“God Grades,” The Charlie Kirk Analogy, & Why Coming Out Atheist is Harder Than You Think Date: January 25, 2026 Category: Breakfast with a Heathen

Welcome to this week’s Breakfast with a Heathen—or maybe we should call it Brunch since I got a late start this morning.

On today’s show, I tackled a wide range of listener questions, from the political battles in Florida to the personal struggles of a 16-year-old doubter. We covered a lot of ground, including the “Historical Jesus” debate and why some families find it easier to accept a gay child than an atheist one.

Here is a breakdown of the key questions I addressed in this episode. [Link to Full Episode Here]

1. Am I Wrong for Not Believing?

We started with a question from a 16-year-old (Realistic_Bed5137) who is feeling guilty for doubting God.

• My Take: You are not wrong. You are at an age where you should be questioning everything. Whether you return to faith or leave it entirely, that exploration is part of becoming an adult.

2. “Why Do Atheists Obsess Over God?”

I responded to a comment claiming atheists are “obsessed” with a God we don’t believe in.

• The Reality: We aren’t obsessed with God; we are obsessed with your obsession with making us live by your rules. If religion stayed out of government, I wouldn’t have much to talk about.

3. The “God Grades” Bill in Florida

We discussed the controversial Florida proposal (SB 1006) that could allow students to cite religious beliefs to avoid failing assignments.

• The Danger: This incentivizes laziness. If a student ignores the assignment to write a sermon—and the school is threatened with a $25,000 fine for failing them—we are effectively rewarding poor academic work with a payout.

4. Is Evolution “Secular Dogma”?

I addressed a recurring commenter, “Carl,” who argued that answering a test with evolution is just regurgitating “secular dogma.”

• The Rebuttal: Education is about demonstrating you learned the material taught, not whether you personally agree with it. If I ask for the date of the Declaration of Independence, you can’t just make up a date because you “believe” differently.

5. Did Jesus Actually Exist? (The Charlie Kirk Analogy)

A listener asked if ex-Christians believe Jesus was a real historical person.

• My Theory: I believe there was likely a real preacher, but the myth overtook the man. To explain this, I used a modern analogy: Charlie Kirk. After his public death, we are watching a “sainthood” narrative form in real-time. It shows how quickly a human can be deified by their followers.

6. Do We Need to Respect Religion?

We debated whether atheists owe respect to religion, especially given the history of abuse and misogyny.

• My Stance: Respect the person until they give you a reason not to. But the ideas? The beliefs themselves? No. If a belief system is used to justify hate, it does not deserve automatic respect.

7. Women Pastors & Misogyny

A listener asked about the biblical prohibition on women teaching men.

• The Discussion: I referenced the patriarchal theology of figures like Doug Wilson. In 2026, the idea that a woman’s opinion is inherently “lesser” or that she shouldn’t hold authority is baffling to me.

8. Black Atheism & HBCUs

We discussed the need for secular outreach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

• The Insight: I brought up my friend Cynthia McDonald (Black Non-Believers), who highlighted that leaving the Black church is often stigmatized as “betraying the race” because of the church’s role in the Civil Rights movement. Representation at HBCUs is crucial to show students they aren’t alone.

9. Property Taxes vs. “Taxation is Theft”

I responded to a critic who told me to stop talking about churches avoiding taxes and focus on abolishing taxes for everyone.

• The Numbers: In my own zip code, churches sit on $31 million of tax-free property. We can advocate for lower personal taxes and demand that religious industries pay their fair share at the same time. It’s not an either/or.

10. A Tale of Two Closets

We ended with a story from “Bunny Vomit” (great name), who shared that they came out as gay at 13 but were terrified to admit they were an atheist until much later.

• The Takeaway: It is a fascinating cultural shift when coming out as gay is less scary for a parent to hear than “I don’t believe in God.”

---

🎧 Listen to the Full Episode

These summaries just scratch the surface. Tune in to hear the full discussion.