In today’s episode of the Talk Heathen, Doctor Ben and Richard Gilliver take calls ranging from values to the resurrection.

Josh from NY claims that prayer is “incredibly helpful” and goes on to say prayer isn’t simply a cure all. Prayer is about a coin flip in terms of effectiveness. You shouldn’t accept something like prayer without evidence that it works. Get checked by a medical professional if you have any illnesses. Prayer doesn’t help, at all.

Amanuel from TX asks how atheists come up with their values or ultimate purpose given we don’t believe in a deity? There are thousands of deities proposed by humans, even thousands of denominations in christianity alone. Any Abrahamic holy book is loaded with immoral laws, proclamations, and values. We’ll stay away from that nonsense.

Martin from The UK claims Christ’s resurrection as described in the bible is historical fact. A retelling of a story in an old book is not evidence of a fact, let alone one written decades after said event. Don’t trust christian apologists, they tend to start with a belief and disregard opposing evidence.

Connor in TX wants perspective on a frustrating religious argument he had, someone questioned his beliefs. Respectfully decline to talk about religion in a professional setting. Arguments tend to elicit strong emotions and reactions. Make it a boundary and involve HR if available.

Latrina in Canada claims there is a placebo effect in prayer, it can be helpful for an individual prayer. We’d rather someone seek medical treatment. Placebo's don’t work on a lot of physiological issues, like cancer or broken bones. The risk isn’t worth any benefits. People have relied on prayer and died, or their condition worsened.

Thank you for tuning in to your community! This week's “Talk Heathen To Me” prompt is: What flier would you not expect to see on a church bulletin board?