The Atheist Experience 30.24 with The Cross Examiner and JMike

The Atheist Experience

The Atheist Community of Austin

Religion & Spirituality, Non-profit, Business

4.6 • 2.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 June 2026

⏱️ 139 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, The Cross Examiner and JMike tackle the subtle "little things" of Christian nationalism and the liberating reality of secular mental health! From the Pentagon's reclassification of Mormonism to a personal struggle with depression, the hosts dismantle the idea that faith is a viable substitute for evidence or professional care. Can we find a better grounding for reality than ancient forgeries and emotional placeholders?Levi in LA questions why he shouldn't believe in a higher power if it provides comfort, such as a positive outlook during illness. The hosts use the "diamond in the backyard" analogy to explore the high cost of religious tithing and emotional energy spent on unsupported claims. They emphasize that a lack of evidence should lead to agnosticism rather than conviction. What happens to your resources when the promise of a diamond never materializes?Michel in NY asks if the fame of the Gospels proves Jesus was a historical figure rather than a myth. The hosts compare this reasoning to the popularity of King Arthur or Robin Hood, noting that legendary status doesn't establish physical reality. The conversation briefly touches on apocryphal texts and modern gender commentary before being identified as potential trolling for its lack of substance. Can the popularity of a story ever serve as a reliable yardstick for historical truth?Marcos in New Zealand presents a trilemma regarding children and free will on Judgment Day. He also cites documented witnesses of Ellen White as proof for his theism. The hosts challenge this "hearsay of hearsay" by comparing it to the modern "James River Church toes" miracle, which lacked independent verification despite multiple claims of witnessing the divine. They urge applying a consistent standard of evidence to all extraordinary stories. Why do ancient legends receive a special pass from skepticism?Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Recently, I was thinking of the iconic scene in pulp fiction where Vincent is talking about his time in Europe and says it's mostly the same, but you notice the little differences, the little things.
0:12.8	The same thing applies when Christian nationalists are governing your country. I know it's a big jump, but stick with me.
0:19.4	It's not like Christian nationalists won the recent
0:22.1	election, and the very next day, only Christians could hold office or only Christians could serve as jurors.
0:28.0	No, they did a bunch of little things. They issued an executive order to, quote, eliminate anti-Christian
0:34.8	bias within federal agencies, which is code for, we need to start favoring Christians.
0:40.3	They pardoned people convicted of crimes, even violent ones, related to protesting against abortion.
0:46.2	They appointed incompetent people to run all of our scientific agencies and to stop grants to research they don't like. The list goes on and on. But the latest
0:56.9	little thing, the funniest little thing, the little thing I want to call out today, it happened at
1:02.5	the Pentagon. The DOD recently reclassified Mormonism as non-Christian. Why is this funny to me?
1:10.8	Well, over two-thirds of Mormons
1:13.3	voted for Christian nationalism
1:15.3	in the last election.
1:16.9	Then the people they voted for
1:19.0	turned around and said,
1:20.3	to their faces,
1:21.2	you aren't true Christians.
1:23.6	Wouldn't you know it?
1:24.5	Mormons in Congress gave speeches
1:26.0	and wrote sternly worded letters while they
1:28.6	pounded the table. Christians in Utah, excuse me, citizens in Utah were interviewed on the local
1:35.0	news about how shocked they were and how offensive this was. Mormon law professors screamed about
	...

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