The Testing 1,2,3, Testing, Radio Free Mormon on the air, broadcasting behind enemy lines.

Tonight's episode, In Defense of Atheism. Now, when I say the title is, in defense of atheism. Now, when I say the title is,

in defense of atheism, I'm not going to give a long, drawn-out treatise on why I think

atheism is the best philosophy to live with. Instead, when I talk about atheism, it is a subject

that is inextricably tied up with my dad

because my dad was an atheist.

And I am releasing this episode in honor of my dad on the eve of Father's Day weekend,

2024, for that very reason.

That's why I'm releasing it now. What I want to do is tell you a little bit

about my father, the fact that he was an atheist, the way in which he carried his atheism,

and how it is that over the years I've been able to see more and more positive things in his

belief system than I did when I was a faithful and observant Mormon. My dad's first

name was Raymond. He was old enough to be my grandfather. Indeed, my mother was old enough to be my

grandmother. I came along rather late in life. And so I ended up being raised by parents who grew up as

teenagers during the Great Depression.

My father was born on December 26, 1919.

That is a year and about 45 days after World War I was over.

I was born when my dad was 40 years old and my mother was, oh, a few years

younger than that. My dad attended the University of Colorado during late 1930s, early 1940s,

where he was a band leader. Big bands were a big thing back then, and he had his own band

at the University of Colorado that he was the

conductor, and he played the clarinet, sort of like Benny Goodman, a very famous big band leader

...