Multifaith Matters

Kurt Gray on Harm-Based Morality

Why are we so polarized about gay marriage, immigration, gun rights, abortion, not to mention religious beliefs? Kurt Gray helps shed light on this through his use of interdisciplinary methods to study our deepest beliefs and how to bridge moral divides. Dr. Gray is an Associate Professor in Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, where he directs the Deepest Beliefs Lab and the Center for the Science of Moral Understanding.

Website: https://www.kurtgray.com

Deepest Beliefs Lab: https://www.deepestbeliefslab.com

Center for the Science of Moral Understanding: https://www.moralunderstanding.com/

Book: The Mind Club: Who Thinks, What Feels, and Why It Matters https://www.amazon.com/The-Mind-Club-audiobook/dp/B01C4PMEAM/

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#KurtGray #harm-basedmorality #socialpsychology #moraltolerance #moralfoundationstheory

 

Phil Wyman Discusses His New Book ”Love Big or Go Home”

Phil Wyman is a longtime friend, colleague, and great example for the Christian walk alongside all kinds of people often ignored or marginalized by the church. In this conversation we discuss the background and elements of his journey encapsulated in his new book Love Big or Go Home. Phil also provides an update on his upcoming move to Wales and how folks can play a part.

Phil's website: https://burningreligion.com/

Love Big or Go Home: https://www.amazon.com/Love-Big-Go-Home-inherent/dp/1692552341/  

Wild Theology podcast: https://wildtheology.podbean.com/

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#PhilWyman #LoveBigorGoHome #BurningReligion

Ethan Stark discusses Heathenism, interfaith work, and combating extremism

Ethan Stark is a Heathen involved in interfaith work and combating extremism, and is involved with The Troth and Heathens Against Hate. In this podcast we discuss how he came to embrace Heathenism, some of the unique aspects of Heathenism, aspects of his interfaith work, and his thoughts on confronting hate and prejudice.

Learn more about Ethan's work at Hallowed Renewal: https://www.hallowedrenewal.com/

The Troth: https://thetroth.org/

Heathens Against Hate: https://www.heathensagainst.org/

Suggested resources on Heathenry

American Heathens: The Politics of Identity in a Pagan Religious Movement by Jennifer Snook

https://www.amazon.com/American-Heathens-Politics-Identity-Religious/dp/1439910979/

A Practical Heathen's Guide to Asatru by Patricia Lafaylive

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Heathens-Guide-Asatru/dp/0738733873/

Asatru for Beginners: A Modern Heathen's Guide to the Ancient Northern Way by Mathias Nordvig

https://www.amazon.com/Ásatrú-Beginners-Heathens-Ancient-Northern/dp/1647397634/

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#Heathenry #Asatru #Paganism #EthanStark #TheTroth #HeathensAgainstHate

Daniel Wise on Ghost Hunting and the Paranormal

Daniel S. Wise is an independent scholar whose research focuses on paranormal belief and other aspects of the evolving contemporary American religious landscape. He has a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia with a dissertation on ghost hunting as a form of late modern enchantment. In this conversation we discuss aspects of Daniel's dissertation, some of his recent writing for Religion Dispatches on the paranormal, and why the study of the paranormal is important in order to understand American religiosity.

Daniel Wise website: https://danielswise.com/
Daniel's author page at Religion Dispatches: https://religiondispatches.org/author/d_wise/

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#ghosthunting #DanielSWise #paranormal

Orthodoxy and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is a great tragedy with many facets. One of the more significant elements is the role of Orthodoxy, Eastern Christianity often unknown by those in Western Christianity like Catholicism and Protestantism. In this episode we discuss Orthodoxy and how it is intertwined with the complexities of the invasion of Ukraine. Our guests are Paul L Gavrilyuk and Cyril Hovorun. Dr. Gavrilyuk holds the Aquinas Chair in Theology and Philosophy at the Theology Department of the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, he studied physics at Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology i Russia. He was one of the first scholars from the former Soviet Union to come to the United States to pursue graduate work in theology. In 2001, he received his doctorate in patristics from the Graduate Program in Religious Studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Dr. Hovorun is a Professor of Ecclessiology, International Relations and Ecumenism at Saint Ignatios and Professor at Stockholm School of Theology. He is originally from Ukraine, where he first began his studies in theoretical physics before moving to the study of theology at the theological seminary and academy in Kyiv. He continued theological education at the National and Kapodistiran University of Athens and Durham University in the United Kingdom. The topic of his thesis was related to the post-Chalcedonian Christology. Fr. Hovorun taught theology in a number of confessional and public institutions, including theological academies in Kyiv, Moscow, Minsk, and elsewhere.

Please consider making a donation to Rebuild Ukraine: https://rebuild-ua.org/

Paul L. Gavrilyuk: https://paulgavrilyuk.wordpress.com/

Cyril Hovorun: https://www.sanktignatios.org/dr-cyril-hovorun/

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#Ukraine #RussiaUkraine #Orthodoxy #EasternOrthodoxy

Ryan Burge on 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America

The way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely linked to empirical reality argues Ryan Burge in his new book, 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America. He explores the data and challenges common myths frequently circulated in social media. Burge is an assistant professor of political science and graduate coordinator at Eastern Illinois University. He teaches in a variety of areas, including American institutions, political behavior, and research methods. His research focuses largely on the interaction between religion and political behavior, especially in the American context. Burge is author of The Nones, and is a pastor in the American Baptist Church.

Ryan Burge website: http://ryanburge.net/

20 Myths bout Religion and Politics in America: https://www.amazon.com/Myths-about-Religion-Politics-America/dp/1506482015/

The Nones: Where They Came From, Who They Are, and Where They Are Going: https://www.amazon.com/Nones-Where-They-Came-Going/dp/1506465854/

#RyanBurge #Nones #religion #politics #religionandpolitics

Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler on Reading the Bible With and Without Jesus Part 2

In this episode, we take another look at topics in the book The Bible With and Without Jesus: How Jews and Christians Read the Same Stories Differently, as well as how the Bible has at times been weaponized by Christians against Jews. Our guests are Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler. Levine is with Hartford Seminary as the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies. She is the author of many books, including The Misunderstood Jew, Short Stories by Jesus, as well as The Difficult Words of Jesus, and she is the co-editor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament. Brettler is the Bernice and Morton Lerner Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Religious Studies at Duke University. He has also taught at Brandeis University, Yale University, Brown University, Wellesley College, and Middlebury College. He is the author of many books, including How to Read the Bible and The Creation of History in Ancient Israel, and is the co-editor of the Jewish Annotated New Testament.

Reading the Bible With and Without Jesus

https://www.amazon.com/Bible-Without-Jesus-Christians-Differently/dp/0062560158/

The Difficult Words of Jesus

https://www.amazon.com/Difficult-Words-Jesus-Beginners-Perplexing/dp/1791007570/

The Creation of History in Ancient Israel

https://www.amazon.com/Creation-History-Ancient-Israel-ebook/dp/B000P2XHQ2/

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#AmyJillLevine #MarcZviBrettler #Judaism #HebrewBible

Kalpana Jain discusses Jainism

In an article at Religion Dispatches, Kalpana Jain argued that Jainism is a religion that even Indians know very little about. In this episode she provides an introduction to this religious tradition. Kalpana Jain is a long-time investigative journalist who worked at The Times of India for many years. She reported on India's ailing public health system and many other social justice issues. Her reports led to the resignation of a minister for health. She studied gender and religion and holds a master's in theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and a master's in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School. She has worked as a writer and researcher at Harvard. Her case on modern-day slavery in India, and a woman's fight against it, is part of a Harvard course, and her book on the AIDS epidemic in India, published by Penguin, is part of the curriculum at many Indian universities.

Kalpana Jain's website: https://kalpanajain.com/

Further resources on Jainism

JAINA: Federation of Jain Association in North America:

https://www.jaina.org/page/ResourcesJainism

JAINA Web Resources: https://www.jaina.org/page/WebResources

Jains in the World: Religious Values and Ideology in India

https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0195132343.001.0001acprof-9780195132342

The Jains

https://www.routledge.com/The-Jains/Dundas/p/book/9780415266062

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#KalpanaJain #Jainism #India

Massimo Introvigne and the Western Esoteric Tradition

Evangelicals and other Christians often express concern and fear over "the occult," and the analysis can be very superficial. In this podcast noted scholar of new religions, Massimo Introvigne, provides an overview of the Western Esoteric tradition. Introvigne is an Italian sociologist of religions. He is the founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), an international network of scholars who study new religious movements. Introvigne is the author of some 70 books and more than 100 articles in the field of sociology of religion. He was the main author of the Enciclopedia delle religioni in Italia (Encyclopedia of Religions in Italy). He is a member of the editorial board for the Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion and of the executive board of University of California Press’ Nova Religio. From January 5 to December 31, 2011, he has served as the “Representative on combating racism, xenophobia and discrimination, with a special focus on discrimination against Christians and members of other religions” of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). From 2012 to 2015 he served as chairperson of the Observatory of Religious Liberty, instituted by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to monitor problems of religious liberty on a worldwide scale.

For more on Western Esotericism:

Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed by Wouter Hanegraaff

https://www.amazon.com/Western-Esotericism-Guide-Perplexed-Guides/dp/1441136460/

Access to Western Esotericism by Antoine Faivre

https://www.amazon.com/Access-Western-Esotericism-Esoteric-Traditions/dp/0791421783/

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#MassimoIntrovigne #WesternEsotericism #occult

Lucien Greaves of The Satanic Temple on After School Satan Clubs

The Satanic Temple has gathered a lot of media attention and Christian protest for various activities which provide an opportunity for Christians to reflect on the meaning of religious freedom, including that for religious minorities and those who make them feel uncomfortable. In this podcast I talk to Lucien Greaves, the co-founder and spokesperson for The Satanic Temple, about their After School Satan Clubs: what they are, how they relate to various Good News Clubs on school campuses, and how this relates to religious freedom and the public square.

For a further exploration of these topics:

Lucien Greaves at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LucienGreaves

The Satanic Temple: https://thesatanictemple.com/

Stephen Bradford Long on The Satanic Temple: https://youtu.be/bg7TalPZ_Rs

John Morehead's appearance on Greaves' podcast: https://www.patreon.com/posts/discussion-with-62697704

For a good academic discussion of TST see Joseph Laycock's "Speak of the Devil: How The Satanic Temple is Changing the Way We Talk About Religion" (Oxford University Press, 2020) https://www.amazon.com/Speak-Devil-Satanic-Changing-Religion/dp/0190948493

Learn more about our work at https://www.multifaithmatters.org. 

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