Thank God I'm Atheist

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.

As Christian nationalism tightens its grip on the nation's politics, a new crop of progressive candidates is putting faith front and center. From James Talarico to Abdul El-Sayed, the religious left is making a more explicit play for political power (and challenging the idea that Republicans get to own God). Can religious progressives provide an effective counterweight to Christian nationalism, or are we just inviting more religion into a political system that could use a lot less of it?
Also on the show: Christians find God on both sides of the fight over massive AI data centers; Florida's attorney general picks a fight with Catholic schools over vaccine exemptions; the Arizona Supreme Court hands the Mormon Church a win in a horrific child-abuse case; anti-Muslim opposition to a proposed mosque lands an Oklahoma city in court; new data reveals just how differently Mormons practice their religion around the world; and Texas' mandatory Ten Commandments displays face a new legal challenge.

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.

Pioneer Day is one of Utah's biggest celebrations, but how much of the Mormon pioneer story is history? And how much is mythology? Frank and Dan take a fresh look at the conflict that drove the Mormons west, why the word "persecution" doesn't tell the whole story, and how the familiar handcart-and-heroism narrative leaves out a lot of the truth.
Also this week: preparations begin for the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus' baptism, two Catholic nuns launch an order dedicated to helping survivors of church abuse, the USDA faces a lawsuit over explicitly Christian government emails, a new poll reveals what Jewish Americans think about Israel and Gaza, West Virginia stands firm on school vaccine requirements despite pressure for religious exemptions, and a prominent Black Baptist leader argues that not voting is a sin.

This week's final segment tackles a surprisingly tricky question: what is a religious conversion? Does becoming an atheist count, or is it something entirely different? We explore where Americans are actually moving religiously, why the "nones" continue to grow, and what it really means to change (or leave) your faith.
Also this week: a Utah man is arrested after allegedly plotting an attack on Muslims, Idaho's abortion laws drive another community's OB-GYNs away, Brazil's evangelical boom gets blamed for the national soccer team's decline, a Christian tech company asks investors to keep the faith, and Orthodox Jews lobby for permanent daylight saving time.