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 rockstar recounts his experience meeting with vicars in the UK and how their concept of religion differed from his post-punk beliefs.
Comedian Pete Holmes discusses personal faith journeys and the transitions made by his own family members, including his father's shift to Orthodox Judaism.
The speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
The speaker believes that as we move forward, there will be a movement that puts more emphasis on life than death and that there will be a shift away from traditional religions.
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 speaker recalls a story about connecting with a pastor and the Bible, and how he didn't fully understand it until his early 30s.
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.
The host talks about his desire for a Bible edition that includes a story map and discusses how the ancient concept of debt is different from that of modern times, with reference to the Roman Constitution of 451 BC.
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.
Sam Harris and David Wolpe discuss the difficulty of having a conversation about religion without arousing strong emotions and how differing beliefs can lead to challenging discussions.
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.
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.
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 church has always come together, invoked the Holy Spirit, and formulated a united faith that has been passed on throughout the world. As a mother teaches her children to speak, the church teaches us the language of faith and introduces us to the understanding and life of faith.
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 speaker recounts their experience doing stand-up and their preference for Jewish over Catholic theology due to the emphasis on questioning.
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 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.
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.
A conversation about the difficulty in pronouncing the surname Schlesinger turns into a discussion about assumptions and stereotypes surrounding race and religion.
