Breakfast with a Heathen Ep 1: Coffee, Questions, and the Cost of Honesty: Coffee, Questions, and the Cost of Honesty
Subscribe for updates: Leave this field empty if you're human: Mike Smithgall, the unelected mayor of Atheistville, sits down with coffee to answer your questions about atheism, belief, and honesty. From telling your Christian mom you’re an atheist to why arguing with believers never works, this Sunday Q&A takes on faith, comfort, family, and finding…
Mike Smithgall, the unelected mayor of Atheistville, sits down with coffee to answer your questions about atheism, belief, and honesty. From telling your Christian mom you’re an atheist to why arguing with believers never works, this Sunday Q&A takes on faith, comfort, family, and finding peace without religion. No sermon, no shouting, no salvation required.
Here is the blog post draft based on the October 19, 2025 transcript. It follows the “Show Notes 2.0” format, using the “Heathen Hotline” and the “Enragement Equals Engagement” themes as the hook.
Title Suggestion: The “Atheist! Deleted!” Facebook Message, Charlie Kirk’s Martyrdom, & Why More Trans Kids Live in Liberal Cities (Breakfast with a Heathen)
Read the Q&A Highlights
Welcome to the inaugural Breakfast with a Heathen. If you are new here, I’m Mike Smithgall, the unelected mayor of Atheistville. Grab a coffee, pull up a chair, and let’s get into it.
I started this show because I get a lot of questions—some legitimate, some trolling. There is a saying online that “enragement equals engagement,” but I’m not here to battle. I’m here to offer a perspective you might chew on during a Sunday morning when you’re not at church.
From navigating family drama to the sudden deification of political figures, here is the breakdown of this week’s questions.
Q: “Arguing with Christians is pointless.”
The Heathen’s Take: I agree, largely because we are coming from opposite ends of reality.
I prefer to point out the illogical nature of specific claims rather than “argue.” For example, if you tell me a man lived in the belly of a whale for three days, I’m going to tell you that is biologically impossible.
Believers have to suspend disbelief—like watching a play—to accept that story. I can’t force them to see it as a metaphor, but I can stand my ground and say, “That logic doesn’t hold up for me.” Finding middle ground on shared values (like loving our kids or parents) is usually more productive than debating talking snakes.
Q: “Do Christians ever stop talking to you once they find out you’re an atheist?”
The Heathen’s Take: Yes. I had a family member I’ve known for 30 years send me a Facebook message that simply said: “ATHEIST! That explains a lot. DELETED.” And they blocked me. I haven’t spoken to them in a decade.
It is hurtful, especially because I don’t stop talking to people just because they are Christian. Most people I love are Christian. If you cut someone off solely because they don’t believe in your book, that says more about your character than theirs.
Q: “Do you hide the fact that you’re an atheist?”
The Heathen’s Take: Not anymore, but I used to. When I lived in the South—where I passed four churches in the 1.5 miles from my house to the highway—I kept it quiet for the sake of my kids.
I didn’t want neighbors to ban my children from birthday parties because they thought I was a devil worshipper. There is a real stigma. I once had a coworker refuse to sit at a desk because the phone extension had “666” in it. That is the level of superstition you deal with in some areas.
Now that I’m in Chicago and my kids are grown, I don’t care. But if you are a teenager or dependent on religious parents, do what you have to do to stay safe until you can get out.
Q: “Why do liberal cities have so many more trans and gay kids than conservative areas?”
(Asked by Dale Hammer)
The Heathen’s Take: Because we don’t beat them up here.
It isn’t that there are more gay people in Chicago than Mississippi; it’s that they feel safe enough to come out in Chicago. If you drive a truck with a rebel flag and constantly talk about how much you hate LGBTQ people, the gay people in your town are going to stay in the closet for their own survival.
Visibility isn’t a “contagion”; it’s a sign of safety.
Q: “The Charlie Kirk worship makes me realize how we may never know what the real Jesus was like.”
The Heathen’s Take: This is a fascinating observation. When Charlie Kirk was killed two months ago, his image was instantly whitewashed. He went from a political provocateur to a saint sitting at the right hand of God almost overnight.
If history can rewrite a man’s legacy in two months, imagine what 2,000 years of storytelling did to Jesus. The “Jesus” we know today—walking on water, turning water to wine—is likely a legend that evolved centuries after the real man (if he existed) died. We are watching the myth-making process happen in real-time with Kirk.
Q: “What are Christian Nationalists going to do with all the foreigners in Heaven?”
The Heathen’s Take: I love this question. Christian Nationalists cheer when immigrants are deported, yet their own theology says those same Christian immigrants are going to Heaven.
It’s going to be awkward when a die-hard nationalist gets to the Pearly Gates and the first person he meets is Jose, the guy he cheered for deporting last week.
Q: “What do you say to someone who is dying?”
The Heathen’s Take: If it comforts them, I lie. Or rather, I “cosplay.”
If my mother is dying and she finds peace in believing she is going to be with Jesus, I will support that 100%. I am not going to debate theology on a deathbed. That is cruel.
You don’t tell an 85-year-old woman she looks wrinkly; you tell her she looks beautiful. If a dying believer needs to hear that Heaven is waiting, I’ll hold their hand and agree. It costs me nothing and gives them peace.
