Thank God I'm Atheist

In a calculated hedge against hell, Dilbert creator Scott Adams announces a death-bed conversion to Christianity, explicitly framing it as Pascal's Wager—a cynical, calculated play for the afterlife. Christians celebrate, atheists groan, and we unpack why this story is catnip for religious propaganda, why the logic collapses instantly, and why deathbed conversions remain one of Christianity's favorite—and flimsiest—victory laps. (A...

What happens when Trump desecrates a painting of Jesus? Billionaires line up to buy it. At a Mar-a-Lago New Year's Eve party, Trump signs a painting of Christ—offering a very public glimpse at how faith, money, and power now intersect.

From there, it's a week of religion doing what it does best: embarrassing itself in public. A failed doomsday prophet in Ghana finds out there are consequences when the apocalypse doesn't show up, Ir...

A University of Oklahoma instructor gave a student a failing grade — and lost their job over it.
The reason? Religion entered the chat. We unpack how a routine college assignment turned into a culture-war flashpoint, why academic standards suddenly became optional, and how religious grievance keeps getting rewarded when it collides with higher education.

Also this week: Trump administration officials decide government social media ...

What happens when a man decides an airplane cabin is the perfect place to hold church? This week, we discuss the now-viral moment of a passenger pulling out his guitar mid-flight to serenade a captive audience with praise songs. Some travelers joined in while everyone else stared ahead in silent fury. We talk about public space, consent, religious entitlement, and why "sharing the Good News" at 30,000 feet feels less like ministry ...

What happens when a custody dispute turns into a fight over whether a child is being harmed by religion—and the courts are forced to weigh in? This week, we dig into a disturbing custody case that forces an uncomfortable question into the open: should religion get special protection when kids are the ones paying the price?

We also cover the Mormon Church's latest branding hypocrisy as it pressures independent podcasts to stop using...

It's that time of year again: the War on Christmas is back—and wilder than ever. This week, Dan and Kate dive into the bizarre conservative outrage over a nativity scene depicting the Holy Family as migrants detained by ICE. Right-wing commentators are furious, churches are divided, and somehow this one small display has become a national symbol of everything they think is wrong with America. We unpack the theology, the politics, a...

Nothing says "holiday spirit" quite like Christian leaders panicking over a goth-themed Christmas market, and their dramatic meltdown is far more entertaining than anything on the vendor tables.

From there, we look at an Oklahoma student stunned that her Bible-based gender essay didn't pass a psychology assignment, the Vatican's latest attempt to police monogamy, and a disturbing story out of South Africa where a pastor's self-appo...

The Epstein files have finally started to drip out, and the early reactions are already something to behold. This week, Frank and Dan wade into the bizarre rhetorical contortions spilling out of the right-wing media sphere—from Megyn Kelly's head-scratching attempt to "reframe" things to the Catholic League charging in with one of the most offensive defenses imaginable.

We a...

SCOTUS just delivered a win for marriage equality. After nearly a decade of appeals, lawsuits, and national drama, the Supreme Court has officially declined to hear Kim Davis' case challenging gay marriage… leaving the original ruling in place and the former county clerk on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars. What does this mean for gay marriage going forward? We break it all down.

This week's episode dives into the bigg...

A Catholic school in Pennsylvania put the words "Arbeit Macht Frei"—the infamous phrase from the Auschwitz gate—on the back of its Halloween float. Frank and Dan try to understand how something this shocking made it through so many adults without anyone realizing what it meant, and what it says about religious education and historical ignorance.

Also this week: a "family values" lawmaker caught up in the A...

Christian nationalism, hypocrisy, and pepper-sprayed pastors—oh my! Frank and Dan start in Oklahoma, where LGBTQ+ kids are literally breathing easier now that hateful school superintendent Ryan Walters is gone. Then it's on to a Pentecostal whistleblower who got fired for exposing his bishop's embezzlement, Trump's latest delusional threat to invade Nigeria, and Texas judges who just got the green light to...

Dan welcomes guest host Kate while Frank escapes to paradise (again!). Together they discuss new revelations about creep-o Warren Jeffs and how he forced his wives to satisfy his kinks... but you know: for the lord.

This week:

• Gen Z "Revival" – Overhyped college baptisms; mostly young men clinging to old-school patriarchy.
• Pew Poll – More Americans think religion's power is rising; hosts say it's just the fringe.
• Kenya Wine Sc...

Trump's been thinking about eternity, and apparently he's not so sure he's getting into heaven. This week, Frank and Dan unpack the world's most unexpected crisis of conscience as Trump ponders his afterlife prospects and MAGA faithful insist he's still God's chosen one.

Also this week: an atheist in South Carolina is barred from working the polls for refusing to say "so hel...

A Texas pastor has a divine recruitment strategy—he's telling Christians to "Join ICE for Jesus." We unpack his unholy mix of nationalism, cruelty, and theology while trying to keep their blood pressure in check.

Also in this episode:
• A preacher blames the wrong calendar for the rapture's no-show
• Mormons raise nearly $400K for a shooter's family
• Catholic preschools lose their anti-LGBTQ discrimination case
• Florida high scho...

Trump's latest executive memo takes aim at "anti-Christian" Americans—and somehow that includes us and most of our listeners! Yep, under his new NSPM-7 directive, atheists officially make the terrorist watchlist.

This week, Frank and Dan dig into what the memo actually says, why it's terrifying (and absurd), and what it means for anyone who's not worshipping at the altar of Trump.

Plus: The death of LDS prophet Russell M. Nelson at...

Oklahoma's "Trump Bibles" have landed in public schools (special editions stuffed with the Constitution and other patriotic texts), but they're conspicuously lacking the amendments that abolished slavery, secured women's suffrage, and guaranteed civil rights. Frank and Dan unpack the scandal and what it means for education and politics.

Plus: the "Jesus Take the Wheel" songwriter dies in a plane crash, Por...

What happens when faith and bigotry collide? A Texas preacher made headlines after telling white Christian parents they need to give their kids "the talk" about the supposed dangers of Black people.

This week on Thank God I'm Atheist:

• Trump's "patriotic education" plan turns the nation's 250th birthday into Christian nationalist indoctrination.
• Kash Patel sends Charlie Kirk to Valhalla (yes, really).
• The Taliban bans books by ...

The Vatican has officially canonized Carlo Acutis (the first millennial saint) sparking headlines and debates worldwide. In this week's episode of Thank God I'm Atheist, Frank and Dan unpack how the Catholic Church fast-tracked a "patron saint of the internet" and why it matters for modern Catholicism.

Along the way, they dive into the historic first female preacher at the National Baptist Convention USA, the LDS Church's 101-year-...

This week, Frank and Dan dig into the shocking story of a Florida pastor who ran a $50 million call center cult, complete with forced labor, starvation, and abuse in the name of God.

They also cover: Kristi Noem funneling Homeland Security funds to churches, the Taliban refusing to let men rescue women after an earthquake, ...