Weird Religion

We take a dive into a strange corner of YouTube, featuring videos purporting to show hitherto unknown or under-appreciated evidence that giant humans lived in the past and their bones have been hidden or covered up by the Smithsonian.Pew Research on YouTube: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2022/08/10/teens-social-media-and-technology-2022/ Heidi Campbell, researcher on digital religion: https://digitalreligion.tamu.edu/users/heidi-campbell “Giant of Japan military parade”: https://youtu.be/-uigLE6EI1gBig Man Japan (2007): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997147/ “20 Shocking Discoveries of Giants You Won’t Believe Exist”: https://youtu.be/Mf3_PWprFS8 “Giants Emerging Everywhere – They Can’t Hide This”: https://youtu.be/sVmOnwng6gs History Channel’s Search for Lost Giants: https://youtu.be/JzlSWzg-FkY Karen Douglas, on defining conspiracies: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0963721417718261 1 Enoch online (see ch. 15): https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/enoch/ENOCH_1.HTM Van Prooijen, et al., “The entertainment value of conspiracy theories”: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12522 Birds Aren’t Real: https://birdsarentreal.com/ Ted Cruz is the Zodiac Killer: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Cruz%E2%80%93Zodiac_Killer_meme

Does voting count as a religious act—especially if you go behind a curtain to do it? We discuss a candidate’s wife recently declaring that she and her husband “love Israel more than a lot of Jews do,” and the authoritative, beguiling voice of the possibly-once-Buddhist Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake. Civil Religion: http://www.robertbellah.com/articles_5.htm Oregon Mail Voting: https://www.multco.us/elections/brief-history-vote-mail-oregon 054 THE HEX (Anti-Trump Witches vs. Paula White and angels from Africa): https://open.spotify.com/episode/4FbVST1Cj30XBxE0Sq3lNJ; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/054-the-curse-witches-hex-trump-paul-white-cain/id1428037534?i=1000498344437 Brazil election as holy war: https://religionnews.com/2022/10/28/presidential-standoff-becomes-a-holy-war-in-brazil/Doug & Rebbie Mastriano: https://twitter.com/jacobkornbluh/status/1586520983036481536  Charismatics & the Shofar: https://politicaltheology.com/the-trump-shall-sound-politics-pentecostals-and-the-shofar-at-the-capitol-riots/ Kari Lake was a Buddhist? https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2022-election/obama-backing-arizona-news-anchor-became-trumps-pick-governor-rcna38985Kari Lake disputes that she was ever a Buddhist: https://youtu.be/mmA2mXbkzrs

Veering wildly between reflections on death and bodies in the contemporary world, jokes about professional wrestling, ambulances passing by, rumination on how ancient people thought about burial and the afterlife, and with a major and free idea for others for a publication (hint: where do people who attend megachurches get buried?)—this is what you need for Halloween. Or any time. We’re back for the 8th season and 4th year of new podcast episodes from Weird Religion. The skulls we’re talking about have their own Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastered_human_skulls Some more on the skulls: https://www.ashmolean.org/jericho-skull Archaeologist Dr. Karina Croucher: https://www.bradford.ac.uk/staff/kcroucher; https://twitter.com/karinaktc Paul Bearer (WWF/WWE): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bearer Brian’s paper on the buried infant at Ashkelon: https://bit.ly/3DnEiil

Happy summer to everyone! We’ll be back in the fall of 2022 regularly, and possibly with a one-off here or there before then. Stay cool weirdos. https://www.weirdreligion.com/https://www.instagram.com/weirdreligionpodcast/https://twitter.com/weirdreligionhttps://facebook.com/weirdreligionIf you’d be so kind as to leave us a review on Apple podcasts, we’d love that. Thank you!

In late 2021, the soap opera Days of Our Lives revived its most iconic and beloved and controversial storyline: the possession of Marlena, aka the Mardevil. We review, with memories of childhood summers, wild Days plotlines, a debate in the comment section, and a sociological theory of possession. Highlights from the 1994–1995 Mardevil plot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOhSYgDMLmw John Black casts the devil out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sToK0mCv3DU&t=1556s Days bringing back the possession story, with a vibrant user comments section:  https://ew.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-binging-back-possession-storyline/ The Devil comes back for Marlena after 25 years: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F11iqh7_eDc&list=PLNmiY2SJ3AKOFk7ULhfHITURjKNIFsHL5 The second exorcism of Marlena (2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q9N3m6nSTQ; https://youtu.be/bnIEjymVdUM An update on the recent Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-weekly-recap-mardevil-coming-get-his-due.html/ Further updates on the current Mardevil plot revival: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/days-of-our-lives-sneak-peek-mar-devil-overplays-her-hand-ben-ciara.html/ Deidre Hall brings holy water to set: https://people.com/tv/days-of-our-lives-deidre-hall-uses-holy-water-filming-scenes-where-character-is-possessed/ Marlena Evans on fandom.com: https://daysofourlives.fandom.com/wiki/Marlena_Evans The Deidre Hall website: https://deidrehall.com/ Notorious and ridiculous Days plotlines from which we quote: ​​https://bit.ly/3eGO8jm; https://bit.ly/3zcVJiQ Book review on possession: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/0048721X.2021.2024744?needAccess=true 

When you need a compelling authority figure character on TV or movie screen, you get a priest—or a professor. We reveal four of our favorite professors on screen, and chat with a special guest whose scholarly speciality is analyzing the way professors are depicted in movies. Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR7Kh77aNnUDavid Duchovny )as himself) and Ji-Yoon (Sandra Oh) in Netflix’s The Chair: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBm2tYvr84Larry Gopnik, A Serious Man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HJqPZ-KmZs Professor Walsh on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Maggie_Walsh Runner up: Professor confrontation in God’s Not Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFcZS8ra6gkJohn C. Fitch III on IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7266946/ Dissertation: “The Cinematic College Professor: Conceptions and Representations”: https://bit.ly/3I7tQxr Article: “Making a College Professor Film: A Case Study”: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0973258619866353 Podcast drama series: “The Lowest Deep”: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1997958

It’s time for a news round up: Come to hear about AI coming to life, as a child; stay to hear about the Army’s new recruitment video with ghost and witch vibes. Stay longer for the Mithradites of Fond du Lac, Disney religion, and the apocalypse happening on TV on the dystopian show “Masked Singer.” Google engineer thinks AI came to life: https://twitter.com/tomgara/status/1535716256585859073?s=21&t=OsDxk60bIKY5XQd_vff-4A; https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/06/11/google-ai-lamda-blake-lemoine/The Mithradites of Fond du Lac: https://thebeliever.net/mithradites-of-fond-du-lac/ Fly American for faith accommodations for employees and passengers alike: https://religionnews.com/2022/05/23/american-airlines-dubbed-most-faith-friendly-fortune-500-company/The Apocalypse will happen and has happened on TV: https://www.theringer.com/tv/2022/6/3/23152399/apocalyptic-reality-tv-masked-singer-circle-floor-is-lava Scripture wheel of emotions: https://twitter.com/rharrisphdmom/status/1530367715415826432?s=21&t=_cThy_0Or0iAgqIksyB88AWeird Army recruitment video with witch vibes: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/unsettling-fort-bragg-recruitment-video-ignites-debate-over-its-mysterious-intent/ar-AAXkQJk; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uNPZKJqbE8 Sheltered kid goes to college: https://youtu.be/ckgGbVrW5DE AI writes nine stories about a sister’s death: https://thebeliever.net/ghosts/Bitcoin like a religion because: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VveLNyHjLqg&t=76sDisney like a religion: https://www.npr.org/2022/06/11/1104056661/disney-adults; https://t.co/tbYvi2RwFt

Few things can rile the Christian faithful like a new Bible translation (see, e.g., John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, etc.). The scholarly and ecumenical translation of choice, the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), got a haircut of sorts; it’s called the NRSVue (ue = “updated edition”). We give a review. Resources mentioned in this episode: NRSVue in full on Bible Gateway: https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/New-Revised-Standard-Version-Updated-Edition-NRSVue-Bible List of the major changes: https://guides.library.yale.edu/newtestament/nrsvueSome people who don’t like it: https://juicyecumenism.com/2022/01/19/liberal-nrsvue-bible-translation-update/Interview with committee member Dr. Abraham Smith: https://blog.smu.edu/perkins/nrsv-updated-edition/ 

Brian has a confession that will shock the world of the News Roundup. Leah offers absolution. Give us a shout on Twitter if you finished this ep and we will celebrate you. STORIES DISCUSSED (yes actually)Mythical root axe: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/13/1098545920/kansas-man-finds-ax-tree-root-handle-reddit-thor Far Right American Christians converting to Orthodoxy: https://www.npr.org/2022/05/10/1096741988/orthodox-christian-churches-are-drawing-in-far-right-american-converts Spilling blood in fake tiger fighting for rain: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220508-mexican-tiger-fight-ritual-draws-blood-to-bring-rain Exorcisms have gone mainstream: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/wellness/exorcism-is-something-we-cant-quite-quit/ar-AAX12Wr Quasi-religious ceremonies for crypto creation https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeldelcastillo/2022/04/27/edward-snowden-revealed-as-key-participant-in-mysterious-ceremony-creating-2-billion-anonymous-cryptocurrency/?sh=3ae4c1803b24 Surprising reason why Christians help migrants: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/church-satan-marjorie-taylor-greene_n_6269c72fe4b04a9ff8974f2d Wine loving nun is the oldest: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/worlds-oldest-person-french-nun-sister-andre Eve Frank, the first female Jewish messiah: https://daily.jstor.org/meet-eva-frank-the-first-jewish-female-messiah/ We’re calling everything a “hellscape” now: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2022/04/why-were-calling-everything-a-hellscape/629565/ Crucifying Jesus in front of Five Guys: https://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/u4dpc3/warm_enough_to_crucify_the_bishop_today_in_front/ A theory of why we’re all going nuts online: https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/something-happened-by-us-a-demonology Mercury extra retrograde has people changing their lives: https://www.wsj.com/articles/astrology-fans-feel-the-dread-mercury-is-in-retrograde-an-extra-time-this-year-11650292198 Catholicism declines in Latin America: https://www.axios.com/catholic-decline-latin-america-evangelicals-dd2bab11-6a22-48cc-b65a-554578c7a62e.html Zuck on life’s meaning: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/tech/news/inside-mark-zuckerbergs-plan-cure-26358289 Evangelicals starting to have a political mind of their own: https://www.bloombergquint.com/business/trump-fails-to-turn-evangelicals-against-gop-governor-he-scorns Trapping people in your guitar worship service at 30,000 feet: https://www.reddit.com/r/PublicFreakout/comments/u4yroc/wanna_get_away/ Near death experiences are not hallucinations: https://www.braintomorrow.com/2022/04/08/near-death-brain-activity/ Pastors flipping properties: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/14/miami-church-real-estate-first-presbyterian Christian sect burning shed and Colorado fire: https://www.thedailybeast.com/christian-sect-burning-shed-focus-of-deadly-colorado-fire-investigation Catholic conspiracy theory: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2022/03/pope-francis-consecration-ukraine-russia-fatima-conspiracy-theories.htmlNot Satanic Chair: https://twitter.com/skestenbaum/status/1507339305911562249?s=20&t=pIGZblxvEPLN0i-BCB7ExA Misunderstanding the book of Job in the face of the apocalypse: https://slate.com/human-interest/2022/03/job-torah-story-despair-alternative-war-democracy-climate-apocalypse.html The last Covid story we’ll ever do pls? https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ricky-schroder-mask-meltdown_n_62257790e4b012a2628cb4b5 Poem, “Welcome to the Age of Beautiful Weirdos”: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/03/friday-poem-290.html Priest helps families at no cost: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/28/1083451577/philippines-drug-war-victims-burial Really stretching the “religion” angle here but Remember King of Kong? https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/king-kong-monkey-bashed-seagull-26422015 Pat Robertson going strong: https://twitter.com/RealAmVoice/status/1495114363648163843?s=20&t=1ad1MdgQeC3wWjUsC6imJQ Pat Robertson says God made Putin do it: https://www.salon.com/2022/03/01/pat-robertson-putin-is-being-compelled-by-god-to-invade-ukraine-and-fulfill-biblical-prophecy_partner/ Doomsday Plane flies yayyy: https://inews.co.uk/news/us-doomsday-plane-boeing-flight-putin-nuclear-weapons-threat-russia-ukraine-1491543 Teaching evals for Professor Jesus Christ: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/selected-negative-teaching-evaluations-of-jesus-christ Celeb couples turning vampiric: https://www.vice.com/en/article/epxbna/why-are-celebrities-so-obsessed-with-blood-right-now-machine-gun-kelly-megan-fox Nephilim documentary: https://www.jpost.com/christianworld/article-696572A lot of humans wish they were never born (saw in Salem on way to Bend): https://images.app.goo.gl/1d36kqNSW18tseWV6Astrologers predict new things for America based on 2s: https://nypost.com/2022/02/21/astrologers-explain-power-shift-significance-of-2-22-22/ Clergy shortage forces laypeople into roles: https://www.wsj.com/articles/houses-of-worship-face-clergy-shortage-as-many-resign-during-pandemic-11645452000 Facts and Myths about Being Wrong About Things: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jep.34.3.220 After school Satanism: https://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article257283327.html People like lady robots better: https://www.studyfinds.org/humans-female-robots/ Why Churches Should Drop Their Online Services: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/30/opinion/church-online-services-covid.html?referringSource=articleShareSurge of digital church membership: https://www.fox5ny.com/news/virtual-reality-church-worshipping-in-the-metaverse Canadian doctors can prescribe nature walks: https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079356799/a-new-program-in-canada-gives-doctors-the-option-of-prescribing-national-park-vi Worship the beast: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/rare-calf-born-three-eyes-25969723 Sunday lunch crowd meme: https://www.reddit.com/r/antiwork/comments/sfohsc/thee_worst_in_the_rogues_gallery_of_shit_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf Attempt to kill the Antichrist: https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-biden-antichrist-assassination-attempt-secret-service-20220129-q4to7j27v5d6tkye5eeh5kzwfi-story.html Guru: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/13/style/alex-ebert-bad-guru.html The Theologian who warned of American Christian facism in the 1980s: https://mitchellglennfrommichigan.medium.com/this-theologian-warned-of-american-christian-fascism-back-in-the-80s-1a790bff13b3 Zoommunion (?): https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/21-january/news/uk/holy-communion-online-is-valid-and-effective-says-burridgeFaith healer nails nail in woman’s head: https://metro.co.uk/2022/02/11/faith-healer-hammered-nail-into-pregnant-womans-head-so-shed-have-baby-boy-16088206/ Non-believer groups in Ohio: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/2022/01/28/8-greater-columbus-groups-atheists-and-nonbelievers/6581283001/Christian flag reaches the Supreme Court: https://3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily/2022/01/christian-flag-case-reaches-supreme-court-is-the-nazi-flag-next.html Rise of sneaker-preacher-influencers: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/29/pastor-michael-todd-spit-preacher-influencerDrowning Man Parable and Vaccines: https://slate.com/human-interest/2021/10/christian-drowning-man-parable-covid-vaccine.html QAnon shuts down national butterfly center: https://www.dailydot.com/debug/national-butterfly-center-closed-sex-trafficking-qanon/ JFK disguised as you know who: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/qanon-donald-trump-jfk_n_61e5e64be4b05645a6eb0912 Mystical letters spell the real culprit: https://www.reddit.com/r/terriblefacebookmemes/comments/rxuk74/god_damn_media_spreddin_rona_round/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf QAnon Shaman was trying to calm the crowd: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/qanon-shaman-riot-claim_n_61d68fd2e4b061afe3aedb25 Western Wall future and shaky Israeli government: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east-religion-jerusalem-israel-prayer-04a68f9f0baafa813fb0dfab3485e896 New doc puts women at center: https://religionnews.com/2021/12/15/new-documentary-daughters-of-eve-dismantle-christian-patriarchy-zanah-thirus-bible-feminism/ Islamic comic book finds audience: ​​https://religionnews.com/2021/12/29/islamic-friendly-comic-book-content-finds-a-growing-audience/ Noah’s Ark doomsday bunker: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/weird-news/noahs-ark-underground-doomsday-bunker-25852569 Nonbelief channel at Patheos drama: https://religionnews.com/2022/01/04/what-happened-to-the-nonbelief-channel-at-patheos/ 

This week, we tell the strange tale, via Twitter thread, of a man who brings his childhood imaginary friend back to life…through AI. The friend happens to be a microwave, who is also a WWI veteran. What could go wrong? (So many things.) Lucas Rizzotto’s Twitter thread: https://twitter.com/_LucasRizzotto/status/1516205625662836739 The video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1G5b_2PYj0 Open AI and GPT-3: https://openai.com/api/ A working class supper from the 1800s reenactment video: https://youtu.be/K3DgRm9N3zU Star Wars talking to your kids PSA: https://youtu.be/pCjMGOvMghY Nazarene congregation vibes: https://bit.ly/39edCVKVestel Goodman: https://youtu.be/XxlI1ZRunu0