The believed resurrection of Jesus Christ celebrated on Easter Day is the climax of a bizarre moral narrative in which an innocent victim endures great suffering until death, for the purpose of absolving the sins of everyone else; and all of it, arranged and supervised by the Christian god.

Judith Hand will be back this week for part two of a series on women, human nature, and the healthy society. along with David Graeber to conclude this series. What is human nature, anyway? Are we our biology? Are we our environment or socialization (culture)? What role do both biology and culture play in creating human behaviour? Are humans evolved to be a certain way?  Why are we in such a mess today, and how can we get to a healthier, more humanistic society?

What affect does militarism have on men? Are men – or humans in general – naturally warlike, aggressive, and violent? What role should woman play in modern society when it comes to leadership roles, and can women’s impact on power structures reduce violence and war in any way?

Sunsara Taylor will speak with sociologist Kathleen Barry and evolutionary biologist Judith Hand on these questions on the next Equal Time for Freethought – part one of an (unofficial) two part series on human nature, what we can expect from humanity in the future, and how we can secure a progressive, humanistic future society.

The believed resurrection of Jesus Christ celebrated on Easter Day is the climax of a bizarre moral narrative in which an innocent victim endures great suffering until death, for the purpose of absolving the sins of everyone else; and all of it, arranged and supervised by the Christian god.

The problems with deriving any meaningful message about morality from this very strange story are numerous. Yet despite all of the contradiction and irony in their founding narrative, for most of the past two thousand years Christians have generally managed to believe that each of us must choose of our own free will to let Christ into our hearts and be saved so that after we’ve died we may join him and perhaps our loved ones in a heavenly paradise.. or else we can except to suffer for all of eternity in Hell.  According to the bible the choice is ours, to make of our own free will.

The belief that with our ‘free will’ we are free to choose to be who ever and what ever we want to make ourselves is the primary rationale for assigning moral responsibility.  But today we understand that we are all the result of factors we do not choose.  We do not, and can not choose to be any way other than what our genes and our environmental experiences make possible.  At a time when we know this to be true, can holding people morally responsible still make sense?  And is it fair?

To help us examine the question of moral responsibility we will feature an interview with Dr. Bruce Waller, professor of religion and philosophy at Youngstown State University and author of the recently published book, “Against Moral Responsibility.”  And following our interview with Dr. Waller we will be pleased to again feature the complete recording of the last known mediated debate between Jesus Christ and the Easter Bunny.

This Saturday on ETFF, Sunsara Taylor will be speaking with Merle Hoffman about her new memoir, “The Life and Times of the Woman Who Brought Abortion from the Back Alley to the Boardroom.”

In 1971 – two years before the Roe V. Wade decision which legalized abortion nationally – Merle Hoffman founded Choices, and abortion clinic in NY. As a medical provider, she pioneered Patient Power, encouraging women to participate in their own health care decisions. Whether addressing the murder of abortion providers like Dr. George Tiller, or challenging women to understand and explore their own power over their bodies and the language used to wield such power, Merle Hoffman has been on the front lines of the feminist movement – a fierce warrior in the battle for choice.

Becoming empowered to advance your life while also advancing the lives of those around you; attaining a deeper sense of connectedness to others; and experiencing life with sublime inspiration and serenity.  While faith-based and other traditional paths which are based on supernatural beliefs claim to provide these benefits, the reality clearly falls short.  Naturalism in contrast, which concerns itself with attaining an understanding of ourselves and our place in the universe that is accurate, reliable, and testable, (evidence-based), can actually deliver all of these benefits, with a level of effectiveness that no supernatural-based approach can equal.

For years we at Equal Time for Freethought – and many of our guests – have been saying this, but talk is cheep and we (and our guests) do talk quite a lot.   So, ultimately, what’s in it for you?   Our answer to this excellent question is Equal Time for Freethought’s “Naturalistic Support Workshop.”  In this brand new segment which launches this Saturday, and will continue on the last Saturday of each month, we will demonstrate how a naturalistic understanding can help us better deal with our struggles and challenges so that we can live happier, healthier, and more empowered lives.

Gaining a naturalized understanding of ourselves and how we fit into the world around us can help us reduce thoughts and feelings that diminish our effectiveness and debilitate us mentally and physically such as guilt, shame, regret, blame, resentment, indignation, anxiety, fear, anger, hurt, and feelings of worthlessness; it can sharpen our awareness, deepen our empathy, and support lasting growth.

The way we will demonstrate how a naturalistic understanding can accomplish all of this will be by taking calls from listeners who are willing to share how such damaging feelings may be diminishing their happiness.  We’ll examine what’s behind such feelings and show how viewing our problems through a naturalistic lens can help change our thinking to minimize the impact of such damaging feelings.

Naturalistic Support is an approach to providing non-hierarchical peer support, and demonstrating how applied naturalism can facilitate personal growth.  It is not a substitute for conventional psychotherapy or other forms of counseling that are traditionally provided by licensed professionals.

As our regular listeners know, we at ETFF have long advocated that believing in “free will” is no more grounded in reason and evidence than any other belief in the supernatural. But in addition, the belief in free will is corrosive;  it supports the notion that some people are more deserving than others, and is used to justify outrageous inequity and violence.

Hopefully a large nail in the coffin of belief in “free will” will be hammered in by the publication, earlier this month, of the new mini-book by Sam Harris, simply titled “Free Will.”

Joining us on the phone to discuss this important new book and the significance of the question of free will in general will be director of The Center for Naturalism, and repeat guest on our program, Tom Clark.

The Reason Rally is only a few weeks away, March 24th to be exact, in Washington D.C. This Saturday, we will speak with two of the speakers who will deliver addresses during the events; Hemant Mehta and Jamila Bey.

Mehta is a the host of the blog Friendly Atheist, and is the chair of the Foundation Beyond Belief.  He has worked with the Center for Inquiry and the Secular Coalition for America, received scholarships from American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and is the former chair of the board of the Secular Student Alliance. He appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal and his book, “I Sold My Soul on eBay,” was released in 2007.

Bey is a journalist and former a Editor and Producer for National Public Radio. She is the host of SPARring With Jamila: The Sex Politics and Religion Hour on the Voice of Russia Radio. Bey is also a comedian, and has been a writer for hire for the better part of the last decade – one devoted to spreading the gospel of Logic, Reason, and Science to all those who may hear. She is part of  Black Atheists of America which is is a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gap between atheism and the black community.

We will be talking about the Reason Rally and the issues surrounding it, including what they hope to accomplish with the event. We will also discuss Mehta’s and Bey’s own work and their experiences as ‘atheists/humanists of color.’

It is generally understood that the struggle of Black Americans to overcome the numerous obstacles to freedom and empowerment that has been placed in their way has always been supported by their unwavering faith, and by the Black Church.   But this is only part of the story.   Black Americans also have a long and rich secular tradition that continues in the present day groups like the Harlem Humanists.

To report on what the Harlem Humanists have been doing, as well as telling us about some of their upcoming plans, we will be joined by Leighann Lord and Ayanna Watson, as well as one of the core group organizers of the Harlem Humanists, Michael Lightsmith.

Questions we’ll try to address will include:

1.   What types of experiences does a group like Harlem Humanists offer their fellow Blacks and other persons of color?

2.   Is it likely that they can attract people who are used to community experiences that are much more emotionally dynamic and intense – with  “call and answer,” singing, gestulating, and cathartic emotional outbursts?

3.   Can the naturalistic approach become widely accepted if it is conveyed and practiced solely with an intellectual approach?

4.   What can be done to make the naturalistic approach more relevant and inspiring so that more come to realize the profound utility of naturalism.

It’s that time again to raise funds for Listener-Sponsored Radio, WBAI-NY! This time, we’ll do it with Darwin and the theory of evolution with Reverend Michael Dowd, a stanch advocate for evolution (against Creationism), and author of Thank God for Evolution!

Dowd has been on ETFF before, and is an interesting guest for us because of his interest in uniting religion with science (and evolution, in particular).  The ‘New Atheists’ probably don’t like him much, and secular humanists may scratch their head, but if there is a man who can bridge the huge gap between Evangelical and/or Fundamentalist Christians and Naturalists – which is a big step towards a more progressive humanistic society – Dowd may be him.

We also offered a great DVD called Race: The Power of an Illusion!