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Everyone's Agnostic Podcast


Cass & Marie interview people you don’t know, about a subject no one wants to talk about. We hope to encourage people in the process of deconstructing their faith and help curb the loneliness that accompanies it. We think the world is a better place when more people live by sight, not by faith.

Feb 14, 2016

Cass interviews his friend of 25 years, Hunter McFarlin.  They met in a prayer meeting at Belmont Church in Nashville around 1991. Today we witness the enormous theological cavern that can form between two people in that span of time. Cass is an atheist, but when Hunter and he met, they were both passionate Christians. Hunter still is. 

 

In this interview, you’re going to hear Hunter’s dogged faith in the Bible and everything in it being confirmed by the revelations of science, his unfazed belief that resurrections happen, his opinion that the problems of the world are due to the fact that not enough people are Christian, or at least are living out the power and inheritance that Jesus’ provides to true believers.

 

One take-away that I think some might gain from this conversation is two-fold and perhaps seemingly contradictory: If you have a perspective that all Christians must be, by default, be stupid because of the absurdity of their beliefs, Hunter would be an exception to that. He’s a highly intelligent man and has given a lot of thought over the years to the formation of his beliefs. He’s also pursued emotional health more aggressively than most Americans. That said, you may find that these facts make his beliefs and/or his self-awareness even more confounding given the audacity of his claims and imaginations. 

Also, as a warning, Hunter refers to homosexual people as sexually mis-oriented. Keep in mind that people like Hunter mean well when they think they’re being honest and even helpful by helping homosexuals get their sexual compasses corrected.

The conversation with Hunter is an hour and 12 minutes, followed by a reflection with Bob and Cass that lasts about 52 minutes and includes some audio comments by Gretta Vosper, the United Church of Canada minister who is now atheist. Then Cass reads some comments by Jaron Hudgins, who was home-schooled, raised conservative Christian,and is now an atheist practicing law in Austin Tx. Also included is an excerpt by comedian Todd Green on growing up gay and in the closet.

We taped this talk on Feb 6th, 2016. Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn and most podcast platforms.  If you’re feeling grateful for our podcast, Patreon.com is like a per episode tip jar for our work.

Credits:
"Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU
Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack Johnson
The segue music on this episode is Duke’s Lullaby by Steve Gadd 

Thanks for listening and be a yes-sayer to what is.

Link to Hunter’s claim that “7 Nobel winning Physicists support Intelligent Design”

Roger Scruton’s quote from Gretta Vosper

Comedian Todd Glass on the Bullseye podcast

Nobel Laureates supporting ID? http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/seven-nobel-laureates-in-science-who-either-supported-intelligent-design-or-attacked-darwinian-evolution/

The fastest growing demographic in America are those unaffiliated with organized religion: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/

 


Sonya Borgen
over eight years ago

I am so glad that I was a few episodes behind. This was a difficult interview for you to do and you did it well. I am glad of the length and indepthness of your thoughts and also of Hunters. I was thankful that you hugged your friend and he hugged you back. peace in you heart to you and Hunter.