Posted on

Show 308: Haiti

Audio here!

The eyes of the world are still on Haiti and hearts everywhere are aching. Aid and volunteers have poured in from around the world. And yet, the U.S.’s 12,000 troops have taken over Haiti’s main airport and are turning back much of this aid. An estimated 20,000 people a day died this past week under the rubble for lack of rescue. Surgeries and amputations among survivors were carried out without anesthesia or electricity.

Meanwhile, we are told – through the mainstream media over and over again – of the stories of worship and praise throughout Haiti. It is almost as if we are supposed to believe their suffering is not so great because of their faith. At the same time, Christian fascist Pat Robertson blamed the history of Haitians, who waged the only successful slave revolution in history, for bringing a curse down on themselves and causing their own suffering. As widely denounced as Robertson was, his voice was still treated as legitimate and promoted throughout the mainstream media.

This week on Equal Time for Free Thought Sunsara Taylor and her guests, Carl Dix and Rob Boston, will dig into the real history of Haiti, the dangerous and influential role of fundamentalists like Robertson, and shine a spotlight on the people who are not falling down on their knees and praising god, but waging active resistance both in Haiti and in the U.S. to demand humanitarian aid be let through.

Posted on

Show 307: Norm Allen, Jr.

African-American Humanism

Audio Here!

Michael O’Neil interviews Norm Allen, Jr…we talk about the efforts of skeptics in Africa to oppose fundamentalist Christianity imported by the West, and the need to recognize non-theist African American leaders in US history.

Norm Allen is the Executive Director of African Americans for Humanism (AAH), an educational organization primarily concerned with fostering critical thinking, ethical conduct, church-state separation, and skepticism toward untested claims to knowledge. He is the editor of the ground-breaking book African-American Humanism: An Anthology, AAH Examiner, and an Associate Editor of Free Inquiry magazine. His most recent book is The Black Humanist Experience.

Mr. Allen has traveled and lectured throughout North America, Europe, and Africa. His writings have been published in scores of newspapers throughout the US, and he has spoken on numerous radio and television programs. Mr. Allen’s writings have appeared in such books as Culture Wars and the National Center for Science Education’s Voices for Evolution.

Norm Allen has spoken at many institutions of higher learning including Harvard, Cheyney University, Temple University, the University of Minnesota, and Ohio State University. He has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows, including “the O’Reilley Factor” on the Fox News Network, the Diane Rehm Show on National Public Radio, BBC Radio, and the Ghanaian Broadcasting Corporation.

Posted on

Show 306: Atheism or Humanism?

Atheism Vs. Humanism?

Audio here!

With the advent of the ‘New Atheists’ and their amazing popularity, and the watering down of humanism by many organizations in the US, we wonder what is the difference between humanism and atheism? Is atheism the foundational core of humanism as many “secular” humanists argue? Can anyone self-identified as an atheist be called a humanist? If humanism is, as some state, an ethical worldview, why do many argue that people can hold any political position and still be a humanist? Matthew LaClair will host a special call-in show to have YOU address these questions…

Posted on

Show 305: On Liberty, Freedom and the Policed Society

On Liberty, Freedom and the Policed Society w/ Author Kristian Williams

Audio here!

Humanism. According to the two documents which outline this philosophy, the Humanist Manefesto’s I & II, the goal of humanism is “a free and universal society in which people voluntarily and intelligently cooperate for the common good.  (A belief) in maximum individual autonomy consonant with social responsibility. (And that) alienating forces should be modified or eradicated and bureaucratic structures should be held to a minimum (because) people are more important than decalogues, rules, proscriptions, or regulations.”

How close are we to attaining these goals in today’s America?  Has capitalism and Jeffersonian democracy (as weak as they may be here in 2009), been able to realize some of these goals?  Any of these goals?  Or have these ideologies led to a society profoundly unable to become free, and indeed – against human nature itself – have found ways through propaganda and brute force to ensure such freedom never exists?

On this special one-hour Equal Time for Freethought, we will chat with author Kristian Williams about these questions, focusing on one of the key methods by which the nations elite “regulate” freedom… the Police.

Posted on

Show 304: Naturalistic Christmas Special!

Equal Time for Freethought’s TWO-HOUR Naturalistic Christmas Special!

Audio here!

This Christmas join Arnell Dowret for another naturalized, secular, and faith-free Christmas celebration as he demonstrates how and why Christmas can – and should – be a fully naturalistic and fun holiday.

During the program we’ll be taking listener calls to hear about where you see hope for tomorrow, and for you to tell us how your Christmas is going.  We’ll also feature a special guided Christmas meditation, and we’ll be replaying Equal Time for Freethought’s classic Christmas morning interview with Santa Claus and his wife, Christine.

And although Equal Time for Freethought’s Naturalistic Christmas Special is faith-free, throughout the years we have had many people of faith tell us they’re glad they tuned in.  So, unless you’re a big fan of guys like Glenn Beck, be sure to tune in!

Posted on

Show 303: Naturalistic Symbols and Myths

Naturalistic Symbols and Myths – Are they desirable? Are they possible? Are they needed?

Throughout human history attitudes, ideas, practices, and traditions regarding the “big stuff,” such as our relationship to the Cosmos – what it means to be alive – and how we should think about ourselves and our fellow humans, have been conveyed through mostly nonintellectual means such as religious practice and culture. Today, naturalism offers humanity the most accurate and effective way to approach such questions but, to date, proponents of naturalism haven’t found a nonintellectual approach to convey naturalistic knowledge and wisdom.

This Sunday we’ll consider whether a naturalistic understanding of ourselves, and the world, can be spread through nonintellectual means; and, if so, what such a nonintellectual approach would look like.  Joining us will be the organizer of the New York Mythology Cafe which is also The New York Chapter of the Joseph Campbell Foundation Mythological RoundTable® Group of New York, Phil Robinson.

Posted on

Show 302: On Humanistic Psychology

Humanistic Psychology with Dr. Kirk Schneider & Dr. Edward Neukrug

Audio Here!

What is Humanistic Psychology? Does it fit the parameters of secular humanism and scientific naturalism? What is the legacy of some of its star names like Carl Rogers and Abe Maslow? What does Humanistic Psychology say about Free Will and Human Nature?

Arnell Dowret will explore these questions and more with Dr. Kirk Schneider, a licensed psychologist and leading spokesperson for contemporary humanistic psychology, and Dr. Edward Neukrug, Professor of Counseling and Human Service at Old Dominion University in Virginia.

Dr. Schneider has published over 100 articles and chapters and has authored or edited eight books including, Rediscovery of Awe: Splendor, Mystery, and the Fluid Center of Life; Horror and the Holy: Wisdom-teachings of the Monster Tale; The Paradoxical Self: Toward an Understanding of Our Contradictory Nature; and his most recent, Awakening to Awe.

Dr. Neukrug is also the author of numerous books on pyschology and counseling including Counseling Theory and Practice, Theory, Practice and Trends in Human Services: An Introduction to An Emerging Profession, Skills and Tools for Today’s Counselor’s and Psychotherapists, and Essentials of Testing and Assessment for Counselors, Social Workers, and Psychologists.

Posted on

Show 301: Sunsara Taylor chats with Robert Jensen!

Sunsara Taylor chats with Robert Jensen!

Audio here!

Robert Jensen is that rare form of “Christian Atheist” who, once having been a secularist pure, now finds himself embracing a radical leftist form of “Christianity” which he talks about in his new book, All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice.  Jensen is also an advocate of Feminism, and has written harshly on the Porn Industry in the United States.  He also may be known for his critical essay – No Thanks to Thanksgiving – where he suggests that a moral people would abandon this holiday built upon myth and the blood of hundreds and thousands of Native Americans.

Robert is a professor in the School of Journalism and director of the Senior Fellows Honors Program of the College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.  He also is the author of Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity; The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege; Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity; and Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream.

Posted on

Show 300: Arnell Dowret’s “Naturalistic Holiday Special!”

Naturalistic Holiday Special!

Audio 1 Here!

Audio 2 Here!

The holiday season is officially here and though many nonbelievers might spin an index finger and mutter “Well, whoopty do!,” the period from Thanksgiving to Christmas need not be problematic for people who don’t believe in Jesus, nor need it be joyless for people who do not believe in god at all.

During this one hour special Arnell Dowret offers a naturalistic take on the holidays – and he’ll explain how those who are secular may want to celebrate the holidays for the significant benefits they have to offer.

He’ll start out wrapping up thanksgiving weekend by asking listeners to call in about what they are grateful for in their lives.*

For the bottom half of the hour, he’ll talk about the upcoming weeks and ideas for having a Naturalistic Christmas Day.

And while not everyone’s response will be to run out, get a flu shot, and go visit a Santa (probably a good thing) – you may find the holidays just a little more fun!