A CEO shares how his studies with a rabbi led him to see that the point of religion is to create and build things, emphasizing the importance of connection and productivity.
The hosts discuss the idea of creating a YouTube series where they go around knocking on doors with missionaries and offering their thoughts on religion. They also touch on the importance of quality time spent with loved ones.
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 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 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 speaker reminisces about his desire to fight and his religious curiosity.
The world is inherently evil and the spiritual world is good, but God's power, intelligence, and design can be seen in the creation of the world. Despite the battle between good and evil, evil is not an eternal force since only God has always existed.
In this episode, Sam Harris discusses the idea that religious moderates shelter fundamentalism and extremism by insisting we respect religious faith. He argues that the disposition to force others to live by the lights of one's own religious worldview needs to be opposed, particularly in the Muslim world where secularism is almost nonexistent.
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.
This episode features a conversation about why it's important to approach religion with inclusivity in order for everyone to be accepted. It also discusses the challenges that religion faces with conflict around the world and how policy-making can empower those caught in conflict in different countries.
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 podcast discusses how pagan celebrations and rituals were incorporated into Christian traditions and how certain practices were viewed as sacrilegious by the church.
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.
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 speaker expresses a belief that Netflix documentaries have ruined religion for viewers, drawing a comparison to the way true crime documentaries can lead people to see suspects in everything.
The speaker discusses the possibility of a religious school not wanting to be associated with the undead and uses the example of a gym without crosses in it.
Punishing children with religion may give them a negative image and cause spiritual trauma, defeating the purpose of the religion.
The guest speaker shares how her Jewish mother's lack of religious guidance led her to eventually become involved with the church.
The speaker shares their experience growing up in a Pentecostal Christian family and attending Berea Christian Church and later Hillsong, where some feel that the wealthy and good-looking are given priority seating.
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.
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.
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.
