Podcast for Inquiry S02E09: Recovering from Religion with Steve Ironside

Steve Ironside is the Ambassador Program Director for Recovering from Religion, an organization dedicated to providing hope, healing and support to those struggling with issues of doubt and non-belief. Steve describes the several services RfR offers free of charge to people trying to reconcile aspects of their lives that may not be fully consistent with their faith. Recovering from Religion hosts RfRx, a secular-themed event modeled after “TED talks”, every Monday at 8 PM ET. 

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts  (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E08: Marie-Claire Khadij is the Canadian Armed Forces’ first Humanist Chaplain

Marie-Claire Khadij (FB, IG, Twitter) was born into a devout Roman Catholic family, and was a practicing Christian for much of her early life. She describes her journey from faith to agnosticism to Humanism, as well as how and why she joined the Canadian Armed Forces - first as a Roman Catholic chaplain, and then as its first Humanist chaplain. Learn more about becoming a Humanist chaplain through Humanist Canada. 

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E07: Philippa Carter: What is a Religion?

Philippa Carter (@PhilippaCarter) has her PhD in Religious Studies, is a professor within McMaster’s Society, Culture & Religion degree program, and teaches a course called, “What on Earth is Religion?” Yet there is no simple answer to this straightforward question. The conversation ranges from religions to cults, philosophies, creeds, and worldviews, with stops at free expression and secularism along the way. 

If you enjoy this conversation, you might also like the Podcast for Inquiry episodes featuring Catherine Francis, Caroline Russell-King, and James Turk.

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E06: Jamie Woodhouse on Sentientism

Jamie is a leading advocate for Sentientism (“evidence, reason, and compassion for all sentient beings”) as a worldview and as a global movement. Jamie and I discuss what Sentientism is along with its philosophical, ethical, and practical implications. Learn more through the Sentientism Podcast and YouTube channel, the global Sentientism Facebook community, and on Twitter: @JamieWoodhouse and @Sentientism.

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E05: Chris Shelton on Scientology and destructive cults

Chris Shelton was raised within the Church of Scientology, which he left a decade ago. Since then, he has dedicated his life to helping those seeking to escape coercively controlling environments. In this episode of Podcast for Inquiry, Chris explains how all cults use the same playbook to recruit and keep members, techniques to which we are all susceptible. Chris shares how one can avoid falling for the traps they set, and how to recognize if you might already be in one. You can learn more about Scientology and cult recovery on Chris’ YouTube channel.

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E04: Allan Offenberger on Fusion Research: What We’ve Achieved, What Remains to be Solved

In December 2022, fusion research achieved a major accomplishment: more energy resulted from a controlled fusion reaction than was put into it. Allan explains why this is more a symbolic milestone than a sign that commercial fusion is imminent. Allan describes the current state of the art in fusion research, and the many ways fusion differs from fission, the existing nuclear energy technology. Fusion is moving from science to engineering, and many technical hurdles must be overcome before fusion, for all its promise, can make a significant practical difference in the world. 

For more information, visit the Fusion Energy Council of Canada, ITER, or the Fusion Industry Association. 

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02B01: Leslie Rosenblood on Humanism in Children and Women's Rights

The Centre for Inquiry Canada was invited to give a presentation on Humanism in Children and Women's Rights at the third International Humanism Conference for Social Justice in September 2022. I spoke on Humanism in Children and Women's rights. This bonus episode of Podcast for Inquiry is my speech at the conference.

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E03: What does history say about the accuracy of Bible stories? With Dr. Joshua Bowen

Dr. Joshua Bowen (@DJHammurabi1) is an Assyriology scholar and author of "The Atheist Guide to the Old Testament". Josh describes his journey from fundamentalist evangelical Christianity to atheism, and what motivated him to write two volumes (so far!) of the Atheist Guide. We discuss the Old Testament book of Exodus, and its correspondence to what we know of the time from the fields of history and archaeology. You can learn much more about Josh’s work on his YouTube channel, Digital Hammurabi. 

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E02: Ashley Esakin explains how you - yes, you! - can be a gardener

Ashley Esakin is passionate about plants, and provides advice about how anyone - rural, urban, even those who live in apartments - can start their own garden. We talk about how seeds both sense and manipulate their environment, efficiency and environmental challenges in modern agriculture (and how they are being addressed), and some common myths and misperceptions about gardening. You can learn more from Ashley on her YouTube channel, Gardening in Canada. 

Subscribe to Podcast for Inquiry today wherever you listen to podcasts (Spotify iTunes Google Deezer Stitcher Player.fm) or listen here: 

A video recording is also available:

Podcast for Inquiry S02E01: What It Means to be Moral with Phil Zuckerman

Phil Zuckerman is a professor of Secular Studies at Pitzer College. Phil describes what the Secular Studies program entails from philosophical, political, and sociological perspectives. Phil is the author of What It Means to be Moral, and we discuss how leading an ethical life does not require a religious foundation. Phil is the Executive Director of Humanist Global Charity, and you can read his most recent articles and essays on OnlySky.  

Listen to our conversation here:

A video recording is also available: