The Belief It Or Not Podcast

In this episode we talk more about those awful religious leaders who took advantage of people, broke the law, were just kinda shady, or were plain old hypocrites. We talk Carl Lentz, Ravi Zacharias, John Crist, and so on and so forth. They're gross dudes. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and Damien Doepping Support us on patreon: https://www.patreon...

This episode is all about christians and their views on gender. We talk about outdated and insane gender roles, strange dress codes, and the ordination of women. We also discuss their reaction to trans people existing and which churches are more ok with that than others. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and Damien Doepping Support us on patreon: htt...

You've seen the John 3:16 signs at sports games but do you know who started that whole thing? It was all thanks to a man named Rollen Stewart aka Rockin Rollin aka Raibow Man aka The John 3:16 guy. We discuss his heartbreaking early life, his passion for getting attention at large sporting events, his revelation that this was his mission, and his tragic run ins with the law As always we are not ex...

In this episode we discuss the video game company Wisdom Tree. We talk about how they got around Nintendo's chip and how they jumped on an opportunity with the christian market. We talk about their classic games like Bible Adventures Game, King of Kings: The Early Years, Sunday Funday, Bible Buffet, and Super Noah 3D. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelma...

This episode is all about Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop. We discuss the outrageous claims and products like the jade egg, vaginal steaming, bee sting therapy, vampire facials, and goats mild detoxes. We also talk about false advertising claims, false medical claims, and all the lawsuits. It's dangerous, she's dangerous. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and...

This episode is all about the failed predictions of the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower Society. We discuss 1914, 1925, 1975, and all the other years the world was supposed to end. We discuss why people buy into these predictions, why it gets new followers, and how they justify their predictions after the fact. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelma...

This episode is all out Mike Seaver, that's right, we're talking about Kirk Cameron. We discuss his movie career, the banana man, the crocoduck, and his homophobia As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and Damien Doepping For more info and our references check out https://beliefitornot.wordpress.com/ Also follow us on twitter @beliefitornot, instagram @b...

In this episode, we talk about the world of religion in 2020. We discuss churches ignoring COVID, a crazy cult lady becoming a supreme court justice, George Pell being released from prison, a kid becoming one step closer to being the saint of the internet, the Christian freak-out over Black Lives, Matter, and the Christian freak-out over the election results. Watch the Kenneth Copeland metal remix...

It's the most wonderful time of the year. In this episode, we talk about the history of Christmas and a number of Christmas traditions. We discuss the pagan, Norse, and Roman roots of the holiday. We talk about Christmas trees, mistletoe, leaving cookies out for Santa, Christmas carolers, why we hang socks, why we like red and green, and lots more. As always we are not experts, we just google this...

This episode is all about TV preachers or Televangelists as they are affectionately called. We talk about the early days of radio, and the evolution from just filming a church service to creating television empires with mansions and private jets. We discuss Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Kenneth Copeland, Joyce Meyers, Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, and so many more. As alw...

This episode is all about christian rock. It's a nostalgia trip for Trevor and a bunch of information about terrible music for Damian. We talk about the church's original distaste for the rock and roll genre, the influence of the Jesus People, and some early pioneers like Larry Norman. We discuss its rise through the 70s and 80s with bands like Stryper and Petra and CCM artists like Amy Grant and...

In this episode we discuss Pure Flix, from Christian movie studio to Christian streaming service. We talk about David A.R. White, the history of the studio, and the impact of God's Not Dead. We also discuss a number of it's movies, why they're so terrible, and why they can be super damaging. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and Damien Doepping For m...

In this episode, we discuss the disgusting Halloween tradition of evangelical hell houses. We discuss their history, their recurring themes, their psychological effects on viewers, and their use of false advertising. This is definitely a disturbing part of fundamentalism and something we really hope stops soon. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Hosted by Trevor Poelman and D...

In this episode we discuss disgraced megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll. We discuss his story, his sexism, homophobia, bullying, and all around creep factor. We also discuss his plagiarism, some of his more disgusting quotes, and how he was forced out of his church. We also discuss the interview that brought him back and what he's up to now. As always we are not experts, we just google this stuff. Ho...

In this episode we discuss the world of Christian homeschooling. We talk about the origins of homeschooling with John Holt in the 1970s, the fight to make it legal, and of course why it was embraced by fundamentalists. We discuss the lack of oversight in most places, some of the dangerous lessons, how it can facilitate abuse, and of course why that homeschool kid in your neighbourhood is so weird....

In this episode we discuss the separation of church and state, from the reformation to Thomas Locke to Thomas Jefferson. We discuss prayer in public school, creationism in the classroom, government grants for churches, and the ten commandments on courthouse lawns. We also talk about how fear of communism changed the game and how Trump will ruin things for years to come. As always we are not expert...

In this episode, we discuss the Jesus Seminar, a group of New Testament scholars who tried to discover what Jesus actually said. We talk about their methods and criteria, how the media covered them, and why it made evangelicals really angry. We also play our own quiz game where Damien tries to identify the words of Jesus vs the words of Tom Hanks. As always we are not experts, we just google this...

This episode is all about predictions that were supposed to be from God but never came to be. We talk about the Bible predicting cities that would soon be destroyed that are still doing great, centuries of people predicting the date of Christ's return, and pastors saying God told them COVID 19 would be gone in March of 2020. We also discuss why people continue to look at prophecy to confirm their...

In this episode we discuss Kanye West's interview in Forbes Magazine where he shares his political platform and reason for running. We use this article as a jumping off point to talk about the issues with american politics, the dangers of becoming a theocracy, and why celebrities shouldn't run for president anymore. We also go off on a number of tangents discussing why Oprah is worse than Jeffrey...

In this episode we're getting all cleaned up, we're talking about everyone's favourite christian cleaning supply company, Amway. We discuss its founders Jay Van Andel and Richard DeVos, and how they envisioned the American way of life. We discuss how they use religion to rally their "Independent Business Owners," the money they've donated to the religious causes, and their influence on politics. W...

In this episode, we discuss Richard Allen. Born into slavery Richard Allen was able to teach himself to read and write, buy his freedom, and become the first black ordained bishop in the United States. From staging a walk-out in a segregated church, starting his own church and help start the first black denomination in America, he was a fascinating person. As always we are not experts, we just goo...

This episode is all about sex and the Christian. We discuss how the Old Testament and New Testament differed on the issue, how Augustine ruined sex for Christians for hundreds of years, and how sex is viewed in the church today. We talk about the dangers of abstinence only education, the importance of teaching consent, and we break down a really stupid song. As always we are not experts, we just g...

In this episode, we discuss baseball player turned evangelist Billy Sunday. We talk about his early life, his ball career, his conversion, his unique speaking style, his rise and fall, and his family life. We also talk about how he changed the game for evangelists who would come after him. And also we play a game called Creed Lyric or Bible Verse. As always we are not experts, we just google this...

In this episode we discuss everyone's favourite Christian vegetables. Of course we're talking Bob, Larry, Junior, that gourd with the gold tooth, and all the other healthy funny snacks. We talk about the creators Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki and how they went from a church puppet ministry to one of the most successful animation studios of the nineties. We talk about the ups and downs of the seri...

In this episode, we talk about the radio show turned Christian media empire and consistently hateful organization Focus on the Family. We discuss it's founder James Dobson, the history or the organization, its magazines, and its children's shows. We also talk about the ways they fight against same sex marriage, same sex couples adopting, teens being ok with who they are, and gay teens not getting...