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.
A rockstar recounts his experience meeting with vicars in the UK and how their concept of religion differed from his post-punk beliefs.
The guest emphasizes the power of religion not just in providing answers to cosmic questions but also in elevating individuals beyond their ego and enabling contact with other things.
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 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.
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 fact that most religious people are good doesn't mean that God exists. It's inaccurate to label all religious people as bad based on the actions of a small minority.
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 speaker criticizes the extreme opinions of religious leaders like Paige Patterson and Paul Pressler, and mocks the lack of life experience of Mormon missionaries. They also make a disturbing comment about a fictional hierarchy of children on a private hunting preserve.
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 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 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 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.
The speaker shares a vision of Jesus coming before his second coming to establish his people and appreciating their righteousness. The text also includes an ad for Athena Club's razor kit, which has skin guards to prevent razor burn and comes with blade heads, a magnetic hook, and a handle color of choice.
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 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.
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 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.
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 speaker discusses the idea of feeling at home and contemplates the world without religion, reflecting on his skepticism towards religion due to the conflicts it causes.
The speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
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.
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 Church of the SubGenius is an absurdist religion created in the late 1970s as a joke about consumer culture by two like-minded guys. Bob Dobbs, the world's greatest salesman, is the prophet of this religion that pokes fun at mainstream religion and consumer culture.
