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.
Atheistville with Mike Smithgall
My Body, My Choice - But Only Sometimes: Deconstructing the Religious and Political Hypocrisy Behind America's Growing Vaccine Resistance Movement
Mike examines Florida's groundbreaking decision to eliminate all school vaccine mandates, exposing how genuine religious concerns have been hijacked by political movements. With vaccine exemptions at record highs and measles cases surging, this episode unpacks the dangerous intersection of Christian nationalism, selective bodily autonomy arguments, and partisan public health policy. From Idaho's 15% exemption rate to Texas's deadly outbreak, the data reveals a pattern of communities suffering when ideology overrides evidence. Mike also calls out the breathtaking hypocrisy of officials defending "my body, my choice" for vaccines while enforcing abortion bans. This isn't about faith versus science, it's about how political identity masquerades as religious conviction, putting children's lives at risk.
Chapter Headings:
1. Opening: Florida Eliminates All Vaccine Mandates
2. The Numbers Don't Lie - A Public Health Crisis in the Making
3. The Religious Smokescreen - When Politics Masquerades as Faith
4. The "My Body, My Choice" Hypocrisy Exposed
5. Communities in Crisis - Where Ideology Meets Reality
6. The Real Faith Response - What Actual Religious Leadership Says
7. The Slippery Slope - Where This Leads
8. Closing Thoughts: Faith as Weapon vs. Guide
Reading List
The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt – Explores moral psychology and how different groups prioritize different moral foundations, helping explain why purity and liberty concerns drive vaccine hesitancy in certain communities. URL: https://amzn.to/4p9N7TF
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman – A powerful case study of cultural conflict in medical care that illuminates how genuine religious/cultural beliefs can clash with modern medicine, versus political appropriation of religious language. URL: https://amzn.to/41DZxcG
Bad Faith: Race and the Rise of the Religious Right by Randall Balmer – Documents how evangelical political movements often appropriate religious language for partisan ends rather than theological ones, providing crucial context for understanding vaccine resistance. URL: https://amzn.to/429RRio
On Immunity: An Inoculation by Eula Biss – A nuanced exploration of vaccine hesitancy that examines both legitimate concerns and unfounded fears, essential reading for understanding the full spectrum of vaccination attitudes. URL: https://amzn.to/47yLSr6
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases and Vaccines - CDC Resource – Comprehensive data on disease prevention, outbreak patterns, and immunization effectiveness from the primary federal health agency. URL: https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/index.html
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