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 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 podcast discusses two different experiences of intimate questioning in religious settings, including questions about sex, drugs, and masturbation.
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.
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.
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.
The speaker expresses concern over the dangerous and divisive beliefs that religious people hold, but acknowledges that secular culture is slow in meeting emotional and social needs that these beliefs fulfill, such as a consoling story about what death means.
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 notion that moral virtue comes from religion is a fallacy propagated by individuals who subscribe to the idea that people cannot find worth in themselves aside from belief in a higher power. The belief that one's life must be grounded in metaphysical principles promotes the idea of needing to fill a gap in one's life when belief in a higher power is abandoned.
The tension between Protestants and Catholics took center stage when JFK became the first Catholic president, with concerns over whether or not he would take secret Pope orders. The system of distinct communities began to fade out with the dawn of the industrial age and the homogenization of cities and urban areas.
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.
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.
Podcast host expresses frustration with the prayer rules in the Bible, stating that some feel repetitive and unnecessary.
The speaker discusses the possibility of a religious school not wanting to be associated with the undead and uses the example of a gym without crosses in it.
Father Mike Schmitz discusses the mysteries of Jesus's public life, emphasizing the importance of faith and belief in his actions.
Punishing children with religion may give them a negative image and cause spiritual trauma, defeating the purpose of the religion.
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.
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.
