In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan and Dr. Darrel Ray with https://www.recoveringfromreligion.org/ (RFR), swim through calls with topics ranging from therapist trigger points to religious trauma. 

Mr. Crabs in MD asks about therapist trigger points and tells us of a therapist who was still recovering from a partial thumb amputation and was triggered when opening a jar of pretzels. Dr. Ray explains how this therapist was functioning at a higher level before this tragedy happened and how when these levels drop, it is normal and natural. He further explains that  if you are stuck or constantly hitting the same problem, that may be a good time to talk with somebody.  When a job is toxic, it has the potential to push you into depression. People have shared so many times that they were depressed when they were into religion and how that changes when they leave. 

Kass, a volunteer in CO for RFR, runs support groups each month. He talks about how it is rewarding to talk with people about their journeys, and connect with people in these ways. Kass was raised as a young earth creationist where several hours per day were spent at church and was super indoctrinated. When he got to middle school, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and this caused him to question how an all loving god would allow this to happen. He started to ask questions and of course, the church does not like questions and tried to drive him even harder into the religion. Kass, thank you for making it easier for other people going through similar journeys!

Dr. Ben in VA calls to tell us all about the Fall Excursion Camp that RFR holds and all the awesome activities, panels, resources, support groups, community building groups, karaoke and recommends that we all attend next year. This will be the third week of September in 2025.  Now with two doctors on the show, we have the most educated show ever!

Kdub in VA informs us that many of his friends who were brought up in religion still have some kind of trauma. He feels like his growth was stunted and how it was a waste by trying to be straight for so many years. He confirms that religious upbringing does cause trauma, and many denominations are contributing to this. Dan talks about how in some areas, there are more Christians than people, and it is important to be one of the exceptions and break out of the stranglehold that religion has on you. If we are all hurt by something, doesn't that mean there is a problem? Dr. Ray explains how trauma can show itself when one leaves a church.

The hosts are joined by the back up host, Kelley Laughlin, who was sporting a Truth Wanted tie and also used to volunteer for RFR. Thank you for tuning in this week! Always keep wanting the truth! Prompt of the week is: What trivial conspiracy theory do you think has merits?

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Welcome to the 4th Anniversary Halloween episode of Truth Wanted! SpookjectivelyDon, Jamie the Blahaj Limey, and Sister Mary Infidel64 tell scary stories around the fire and take calls about alien signals in genetic code, the existence of good and evil, and getting dragged by demons to hell.

Steve from Nebraska calls in to talk about the Wow! signal. He cites an article that claims that there is an alien signal in our genetic code that represents an Egyptian triangle. Why is this argument so convincing as a non-expert in the field? If we knew aliens existed, we could discuss whether this was caused by aliens. But we can’t even demonstrate that aliens exist, so why do we conclude the signal is from them? It’s interesting and something to explore further, but why jump to extraterrestrial beings? It could be something we just don’t know about biology yet. This seems like an “alien of the gaps” scenario. 

Halloween from the USA asks the hosts whether they’re certain that God doesn’t exist. It depends on the type of God. We can’t be certain that there aren’t any gods, but we are pretty certain that the traditional Yahweh does not exist. If we’re talking about a god that’s omniscient, omnipresent and all-loving, there’s evidence that leads us to believe that the claims of his existence and what he can and can’t do for us aren’t true. The caller asks why the hosts would believe that it’s impossible for Yahweh to exist if He has the knowledge of good and evil? First of all, we need to know that God exists before we can establish that He knows anything. How do we know that a god exists? We don’t and we can’t. Why should we believe in something that we can’t prove? Halloween asks the hosts if they believe that evil exists. Morality is relative, so we can’t claim that anything is inherently good or evil. There are nuances to everything and everyone has different ideas about what’s right and wrong.

Marcus calls from Texas to ask if the hosts have ever had experiences with something they can’t explain. The hosts talk about their experiences with spiritual healers (that didn’t work), and dreams about loved ones in heaven. Marcus shares a story about when he bought a house for a surprisingly low price because there were rumors about it being possessed by demons. 

Thank you for joining us this week for this special spooky episode! The prompt of the week is: What is it that makes aliens want to leave the Earth immediately?

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Discover the truth today in our latest episode of Truth Wanted! Kelley Laughlin and Apostate Ashley play with high tech grifters as they speak in tongues about graphic footage and how things existed before the claim of god’s creation. Eli Slack, the backup host, joins and offers some icing on some of the calls. 

Puck in OH wants to talk about high tech grifters that pitch weird quantum stuff who are asking for money and asks the hosts their opinions on what makes these people so appealing. Kelley explains that people may fall for this by feeling special and having knowledge that others do not. Ashley describes how people feel like something bad will happen if they do not jump on whatever is being sold and how any of us have the capability of being duped. 

Marcus in TX asks Ashley about her Pentecostal background and what she was feeling then compared to now. Looking back, Ashley believes the things that she experienced were probably dopamine highs or having the rush of hormones that are similar to what happens during flight or fight. Now as an atheist, she can speak in tongues anytime she wants and the Holy Spirit still has nothing to do with it. When going through a hard time, having people around you hugging and caring is quite therapeutic and these things were normal for her. People have reached out to Ashley sharing they no longer believe and do not want to be on the wrong side of history. 

Chase in the USA is curious about using graphic footage to motivate activism. After a while, it could lose its shock value because people are desensitized. Also, the reaction can be more negative than positive depending on how it is presented. This is where context can hugely matter. It is important to remember that some people will need a trigger warning. We need to be careful and understand how triggers work. Is it worth causing harm and triggering PTSD to get your point across? Why would you force people to watch something and cause suffering? A warning will at least help to know when an appropriate time is to watch something. If you do not put a warning, you are shoving it in people’s faces just like what the anti-abortion group does. Horrible graphic scenery will harm or hurt people if it is shoved in their face regardless of the reason. 

Peter in Canada has proof of god’s non-existence only if he is defined as a conscious entity that created all of material existence. Peter’s reasoning is that consciousness requires existence and the things that are claimed to be god’s existence must have existed before god’s existence. How does this argument work with theists? Why could god not exist and become conscious at the same time? We don’t have proof of god’s non-existence, but we do have logical evidence. This is fitting for one concept of god, but not all the other gods. If we can’t have existence without consciousness, how did the earth exist before anything lived on it? Eli Slack the back up host joins and adds some comments about how we are already outside of the realm of what makes sense when we are talking about divinity. 

Thank you for joining us this week. Prompt of the week is: What is something that doesn’t sound creepy but is?

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Jon the Skeptic and JL Warren discuss how to choose your battles with family before diving into the world of territorial ghosts opening doors.

They are joined by our back-up host, Kelley Laughlin for the conclusion and a ghost story. 
The Blind Limey in TX had an ex-wife who was terrified of graveyards and learned that with family, it is important to pick your battles. If you want to maintain a relationship, you must know where you can go and where you can’t with conversations. The conversation can be approached with curiosity. As people who like talking about this stuff, we are probably the most open to it and want paranormal things to happen. This helps us to ask how it can be explained. 

Sheri in MD went to a haunted lighthouse when she was a kid and was creeped out by the ghosts opening doors to the bathroom, yet amused some of them were territorial. Don’t worry, the ghosts won’t watch you pee! How would you feel now as an adult about going to a haunted house? Would you use an ouija board now? Would you like to have been born on Friday the 13th? After a revealing conversation, Jon the Skeptic playfully shows off some psychic skills and accurately predicts Sheri’s birthday. 

Jae in Australia called to discuss the events after his father’s death, but unfortunately the call dropped. Jae, please try us again, we wanted to talk with you!\

Thank you for tuning in this week! Question of the week is: You know you are screwed when your horoscope says_____.

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Objectively Dan is joined by Christy Powell and Forrest Valkai. The team works through calls involving mentally escaping a cult, chromosomal fusion, bugs on Mars, and the great vegan debate. 

Tony in IL is an ex-cult member whose ex-cult leader died in 2020 after catching Covid. What made you determine this group was a cult and what was the thought process like? How are you feeling about everything now and how is it sitting with your emotions? What did it feel like to go from where you were to where you are now?

Gabe in TX asks if the fusing of two chromosomes can be used to disprove Adam and Eve. Forrest explains that Chromosome 2 is the fusion of two chromosomes. The one difference that you notice between humans and chimps is we have 23 chromosomes and they have 24. This is not compatible with the Adam and Eve story, but creationists will say it was a poetic story and continue to be dishonest about these things. These are different ideas that need their own independent evidence; evolution is not the thing to use as proof against creation.

Daniel in Canada believes there are bugs on Mars because there is photographic evidence that proves it. We are all guilty of wanting to believe something. Wanting to believe something and believing something are two different things. It is agreed that other life forms probably exist, however to say that life is nearby is a stretch. Would you agree that the main motivation for NASA is knowledge and in order to do that they need funding, and therefore it would be advantageous to go public with their findings? Why would we not want to be mentally prepared and why would we not want our military prepared? How are we at more risk of aliens harming us by knowing about them? If there is a civilization on Mars, there must be resources there. And guess who would want to mine things on Mars if there are resources there!

Chase in the USA has some thoughts on being vegan and explains how animals are killed when they are young for our consumption. Why and how does it matter what age the animal is? How do we define our relationship with these animals? It raises the question of the ethics of raising a creature for the ultimate destruction of the creature.  Dan explains that these types of questions are what led him to be vegan. Why is it that we have this cultural bias of hierarchy of animals? How can we expand our circle of compassion? Our cultural preference for the sheer amount of meat that we consume is excessive. It is difficult to contrast the link of life to the quality of life when it comes to the age of the animal. If we were to produce and distribute the meat more humanely, we may not have the challenges we have today. What do you think about the issues associated with the amount of land it takes to produce some grains, and the areas of the world where there are food deserts? In developing nations, it is non-meat options that are accessible. 

Thank you for tuning in this week! Prompt of the week is: What's an untrue thing that people say all the time? 

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In today’s episode of the Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin opens with a personal story of recent loss accompanied by some wise words of advice. ObjectivelyDan and Kelley proceed to sort through simulation theory, Jon’s last call, effective conversations, and magic being applied to science. 

Steve in NE has evidence showing biological evolution is simulated by AI rather than nature, and this is that RNA decreasing shows that mutations are done by some sort of an entity.  Evidence to “suggest” is not the same as proof. How are we getting to AI and how are you interpreting the data? Why are we going with AI and not another route? We have to establish that everything is being run by a computer in the first place.  Why does the idea of non-existence scare you? What if you were never even aware that you were ever aware? How can we predict how computers will work outside of our universe?

Jon in Canada makes his last call to the show and asks the hosts if they are 100% correct that there is no god. Both Kelley and Dan answer in the negative because it is not a defensible position to have. What is it that believers have that others don’t have? Why should we believe in god? How do we tell the difference between what is true and what is not true? How do you know if your experiences that seem magical come from inside of you or outside of you? If a person helps you who happens to be Christian, it does not make Christianity true. Christianity is not just a set of ideas; it is a lifestyle that includes restricting other people’s lifestyles. The call ended with a distinct and epic, “click”. Jon, we hope you find what you are looking for. 

Adam in NC advocates for showing a sincere interest in people rather than trying to condemn people and referenced Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. We are fans of the street epistemology approach and recognize how important it is to establish a friendship that shows respect to have a civil conversation. The funny thing is that many people who found the ACA, did so by running into angry calls. There is a time and a place to be emotionally passionate about the issues. 

John Paul in WA is curious about the words magic and supernatural being applied to science. In the Old Testament, magic is not just a force but something that is used to explain the world. When we talk about science, we are using observable techniques. It is not the same thing because the methods are completely different. Why would god play both sides and help Egyptians so they turn away from him, and also Moses? Could people have just made up this story in the same way Mohammed rode a flying horse? What is the difference between saying something is a possibility and people saying something actually happened? Why is the explanation of this just being a story not good enough and why should we believe that staves were actually turned into snakes? There are things that just can not happen and go against the laws of physics and are not comparable to science. 

Thank you for joining this week! Prompt of the week is: It is a bad idea to summon_______during a seance. 

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Objectively Dan and The Unquestionable Calvin Smith discover the truth today with government lies, theists needing proof, ascending Biblical aliens, and a black tongue as a result of lying. 

Kyle in IN wants to know why a rational person would believe anything the government tells us such as weapons of mass destruction being in Iraq. The term “government” is broad and it is better to talk about specifics. The problem with never trusting them is sometimes they are correct. It is up to the citizens of any body to discern whether they can trust what they are being told. It can come down to compartmentalization; just because some people are lying, does not mean that everyone is lying. The question about Iraq and the use of weapons of mass destruction is: Was it actually a White House spin to justify a way or was it misreporting? 

John Paul in WA has been reading The God Delusion, and wants to know if the hosts think things look designed, and finds it interesting that atheists take the position where theists need the burden of proof. We can prove how many things are not designed, however, we have not yet  done this with everything. There will always be room for a god when we can’t explain things. Is a god the best explanation for these gaps? If the Judeo Christian god may not be the best explanation, why would it be any god at all? If this planet is designed, why are there so many things that are hostile to our existence? How do we know there are not multiple creators?

Cameron in TX wants to talk about how the Bible seems to describe extraterrestrials. Many of these stories are allegory and unfalsifiable. Outside of the imagination of flourishing, what is the reason to believe these things? How much of this could be post hoc rationalizations? How is the inconsistency of god’s name in the Old Testament explained? Is it more probable that ancient people were wrestling with space aliens than them just making stuff up?

James in TX was raised religious and realized that it did not make sense around 12 years of age. He describes how he was told that his tongue would turn black if he lied. He would then prove that was not true because his tongue never turned black. Christianity often dabbles in the unhealthy in bringing up people and that is why we like to talk about it. Beliefs inform actions and actions inform policy and that is why it is important to know whether or not something is true. 

Thank you for tuning in this evening. Prompt of the week is: If I were a ghost, I would______ just to fuck with people. 

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, Kelley Laughlin and Benjamin Clodfelter work through topics of bigotry, hate speech, and protecting the rights of LGBTQ+.

Mark in PA grew up learning that people are inherently good, however, he has observed that over the last 10 years, many have become openly prejudiced and racist. This is nothing new, it has just become fashionable lately to be hateful and we are hoping that it will die off soon. We are seeing more now because everyone is carrying a camera, and people have the ability to express their view to the world. The anonymity of the internet has enabled people to say harmful things with no consequences. You can be the person who encourages people to do better, even if it is the smallest difference. A small candle lights a dark corner of the world; everything that you do helps. What can we do about the hatred that spews out of the internet?

Keith in TX wants to discuss the paradox of tolerance where hate speech is allowed so it takes over and the only way to stop it is to become intolerant of the intolerant. This can be a tough uphill battle, but this is one that we can win. If there are no shared values, free speech is effectively dead. At what point is speech shut down and where is the line drawn for what you are advocating for? At what point do you go from having a conversation about free speech to promoting ideas that are limiting free speech? The best possible solution to dealing with this is to promote critical thinking. 

Mr. Crabs in MD calls to discuss LGBTQ+ in the military and the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy. Benjamin, a veteran, describes how important unit cohesion and accomplishing the mission is within the military and how it can be very progressive with how it handles things. What ended up happening is the people who were passionate about not wanting gay people, got out of the military or they just sucked it up. There is more of a commonality than there are differences. Kelley, also a veteran, emphasizes the importance of finding those common things with theists to have friendly conversations. The best thing you can do for the atheist community is to let people know that you are a good person as an atheist, and not the baby eating stereotype that people think. 

Thank you for tuning in this week! The prompt for the week is: What is a weird thing to be offended by?

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Discover the truth today with ObjectivelyDan and the one and only Magic Skeptic! They wrestle with the appropriate topic of the true meaning of truth before springing into out of body experience explanations.

Rogue Show in SC asks the hosts what the truth is to them. There is not one way for Dan to understand truth and he explains the deflation area of explaining truth. We have to ask if we are describing reality or a concept. Truth to Dan is a reliable way to navigate his way in the world and experiences. Magic Skeptic(MS) describes this as a massive domain and would take more than a lifetime to read about. He explains how there is a colloquial understanding of truth that gets him through the day. There is the correspondence reality of truth that contorts to reality and there are many challenges to this theory. Truth does not always have to correspond with knowing. What is your understanding of what other people mean by truth? It is important to have an understanding of what people mean to have a fruitful dialogue. Is the phrase, “snow is white” true because snow is white or is it true because white is a property of snow itself? Correspondence theories have many complex problems associated with them. Is there an inherent property to something that makes it what it is? 

Dan in Canada, had an out of body experience when he was around 6. He was visiting his grandmother and stepped out of himself and looked down on himself. He recalls details such as wearing a radio around his neck. What is your perception of what happened? There are many things that can explain this experience, and sometimes we just need to settle on not knowing. How do you deal with the unknown when it comes to experiences you had? Keep searching for answers, but don’t accept any insufficient evidence. 

Thank you for wanting the truth this week! Question of the week is: What is something you learned as an adult that you should have learned as a child?

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In today’s episode of Truth Wanted, ObjectivelyDan and Richard Gilliver try to use free will to sort through cognitive dreams while explaining the emotional phenomenon that happens during church manipulation right after figuring out how to tax those same churches. 

Rogue Show in SC wants to talk about determination vs. free will. Richard explains that we are bound by things by what has happened before, yet it can go many ways. How do we know if the probabilities would turn out the same if we go back in time to the very beginning? How would it be possible for every variable to be predicted? What do you think about your life being a product of stuff moving around for billions of years? It is okay not to have an answer for these things. 

Greggery Peccary in TX thinks the comments about taxing all churches are wrong and that we should enforce the rules we have now where we tax a church. There are not enough narcs for churches that are violating the law and not every single church is hugely broadcasted. How do we get to the point where every church complies? How will we do this, are we going to tax grandma’s small church? 

Dan in Canada is looking for a rational explanation for his experience during an altar call in youth group camp where there were intense emotional moments. Love bombing is a manipulative tactic that cults use where the leaders give excessive compliments or attention to those involved, allowing control to be gained over those involved. Prime grounds are set for emotional euphoria because the kids do not receive these things all the time. Christianity takes advantage of this. Euphoric experiences can happen without the manipulation when visiting a pop concert, anticipated speaker, or during meditation. These experiences can have profound effects that include conversion from one belief system to another. 

Nny in OH had a near death experience yet does still not believe, and has cognitive dreams. Why do we need to be in an altared state or have a broken brain before experiencing god? How do you quantify the details of these dreams? We would be interested in how the dreams are tracked. If you genuinely believe this is true, make a detailed report soon after the event. Otherwise, you can start counting the hits and minimize the misses. 

Thank you for tuning in today! Question of the week is, if fortune cookie factories were run by skeptics, what would the fortune be?

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