The Atheist Talk Show – God is sooo yesterday

Produced in Minnesota by an organization called Minnesota Atheists, and hosted by Grant Stevens (ThD), Atheists Talk TV is a long-running web talk show for atheists by atheists.

This show (which seems to have a loyal small following) is taped in a no-frills studio — a simple set with a black backdrop. The production value is decent and professional enough.

The shows are streamed live and you can either live chat while watching the show (which I imagine would be fun considering the topic) and call in to the show to ask questions that the host will address live on air (or you can call them to suggest a topic – fun times!). They also have an on-demand library that includes past episodes.

Minnesota Atheists Happy Hour (good, godless times!)

Minnesota Atheists Happy Hour Meetup (good, godless times!)

The episode I’m posting (below) is titled “The Journey from Faith to Reason” and appears to explore the transition of three men from various religious faiths to atheism and how the transition has changed how they see the world.

I don’t doubt the sincerity of the show or its guests, but when the guests begin to introduce themselves at the behest of their host, I can’t help but think that it sounds like an AA or drug addiction rehab meeting. Here is the first of three guests introducing himself:

“Well… my name is Keith Lortimeyer and I’m an atheist. I have a mild background with religion. My parents were divorced. My only real exposure to religion was when I went to my father’s [house] every other weekend.”

Keith had me up until “My parents were divorced”. That statement (no matter who says it) is usually followed by a story dripping in dysfunctional self-discovery involving religion, drugs, reckless sex with an inability to commit in a relationship or politics. He may have been able to skate over that comment because I was happily eating cereal while watching the show, but when he mentioned being exposed to religion while at his father’s house “every other weekend,” I almost choked on my Cheerios. Having religion forced on him by the father he only saw twice a month — and now today he rejects all religion? Therapy, here comes Keith.

I continued with my Cheerios feast and the Atheist talk show. On to the next guest:

“My name is Ryan Sutter. I’m also an atheist. I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness until an experience about four years ago at which point I converted for a very brief period to “free thought” and then to atheism.”

An experience?!! Wtf? Is anyone else wondering what that “experience” was and why he mentioned it… vaguely? I smell a scandal — perhaps a sexual encounter with another man at Kingdom Hall that confirmed what he’s known deep down inside of himself all along? Ryan has a bestseller sitting in his soul and I want to read it, chapter by chapter, page by scandalous page. I believe he will write this book and then go on Oprah and be celebrated for that “experience” that freed his soul (and gave him the #1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller List and a photo op with Oprah).

Next atheist, James Zimmerman:

“Like Ryan, I was also raised as a Jehovah Witness. For the first 25 years of my life I believed it wholeheartedly and did everything I could to show that I had faith and tried to back that up with good works but subsequently by researching and exploring the religion and some of the things in the bible, I came to abandon that faith also.”

When James opens his introduction with, “Like Ryan, I… ” it is a dead giveaway that he is a follower who needs constant reassurance from others that he is meaningful and relevant (good luck finding that in religion).

This episode (part 1 of 2) is like therapy for atheists. It’s fascinating. The panel (full of dysfunction and ripe for therapy-picking) is a talk show host’s dream. Unfortunately, Grant Stevens (though he is thoughtful and knowledgeable about the subject) doesn’t yield even half of the juice from the fruit. Half of the statements these guests made that should have been addressed as being integral to the discussion of atheist was never given a second thought much less discussion.

What happens when you hear people talk about their experiences (especially their childhoods and especially in a public forum) is that you hear what they don’t realize they are consciously saying. For example, Keith mentioned in his introduction (above) that he had a “mild background” with religion. But he also uses the exact same words repeatedly in another statement about how he defines “faith”. Says Keith:

“I’m probably not the best example of this because I had such a mild background in it. Faith for me was a matter of pretending… Like I said, I had very little exposure to religion. It was basically just enough to immunize me. Faith was really uncomfortable for me. It felt weird. Pretending is how I would define faith.”

I think it’s pretty clear that poor Keith was beaten with the Jesus stick, shot with the Jesus AK47 and hacked with the Jesus ax as a youngster. His denial is both curious and endearing. Keith defines faith as “pretending”. That, coupled with the fact that he mentions his parents’ divorce several times (an issue well into his manhood) means that Keith is well on his way to Divorce City himself (perhaps for multiple visits).

Like I said, riveting. This show gives so much food for thought and discussion, I could write another five pages on this one episode alone (of course, I’ll spare you chore). We’ll upload new episodes as they’re produced. Below is parts 1 and 2 of this episode. By the way, Minnesota Atheists aren’t on Twitter but Illinois Atheists are (oh snap, dueling atheists gangs!). You can follow @illinoisatheist here.

Part 1
Part 2