Down the Wormhole

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?
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
produced by Zack Jacksonmusic 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 1985https://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/
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack JacksonMusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis 

Episode 10Church 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!
 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack Jackson Music by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis
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Christian artists celebrate religious freedom win in Arizona Supreme Courthttps://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/arizona-christian-artists-religious-freedom-court
More Perfect Podcast: The Imperfect Plaintiffshttps://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolabmoreperfect/episodes/imperfect-plaintiff
More Perfect Podcast: The Heisthttps://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!
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack JacksonMusic 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 Educationhttps://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 "treating people with respect" 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 statehttps://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?
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack JacksonMusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis
 
Show notes:
Pew Research Survey on Public Trusthttps://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 Jacksonhttps://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? 
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
 
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. Mitelmanhttps://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

In the age of fake news, Photoshop, and social media echo chambers, what is truth and who has the authority to decide? What are the limits of pluralism, and what do we do when society gets it wrong?
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack JacksonMusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis
 
Show Notes:
Bud! 
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westoverhttps://amzn.to/2LoVGJr
The Legend of Papa Noel: A Cajun Christmas Story by Terri Hoover Dunhamhttps://amzn.to/2NWojzq
Cajun Night Before Christmas by J.B. Kling, Jr.https://amzn.to/34DSh1e
Full House of Mustaches - Nick Offerman Deepfakehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUphMqs1vFw

Part 2 of our conflict series asks the important questions like, "Who has the authority over truth?" "Is science truth or just consensus?" "Where can I binge watch the classic 90's cartoon, Street Sharks?"
These and many more questions lie just down the wormhole...
Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast
More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/
 
Produced by Zack JacksonMusic by Zack Jackson and Barton Willis
PS - Zack's audio did not record properly, so we had to use the backup recording which is why it sounds so bad compared to the others. 
Show Notes:
Street Sharks and the problem with history:https://www.geek.com/tech/how-i-used-lies-about-a-cartoon-to-prove-history-is-meaningless-on-the-internet-1656188/
The definitive guide to the Denver Airport conspiracy:https://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/31/definitive-guide-to-denver-international-airport-conspiracy-theories/
Hawaii Telescope Project, Long Disputed, Will Begin Construction:https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/science/hawaii-telescope-tmt-mauna-kea.html
The Oven of Akhnai:https://www.sefaria.org/Bava_Metzia.59b.1?ven=William_Davidson_Edition_-_English&lang=bi
Thomas Paine's Bordentown NJ house which is now a dentist:
Note from Zack: After editing the past few episodes, I realized that I've mentioned Thomas Paine at least five or six thousand times. This is because I just finished a massive biography on him, and have had no one to process it with. I do apologize and will henceforth make every effort to diversify my 18th/19th century pop culture references in future episodes. I will leave you with this gem from the October 1783 edition of The Onion...https://www.theonion.com/historical-archives-i-cannot-help-that-women-are-oft-a-1819584502