Holy Watermelon

Looking again to Katie's Irish roots, the Troubles of Northern Ireland are a fascinating example of how religion gets tied to conflict. But is it really a religious conflict? What are the prerequisites for such a label. How much is religion really a part of the problem. Join us for an exploration of the history behind the Troubles, and the people who motivate them. It's easy to take sides, but sol...

Scientology gets a lot of bad press (and most of it is hard to refute), but we're going to shed a little light on the sci-fi religion of L Ron Hubbard, and explore the aspects of this authoritarian cultus that make it so enticing to initiates and so terrifying to survivors. What happened to Shelly Miscavige? Why is Tom Cruise reported to be leaving the church when he's up to his neck in it with Da...

Everybody collects something; but for the Imperial Tradition Christian churches, that collection has some really weird stuff. Not just the bones of saints and a handful of miraculous statues, but enough "holy prepuce" to fill your cereal bowl, and the miraculous rehydrating blood of the saints of Naples can help wash all that down. This isn't your regular daily mass - join us to see what other str...

Our first interview episode, with the lovely and talented Sarah Snyder. She grew up in a cult, but has escaped. She isn't just surviving, she's thriving. We're proud to call her a friend, and grateful for her willingness to share her story and her advice. The traditions that revere Jesus are diverse, and some of them are so far off the mark that they are hard to recognize as Christian. Some even a...

A lot of great pantheons have disappeared as Christianity swept the world. Katie and Preston explore the details around the disappearance of the imperial and tribal traditions of Europe and North-Eastern Africa. Is it reasonable to expect monotheism to supersede polytheism? Is there really a scheme for the evolution of religion? Life is a lot more complicated than restricting knowledge to empirica...

The Kemetic people of ancient Egypt had a fascinating theology that developed from a variety of sources, much like their Greek and Roman neighbors across the sea. Join us as we explore the Egyptian gods, from the animist origins of Anubis, to the cosmic origins of Ra. Egypt's ancient mystery schools were a magical realm of literary development and ritual emulation, more familiar to modern Freemaso...

Join us as we explore Katie's Irish roots, and the ancient religious traditions of the Western European Celts. We talk a little about the religious sites that Katie has visited, and the ancestral gods and druidic arts that too few remember today. We look at Julius Caesar's report about the Wicker Man, and discuss the musical magic of the Bards, Fili, and Druids. Some strong D&D vibes here. Wicca f...

Thor and Odin are well known today, but are these images faithful to the source material? There's more to the Norse religious tradition than the bit of mythology that makes it into the movies. It's a complex system with a rich poetic tradition. Unfortunately, much is lost to time. The Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the comics that inspire it, have told wonderful stories about the figures of Thor,...

The Roman way of looking at their neighbours has had a powerful effect on religious studies today. The cults who are responsible for these traditions are never part of the popular mythology we see in popular media today, but we're about to break that silence. Emulation is adoration. While the Romans borrowed and adapted many of the gods in their pantheon from the Greeks, the Ancient Romans develop...

The first in a mini-series on ancient religions, let's start with Ancient Hellenism, also known as Greek Paganism. There's a lot to Greek mythology, but the lives of the people who brought us these legends often get swept under the rug. We're here to dig up the dirt on the cults that changed the world be sharing their stories of the gods, and why they were important to the Greeks of millennia past...

The 12 Days of Christmas is such a popular song, but Katie has a bone to pick with the retail industry. The 12 Days of Christmas are not a countdown to Christmas. They are the days from Christmas to Epiphany.  Join us as we explore the various celebrations and memorials that make up this extended holy week, as well as the secular traditions attached to them. All this and more.... Support us at Pat...

The birth of Jesus. The Nativity. Christmas. In this episode, we cover the story of Jesus' birth and sift through what is plausible and what must be fiction. All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Facebook and Instagram Learn more on our official website Be sure to check out Blackbird Farm and Apothecary on Faceb...

Did you know that the 8-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah isn't in the Hebrew Bible? It's origins are much more recent than that! This episode, we learn about how the celebration of Hanukkah began with the Maccabees, and how your Jewish friends and family celebrate today. All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on F...

Curious why there were fireworks popping in your neighborhood last week? It was all in celebration of Diwali, the pan-Asian holiday rooted in Hinduism. This week learn more about Diwali traditions and the story of the Ramayana. All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Facebook and Instagram Learn more on our offici...

This week we are talking about Yoga & Hinduism! Is yoga a fun athletic activity or a religious practice? Yoga is one of the six darshanas of Hinduism - a very important pillar in the religion. It is a practice so old we actually don't know where it came from. We have it wrong in the west. Yoga is first and foremost a meditation practice to release yourself of your worldly concerns. The practice of...

To wrap up Spooktober we are talking about exorcisms! Exorcisms are not exclusively Catholic or Christian but can be found in religious traditions around the globe. Exorcisms have been taking place for centuries. Are these demonic possessions real? Or is there something deeper taking place? Trigger Warning : We take a look at a few cases of people using claims of possession to abuse people. All th...

After having to record 3 times, it was starting to look like the Dark Forces were trying to keep us from revealing the truth, but Katie and Preston are committed to bringing you the best religious education they can.    Occultism is a big, nebulous, misunderstood topic. It’s actually an umbrella term for a bunch of ideas that don’t belong to any one religion. The word occult refers to secrets. Occ...

Voodoo has a long history originating in the West African Vodun tradition. While pop culture has made Voodoo out to be dark or evil, it's actually a spiritual religion that is syncretic with Catholicism. All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Facebook and Instagram Learn more on our official website   *** Katie D...

This episode is all about witchcraft and wizardry. Starting in the 1950s Wicca takes inspiration and teachings from English folklore and uses ancient symbolism. It’s important to understand that witchcraft and paganism are not the same things. Pagan means rustic rural folk, typically used to refer to anyone who isn’t Christian. If you’re not a Christian, you’re a pagan.  It doesn’t have a faith sy...

Religious Trauma Syndrome is similar to PTSD. Negative beliefs taught at a young age have lifelong ramifications. In this episode, we are diving into what causes religious trauma. Trigger warning : we're talking about lots of yucky stuff, and we're not psychologists! All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Faceboo...

We're discussing the Revelation of John in this episode. The Revelation is an end-of-the-world prophecy also known as the Revelation of John or the Apocalypse of John. The book is credited to John of Patmos in the first century, though scholars believe this is actually a composite work with many authors. When reading the Revelation, the content is supplemented from many other books in the Bible, e...

Prophecy is prevalent in all major religions. Someone always seems to have a phone line right up to the Big Guy. Is prophecy real? When does it get dangerous? How does one become a prophet? All this and more.... Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Facebook and Instagram Learn more on our official website     *** Katie Dooley  00:09...

Religion and morality are so intertwined. Many people believe we get our morals from the heavens. How do we know what is good and what is evil? Morality is the line between good and evil. For a lot of people, morality is informed by their religious philosophies. However, we know that while it plays a part, it is not the only way that people learn morals.  There are 4 types of morals: Moral absolut...

A lot of people spent a lot of time getting prayer removed from the public school system. Now it seems getting religion back in schools is a hot topic. Katie and Preston chat about the benefits of having comparative religion in the classroom.   Support us at Patreon and Spreadshirt Join the Community on Discord Learn more great religion facts on Facebook and Instagram   ***** Katie Dooley  00:00 A...

"You're a saint" might not be such a big compliment once you hear this episode! There are a lot of saints in the Roman Catholic Church... we're talking about some more questionable ones! In this episode, we’re talking about five Catholic saints that probably shouldn’t be saints. Saint Barbara While her story is interesting, we have no evidence that Barbara ever existed!  Saint Bernard of Clairvaux...