Avoiding Babylon

A candid discussion on charity amid deep disagreement, scrupulosity, hell, and Marian devotion leads into immigration policy, demographic change, and the peril of letting righteous anger become hatred. The conversation also tackles social media’s obsession with spectacle, livestreamed executions, Noahide laws, Ben Shapiro’s rhetoric, and how Christians should respond to cultural upheaval without surrendering prayer, restraint, or faith.

Steve Skojec, Catholic writer and founder of OnePeterFive, joins a wide-ranging conversation on UAPs, deliberately vague alien terminology, and the spiritual dimension of AI. They explore re-enchantment, pagan frameworks, transhumanism, AI doomerism, TESCREAL ideology, and the “we have to build it” mindset. They also discuss practical ways to use AI in creative work without surrendering human authorship.

A fiery discussion of mass immigration, H-1B hiring networks, workplace gatekeeping, and housing competition in North Texas. The conversation also examines foreign-trained doctors, residency programs, alleged immigration fraud, and political scapegoating. At its core is a debate over national identity, assimilation, cultural continuity, and who benefits from America’s current immigration system.

A viral grandparent-childcare dispute sparks a fiery debate over family obligation, gratitude, entitlement, and the “fun grandma” role. The discussion expands into boomer-millennial conflict, inherited trauma, discipline, estrangement, Social Security, inflation, debt, and protecting family property. It closes with a grim murder case and a Catholic debate over justice, repentance, and the death penalty.

A botched execution sparks a fiery debate over capital punishment, humane methods, wrongful convictions, and the stories authorities tell. The conversation expands into media manipulation, outrage-driven algorithms, parenting in the internet age, and moral formation. It then turns to AI personhood, workplace automation, hallucinated legal citations, surveillance, and propaganda.

A pastor’s affair with a young worship singer spirals into murder, with incriminating texts exposing the horrifying plot. The discussion explores temptation, motive, digital evidence, accountability, and the consequences of trying to “solve” personal problems through evil. It then turns to criticism of modern feminist rhetoric and a theological reflection on Christ as the true temple and God’s dwelling place.

Catholic integralism takes center stage in a deep dive into American secularism, liberalism, and the nation’s founding settlement. The discussion explores Church-state authority, Vatican II and religious liberty, papal teaching, and the histories of Spain, Ireland, and Quebec. It also examines post-liberal thinkers, accusations of antisemitism, and whether a liberal state can ever truly be neutral.

Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link!A couple hundred bucks lost in Atlantic City turns into a surprisingly honest gut check: why do some temptations feel instantly disgusting, while others slowly become normal? From that cold open, we move into two listener stories that hit the opposite note: real momentum in Catholic life through community, courtship, conversion, and even a vocational step forward. It’s a reminder that small choices and daily habits can compound in either direction.Then we tackle the main spark for the night: a viral clip featuring Jimmy Akin and a question about the golden calf. Were the Israelites attempting to worship the one true God through an image, or was it a flat-out return to pagan idolatry? We don’t just react to the clip, we walk through why the framing matters, why “context” can still leave a bad argument intact, and how Catholic apologetics can drift when novelty starts replacing clarity. Along the way, we talk about Church messaging, interreligious dialogue, and how vague language can leave ordinary Catholics unsure about mission, conversion, and what the faith actually demands.We also widen the lens to modern pressures that shape the soul and the headlines: prescription stimulants and the fear of spiritual numbness, AI and cyber-panic narratives, and Canada’s MAID assisted dying program as a case study in the culture of death Pope John Paul II warned about. If you’re tired of recycled talking points and want an unfiltered conversation about doctrine, culture, and discernment, press play, then share this with a friend and leave a rating and review so more people can find the show.Support the showGet 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1https://www.avoidingbabylon.comMerchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.comLocals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.comFull Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribeRSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link!A single phrase can light the fuse on half the Catholic internet, and we’re watching it happen again. We start with the behind-the-scenes fallout in Catholic media as friendships fracture, platforms rebrand, and old “trad movement” alliances look shakier by the week. The bigger question we keep coming back to is what all this conflict does to regular Catholics trying to hold the faith without getting dragged into constant faction warfare.Then we dig into the real flashpoint: new talk around Nostra Aetate, Vatican II, and the claim that God’s covenant with the Jewish people is “irrevocable,” paired with the insistence that Christ is the one and only Redeemer. We wrestle with how Catholics should read that language, how Romans 11 gets invoked, and why unclear wording fuels suspicion, bad arguments, and endless online escalation. We also talk about the pressure-cooker created by modern rhetoric, where people fear labels more than they fear confusion, and where “interreligious dialogue” sometimes gets treated as a substitute for straightforward Catholic evangelization.One of the most powerful moments comes from a viral clip at a Novus Ordo Mass: a priest appears physically shaken, struggling with the chalice, and overwhelmed as he prays. We take it seriously as a reminder of Eucharistic faith, the weight of sin, and the danger of letting our hearts grow cold, especially when our first instinct is to sneer instead of to pray.If you care about Catholic theology, Catholic Jewish relations, Vatican II debates, and the future of online Catholic media, you’ll find plenty to wrestle with here. Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who needs a calmer take, and leave a review with your biggest question from the conversation.Support the showGet 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1https://www.avoidingbabylon.comMerchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.comLocals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.comFull Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribeRSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link!Fear doesn’t always feel like fear. Sometimes it shows up as “being responsible,” “being prepared,” or “staying in control.” We sit down with Elliot Hulse to talk about the moment that illusion breaks, and what happens when God starts asking for more than your habits, your hustle, or your plans.Elliot walks us through his backstory: growing up Catholic, drifting after the sacraments, wrestling with identity, and going deep into philosophy and Eastern spirituality before finding his way back to Jesus through charismatic Protestantism. Then YouTube success hits hard, and so does the crash. What follows is one of the most concrete parts of the conversation: repentance that leads straight to confession, daily Mass, and a Catholic reversion that reshapes his marriage, his parenting, and his entire home.We also go into modern masculinity and the manosphere, why young men look online for the guidance they can’t find elsewhere, and how “red pill” insights can rot into rage when Christ is removed. From there we turn to the pandemic mindset, prepping, homesteading, and the spiritual trap of believing we can save ourselves. Elliot connects it all to Abandonment to Divine Providence and the daily practice of acting from love and peace instead of fear and mammon.If this conversation challenges you, share it with a friend, subscribe for more, and leave a review so more people can find it.Support the showGet 10% off an amazing Black Monk Rosary by going to https://www.blackmonkrosaries.com/?ref=AVOIDINGBABYLON and using code AVOIDINGBABYLON at checkout!Check out our sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order!Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1https://www.avoidingbabylon.comMerchandise: https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.comLocals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.comFull Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribeRSS Feed for Podcast Apps: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss