In the past decade, the percentage of Americans valuing religion in daily life has plummeted from 66% to 49%. This cultural shift, driven by lost trust in religious institutions, rising skepticism, and a younger generation prioritizing personal ethics over organized faith, reflects a profound change in societal values and identity.
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. …
The content addresses a viewer’s assertion that children require God for safety, countering it with evidence of church abuse scandals. It argues that morality predates religion, fear-based ethics are inadequate, and secular societies outperform religious ones in safety and well-being, highlighting that humans possess innate moral instincts rather than those instilled by religion.
By Mike Smithgall | Oct 15, 2025 | Atheistville When someone tells you that without religion, society would descend into chaos and children would be unsafe, they’re making a claim that sounds reasonable on the surface. After all, if God is the source of all moral truth, then removing God should logically remove morality itself….
Mike Smithgall explores the conflict between moral progress and religious doctrine, arguing that morality does not require divine authority. The episode discusses empathy’s evolution, critiques fear-based morality, and highlights the success of secular societies, presenting a thoughtful analysis of the foundations of human ethics. For more, visit http://www.Atheistville.com.
On October 7, 2025, the U.S. Supreme Court heard Chiles v. Salazar, debating whether Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors violates First Amendment rights. Kaley Chiles, a counselor, argues the law infringes on her religious beliefs. The case raises questions about professional accountability, free speech, and child protection amidst conflicting viewpoints and scientific evidence.
A Colorado counselor argues her beliefs allow her to counsel LGBTQ+ minors against their identities, while the state deems this harmful pseudoscience. The Supreme Court will evaluate this case, Chiles v. Salazar, highlighting the conflict between evidence and belief, law and faith, and the implications for professional standards.
In this episode of Mike Drop, host Mike Smithgall takes on the Supreme Court case Chiles v. Salazar, a challenge to Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for minors. The case asks a dangerous question: can “sincerely held belief” excuse professional harm? Mike breaks down what’s at stake, how religious arguments are being used to undermine…
Why does God focus on football games, missing car keys or even job interviews instead of regrowing an amputee’s limb? This silly yet profound question leads us down the rabbit hole of faith healing scams. We discuss the notorious ‘uneven leg’ miracle seen at a camp meeting and the theatrical cons of famous revivalists like…
Believers often point to life’s mysteries as proof of God. But history shows that every time science explains a gap, the divine explanation retreats. From lightning and disease to consciousness and the cosmos, science keeps closing the gaps where gods once hid. This Mike Drop explores why the “God of the Gaps” argument fails, and…
