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 speaker reflects on the pointless work of Jewish concentration camp prisoners and how it relates to questioning the belief in a loving, protective God after experiences of tragic loss such as 9-11 or the pandemic.
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 podcast covered a range of topics, including a weed co-op for getting closer to God, staring at a hot wife, cultural misunderstandings, and ethnic changes as one travels further from home.
The speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
The podcast host wonders how religion has aided people living in war-torn countries where death is omnipresent and the future is uncertain. He acknowledges that it's difficult to think about death and wonders if religion has implications for regulating aspects of everyday life.
A father struggles to discuss religion with his child due to the amount of pain and suffering it has caused throughout history.
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 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.
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 belief that people cannot be saved without choice and that they cannot choose to accept God without knowing about it drives groups to keep a database of uncontacted peoples so they can try to share the Christian faith with them, often with disastrous consequences.
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.
Podcast host expresses frustration with the prayer rules in the Bible, stating that some feel repetitive and unnecessary.
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.
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.
This episode discusses how God reveals himself to Abraham and other prophets in stages, ultimately creating the people of God through the hope of salvation and expectation of an everlasting covenant.
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.
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.
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.