Episode 16: Gaggle of gods

It's commonly believed that the cultural wars in the West reflect a conflict between Christianity (more generally, religion) and secularism. In this episode we entertain a thesis put forth by law professor Steven Smith (and previously by T.S. Eliot), which is that modern cultural conflicts might be better understood as reflecting a historical battle between Christianity and paganism. As a start to our exploration of this intriguing thesis, we spend the lion's share of this episode unpacking core themes of paganism, including pantheism, animism, and forms of pagan worship. Listeners will learn about syncretism and henotheism and even encounter chthonic goddesses which were the focus of orgiastic temple worship practices. As we discuss these topics we describe how the psychedelics seem to spawn pagan beliefs and how pagan views are making their way into current scientific and philosophical theories of consciousness (i.e., panpsychism). Most importantly, we highlight (sometimes shocking) ways that paganism is manifesting in our society today, including how pagan ideology is being blatantly conveyed in the characters and storylines of popular movies and Netflix shows for children, and by the placement of pagan statues in prominent places (even scientific institutions; e.g., CERN).

Bibliography:

Books:

Arnold, C. (2001). Power and Magic: The Concept of Power in EphesiansFox, R. L. (1987). Pagans and Christians.Smith, S.D. (2018). Pagans and Christians in the City: Culture Wars from the Tiber to the Potomac.

Research Articles:

Genovese, J. E., & Little, K. D. (2015). Two studies of Superbrain Yoga’s potential effect on academic performance based on the Number Facility Test. Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2(4), 452.

News:

CBNNEWS | Statue of Molech, Pagan Deity of Child Sacrifice, Displayed at ColosseumBloomberg | Earth Needs Fewer People to Beat the Climate Crisis, Scientists SayMIT Technology Review | Critics blast a proposal to curb climate change by halting population growthThe Atlantic | What It’s Like to Trip on the Most Potent Magic Mushroom | Michael Pollan

Articles:

Counter-Currents | Greg Johnson - Yeats' Pagan Second Cominghistoryhit.com | The 12 Gods and Goddesses of Pagan RomeEncyclopaedia Britannica | Horus - Egyptian Godvox.com | 40 maps that explain the Roman Empirepranichealingontario.ca | SUPERBRAIN YOGA.pdf (opens pdf)

YouTube:

YouTube | How do you explain consciousness? | David ChalmersYouTube | David Chalmers: How Does Panpsychism Fit in Between Dualism and Materialism?YouTube | The British Museum | Living with gods: Shiva lord of the danceYouTube | Michael Pollan | The Opposite of Spirituality is Egotism | London Real excerptYouTube | Graham Hancock - The War on Consciousness BANNED TED TALKYouTube | The history of Atlantis and The Lost Trident of Atlan | AQUAMAN (IMAX) [HD] ClipYouTube | Wonder Woman History Lesson (720p)YouTube | The Pagan City, the Christian City, and the Secular City | Steven SmithYouTube | Culture Wars as Pagan Counterrevolution | Steven SmithYouTube | Coming Home? The Imminent Immanent City | Steven SmithYouTube | Ryan Reeves | Roman Pagan Life and Worship

Movies & Shows:

Granblue Fantasy: The AnimationFinal Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)Wonder Woman (2017)Aquaman (2018)Shazam! (2019)

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Website:
notconformed.show

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