The decline of religion in many parts of the world has been replaced by culture, such as music, literature, and philosophy.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 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 temptation to elevate anything above God, whether it be education, politics, good deeds, technology or a person, is a dangerous one. Instead, we should not put our trust in kingdoms, nations or politics, but keep God as our foundation.
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 podcast discusses two different experiences of intimate questioning in religious settings, including questions about sex, drugs, and masturbation.
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.
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 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.
The podcast discusses how religion not only provides patterns of relevance realization but also contains myths about religio itself, which sometimes need some counterbalance. The conversation focuses on the myths of hubris and their relation with the heroic myth in Greek culture.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
