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Weird Religion

Brian Doak and Leah Payne

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Weird Religion is a podcast for people who think religion is weird but love it anyway. Your hosts, Leah Payne and Brian Doak, are both professors, authors, and pop culture aficionados, whose interests range from archaeology and history and linguistics to LARPing and The Walking Dead. Episodes tackle some piece of media highlighting the wonderful weirdness of religious experience—a documentary, a television show, a Twitter scandal—and use that as a "thread" on which to hang reflections on a w ...
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30 minutes inside the mind of a Catholic Christian, dad, husband and nerd. Not the best. Not the worst. Probably a lot like you. Each week, I look at something happening now or currently in my head. We may take a deeper dive into a single topic: philosophy, the Bible, theology, parenting, career, society, questions or guest interviews. Whatever I pick, it usually ends up being something to which we can all relate, and that matters. No holds barred. Sometimes raw. Sometimes an obscure pop cul ...
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show series
 
Let us discuss a DANGEROUS TV SHOW. And of course, we’re talking about a very family friendly Jesus TV show—The Chosen. What is the state of the evangelical search for validation, for legitimacy, in the American religious landscape today? Has Christian TV arrived? Can we tell who is an “evangelical” by what they purchase, what they consume? The Las…
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We celebrate the religious aesthetic—and mourn the loss—of Precious Moments creator Sam Butcher. A pastel-colored, Christian-infused aesthetic embodied by Precious Moments may of course prompt a reaction: like the “Precious Mutation” of Keith Busher. Did evangelical art (and theology) ever grow up? How can this couple have been married 25 years whe…
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Today we’re discussing a book by religion and philosophy professor Jeffrey Kripal (Rice University), called How to Think Impossibly: About Souls, UFOs, Time, Belief, and Everything Else (University of Chicago Press, 2024). He seems to be suggesting…that we should believe…in impossible things. Miracles. Levitation. UFOs. Archetypes. And many other t…
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Feeling spiritually vulnerable while you are in an airport? You are not alone. Looking for a Popeye horror film? You are not alone. Naming your child Muhammed in the UK this year? You are not alone. Flocking to Orthodoxy as a young man? You are not alone. Committing acts of microfeminism? You are not alone. Portland airport Beni the Therapy Llama: …
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When, and why, did Catholics stop saying “and also with you” in response to “The Lord be with you,” and instead start saying, “and with your spirit”? And how would you respond to the ecstatic worship practice of “running the aisles”? We discuss the aesthetic we’d want—in heaven. Brian gaslights himself and all academics about “change.” Leah sings s…
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The Swiss have created a new way to confess sins. Brian does something he vowed he would never do. Digital oligarchs will rule our future. A mysterious man passes by outside dressed like a priest of the Pacific Northwest. The Film Her (2013): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/ “Hey Alexa, Are You Sexist?”: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/12/us/a…
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One of the biggest religious storylines of 2023 has been: the huge number of people leaving their faith communities. Because Christianity is the #1 by volume religion in America, the loss has been felt heaviest there. Why has this been happening? And how many have left? A new book shares the latest research, and the data may shock you (= clickbait)…
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Beware, lest ye try to convict others in court, that ye have never sinned! We review some recent weird religious news with an eye toward non-obvious stories. From dreams of living forever to Taylor Swift promoting witchcraft: while away this thirty minutes with us. Lori Vallow statement, opens with “he who is without sin throw the first stone”: htt…
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We prepare to engage in the yearly ritual of scholars in our field: the annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion (AAR) and Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), abbreviated AAR-SBL…or is it SBL-AAR? The order makes all the difference. Quality tips are shared to survive an academic conference of this type. Brian shares the tale of his firs…
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Gather ‘round for an episode recorded in front of a LIVE AUDIENCE in Portland, Oregon! We take a piece of listener (e)mail and answer the call: to talk about books that have been deeply impactful for our lives and research—books that anyone could read and learn a lot. From classics in the early history of sociology to ritual to women in the church …
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The aftermath of the July 2023 Congressional UFO hearing has been fascinating, infuriating, mysterious, and ominous. We get you caught up, and present a chilling conspiracy theory about what has become already one of the most famous airplane disappearances of the past several decades—Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014. The Congressional UFO hear…
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Let Halloween feelings shower over you as you listen to this, our Halloween episode. One of us loves the horror genre on TV and movies, and the other absolutely does not. One of us can barely handle even watching the trailer for one of these films. Children of the Corn (1984): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087050/ The Satanic double scene in The Pa…
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In episode 45, Radio Matt & Deidra are joined by Thomas Manning from Operation Christmas Child to discuss how a simple shoebox gift can have an Eternal Impact on a family and a community. Plus, kidnapped by a runaway electric car! And the Atari 2600 is having its best year since 1982! All this and a lot more. Links: https://quietmountainapparel.com…
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Rotten Tomatoes has been celebrating 25 years of fresh picks starting way back with their first movie - Rush Hour. Rotten Tomatoes fans have chosen the best movies of the last 25 years. Did theater goers put some thought into the list or is it just 25 Marvel movies? Plus, SPACE DRUGS and 10 Things Radio Matt hates.…
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With humanoid robots and flying cars on the way, we are closer than ever to the visions of the future that "i, Robot" and "Back to the Future" promised us. But are we ready to hover-convert our cars and share the sidewalk with errand boy robots? Well, doesn’t look like we have a choice! Plus, a Disney Movie Trivia Battle.…
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Disney is Celebrating 100 Years in many ways, but one of the most controversial is a limited edition box set selling for 15 HUNDRED DOLLARS! Is this limited edition legacy box set worth the price or is the house of mouse asking for too much cheddar? Plus, Yelp's Wall of Shame and Deidra's adventures with A.I.…
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Today on the show, Radio Matt is joined by Manny Montanez of nerdy Christian clothing company Quiet Mountain Apparel. We’re going to talk about his journey from church work to designing his own clothing lines and what it’s like in the apparel industry. Visit Quiet Mountain Apparel: https://www.quietmountainapparel.com Manny on IG: @neonagasaki Quie…
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Today on the show, it’s been over 20 years since the iconic boy band NSYNC created new music. NSYNC was one of the bands that started the hype of this style of music, which is still popular today. What could have brought them back together after so long? I’m not sure you wanna know. Plus, more nerdy news and Matt has a conspiracy theory.…
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What would it be like to grow up in a household guided by the principles of Ayn Rand’s Objectivist philosophy? We talk to Things Not Seen radio host Dr. David Dault, of Loyola University Chicago, about being expoed to the ideology of Ayn Rand at a young age. If you’ve ever wanted to know about Rand’s “Objectivist” idea but were too afraid to ask, w…
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As longtime Weirdo Listeners know, we don’t always have guests—but when we do, they win awards. Or they should. New York Times contributor Sam Kestenbaum won a 2023 Wilbur Award this past spring and now an AAR Journalism Award for a captivating article on Kathryn Krick—a Christian social media celebrity and charismatic preacher who frequents parks …
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Rebroadcasting a popular season finale from several years ago. Aliens are the quintessential sci-fi topic. Leah admits she used to watch Alf. Brian watched Alf too! We all did. Was The History Channel ever really respectable? The true utopian technology prophets will tell us when everything has been illuminated at the same time. Is it possible that…
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