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.
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.
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 speakers discuss a religion with only five tenets and express their thoughts on a rapper who they believe has a simplistic style.
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.
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 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.
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.
Some argue that delivering food or medicine might be more helpful to impoverished countries than donating Bibles, but others insist that eternal salvation is more important.
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 episode, the speaker talks about their first encounter with a sex magazine and how it opened up a world they didn't even know existed due to the strict religious upbringing they had.
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 podcast discusses the concept of the Incarnation of Jesus, where God became a man and united human nature to his divine nature through the resurrection.
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.
The podcast discusses the difficulty of reconciling religious beliefs with scientific evidence and how this affects people's views of the world.
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.
Comedian Joe Rogan and his guest discuss various religious views on bestiality and the consequences of engaging in such behavior.
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.