Unreasonable
Feeling overwhelmed by the relentless attack on American Democracy by the Religious Right? Welcome to Unreasonable: sane conversations for a country that's lost its friggin' mind. But Unreasonable is more than a podcast. It’s the start of a movement to reverse the inexorable rise of religious fanaticism taking over our government and our lives, on issues from public education, to women’s reproductive health, to the mainstreaming of loud-and-proud racism. Here we not only learn together what in the world's going on with our country, we develop an action plan to move America forward. It’s time for all of us who believe in the Separation of Church and State to unite — as the majority of Americans we are — in the name of democracy, common sense and kindness. Is that really so unreasonable?
Unreasonable
"Black Nonbelievers" with Mandisa Thomas
The Black Church is as American as anything you can name. For so many, the promise of a glorious afterlife gave, and gives, succor to a lifetime of hardship here on Earth.
The influence of its sacred music is directly linked to the secular music we all listen to and enjoy today, from Jazz to Soul to R&B to Rock nd Roll. And for that we can be grateful.
But despite the prevalance of church culture in the African-American community, and American society as a whole, many Black people reject the idea of an afterllife and a god that oversees it. For them, Jesus was a salve foisted on their ancestors by slaveholders who needed their property to behave.
Mandisa Thomas is the founder and president of Black Nonbelievers, an organization that promotes atheism among the Black community, and provides communal shelter from a world that often ostracizes nonbelievers.
She is a happy warrior in the battle of certainty vs. skepticism.
Listen now, and then check out these resources to learn more.
Black Nonbelievers
Pew Research:
History of Faith Among Black Americans
gOD-Talk Film and Web Series
”Black Nonreligious Americans” Survey by
Black Nonbelievers and American Atheists
Black Nonreligious Survey
Black Christians vs. Black Nonbelievers Debate
Cringe Alert: Kent Hovind Debate
Black Freethinkers by Chris Cameron
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