Exploring the origins of the devil as a character in various religions and mythologies, and how those influences shaped the devil into the figure we know today.
The speaker recalls a cringe-worthy conversation with a Catholic priest who asked about his plans for having children.
The speaker questions the traditional celebration of Jesus' birthday and suggests a humorous scenario of Jesus blowing out candles and receiving wishes not to be crucified.
The podcast host discusses how people want midwinter celebrations and even though it is secular, it can still feel religious to people. He also talks about the religious freedom and the history of Puritans.
The speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
Filmmaker Werner Herzog and journalist Paul Holdengräber discuss the evolving nature of religiosity, its use in propaganda by dictators, and its complement to empirical pursuits.
In this episode, Sam Harris discusses the idea that religious moderates shelter fundamentalism and extremism by insisting we respect religious faith. He argues that the disposition to force others to live by the lights of one's own religious worldview needs to be opposed, particularly in the Muslim world where secularism is almost nonexistent.
A group is being accused of making members sign lifetime vows of obedience and giving collateral to join. One young woman was excitedly told by her master that she had to give collateral to join.
In this episode, the concept of eternal verities is discussed, along with the ways in which humans often fall short of them. The conversation also touches on the dangers of dogmatic religion and its potential to produce atrocity.
This essay recounts the history of the Unification Church's (aka the Moonies) business ventures, including the founding of the American Tuna fishing company, and reflects on the author's personal experience with the church's influence in his family's life.
Discussing Gaudium et Spes' paragraph 472, this transcript explores the concept that in assuming a true human soul, intellect, and will, the Son of God also assumed true human knowledge.
The podcast host and guests discuss how their views on religion have evolved and how it has impacted their relationships with others. They share personal experiences and insights on the challenges of questioning and challenging religious beliefs.
The fragmentation of religion has caused some to turn to Berkshire Hathaway with a religious-like fervor and trust in Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger, as they speak about their experiences with the company at an annual meeting.
Nicole shares her experience working briefly at the temple and how things started to change after the Phoenix New Times article came out. She was not getting the training she had signed up for so decided to leave before she heard about the raid.
The human concept of an all-powerful, omnipotent being is limited by our own physical form and perspective, making it impossible for us to truly comprehend what it means to be God-like.
The speaker expresses a belief that Netflix documentaries have ruined religion for viewers, drawing a comparison to the way true crime documentaries can lead people to see suspects in everything.
The guest speaker shares his thoughts on the importance of maintaining objectivity in spiritual and religious practices and how formalized religion can act as a middleman in connecting with a higher power.
Punishing children with religion may give them a negative image and cause spiritual trauma, defeating the purpose of the religion.
The podcast discusses the difficulty of reconciling religious beliefs with scientific evidence and how this affects people's views of the world.
A person shares their experience of seeing a band with a mix of ages, and later contrasts it with their visit to a Catholic church, before discussing what they have learned about Hillsong.
Native peoples took on some religious beliefs of the Christian settlers. A woman who lost her partner to death due to frigid weather was afraid of becoming a windigo if she ate his flesh, and she left him in her shelter due to her beliefs.
A man recalls a conversation with Father Williams, who made fun of his height and commented on his friend's mother in a derogatory manner, while also referencing inappropriate comments made by Father Dub towards his friend.
The speaker reflects on the idea of the rapture and how it influenced their perspective towards other people, and the manifestation of thoughts in different ways.
A woman shares her custody battle experience and how her husband didn't want their sons to attend any religious services, which led to a court allowing supervised visitation for a certain timeframe while she was at church.
Despite financial challenges and personal obstacles, Jim, a pastor in a low-income community, puts his heart and soul into his church with the help of his dedicated partner.