Weird Religion

Let us discuss a DANGEROUS TV SHOW. And of course, we're talking about a very family friendly Jesus TV show—The Chosen. What is the state of the evangelical search for validation, for legitimacy, in the American religious landscape today? Has Christian TV arrived? Can we tell who is an “evangelical” by what they purchase, what they consume?The Last Temptation of Christ (1988 film): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095497/ Artifact: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/the-chosen-dallas-jenkins-interview-season-4-1235909988/Dallas Jenkins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_JenkinsRonald Numbers, The Creationists: https://books.google.com/books?id=GQ3TI5njXfIC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false “Name it and Frame It” Phony Doctorates in the Church: https://www.apologeticsindex.org/2794-name-it-and-frame-it-phony-doctorates-in-the-church The National Association of Evangelicals: https://www.nae.org/ The “Bebbington Quadrilateral”: https://www.baylorpress.com/9781481314435/the-evangelical-quadrilateral/ Leah Payne, “‘Sound of Freedom' and the Media Fueling Belief in America's ‘Special Role' in Human History”: https://www.prri.org/spotlight/sound-of-freedom-and-the-media-fueling-belief-in-americas-special-role-in-human-history/ The “Holiness Movement”: https://www.thearda.com/us-religion/history/timelines/entry?etype=3&eid=13 Randall J. Stephens, The Fire Spreads: Holiness and Pentecostalism in the American South: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674046856

We celebrate the religious aesthetic—and mourn the loss—of Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher. A pastel-colored, Christian-infused aesthetic embodied by Precious Moments may of course prompt a reaction: like the “Precious Mutation” of Keith Busher. Did evangelical art (and theology) ever grow up?How can this couple have been married 25 years when they are children: https://www.preciousmoments.com/twenty-five-happy-years-together-figurine Jesus said: “wise as a serpent, gentle as a dove”: https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Matthew%2010%3A16 Daniel Silliman obituary of Sam Butcher: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/05/sam-butcher-precious-moments-art-artist-chapel-obit/ The Sam Butcher story on the Precious Moments website: https://www.preciousmoments.com/butcher-story/ Keith Busher, the “Precious Mutator” (Instagram): https://www.instagram.com/preciousmutator/?hl=en; (Etsy): https://www.etsy.com/shop/PreciousMutations Precious Mutations story: https://www.today.com/home/precious-mutants-are-terrifying-version-precious-moments-figurines-t161577 Thomas Kincaid, “The Painter of Light”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kinkade The “Precious Moments Chapel” mural: https://www.preciousmoments.com/blog/history-of-precious-moments-chapel-hallelujah-square Later Sam Butcher paintings of nude bodies: https://x.com/danielsilliman/status/1795890318853767351Garbage Pail Kids example: https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/120329100954-garbage-pail-kids-leaky-lindsay.jpg?q=w_1248,h_1732,x_0,y_0,c_fill

Today we're discussing a book by religion and philosophy professor Jeffrey Kripal (Rice University), called How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else (University of Chicago Press, 2024). He seems to be suggesting…that we should believe…in impossible things. Miracles. Levitation. UFOs. Archetypes. And many other things Leah and Brian were told not to believe in during their time in secular graduate programs, of the type that Kripal himself would seem to teach in. What is happening here? We explore. Join us. “Authentic” was the 2023 Merriam-Webster word of year: https://www.georgefamilyfoundation.org/news/blog-post-title-three-x9s6e-h4jbh#:~:text=Merriam-Webster Leah Payne, award winner, for God Gave Rock and Roll to You: https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/12/christianity-today-book-awards-2024/? Here is the book on the publisher's website, Jeffrey Kripal's, How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/H/bo216049049.html “dual aspect monism” // double-aspect theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-aspect_theory Jeffrey J. Kripal: https://profiles.rice.edu/faculty/jeffrey-j-kripal Jonathan Z. Smith: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Z._Smith Jonathan Z. Smith, “Religion, Religions, Religious”: https://womrel.sitehost.iu.edu/Rel433%20Readings/SearchableTextFiles/Smith_ReligionReligionsReligious.pdf Jonathan Z. Smith, “In Comparison a Magic Dwells”: https://classics.osu.edu/sites/classics.osu.edu/files/Magic_Dwells.pdf Russel McCutcheon, Critics Not Caretakers: https://www.routledge.com/Critics-Not-Caretakers-Redescribing-the-Public-Study-of-Religion/McCutcheon/p/book/9781032467924 Mircea Eliade: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mircea_Eliade The Nietzsche book Brian was trying to remember: The Birth of Tragedy: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/51356/51356-h/51356-h.htm Book Leah mentioned, that she taught this past semester: Charles Freeman, Holy Bones, Holy Dust: How Relics Shaped the History of Medieval Europe: https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Bones-Dust-History-Medieval/dp/0300184301 Carlos Eire, They Flew: A History of the Impossible: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300280074/they-flew/ The mystery of where socks go in the washer: https://youtube.com/shorts/lh64cnjDsWg?si=P15MsWcO3Op2eC3t The Coach bag Brian is describing, note outer side pocket, and there is an identical one on the other side: https://photos-us.bazaarvoice.com/photo/2/cGhvdG86bWFjeXM/0f759b29-68af-5b3c-85e7-cc3983a4cd24

Feeling spiritually vulnerable while you are in an airport? You are not alone. Looking for a Popeye horror film? You are not alone. Naming your child Muhammed in the UK this year? You are not alone. Flocking to Orthodoxy as a young man? You are not alone. Committing acts of microfeminism? You are not alone. Portland airport Beni the Therapy Llama: https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2024/11/03/nx-s1-5173755/therapy-animals-portland-airport-llama-alpaca The new most popular baby name in the UK: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/most-popular-100-baby-names-34251941 The Late Great Hal Lindsey: https://religionnews.com/2024/12/05/the-late-great-hal-lindsey/ Young men flock to Orthodoxy: https://nypost.com/2024/12/03/us-news/young-men-are-converting-to-orthodox-christianity-in-droves/ The two heads of St. Thomas: https://religionnews.com/2024/12/05/when-it-comes-to-venerating-st-thomas-aquinas-are-two-heads-better-than-one/ Are you a microfeminist: https://www.npr.org/2024/12/04/g-s1-36686/microfeminism-ashley-chaney-sexism 12 acts of microfeminism (image on cover) from: https://www.instagram.com/micahlarsen_/ Book mentioned, We Have Never Been Woke: https://www.city-journal.org/article/review-of-we-have-never-been-woke-by-musa-al-gharbi Popeye horror film: https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/gruesome-popeye-horror-film-trailer-sees-classic-character-brutally-murder-helpless-victims/ar-AA1uO0tq

When, and why, did Catholics stop saying “and also with you” in response to “The Lord be with you,” and instead start saying, “and with your spirit”? And how would you respond to the ecstatic worship practice of “running the aisles”? We discuss the aesthetic we'd want—in heaven. Brian gaslights himself and all academics about “change.” Leah sings several times and claims to be a “pilgrim.” Some very serious talk about the communion ritual. And craniosacral therapy.And with you vs. And with your spirit: https://www.npr.org/2008/08/11/93419478/catholics-will-no-longer-recite-and-also-with-you Let Google google for you!! https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/Matthew 8:8: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208%3A8&version=NIV “Running the Aisles” as an ecstatic worship practice: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Running_the_aisles Cy Twombly, Leaving Paphos: https://gagosian.com/exhibitions/2009/cy-twombly-leaving-paphos-ringed-with-waves/ Craniosacral therapy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Craniosacral_therapy

The Swiss have created a new way to confess sins. Brian does something he vowed he would never do. Digital oligarchs will rule our future. A mysterious man passes by outside dressed like a priest of the Pacific Northwest. The Film Her (2013): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ “Hey Alexa, Are You Sexist?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/alexa-bots-female-voice.html Oligarch for Sort Of Post-Evangelicals Peter Enns: https://www.eastern.edu/peter-enns AI Jesus hears confessions (Vice article): https://www.vice.com/en/article/ai-jesus-is-now-taking-confessions-at-a-church-in-switzerland/  AI Jesus hears confessions in Switzerland (video we played): https://www.dw.com/en/switzerlands-ai-jesus-answers-questions-of-faith/video-70737962  Checking on the term “double dog dare”: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-origins-of-the-term-double-dog-dare

One of the biggest religious storylines of 2023 has been: the huge number of people leaving their faith communities. Because Christianity is the #1 by volume religion in America, the loss has been felt heaviest there. Why has this been happening? And how many have left? A new book shares the latest research, and the data may shock you (= clickbait)!!! We review and comment and teach. The Great Dechurching (new book): https://www.amazon.com/Great-Dechurching-Leaving-Going-Bring/dp/0310147433 Ryan Burge, PhD: http://ryanburge.net/ Ryan Burge substack, “Graphs About Religion”: https://www.graphsaboutreligion.com/ “Good Faith” podcast interview with Great Dechurching author Michael Graham: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-great-dechurching-with-david-french-and-michael-graham/id1594454747?i=1000631285992Peter's Choi's book on George Whitefield: https://www.amazon.com/George-Whitefield-Evangelist-Religious-Biography/dp/0802875491 Buck Williams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Williams

Beware, lest ye try to convict others in court, that ye have never sinned! We review some recent weird religious news with an eye toward non-obvious stories. From dreams of living forever to Taylor Swift promoting witchcraft: while away this thirty minutes with us. Lori Vallow statement, opens with “he who is without sin throw the first stone”: https://youtu.be/uJ4nFtSsa3UOn the woman caught in adultery story: https://www.bibleodyssey.org/passages/main-articles/the-woman-caught-in-adultery-john-81-11/ Bonus story: Natalee Hollaway's murderer claims to have changed his ways, to born again Christianity: https://www.christianpost.com/news/joran-van-der-sloot-claims-hes-now-born-again-christian.html The man who thinks he can live forever: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11679715/Tech-tycoon-45-spends-2-million-year-team-doctors-regain-teenage-body.htmlThe longevity industrial complex: https://www.axios.com/2023/09/24/longevity-podcasts-huberman-rogan-sciencePastor locks himself into cage with lions to show divine protection: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/pastor-goes-cage-full-lions-31066685 Historian Mary Beard on men getting obsessed with the Roman Empire: https://time.com/6317735/men-roman-empire-mary-beard-history/ Church buildings going empty: https://slate.com/business/2023/07/church-real-estate-development-west-park-presbyterian.html Taylor Swift promotes witchcraft: https://www.movieguide.org/news-articles/taylor-swift-promotes-witchcraft-on-tour-in-willow-performance.html Religious Group Shinzo Abe assassination: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2023/10/shinzo-abe-assassination-japan-unification-church-moonies/675114/

We prepare to engage in the yearly ritual of scholars in our field: the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), abbreviated AAR-SBL…or is it SBL-AAR? The order makes all the difference. Quality tips are shared to survive an academic conference of this type. Brian shares the tale of his first panic attack, and leaks crucial details from one of his conference presentations—about the Puritan leader Cotton Mather and his belief that the bones of biblical giants had been uncovered in America. The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL): https://www.sbl-site.org/ The American Academy of Religion (AAR): https://aarweb.org/The annual meeting online program book (you can search presentations by last name and keyword): https://sbl-site.org/meetings/Congresses_ProgramBook.aspx?MeetingId=43 Cotton Mather: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Mather Bozeman, To Live Ancient Lives: https://uncpress.org/book/9780807896273/to-live-ancient-lives Bryce Traister: https://fccs.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/bryce-traister/ The text of Cotton Mather's first letter to the Royal Society about the giant bones: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2936986?origin=crossref&seq=1

Gather ‘round for an episode recorded in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE in Portland, Oregon! We take a piece of listener (e)mail and answer the call: to talk about books that have been deeply impactful for our lives and research—books that anyone could read and learn a lot. From classics in the early history of sociology to ritual to women in the church to child sacrifice, it's a magic carpet ride of books. Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Protestant_Ethic_and_the_Spirit_of_Capitalism Émile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of Religious Life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elementary_Forms_of_the_Religious_Life Gianni Vattimo, ideas in this book about the incarnation Brian mentioned: http://cup.columbia.edu/book/the-future-of-religion/9780231134941 On the “deep incarnation” idea: https://inters.org/gregersen-incarnation Catherine Bell, Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/ritual-theory-ritual-practice-9780199733620Jon Levenson, The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300065114/the-death-and-resurrection-of-the-beloved-son Anthea Butler, Women in the Church of God in Christ: https://uncpress.org/book/9780807858080/women-in-the-church-of-god-in-christ/ Brian's third book that we didn't have time to talk about! Mark Smith, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-origins-of-biblical-monotheism-9780195134803

The aftermath of the July 2023 Congressional UFO hearing has been fascinating, infuriating, mysterious, and ominous. We get you caught up, and present a chilling conspiracy theory about what has become already one of the most famous airplane disappearances of the past several decades—Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014. The Congressional UFO hearing on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/KQ7Dw-739VY?si=7iKLViEo9ZS-iy8_ Wikipedia page for the whistleblower (David Grusch) claims: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Grusch_UFO_whistleblower_claimsNPR summary of the UFO hearing: https://www.npr.org/2023/07/27/1190390376/ufo-hearing-non-human-biologics-uaps The Hill article puts the situation accurately in Brian's opinion: https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/4134891-a-monumental-ufo-scandal-is-looming/ Jesse Michels interview with David Grusch: https://youtu.be/kRO5jOa06Qw?si=lu69_M0SlBdCh9qEJoe Rogan interview with Jeremy Corbell and George Knapp: https://open.spotify.com/episode/04gQ8km0XhEitU1Vz4lA3jMalaysian Air (MH370) mystery on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370 Netflix show about MH370: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDg0m2Q3H8c The orbs video where the orbs take the plane: https://youtu.be/iZPHGJHXNXg?si=45OdsZWDvCA0_Q81 Reddit threads on the orbs video are wild: https://reddit.com/r/UFOs/s/drEbOTTmDD Some have compared this conspiracy to the Netflix show “Manifest”: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8421350/ Seems maybe the orbs video has been debunked…but you can always go double conspiracy on it! ​​https://twitter.com/528vibes/status/1693008013278302498?s=20Article Leah mentioned: “Prophetic Failure and Chiliastic Identity: The Case of Jehovah's Witnesses”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/2776152

Let Halloween feelings shower over you as you listen to this, our Halloween episode. One of us loves the horror genre on TV and movies, and the other absolutely does not. One of us can barely handle even watching the trailer for one of these films. Children of the Corn (1984): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087050/ The Satanic double scene in The Passion of the Christ: https://youtu.be/YgwXF60RTik?si=vEv3anusf4rTpoI7 The TV version of Stephen King's IT: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099864/ The original Scream, 1996 (opening scene clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sn5SkCvPEYo Signs (2002): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286106/ The Village, 2004 (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTGyhwvdY6k Arrival, 2016 (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFMo3UJ4B4g Smile (2022 film) (the trailer we played part of): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcDK7lkzzsU The Black Phone: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7144666/ Brandon Grafius, Reading the Bible with Horror: https://www.amazon.com/Reading-Bible-Horror-Scripture/dp/1978701683 NOPE (trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In8fuzj3gck The Haunting of Hill House (TV): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6763664/ Midnight Mass (TV trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89UV8vmWXlY The Cabin in the Woods (2011): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1259521/ Using liking scary movies romantic compatibility: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2582872/Do-like-horror-movies-surprising-questions-tell-relationship-likely-last.html

What would it be like to grow up in a household guided by the principles of Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy? We talk to Things Not Seen radio host Dr. David Dault, of Loyola University Chicago, about being expoed to the ideology of Ayn Rand at a young age. If you've ever wanted to know about Rand's “Objectivist” idea but were too afraid to ask, we'll take you there. Along the way, Brian mispronounces Ayn's name, David shares several fascinating and vulnerable personal stories, and we review the dystopian novella Anthem, ending with the hard question: Are these principles of radical self-interest compatible with Christianity?David Dault: https://www.luc.edu/ips/about/faculty/daviddaultphd.shtml Things Not Seen Radio: https://www.thingsnotseenradio.com/ Ayn Rand on the pronunciation of her first name: https://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2011/1015/Six-things-you-probably-didn-t-know-about-Ayn-Rand/The-name-s-not-Ann The Ayn Rand Institute: https://aynrand.org/ Max Stirner: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/max-stirner/ Ayn Rand's Anthem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthem_(novella) “Paul Ryan and Ayn Rand” (Washington Post): https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/what-ayn-rand-says-about-paul-ryan/2012/08/13/fd40d574-e56d-11e1-8741-940e3f6dbf48_blog.html Matthew Sitman, Know Your Enemy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/know-your-enemy/id1462703434 Jordan Peterson on Ayn Rand: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9aHYj93xJY

As longtime Weirdo Listeners know, we don't always have guests—but when we do, they win awards. Or they should. New York Times contributor Sam Kestenbaum won a 2023 Wilbur Award this past spring and now an AAR Journalism Award for a captivating article on Kathryn Krick—a Christian social media celebrity and charismatic preacher who frequents parks in the Los Angeles area to perform healings and exorcisms. The article is called “Demontime: How a former actress-turned-Christian EDM singer from small-town New York became a Pentecostal faith healer for the TikTok era”: https://thelandmag.com/krick-ministry-faith-healer/.—> In honor of the awards, we're rebroadcasting this, one of our most popular eps from 2022! In which we talk with Sam about the article and the person behind it. Updated Notes: Kathryn is still going strong…Kathryn Krick on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ApostleKathrynKrick [[where the majority of her activity seems to be now?]]Kathryn Krick on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@_apostlekathrynkrick [[she seems to have stopped posting new material here??]]Sam Kestenbaum on Twitter: https://twitter.com/skestenbaum Kathryn Krick's church webpage: https://5fchurch.org/leadershipInterview with Sam Kestenbaum: https://therevealer.org/insights-from-a-religion-reporter/ Sam's website: https://samkestenbaum.com/ Sam's Wilbur Award: https://religionnews.com/2023/03/28/religion-communicators-council-names-2023-wilbur-awardees/ Sam's AAR award: https://aarweb.org/AARMBR/Publications-and-News-/Newsroom-/News-/2023/2023-Journalism-Awards.aspx

Rebroadcasting a popular season finale from several years ago. Aliens are the quintessential sci-fi topic. Leah admits she used to watch Alf. Brian watched Alf too! We all did. Was The History Channel ever really respectable? The true utopian technology prophets will tell us when everything has been illuminated at the same time. Is it possible that…UPDATED SHOW NOTESAncient Aliens is doing live shows now, on tour: https://bit.ly/46rjfsE Ancient Aliens on the History Channel: https://www.history.com/shows/ancient-aliens

To celebrate what appears to be a departure of people of some amount from “Twitter” (now “X”?!), we run to the new “Threads” app and find dueling weird religious stories to share: (1) Leah finds a joke that leads to rumination on “premillennial dispensationalism” (2) and Brian offers an engaging TikTok sermon by “Real Talk Kim.”Threads has lost 80% of its daily users: https://gizmodo.com/threads-has-lost-more-than-80-of-daily-active-users-1850707329 Musk erodes Twitter's brand with X thing: https://time.com/6297303/twitter-x-rebrand-cost/ Leah's rapture joke Thread: https://www.threads.net/@drleahpayne/post/Cvca3OrACHj/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3DOne third of pastors share end-times theology of “Left Behind” (in 2016): https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2016/april/sorry-left-behind-pastors-end-times-rapture-antichrist.html Premillennial dispensationalism: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/003463730910600105 Brian's Real Talk Kim Thread: https://www.threads.net/@realtalkkim/post/CvFP7Vuv_5m?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D; if the Thread link doesn't work, it's here on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@realtalkkim/video/7257640531201625390?lang=en Real Talk Kim: https://realtalkkim.com/ Real Talk Kim talking about her life: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=309314860357378

Rebroadcasting because we are jonesing for a new season of Stranger Things. Monsters, the 1980s, neon clothes, loaded memories of teenage drama, and a time when malls ruled supreme over the lives of adolescents. We talk about the Cold War and the child abduction fear craze in the 1980s and wonder: Why are we looking back on this era with fondness, exactly? UPDATED SHOW NOTEStranger Things Season 5 (the final season) updates: https://www.popbuzz.com/tv-film/stranger-things/season-5-release-date-cast-plot-trailer/ (Terminator legend Linda Hamilton joins the cast in an undisclosed role; production suspended currently due to strike; was scheduled to begin filming in June 2023; S5E1 titled “The Crawl”; S5 storyline will take place entirely in Hawkins, with Will Byers as the main focus…)

HEY. Tune in for musings on the definition of a mustache, a profound application of 1 Corinthians 6:12, and a note on our episode rhythm during what's left of July and on into August and September. In short: we've worked to create content this summer around travel and so on, and we'll continue to be a little every-other-week-ish until maybe September, when we'll get back into an every-week-new-content rhythm for the school year. And we'll rebroadcast some “classics” in the gaps. We love you. 1 Corinthians ch. 6: http://web.mit.edu/jywang/www/cef/Bible/NIV/NIV_Bible/1COR+6.html Does a beard include a mustache? https://www.quora.com/Does-the-word-beard-include-moustache-too

This week we're reviewing recent religion news in order to: explore the location of falling gold dust of God's presence…discuss the latest UFO surprises…get specific how about AI will kill us…be shocked that Silicon Valley is trying to build God and control humanity…and understand “Seven Mountains Theology.” Read these stories along with us, or listen to us tell you about them: Aspen Ideas Festival spirituality: https://www.axios.com/2023/07/01/aspen-ideas-festival-2023-postcardUFO under a building? https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/ufo-hunter-claims-spaceship-too-30477150 Government to make UFOs public? https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4097653-senators-to-offer-amendment-to-require-government-to-make-ufo-records-public/7 AI human extinction scenarios: https://inews.co.uk/news/science/ai-humans-extinct-seven-deadly-scenarios-how-likely-2376633?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Restaurant hires fake priest to spy on employees: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254594/california-restaurant-had-a-fake-priest-hear-workers-confessions-labor-department-says Bethel Church tries to take over California town: https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/how-bethel-megachurch-conquered-redding-18170873.php “The Woman Who Bought a Mountain for God” (Atlantic), Seven Mountains theology: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/06/christian-movement-new-apostolic-reformation-politics-trump/674320/ Leah Payne with PRRI on popularity of charismatics: https://www.prri.org/spotlight/the-future-of-born-again-evangelicalism-is-charismatic-and-pentecostal/ “Silicon Valley's Quest to Build God and Control Humanity”: https://www.thenation.com/article/economy/silicon-valley-artificial-intelligence/ Mysterious creature in Illinois: https://www.theintelligencer.com/opinion/article/mysterious-creature-reported-downtown-alton-18167740.php Mormons try to save Great Salt Lake from drying up: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/its-promised-land-drying-mormon-church-works-to-save-the-great-salt-lake/ar-AA1d0p0G

What do we know, based on social scientific data, about what it takes for children to carry on with the faith of their parents? We dive into a new book by two noted authors on the topic. The results are strange, shocking, exciting, depressing, and intriguing. Worth thinking about as a bigger story of what religion has become for us in the 21st century. This might be a part 1 of a 2 part thing. So watch for part 2 later maybe. Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk, Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation (Oxford, 2021): https://www.amazon.com/Handing-Down-Faith-Religion-Generation/dp/0190093323 Fig. 2.3 from the book about faith retention 10 years later based on parenting styles (showing remarkably little difference in church attendance, across all parenting styles, for kids of parents who placed a “high importance” on religion): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZAb_kYpIRxnQ_Jlbx1_V-Mx91Pdz8Bv-/view?usp=sharing; we partly misspoke here in the podcast about what we were seeing—it is parents with “authoritative” style (i.e., the “good” style), not “authoritarian,” who saw the highest rate of kids reporting they NEVER attending religious services, but only for those “authoritative” parents who placed a very low value on religion. It's a complicated set of data. Have at it. Example review of the book, by Clara Gerhardt, Samford University: https://christianscholars.com/handing-down-the-faith-how-parents-pass-their-religion-on-to-the-next-generation-2/ David Brooks, in The Atlantic (March 2020): “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-nuclear-family-was-a-mistake/605536/ The Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga movie is called A Star is Born (sorry everyone). Bradley Cooper on his faith and his father: https://aleteia.org/2021/06/04/covid-reveals-actor-bradley-coopers-devotion-to-his-mom/ Christian Smith, The Bible Made Impossible: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Made-Impossible-Biblicism-Evangelical/dp/158743329X

This rebroadcast revisits an unfortunately still-timely topic. We begin with a throwback to the Cold War of the 1970s and quickly arrive at the current war instigated by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. What are the demographics of religion in Russia today? What is the relationship between Church and State in Russia? How does Ukraine function as “spiritual space” in the Russian imagination? Is this a “religious war”? Check out the sources we're discussing: UPDATED LINKSThe Guardian's Ukraine news page (updated): https://www.theguardian.com/world/ukraine The so-called “Wagner Uprising” in Russia (attempted coup?): https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/25/prigozhins-march-on-moscow-chronology-of-an-attempted-coup The Late Great Planet Earth (Hal Lindsey): https://www.amazon.com/Late-Great-Planet-Earth/dp/B000GT1GUS US State Dept. on Russian religious affiliation (see Section I: Religious Demography): https://www.state.gov/reports/2020-report-on-international-religious-freedom/russia/ Putin's spiritual destiny: https://unherd.com/2022/02/putins-spiritual-destiny/ Between Two Fires (Joshua Yaffa): https://www.amazon.com/Between-Two-Fires-Ambition-Compromise/dp/1524760595 A critique of Levada's “Soviet Man”: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/rip-soviet-man-scrapping-homo-sovieticus-the-spirit-yuri-levada Understanding Putin's narrative: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/feb/23/putin-narrative-ukraine-master-key-crisis-nato-expansionism-frozen-conflict?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other Putin wants religious soul of Ukraine: https://religionnews.com/2022/02/24/putin-is-after-more-than-land-he-wants-the-religious-soul-of-ukraine/

Do we have a more favorite topic than the definition of a “cult”? Hardly. This is part two of a two-part episode swap with our friends at Saved by the City. They interview award-winning religion writer Sam Kestenbaum about a crucial question: When does a “church” become a “cult”? And did you know: haunted houses may have “staff sociologists.” Listen, and know. It's a little bit of Halloween in the summer. And support us by listening or re-listening to some great and recent Weird Religion over on their feed!Saved by the City: https://religionnews.com/saved-by-the-city/ Sam Kestenbaum: is a religion reporter who has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, RNS and many other outlets about fringe and fascinating religious groups.

Has the rise of the personality test replaced traditional faith narratives as a way to explain our own lives? How does one pronounce the word “Enneagram”? We investigate. With a powerful excursus into the purpose of work meetings (= to control people). Origins and history of the Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3qLGpK3 Jackie Hill Perry warns Christians against the demonic Enneagram: https://www.christianpost.com/news/jackie-hill-perry-warns-christians-not-to-use-demonic-enneagram.html Enneagram popularity soars: https://religionnews.com/2022/06/02/as-enneagrams-popularity-soars-having-an-experienced-teacher-is-more-important-than-ever/ Enneagram of your fav Bible character: http://blog.baysideonline.com/2018/02/the-enneagram-according-to-your-favorite-bible-characters/ Saved by the City's Personality Test Extravaganza: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/25/a-personality-test-extravaganza/

This week, Weird Religion presents: an “episode swap” with a pod we think you'll love called “Saved by the City.” We're playing two of their episodes on our feed this month, and they're playing two of ours. They are kindred spirits. And they have a superstar guest in this episode. It's all too much. Support us by giving them a listen. [[PRAYER HANDS]]Grab your leopard print blazer, roll down your windows and get ready to be all up in your feels. It's been 30 years since Amy Grant released Heart in Motion – the chart-topping album that marked the musician's crossover from contemporary Christian artist to mainstream pop icon. Katelyn and Roxy catch up with the artist at her Nashville farm and talk to their childhood icon about living life in the public eye — through all its ups and downs.The hosts also reflect on the expectations put on women — especially Christian women — who have achieved fame. And how the pressure to live their lives on display places even our most beloved women stars at the mercy of the mob.GUEST: Amy Grant is a singer songwriter and so much more. She is celebrating the 30 year anniversary of her album “Heart in Motion,” which was certified platinum 5 times, making it the best selling Christian album of all time. It spent weeks on the Billboard top 10, as did a number of its songs. Including the classic “Baby Baby” which reached no 1 on Billboard.Several songs from Amy Grant's Heart in Motion are featured on the episode.

We're here this week to discuss potentially shocking revelations in the UFO “disclosure” community, and get you fully caught up on what has been said recently about aliens and such things. Brian went to a UFO festival and heard a specialist talk about “UFO Experiencers” for MUFON (yes, the same MUFON as referenced on the X Files!). Leah attended the free parade. A new government whistleblower claims we are in possession of multiple and even full “crafts” of non-human origin. Garry Nolan, scientist at Stanford, says that he is “100%” certain extraterrestrials are here. And respected Australian journalist Ross Coulthart has some…disturbing theories. Bob Lazar, who is he: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar MUFON (Mutual UFO Network): https://mufon.com/ Earl Grey Anderson: https://ufofest.com/earl-grey-anderson-2/ NYT 2017 article that started this era: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html Article out: new whistleblower, with unassailable credentials (?), says we have craft: https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/ Sample article on Assyrian propoganda: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1535132 Garry Nolan, Stanford: https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/garry-nolan Garry Nolan bombshell interview at SALT Conference: https://twitter.com/UAPJames/status/1659299977762308098?s=20 Reflection on the NASA UFO hearing and how people get angry about this topic, harass NASA scientists online and in person: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/nasa-ufos-conspiracy-theories/674259/Ross Coulthart commenting on Elizondo's “somber” comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM3kxeU_oDE&t=9301

The News Roundup is back: bringing back the dead, briefly; robbing a piece of hair from your fav celeb to have a baby with them; Elizabeth Holmes is finally in jail; Silicon Valley woo; and the Pope's exorcist. A brief interaction with your deceased loved one: https://futurism.com/ai-seance Tag-on story: Having a designer baby with a celebrity??!! https://www.npr.org/2023/05/25/1178103188/scientists-near-a-breakthrough-that-could-revolutionize-human-reproduction Soul Boom by Dwight Schrute // Rainn Wilson: https://sojo.net/articles/rainn-wilson-office-wants-spiritual-revolutionElizabeth Holmes reports to 11 year prison sentence: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/tech/elizabeth-holmes-prison/index.html Film about the Camino pilgrimage: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/15/the-way-emilio-estevezs-film-about-the-camino-returns-to-theaters-as-pilgrimage-picks-up-post-covid/ Why a Silicon Valley culture that was once obsessed with reason is going woo: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/rational-magic“An American Tail” is now a musical: https://www.jta.org/2023/04/17/culture/an-american-tail-musical-adaptation-bets-the-storys-jewish-immigration-story-will-resonate-in-2023 Only 16% of Americans say religion is most important: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1176206568/less-important-religion-in-lives-of-americans-shrinking-report Pope's exorcist is a fan of horror films: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/05/the-real-priest-behind-the-popes-exorcist-was-a-fan-of-hollywood-horror-films/Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda thing, full of religion: https://zelda-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Christianity

We're rebroadcasting an early episode this week—to us, a classic, and perhaps as good as new to newer listeners. What happens when a movie series becomes not just your favorite or your religion, but literally forms the basis for all of your thinking and imagination and everything for your entire life? Such is the power of the Star Wars franchise. We dive into the murky depths of Star Wars fandom through the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas to think about authorial intent, the biblical canon, who owns our imaginations, and what it means to truly love fictional characters. Updated NotesThe People vs. George Lucas: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1325014/ “10 Harsh Realities of Being a Star Wars Fan”: https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-fan-negatives-downsides/#the-original-movies-keep-changing “Star Wars Fans and Their Collections,” The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/12/star-wars-fans-and-their-collections/420561/

We give in-the-moment commentary on a surprising spoken word track on Lana del Rey's new album. The material is delivered by the famous and hip Churchome pastor Judah Smith. With Lana del Rey cooing in the background. Some deep moments, some weird moments. Roomful of Teeth, “Pasacaglia”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlE41gvNcw&list=PLEwLYWjsY88Wj84zSQ0dkiFgFjJpIG4Y2 Jennifer Garner's Methodist Church ties: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jennifer-garner-miracles-from-heaven_n_56cca718e4b0ec6725e42004 Judah Smith bio: https://everipedia.org/wiki/lang_en/judah-smith Lana del Rey, “Judah Smith Interlude” (2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y-vMgLEXo4 DC Talk with Billy Graham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTANlTnpeo Jeremiah's letter to exiles, seek the welfare of your city: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2029%3A1-13&version=ESV Jimmy Swaggart preaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKE-9qVGJa4

It's the end of the semester, which means it's time for a chance hallway encounter that leads to a strange memory and then to reflections on the theological meaning of the proliferation of the codex (i.e., our modern physical book form). Matchbox Twenty, “Downfall” (2002): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aQWA_fAu8M Walmart, “Bible Highlighters and Pens”: https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/bible-highlighters-and-pens The orchestral piece Brian mentioned that brought a jaded chapel audience roaring to its feet at the end: Wojciech Kilar, “Orawa” (with Kristjan Järvi): https://youtu.be/h_Cluwghn_8 The Stephen Prothero book Leah mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/American-Bible-Divide-Define-Nation/dp/0062123432 The Timothy Beal book Brian read from: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Bible-Timothy-Beal/dp/0547737343 TikToker justnaysha on highlighting in your Bible: https://www.tiktok.com/@justnaysha/video/7130356206597705002

The paperclipsalypse has arrived, as AI comes to destroy or save the world. Was AI there all along and we just now “discovered” its weird and eternal life? The “paperclip maximizer” thought experiment: https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai Eliezar Yudkowsky in TIME magazine, “Shut it Down”: https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/ Scott Aaronson, Shtetl-Optimized: https://scottaaronson.blog/ Drake + The Weeknd AI hit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Kafnm0eKQAI Beer commercial: https://www.tiktok.com/@realwholesomechannel/video/7227965471683775771 What if the AI was already there? https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin/status/1637449677028093953?s=20 Jacques Vallée on UFOs: https://www.wired.com/story/jacques-vallee-still-doesnt-know-what-ufos-are/ AI (2001 movie) scene: “The Flesh Fair”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMbAmqD_tn0

Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News. To solemnly mark the end of this reporting dynasty, we rebroadcast one of our TOP 10 most popular Weird Religion episodes of all time: The 2020 election and inauguration came and went, leaving the predictions of the QAnon prophets…hanging in the air. What happens to a religious movement when its key prophecies fail to come true in real time? Are adherents disappointed? Is/was Q a “religion”? And did the biblical prophet Ezekiel make a false prediction—and then try to correct it? UPDATED NOTESThink this story is old news? A February 2022 PRRI poll shows that nearly 20% (!!??) of all Americans still believe in the core QAnon message: https://www.prri.org/research/the-persistence-of-qanon-in-the-post-trump-era-an-analysis-of-who-believes-the-conspiracies/ Tucker out at Fox: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/24/1171641969/fox-news-fires-tucker-carlson-in-stunning-move-a-week-after-787-million-settleme Chris Bader, “When Prophecy Passes Unnoticed”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1387588?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents Dr. Christopher Bader: https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/christopher-bader Cat Transcendence - limitless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwmeH6Rnj2E“The QAnon ‘Storm' Never Struck”: https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958907699/the-qanon-storm-never-struck-some-supporters-are-wavering-others-steadfast Clips of Q adherents from: CNN reporting from 2018 at a Trump rally (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dGVXmuLmEM )Clips from “Satanic Panic” reporting from: CBC/Radio-Canada (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plEImKEIRm8)

Leah and Brian try the no-dunking challenge to talk about some weirdly religious videos by William Tapley, AKA “The Third Eagle of the Apocalypse.” First up: The Eagle uncovers Satanic messages in Carly Rae Jepsen's “Call Me Maybe.” Then, other things are REVEALED. William Tapley, AKA “The Third Eagle of the Apocalypse” in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thirdeaglebooks Some background on the obscure William Tapley: http://www.jnordstrom.ca/blog-ideas-and-updates/bill-tapley-third-eagle-of-the-apocalypse-and-co-prophet-of-the-end-times William Tapley's description of himself on his own website: https://www.thirdeaglemedia.com/about-me CORRECTION: Apparently William Tapley is not against the current pope, sort of: https://www.thirdeaglemedia.com/pope-watch The Third Eagle Takes on “Call Me Maybe”: https://twitter.com/LloydLegalist/status/1646633539645980673?s=20The Third Eagle's “It's Prophesied” re: Obama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLT66yJBYbA&t=44s The Third Eagle's “Doom & Gloom”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5PLf-2FYIM Belief in modern day prophets (statistics): https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/10/how-many-americans-believe-in-modern-day-prophets-what-does-that-entail/ Megan Goodwin's Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions: https://www.amazon.com/Abusing-Religion-Literary-Persecution-Religions/dp/1978807783 Jason C. Bivins, Religion of Fear: The Politics of Horror in Contemporary Evangelicalism: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Fear-Politics-Conservative-Evangelicalism/dp/B008SLEH48

A rebroadcast of one of the top five most popular Weird Religion episodes of all time: on the embattled former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her attempt to create—or rather, fake having created—a futuristic blood-testing system. We end up having a gender smackdown conversation about women-on-women violence in the workplace, discussing ancient female fertility figurines and matriarchal societies, and musing on whether Holmes intentionally tried to dress like a religious leader. Longtime listeners can remember our older format and theme music; newer listeners can go back in time and hear how we were doing it in the summer of 2019 (this was S3 of the show). UPDATED NOTES: Holmes seems to be losing her appeals, and, barring future developments, is set to report to prison for 11 years on April 27, 2023: https://apnews.com/article/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-fraud-prison-sentence-754b44bc47eb200f032b75f45969cb07 Holmes has had two children during her trial, and since we first recorded this episode; many have criticized her for this, suspecting that she is using the babies to try to avoid jailtime: https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2023-03-01/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-cites-baby-reason-avoid-prison

You're flipping through the channels. On your old cable TV. You see Raiders of the Lost Ark or Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade playing on a random channel. It's in the middle of the movie. Do you select and watch? You do and you know it. Here we invoke a major debate over Dr. Elsa Schneider's motives in the climactic grail-choosing scene, and daydream about the contents of a new book on Indiana Jones and philosophy. Join us. Choosing the grail scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0TalLrtZ24 Dr. Elsa Schneider: https://indianajones.fandom.com/wiki/Elsa_Schneider Marion Ravenwood: https://indianajones.fandom.com/wiki/Marion_Ravenwood Contested objects at the British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/about-us/british-museum-story/contested-objects-collection New book on Indiana Jones and Philosophy: https://www.amazon.com/Indiana-Jones-Philosophy-Archaeology-Adventure/dp/1119740150 Indiana Jones theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bTpp8PQSog Nietzsche on “God is dead…”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_is_dead

When you put religion on TV, you have to get religion consultants. Why even bother being accurate? Does Jesus look at someone to be healed with compassion—or anger? We end with a conversation about the term “minoritized” (vs. “minority”). Review of Brian's appearance on a Travel Channel show debunking a Phoenician inscription: https://www.jasoncolavito.com/blog/review-of-america-unearthed-s04e05-phoenicians-in-america“Horror Shows Like Mayfair Witches Hire Occult Consultant”: https://religionnews.com/2023/03/07/horror-shows-like-mayfair-witches-hire-occult-consultants-to-cast-their-spells/ Supernatural S2E18: https://www.netflix.com/watch/70223069 The Chosen: “Jesus Heals at the Pool” (clip): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMj1ggINLe4 Jesus's anger problem in Mark 1:41 (for the opposite argument re: what Brian said): http://bit.ly/3TxyKJE lectio difficilior: https://www.livius.org/articles/theory/lectio-difficilior-potior/ Jesus the Exorcist: https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Exorcist-Contribution-Study-Historical/dp/1610970608 “Sister Alice” and Aimee Semple McPherson on HBO's Perry Mason: https://slate.com/culture/2020/06/perry-mason-sister-alice-aimee-semple-mcpherson.html On the language of “minoritized” vs. “minority”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/26894228

This is possibly the weirdest religious moment of the year so far: Buried within a legal brief about an election fraud scandal are the contents of an email someone sent to Sidney Powell, one of Trump's lawyers, in 2020. The email makes claims about how someone might receive information about a stolen election. Those claims are surprising. The Dominion Voting Systems vs. Fox News defamation suit: https://www.npr.org/2023/01/22/1150647042/dominion-voting-systems-1-6-billion-defamation-suit-against-fox-news-goes-to-triWho is Sidney Powell?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_PowellWhat evidence is now coming out about where Sidney Powell got some of her information: https://www.businessinsider.com/sidney-powell-voter-fraud-claims-headless-time-travel-dominion-fox-2023-2 and https://www.salon.com/2023/02/17/trumpworld-conspiracy-theory-stemmed-from-email-by-internally-decapitated-ghost-filing/ Documents for Dominion Case vs. Fox News (see pp. 37-38 on the email about time travel):https://int.nyt.com/data/documenttools/redacted-documents-in-dominion-fox-news-case/dca5e3880422426f/full.pdf 056 THE BUFFALO (Jake Angeli, QAnon, apocalypse, epiphany, and the iconography of insurrection): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/056-the-buffalo-jake-angeli-qanon-apocalypse-epiphany/id1428037534?i=1000504839007 Sidney Powell's website appearance request form: https://www.sidneypowell.com/speaker-invite-form

Moses sings a song that takes us…deep into the problem of Christian nationalism. Come for the most secretly controversial passage in the Bible; stay for Leah trying to be a therapist for Brian on the problem of hating Christian nationalism but fearing that we need it for social cohesion. And a scholarly theory on the evolution from polytheism to monotheism in ancient Israel. Deuteronomy ch. 32: sons of Israel, or sons of GODS?! https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy%2032&version=NIV The new survey, showing 50% of Republicans like Christian Nationalism: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/14/1156642544/more-than-half-of-republicans-support-christian-nationalism-according-to-a-new-s The Gospel of J. Edgar Hoover (book): https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691175119/the-gospel-of-j-edgar-hoover Kristen Kobes du Mez: https://kristindumez.com/ A past episode, 018 THE WAR: Professor James Byrd on war and social cohesion: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/018-the-war-ken-burns-vietnam-documentary-professor/id1428037534?i=1000425540100 Psalm 82, many gods? https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+82&version=NIVMark Smith, Princeton Seminary, on the Origins of Biblical Monotheism: https://www.amazon.com/Origins-Biblical-Monotheism-Polytheistic-Background/dp/0195167686

Here witness the thematic collision between a dustup over a now-deleted Gospel Coalition article about sex and a new Christian dating site for men and women who want to be in what they think are biblically-traditional relationships. The Gospel Coalition's apology for the article / book excerpt, “Sex Won't Save You–But it Points to the One Who Will”: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/sex-wont-save-you/ NT Professor Michael Bird's response to the “Sex Won't Save You” article, with many links etc.: https://michaelfbird.substack.com/p/tgc-sex-and-christ NT Professor Esau McCaulley on “Sex Won't Save You”: https://twitter.com/esaumccaulley/status/1631380537892806669?s=20 On New Christian Dating Apps: https://religionnews.com/2022/09/27/new-dating-apps-and-in-person-mixers-target-religious-and-political-niches/Dominion Dating member requirements: https://dominiondating.com/member-requirements/ Read the opening three chapters of Genesis, ye heathens: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%201-3&version=NIV Trad Wives on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/tag/tradwife?lang=en

Despite not being known fundamentalist or evangelical influencer royalty, Brian scored an invitation to the 2023 National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. We discuss the sights, sounds, beliefs, dress code, costs, content, scandal, and music of the event. Was Brian inducted into The Family? We reveal. Axios article on the new Prayer Breakfast format: https://www.axios.com/2023/01/29/national-prayer-breakfast-congress-leadership Slate on the National Prayer Breakfast schism: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2023/02/national-prayer-breakfast-family-fellowship-gathering.html Netflix documentary: The Family: https://www.netflix.com/title/80063867 Kenyan Civil War avoided through staged hug, facilitated by “The Family”? https://www.crisisgroup.org/africa/horn-africa/kenya/b136-after-kenyas-leaders-reconcile-tough-path-ahead Leaked emails on the Family's continued involvement in the Prayer Breakfast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRrAtS4sjYY Donald Trump's “non-traditional” prayerful address to the Prayer Breakfast in 2020: https://youtu.be/XuE2Tgg0qFE Ukraine's Zelenskyy's live video address to the Prayer Breakfast: https://www.president.gov.ua/en/videos/mayemo-zrobiti-vse-shob-nastupnogo-roku-mi-zmogli-pomolitisy-4129 Cathy McMorris Rodgers: ***CORRECTION: She initially said she would not certify the election, then changed her mind after the January 6th riot and did vote to certify (she did not think the Capitol Riot was “great,” apparently; but she didn't think Trump was to blame at all; see the following links): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_McMorris_Rodgers#Donald_Trump; https://www.krem.com/article/news/investigations/mcmorris-rodgers-says-trump-didnt-give-rioters-direction-to-storm-the-capitol/293-6052edac-09fc-433f-8694-c4390a265e15; https://www.khq.com/news/mcmorris-rodgers-asks-protesters-to-stop-attacks-on-capitol-police/article_3b5f0246-5058-11eb-9496-4b48f26ee63c.html

In February of 2023 students at Asbury University—a Christian college in Kentucky—started a revival, which has gone on for weeks (the “public” phase of the revival ended around Feb. 19th). Professional revival seekers flocked in to participate. We explain what a “revival” is and talk about how observers are thinking about the pros and cons of spiritual revival on this particular college campus. Fox News also used one of Leah's tweets on the topic (!), so we discuss that as well. Basic info on the revival: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/asbury-university-revival-college-kentucky-going-viral-tiktok-rcna70686https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Asbury_revival Leah's Twitter thread, picked up by Fox News: https://twitter.com/drleahpayne/status/1624507669238419456?s=20 Scenes from the Asbury revival: https://youtube.com/shorts/NNhuxCFjZ00?feature=share Demon at Asbury shrieks out: https://youtube.com/shorts/FQ4qDYfZsdA?feature=share Faith leaders push back (?): https://relevantmagazine.com/faith/church/church-faith-leaders-push-back-on-asbury-revival-criticism/Medieval dancing craze for hundreds of years: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania

An epic thematic bombardment: Living again with Scientology, the fall of man and the curse reversed by avocados, the Black National Anthem, erasing your mistakes on the new Google phone, and Rihanna Live again…with Scientology: https://www.scientology.tv/you-can-live-again/?utm_content=LiveAgain&utm_source=redirectAdam and Eve and the avocado reverses the curse: https://www.si.com/extra-mustard/2023/02/12/garden-of-eden-avocados-from-mexico-super-bowl-ad-commercial-anna-faris He Gets Us, part 49: https://hegetsus.com/en/featured-videos Google Pixel 7 and erasing your mistakes: https://www.justjared.com/2023/02/12/google-pixel-7-phone-super-bowl-commercial-2023-amy-schumer-erases-exes-plus-more-celeb-cameos/ Lift Every Voice and Sing: https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2023/02/12/super-bowl-sheryl-lee-ralph-abbott-elementary/ Lauren Boebert on how there is only one national anthem: https://twitter.com/laurenboebert/status/1624827803609841666?s=20&t=Wvg37P6aNwsDtxglKYhG9w Rihanna halftime show: https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a42843643/watch-rihanna-super-bowl-2023-half-time-show/

Who are “the Nephilim,” you ask, and why did they create the Federal Reserve? We are so glad you asked and we're going to tell you—by way of reviewing a most ambiguous Bible story and tracing some of the surprising ways this story is being received today. Genesis 6:1–4 (NRSVue): https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A1-4&version=NRSVUE Numbers 13:31–33: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Numbers+13%3A31-33&version=NRSVUE 1 Enoch (see esp. ch. 15): https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_1.HTM Book: The Roots of the Federal Reserve: Tracing the Nephilim from Noah to the US Dollar: https://www.amazon.com/Roots-Federal-Reserve-Tracing-Nephilim/dp/1942790198 Beautiful Jekyll Island, Georgia, where Nephilim may infect the soil today: https://www.southernliving.com/travel/georgia/jekyll-island Popular book on Amazon in the category “Christian Mystical Spirituality”: Judgment of the Nephilim: https://www.amazon.com/Judgment-Nephilim-Ryan-Pitterson/dp/0999208306 Richard Hofstadter, “The Paranoid Style in American Politics”: https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/ Gary Wayne, The Genesis 6 Conspiracy: How Secret Societies and the Descendants of Giants Plan to Enslave Humankind: https://www.amazon.com/Genesis-Conspiracy-Societies-Descendants-Humankind/dp/1632692902

We take a dive into a strange corner of YouTube, featuring videos purporting to show hitherto unknown or under-appreciated evidence that giant humans lived in the past and their bones have been hidden or covered up by the Smithsonian.Pew Research on YouTube: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/ Heidi Campbell, researcher on digital religion: https://digitalreligion.tamu.edu/users/heidi-campbell “Giant of Japan military parade”: https://youtu.be/-uigLE6EI1gBig Man Japan (2007): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997147/ “20 Shocking Discoveries of Giants You Won't Believe Exist”: https://youtu.be/Mf3_PWprFS8 “Giants Emerging Everywhere – They Can't Hide This”: https://youtu.be/sVmOnwng6gs History Channel's Search for Lost Giants: https://youtu.be/JzlSWzg-FkY Karen Douglas, on defining conspiracies: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721417718261 1 Enoch online (see ch. 15): https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_1.HTM Van Prooijen, et al., “The entertainment value of conspiracy theories”: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12522 Birds Aren't Real: https://birdsarentreal.com/ Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz%E2%80%93Zodiac_Killer_meme

Does voting count as a religious act—especially if you go behind a curtain to do it? We discuss a candidate's wife recently declaring that she and her husband “love Israel more than a lot of Jews do,” and the authoritative, beguiling voice of the possibly-once-Buddhist Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Civil Religion: http://www.robertbellah.com/articles_5.htm Oregon Mail Voting: https://www.multco.us/elections/brief-history-vote-mail-oregon 054 THE HEX (Anti-Trump Witches vs. Paula White and angels from Africa): https://open.spotify.com/episode/4FbVST1Cj30XBxE0Sq3lNJ; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/054-the-curse-witches-hex-trump-paul-white-cain/id1428037534?i=1000498344437 Brazil election as holy war: https://religionnews.com/2022/10/28/presidential-standoff-becomes-a-holy-war-in-brazil/Doug & Rebbie Mastriano: https://twitter.com/jacobkornbluh/status/1586520983036481536 Charismatics & the Shofar: https://politicaltheology.com/the-trump-shall-sound-politics-pentecostals-and-the-shofar-at-the-capitol-riots/ Kari Lake was a Buddhist? https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/obama-backing-arizona-news-anchor-became-trumps-pick-governor-rcna38985Kari Lake disputes that she was ever a Buddhist: https://youtu.be/mmA2mXbkzrs

Veering wildly between reflections on death and bodies in the contemporary world, jokes about professional wrestling, ambulances passing by, rumination on how ancient people thought about burial and the afterlife, and with a major and free idea for others for a publication (hint: where do people who attend megachurches get buried?)—this is what you need for Halloween. Or any time. We're back for the 8th season and 4th year of new podcast episodes from Weird Religion. The skulls we're talking about have their own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastered_human_skulls Some more on the skulls: https://www.ashmolean.org/jericho-skull Archaeologist Dr. Karina Croucher: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/kcroucher; https://twitter.com/karinaktc Paul Bearer (WWF/WWE): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bearer Brian's paper on the buried infant at Ashkelon: https://bit.ly/3DnEiil

Happy summer to everyone! We'll be back in the fall of 2022 regularly, and possibly with a one-off here or there before then. Stay cool weirdos. https://www.weirdreligion.com/https://www.instagram.com/weirdreligionpodcast/https://twitter.com/weirdreligionhttps://facebook.com/weirdreligionIf you'd be so kind as to leave us a review on Apple podcasts, we'd love that. Thank you!

In late 2021, the soap opera Days of Our Lives revived its most iconic and beloved and controversial storyline: the possession of Marlena, aka the Mardevil. We review, with memories of childhood summers, wild Days plotlines, a debate in the comment section, and a sociological theory of possession. Highlights from the 1994–1995 Mardevil plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhSYgDMLmw John Black casts the devil out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sToK0mCv3DU&t=1556s Days bringing back the possession story, with a vibrant user comments section: https://ew.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-binging-back-possession-storyline/ The Devil comes back for Marlena after 25 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F11iqh7_eDc&list=PLNmiY2SJ3AKOFk7ULhfHITURjKNIFsHL5 The second exorcism of Marlena (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q9N3m6nSTQ; https://youtu.be/bnIEjymVdUM An update on the recent Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-weekly-recap-mardevil-coming-get-his-due.html/ Further updates on the current Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-sneak-peek-mar-devil-overplays-her-hand-ben-ciara.html/ Deidre Hall brings holy water to set: https://people.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-deidre-hall-uses-holy-water-filming-scenes-where-character-is-possessed/ Marlena Evans on fandom.com: https://daysofourlives.fandom.com/wiki/Marlena_Evans The Deidre Hall website: https://deidrehall.com/ Notorious and ridiculous Days plotlines from which we quote: ​​https://bit.ly/3eGO8jm; https://bit.ly/3zcVJiQ Book review on possession: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0048721X.2021.2024744?needAccess=true

When you need a compelling authority figure character on TV or movie screen, you get a priest—or a professor. We reveal four of our favorite professors on screen, and chat with a special guest whose scholarly speciality is analyzing the way professors are depicted in movies. Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR7Kh77aNnUDavid Duchovny )as himself) and Ji-Yoon (Sandra Oh) in Netflix's The Chair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBm2tYvr84Larry Gopnik, A Serious Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HJqPZ-KmZs Professor Walsh on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Maggie_Walsh Runner up: Professor confrontation in God's Not Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFcZS8ra6gkJohn C. Fitch III on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7266946/ Dissertation: “The Cinematic College Professor: Conceptions and Representations”: https://bit.ly/3I7tQxr Article: “Making a College Professor Film: A Case Study”: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0973258619866353 Podcast drama series: “The Lowest Deep”: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1997958

It's time for a news round up: Come to hear about AI coming to life, as a child; stay to hear about the Army's new recruitment video with ghost and witch vibes. Stay longer for the Mithradites of Fond du Lac, Disney religion, and the apocalypse happening on TV on the dystopian show “Masked Singer.” Google engineer thinks AI came to life: https://twitter.com/tomgara/status/1535716256585859073?s=21&t=OsDxk60bIKY5XQd_vff-4A; https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-lemoine/The Mithradites of Fond du Lac: https://thebeliever.net/mithradites-of-fond-du-lac/ Fly American for faith accommodations for employees and passengers alike: https://religionnews.com/2022/05/23/american-airlines-dubbed-most-faith-friendly-fortune-500-company/The Apocalypse will happen and has happened on TV: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/6/3/23152399/apocalyptic-reality-tv-masked-singer-circle-floor-is-lava Scripture wheel of emotions: https://twitter.com/rharrisphdmom/status/1530367715415826432?s=21&t=_cThy_0Or0iAgqIksyB88AWeird Army recruitment video with witch vibes: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/unsettling-fort-bragg-recruitment-video-ignites-debate-over-its-mysterious-intent/ar-AAXkQJk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uNPZKJqbE8 Sheltered kid goes to college: https://youtu.be/ckgGbVrW5DE AI writes nine stories about a sister's death: https://thebeliever.net/ghosts/Bitcoin like a religion because: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VveLNyHjLqg&t=76sDisney like a religion: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/11/1104056661/disney-adults; https://t.co/tbYvi2RwFt

Few things can rile the Christian faithful like a new Bible translation (see, e.g., John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, etc.). The scholarly and ecumenical translation of choice, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), got a haircut of sorts; it's called the NRSVue (ue = “updated edition”). We give a review. Resources mentioned in this episode: NRSVue in full on Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Revised-Standard-Version-Updated-Edition-NRSVue-Bible List of the major changes: https://guides.library.yale.edu/newtestament/nrsvueSome people who don't like it: https://juicyecumenism.com/2022/01/19/liberal-nrsvue-bible-translation-update/Interview with committee member Dr. Abraham Smith: https://blog.smu.edu/perkins/nrsv-updated-edition/

Brian has a confession that will shock the world of the News Roundup. Leah offers absolution. Give us a shout on Twitter if you finished this ep and we will celebrate you. STORIES DISCUSSED (yes actually)Mythical root axe: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/13/1098545920/kansas-man-finds-ax-tree-root-handle-reddit-thor Far Right American Christians converting to Orthodoxy: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/10/1096741988/orthodox-christian-churches-are-drawing-in-far-right-american-converts Spilling blood in fake tiger fighting for rain: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220508-mexican-tiger-fight-ritual-draws-blood-to-bring-rain Exorcisms have gone mainstream: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/exorcism-is-something-we-cant-quite-quit/ar-AAX12Wr Quasi-religious ceremonies for crypto creation https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2022/04/27/edward-snowden-revealed-as-key-participant-in-mysterious-ceremony-creating-2-billion-anonymous-cryptocurrency/?sh=3ae4c1803b24 Surprising reason why Christians help migrants: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/church-satan-marjorie-taylor-greene_n_6269c72fe4b04a9ff8974f2d Wine loving nun is the oldest: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/worlds-oldest-person-french-nun-sister-andre Eve Frank, the first female Jewish messiah: https://daily.jstor.org/meet-eva-frank-the-first-jewish-female-messiah/ We're calling everything a “hellscape” now: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/04/why-were-calling-everything-a-hellscape/629565/ Crucifying Jesus in front of Five Guys: https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/u4dpc3/warm_enough_to_crucify_the_bishop_today_in_front/ A theory of why we're all going nuts online: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/something-happened-by-us-a-demonology Mercury extra retrograde has people changing their lives: https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrology-fans-feel-the-dread-mercury-is-in-retrograde-an-extra-time-this-year-11650292198 Catholicism declines in Latin America: https://www.axios.com/catholic-decline-latin-america-evangelicals-dd2bab11-6a22-48cc-b65a-554578c7a62e.html Zuck on life's meaning: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/news/inside-mark-zuckerbergs-plan-cure-26358289 Evangelicals starting to have a political mind of their own: https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/trump-fails-to-turn-evangelicals-against-gop-governor-he-scorns Trapping people in your guitar worship service at 30,000 feet: https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/u4yroc/wanna_get_away/ Near death experiences are not hallucinations: https://www.braintomorrow.com/2022/04/08/near-death-brain-activity/ Pastors flipping properties: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/14/miami-church-real-estate-first-presbyterian Christian sect burning shed and Colorado fire: https://www.thedailybeast.com/christian-sect-burning-shed-focus-of-deadly-colorado-fire-investigation Catholic conspiracy theory: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/03/pope-francis-consecration-ukraine-russia-fatima-conspiracy-theories.htmlNot Satanic Chair: https://twitter.com/skestenbaum/status/1507339305911562249?s=20&t=pIGZblxvEPLN0i-BCB7ExA Misunderstanding the book of Job in the face of the apocalypse: https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/03/job-torah-story-despair-alternative-war-democracy-climate-apocalypse.html The last Covid story we'll ever do pls? https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ricky-schroder-mask-meltdown_n_62257790e4b012a2628cb4b5 Poem, “Welcome to the Age of Beautiful Weirdos”: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/03/friday-poem-290.html Priest helps families at no cost: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083451577/philippines-drug-war-victims-burial Really stretching the “religion” angle here but Remember King of Kong? https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/king-kong-monkey-bashed-seagull-26422015 Pat Robertson going strong: https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1495114363648163843?s=20&t=1ad1MdgQeC3wWjUsC6imJQ Pat Robertson says God made Putin do it: https://www.salon.com/2022/03/01/pat-robertson-putin-is-being-compelled-by-god-to-invade-ukraine-and-fulfill-biblical-prophecy_partner/ Doomsday Plane flies yayyy: https://inews.co.uk/news/us-doomsday-plane-boeing-flight-putin-nuclear-weapons-threat-russia-ukraine-1491543 Teaching evals for Professor Jesus Christ: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/selected-negative-teaching-evaluations-of-jesus-christ Celeb couples turning vampiric: https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxbna/why-are-celebrities-so-obsessed-with-blood-right-now-machine-gun-kelly-megan-fox Nephilim documentary: https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-696572A lot of humans wish they were never born (saw in Salem on way to Bend): https://images.app.goo.gl/1d36kqNSW18tseWV6Astrologers predict new things for America based on 2s: https://nypost.com/2022/02/21/astrologers-explain-power-shift-significance-of-2-22-22/ Clergy shortage forces laypeople into roles: https://www.wsj.com/articles/houses-of-worship-face-clergy-shortage-as-many-resign-during-pandemic-11645452000 Facts and Myths about Being Wrong About Things: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.34.3.220 After school Satanism: https://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article257283327.html People like lady robots better: https://www.studyfinds.org/humans-female-robots/ Why Churches Should Drop Their Online Services: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/opinion/church-online-services-covid.html?referringSource=articleShareSurge of digital church membership: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/virtual-reality-church-worshipping-in-the-metaverse Canadian doctors can prescribe nature walks: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079356799/a-new-program-in-canada-gives-doctors-the-option-of-prescribing-national-park-vi Worship the beast: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/rare-calf-born-three-eyes-25969723 Sunday lunch crowd meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/sfohsc/thee_worst_in_the_rogues_gallery_of_shit_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Attempt to kill the Antichrist: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-biden-antichrist-assassination-attempt-secret-service-20220129-q4to7j27v5d6tkye5eeh5kzwfi-story.html Guru: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/style/alex-ebert-bad-guru.html The Theologian who warned of American Christian facism in the 1980s: https://mitchellglennfrommichigan.medium.com/this-theologian-warned-of-american-christian-fascism-back-in-the-80s-1a790bff13b3 Zoommunion (?): https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/21-january/news/uk/holy-communion-online-is-valid-and-effective-says-burridgeFaith healer nails nail in woman's head: https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/11/faith-healer-hammered-nail-into-pregnant-womans-head-so-shed-have-baby-boy-16088206/ Non-believer groups in Ohio: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2022/01/28/8-greater-columbus-groups-atheists-and-nonbelievers/6581283001/Christian flag reaches the Supreme Court: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/01/christian-flag-case-reaches-supreme-court-is-the-nazi-flag-next.html Rise of sneaker-preacher-influencers: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/29/pastor-michael-todd-spit-preacher-influencerDrowning Man Parable and Vaccines: https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/10/christian-drowning-man-parable-covid-vaccine.html QAnon shuts down national butterfly center: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/national-butterfly-center-closed-sex-trafficking-qanon/ JFK disguised as you know who: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/qanon-donald-trump-jfk_n_61e5e64be4b05645a6eb0912 Mystical letters spell the real culprit: https://www.reddit.com/r/terriblefacebookmemes/comments/rxuk74/god_damn_media_spreddin_rona_round/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf QAnon Shaman was trying to calm the crowd: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/qanon-shaman-riot-claim_n_61d68fd2e4b061afe3aedb25 Western Wall future and shaky Israeli government: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-jerusalem-israel-prayer-04a68f9f0baafa813fb0dfab3485e896 New doc puts women at center: https://religionnews.com/2021/12/15/new-documentary-daughters-of-eve-dismantle-christian-patriarchy-zanah-thirus-bible-feminism/ Islamic comic book finds audience: ​​https://religionnews.com/2021/12/29/islamic-friendly-comic-book-content-finds-a-growing-audience/ Noah's Ark doomsday bunker: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/noahs-ark-underground-doomsday-bunker-25852569 Nonbelief channel at Patheos drama: https://religionnews.com/2022/01/04/what-happened-to-the-nonbelief-channel-at-patheos/