Tonight on the Atheist & Theist Radio Hour, Phil and I will be discussing Mormonism. The Mormons and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints have been in the news lately because of a controversial episode of the HBO series Big Love which aired last night. In this episode, one of the main characters is portrayed going through the “secret” temple ceremony.
Personally, I love the show. If you haven’t seen it, it’s about a family that practices polygamy and they believe that they are practicing the true principals of Mormonism. They have been outcast by their family and the LDS church because of their lifestyle. Anyway, I strongly recommend it.
I am fascinated with this relatively new religion and their prophet Joseph Smith. It’s much easier to observe the outrageous falsehoods and claims that Mormon’s make when the real history of Joseph Smith can be studied and examined by secular historians. My knowledge of the Mormon’s is very limited, so we’re going to have a guest on our program tonight that goes by the name of Baura Kale. Baura was raised in the religion and now considers himself an atheist and ex-Mormon. We will also have Art Bulla on the show. Art is a Mormon and believes that he is “the One Mighty and Strong” that Joseph Smith prophesied would come to set the church in order. Whoa! Art has a show on BTR.
I attempted to speak to a member of the local LDS Church to learn about the basic tenets and get a Book of Mormon, but they would not return my calls. I even went to the church and found an empty parking lot. All I have to say is they had their chance to convert me and blew it. 🙂
Tonight’s show airs live at 11pmET. The chat room will be open at 10:30 and we will be taking question from the room or by phone. See you there.
Tonight February 2nd, 2009 on the 
The question that Gallup asked was, “Is religion an important part of your life?” Vermont ranked highest in the least religious state category with all of New England in the top five. It’s too bad my wife can’t stand the cold.
What amazes me (not really) is look at the comparison between Gallups religiosity map and the presidential red state/blue state map. 
Draw your own conclusions.
On Monday, the 
From the 
I considered writing a substantive post on the Israel Palestine conflict, but this sums it up perfectly.
Well I thought that the “I Believe” license plate fiasco was a dead story, at least for a while, but Tuesday night approximately 200 supporters of the proposed license plates gathered in Greer to hold a rally in an attempt to bolster support for it. South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster spoke at the rally and has been outwardly supportive of the believers cause. Last month a federal judge issued an injunction ordering that the state stop production, advertisement, and sales of the plate stating that a federal court would most likely rule the plate unconstitutional. 
Some good news, however, is that 
The second installment of the 
I am the only pronounced atheist in my family. I have in-laws that are evangelicals and my parents are devout Catholics. My wife considers herself to be spiritual but won’t label herself with any religion. Our children are brought up secular, but do have religious influences from our parents and extended family. This is something that I struggle with but I am raising them to be critical thinkers. If religion comes up, my wife and I are very clear about our beliefs. With all of that being said, I am very happy with the way this Christmas was celebrated in our household. All of the family was present, we had a good time, drank a few beers, and exchanged gifts. The kids got Rockband for the Wii and I have selfishly taken over the drums 🙂 
A South Carolina Atheist 