Atheistville with Mike Smithgall
Hosted by Mike Smithgall, Atheistville explores atheism, deconversion, and secular life through open, respectful conversation. The channel features two signature shows:
Mike Drop – weekly commentary on religion, politics, and culture from a reasoned, secular perspective.
Breakfast with a Heathen – a relaxed Sunday Q&A that tackles listener and Reddit questions about belief, honesty, and living without faith.
Together, they create a space for candid dialogue about leaving belief behind, thinking for yourself, and building a meaningful life grounded in evidence, empathy, and ethics rather than dogma.
Podcast Creator Bio: Mike Smithgall
Mike Smithgall is the creator and host of Atheistville, a podcast and YouTube series exploring atheism, deconversion, and secular life through real conversation instead of confrontation. Drawing on his background as a financial professional and lifelong skeptic, Mike focuses on how people think, what leads them to question faith, and how they rebuild meaning without religion.
He interviews former believers, secular thinkers, and progressive voices to highlight shared values of empathy, critical thinking, and human connection. His mission is simple: belief should be personal, not political, and every story deserves to be heard.
Follow his work on YouTube (@Atheistville) or at Atheistville.com.
Episodes
55 episodes
The $1.7 Million Cost of Tithing: Why Churches Target Young Earners
A Reddit post from a young person trapped in a joint bank account with tithing-obsessed parents sparked this deep dive into the true cost of religious giving. Using Bureau of Labor Statistics income data and conservative investment assumptions,...
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13:34
Tithing Pressure, “Christian Love” Toward LGBTQ People, and Why God Stays Silent
This episode tackles a set of questions that sit at the intersection of money, family pressure, identity, and belief. We start with the ethics and power dynamics of tithing, especially when a young person has limited control over their own inco...
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52:44
Is Belief a Choice? Deconstruction, Doubt, and Living Without Faith (BWAH Ep 10)
In this episode, the conversation centers on one core question, is belief something you choose or something you become convinced of over time? The discussion explores doubt, deconstruction, and why some people seek belief yet struggle to force ...
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40:06
Florida’s "God Grades," The Charlie Kirk Analogy, & Black Atheism (BWAH Ep 9)
In this episode of Breakfast with a Heathen, we break down a proposed Florida bill (SB 1006) that could force schools to pay out $25,000 if they fail a student for citing religious beliefs in academic work. Is this protecting speech, o...
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1:03:15
The $25,000 Wrong Answer: Florida’s New School Loophole
Florida just put a price tag on ignorance. A new bill (SB 1006) would ban "academic penalties" for students who express religious or ideological beliefs in class—even if their answers are factually wrong.If a teacher fails a student for ...
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10:17
Your Taxes Are Higher Because Religion Pays Nothing
Mike takes a drive through his hometown and counts the true cost of religious property tax exemptions. In just one ZIP code, he identifies 7 religious parcels representing $31 million in assessed value—all exempt from property tax.Drawin...
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10:45
"I'm Not Homophobic, It's Just God", Purity Culture, Gas Station Epiphanies, & The Judas Paradox (BWAH Ep 8)
Welcome to the first broadcast of 2026. In this episode of Breakfast with a Heathen, we kick off the year by tackling the outrage over a New York mayor swearing in on a Quran and why Christian Nationalists ignore the irony when it come...
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1:07:57
The Wizard Was Just Loud: Pulling the Curtain on Christian Nationalism
The noise we heard in 2025 wasn't the sound of a giant conquering the land. It was the sound of a machine breaking down.In this episode of Mike Drop, we pull back the curtain on the Religious Right. 2025 felt like the walls were closing ...
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9:33
The Atheist's Guide to Family Shunning, Faith-Based Emails, and the Vatican Rant (BWAH-EP7)
Join Mike Smithgall, the unelected mayor of Atheistville, for a post-holiday edition of Breakfast with a Heathen. After a 27-day journey through Thailand, Hong Kong, and Tokyo, Mike returns to the mic to tackle listener question...
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58:38
Religion is Already Dead (It Just Doesn’t Know It Yet)
Headlines claim a religious revival is happening, but the data tells a different story. Today on the Mike Drop, we’re looking at the "Zombie Store" of global faith. Using new research from Nature Communications and the latest 2025 Pew Global Sw...
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11:45
Mike Drop: The Glass Bottom Boat - An Atheist's Defense of "Real" Christianity
Mike Smithgall explores the uncomfortable reality facing moderate Christians in America. As Christian Nationalism rises, many believers try to stay "above the fray," claiming the extremists don't represent them. Mike argues that this "Glass Bot...
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8:16
Created for Hell? | Church Taxes, The Historical Jesus & Deconstruction Loneliness (BWAH-EP6)
In this episode, we tackle the dark theological implications of an all-knowing God: If the outcome is already known, did God create humanity just to send most of us to hell? We also dive into the heated debate over whether churches should lose ...
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40:50
17% Point Drop: Why Americans Are Leaving Religion (Gallup Data)
Gallup reports a 17% point drop in Americans who say religion is important in daily life. This is one of the largest declines recorded globally in the last decade, and it signals a massive cultural shift in America.I...
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11:11
Hungry Babies & The Cost of Faith: Sex, Consent, and Religious Hypocrisy. (BWAH-EP5)
This week, we dive into the deep and often hypocritical intersections of faith, social welfare, and personal ethics. The discussion opens with the shocking findings from the viral TikTok experiment where churches denied basic aid like ba...
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44:03
Faith, Fear, and the Mayor of New York
shared a meme of the Twin Towers asking, “Has New York forgotten?” Mike Smithgall digs into what that reaction says about us. He opens with a story that sounds like 9/11—but isn’t—and exposes the double standard in how...
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8:41
From “Have a Blessed Day” to “You Cherry Picked That”: A Candid Talk on Faith and Frustration (BWAH - EP4)
In this episode of Breakfast with a Heathen, Mike answers real questions from listeners about debating religion, losing friendships, and navigating those awkward “bless your heart” moments. From being told you’re “taking scripture out ...
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55:04
Why the Parties Switched Sides — and How Religion Made It Possible
The Republican Party once led the fight against slavery. Today, it’s home to America’s Christian nationalist movement. What happened?In this episode, Mike breaks down how religion shaped every stage of the political party realignment, fr...
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10:55
Prayer, Apologetics, Mixed-Belief Love, and Leaving Faith (BWAH - EP3)
Pour a cup and hang out with Mike Smithgall for a Sunday morning Q&A. You’ll hear my take on “I’m praying for you,” why Christian apologetics fascinates and embarrasses, and a story about a friendly young-earth creationist who pushed ...
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56:47
Faith on the Blackboard , The Real Agenda Behind Ten Commandments Laws
In this episode, Mike Smithgall examines the growing push to hang the Ten Commandments in public classrooms and the larger campaign to rewrite history under the banner of “heritage.” He explains how Christian nationalism turns nostalgia i...
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10:13
How Religion Warps Politics, Parenting, and the Way We Think (BWAH - EP2)
This Breakfast with a Heathen episode covers a range of questions from faith and politics to parenting and personal belief. We start with how religion was never out of U.S. politics—Trump only made it obvious—and look at what happens when...
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48:09
Prayer as Propaganda: How Pete Hegseth’s “Department of War” Video Rewrites Scripture
In this episode, Mike Smithgall dissects Pete Hegseth’s viral Lord’s Prayer video and its disturbing fusion of religion and state power. Using biblical analysis and historical parallels from Sinclair Lewis and Eugene Debs, he explains how...
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12:29
Coffee, Questions, and the Cost of Honesty (BWAH - EP1)
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 Sund...
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1:06:08
Morality Without God: How Religion Hijacked Our Conscience
If morality comes from God, why do moral progress and religious doctrine so often collide? Mike Smithgall breaks down the myth that we need divine authority to be good.This episode examines empathy’s evolutionary roots, the failures of f...
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Episode 29
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13:26
The Supreme Court’s Next Test: Faith vs. Facts
A counselor in Colorado claims her “sincerely held beliefs” give her the right to counsel LGBTQ+ minors out of who they are. The state says that’s harmful pseudoscience. She says “First Amendment.” And now, the Supreme Court will decide....
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Episode 28
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15:22
From Pulpit to Prison: An Atheist’s Journey Through Faith, Identity, and Redemption with Mike Gonzalez
In this candid conversation, Mike shares his path from a devout Lutheran youth leader and Boy Scout to an openly bisexual atheist who rebuilt his life after addiction, prison, and deep personal conflict. We discuss the pressures of growing up i...
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Episode 28
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1:31:18
