A Christian and a Buddhist walk in to a bar

Facebook wants to be your go to platform for your online spirituality. This week we discuss what this means, what the motives might be, and what benefits and negatives this may bring.  Religion. Coming to a facebook page near you!  www.nytimes.com/2021/07/25/us/facebook-church.html

This episode, for the first time ever, we venture away from our well-trodden paths of Christianity and Buddhism and into the world of Jewish debate.  What does it look like to argue with other scholars, with the meaning of texts and even with God? We discuss the Jewish tradition of debate, and its role in the religion, and what it makes us think and feel.    https://asiasociety.org/countries/relig...

This week we try to find a slice of heaven or at least part of heaven itself. Where is it? Does our current earth have any link to this? Does our world have any value? Article: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/environment/jesus-is-coming-plant-a-tree  

This week we talk about mistakes, different types of love, and a bit about what samsara and enlightenment are.    Article: https://bswa.org/teaching/wisdom-of-silence/  

Today we answer YOUR questions!  Thanks so much for writing in, and for being part of this journey with us.  We talk about relationships, detachment, and other questions, as asked by our audience. 

What happens when you get the holy words wrong in a Baptism? Does it change your relationship with God? Does it have spiritual consequences?  We launch from an interesting case from early 2022, into a discussion on  language, meaning and the intersections with theology.  Article:  www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/16/arizona-baptisms-invalidated-priest-uses-one-wrong-word  

This week we salt our water, cook our meatballs nice and low, and delve deep into the Loose Cannon. Jamal introduces Jacob to the holiness of pirates, the wearing of colanders, and the Devine Carbohydrate.  All of this takes us further down the cannelloni hole of trying to understand 'what is a religion?' May you all be touched by his Noodley Appendage - Ramen Article: theconversation.com/i-pastaf...

We return to our discussion of Nongbri to ask more questions!  This time we go into the weeds on colonialism, how cultural practices play a role in sustaining religion, religion and it's role in capitalism and all the good stuff!  More about the authror at: https://brentnongbri.com/about/  

This week we go academic! And try to decipher what even is religion? how do we define religion? How does this impact our interaction with religion? Does it even matter?   This week's article is from a book: https://booko.com.au/9780300216783/Before-ReligionA-History-of-a-Modern-Concept

Today we leave the articles behind and talk about non-attachment. What is it? How does it play out when things go wrong? And how does it help deal you deal with these setbacks in life?

Lots of us pursue a level of socially encouraged hedonism. Is this overrated? Is a level of chosen suffering required to live a fulfilling life?   Article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/23/hedonism-is-overrated-to-make-the-best-of-life-there-must-be-pain-says-yale-professor     P.S - This is HOPEFULLY the last episode with bad audio quality. We have learned our lesson and won't...

Sociopathic leaders are frightening and all too common. But could we prevent the worst of the worst (and the worst of our democratic mistakes) by applying a sort of psychological-spiritual test?   Article: https://www.abc.net.au/religion/jonathan-gold-buddhist-proposal-for-keeping-sociopaths-from-pow/13787074      P.S -  Yes the audio this week is also bad. Only one more week of bad audio to go!

What impacts do the actions of the society we live in have on an individual's spiritual and personal life? We discuss what is meant by Moral Injury, and all sorts of theological, social and personal implications. Article: https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2022/06/04/that-feeling-you-have-called-moral-injury   P.S -  the audio on this episode is a whole lot worse than our others. We...

Who wants to live forever? Not Jamal!  This week we tackle thoughts of what it would mean to live forever, and would we want to? It's a life and death kinda episode.    Article: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/publictheology/2022/01/h-3-radical-life-extension-cybernetic-immortality-or-resurrection-of-the-body/

Can we philosophise our way through the mess the world is in? Or is there a necessary role for a more esoteric approach?   Article link: https://www.christiancentury.org/article/how-my-mind-has-changed/i-m-philosopher-we-can-t-think-our-way-out-mess

Can a Buddhist practice support a Christian to be a better follower of Jesus?  We discuss this and many tangents in our very first episode! Article link: https://medium.com/mormon-writers/how-zen-buddhism-has-made-me-a-better-christian-8ef518b05b75