Weird Religion

What do we know, based on social scientific data, about what it takes for children to carry on with the faith of their parents? We dive into a new book by two noted authors on the topic. The results are strange, shocking, exciting, depressing, and intriguing. Worth thinking about as a bigger story of what religion has become for us in the 21st century. This might be a part 1 of a 2 part thing. So watch for part 2 later maybe. Christian Smith and Amy Adamczyk, Handing Down the Faith: How Parents Pass Their Religion on to the Next Generation (Oxford, 2021): https://www.amazon.com/Handing-Down-Faith-Religion-Generation/dp/0190093323 Fig. 2.3 from the book about faith retention 10 years later based on parenting styles (showing remarkably little difference in church attendance, across all parenting styles, for kids of parents who placed a “high importance” on religion): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZAb_kYpIRxnQ_Jlbx1_V-Mx91Pdz8Bv-/view?usp=sharing; we partly misspoke here in the podcast about what we were seeing—it is parents with “authoritative” style (i.e., the “good” style), not “authoritarian,” who saw the highest rate of kids reporting they NEVER attending religious services, but only for those “authoritative” parents who placed a very low value on religion. It’s a complicated set of data. Have at it. Example review of the book, by Clara Gerhardt, Samford University: https://christianscholars.com/handing-down-the-faith-how-parents-pass-their-religion-on-to-the-next-generation-2/ David Brooks, in The Atlantic (March 2020): “The Nuclear Family Was a Mistake”: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-nuclear-family-was-a-mistake/605536/ The Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga movie is called A Star is Born (sorry everyone). Bradley Cooper on his faith and his father: https://aleteia.org/2021/06/04/covid-reveals-actor-bradley-coopers-devotion-to-his-mom/ Christian Smith, The Bible Made Impossible: https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Made-Impossible-Biblicism-Evangelical/dp/158743329X

Has the rise of the personality test replaced traditional faith narratives as a way to explain our own lives? How does one pronounce the word “Enneagram”? We investigate. With a powerful excursus into the purpose of work meetings (= to control people). Origins and history of the Enneagram: https://bit.ly/3qLGpK3 Jackie Hill Perry warns Christians against the demonic Enneagram: https://www.christianpost.com/news/jackie-hill-perry-warns-christians-not-to-use-demonic-enneagram.html Enneagram popularity soars: https://religionnews.com/2022/06/02/as-enneagrams-popularity-soars-having-an-experienced-teacher-is-more-important-than-ever/ Enneagram of your fav Bible character: http://blog.baysideonline.com/2018/02/the-enneagram-according-to-your-favorite-bible-characters/ Saved by the City’s Personality Test Extravaganza: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/25/a-personality-test-extravaganza/

We’re here this week to discuss potentially shocking revelations in the UFO “disclosure” community, and get you fully caught up on what has been said recently about aliens and such things. Brian went to a UFO festival and heard a specialist talk about “UFO Experiencers” for MUFON (yes, the same MUFON as referenced on the X Files!). Leah attended the free parade. A new government whistleblower claims we are in possession of multiple and even full “crafts” of non-human origin. Garry Nolan, scientist at Stanford, says that he is “100%” certain extraterrestrials are here. And respected Australian journalist Ross Coulthart has some…disturbing theories. Bob Lazar, who is he: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Lazar MUFON (Mutual UFO Network): https://mufon.com/ Earl Grey Anderson: https://ufofest.com/earl-grey-anderson-2/ NYT 2017 article that started this era: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/16/us/politics/pentagon-program-ufo-harry-reid.html Article out: new whistleblower, with unassailable credentials (?), says we have craft: https://thedebrief.org/intelligence-officials-say-u-s-has-retrieved-non-human-craft/ Sample article on Assyrian propoganda: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1535132 Garry Nolan, Stanford: https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/garry-nolan Garry Nolan bombshell interview at SALT Conference: https://twitter.com/UAPJames/status/1659299977762308098?s=20 Reflection on the NASA UFO hearing and how people get angry about this topic, harass NASA scientists online and in person: https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2023/06/nasa-ufos-conspiracy-theories/674259/Ross Coulthart commenting on Elizondo’s “somber” comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM3kxeU_oDE&t=9301

The News Roundup is back: bringing back the dead, briefly; robbing a piece of hair from your fav celeb to have a baby with them; Elizabeth Holmes is finally in jail; Silicon Valley woo; and the Pope’s exorcist. A brief interaction with your deceased loved one: https://futurism.com/ai-seance Tag-on story: Having a designer baby with a celebrity??!! https://www.npr.org/2023/05/25/1178103188/scientists-near-a-breakthrough-that-could-revolutionize-human-reproduction Soul Boom by Dwight Schrute // Rainn Wilson: https://sojo.net/articles/rainn-wilson-office-wants-spiritual-revolutionElizabeth Holmes reports to 11 year prison sentence: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/30/tech/elizabeth-holmes-prison/index.html Film about the Camino pilgrimage: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/15/the-way-emilio-estevezs-film-about-the-camino-returns-to-theaters-as-pilgrimage-picks-up-post-covid/ Why a Silicon Valley culture that was once obsessed with reason is going woo: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/rational-magic“An American Tail” is now a musical: https://www.jta.org/2023/04/17/culture/an-american-tail-musical-adaptation-bets-the-storys-jewish-immigration-story-will-resonate-in-2023 Only 16% of Americans say religion is most important: https://www.npr.org/2023/05/16/1176206568/less-important-religion-in-lives-of-americans-shrinking-report Pope’s exorcist is a fan of horror films: https://religionnews.com/2023/05/05/the-real-priest-behind-the-popes-exorcist-was-a-fan-of-hollywood-horror-films/Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda thing, full of religion: https://zelda-archive.fandom.com/wiki/Christianity

We’re rebroadcasting an early episode this week—to us, a classic, and perhaps as good as new to newer listeners. What happens when a movie series becomes not just your favorite or your religion, but literally forms the basis for all of your thinking and imagination and everything for your entire life? Such is the power of the Star Wars franchise. We dive into the murky depths of Star Wars fandom through the documentary The People Vs. George Lucas to think about authorial intent, the biblical canon, who owns our imaginations, and what it means to truly love fictional characters. Updated NotesThe People vs. George Lucas: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1325014/ “10 Harsh Realities of Being a Star Wars Fan”: https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-fan-negatives-downsides/#the-original-movies-keep-changing “Star Wars Fans and Their Collections,” The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/12/star-wars-fans-and-their-collections/420561/

We give in-the-moment commentary on a surprising spoken word track on Lana del Rey’s new album. The material is delivered by the famous and hip Churchome pastor Judah Smith. With Lana del Rey cooing in the background. Some deep moments, some weird moments. Roomful of Teeth, “Pasacaglia”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LlE41gvNcw&list=PLEwLYWjsY88Wj84zSQ0dkiFgFjJpIG4Y2 Jennifer Garner’s Methodist Church ties: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jennifer-garner-miracles-from-heaven_n_56cca718e4b0ec6725e42004 Judah Smith bio: https://everipedia.org/wiki/lang_en/judah-smith Lana del Rey, “Judah Smith Interlude” (2023): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8y-vMgLEXo4 DC Talk with Billy Graham: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTANlTnpeo Jeremiah’s letter to exiles, seek the welfare of your city: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah%2029%3A1-13&version=ESV Jimmy Swaggart preaching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKE-9qVGJa4 

It’s the end of the semester, which means it’s time for a chance hallway encounter that leads to a strange memory and then to reflections on the theological meaning of the proliferation of the codex (i.e., our modern physical book form). Matchbox Twenty, “Downfall” (2002): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aQWA_fAu8M Walmart, “Bible Highlighters and Pens”: https://www.walmart.com/c/kp/bible-highlighters-and-pens The orchestral piece Brian mentioned that brought a jaded chapel audience roaring to its feet at the end: Wojciech Kilar, “Orawa” (with Kristjan Järvi): https://youtu.be/h_Cluwghn_8 The Stephen Prothero book Leah mentioned: https://www.amazon.com/American-Bible-Divide-Define-Nation/dp/0062123432 The Timothy Beal book Brian read from: https://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fall-Bible-Timothy-Beal/dp/0547737343 TikToker justnaysha on highlighting in your Bible: https://www.tiktok.com/@justnaysha/video/7130356206597705002

The paperclipsalypse has arrived, as AI comes to destroy or save the world. Was AI there all along and we just now “discovered” its weird and eternal life? The “paperclip maximizer” thought experiment: https://nickbostrom.com/ethics/ai Eliezar Yudkowsky in TIME magazine, “Shut it Down”: https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-not-enough/ Scott Aaronson, Shtetl-Optimized: https://scottaaronson.blog/ Drake + The Weeknd AI hit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81Kafnm0eKQAI Beer commercial: https://www.tiktok.com/@realwholesomechannel/video/7227965471683775771 What if the AI was already there? https://twitter.com/drmichaellevin/status/1637449677028093953?s=20 Jacques Vallée on UFOs: https://www.wired.com/story/jacques-vallee-still-doesnt-know-what-ufos-are/ AI (2001 movie) scene: “The Flesh Fair”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMbAmqD_tn0

Tucker Carlson is out at Fox News. To solemnly mark the end of this reporting dynasty, we rebroadcast one of our TOP 10 most popular Weird Religion episodes of all time: The 2020 election and inauguration came and went, leaving the predictions of the QAnon prophets…hanging in the air. What happens to a religious movement when its key prophecies fail to come true in real time? Are adherents disappointed? Is/was Q a “religion”? And did the biblical prophet Ezekiel make a false prediction—and then try to correct it? UPDATED NOTESThink this story is old news? A February 2022 PRRI poll shows that nearly 20% (!!??) of all Americans still believe in the core QAnon message: https://www.prri.org/research/the-persistence-of-qanon-in-the-post-trump-era-an-analysis-of-who-believes-the-conspiracies/ Tucker out at Fox: https://www.npr.org/2023/04/24/1171641969/fox-news-fires-tucker-carlson-in-stunning-move-a-week-after-787-million-settleme Chris Bader, “When Prophecy Passes Unnoticed”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1387588?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents Dr. Christopher Bader: https://www.chapman.edu/our-faculty/christopher-bader Cat Transcendence - limitless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwmeH6Rnj2E“The QAnon ‘Storm’ Never Struck”: https://www.npr.org/sections/inauguration-day-live-updates/2021/01/20/958907699/the-qanon-storm-never-struck-some-supporters-are-wavering-others-steadfast Clips of Q adherents from: CNN reporting from 2018 at a Trump rally (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dGVXmuLmEM )Clips from “Satanic Panic” reporting from: CBC/Radio-Canada (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plEImKEIRm8)

Leah and Brian try the no-dunking challenge to talk about some weirdly religious videos by William Tapley, AKA “The Third Eagle of the Apocalypse.” First up: The Eagle uncovers Satanic messages in Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” Then, other things are REVEALED. William Tapley, AKA “The Third Eagle of the Apocalypse” in YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thirdeaglebooks Some background on the obscure William Tapley: http://www.jnordstrom.ca/blog-ideas-and-updates/bill-tapley-third-eagle-of-the-apocalypse-and-co-prophet-of-the-end-times William Tapley’s description of himself on his own website: https://www.thirdeaglemedia.com/about-me CORRECTION: Apparently William Tapley is not against the current pope, sort of: https://www.thirdeaglemedia.com/pope-watch The Third Eagle Takes on “Call Me Maybe”: https://twitter.com/LloydLegalist/status/1646633539645980673?s=20The Third Eagle’s “It’s Prophesied” re: Obama: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLT66yJBYbA&t=44s The Third Eagle’s “Doom & Gloom”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5PLf-2FYIM Belief in modern day prophets (statistics): https://religioninpublic.blog/2023/04/10/how-many-americans-believe-in-modern-day-prophets-what-does-that-entail/ Megan Goodwin’s Abusing Religion: Literary Persecution, Sex Scandals, and American Minority Religions: https://www.amazon.com/Abusing-Religion-Literary-Persecution-Religions/dp/1978807783 Jason C. Bivins, Religion of Fear: The Politics of Horror in Contemporary Evangelicalism: https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Fear-Politics-Conservative-Evangelicalism/dp/B008SLEH48