The decline of religion in many parts of the world has been replaced by culture, such as music, literature, and philosophy. The School of Life offers classes, books, events, and a YouTube channel to help people find meaning and solutions to problems beyond what books can offer.
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.
The speaker recalls a cringe-worthy conversation with a Catholic priest who asked about his plans for having children.
In this snippet, the speaker mentions the idea of finding patron saints associated with different aspects such as weight loss, nice cars and healing.
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.
This podcast episode discusses the concept of religion and its association with nationalism and other beliefs like being a fan of a football team. The speaker also examines whether atheists can be more theocratic than religious people and talks about the origins of religion according to anthropology.
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 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 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.
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.
Punishing children with religion may give them a negative image and cause spiritual trauma, defeating the purpose of the religion.
This episode discusses how rejecting grace in this life can lead to the belief of being culpable for inculpable reasons and potentially condemning oneself for eternity.
The guest speaker shares how her Jewish mother's lack of religious guidance led her to eventually become involved with the church.
The podcast discusses the financial perks of religious institutions and how mega churches sell merchandise and programs, offering a millionaire mindset, instead of focusing on charitable services. The speaker reflects on four years of research on religious financial privileges in their thesis.
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.
