The Atheist Experience

"Theists, we don't hate you, we just think you're wrong!"

—Old Show Motto

The Atheist Experience is a weekly cable access show in Austin, Texas that became popular world-wide with the rise of the internet. The show started in 1997 and is still ongoing.

It's a show meant to educate Theists and the general public about Atheists and takes calls from believers and non-believers alike. The hosts regularly debate with their Theist callers and sometimes the arguments can get very heated. They can be found at The Atheist Experience, also search for clips on Youtube or their podcast on Itunes.

Interesting Links:

• Jeff Dee rants on Christian Caller over Hell
• Matt, Russell and a Crazy Caller

Tropes used in The Atheist Experience include:

• Abusive Parents: Matt Dillahunty has given many The Reason You Suck Speeches on the topic. Especially about parents who refuse to get medical treatment for their kids because they think praying will solve the problem.
• Awful Truth: The Atheist Experience deconstructed this when a caller asked "What's wrong with a comfortable delusion" by arguing that the trauma isn't caused by finding out the truth, but by discovering you were lied to. How many of these examples would have turned out better if the people telling the lies had just told the truth in the first place?
• Bald of Awesome: Current host Matt Dillahunty is bald, as is former host Ashley Perrien; they both carry themselves quite well.
• Berserk Button:
  • The Atheist Experience will happily debate any theist who calls in... but if Jeff Dee is hosting that week, do not threaten him with Hell, unless you're willing to listen to a long, loud rant about how inherently unjust Hell is.
  • Matt Dillahunty Vs. Any Crazy Parents he comes across.
    • Matt does not like it when theists call science a religion. See?
  • Matt and Jeff both don't like Solipsists. See here at about the 7:08 mark.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Some Theists tend to think Russell Glasser is the safer host to talk to.
• Catch Phrase
  • Jeff: "Tortured! Forever!"
  • Matt: "You're done."
• Easy Evangelism: Subverted, many callers try and fail.
• Flat Earth Atheist: Because people insist that they would refuse to believe even if some really obvious evidence was right before their eyes (as opposed to the very weak proofs that get offered as a matter of routine). Russell Glasser is even on record saying that in a fantasy world where gods exist, real skeptics would be the ones who follow the evidence and believe in the gods.
• God and Satan Are Both Jerks: They have been known to highlight the fact that God has a far higher body count than Satan in the Bible.
• Paedophile Priest: The Atheist Experience (and The Non-Prophets podcast) regularly criticizes Catholic priests and Protestant ministers for this behaviour.
• Straw Atheist: People sometimes assume that they are atheists because of some traumatic experience or they're rebelling against god.
• Spin-Off: Like The Atheist Experience? Check out The Non-Prophets Radio and also Godless Bitches Atheism from a feminist point of view.