Episode 15

As we begin our first evolution miniseries, our hosts take some time to discuss why this topic has become so central to the "religion vs science" conflict and why it matters to us. How do we reconcile a sovereign God with the randomness of natural selection? Can we find meaning through science or only facts? Who ever thought that breeding pugs was a good idea?

produced by Zack Jackson
music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

Show Notes

Favorite fruits

Kiwiberries

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Actinidia_arguta 

Watermelon [and how they’ve changed in the last few centuries]

https://www.vox.com /2015/7/28/9050469/watermelon-breeding-paintings 

Banana [other fruits talked about too]

https://www.sciencealert.com/fruits-vegetables-before-domestication-photos-genetically-modified-food-natural 

Threat to the cavendish: https://www.cnn.com/2015/07/22/africa/banana-panama-disease/index.html 

Strawberries [a brief history]

https://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/strawberryhistory.html 

Dogs

Labradoodle Regrets:  

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/25/us/labradoodle-creator-regret.html 

French Bulldog insemination

https://www.frenchie.shop/blogs/frenchie-shop-blog/do-french-bulldogs-have-to-be-artificially-inseminated [pro-Frenchie site]

https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2018/03/30/25974515/your-french-bulldog-is-an-abomination [biased against them]

Pugs

https://www.petmd.com/dog/breeds/c_dg_pug [Note the medical issues associated with them]

Theistic evolution

https://biologos.org/articles/theistic-evolution-history-and-beliefs 

Theodicy

In-depth philosophy article

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/evil/ 

General definitions

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodicy 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/theodicy-theology 

Pardes

An explanation and experience: https://onbeing.org/blog/the-spaces-between-the-consonants/ 

Episode 14

In this episode, our hosts take you on a tour of the bizarre and often misunderstood world of the Satanic Temple and their efforts to fight for religious freedom. What role do satirical religions play in our modern world, and should they be treated like traditional religions? Can we create an organization for secular humanists that has the benefits of religion without a deity?

produced by Zack Jackson
music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

Show Notes:

Our opening question about our favorite tricksters:

Ian: Loki:

https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/loki/ 

Rachael: Loki and Puck: analysis of Puck

https://www.thoughtco.com/character-analysis-puck-midsummer-nights-dream-2984577 

Zack: Benjamin Linus from Lost :

https://lostpedia.fandom.com/wiki/Benjamin_Linus 

Adam: Dolos [I don’t love using wiki, but I just couldn’t find anything meaningful elsewhere]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolos_(mythology) 

Kendra: Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

https://buffy.fandom.com/wiki/Spike 

The Satanic Temple

https://thesatanictemple.com/ 

It’s not the Church of Satan:

https://thesatanictemple.com/pages/what-is-the-difference-between-the-satanic-temple-and-the-church-of-satan 

Article on the documentary, Hail Satan?,  produced this year

https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-49392867 

[if you want another article, explaining the documentary director idea that highlights what we spoke about regarding community and the search for meaning] 

https://www.wired.com/2019/05/geeks-guide-hail-satan/ 

List of approved religions in the American military: you will notice neither Pastafarian nor The Satanic Temple are listed.There are over 210 religious affiliations listed as of 2017.

http://americanhumanist.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Faith-and-Belief-Codes-for-Reporting-Personnel-Data-of-Service-Members.pdf 

Durkheim and religion

http://durkheim.uchicago.edu/Summaries/forms.html#pgfId=6212 

Durkheim and philosophy as religion (slightly different take than the above citation)

https://www.iep.utm.edu/durkheim/#H4 

Mircea Eliade and religion

https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Mircea_Eliade#Contribution_to_the_study_of_religion 

[or from britannica, but I found this explanation to a bit more dense]

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mircea-Eliade#ref274286 

Is Buddhism a religion?

https://bigthink.com/21st-century-spirituality/is-buddhism-a-religion 

John Oliver and debt collecting

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/john-oliver-buys-15-million-of-medical-debt-for-60/?fbclid=IwAR0FBYs-n884jjIzwLQ1DotAVCEhn2bJRGc35hC2nR-BZzbRExRjQKJtCFI

Episode 13

We welcome special guest Kenneth Makuakane as we revisit the conflict between scientists and Hawaiians over the sacred peak of Mauna Kea. Kenneth brings his unique humor, deep wisdom, and artist's spirit to dig into the deep questions of our time. How do we forge a life together that includes space for scientific progress without trampling on indigenous peoples?

produced by Zack Jackson
music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

Show Notes

A bit of history of Hawaii: 

https://www.britannica.com/place/Hawaii-state/History 

http://www.hawaiihistory.org/index.cfm 

What is a dodecahedron?

https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/dodecahedron.html 

Story about the carob tree

https://www.sefaria.org/Taanit.23a?lang=en [14 paragraphs/bullet points down]

UCC and Space Junk

https://www.ucc.org/space_debris 

Dr. Who wiki on the 9th planet

https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Mondas

5 Love Languages

https://www.5lovelanguages.com/ 

Episode 12

Should religious prayers be allowed in government sessions and public schools? Do we need to make space for satirical "religions"? What about state symbols and rituals in our religious spaces? Can we be religious in the public sphere or should we only default to secular, scientific ways of being?

produced by Zack Jackson
music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

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Franklin quote
https://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/benfranklin.htm

Rowan county case:
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/state/north-carolina/article224219600.html

Wallace vs Jaffrey 1985
https://www.britannica.com/event/Wallace-v-Jaffree

Pastafarian in AK invocation
https://www.apnews.com/06c11b92f92d427a8a38b5f1ab583080

Flags in sanctuaries:
Jewish: https://www.jta.org/2018/07/03/united-states/synagogues-started-putting-american-flags-sanctuary 

Karaoke songs!
Living on a Prayer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDK9QqIzhwk
I Wanna Dance with Somebody: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3giaIzONA
Strokin’ (by Clarence Carter): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7gMkiOPSeA
Gangster’s Paradise: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPO76Jlnz6c
It Wasn't Me (Shaggy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTMgX1PDGAE

Episode 11

In this special episode, we interview Rabbi Geoff Mitelman about the Sinai and Synapses Fellowship that originally brought the five of us together. Applications for the next cohort are open now, and there is a lot to get excited about!

Apply for the fellowship by December 4th at... 

https://sinaiandsynapses.org/sinai-and-synapses-fellowship/

Produced by Zack Jackson
Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Episode 10
Church and State Part 2 (It’s Not About the Cake)

When one group’s liberties diminish another group’s, who decides which liberty comes out on top? What about when the government gets it wrong? Holy envy, holy hospitality, Supreme Court shenanigans, and no easy answers on this week’s episode of the Down the Wormhole Podcast!

Produced by Zack Jackson
Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

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Christian artists celebrate religious freedom win in Arizona Supreme Court
https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/arizona-christian-artists-religious-freedom-court

More Perfect Podcast: The Imperfect Plaintiffs
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolabmoreperfect/episodes/imperfect-plaintiff

More Perfect Podcast: The Heist
https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolabmoreperfect/episodes/heist

In part 1 of our miniseries on the complicated relationship between religion and politics, we look at the history of "the separation of church and state" in the US, and try to get to the heart of what the founders intended. It should be fun and not controversial at all!

Produced by Zack Jackson
Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

Show Notes: 

Pope Felix III 
aka the lovechild of Lady Elaine Fairchilde and the Elf on a Shelf

Thomas Jefferson and the origins of the phrase "the separation of Church and State"
https://billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/primary-source-documents/danburybaptists/

Everson v. The Board of Education
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/330/1

Big City or Big God?
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/which-came-first-society-or-a-fear-of-god

Chrome plugin that changes "political correctness" to "treating people with respect" 
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/pc2respect/mgkjmkalaomdhdldmfbgpjdpmpdnhiio

'In God We Trust': display in Kentucky schools marks effort to mix church and state
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/12/in-god-we-trust-display-in-kentucky-schools-marks-effort-to-mix-church-and-state

As trust in institutions deteriorates further with every new generation, we are left without a sturdy foundation to stand on. Is the Internet to blame? Are the institutions themselves to blame? Are we to blame? Is anyone to blame? How do we navigate this world and avoid the dystopian hellscapes that litter our movies and TV shows?

Produced by Zack Jackson
Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

Show notes:

Pew Research Survey on Public Trust
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/08/06/young-americans-are-less-trusting-of-other-people-and-key-institutions-than-their-elders/

Evangelicals and Climate Change: why don’t they get it? A pastor tackles the question.
By Zack Jackson
https://orbitermag.com/evangelical-and-climate-change/

Episode 7

Conflict Language Part 4 (Trust Issues)

Trust in religious institutions is plummeting while trust in science is plummeting among deeply religious people. What is happening? Who can we trust? Should we fact check everything? Are even the most thoughtful among us actually being led by our tribal biases? How exactly do you fry ice cream and whatever happened to Chi Chi’s? 

Produced by Zack Jackson

Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis

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CREEPY, ABANDONED CHI CHIS

http://creepyabandonedchichis.blogspot.com/

Cohen, Geoffrey L. “Party Over Policy: The Dominating Impact of Group Influence on Political Beliefs.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85, no. 5 (2003): 808–22. 
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4ecc/34af1b002340a02ed830d296819f64e1172f.pdf

Cohen, Geoffrey L. “Party Over Policy: The Dominating Impact of Group Influence on Political Beliefs.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 85, no. 5 (2003): 808–22.
https://motherjones.com/files/asr_april2012_gauchat_study_final.pdf

Evangelicals and Climate Change: why don’t they get it? A pastor tackles the question. 

By Zack Jackson

https://orbitermag.com/evangelical-and-climate-change/

The Messenger Matters: When communicating science to a skeptical audience, it’s important who does the talking.

By Rabbi Geoffrey A. Mitelman
https://orbitermag.com/the-messenger-matters/

Nurses Again Outpace Other Professions for Honesty, Ethics

https://news.gallup.com/poll/245597/nurses-again-outpace-professions-honesty-ethics.aspx

Attack Ads, Circa 1800

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_zTN4BXvYI