https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX5B4RzOf-KtOW9W94m1NjeBDZUb9Ahtc

History

The first episode of the Theist Helpline, which aired on January 23, 2022, was well-received by audiences.  The concept of this show, which included utilizing a Discord Stage, was envisioned and organized by Taco (who participates on the panel while also managing the queue of audience members who want to join us to present their ideas and arguments).

Although the scheduling was originally envisioned as a weekly event, Randolf Richardson (the first person to whom Taco originally proposed the concept of this show) suggested starting out on a monthly schedule.  After some back-and-forth (a.k.a., negotiating), Randolf suggested a two-week schedule, which worked well for most panel members because many of us have families and other activities that put demands on our time.

Aside from the early morning times, there was still disagreement on what the schedule should be, that is, until Randolf noted that the word "fortnight," which defines a two-week period, was used in J.R.R. Tolkien's six books that comprise the famous story of The Lord Of The Rings (not a trilogy, despite popular insistence by people who've only seen the movie version), unanimous agreement on the "fortnightly" schedule was immediately solidified.

Over the next 12 months without a name for our show, many of our fans began to refer to our efforts as just "that show" or "that fortnightly show."  We wanted a name for our show, but it wasn't until almost a whole year later, after various names had been considered, that Taco's suggestion of the name "Theist Helpline" was unanimously approved.  So, as of our first episode on January 8, 2023, we proceeded as the Theist Helpline (along with new splash screen imagery), and now people can refer to our show by name (for which this web site is also named accordingly).

At the end of the show on April 16, 2023, the schedule was transitioned to a monthly event on the first Sunday of each month, because the fortnightly routine has proven to be a challenging schedule to keep to for all our volunteers and regular audience members who have family and other duties that require their time.