Friendly Atheist Podcast

You heard of doom scrolling? This is doom listening. Hemant brings a no nonsense approach to religious and political news and Jess brings much needed levity and heart. Both play very well off each other with their opposing personalities. Despite the often depressing topics, their witty banter and grounded perspectives makes for a thoroughly enjoyable listen. They're fighting the good fight.

I look forward to this podcast every week. As an ex-evangelical and now atheist, there are almost no people in my world who stay informed on rising Christian nationalism, let alone know it exists. This podcast has made me feel less alone in my atheism and political viewpoint. Hement relays current events and news stories relating to atheism, christian nationalism, and general religious bigotry that I would otherwise not learn about through typical media sources. He doesn’t call himself a journalist, but he is actually being too humble. Jessica’s honest, unfiltered commentary is at times genuinely hilarious, and other times deeply relatable. I’ve recently been close to tears on several occasions listening to Jessica’s unscripted and emotional monologues. One in particular where she described how a male listener had reached out to her with criticism that she was hating on men too much. Speaking about the way women have to navigate the world due to the violence caused by men, she delivered what in my mind is akin to the America Ferrera’s Barbie speech. I feel honored to hear your words and your voice, Jessica. Thank you both for your essential work on this podcast.

I need both of you to stay safe and stay strong because your voices are needed in the upcoming dark times (and yes, I enjoy when Jessica sings and I like her jokes)

I’ve been listening since I was a freshman in high school (8 ish years) and Hemant and Jessica have played a big role in shaping my beliefs and how I interact with the world. I love the podcast overall, and specifically something relatively small but really important to me was hearing from two fellow south Chicago suburb folks in a way that made me feel less alone during a time in my life where I really needed that, so thank you. Sent with love from Palos Hills IL <3