People who handle snakes religiously do it through total and complete faith, a practice known as holiness serpent handling. The handling of snakes in this way is rarely seen in person but considered a sacred act for the participants.
A speaker describes his bold opinion on Moses being a minor prophet and credits the concept to the Holy Quran.
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 foundation for the Ten Commandments may have been laid in Egyptian wisdom literature, which does not imply a contradiction with the Christian faith as all religions may be telling the same story. The story of Moses receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai may be traced back to his knowledge of Egyptian royalty's rights and wisdom literature.
The speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
The profoundest questions are religious questions, and the most profound values are religious values, as they are embedded in our religious document – the Bible.
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.
The future of religion involves an open source, decentralized system where people can fork it and store value in new assets, similar to how cryptocurrency is used today. The leaders will also dress casually, like Supreme streetwear style pastors.
This episode features a conversation about why it's important to approach religion with inclusivity in order for everyone to be accepted. It also discusses the challenges that religion faces with conflict around the world and how policy-making can empower those caught in conflict in different countries.
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.
The podcast discusses how pagan celebrations and rituals were incorporated into Christian traditions and how certain practices were viewed as sacrilegious by the church.
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.
Despite being beaten and broken, Jesus' body is no longer limited by space and time but can appear how and when he wills, possessing new properties of a glorious body. He still bears the wounds of his crucifixion to demonstrate that it is the same body that was tortured.
A discussion about the mental gymnastics involved in using God as a justification for extreme actions, including murder and child marriage, as well as claims of divine revelation about game show appearances.
The speaker describes the negative feelings and belittlement experienced when facing control of one's personal relationships due to the influence of religious communities, and highlights the importance of personal responsibility.
Tracy, a woman charged with prostitution, has been barred from using a religious freedom defense in her trial. The judge ruled that her beliefs cannot be used as a justification for breaking the law, even though she's still allowed to bring up her beliefs on a case-by-case basis.
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.
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the use of religious quotes and references in conversation and the strict practices of Coptic Christianity, including women being expected to submit to their husband's will.
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.
The guest speaker shares how her Jewish mother's lack of religious guidance led her to eventually become involved with the church.
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 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.
Amidst a wave of consumerism in the 1980s, a religious awakening swept across Japan leading to the formation of numerous new religions, catering to people eager to embrace spiritual practices. One of the leaders, Shoko Asahara, initially drew inspiration from Chinese astrology and Taoism before delving into yoga, meditation and other secret traditions.
The speaker reflects on their experience as a church leader, likening it to handing out pizza, singing, and looking after people. They also express uncertainty about whether they will be admitted into heaven.
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.
