Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps17 Sep

“So… Does God Hate F*gs?” with Megan Phelps-Roper

What do our modern-day culture wars have to teach us about cult-like thinking, moral puritanism, judgment and compassion? And if you lose religious faith, how are you left thinking about agnosticism, atheism, the purpose of the cosmos, and the meaning of life? What, if anything, is worth keeping from the Bible? Megan Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, the fundamentalist cult that picketed soldiers’ funerals with placards saying “God Hates Fags”. She appeared in Louis Theroux’s documentary about the church, as its spokesperson and the granddaughter of its founder. Megan left the church, lost her family and her faith. Her TED Talk about polarization was viewed tens of millions of times. She hosted a smash-hit audio documentary series, The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, about the moral righteousness on both sides of the transgender debate. Her latest production is Book Keeper, a podcast about returning to the Bible, as an atheist, to figure out what stories are worth keeping. You can listen to Megan’s first appearance on this show here (https://uncomfortableconversations.substack.com/p/the-witch-trials-of-jk-rowling-with). She returns now to discuss atheism, the internal logic of religion, tribal thinking, social media and the way out of our self-certain culture-war bubbles.

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Avsnitt(495)

Is there any Room left for moderates? With Jeff Maurer

Is there any room left for the political centre, or has it been swallowed by two competing extremes with nothing but contempt for the middle? Josh chats with comedy writer and author of I Might Be Wr...

14 Sep 1h 16min

JUST JOSH: The Unlearned Lesson of 9/11

It's a quarter-century since 9/11. What do we need to understand about its legacy, so as to handle the next quarter-century better? Josh was a college student visiting the World Trade Towers the summe...

10 Sep 2h 39min

Jewish Comedy at the Bondi Attack

Has a secret in your ancestry ever changed who you are? Imagine being a non-Jewish comedian who suddenly finds out he's Jewish. What do you do? You put on a comedy show on the site of the worst antise...

7 Sep 1h 20min

Are Men Toxic?

A sex scandal involving star players for the Sydney Swans has rocked Australia. Coinciding with a spate of violence against women, the country is revisiting its all-too-familiar conversation about how...

3 Sep 26min

What is Elon Up To?: An Idiot’s Guide to Space and Why You Need to Pay Attention

You may not realise it, but humankind is on the cusp of an extraordinary space race. Are we about to become a multi-planetary civilisation? Do we really need a super-fuel-tanker floating in space? Jus...

31 Aug 1h 53min

Glenn Loury: Are we censoring ourselves to death?

In this recording of a live event at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Josh hosts a one-on-one conversation with the legendary American intellectual, Glenn Loury. Loury is one of America's most infl...

27 Aug 26min

Jason Arday, Suey Park & the Identity Hunger Games

Josh has been reflecting on what the tragedy of Cambridge University's youngest-ever Black professor reveals about the high-stakes identity game we've all been enlisted into. In this solo episode, he ...

24 Aug 30min