Strange Religion

Our first Christmas episode is about the absolute worst of Santa's companions: Black Pete. Yes, worse even than a child-devouring demon like Krampus is the attempt at black-face that some residents of the Low Countries still attempt every year during their Saint Nicholas Day celebrations. Join us as we discuss Santa's helpers and the origins of Zwarte Piet. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

Vampires have always been a distinctively religious monster. We explore this thesis in today's episode, while also discussing our favorite vampire t.v. shows and movies. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

This week we talk about the myth of conservative religious groups mandating that married couples have sex through a hole in a large sheet. The Amish, the Hutterites, Catholics, but especially Orthodox Jews have been the target of this dehumanizing myth. A serious conversation on the impact and history of this myth, with a few moments of brevity. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

You had to google the word 'cilice,' didn't you? We had to google how to say it. If you still remember the Davinci Code (despite trying your best to forget it), you'll know that a cilice can be a metal clamp attached to the thigh, but it originally meant a hair shirt. Join us again for another exciting episode of Strange Religion. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

Hey, I bet you went out and voted today! Unless you're a Jehovah's Witness, then you didn't vote, because Satan is controlling the government and the media (you may not be all that wrong). Also if you're a Jehovah's Witness, you do not accept blood transfusions, nor do you give blood. Andrew and Christopher discuss the theology behind this and the ethical implications of it in this significantly more serious episode of Strange Religion. Don't worry, next week we'll talk about something inappropriate and possibly sexual (as usual). --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

We've all been there. A good friend loses his head, you save it from being made fun of, you hide it, someone else finds it, he loses it, it's found again, and so on. Join Andrew and Christopher for a lesson in the history of one of the most famous relics: the head of John the Baptist. Remember to subscribe on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, find us and like us on Twitter and Facebook, and visit us at keepreligionstrange.com. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support

In which Andrew and Christopher, two vagrant scholars of religion, discuss the age-old question: boxers, briefs, or temple garments? This is the inaugural episode of Strange Religion. Tune in every Tuesday, the least holy and most boring day of the week, for new episodes. Ten episodes (and a special Christmas episode featuring Black Pete!) comprise Season One of Strange Religion, in which we treat the theme of "Bodies, Blood, and Cloth." We examine topics each week related to the preservation, desecration, transportation, and recollection of human bodies, the oddities of religious conceptions of blood, and the use of cloth in religious practices. No religion is too old, too sacred, or too "normal" to escape our eye. Like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter and visit us at keepreligionstrange.com. Behold the ritual, behold the rite, come now behold our strange religion. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/strangereligionpodcast/support