Weird Religion
197 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 months ago - ★★★★★ - 88 ratingsWeird 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 wide variety of topics. Cults. The perils of fame within the evangelical world. Church attendance. Atheism. Gamer communities. Millennials and avocado toast. It's all here.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
042 THE TEACHOUT (WE'RE WORKING FROM HOME NOW)
March 16, 2020 23:52 - 5 minutes - 4.62 MBAs if working wasn’t bad enough—it’s now time to turn your house into your workplace, too!!!!!!!!
THE TEACHOUT (WE'RE WORKING FROM HOME NOW)
March 16, 2020 23:52 - 5 minutes - 4.62 MBAs if working wasn’t bad enough—it’s now time to turn your house into your workplace, too!!!!!!!!
THE COMFORTS (WHAT WE WATCH IN TROUBLED TIMES)
March 16, 2020 23:46 - 4 minutes - 3.72 MBEat your food and watch your TV with your little family before the zombie horde comes
041 THE COMFORTS (WHAT WE WATCH IN TROUBLED TIMES)
March 16, 2020 23:46 - 4 minutes - 3.72 MBEat your food and watch your TV with your little family before the zombie horde comes
040 THE DREAM (LIVIN IN THE LAND OF NOD)
March 16, 2020 23:37 - 6 minutes - 4.75 MBLeah and Brian attempt to interpret a dream about the virus
THE DREAM (LIVIN IN THE LAND OF NOD)
March 16, 2020 23:37 - 6 minutes - 4.75 MBLeah and Brian attempt to interpret a dream about the virus
TRAILER: WEIRD RELIGION IN THE AGE OF THE VIRUS (PASS THE MIC)
March 16, 2020 23:29 - 2 minutes - 2.29 MBHUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW SEASON OF WEIRD RELIGION. COMING YOUR WAY. TITLE: "WEIRD RELIGION IN THE AGE OF THE VIRUS." Eps rolling out now. They're going to be short. They're going to be frequent and yet also sporadic. They may come in clusters. They're going to be of bootleg quality. And it will be our best season yet. You need this right now and you know it and we know it. So it's happening.
039 THE PREMIUM (class war; bigfoot; Jordache jeans; expensive shirts; sneakers; mean girls)
October 31, 2019 22:32 - 13 minutes - 11.4 MBBrian and Leah hit the road to look for Bigfoot. On the way, Brian ambushes Leah in the who-is-more-working-class battle, but Leah strikes back. We discuss the fear of wearing expensive clothing, pastors wearing expenses sneakers, and mean girls, and Leah’s desire for a pair of Jordache jeans
THE PREMIUM (class war; bigfoot; Jordache jeans; expensive shirts; sneakers; mean girls)
October 31, 2019 22:32 - 13 minutes - 11.4 MBBrian and Leah hit the road to look for Bigfoot. On the way, Brian ambushes Leah in the who-is-more-working-class battle, but Leah strikes back. We discuss the fear of wearing expensive clothing, pastors wearing expenses sneakers, and mean girls, and Leah’s desire for a pair of Jordache jeans
BONUS: ANNA MERLAN ON REPUBLIC OF LIES
October 08, 2019 17:48 - 27 minutes - 62 MBIn this episode we talk about the religious angle of conspiracy theories with Anna Merlan – journalist and author of Republic of Lies, a fascinating new book on American conspiracies – what they are, where they come from, and what they mean for the religious landscape of the U.S.A. Along the way we talk conspiracy theory cruises, U.F.O.s and much much more… listen in. We know “THEY” already are!!
BONUS EP: THE HERO (Jessica Jones with Special Guest David Dault of Things Not Seen Radio)
October 01, 2019 16:12 - 32 minutes - 74.8 MBwo parents experience their worst nightmare: their daughter is under the control of Kilgrave, a villain who overrides the will of anyone he wishes to control. Who can help them? Enter Jessica Jones, the hard-drinking, super-powered private eye. Can she defeat Kilgrave? Does she have any choice in the matter? Does anyone in the Jessica Jones universe exercise free will or all they all destined or doomed to their fates? We talk with our good friend David Dault, host of Things Not Seen Radio (o...
THE TRUTH (Ancient Aliens, the History Channel and all of the possibilities)
September 23, 2019 21:48 - 31 minutes - 71.9 MBTHE SEASON 3 FINALE: ANCIENT ALIENS: NEED WE SAY MORE. 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…
038 THE TRUTH (Ancient Aliens, the History Channel and all of the possibilities)
September 23, 2019 21:48 - 31 minutes - 71.9 MBTHE SEASON 3 FINALE: ANCIENT ALIENS: NEED WE SAY MORE. 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…
THE AUTHORITIES (Blackout podcast, parenting as a dictatorship, churches and technology)
September 16, 2019 19:44 - 33 minutes - 76 MBWould church be better off with no technology? Could Leah be a powerful dictator? Would people return to traditional authoritarian styles of leadership when the grid goes down? WE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE DEFINITIVELY. Charismatic versus inherited authority in the church. The worship leaders versus the pastor. Weberian analysis of the book of Judges.
037 THE AUTHORITIES (Blackout podcast, parenting as a dictatorship, churches and technology)
September 16, 2019 19:44 - 33 minutes - 76 MBWould church be better off with no technology? Could Leah be a powerful dictator? Would people return to traditional authoritarian styles of leadership when the grid goes down? WE ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE DEFINITIVELY. Charismatic versus inherited authority in the church. The worship leaders versus the pastor. Weberian analysis of the book of Judges.
THE HORROR (Twilight Zone revival, stand-up comedy, and creepy doll horror)
September 09, 2019 21:27 - 33 minutes - 77.2 MBWe watch some episodes from the Jordan-Peele-hosted revival of The Twilight Zone and talk about the old series and the horror of being trapped. We ruminate on creepy doll horror like Talky Tina. Brian tries out the second joke from his stand-up routine. Leah tells the legend of the china doll.
036 THE HORROR (Twilight Zone revival, stand-up comedy, and creepy doll horror)
September 09, 2019 21:27 - 33 minutes - 77.2 MBWe watch some episodes from the Jordan-Peele-hosted revival of The Twilight Zone and talk about the old series and the horror of being trapped. We ruminate on creepy doll horror like Talky Tina. Brian tries out the second joke from his stand-up routine. Leah tells the legend of the china doll.
THE BELIEVERS (McMinnville UFO Festival, Bob Lazar, Roswell)
September 03, 2019 18:40 - 37 minutes - 85.3 MBSPECIAL EPISODE: This week we take you on location to the McMinnville UFO festival to watch the premier of the new documentary about Roswell whistleblower Bob Lazar. We talk about belief, how UFO communities are like churches, and the extent to which each of us believes and/or wants to believe. We meet in a dark back alley within the convention hall like Mulder and Scully, and end the day in a less-than-inspiring food tent.
035 THE BELIEVERS (McMinnville UFO Festival, Bob Lazar, Roswell)
September 03, 2019 18:40 - 37 minutes - 85.3 MBSPECIAL EPISODE: This week we take you on location to the McMinnville UFO festival to watch the premier of the new documentary about Roswell whistleblower Bob Lazar. We talk about belief, how UFO communities are like churches, and the extent to which each of us believes and/or wants to believe. We meet in a dark back alley within the convention hall like Mulder and Scully, and end the day in a less-than-inspiring food tent.
034 THE CONGREGATION (The People Vs. George Lucas, ultra Star Wars fandom, and authorial intent)
August 26, 2019 21:52 - 31 minutes - 73.2 MBWhat 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. This week, 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.
THE CONGREGATION (The People Vs. George Lucas, ultra Star Wars fandom, and authorial intent)
August 26, 2019 21:52 - 31 minutes - 73.2 MBWhat 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. This week, 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.
033 THE NOSTALGIA (Stranger Things, the Cold War, and child abductions)
August 19, 2019 23:49 - 33 minutes - 76.9 MBLet’s talk about one of the most popular shows on Netflix: Stranger Things. Monsters, the 1980s, neon clothes, loaded memories of teenage drama, and a time when malls ruled supreme over the lives of adolescents. We talk about the Cold War and the child abduction fear craze in the 1980s and wonder: Why are we looking back on this era with fondness, exactly? Does Stranger Things re-enchant our secular world?
THE NOSTALGIA (Stranger Things, the Cold War, and child abductions)
August 19, 2019 23:49 - 33 minutes - 76.9 MBLet’s talk about one of the most popular shows on Netflix: Stranger Things. Monsters, the 1980s, neon clothes, loaded memories of teenage drama, and a time when malls ruled supreme over the lives of adolescents. We talk about the Cold War and the child abduction fear craze in the 1980s and wonder: Why are we looking back on this era with fondness, exactly? Does Stranger Things re-enchant our secular world?
032 THE CREATOR (The Dropout, Elizabeth Holmes, gender smackdown)
August 12, 2019 18:55 - 31 minutes - 73.1 MBThis week we sneakily keep the sci-fi theme going with a topic involving science and fiction: the embattled Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her attempt to create—or rather, fake having created—a futuristic blood-testing system. We end up having a gender smackdown conversation about women-on-women violence in the workplace, discussing ancient female fertility figurines and matriarchal societies, and musing on whether Holmes intentionally tried to dress like a religious leader.
THE CREATOR (The Dropout, Elizabeth Holmes, gender smackdown)
August 12, 2019 18:55 - 31 minutes - 73.1 MBThis week we sneakily keep the sci-fi theme going with a topic involving science and fiction: the embattled Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes and her attempt to create—or rather, fake having created—a futuristic blood-testing system. We end up having a gender smackdown conversation about women-on-women violence in the workplace, discussing ancient female fertility figurines and matriarchal societies, and musing on whether Holmes intentionally tried to dress like a religious leader.
THE EVIL (Twin Peaks, good and evil, moral progress, and Lynchian style)
August 05, 2019 19:43 - 35 minutes - 80.4 MBThis week we’re going into the surreal world of David Lynch through Twin Peaks. Brian and Leah enter the Black Lodge. We consider why writers/artists would create obtuse art vs. on-the-nose art. We try to explain Twin Peaks. And we discuss unfortunately timely topics such as: Has the cause of good gone backward or forward in the world? Why does evil always make a comeback, making progress seem impossible?
031 THE EVIL (Twin Peaks, good and evil, moral progress, and Lynchian style)
August 05, 2019 19:43 - 35 minutes - 80.4 MBThis week we’re going into the surreal world of David Lynch through Twin Peaks. Brian and Leah enter the Black Lodge. We consider why writers/artists would create obtuse art vs. on-the-nose art. We try to explain Twin Peaks. And we discuss unfortunately timely topics such as: Has the cause of good gone backward or forward in the world? Why does evil always make a comeback, making progress seem impossible?
THE ANOINTING (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, school shootings, and being chosen)
July 29, 2019 23:25 - 37 minutes - 85.1 MBThis week we’re talking about the #1 most references TV by religious studies academics: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Leah the expert takes first-time-pilot view Brian through the nuances and rituals of the Buffyverse. We reflect on the notion of being chosen, Buffy’s feminist twists, top Buffy moments, and thinking about cosmic violence in high schools during the age of school shootings.
030 THE ANOINTING (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, school shootings, and being chosen)
July 29, 2019 23:25 - 37 minutes - 85.1 MBThis week we’re talking about the #1 most references TV by religious studies academics: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Leah the expert takes first-time-pilot view Brian through the nuances and rituals of the Buffyverse. We reflect on the notion of being chosen, Buffy’s feminist twists, top Buffy moments, and thinking about cosmic violence in high schools during the age of school shootings.
029 THE CASTLE (Man in the High Castle, revolutionary religious violence, and the historical Jesus)
July 22, 2019 21:35 - 32 minutes - 74.3 MBThe Nazis are back, invading other dimensions and confusing us all over again in The Man in the High Castle. We discuss the perils of religious violence, Nazi influences on Biblical scholarship, and the historical Jesus.
THE CASTLE (Man in the High Castle, revolutionary religious violence, and the historical Jesus)
July 22, 2019 21:35 - 32 minutes - 74.3 MBThe Nazis are back, invading other dimensions and confusing us all over again in The Man in the High Castle. We discuss the perils of religious violence, Nazi influences on Biblical scholarship, and the historical Jesus.
THE FATES (Russian Doll, mid-life crises, and Nietzsche's myth of eternal return)
July 15, 2019 15:23 - 30 minutes - 70.5 MBWe gush over the Netflix series Russian Doll and its themes of mid-life crisis, and discuss why Leah would not want to relive the day before her wedding, and why Brian will not be an NBA player.
028 THE FATES (Russian Doll, mid-life crises, and Nietzsche's myth of eternal return)
July 15, 2019 15:23 - 30 minutes - 70.5 MBWe gush over the Netflix series Russian Doll and its themes of mid-life crisis, and discuss why Leah would not want to relive the day before her wedding, and why Brian will not be an NBA player.
027 THE HEAVENS (The Good Place, the afterlife, and the point system)
July 09, 2019 14:59 - 31 minutes - 72.3 MBSeason 3 opens with THE HEAVENS, an exploration of the afterlife with the The Good Place. One woman dies and finds herself in the afterlife wherein “good” people end up in a specially-created place to enjoy with their soulmate. Just one problem. SHE IS TERRIBLE AND SHE KNOWS IT. What should she do? Fortunately, her faux soulmate is a moral philosophy professor and if anyone can make someone good, it should be him. Right? In this episode we talk about heaven, hell, purgatory, and every place ...
THE HEAVENS (The Good Place, the afterlife, and the point system)
July 09, 2019 14:59 - 31 minutes - 72.3 MBSeason 3 opens with THE HEAVENS, an exploration of the afterlife with the The Good Place. One woman dies and finds herself in the afterlife wherein “good” people end up in a specially-created place to enjoy with their soulmate. Just one problem. SHE IS TERRIBLE AND SHE KNOWS IT. What should she do? Fortunately, her faux soulmate is a moral philosophy professor and if anyone can make someone good, it should be him. Right? In this episode we talk about heaven, hell, purgatory, and every place ...
SEASON 3 TRAILER: BLACK LODGE VERSION
July 01, 2019 20:16 - 2 minutes - 4.65 MBSeason 3 of Weird Religion has arrived! We have a normal trailer, but for Twin Peaks fans, we offer this bonus BLACK LODGE version of the trailer. Do not say that we lack options for trailers for Twin Peaks fans. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-WW8V8nD5E
SEASON 3 TRAILER: NORMCORE VERSION
July 01, 2019 19:54 - 3 minutes - 7.81 MBSeason 3 of Weird Religion has arrived! This is the normcore trailer. For fans of Twin Peaks, we also have a BLACK LODGE version. Your choice. Do not say we are a one-size-fits-all podcast.
BONUS: Interview with Prof. Tim Timmerman
April 16, 2019 15:57 - 23 minutes - 53 MBIn THE TEACHER, we welcome “Teacher of the Year,” art professor Tim Timmerman, to talk about creativity, learning to handle criticism, technology, and lapsing into an Irish accent during lectures. Join us!
BONUS: Interview with the Spouses
April 09, 2019 15:18 - 30 minutes - 75.9 MBFor our holiday special, we chose two of the wildly popular Hallmark Channel Christmas romance movies and watched them WITH OUR SPOUSES and with a keen eye for messages about the holidays and love. Join us for the hot cocoa filled interview!
BONUS: Interview with Dr. Roger Nam
April 02, 2019 15:31 - 18 minutes - 42.4 MBIn THE FOOD, we interview Dr. Roger Nam, Dean of Portland Seminary and Professor of Biblical Studies, about food in the Hebrew Bible, his culinary adventures, and the power of food to shape identity. Join us!
BONUS: Interview with Dr. Michael Wood
March 26, 2019 05:14 - 13 minutes - 31.9 MBIn THE CONSPIRACY we interview psychologist Dr. Michael Wood at the University of Winchester in the UK about who has the best conspiracy theories and why people believe in them at all. All that, plus The X-Files. Join us!
BONUS: Interview with Dr. James Byrd
March 20, 2019 13:54 - 16 minutes - 37.2 MBIn THE WAR, we watch Ken Burns’ epic ten-part Vietnam documentary and ask are Americans, in particular, fond of the notion of “holy war”? Catch our interview with Dr. James Byrd, professor of American religious history at Vanderbilt Divinity School, on the religious imagery of battle and America’s holy war tradition. Join us!
BONUS: Interview with House Hunter Molly Oberheide
March 09, 2019 06:23 - 11 minutes - 26.6 MBIn THE HOUSE, we interviewed a home-buyer featured on a real House Hunters episode. We asked Molly Oberheide to spill about why all of those HGTV shows are so alluring, what it takes to hunt a house, and what really goes on behind the scenes of all of our favorite home improvement and home buying shows. You may or may not want to have House Hunters spoiled for you… listen at your own risk! Join us!
026 KURT COBAIN (a Weird Religion check-in)
February 26, 2019 18:06 - 8 minutes - 3.91 MBA live check-in, from Leah and Brian, from the Coffee Cat in downtown Newberg, OR. What we’re watching on TV (Siempre Bruja, The Good Place), GenX love, and the death of Kurt Cobain.
KURT COBAIN (a Weird Religion check-in)
February 26, 2019 18:06 - 8 minutes - 3.91 MBA live check-in, from Leah and Brian, from the Coffee Cat in downtown Newberg, OR. What we’re watching on TV (Siempre Bruja, The Good Place), GenX love, and the death of Kurt Cobain.
025 THE THANKS (Stand-up comedy, Nihilist Arby’s, and Instagram)
February 12, 2019 02:37 - 27 minutes - 62.7 MBSeason two is over! But one last burst of THANK YOU is in order. This is that burst.
THE THANKS (Stand-up comedy, Nihilist Arby’s, and Instagram)
February 12, 2019 02:37 - 27 minutes - 62.7 MBSeason two is over! But one last burst of THANK YOU is in order. This is that burst.
024 THE SCIENTIST (Science Fair, bioethicist Devan Stahl, and the Creation Museum)
February 05, 2019 03:50 - 1 hour - 132 MBIn this episode we are watching the award winning and 98%-critically-acclaimed-on-Rotten-Tomatoes documentary Science Fair, a heartwarming look at the lives of lovable teenage geeks trying to change the world through technological innovation. Along the way Brian and Leah reminisce about their own science fair project fails in school, why Americans hate experts, evolution and the Bible, and the power of immigrants to reinvent society for the better. We interview Michigan State bioethicist Dev...
THE SCIENTIST (Science Fair, bioethicist Devan Stahl, and the Creation Museum)
February 05, 2019 03:50 - 1 hour - 132 MBIn this episode we are watching the award winning and 98%-critically-acclaimed-on-Rotten-Tomatoes documentary Science Fair, a heartwarming look at the lives of lovable teenage geeks trying to change the world through technological innovation. Along the way Brian and Leah reminisce about their own science fair project fails in school, why Americans hate experts, evolution and the Bible, and the power of immigrants to reinvent society for the better. We interview Michigan State bioethicist Dev...
THE BIBLE (Bible Quiz, Eve Feinstein on Jewish interpretation, and Biblezines)
January 28, 2019 22:50 - 1 hour - 143 MBThis week we’re talking about the Bible, and interacting with the 2013 documentary Bible Quiz. Leah takes us back into the world of Bible culture among the Puritans and others in the history of Scripture reading, and Brian gets long-winded about hypocrisy, his feelings about VeggieTales (warning: it’s not positive), and brand dilution among evangelical Bible readers. We invite Dr. Eve Levavi Feinstein in as our guest, author of Sexual Pollution in the Hebrew Bible (Oxford University Press, 2...