Truth Wanted

Atheist Community of Austin

WHAT IS TRUTH WANTED? Truth Wanted is a show about getting to the bottom of beliefs, whether it’s karma or Christ, Bigfoot or crystals. Truth Wanted would like to know how you know it’s true. Hosted by ObjectivelyDan, Truth Wanted takes calls from...

  • 1 hour 33 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.14 with Jon the Skeptick and Amanda Bonanza
    In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptick and Kelley Laughlin kick off the show before being joined by Amanda Bonanza who shows her amazing ability to offer wise guidance and questions to ponder to a bigoted caller.

    James in NY asks about having hope that mythical beings exist and the value of this hope when it can give us comfort with mortality. Why would believing in something like a dragon give us hope and what purpose would it serve? What happens when two people have opposing hopes? What would you need for something to be higher than you? When you die, the same thing will happen to you that was before you were born. If you make amazing memories and help people feel great about themselves, they will pass it on for you! Make it brilliant now!

    Jon in Canada thinks that trans women are putting cis women in danger by saying that men and women are the same. Amanda gives Jon a generous helping of questions that Jon seems to be unable to honestly answer. Who says that men and women are the same? The common misconception that trans women are men or that they are trans for sport, to be cool, or to gain access to feminine spaces is wildly wrong and factually incorrect. This is a prenatal condition where the body produces the wrong hormones that requires medicine where the person feels better. People confuse this with something that is aesthetic and often results in premature death. How is treating this condition putting women at risk? The approval rating for the treatments used for this transition is off the charts positive. Gender and biological sex are different things that sometimes overlap but not always. Jon then goes on to claim that this is all a fantasy. How do you know you are a man; do you need to check your genitals? If you are straight, can you one day decide to be gay and think that men are attractive? Do you choose to write with your right hand and how do you know you are right handed? It would take a lot of work to start doing things with your left hand and it would not feel natural, wouldn’t it? How many conversations have you had with trans people about this? You are incongruent with yourself, Jon. What happens when you take estrogen? If a cis woman does not look feminine enough, does that make her a man? If Mike Tyson transitioned and became a woman, would you be able to kick his ass because he is no longer a man?

    Gabe in MO is meeting his girlfriend’s parents soon and the father is a Lutheran pastor and wants some ideas on how to deal with it. How does your girlfriend feel about this and how often will you be seeing them? Sometimes it is best to keep the peace; you don;t have to agree but diplomacy comes into play and can go a long way. 

    Thank you for joining us! We want the truth question: If atheists are not in fox holes, where are they?

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    5 April 2025, 2:25 am
  • 1 hour 18 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.13 03-28-2025 with Kelley Laughlin and @AlmostaDoctor1
    In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Almost a Doctor, shift through how to not lionize science and provide some insights on how to deal with science being under attack and then kindly addressing some fears of hell with a repeat caller.

    Jamie in TX is not a fan of lionizing science for science itself by saying “In Science We Trust”; science needs to be taught and funded properly in a manner that instills the scientific method. Slogans can make science into an entity or belief system. Science is a tool and a method, not a thing that people worship or religion. How do you think we should solve the problem of the media writing misinformation after improperly reading the data?

    Dee in IA finds it disturbing how science is under attack and compares it with how people were oppressed in the medieval times. It is about how you approach it to change the base framework of how people view the world because not everyone is going to respond the same way. Always be careful to not represent what the scientific method is. It is important to remember that science is not the enemy. What will the future bring for science when we have this social movement that is against it?

    Jon in Canada, has been thinking about his faith, and lately the fear of Hell has been on his mind. Which hell will it be and how do you know it is a real thing? People normally can’t just rid this fear overnight. It can take years to work with this. Many atheists used to be theists and struggled with this same thing. What part of this are you most fearful of? The idea of it being forever makes it worse, doesn't it? What if your version of hell is wrong or you chose to worship the wrong god? Do any of the hells have more evidence than the others?

    Thank you for joining us! Ely Slack, our back-up host, joins us to close out the show by leaving us some words of wisdom, “Be like a proton and stay positive.” We want the truth for this week: What is really causing the loneliness epidemic?

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    29 March 2025, 1:53 am
  • 1 hour 45 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.12 with Jon the Skeptick and Drew Bekius
    In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptic and Drew Bekius take a dive into animal rights before realizing the dive was deep enough to encounter octopi of potential alien origins.

    Connor in UT would like to know the hosts’ opinions on animal rights being an extension of human rights. Jon mentions the struggle associated with soy allergies when going to a plant based diet. As Drew emphasizes the importance of this conversation, he describes the need to exercise mindfulness and gratefulness towards other beings on the planet. What is the best option for animal testing? How can the pain and harm be minimized?

    Dee in IA says that farmed animals in the future need to reside with local farmers where farm animals are bred for food. If dogs are bred for fighting, does that make it right? What does ethical farming mean and how do we explore these practices? Would it be cool for aliens to come down and have a human farm because we are so tasty? If an animal is bred for a certain purpose, what would make that purpose ethical? Though Industry and employment are important, they are not the right reasons to keep this in practice. 

    Jon in Canada saw a plate move all by itself after having a conversation about ghosts. What is your best explanation for this? How do you go about getting all the information before making the conclusion that it was caused by a ghost? Sometimes taking the position of not knowing is the way to go.

    John in OH says that he can prove there is no afterlife because the mind is a separate substance from the body and consciousness is a property of the brain that can be turned off. If the mind is a process of the brain that stops when the brain dies, why is this important to theists?

    Dan in Canada wonders if the awesomeness and weirdness of octopi indicates they might be from other planets. Are there other connections that go beyond this category? How would the disconnect be explained between the animal kingdom and Cephalopods if there are in fact disconnections? How convinced are you that the octopus is not of earth origin?

    Thank you for tuning in! Kelley Laughlin, our backup host, joins us to close out the show. Question of the week is: What says I am an asshole without saying I am an asshole?

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    22 March 2025, 2:39 am
  • 1 hour 24 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.11 with Kelley Laughlin and @planetpeterson2824_RX7
    In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Planet Peterson sit in grass circles left by saucers and use inductive reasoning to observe the double slit experiment as they quantify infinity. 

    Dan in Canada is curious about the Landenberg incident where a farmer had seen five saucer shaped objects in his field that left circles on the grass after they flew into the sky. This just seems too silly to be true. Is it possible this farmer wanted people to remember his name and made it up? It looks like he succeeded because there was a cool glowing coin made after the incident. How do people become experts in crop circles? Is it possible BigFoot had anything to do with this? Afterall, it was Saskatchewan!

    Ransom in WY wants to talk about the Double-slit experiment and how that can prove there is life outside of this universe as a conscious observer. Measurements collapse the wave function, not conscious observations. What people say about this and other pop science is not what you think it is. What happens when the majority of physicists have a different explanation and opinion than the one physicist that you want to believe? Understanding the data and how wave patterns are shown on a screen is key to drawing the correct interpretations on this. The Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser, Debunked is a good place to start to know more about this. 

    James in NY asks the hosts if infinity could ever be quantified. Even with every fundamental thing in the universe included as a counting device, we would not be able to do this. We know about infinite sets and how they are used in math, but they are not quantified. Zeno's Paradox shows the infinite regression of an arrow never reaching a target because it must first reach an infinite number of half way points. This illustrates how a finite set can represent an infinite series. 

    Lee in Canada has some thoughts about how the scientific method uses inductive reasoning to show the hypothesis is false. Science does not deal in absolutes, but it can prove that things are false. When you solve the mathematical proof, there is nothing else left. In the court of law, you are not proven innocent, you are proven not guilty. Religion does not explain anything or contribute to epistemology in any rational way and is almost the opposite of the scientific method to gain knowledge. 

    Thank you for joining us for this fascinating show! Scott Dickie, our back-up host joins us to close us out as musician Collin Yours gives us a live beautiful sounding folk show!  Prompt of the week is: Name a religious counterpart for a scientific claim. 

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    15 March 2025, 2:32 am
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.10 03-07-2025 with ObjectivelyDan and @blitzphd
    In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectivity Dan and Dr. Blitz, slow a star down to drive it towards another star to avoid the word salad bar in this universe that is still not fine tuned. 

    Steve in NE cites a paper The Spider Stellar Engine: a Fully Steerable Extraterrestrial Design? https://ress.at/news_uploads/2411.05038v1.pdf This describes a nearby star with some spectroscopic signals that show the star is decelerating where one explanation is extraterrestrial design. What other solutions could there be for this star slowing down? Who says these are artificially generated? Whenever there are claims with, “probably” we need to be careful. We need several pieces of data that point to the same thing. The discussion continues with a different claim of wreckage material that has a date older than our solar system. Why are you convinced these claims are true and why would you believe his own counter arguments to the criticisms? If you start with the conclusion, you will always find some stuff. Whether that stuff supports your conclusion is a different story. 

    Catholic Traditionalist (CT) wants to talk about ontological intelligibility where god is defined as an intelligent agent that has no beginning. We might have a basic understanding of how things work, but how do we get to god from that? What does it mean to understand things on a basic level? People perceive things without understanding them all the time. If we have this agreed upon definition of understanding what is around us, what next? Do properties exist on their own or are there features of minds interacting with things on the ontological status? CT fails at his attempt to put the hosts in a different world by comparing their perception to “other atheists”. If you claim to speak with hundreds of atheists online, why doesn’t your script cover nominalism? Your projection of word salad is hilarious and if you are going to use words like “ontological” you need to know what nominalism is. 

    Gregory in TN asks Dr. Blitz about the fine tuning argument that we get all the time and whether it is a non-starter or if we should try to take it apart. Dr. Blitz describes how this argument has at least two problems: 1. We must first know how the universe could have been and we can’t evaluate this probability. 2. From a theist’s point of view, the assumption must be made that not only god exists, but this god must want life to exist. How can we determine the likelihood of parameters if we don’t know the likelihood or the parameters? How fine tuned are god’s desires and why is his will so fine tuned?

    Thank you for tuning in this week! AJ, our backup host, joins us to close out the show. Prompt of the week is: Combine two conspiracy theories to make the ultimate conspiracy theory. 

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    8 March 2025, 2:51 am
  • 1 hour 38 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.09 02-28-2025 with Jon the Skeptick and Kelley Laughlin
    In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptic and Kelley Laughlin avoid discussing how to make a glove out of foreskins by working through some calls that need unraveling. 

    Gregory Peccary in TX blows the whistle on people who insist on giving airtime to well researched mysteries that are not commonly accepted yet continue to be exploited. Even when there is no evidence, people want things to be real, and it eats up tons of money. Why do you think Ouija Boards are still being sold? What kind of wacky inventions can you come up with to make people think we are communicating with the dead?

    When Bagel in Canada was a teenager, he experienced a 10 mile walk in the rain where he engaged in prayer that he thought was answered by god by manipulating the weather and summoning a ride. It was not until an atheist kid mentioned “if statistical anomalies did not happen, that fact would be a statistical anomaly itself” that Bagel realized it was all a crock. Why would god stop the rain and not help millions of starving children? Where are god’s priorities if this were true? What kind of terrible arguments did you used to believe that jump out at you now as silly?  

    Daen Dark in AR believes that divine sovereignty is our inseparable connection to the one true creator that has no real name. How do you demonstrate that this is creation without giving an example? Is the creator in your mind also in our minds? What are you doing that people are not doing to perceive this creator? Is this creator an energy or is it an actual being? If this is a working theory, it needs to be nailed down so you can demonstrate it to everyone. Think critically about what the real reason is for you to think and talk this way. Using poetic and artistic language may sound beautiful, but does not make something true. Many of us have come from the same place as you and have realized that using these ideas do not make things work. Start looking at the world as it is, and not the way you want it to be. 

    Jim in FL has gone from Greek Orthodox to Deism where a higher power is an energy that can’t be known by man and needs to bring people together. If this can’t be known by man, how can you perceive and define it? Why do you conclude that this energy is a higher power? If you make a claim, it is up to you to explain how you got there. We are trying to find out how you got to this belief, not engage in a debate. How do we know that any of this is not man made? It may be hard to know when you have exhausted all the variables. How can we come to the same conclusion as you with this concept of Deism being the only remaining explanation so that we can relate? 

    Dee in IA has some thoughts about the caller who chemically alters his brain with drugs, and wants to know how the “woo” helps us with trans rights and the law. Taking a drug that makes you think you saw god does not mean there is a god. 
    Stephen Harder, our back-up host joins us to help close out the show. Thank you for joining us and remember our question of the week is: What is something that you know, but wish you didn't? 

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    1 March 2025, 3:25 am
  • 1 hour 17 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.08 with ObjectivelyDan and Eli Slack
    Today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Eli Slack use tulpas as their assistants to explore how much the truth matters to celebrities espousing ridiculous concepts of truth before a deep dive into what the truth is for callers. 

    James in NY wants to talk about how tulpamancy and mental conditioning help shape our concepts of god and religion. Some people say the development of primates had to do with psychedelic mushrooms and this is entirely possible. There is a chance that the Book of Revelation is a result of something like this. One has to wonder if we can ask questions without actually verbalizing and this is fun to think about. How would a tulpa change the questions that you ask or think about?

    Jamie in TX asks if it matters what popular figures performative espouse things about Christianity that were popular in the 1940’s. Religion is always a reflection of the culture. How would someone from the first century recognize the versions of Christianity today? The truth of what these people are saying probably does not matter to them. 

    Ben in AL wants to know if some of the people who call have a different definition of what “true” means. Many people will have a descriptive version of truth that conforms to their bias. When people start to ask why it could not have been their god that caused events, it gets them far into heavy lifting with the truth. This is when it is helpful to ask if their methods of determining the truth are reliable. If our ability to reason is tied to our material conditions, then what does that say about how we should treat one another?

    Kelley Laughlin, our backup host, joins with an awesome smile to close out the show. Thank you for tuning in! Prompt of the week is: What was one of Jesus’s lesser known miracles?

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    22 February 2025, 3:02 am
  • 1 hour 27 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.07 with ObjectivelyDan and Thinker
    In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Thinker work through calls of agnostic influence as the ethics of skin bleaching drip down to questions of secular replacements for the worries of materialist worldviews.

    Jim, a first time caller in FL, has for the last 20 years been discovering different belief systems and currently describes being agnostic and is thinking there still must be a higher power. The hosts ask a series of questions: What leads you to believe there is a higher power at all? Why does love need a higher power to exist? What do you need to know what the universe has in store for you? How do you know if there is a higher power? Why do you need a god to make a difference in this world? Why would you pursue this when it is unknown? Dan appreciates having a reverence greater than the self when something can be verified, and suggests Jim may be a deist. Thinker drills in with the question of “why” as the caller expresses the strong desire to influence people. We want to hear more of Jim’s thoughts as this journey continues. 

    Steven in NY has some questions about the ethics of using skin bleaching products in Japan. Dan describes the racial undertones with the use of these products. Thinker reminds us that people should be able to do what they want with their skin. Why are there so many Christians in the beauty care world? Skin bleaching can be useful for when people are uncomfortable with spots on the face. How is tanning different from skin bleaching and how does this compare to black face? People may see this as a fashion trend and what is seen as attractive.We can’t make a judgement of what people’s motivations are. Thinker suggests culture change through education and teaching people about self love. How do you change culture when we have these identities? Education about the background that is behind this is an important part of understanding the dynamic of skin color change.

    Sven in WA wants to know how confident the hosts are of secular replacements for the worries that can come from the materialist worldview. Dan reminds us that the bad guys seem to follow the most authoritarian religions. We must have the tools to escape those constructs where a higher power tells us what to do all the time. Thinker clarifies what the caller is asking and turns the question around. Why would there not be replacements for these things? If there are people who can not accept the earth is round, does that mean the earth is not round? We are not going around evangelizing; in what scenario would it be better for us to hide? Why do you think the countries who are most developed are also the most secular? 

    Kelley Laughlin, our ba    ckup host, joins to close us out and reminds us to have a great time on his birthday! What a great show! Prompt of the week is: What do you most want to hear about the other side? Thinker gives us some thoughts of wisdom by reminding us to ask the question!

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    15 February 2025, 3:38 am
  • 1 hour 23 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.06 02-07-2025 with ObjectivelyDan and Thom Norman
    In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Thom Norman with Farm Kind, discuss veganism along with a variety of subtopics that atheists need to be talking more about. 

    Steve in NE brings up lab grown meat and wants to know how the hosts feel about it. Thom informs us that this is something that not only avoids the slaughter of animals, but how it is also good for the environment. If we are informed about this rather than seeing it banned, we will be able to make decisions for ourselves on whether or not we should consume this meat.  Dan is all for it and encourages people to try the meat that has already been produced to help determine the quality and compare with how it will improve years from now. The FDA has already improved it yet some states think it is in their best interest to ban it.  What reason would a state have to ban lab grown meat? How can we build big enough factories for this to be produced efficiently? How many jobs would this create? 

    Dee in IA uncovers the cruelty of how we treat animals. The reason for this cruelty goes back to the book of Genesis where it commands man to have dominion over and subdue animals. The statement in the Book of Acts that says all meat is cool to eat has changed human history drastically. Why engage in practices that harm the animal with no human gain such as broiler chicken production? If you could live your whole life without eating cows, then why kill the cow in the first place? How can we approach this systemic change? Why is it a problem to compare this practice to slavery? Remember the end product does not come from small farms because they do not have the infrastructure. What farms slaughter the animal only after its natural lifespan is near the end?

    Daniel in Canada is making an effort to eliminate factory farming by buying free range eggs, grass fed beef, eating smaller portions, and avoiding fast food retailers. Every little thing that we can do will make a difference and be meaningful improvements. There are a whole range of things that can be done that are beyond dietary restrictions such as donating to organizations to offset what you do consume. How can the lives of meat farmed animals be similar to the horrors of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre? Why not also help another sentient being with a nervous system if you can?

    Thank you for tuning in truth seekers! Kelley Laughlin, our back-up host helps close us out with a rainbow tie and ready to take on beef in the chat! Prompt of the week is: Name the strangest widely held non-critical belief. (Non-political answers only).

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    8 February 2025, 3:01 am
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.05 01-31-2025 with ObjectivelyDan and Tracy Wilbert
    Show notes will be posted upon receipt.

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    1 February 2025, 3:06 am
  • 1 hour 37 minutes
    Truth Wanted 08.04 with ObjectivelyDan and Benjamin Clodfelter 2025-01-24
    In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Benjamin Clodfelter, discuss defense tactics against Christian Nationalism before a surprise call from Jon who thinks that men who are not woke can beat Ronda Rousey in a fight.

    Rogue Show in SC asks the hosts how a layman person can defend against Christian Nationalism. Ben advises to get involved with any of thousands of organizations and help contribute to a number of causes. Everyone has the ability to go out and make a difference. ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign are two places to start. Dan mentions  Recovering From Religion, and how that activism does not have to be something that is on the books and how it is more than just donating or volunteering. Living your life by your own principles is a good way to do it. 

    Chase in the USA wants to talk about where art and activism merge and how there are methods such as writing screen plays, spoken words, and music. Ben mentions how some of the best art that has ever been created has come out of diversity and resistance. Dan reminds us that art that we create is not only helpful for the present, but also the future because it is like planting trees. Even public speaking like what the hosts do can be a form of helpful and impactful art! Practice, talk with strangers, and get used to talking in these spaces. Dan plays the violin and will think about being some random guy playing at a protest, even when it is 100 degrees in Texas.

    Dee in IA pushes back on the voicemail and describes how it is illogical and erroneous to point at Israel fulfilling any kind of prophecy. She mentions how we need to pull back support and take a harder line with war criminals. Dan describes how there is a lot of discourse for what is happening there. In response to the actions of Hamas, what is a proportional response to their actions? What actions should be taken as long as the ends justify the means? Dan reminds us that we are limited with our commentary on geopolitical events. 

    Jon from Canada wants to say that being woke is dangerous because it discriminates against white men, and men are necessary. Is Dan not woke anymore because is a white guy? What organizations are actively “woke” by discriminating against white men? What percentage of the firefighters in California are black women, and why do you say they are not qualified to handle it? Were the white men firefighters we saw on the news just wearing costumes? Why are men more physically capable? Do you think you can beat up Ronda Rousey? You are taking hypothetical situations and applying it to people you don’t even know. Why can’t you name one black woman who is fighting these fires and why can’t you tell us what statistics you know?

    Clement in Spain notices how a lot of comments from the U.S. make it seem like they are the guardians of the world. How should foreign policy be consistent with addressing our alliances regardless of the administrations that come and go? Could the average person in the U.S. point out different countries on a map or know how much any member of NATO is contributing?

    After sporting tin foil hats, Scott Dickie the backup host joins us to close out the show. Thank you for tuning in this week.  Prompt of the week is to finish the story: Three Flat Earthers go to Antarctica

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    25 January 2025, 3:43 am
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