Appreciate Your Mind

Due to some personal circumstances that is forcing me to move and make other changes in my life, I won't be doing another program in the foreseeable future. I'll keep this account open for a while just in case after I get settled I find a way to start up gain. I'm not promising anything, though.

I want to thank everyone for their support and hope you've found something of value from these programs. I will certainly miss putting in the time and effort to put them together. Thanks again, and I wish everyone the best!

-Brian

Brian talks about the pagan roots of Easter, how a church is holding a raffle to get people to their Easter service, changes being made in new versions of the bible coming out just now, the political and monetary motivations behind the North Dakota Religuous Liberty Restoration Amendment constitutional petition and ballot initiative, how tax money is legally diverted to religious organizations, and more!

Comedy from Magnus Betner is featured, as well as music from Greydon Square. ( I screwed up when I said this was a new song! My apologies for the mistake. Still a good song, however! I'm biased, though--I like Greydon Square's stuff . My atheist music collection is a mess and sometimes I just don't know what I've got in there and when the heck I got it. No excuses, though. Just an embarrassing goof on my part. 

Here's a link I promised from the North Dakota Family Alliance's web page, and here's the one from the North Dakota Catholic Conference.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is solo this week and analyzes some of the week's news, including continued Catholic attempts to deflect attention from sex scandals, praying for gas price reductions, restricting inmate access to books other than the bible and "life at conception" efforts as well as other legal stories, exciting news on the evolution front, and more!

Comedy from Jimmy Carr, is featured, as well as music from Tombstone Da Deadman, a piece from YouTube artist NonStampCollector, and the latest offering from The Thinking Atheist are featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is solo this week and uses lots of snippets from the routines of comedians giving their take on religion to explore issues from a point-of-view not easily seen from popular mainstream atheists. Comedy from Dylan Moran, Doug Stanhope, Jimmy Carr, Markus Brigstocke, Paul Provenza, and The Now Show is featured.

Music and from Johnathan Coulton, Jill Sobule, and Godlesswonder is featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is solo this week and uses some recent stories about behavior in reaction to the existence of certain books to discusses how the simple existence of a book can cause people to do everything from starting a web site to killing people; the potential Republican presidential candidates' courting the far religious right and the inflamatory language required to get their support; the new head of the African Union claiming divine permission to kill at will; and more!

Music and from Eddie Scott is featured.

The entire interview with Professor Bart D. Ehrman from which I used a clip can be found here.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is solo this week and discusses various recent news stories to talk about the silver lining that can be found in some recent news stories that seem to show evangelicals in the U.S. may be beginning to lighten up; the idea that the "original" religion of the Hebrews was polytheistic (based on a BBC2 mini-series, The Bible's Burried Secrets, currently airing); and more!

Music and from the The Dandy Warhols and Super Furry Animals are featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is solo this week and discusses various recent news stories to talk about the false assertions that the U.S. is a "Christian nation" and the resulting evil that is produced from societies that claim a religious foundation. The topic of doomsday prophecies is also covered, including many historical claims that failed to occur.

Music and from the Sugarcubes and Molly Lewis are featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian is alone this week and finishes his discussion about Terror Management Theory, the theory that human culture and individual human behavior are both based on our fear of death. According to the theory, how we react to that fear is the basis for the creation of culture, including religion. The idea has been around since at least 1973 when Pulitzer Prize-winning The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker was published. The ideas in the book were later developed into Terror Management Theory by several researchers, including Sheldon Solomon, the Ross Professor for Interdisciplinary Studies at Skidmore College, the person from whom we chose to use excerpts from one of his presentations on this subject.

The audio used in this week's program from Professor Solomon can be found here, the first of several parts.

For websites on Terror Management Theory, you can start with this one from the University of Missouri, and this one from Helping Psychology. There is also a Wikipedia page.

Brian also discusses the idea that we all decieve ourselves about reality and often times don't even realize we're doing it, using the examples of "end time" predictions that have once again arisen because of the earthquake and tsumani in Japan along with several recent studies.

Music from FC Kahuna is featured, as well as comedy faux commercials from Darkmatter2525 (Youtube) and Funny or Die.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian and Ryan talk this week about Terror Management Theory, the theory that human culture and individual human behavior are both based on our fear of death. According to the theory, how we react to that fear is the basis for the creation of culture, including religion. The idea has been around since at least 1973 when Pulitzer Prize-winning The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker was published. The ideas in the book were later developed into Terror Management Theory by several researchers, including Sheldon Solomon, the Ross Professor for Interdisciplinary Studies at Skidmore College, the person from whom we chose to use excerpts from one of his presentations on this subject.

The audio used in this week's program from Professor Solomon can be found here, the first of several parts.

For websites on Terror Management Theory, you can start with this one from the University of Missouri, and this one from Helping Psychology. There is also a Wikipedia page.

The documentary mentioned in the program, Flight From Death: The Quest for Immortality, can be found on Hulu.

We ran a bit short on time, so we left a question hanging that we'll address next time!

Music from The Wolfgang Press is featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

For the first time in over a year, I purposely took a week off. I needed a break from bathing in religious-based craziness--a detox period, if you will! So, no program this week. Thanks, everyone, for your support.

Brian and Ryan use this week's program to discuss the reason why so many atheists have a hard time respecting religious beliefs. Examples include Westboro Baptist Church, belief by a lawmker in Minnesota that god will not let us "run out of anything" when it comes to natural resources, speaking in tongues, Glenn Beck, and more.

Music and commentary from Pat Condell, NOFX, Tim Minchin, and Eve's Plum are featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at noon and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

In honor of International Darwin Day, Brian and Ryan use this week's program to discuss some of the latest information about genetics, including epigenetics and how gene expression is influenced by environment as well as biological factors. Brian and Ryan also remind everyone that people can find information about worldwide Darwin Day activities next weekend at DarwinDay.org and information about the coinciding Evolution Weekend at EvolutionWeekend.org. They also discuss how the Westboro Baptist Church's latest target is performances of the play "The Laramie Project," based on the circumstances around the murder of Matthew Shepard in 1998 in Laramie, Wy. because he was gay; how large portions of Russians believe the earth does not revolve around the sun; in Ghana how "prayer camps" are luring pepole away from legitimate hospitals for their medical needs; and much more!

The presentation by David Shenk at The Commonwealth Club of California used this week can be found here. His book is The Genius in All of Us: New Insights into Genetics, Talent, and IQ.

Comedy from Political Subversities and Dara O'Briain are featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at noon and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian and Ryan use this week's program to discuss the ignorance and arrogance of Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly using some recent comments they've made as catalysts. The Limbaugh clip and blog from PoliticusUSA's Jason Easly can be found here. The Bill O'Reilly video about tides can be found here; the one about Stephen Hawking can be found here. The Channel 4 documentary mentioned on the program about the formation of the moon can be found here. The National Geographic video about the formation of the solar system can be found here.

Brian and Ryan also remind everyone that people can find information about worldwide Darwin Day activities next weekend at DarwinDay.org and information about the coinciding Evolution Weekend at EvolutionWeekend.org. They also playfully discuss the question "Is praying before football games cheating" (Valerie Tarico's column on the subject can be found here), and how the pope's organs can't be donated because they "belong to the entire Catholic church." A couple more topics are squeezed in as well!

Music from Everclear is featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at noon and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here.

Brian and Ryan use this week's program to discuss the horrible results of an eductional situation in the U.S. where science and critical thinking skills are not being taught at anywhere near an acceptable level.

Music from Lacuna Coil is featured.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at noon and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here. A weekly column Brian writes for Secular News Daily can be found here.

Ryan is back! He and Brian welcome August Berkshire as a co-host. August Berkshire is the current president and a past newsletter editor and radio show producer for Minnesota Atheists. He also serves on the executive council and is a past vice president of Atheist Alliance International, serves on the boards of directors of Camp Quest of Minnesota and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and is on the speaker’s bureau for the Secular Student Alliance.

August will be speaking at the Southern California Secular Humanist Conference in San Diego, Ca. on Feb. 5, 2011. His talk is titled "Morality with and without God."

Today we concentrate on the Placebo Effect and the claims that Near Death Experiences are proof of an afterlife. A comedy bit from Dana Carvey is also featured.

The audio clip of Ben Goldacre used on the show can be found here. The clips of Dr. Jeffrey Long can be found here (the first of the three). The article mentioned by August about placebos being effective even if the person taking them knows about it can be found here.

The show is heard live on KNDS, 96.3 FM in Fargo, ND on Saturdays at 11 a.m. Central time and rebroadcast  on WPRR, 96.5 and 1680 AM in Grand Rapids, MI, Sundays at noon and 9 p.m. Eastern time. The show can be streamed from either stations' website. The Facebook page is found here. A weekly column Brian writes for Secular News Daily can be found here.

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