhymes with Blavid Killverman).

Have a happy and safe New Year!

Matt, Dan, and Ryan slog through yet another debate - because we love you.

There wasn't much drama in this debate. In fact, Dan tried to find some drama from Clinton but found out it doesn't really exist. He said she contradicted herself about having American troops on the ground but, after going back and listening to the audio again, Clinton said she wanted Arab & Kurdish troops on the ground - not American troops.

Speaking of Dan creating drama, he drops a bomb about some past experiences in his life that very few people know about - until now, that is.

** Please be sure to visit the Generosity site that has been created for Sarah Morehead and give what you can to help her and her family through this incredibly difficult time. The link is posted below.

Matt, Dan, and Ryan are joined in-studio by former Atheists of Utah board member, Grant Larimer, for coverage of the fifth Republican party primary debate. 

The debate itself had a few memorable moments, our favorite being when Ben Carson spouted a hilarious Monty Python-esque mispronunciation of Reince Priebus' name as "Reince Pubus," hence the image for this show.

Jeb Bush seemed much more fired-up in this debate, but struggled to effectively communicate his mostly incoherent points. His best line of the night was, "Donald, you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency."

Marco Rubio had a very strong showing, and Ted Cruz opted to be The Donald's lapdog for most of the evening. 

Matt & Dan were in-studio and are joined by Ryan via Skype to go over several news items and some listener feedback. 

Matt didn't get the gamboo, and Ryan & Dan are getting over being sick, but we're back from the holiday break with a pant-load of news items to bring you up to speed.

Matt's sister, Meg, joins us again this week for a short(ish) show to cover some lighthearted fare and news items. 

Meg (Matt's mostly silent but nevertheless awesome sister) joins us in-studio to go over the second Democratic primary debate.

Matt, Dan, and Ryan weigh in on the recent policy change enacted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (you know - the Mormons). The church's new policy bans all children from receiving blessings, ordinances, callings, and missions if they are living in a same-sex household until they are 18. At that time, children must disavow the practice of same-sex cohabitation or marriage, and they must stop living with their gay parent(s) in order to become a fully participating member or to maintain their status as a member in good standing. 

Matt, Dan, and Ryan sit down in the Godless Rebelution studio again for coverage of the fourth Republican party primary debate. 

This was a pretty tame debate with very little mud-slinging among the featured candidates, but there were also a few compelling takeaways, the main one being that Jeb Bush looks and sounds like he'd rather be doing anything he could possibly imagine besides running for President.

Felicia Entwistle joins Matt, Dan, and Ryan in-studio to talk about Atheists of Utah, the Utah Outcasts podcast, some news, and a lively debate about proselytizing in public schools. 

Greg Hawkins joins Matt, Dan, and Ryan in-studio again for coverage of the third Republican party primary debate. 

There was quite a bit of mud-slinging in this debate, and complaints about being asked bad questions. Also, Ryan coins a new term (more on its origin at the very end of the show).

Greg Hawkins joins Matt, Dan, and Ryan in-studio again for coverage of the third Republican party primary debate. 

The consensus was pretty similar to the last Republican kids' table debate. Once again, Pataki comes off as the most reasonable and Graham as the most hawkish. The big difference between this debate and the last one with these participants was that both Santorum and Jindal turned the Jesus dial way down, but Jindal still threw in several references to the wandering carpenter Jew and his daddy, thus securing the title of "Person Most Willing to Blow Jesus."

Nick Fish, American Atheists' National Program Director, is in town for the Faith & Family LGBTQ Power Summit. He joined us in-studio to talk about politics, voting, allies, and informed consent.

Matt, Dan, and Ryan are joined in-studio by Greg Hawkins for coverage of the first of six scheduled Democratic party primary debates. We all had a lot more to say than we thought we would going into this.

Taylor Grin joins Matt, Dan, and Ryan to talk about America's seemingly unique problem with gun violence. Can it ever be stopped? How about reduced? Should we ban all guns, or are more guns the answer?

Ryan is still learning how to save people, so we're joined in-studio again by the always-awesome Xopher Reed from the Utah Outcasts show.

Ryan is out this week learning how to save people & junk, so we're joined in-studio by Forrest Shaw and Xopher Reed from The LEFT Show and Utah Outcasts podcasts, respectively. 

Ryan is out this week learning how to save people & junk, so we're joined in-studio by Forrest Shaw and Xopher Reed from The LEFT Show and Utah Outcasts podcasts, respectively. 

Mark Lawrence and Sara Clawson Kramer from Restore Our Humanity joined us in-studio to discuss the upcoming World Congress of Families IX, which will be hosted in Salt Lake City, Utah, next month. This will be the first time this hate group will have gathered together in the United States.

Dr. Darrel Ray joins us for a discussion that touches on a wide range of topics.

We had some technical issues and the show we had intended to have for you go lost. So we are going to play an older episode for you with Greg Hawkins.

Matt is prepared, Ryan has a boat-load of gear, and Dan shoots blanks.

This week's topics include:

Misery loves company, so please join us as we power through the main debate event.

Join Matt, Dan, & Ryan as we slog our way through the first round of talking points presented at the first stop for the GOP clown car - the Kids' Table debate.

This week's topics include: