Inside the Call Center Cult
Thank God I'm Atheist
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, a chaplain abusing detainees in ICE custody, and a Mormon columnist caught in a predator sting. Listener emails tackle everything from schizophrenia stigma to Dobson’s “strong-willed child” legacy. And in the final segment: the Wall Street Journal’s profile of...
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Massacre? Don’t Worry, They’ll Pray About It
Thank God I'm Atheist
This week on Thank God I’m Atheist, Frank is joined by Rachel (with Dan off at Burning Man!) for a lively dive into religion’s latest absurdities. Trump’s bizarre new obsession with “getting to heaven” makes the headlines, Kentucky churches are stealing library books in the name of morality, Quebec wrestles with prayer bans in public spaces, and a nurse swaps her grandmother’s medication for “vitamins and prayers” with tragic results. In the second half, Frank and Rachel tackle the empty ritual of “thoughts and prayers” in the wake of yet another school shooting. Why do...
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Garments, Glory Holes, and Goodbye Dobson #714
Thank God I'm Atheist
This week Frank and Dan take a long, hard look at the legacy of James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and one of the most influential figures of the Religious Right. He spent decades pushing child abuse as “discipline,” spreading anti-LGBTQ hate, and shaping the culture wars that still drag us down today. With his passing, we’re not exactly breaking out the hymns… We also dive into: Mormon women going wild over new, shoulder-baring garments An Episcopal priest who turned psychedelics into his new ministry A Catholic money man trying to steer investments away from LGBTQ rights...
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The Pastor Who Stole the Prize #713
Thank God I'm Atheist
Oklahoma’s Ryan Walters loses in court while doubling down on Christian victimhood, Pastor Doug Wilson’s growing extremist empire in Idaho gets national attention, and Lindsey Graham warns that “God will pull the plug on America” if we stop funding Israel. Also in the mix: Marjorie Taylor Greene picks a fight with Lindsey Graham A Christian charity fires a pregnant gay woman and wins in court New York pushes back against political churches with a bold new bill A Pennsylvania priest rigs a Corvette raffle And in Arizona, a young candidate who says women shouldn’t hold office is…...
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Keyboard-Slapping for Jesus #712
Thank God I'm Atheist
This week, the Christians found us… and they came in swingin’ (well, typin’). The YouTube comment section lit up with righteous fury after last week’s episode, and we couldn’t resist talking about it. We’ve also got the story of a megachurch pastor returning to the pulpit after prison, a psychedelic mushroom “church” that just beat the state of Utah in court, ICE raids inside places of worship, Missouri’s open push for “Christian conservative” gerrymandering, and the Mormon Church heading back to court over child sex abuse cover-ups. And to top it off, we tear into the...
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The Holy Relic Missing a Holy Part #711
Thank God I'm Atheist
What do a religious sex club, the Shroud of Turin, and a pedophile at a church fair have in common? They're all part of this week’s wild ride through religious absurdity. Frank and Dan dig into: The airline controversy over booted Jewish teens—anti-Semitism or just unruly French kids? The Shroud of Turin gets debunked with 3D modeling. A Tennessee pastor uses food bank funds to pay for prostitution—and lands in prison. Guess who got kicked out of the state fair? Not the church with the pedophile. The Vatican quietly reinstates a convicted priest after child porn charges. Plus: A Salt...
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“Are Those Her Nipples?!” #710
Thank God I'm Atheist
Oklahoma’s ultra-conservative education chief Ryan Walters wants to keep schools “smut-free”—but apparently forgot to turn off his retro porn before a state board meeting. Frank and Dan break down the jaw-dropping hypocrisy and the political fallout. Also in this episode: Indiana’s lieutenant governor proposes the death penalty as a condition for abortion in cases of rape A prominent Christian activist pleads guilty to child porn charges Clergy are quietly letting AI write their sermons Mike Johnson celebrates the IRS giving up on church-politics enforcement And an entire Welsh...
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Japan Protects Kids from Religion #709
Thank God I'm Atheist
Ever wondered what it means when a church goes full corporate? Frank and Dan wrap up the episode with a deep dive into the Mormon Church’s 26-story office tower and the billions behind it. But first: witches selling spells on Etsy (and why it violates Etsy’s own rules), Texas making it illegal for secular celebrants to perform weddings, the Magnolia Network featuring a gay couple and triggering conservative outrage, Pride organizers in Newfoundland banning Recovering From Religion, Japan moving to classify forced religious participation as child abuse, and Billy Graham’s family suing...
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Bribes, Blessings, and Broken Democracy #708
Thank God I'm Atheist
The IRS just made a quiet but explosive decision: it will no longer enforce the Johnson Amendment, effectively giving churches a tax-free license to play politics. Frank and Dan break down how this opens the floodgates for dark money, bribes disguised as “donations,” and full-blown corruption in America’s pulpits. Also this week: The bizarre satanic panic over viral Labubu dolls Baylor University rejects LGBTQ research funding after backlash A church publicly shames an abuse survivor Pope Leo XIV keeps same-sex blessings—but is it really progress? Catholics promotes a convicted child...
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The Gospel According to Gym Bros #707
Thank God I'm Atheist
Christian influencers are bringing fatphobia back in the name of Jesus—and Frank and Dan are not having it. This week, they dive into the toxic rise of Christian diet culture and how it ties into purity, control, and righteousness. Plus: Iran issues a fatwa targeting Trump and Netanyahu, Canterbury Cathedral starts handing out indulgences, Americans try to evangelize North Korea via plastic bottles, a Michigan teen sues her school over the Pledge of Allegiance, Utah's governor asks the state to pray for rain (again), and the Dalai Lama stirs up international drama by announcing his...
info_outlineEver wondered what it means when a church goes full corporate? Frank and Dan wrap up the episode with a deep dive into the Mormon Church’s 26-story office tower and the billions behind it.
But first: witches selling spells on Etsy (and why it violates Etsy’s own rules), Texas making it illegal for secular celebrants to perform weddings, the Magnolia Network featuring a gay couple and triggering conservative outrage, Pride organizers in Newfoundland banning Recovering From Religion, Japan moving to classify forced religious participation as child abuse, and Billy Graham’s family suing over his words being used against Trump.