The Atheist Experience

By: The Atheist Community of Austin
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • The Atheist Experience is a weekly show in Austin, Texas geared at a non-atheist and atheist audience. The Atheist Experience is produced by the Atheist Community of Austin.

    The Atheist Community of Austin is organized as a nonprofit educational corporation to develop and support the atheist community, to provide opportunities for socializing and friendship, to promote secular viewpoints, to encourage positive atheist culture, to defend the first amendment principle of state-church separation, to oppose discrimination against atheists and to work with other organizations in pursuit of common goals.

    We define atheism as the lack of belief in gods. This definition also encompasses what most people call agnosticism.

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.
    ®2024 The Atheist Community of Austin
    Show More Show Less
Economics Management Management & Leadership Spirituality
Show More Show Less
Episodes
  • The Atheist Experience 29.18 with Justin and Allegedly-Ian ​2025-05-04

    The Atheist Experience 29.18 with Justin and Allegedly-Ian ​2025-05-04
    May 5 2025

    00:00 Intro02:33 Adam-(EN) | Contingency Argument For Necessary Entity
    55:41 Mike-SC | What Level Of Natural Disaster Is Okay?
    1:37:03 Michael-FL | Dealing With Observable Phenomenon

    SHOW NOTESIn today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Justin and Allegedly Ian, take calls ranging from philosophy to phenomena.

    Adam in England has a contingency argument for a necessary entity. Why should we believe that there was ever a point in time where things were selected?
    Prior to god creating the laws of physics, did god believe that he created the laws of physics? Was there a state that the universe did not exist?
    How can something exist and not exist at the same time?
    What causes something to be true?
    At what point does the universe become god?
    If part of god is contingent, then god is not fully necessary. How can god be all benevolent if not all parts of god are good?
    Why did god not create a world with no natural disasters? What is god’s intention when making people suffer?

    Mike, a theist in SC, wants to know what it would take to make us happy in relation to natural disaster casualties. All good means doing the best thing and that is zero deaths with not one bad thing is to be expected. How can free will exist if god is all knowing?
    If something is outside of time, would it have future, present, and past states?
    If god is all benevolent, why is he such a misogynist?
    Why does this god give instructions on how to own people?
    Why would the time period have an affect on the people’s morals?
    Profiting on the ownership of other people is bad and not dependent on perception. Why does god justify blood feud?

    Michael in FL is deconverting and curious how the hosts deal with phenomena that they can observe. It is always important to ask if there is any peer reviewed evidence showing this is a phenomenon. If god had a belief about a spiritual experience that changed once the experience happened, god can’t exist outside of space and time. Find the tests that can be done to investigate and reproduce this phenomenon. If we are unable to reproduce the results in a controlled environment, then we are looking at a psychological phenomenon.
    Thank you for joining us this week! We will see you next time!




    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 40 mins
  • The Atheist Experience 29.17 with Justin and Jmike

    The Atheist Experience 29.17 with Justin and Jmike
    Apr 28 2025
    In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, Justin and JMike discuss Biblical inaccuracies and the truth of these claims.

    Steve in NE, argues that enslaved people in Egypt would have owned their own houses. Justin explains that the Hebrews were subject to forced labor and how this differs from being owned as property. The illogical claims of Moses writing the Torah is as problematic as the stories Exodus. Sargon of Akkad is a story that is suspiciously similar to that of Moses; and it occurs earlier in time. There is no evidence that the Torah was written in Egyptian or that Moses wrote it. What language would Moses have spoken and used?


    Kevin in TX wants to know if it is wrong to believe in a deity based on self-preservation reasons. Having the support of family and peers may go away if you come out in some situations. How much and what component of this belief is fear based?


    Kaiser in OR thinks that The Atheist Experience is intellectually fraudulent because the issues of god are not complex enough to warrant a full show. How do you know that some of the hosts did not have a concept of god before they deconverted? We live in a society where lots of people believe in something we don’t think exists; we push back when there are consequences for these beliefs. How are you not a hypocrite when you call yourself an evangelical atheist? Maybe you should roll with theists.


    Dylan in FL has questions about the validity of the New Testament. If the New Testament tells a lie about the older scriptures, should we still trust it? Does the Bible need to be inherent? How many lies have to be told before you say it is not true? Why does Mathew 2:14-16 tell a bold faced lie about a prophecy? The sharpshooter fallacy starts with the conclusion starts with an arrow in a tree where a circle is drawn around it to show the target. They start with the conclusion and then find things that look like it and call it prophecy.


    Alfred in TX says that religion has utility and wants to know if the hosts want it phased out.
    Mike explains that he wants to see the bad things that come from religion go away and how it depends on a number of things. Justin uses a brilliant analogy of an umbrella that has utility, but every 1,000 uses omits a noxious gas. Why would god tell the Israelites that they could own slaves, kidnap women to make them wives? When conforming to Biblical lies, where do you draw the line? You might be de-converting quicker than you think if you continue on this path.


    Dr. Ben joins to offer some final thoughts before closing us out. Thank you for joining us today and we will see you next time!

    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 48 mins
  • The Atheist Experience 29.16 with The Cross Examiner and Godless Engineer

    The Atheist Experience 29.16 with The Cross Examiner and Godless Engineer
    Apr 21 2025
    In today’s episode of the Atheist Experience, The Cross Examiner and Godless Engineer work through questions from theists and those who are questioning their beliefs.
    Vickie in NC feels that what the hosts on the show are saying make sense and she is starting to question her beliefs. You are not alone and are correct in not accepting a claim until you are convinced with the proper amount of evidence. If you want to hold on to the idea of god having a good nature, how do you rationalize the Old Testament atrocities? How horrible would god’s actions have to be before you question the morality of this all knowing god? Why does the New Testament tell slaves to obey their masters and how do you reconcile this with a good god? Try pondering how it would be to be a slave under Old Testament laws. If you look at life without the lens of god, you will realize how full your life is!
    Shabazz in KY wants to know what led them to atheism and what they find unbelievable about a creator. On the quantum level, particles will appear and vanish out of existence with no cause. What is your best evidence for a creator and what convinced you the universe was created? What gives you the indication that god is directly involved with the laws of nature such as when it rains? Why do you consider a natural inclination the best reason to believe in your god, and why do you believe what is written in the Quran? The moon is still intact.

    RJ in CO has some corrections on some Biblical references Godless Engineer(GE) made. GE explained Numbers 31 and what the story about the age of the girls (women children) would have meant at the time. What is the morality of keeping young girls for servants and why is there such a heavy emphasis on virginity? When you call into a show where there is a time limit, be ready to make your case.

    Jeff in NC, says the message of slavery in the Bible is misunderstood, the supernatural claims of the Bible being allegories, and talks about how Moses was influenced by the laws of Egypt. If the Bible is full of allegories, why should we listen to the writings of Paul? How do the stories of Paul equate to evidence for god?

    Alex in Britain wants to talk about Biblical accuracy, interpretations, and trustworthiness. Ben Clodfelter joins to offer some perspectives where fallacies can be spotted and used as red flags. The Cross Examiner sees that people are raised to believe in the premise, and then when they start reading scripture, it is done through Bible class. This prevents the problematic and controversial verses from being read. If this is supposed to be the most important message ever, wouldn’t the book have been clearer about which passages are metaphors and which are literally true?

    Thank you for tuning in this week! There are plenty of volunteer opportunities if you want to get involved. We will see everyone next week!


    Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-atheist-experience--3254896/support.
    Show More Show Less
    2 hrs and 19 mins

What listeners say about The Atheist Experience

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.co.uk reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Declan

A fantastic educational resource

These shows involve the best challenges to religious beliefs and dogmas, a very important task for today's world

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!