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The Infidel Guy
By Brad White

Reginald Finley, a.k.a. The Infidel Guy, has quite a diverse background to say the least. Formerly a Christian, he has served in the U.S. Army and National Guard, was once a part of the R&B group 112, and even appeared on ABC’s Wife Swap. A fter teaching himself the basics of broadcasting eight years ago, Finley decided to start a show that rationally discusses the heavy topics of God and Religion from an Atheist’s perspective. Without any degrees in Religion or Science, The Infidel Guy considers himself to be “a common guy with a lot of questions.”

Finley took upon the moniker The Infidel Guy from an Islamic ex-girlfriend who after leaving Islam, dubbed herself “The Infidel Gal.” Finley explains that “we are all infidels in that we all reject a particular doctrine.” Although his experience with Christianity wasn’t particularly negative, he found that more questions he asked, the less sense it all made. After finally leaving the faith, he then began a website to share his experience.

The Infidel Guy began streaming live over the Internet from a Geocities site long before the days of Podcasting. After realizing its growing popularity within recent years, Finley decided to get involved with podcasting and is currently featured in the Religion section of the iTunes music store. Formerly using his podcast only as a means to promote his website and live shows, he now posts new shows several times a week.

The majority of his podcasts feature debates and interviews with renowned figures in both Atheism and Christianity such as evolutionary theorist Richard Dawkins and Christian author Frank Turek. The conversation is kept balanced and informative, with his guests taking on the bulk of the details. “I bring on experts to educate me on the issues I’m ignorant on,” explains Finley.

The Infidel Guy is also one of the select few fortunate enough to actually earn a living from podcasting. After a listener suggested that he sell his shows, he began the Gold Membership Service. By purchasing a monthly or yearly subscription, listeners can gain access to over 400 hours of archived shows as well as receive podcast versions of each new show. Finley supplements this income with listener donations and with his second site, www.freethoughtmedia.com where he trains new podcasters and earns commission from their subscribers.

Despite the occasional hate mail from fundamentalists, Finley continues to podcast because he “sees a lot of positive results” in the lives of his listeners. Through his podcast, he hopes to “see more understanding between the realms of belief and non-belief.” Finley is currently looking for a co-host and plans to become more involved in the lecture and debate circuit.

Listeners can tune in live to The Infidel Guy via www.infidelguy.com every Wednesday and Friday night at 8 p.m. EST. The live broadcast also includes two chat rooms, a call-in 800 number, and an in-studio video stream. The podcast version of The Infidel Guy is available in the iTunes music store and online at www.infidelguy.com.

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