Humanize Me

'How are you not freaking out?' is the question Gabe asks in one of the two songs we play in this inaugural episode of 2020. Gabe is an artist, musician, poet and more. His C5 spinal injury, incurred when he was 15 years old, left him paralyzed from the armpits down. What more could there be to freak out about? In this conversation, Bart talks with Gabe about finding a room of one's own in a hostile world, his art including an electronic rock opera telling the story of his life, sexuality and intimacy as a disabled person, music as therapy, Gabe's agnosticism about God and more.Gabe's music can be found on Spotify under his stage name Freaque. He's also on YouTube.Humanize Me trivia: Gabe's father Matthew was our guest in Episode 337.--Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it.

It's an end-of-the-year podcast from Bart Campolo, who answers a question from a listener called John.John wants to know whether faith (of a sort) can still be useful for a post-Christian, whether believing something without evidence can sometimes have its benefits. Bart answers with a riff on the difference between optimism and hope, and thinks about its applicability to the new decade we're going into this week.Happy New Year to all our listeners, and especially to our supporters on Patreon! We couldn't do it without you. See you in 2020!—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listen

Emma Bloomfield researches the intersection of science and religious rhetoric, particularly around issues of climate change, human origins and the body.In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Emma talks about how Christians tend to think differently about science and the environment, the three ‘types’ of religious climate skeptic (separators, bargainers and harmonizers), the similarities and differences between creationists and climate change skeptics, how language matters, how ideological 'purity' and orthodoxy can push people away from contributing to positive change, the importance of storytelling, and why she feels hopeful after her conversations with the groups she wrote about.Emma's book, Communication Strategies for Engaging Climate Skeptics: Religion and the Environment, is available from Amazon.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for t

Thanksgiving has been and gone, and now we're into a whole month of Christmas in America. How does one navigate a time that can be very tricky for those who have deconverted from faith? As one listener put it in our Facebook Group: "Am I the only one who feels like Jesus is my ex and all the decorations just remind me of our ****ed up relationship?" It turns out there's a lot of that kind of painfulness at this time of year!In this Q&A episode of our podcast, Bart Campolo tries to answer the following questions:"My wife still believes. She is very bothered that I no longer believe. Advice on how to handle the tension? How much should I go along, for example, going to Christmas Eve service to keep her happy while still being true to myself?""My siblings and mom don't do presents anymore, which is awesome. My biggest Christmas budget item is charity. My wife though, thinks presents are important and for the most part she handles her big family and that's fine with me. But, as you can guess, it gets a little

John Tucker used to be a literalist Christian, but says he has now rejected the 'belief paradigm' to move beyond either accepting or rejecting the claims of religion. In this conversation with Bart Campolo, John lays out how he sees truth now, and says that he thinks religious claims should be expressed only as catch-22s. An example of a catch-22: "The only acceptable evidence for religious belief is evidence that is unacceptable." Confused by this, Bart explores what John means by it. Along the way, John and Bart talk about how works of fiction can be 'mined' for profound insight, and that Christianity can be too, how there are differences between pre- and post-Enlightenment thinking, how we are stuck in the 'correspondence theory of truth', how virulent forms of religion can be 'tamed' and used beneficially, how John was devastated when he first realized that Adam and Eve were not historical figures, the future of Christianity and how following generations will come to relate to it, why John refutes the

It's a Q&A episode! And this week, the question is: "Hey Bart, you humanists seem to really love science, so I’m wondering... do you love science fiction too? If so, what do you love and why?" - Marianne Bart Campolo talks with producer John Wright about sci-fi and the thoughts it can provoke. In the process, he strongly recommends a book that is controversial, poorly-written and probably wrong, and which made him consider the benefits of fascism. — Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date: Twitter: @HumanizeMePod Instagram: @HumanizeMePodcast Facebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280 Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedback, and the ‘Campolo Sessions‘, long-form conversations between B

Yasmine Mohammed wore the hijab from the age of 9, but never felt comfortable as a Muslim. Now, having been out of the faith for many years, she's able to reflect on her remarkable life, on the Islamic world and on religious indoctrination in general.In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Yasmine talks about the differences between Islam and Christianity, the powerful, debilitating effect she felt of being covered from head to toe, how easy it is to indoctrinate children, how western governments protect subjugation out of cultural sensitivity, how western liberals protect abusive behavior, how corporations are demonetizing her and others like her, and how humanist values should pertain to Islam.Yasmine's book, Unveiled, can be found on Amazon.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content

The question being asked this week: "Hey Bart, I listened to a speech by Attorney General William Barr at Notre Dame University, in which he denounced ‘militant secularists’ and said they were trying to destroy the ‘traditional moral order’. Does this worry you as much as it does me?" Bart Campolo sits down with John Wright to answer this question, and - spoiler - it's a resounding 'Yes.' Not only did Barr set out to make the ludicrous claims about secularists that he did, but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo promoted his own speech on the United States State Department website with the headline, "Being a Christian Leader." Bart sees this as a direct response to the fire under which Trump finds himself, a rallying of the base, and shares some thoughts about how secular people can articulate their own positive values in a powerful refutation of this demonization. Mentioned at the end: The Happiness Lab with Dr. Laurie Santos. — Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date: Twitter: @HumanizeMePod Instagram: @Hum

Josh "Phantom" Strider is an Australian YouTuber known for his commentary on cartoons. He's also an avid listener of the Humanize Me podcast and one of our supporters on Patreon!In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Josh talks about the secularism of Disney, the messages of VeggieTales, the importance of cartoons for those like him on the autism spectrum, the business model of YouTube, Hank Green and the online content ecosystem.Check out Josh's YouTube channel on YouTube under PhantomStrider at youtube.com/user/phantomstrider8.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedbac

A solo podcast by Bart Campolo with poetry, songs and nepotism.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedback, and the ‘Campolo Sessions‘, long-form conversations between Bart and his dad Tony Campolo.)Got a question for Bart to answer in a future show? Call the ‘Q Line’ at (424) 291-2092.Join the email list HERE.Humanize Me is hosted by Bart Campolo and is produced by John Wright at JuxMedia.com.

How do we decide whether it's good or bad to intervene in global warming or growing inequality? Or how to treat our dog? Phil Zuckerman has written a new book giving a foundational framework for secular - nonreligious - morality.In this conversation Phil talks with Bart Campolo about the four reasons you can't get morality from God, and the ways to build a secular ethic that, he thinks, is a better one. They discuss the problems with a God-based morality, the Euthyphro Dilemma and the nature of morality itself. They get into a debate about how objective morality is, and talk about how to get an 'ought' from an 'is'. And, hopefully, they'll leave you with the idea that the basis for how unbelievers act in the world is not grounded on nothing.Phil Zuckerman's new book, What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, can be found here:https://www.counterpointpress.com/dd-product/what-it-means-to-be-moral/—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram

In Episode 423 of this podcast, David Fleischer talked with Bart Campolo about changing minds with the methodology of 'deep canvassing.' In this episode, David returns! He and Bart talk about the next election, Trump as the opposite of loving and humanist, how to encourage people to vote without shaming them about not voting last time, how the lessons of deep canvassing relate to the conversations people are having about faith in God, and more. Part I of our chat with David can be found at https://bartcampolo.org/2019/07/423. — Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date: Twitter: @HumanizeMePod Instagram: @HumanizeMePodcast Facebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280 Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read list

In this episode of Humanize Me, Bart Campolo and John Wright talk about two recent deconversions from Christianity and a recent article by Faith Hill in The Atlantic which looks at the trajectory of secular 'churches' like Sunday Assembly and analyzes their declining numbers.Joshua Harris's well-known 1997 Christian book, I Kissed Dating Goodbye, shaped the relationships and sexual ethics of many of the young people who read it. In recent years, Harris has apologized for the impact of his book, which he now regards as largely negative. Earlier this summer, it emerged that Harris has separated from his wife and no longer considers himself a Christian.Marty Sampson was a worship leader and singer-songwriter with Hillsong United, a band born at Hillsong church in Sydney that routinely topped the Christian charts worldwide. He recently wrote an Instagram post announcing the deconstruction of his faith.Further reading:Secular churches rethink their sales pitch:https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/07/secu

Gayle Jordan is the Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Recovering from Religion, which connects people with support on their journeys out of religious faith. In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Gayle talks about her own deconversion story, the work of her organization, the helpline it operates, the common issues people face after losing or leaving faith, and encouraging people to get involved. Recovering from Religion can be found at RecoveringfromReligion.org. The helpline is 844-368-2848. (Humanize Me trivia: Gayle's daughter was our guest on Episode 315!)—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where

In this episode, Bart Campolo talks about the most meaningful or humanizing episodes of other podcasts. It's 20 minutes of thoughtful recommendations! Here are the individual episodes we recommend most highly. To hear why they're recommended, listen to the episode! Enjoy.Hidden Brain: Creating God and The Vegetable LambRadioLab: From Tree to Shining TreeWTF with Marc Maron: Irwin WinklerThe Daily: The Legacy of Rachel Held EvansOn Being: Rebecca Solnit and Alain de BottonThe Moth: Leaping ForwardMaking Sense with Sam Harris: ConsciousThis American Life: Tell Me I'm FatSong Exploder: St. Vincent - New YorkTED Radio Hour: How We LoveMalcolm Gladwell: The Hug Heard Round the World—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to

Not every family allows you to listen in on their personal conversations. But in this episode, Bart Campolo sits down with his son Roman where they talk about fathers and sons, Bart's relationship with his dad Tony, competitiveness, choosing diplomacy over conflict, Bart's self-identity as a guy who doesn't put his best effort into succeeding, and the question of whether changing situations is easier than changing your resilience to them. There's a Part 2 to this conversation! Find it on Patreon.com/HumanizeMe.Roman's music can be found on Spotify and he's worth following on Instagram too. Search for 'Roman The Cartoon' on both. For the conversation between Bart and his famous dad Tony, see CampoloFilm.com!—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to y

This classic conversation with The Friendly Atheist, Hemant Mehta, is one of the most shared episodes we've ever done. Hemant talks with Bart Campolo about squeezing more life out of our awareness of death, and making the most of the precious opportunity we have in our moments of consciousness.Hemant's popular blog can be found at FriendlyAtheist.Patheos.com.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePod Instagram: @HumanizeMePodcast Facebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedback, and the ‘Campolo Sessions‘, long-form conversations between Bart and his dad Tony Campolo.)Got a question for Bart to answer in a future show? Call the ‘Q Line’ at (424)

Want to change someone's mind? David Fleischer, of the Los Angeles LGBT Center, has discovered more reliably than perhaps anybody else how to do it. As he puts it: "We’re the first to reduce any form of prejudice in a measurable, long-lasting way with a relatively simple intervention: a 10 minute one-on-one conversation that we call deep canvassing." In this episode of Humanize Me, David joins Bart Campolo for a conversation about his background story, how he started experimenting with different ways to talk to the people who voted against them on California's Proposition 8 banning gay marriage in 2008, his view that progressive people especially have an "irrational confidence in rationality", how human rapport, common ground and stories are the basis of changing minds, and how listening is at the heart of it all.Mentioned in the podcast: This American Life episodes #555 and #584. Links here:https://www.thisamericanlife.org/555/the-incredible-rarity-of-changing-your-mindhttps://www.thisamericanlife.org/584/fo

On Episode 420, we answered a question from a listener about gaining confidence in social situations. Bart Campolo's advice centered around showing curiosity in others, and making the interactions about the other people.But what if you don't find other people interesting? What if you're not curious at all about the people in these social settings? How should one cultivate such curiosity? In this episode, Bart has lots of thoughts in a row.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: Facebook.com/Groups/1772151613053280Check out Patreon.com/HumanizeMe! Support the podcast there for the cost of a cup of coffee once a month and get extra content for it. That amount won’t matter to you, but it means everything to us and makes the podcast happen! (Includes access to the monthly bonus podcast, ‘Why It Matters’, where we discuss the show and read listener feedback, and the ‘Campolo Sessions‘, long-form conversations between Bart and his dad Tony Campolo.

Amber Scorah was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. She tells the story of her 'deconversion' in her book, 'Leaving the Witness: Exiting a Religion and Finding a Life', available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Witness-Exiting-Religion-Finding/dp/0735222541In this conversation with Bart Campolo, Amber talks about what it was like to believe fully, what it's like to disbelieve now, how her relationships were affected, the death of her young son Karl on his first day in childcare, her views on life now, and much more.Amber is a writer in Brooklyn. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, USA Today, Gothamist, and Believer magazine. Amber became a parental leave advocate after the loss of her son, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in Brooklyn culture by Brooklyn Magazine. She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.—Follow this podcast to stay up-to-date:Twitter: @HumanizeMePodInstagram: @HumanizeMePodcastFacebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/1772151613053280/Check out Patreon.co