Through hell and high water (literally!) we're coming to you live from a house under repair to celebrate 10k subs and take your calls!___________TIME STAMPS & CALL NOTES 00:00 - Intro 07:38 - Phil (he/him) - DE - Purpose vs Reason (a la Calvin & Hobbes) 15:00 - Bree (ze/zer) - IA - An Anti-Aboriton Argument from an Atheist? 22:44 - Setuf (she/her) - ES - Theist Thinks Abortion = M*rder 40:33 - Fred (they/them) - COL - “I Escaped an Atheist Cult!” 51:00 - Sam (they/them) - UK - Are Atheists Better At Diversity? 1:02:08 - Candor (he/they) - CO - Using “Religious Tools” as Skeptics 1:11:03 - Karen (she/her) - CA - “I Wouldn’t Save The Dog” (Atheist Argues Abortion) 1:20:30 - Kevin (he/him) - CO - Is Media Messing with Our Risk Assessment? 07:38A caller from Deutschland claims Calvin and Hobbes perfectly captures the difference between how theists and atheists look at the world. One group looks for purpose of things happening, while the other looks for the reason things happen. Eric fanboys about Bill Watterson, and Vi agrees we should keep this distinction in mind when talking to theists. Link to the comic discussed: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/04/01#:~:text=Transcript%3A,Hobbes%3A%20Because%20we%20walked%20here.&text=Hobbes%3A%20Because%20Earth%20can%20support%20life. 15:00Bree calls in with a joke call, making an anti-abortion argument from an atheistic perspective. The laughs, however, lead to some interesting conversation as the hosts contemplate where current abortion arguments fall short, and whether many skeptics have yet to fully deconstruct ideas around procreation and birth. Cue foreshadowing music…. 22:44 This caller is a theist who wants to argue with the hosts about whether or not terminating a pregnancy is moral or immoral. The hosts get creative with their analogies in an attempt to get their points across: Eric asks if unplugging a sentient computer would be immoral, and Vi makes a comparison between abortion laws and “stand your ground” laws in Texas and other states. Ultimately, the question is: what course of action is permissible to maintain bodily autonomy? And who gets to decide whether that course of action is moral or immoral? 40:33 Fred was part of a cult composed mostly of atheists, but managed to escape thanks to watching shows like Skeptic Generation, @Genetically Modified Skeptic, and @Telltale. They want to talk about how atheists can also fall for behavioral control methods used to perpetuate cults. The takeaway here: don’t think you’re too smart to get involved in a cult, and stay away from organizations with strict hierarchical structures. Stay safe out there! 51:00 Are atheists better or worse when it comes to inclusion and diversity? In some areas they are objectively progressing faster than many religious counterparts, but in other areas they’re falling behind. Sam points to their experience in atheist circles as someone who is neurodivergent, nonbinary, and Pagan, among other intersectionalities. Vi and Eric weigh in.1:02:08 What “religious tools” should atheists be using to help them in their lives? Are there such things as “religious tools”? What is a non-theistic Satanist, and why does Candor call himself one? This conversation gets into tarot, ritual, and mindfulness as secular methods for coping and thriving in the world. You may have feelings about this one… 1:11:03 Karen is sick and tired of atheist pro-choice arguments, because they don’t feel honest. She lays out her uncomfortable truth: we rate beings based on how valuable they are, and give out rights from there. Eric points out the difference between rights and protections, and Vi gets excited at the icky feeling the argument causes. Gotta love a chewy new moral dilemma! 1:20:30How is the media influencing our risk assessments about things like COVID, and could it be that those who have chosen not to get the vaccine are simply less risk-averse? Eric and Vi point out that while each individual has to choose for