Choose Your Own Religion

In the last episode of Choose Your Own Religion, my mom and dad come on the show to talk about the long, strange trip of my faith journey and what it means for me to be back in the religion I grew up in. We talk about Presbyterians, parables, and get personal.

Ryan Middledorf, founder of the Campfire Media network, comes on the second to last ever CYOR to talk about the five year journey this podcast has taken. We talk about Christianity, community, participating in broken things, and do some hardcore reminiscing.

Rick Doblin, founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), comes on to talk about the famous “Good Friday Experiment”, an experiment run at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel by Walter Pahnke while at Harvard Divinity School. Rick also tells the story of his follow-up study more than two decades later, sharing all the factors that went into Pahnke’s attempts to study mystical experiences afforded by psilocybin and how the study participants reflected back on their experiences later in life. Please join the Center for the Study of World Religions on Wednesday, October 21st at 4pm for a panel featuring two psilocybin clinical trial participants in dialogue with the historian of religions Jeffrey J. Kripal (Rice University) exploring these contemporary psychedelic trials. Links: Pahnke’s dissertation Rick Doblin's undergraduate thesis following up on the experiment Howard Thurman’s Good Friday sermon preached during the experiment More from MAPS.org

I check in with my dad, Presbyterian minister Rev. Dr. Jody Welker, to talk about this year’s surreal Easter. We work our way through Passover, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday, talking about the kinds of messages from Holy Week that bother us and inspire us.

In the first episode of a new series called “Closing the Distance,” poet, writer, and Harvard Divinity School student Molly Silverstein (also my partner) helps talk through our emotions and feel our way through the darkness in the early days of the coronavirus. As we keep the physical distance to prevent the spread of COVID-19, we need all the help we can get from art, authenticity, and each other.

Rev. Dr. Brian Baker chooses his own religion! Brian is an Episcopalian priest, veteran, and co-founder of Camp Religious AF, a Christian theme camp that lives at Burning Man. He came on the podcast to tell me about the journey to his first Burning Man, the evolution of Religious AF, and what it means to be an authentic, inclusive Christian community on the playa. We also talk about healing Christian trauma, wrestling with scripture, learning from other religions, radical agnosticism, and what the Army has in common with Burning Man. For more of Brian’s work go to deanbaker.org and check out Religious AF’s website at religiousafcamp.com.

Khadija Ali chooses her own religion! Khadija is a Master of Theological Studies candidate at Harvard Divinity School and in this episode she told me her spiritual biography growing up as a Muslim in Nashville, Tennessee. We also talk about questioning, the limitations of understanding, the impact of our community, candor, and an interfaith dialogue about the nature of interfaith dialogue itself.

Cody Hooks chooses his own religion! Cody is a writer, editor, gardener, journalist and Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School, and he came to tell me about life as a rural journalist in New Mexico. We talked about Tarot as scripture, ethnography, the nitty gritty of local journalism, storytelling ethics, desert energy, polyamory, and what emerges from loud silences. Cody’s Ember oracle card Cody’s Thunderclap oracle card

Jason Adam Sheets chooses his own religion! Jason is a poet, a Master of Theological Studies candidate at Harvard Divinity School, and author of the book The Hour Wasp. In this episode we talk about the spirituality of poetry, the creative process, surrealism, death, symbolism, generational trauma, being authentic and of service, the healing potential of poetry. Find the “The Hour Wasp” here.

Jessica Young chooses her own religion! Jessica is a yoga teacher, writer, storyteller, and Master of Divinity candidate at Harvard Divinity School. She came on the pod to talk about the intersection of her yoga practice and discernment of Christian ministry. We talked about yoga, dance, theological translation, loving our bodies, learning from teaching, and getting drunk on discernment. For more of Jessica’s writing and work, check out adevotedyogi.com!

Sister Mary Therese Perez chooses her own religion! Mary is a member of my cohort at Harvard Divinity School and she came to share her journey to becoming a Catholic nun in the Dominican Order. We talk about faith as identity, calls to service, sacrifice, contemplative practice, and a new conception of sexuality.

Lindsay Sanwald aka Idgy Dean chooses her own religion! Lindsay is a classmate of mine at Harvard Divinity School who creates and performs amazing psychedelic spiritual surf rock, and she came on to share her musical, creative, and spiritual journey. We also muse on comparative theology, Christianity, and spiritually working with anger. Go to idgydean.com for more of her music!

This week’s guest on Choose Your Own Religion is none other than my dad! Rev. Dr. Jody Welker has been a Presbyterian minister for nearly 40 years, and I finally had him on the show to mark my beginning at Harvard Divinity School and my unlikely return to Christianity. We talk about our different takes on the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit, and the relationship between psychedelics and Christianity.

Jessica Michelle Singleton chooses her own religion again! She came back to the show to talk about a 10-day silent meditation retreat that spawned her one-woman show, “Codependent Arising” as seen on Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We talk about how meditation helps us with suffering, compassion, abandonment, helplessness, and dealing with ghosting! Recorded live from beautiful Debs Regional Park in Los Angeles, CA. Check out her podcast Ignorance is #Blessed and check out her #1 iTunes album “Please. Don’t. Leave. Me.” and more at jmscomedy.com and on Twitter @jmscomedy!

Da’Jon James chooses his own religion! Da’Jon is the outgoing music director at Throop Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena, CA, and on this episode we explored the relationship between music, emotions, and worship, as well as diving into a conversation on race--diversity initiatives, tokenism, and Da’Jon sharing his lived experience as we talked about how we can learn not to blend together, but to harmonize. Check out Top Shelf Vocal at topshelfvocal.com and go to chooseyourownreligion.com for past episodes and future events where you can tell your own story!

Live stories told by three Los Angeles storytellers centering on finding comfort in unlikely places, from anxious Tarot readings, the loneliness of a New Mexico monestary, to a partner’s miraculous hospital experience. Featuring storytellers Erica Blumfield, Rex McDaniel, and Ashton Clarke. Recorded in March 2019 at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena, CA. Go to chooseyourownreligion.com for past episodes and future events where you can tell your own story.

Jonathan Levy chooses his own religion! Jonathan, aka “Zero Waste Guy” is a Zero Waste Project Manager and Green Building Council True Advisor, and on this episode we talked about environmentalism and spirituality. We also talked about the challenges of dating as an environmentalism, making others feel less guilty around you, environmental capitalism, transcendent moments with nature, community, and Unitarian Universalism. Episode includes hkis story from the live Choose Your Own Religion in January 2019. Check out more of Jonathan’s work at zerowasteguy.com and on Instagram @zerowasteguy, and come hear more stories and tell your own at the next live show on Friday, March 29th at 7:30pm at Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church in Pasadena!

Storyteller and actress Erica Gerard talks to Joe about her call to becoming a rabbi...and her call away from it. Choose Your Own Religion: because everyone has a story, no matter what they believe.

David LaMotte chooses his own religion again! David LaMotte is an award-winning songwriter, speaker and writer, as well as the founder and president of PEG Partners (Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas, or Guatemalan School Project) and a member of the Abraham Jam. In this episode we talk about our experiences in Guatemala and how to make big changes with small differences, as well as David’s interfaith music project with Abraham Jam.

Tahil Sharma chooses his own religion! Tahil is an Interfaith Minister for the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Faith Program Manager at Brave New Films, and he came on the show to discussed the beauty and challenges of interfaith dialogue. He told me his story of growing up with a Hindu father and a Sikh mother and almost getting arrested at the border in December.

Chase Bernstein (Last Comic Standing) chooses her own religion! Chase is one of my favorite comedians here in Los Angeles and I convinced her to come talk about Judaism and what it means to her. We talk about her bat mitzvah, Kabbalah, the role of belief in Judaism, intimate moments with strangers, the dangers of ideology, the different styles of comedic healing, and more.

Ryan Singer (Me & Paranormal You) chooses his own religion! Ryan just released his latest standup album “Free Love” but grew up wanting to be a priest, so we talk about the similarities of comedy and ministry. We also talk about expression vs. communication, capitalism, sociopaths, freedom, rationality, Unitarian Universalism, and the ethics of Dave Coulier.

Dan Prevette (The Back Pew podcast) returns to choose his own religion a third time! Dan grew up the son of Evangelical Christian missionaries and on this episode we (briefly) discuss what Christmas means to us this year. We also talk about why Thomas Paine deserves a musical, the Enneagram, other-izing Christians we don’t like, politics dictating religion, therapy, our problems loving our enemies, self-acceptance, and learning to love being common.

Rev. Lissa Anne Gundlach chooses her own religion -- Unitarian Universalism! On the three-year anniversary of the podcast, Rev. Lissa comes on to help me discern my own call to UU ministry as well as give her perspective on its history and tradition what it means to “have faith” as someone who grew up UU. We also talk about the relationship between preaching and comedy, storytelling, the pros and cons of going deep in one faith tradition versus UU, and living in an interfaith community.

Writer and storyteller Emerson Dameron chooses his own religion! Emerson is also from western North Carolina and grew up Protestant (Episcopalian), and in this episode we talk about navigating the many religious maps out there in walking our own path. We talk about the #MeToo movement in Buddhism, dealing with alcoholism, how the ego functions in addiction, recovery, Unitarian Universalism, life before the internet, storytelling, spiritual materialism, and more.

Ryan McGranahan chooses his own religion! Ryan is a storyteller from Los Angeles and a member of Ecclesia Gnostica, a Gnostic Christian church here in Los Angeles, and he came on the show to explain Gnostic Christianity to me. We talk about Jesus in the Gnostic tradition, the inversion of Christian tropes, little-g gnosticism, the divine feminine, magic, rituals, cosmological differences, the importance of belief, prayer, symbolism, and how it all comes back to the Matrix.

Rachel Mac and Devin Blake, aka the MacBlakes, choose their own religion! Rachel and Devin have an interfaith marriage, Rachel being a Christian and Devin...not. What began as a talk on their interfaith marriage turned into a discussion of Rachel dissecting some Earth-shattering information that has affected her Christianity, and affected mine long ago.

Nima Kharrazi chooses his own religion! Nima is one of the producers and hosts of the Breaker/Broken show, a storytelling show about heartbreak, and is also a pro-religion atheist. In this episode we talk about the many spirituals paths up the same mountain of God (as we understand it), as well as not walking up that mountain at all.

Buck Ball chooses his own religion! Buck is a fantastic storyteller from Starkville, Mississippi, and on this episode we talk a lot about stories--their role in human and religious history, their function in our every day, and how we all are natural storytellers. We also talk about sadness in comedy, originality, addiction, Inside Out, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves.

Jana Fisher chooses her own religion! Jana is a fellow preacher’s kid and Moth-winning storyteller. After playing her story from the live Choose Your Own Religion, she told me about her struggle discovering her queer identity while growing up in an evangelical church. We also talk about the Enneagram, covenants vs. creeds, the struggle of authenticity, the archetypical Jesus, rigid views of Christianity leading to a fragile Christianity, religion as cultural technology, and why she still goes to church!

Erica Blumfield chooses her own religion! Erica is a storyteller that originally spurned me for an OKCupid date, but since has performed on my live show and come to be a good friend. In this episode Erica told me about her spiritual journey as someone who deals with bipolar disorder. We also talk about authenticity, the Tao te Ching, heaven, and a bunch more. I also play her story from the last live Choose Your Own Religion, which you can catch the first Sunday of every month at the Clubhouse in Los Feliz!

The Rev. Ed Bacon (Oprah’s Super Soul 100, author “8 Habits of Love”) returns to the show to talk more about modern Christianity--living with grace, healthy boundaries, how to have conviction with humility, and even how to love a certain president.

Casey Whitaker (Second City!) chooses her own religion! Casey is a comedian and writer based in Los Angeles and a good friend of mine. In this episode we talk about whether God, souls, and heaven are real, and what they’re like if so! We also talk about our body image, being judgmental in comedy, guardian angel theories, and whether we’ve talked to God.

Devin Field chooses his own religion! Devin is a writer for Jimmy Kimmel Live, a house performer at UCB, and has a Comedy Central Half Hour coming out later this year. In this episode Devin tells me about his experience with Transcendental Meditation after being raised with not much of anything. We also talk about plant medicine, militant atheism, sports as religion, biggest killers in history, mystery, psychedelics, and effective protest.

Casey McGonagle chooses his own religion! Casey is an artist and co-founder of VVVR (Visual Voice Virtual Reality), a voice controlled tool for self exploration and well being. In this episode we talk about how the intersection of art and technology can enhance the therapy of working with your own voice. We also talk about the archetypal Buddha, Christ consciousness, meditating in traffic, Soka Gakkai Buddhism, accepting suffering, and the power of mantras.

Sarah Isaacson chooses her own religion! Sarah is the co-host of the Learnt Up podcast, and in this episode we talk about how she has been reconnecting with her reformed Jewish heritage and how she has come to appreciate tradition. We also talk about digital vs. analog living, our personal brands (ugh), geeks vs. dorks vs. nerds, Apocalyptic Jesus, the role of belief in Judaism, and our ancestors.

Rachel LaForce chooses her own religion! Rachel is a writer, actor and comedian from Atlanta via Chicago who has toured with the Second City Touring Company and a new friend of mine. In this episode we try to answer the question on if you can have compassion for Donal Trump. We also talk about past lives, how to really love your neighbor, the MLK Super Bowl ad, the fabric of non-religious society, and Christianity’s LGBT issues. Follow Rachel on Twitter and Instagram @rachellaforce!

In this episode, yoga lecturer at USC and sound healer David Romero tells Joe about his life journey and about the process of being a healer. Episode includes an hour long soundbath!

Emily Schmidt chooses her own religion! Emily is a writer from Minnesota and we talk a lot about that grand state in this episode. Emily also tells me why the “Evangelical” Lutherans are not what their name seems and her experience with that tradition.

Sharon Rose chooses her own religion! Sharon is a teacher at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and a life coach in Tempe, Arizona, and on this episode she came to talk about MAGIC! What it is and isn’t, and what we can with it. We also talked about the process of life coaching, posture, self-talk, chakdras, dancing with the ego, paradoxical spiritual teachings, spirituality of money, and Manifesting Abundance with Gratitute, Intution and Courage.

Kasey Koop chooses her own religion! Kasey is a writer, comedian, stripper, and host of Kasey’s FREEk Show Podcast and one of my oldest Los Angeles friends. In this episode she catches me up on what two and a half years of sobriety has been like since she was last on the show and how our attitudes towards religion have changed.

It’s the 100th episode and Dan Prevette has returned to choose his own religion! In this Christmas episode I talked with Dan about how our new reasons for the old season after growing up the sons of Christian ministers and missionaries. We get into Christian mysticism, substances (and abuse of), whether Christ is still our savior, and the inherent rebellion in the Christmas story.

Katie Dahlson chooses her own religion! Katie is a storyteller and comedian who told me about her experience at an Osho meditation center on a Tuscany farm. We also talk about the Transcendalists, living off the grid, entheogens, relationships, and the pitfalls and benefits of gurus. Follow Katie on Twitter and Instagram @dahlsonator!

Erika Curry chooses her own religion! Erika is a comedian from Oklahoma, the host of “And God Created Podcast” as well as “The Scramble” at the Pack Theater in LA. Erika told me about growing up and out of the Church of Christ, a place where they don’t even allow musical instruments! We also talk about Jesus not laughing, reimagining miracles, Elisha and the Shebears, fulfillment, helping people, and our funeral music.

Jonathan Blake chooses his own religion! Jonathan is a comedian in Los Angeles, and in this episode he tells me about winning the Most Christ-like award three times, his Quaker times, breathing, cycles, and his journey into Buddhism and comedy.

Hana Michels chooses her own religion! Hana is a writer and comedian and co-host of The Hard Times Live at the Nerdmelt Theater. In this episode she tells me about growing up Jewish in the Reformed tradition. We talk about keeping kosher, rebellion, bat mitzvahs, arranged marriages, Jungian shadows, and then she makes up her own cult.

Nicole Villela chooses her own religion! Nicole is an improviser on Nerdist teams like The Dam/n Breaks and Hello Horses, the host of the Cringeworthy podcast, and a co-producer of my show, Copper Still Comedy! In this episode, Nicole not only tells me about the meaning of Tarot cards, and she not only reads my Tarot, but she reads YOUR Tarot too!

Charlie Mihelich chooses his own religion! Charlie is a writer, improviser, and performer in Los Angeles who hosts Catharsis, a monthly dramatic improv show at UCB Sunset. In this episode we talk about the difference between dramatic and normal improv, the Unitarian commune he visited growing up, his youth group experiences, and what it would take for him to go back to church.

Sunanda Sachatrakul chooses her own religion! Sunanda (Indian Wedding) is a comedian in Los Angeles who came to teach me about growing up in Asia, Hinduism, and air her grievances.

Brendan Cooney chooses his own religion! Brendan is an LA comedian from Arlington, VA and in this episode we talk about growing up Unitarian Universalist, comedy, anger, and he invents his own polytheistic religion.

Jen Curcio chooses her own religion! Jen is a storyteller, standup, and improviser in Los Angeles who came to tell me about her time as a Quaker and her experience coming out to religious family members. She then makes up her own beautiful, natural religion. Follow Jen on Instagram @jencurcio!