The Atheist Experience
The Atheist Experience is a weekly webcast and cable access television show in Austin, Texas, first aired on October 19, 1997. A total of 770 episodes have been produced and aired as of July 15, 2012[1], averaging one hour per episode. The show is hosted and co-hosted by rotating regulars Matt Dillahunty[2][3], Jeff Dee, Martin Wagner, Russell Glasser, Don Baker, Tracie Harris and Jen Peeples. Frequent topics are religious dogma, morality, ethics and application of the scientific method.[4] The co-host often opens with a theme or current event, after which live calls are taken. Although debate about all theist and atheist-related views are welcome, because of the large number of Christians in the United States[5][6][7], the emphasis is mostly on Christanity.
The Atheist Experience is broadcasted by the Atheist Community of Austin (ACA), an educational non-profit organization based in Austin, Texas. The central goals of the ACA are to promote positive atheism and the separation of church and state.[1]
A fan run YouTube channel TheAtheistExperience has over 55,000 subscribers and its videos have over 9,000,000 views.[8][9] The Atheist Experience, itself, does not have an official YouTube channel, but rather uploads its full episodes to blip.tv
Personalities
Matt Dillahunty was raised a fundamentalist Baptist[10] and was a Christian for over 20 years. He served in the Navy for 8 years and spent several years in the hi-tech game industry. After this he set out to re-affirm his faith with the intent of attending seminary and pursuing a life in the ministry[11], but through a process of study, rejected his theistic beliefs.[12] He co-founded Iron Chariots.[13] Dillahunty serves as the president of the Atheist Community of Austin.[14] He is married to Beth Presswood, who sporadically co-hosts The Atheist Experience.
Russell Glasser, (Princeton, New Jersey) is a software engineer for Harte-Hanks, Austin Texas. He received an MSc in computer engineering at the University of Texas in 2007.[15] Glasser is the producer of the internet radio show The Non Prophets.[16][17] He has a son, Ben.[15]
Jen Peeples is an aerospace engineer. She served in the US Army for 26 years, was a military test pilot and left the military as an aviation officer.[18] Peeples is a self-described "foxhole atheist".[19] She currently serves as the vice-president of the Atheist Community of Austin.[14]
Jeff Dee (15 May, 1961) is an artist and game designer. He is a recognized figure in the role-playing game community and game industry.[20] His illustrative work shows comic book art form and influence. He is the co-creator of Villains and Vigilantes[21], illustrator of Dungeons & Dragons, Deities & Demigods, artist for Master of Orion[22], art director for Ultima VII and lead designer for The Sims: Castaway Stories. He co-created the The Non Prophets, an internet radio show by the Atheist Community of Austin.[23] Dee posts his opinions on his blog What Worries Jeff Dee?.
Martin Wagner (27 April 1966, Henderson, Nevada) is an artist, cartoonist, and filmmaker. Wagner was a prominent figure in the short-lived comics self-publishing movement, along with Dave Sim (Cerebus), Jeff Smith (Bone) and Colleen Doran (A Distant Soil).[24] He self-published the comic book Hepcats.[25]
Tracie Harris (Orlando, FL) is a graphic artist, cartoonist and publishing professional who does the Atheist Eve strip hosted on the Atheist Community of Austin web site. She received her BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Central Florida. Harris is a former Christian fundamentalist.[26][27]
Don Baker is a PhD computer scientist working in the field of computer-supported cooperative work.[27] He has taught at the University of Texas (Austin) as an adjunct for two years. Baker is a board member of the Atheist Community of Austin. He has a strong interest in the nascent field of memetics and has spent several years exploring the implications of Christianity as a meme complex, expressed in his writings at Christianity Meme.[28] Baker serves as the secretary of the Atheist Community of Austin.[14]
Notable appearances
- David Smalley of podcast Dogma Debate and the American Atheists (episode #753, 012-03-18), guest appearance[29][30]
- Greg Paul, palaeontologist (episode #708, 2011-05-08), guest appearance[29][31]
- Ray Comfort, Evangelical Christian apologist (episode #702), live call-in[29][32]
- David Silverman, president of American Atheists (episode #701, 2011-03-20), live call-in[29][33]
- AronRa (born L. Aron Nelson[34]), vlogger[35] and Texas state director of the American Atheists (episodes #648; #668; #703), guest appearances[29][36]
- Kathleen Johnson, vice-president of American Atheists and founder of the Military Association of Atheists & Freethinkers (episode #647, 2010-03-07), guest appearance[29]
- Darrel Ray, organizational psychologist (episode #645, 2010-02-21; #686, 2010-12-05), guest appearances[29]
- Kyle Miller, pastor (episode #639, 2010-01-10), guest appearance[29]
- Matt Slick, Evangelical Christian apologist (episode #593 broadcast February 22, 2009), live call-in[29]
- Victor J. Stenger, particle physicist (episode #499, 2007-05-06), guest appearance[29][37][38]
- Mark Loewe, theoretical physicist (episode #393, 2005-04-24), guest appearance[29]
Awards
- About.com readers' Choice Awards 2012, Favorite Agnostic / Atheist Podcast of 2011 [39]
- The Austin Chronicle, Best of Austin 2011: Best Public Access TV Show[40]
- About.com readers' Choice Awards 2011, Best Atheist Podcast, 2010 [41]
- The Austin Chronicle, Best of Austin 2010: Best Public-Access TV Show: 'The Atheist Experience' [42]
References
- ^ a b "The Atheist Community of Austin". Retrieved 2012-04-03.
- ^ New group helps students understand atheism, University Star, Retrieved 2012-06-02
- ^ WTAMU Lecture to Debate Christian and Atheist Doctrines, West Texas A&M University, Retrieved 2012-06-02
- ^ Understanding Peer Reviewed, Benedictine University, Retrieved 2012-06-02
- ^ Gallup, "This Christmas, 78% of Americans Identify as Christian", December 24, 2009. Accessed February 8, 2011.
- ^ American Religious Identification Survey 2008
- ^ Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. U.S. Religious Landscape Survey: Religious Affiliation: Diverse and Dynamic. February 2008, pp. 5, 12. Accessed February 8, 2011.
- ^ "Youtube Atheist Experience FAN CHANNEL" [1]
- ^ VidStatsX "TheAtheistExperience YouTube Channel Stats" [2]
- ^ The Source of Human Morality Debate, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Retrieved 2012-06-02
- ^ Eileen E. Flynn (March 18, 2007). "Preaching his own gospel of atheism". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved February 3, 2012.
- ^ "Saving believers: Former Christian finds calling to preach the good news of atheism", Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, 21 March 2007 [3]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Matt Dillahunty" [4]
- ^ a b c Atheist Community of Austin - Board of Directors [5] Cite error: The named reference "aca_board" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Russel Glasser, personal profile [6]
- ^ "PBS MediaShift - Public-Access TV Fights for Relevance in the YouTube Age", Mike Rosen-Molina, December 17, 2008 [7]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Russel Glasser" [8]
- ^ "She later earned a commission and spent 9 years on active duty, first as a Field Artillery officer, then as an Aviation officer." [9]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Jen Peeples" [10]
- ^ Olivo, Benjamin (March 9, 2007). "Leatherface to rev up ChimaeraCon action", San Antonio Express-News, p. H16.
- ^ Jebens, Harley (September 21, 1995). "Game central", Austin American-Statesman, p. 38.
- ^ "IMDb biography for Jeff Dee" [11]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Jeff Dee" [12]
- ^ "Biography for Martin Wagner" [13]
- ^ "Comic Genesis - Hepcats by Martin Wagner" [14]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Tracie Harris" [15]
- ^ a b "Freethunk - Atheist Eve" [16]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience - Profile of Don Baker" [17]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Atheist Experience Show Archive" [18]
- ^ "Dogma Debate with David Smalley" [19]
- ^ "The Atheist Experience #708 of May 8, 2011, with Russell Glasser and Don Baker. Topic: "Greg Paul and Atheist Civil Rights." Russell and Don talk with sociologist/evolutionist Greg Paul about atheist civil rights and healthy societies.", Youtube [20]
- ^ "Matt Dillahunty and Russell Glasser with guest Ray Comfort. Interview with Ray Comfort. Matt and Russell have a conversation "across the divide" with professional apologist Ray Comfort." [21]
- ^ "Atheist Experience #701 20 Mar 11", Youtube [22]
- ^ "AronRa (L. Aron Nelson) is a YouTube atheist and activist." [23]
- ^ "AronRa - 1st appearance on the Atheist Experience, ep #648 [..] 2nd appearance on the Atheist Experience, ep #668 [..] 3rd appearance on the Atheist Experience, ep #703" [24]
- ^ The Atheist Experience TV Show #648: Interview with AronRa, Host: Matt Dillahunty, Guest: AronRa, YouTube Celebrity, 2010-03-14 [25]
- ^ "Vic explains the scientific case against God's existence" [26]
- ^ "Oct, 29 Thu Austin TX, 6:30 pm, Threadgill’s Old Number One (Longhorn room), 6416 North Lamar, Austin, TX. Atheist Community of Austin. http://www.atheist-community.org/. Don Rhoades. The Atheist Experience. Interview with Don Baker. On web." [27]
- ^ "Readers' Choice Awards, 2012 - Readers picked The Atheist Experience as their Favorite Atheist Podcast of 2011. This is the second year in a row that The Atheist Experience has won and they won this year with a larger percentage of the vote than they did last year. " [28]
- ^ "Glory be – or rather, praise be to Richard Dawkins – for this public access show presenting frank and often hilarious sparring on topics such as the naturalistic fallacy, childhood indoctrination, and the Bible's greatest hits. But let's not kid ourselves: We know you're really in it for the many call-in episodes in which Matt Dillahunty, Russell Glasser, and company tackle the kinds of kooky rhetoric that will necessarily surface when people talk about belief. The YouTube best-of clips – spiritual facials, anyone? – are worth the cost of the ticket alone." The Austin Chronical, Best of Austin 2011: Best Public Access TV Show: The Atheist Experience [29]
- ^ "Readers' Choice Awards, 2011 - Readers picked The Atheist Experience as the Best Atheist Podcast of 2010. A product of the Atheist Community of Austin, the Atheist Experience may be the oldest atheist podcast around. The Best Atheist Podcast is also quite a bit more than just a podcast because it was originally created as (and still is, of course) a weekly live call-in show on the Public Access cable television station in Austin, Texas.", by y Austin Cline, About.com Guide [30]
- ^ "Best Public-Access TV Show: 'The Atheist Experience' - This international public access show includes debates about religious philosophy while promoting a positive education on atheism. Some of our town's most delightful free thinkers, including Hepcats author Martin Wagner, computer scientist Don Baker, and aerospace engineer Jen Peeples, host this tasteful approach to lively, interactive conversations with viewers of various beliefs." [31]