Thank God I'm Atheist

Mormon leaders double down on their opposition to gambling, and young Mormons are losing their minds over being told to stay away from sports betting and prediction markets. Frank and Dan discuss the backlash, the church's longstanding rules against gambling, and the outrage of young Mormons discovering that their religion still expects them to follow its rules. But as always, we first discuss some news... A study links Christian nationalism to lower cognitive ability, the Supreme Court turns away firefighters seeking religious vaccine exemptions, a Satanic prayer freaks out an Iowa town, religious hate crimes are rising in the UK, Pope Leo nudges the Catholic Church toward being nicer to divorced and LGBTQ Catholics, and disgraced televangelist Jim Bakker dies ("mmm... that's right...")

With the rise of the "spiritual but not religious" category, more people are turning to AI for spiritual guidance instead of pastors. What does it mean for people to seek spiritual, moral, and life guidance from a source that guides you toward an ever more personalized and isolated spiritual experience? We also discuss: Noah's Ark hunters are digging around in Turkey again, a judge shuts down an attempt to weaken the Johnson Amendment, assisted dying gets voted down in England and Wales, New Zealand finally hits Gloriavale where it hurts, new Pew numbers show Mormon retention slipping, and Christians lose it over Meryl Streep being cast as the Christ-like lion in the new Narnia. Support the show: www.thankgodimatheist.com/donate

Frank just got back from Italy and has some stories to tell! Catholic churches, baby Jesus art, so much Jesus blood, Mary's wedding ring, and a visit to Assisi to see St. Carlo's dead body. But first, there's a bunch of wacky religious news from the week: Eiffel Tower workers strike over hiding female staff, Trump leads a bizarre voting pledge, Austria bans hijabs for young girls in schools, a convicted pastor shows up at a Senate campaign event, OpenAI sued after ChatGPT feeds man's delusions, and Giuliani loses it over Mamdani attending the 9/11 ceremony.

This week, we remember two iconic figures who helped make the world feel a little more accepting in very different ways. Dolly Parton embodied a version of Christianity rooted in love, generosity, and an instinctive refusal to exclude people who weren't like her. Tim Curry, meanwhile, helped bring transgressive sexuality, camp, and gender-bending performance into the cultural mainstream. Together, they represent two very different paths toward the same idea of giving people permission to be fully themselves Also: An Anglican church in hot water after a visit from a sex worker. Miss North Carolina loses her crown—and calls it Christian persecution. Catholic doctors push back against Illinois' assisted-dying law. Did New Jersey make prayer illegal? Milo Yiannopoulos gets an unexpected lesson in immigration enforcement. AI-generated religious influencers are gaining millions of followers.

Who owns a symbol? And who gets to decide what it means? This week, we look at how symbols can be stolen, reclaimed, transformed, or ruined, from the swastika and pink triangle to the rainbow and the cross. Also this week: the sky evangelist picks a fight with Alaska Airlines, Canada's military makes room for nonbelievers, halal barbecue takes off in Texas, a Christian influencer says aliens harvested her eggs, the State Department sends billions through faith-based aid groups, and the White Sox celebrate their hometown pope.

Death comes for all of us, but what does grief look like without belief in an afterlife? Frank is joined by Rachel for a personal conversation about scattering her father's ashes five years after his death, finding closure without religion, and whether mourning is different when this life is the only one we have. Also this week: Christian men create women-free gyms to avoid "lust," Kim Davis is accused of hiding assets to dodge paying a civil rights judgment, a Texas deputy uses a massive license-plate camera network to track a woman who had an abortion, OpenAI faces a wrongful death lawsuit after ChatGPT allegedly encouraged a vulnerable user toward suicide, an airline finally says "enough" to an in-flight evangelist, and a West Virginia pastor would rather empty his food bank than accept donations from LGBTQ-supporting organizations.

Richard Dawkins spent decades convincing people to think critically about religion. Now he's wondering if a chatbot might actually be conscious. After an extended conversation with an AI he nicknamed "Claudia," the famed atheist author published a baffling article arguing that modern AI may be far more self-aware than we think. Frank is away this week, so Dan and Kate dive into one of the strangest (and most unintentionally hilarious) AI meltdowns we've seen yet. Also this week: France reckons with stolen Nazi-looted artwork, Norway restores government funding to Jehovah's Witnesses despite their shunning practices, a new Christian phone company promises to protect kids from YouTube and "dangerous" ideas, Southern Baptists continue losing members, anti-Semitic incidents show signs of decline after years of spikes, and the Catholic Church cautiously opens the door to listening to gay Catholics about the damage caused by conversion therapy. Support the show! www.thankgodimatheist.com/donate