The Religious Treehouse

Jodie and Matthew review the 2011 documentary, which recounts the journey of Vikram Ghandi as he impersonates a guru and builds a following in Arizona.  Join us for discussion on the journey. Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse  Facebook: TRT Email:...

We are continuing a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about the unnamed woman from Judges 19, a concubine who gets used, abused, and dismembered. Let us know your thoughts! Works Ref...

Jodie and Matthew review the 2014 fantasy/adventure film Noah, which takes a unique approach to the story of Noah. Join us for discussion on the interesting directorial choices made by Darren Aronofsky and Jodie’s obsession with the casting choices. Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse Instagram: @TheReligiousTreeh...

We are continuing a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about Tamar, a daughter of King David who is coveted by her brother Amnon. It’s a tragic story, but an important one in the Bibl...

Jodie and Matthew review the 1979 film Life of Brian, which tells the story of a  Judean man mistaken for a messianic prophet at the time of Jesus. Join us for discussion on Monty Python’s satirical commentary on religion, gender, and more by creating a parallel to the well-known story of Jesus. Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse Bluesky:...

We are starting a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about Hagar, an enslaved Egyptian woman who conceived a son for Abraham, but is then banished. It’s a tragic story, but an importa...

Jodie and Matthew review Jerome Bixby’s 2007 film “The Man From Earth,” which explores the concept of what would happen if there was an unaging 14,000 year old man walking among us. While this is an interesting concept for a film, it delves into a conversation on religion that gets a lot wrong Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions! Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse Bluesky: @...

The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most misused stories of the Bible, often to promote homophobic ideologies despite never commenting on the topic or being associated with homosexuality anywhere in the Bible. So, Jodie and Matthew discuss what the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is actually about and how it has been interpreted by early readers of the text. Let us know what you think! . Wor...

Jesus Christ, Superstar. Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you’re who they say you are? These are all fantastic questions asked by Judas, scholars of the historical Jesus, and Chrsitian theologians. Too bad we don’t really get into answering those questions from any of those perspectives (though we pontificate on how Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Judas would have thought abo...

This may sound really simple, but belief may be more complicated than we would like to think. In this episode Jodie and Matthew explore what belief is in religious settings and how we have come to see other religions in terms of belief - and how that’s largely due to Chrsitianity’s influence on western culture. What is belief and what do you believe? . Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: Ro...

The Religious Treehouse is back talking about movies! This time Jodie and Matthew look at Dreamworks’ The Prince of Egypt. They talk about the artistic choices made, what it may mean for Val Kilmer to voice both Moses and God, what can be gained by depicting a Biblical story, and about how this film is so beloved by many! GIve us a listen and give the movie a watch and let us know what you think a...

Happy Halloween! Well, it’s not Halloween, but we’re talking about monsters in the Bible: specifically the Leviathan. Jodie and Matthew briefly introduce what a monster is, where they show up in the Bible, and how modern discussions tend to tame them. Then, they get into it with the leviathan and how it’s the biggest and baddest of monsters, but also maybe God’s BFF? Take a listen and let us know...

In honor of the recent passing of Pope Francis, Jodie and Matthew discuss the Oscar award winning movie, Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes. If you haven’t seen it yet, you definitely should, because we get touch on all the spoilers, following each character and how this movie portrays catholicism in all of its beautiful and problematic forms. Take a list and let us know what you think about Conclav...

Happy Easter to all who celebrate! In honor of this celebration for Christians, this episode looks at the final meal of Jesus before his death and subsequent resurrection as celebrated on Easter. So, Jodie and Matthew talk through the 4 gospel accounts of this final dinner with a focus on the synoptic gospels and a brief discussion on the synoptic problem. Then they talk about how the last supper...

Jodie and Matthew have returned to Exodus to discuss the 10 plagues! Well, the first 9 at least. Well, it depends on who’s counting. Throughout Exodus 7-10, we discuss how the first 9 plagues act as a literary unit and how the plagues may have been intentionally chosen to emulate a reversal of Genesis 1, and how they may have intentionally been chosen as a sort of cosmic war between the God of Mos...

Jodie and Matthew once again investigate the exciting world of alternative religious movements. This time, they talk about The Seekers, a UFO religion from the 1950’s that was convinced the world was going to end on December 21. But what they didn’t know was that a group of Sociologists and Psychologists infiltrated the group to try to understand what happens when their predictions of the end of t...

Apocrypha. Deuterocanon. Those books in the Catholic and Orthodox Bibles that Protestants have never heard of... That’s what we’re talking about in this episode! And then we get into Bel and the Dragon, also known as Chapter 14 of the Greek Daniel. So if Bel and the Dragon is part of your Bible, if it’s not part of your Bible, or if you don’t claim a Bible as your own, this episode will introduce...

Moses is one of the most important, if not the most important characters in the Hebrew Bible. It’s time we talk about him. In this episode, Jodie and Matthew discuss the first few chapters of Exodus to talk about famous stories including Moses murdering an Egyptian, the Burning Bush, the name of God, and that one time when God tried to kill Moses. So, there’s a lot. Also, Matthew can’t stop talkin...

Spoilers! Jodie and Matthew are diving into one of their favorite biblical musicals: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. If you haven’t seen it, watch it now, before this episode! Or instead of this episode. We don’t care. It’s that good. Matthew, of course, can’t help rambling about some biblical nerd stuff regarding the Joseph story found in Genesis, but Jodie and Matthew mainly discus...

It’s time for one of the most lively and exciting Jewish holidays: Purim! Jodie and Matthew discuss the biblical origins of Purim by looking closely at Esther 9 and 10 before talking about how Purim is commonly practiced today. Whether you celebrate Purim every year or you’ve never heard of the holiday, this episode is for you! This episode pairs well with wine and Hamantaschen. Let us know what y...

What’s new in the world of Christianity? Lent is coming up! Well, this isn’t new and it is a very old tradition for many Christians, but it’s that time of year again. If you know about Ash Wednesday and Lent, let us know what we missed out on talking about! If you don’t know much about Ash Wednesday and Lent, listen along and learn about what this season means for so many Christians! Works Referen...

Judges is such an underappreciated book of the Bible, but has some of the most classic stories that most people know, like the stories of Deborah, Gideon, and Samson. Jodie and Matthew talk about none of that, though. Instead, they discuss a brief background on the book of Judges and then focus on the story of Ehud - a story of political assassination and potty humor. Works Referenced and Recommen...

Song of Songs is perhaps the most steamy book in the Bible and the perfect reading material for this Valentine’s day! Jodie and Matthew discuss this most unique book of the Bible to try to give it the appreciation that it deserves by delving into the history of the book and dissecting a few passages throughout the song. Works Referenced and Recommended Readings: Chapter 16: Job and Song of Songs i...

Uh oh! We’re dipping our toes into politics, or at least trying to. Recently, President Trump has announced that he is creating a task force to “Eradicate Anti-Christian Bias” and he is instituting a White House Faith Office headed by Paula White. Jodie and Matthew discuss what this may mean from a religious perspective and then we flesh out a few misunderstandings some people may have, especially...

We’ve all heard of Jonestown. But do we all know what actually happened? Do we know the story behind the massacre? And perhaps more importantly, do we know the story about after the massacre? Jodie and Matthew discuss the history behind Jonestown and the events leading up to its infamous last moments, followed by a conversation on how Jonestown has been framed by the media and others, and pontific...