Holy Watermelon

The cult of Jim Jones, known as the Peoples Temple, is only one of many dangerous groups to deliberately shuffle off their mortal coils in large concerted efforts, but theirs was the most impactful. They are famous for "Drinking the Kool-Aid," an unfortunate and insensitive misnomer. 

After leading his church to Guyana, in 1978 they became the victims of the single greatest loss of American life in a non-military action until the 9/11 WTC attacks. Jones got a lot of his ideas from Father Divine, from the Peace Mission. 

Jim Jones was a serious communist, interested in building a diverse "rainbow family", but he was also a doomsday prepper, spouting some serious Incel philosophy, which is on-brand for how things ended.  

We get some personal details from biographers and childhood friends, too. 

Congressman Leo Ryan shoulders none of the blame, though his efforts to liberate the group did precipitate Jim's evil actions.

Is there any truth to the anti-semitic conspiracy theories that Kanye and your weird uncle have been muttering for years? Probably not, but let's take a look at the seed that grew into such an ugly tree. Israel hasn't enjoyed its current form for very long, but there was a not-so-secret plan in place long before the Allied Forces established the nation of Israel after the Holocaust. Join us as we examine the accusation of fascism within one of the groups that suffered most under its heel.

We take a look at Baron Walter Rothschild, the Russian emigration to the Ottoman Empire, the current conflict and the measures to preserve peace, and everything in between.

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion has done an incredible amount of harm to the Jewish Community, and the Anti-Defamation League has done lots of work to counter the decades of troubles caused by the hoax and the countless loud voices who repeat that nonsense. Anti-Semitism has no place in civilized society.

Zionism is a movement not isolated to Judaism--in fact, while many Jewish people are not Zionists, many Christians are. 

In addition to a survey of the history of Eretz-Israel, we critically examine the claim of fascism, comparing reality to Umberto Eco's 1995 check-list of fascist red flags.

Trickster gods are often depicted as malevolent, or as plucky antihero sidekicks (looking at you, Loki). Some are more benevolent, seeking to teach through the medium of struggle. Tricksters can lead even the pious off their course, sometimes to test their wills, or to teach them a better way to live. Join us as we explore the great tricksters of the old traditions.

Lewis Hyde calls them "Boundary-Crossers," and for good reason; these guys won't be controlled, if they have their way. These characters aren't quite the chaos monsters of the last episode, but chaos serves their ends well--or at least, the appearance of chaos....

We examine Momus, Loki, Kokopelli, Gwydion, Lugh, Sun Wukong the Money King, Eshu, and Anansi; and we tell a couple spider stories along the way.

Monsters play a huge role in most of the old religions. From Jormungandr to Leviathan, monsters can embody chaos, or they can protect sacred ground. Generally, they are used to instill obedience in people, but sometimes they simply help to explain why the world is a mess. Join us as we dive into the realm of religious traditions surrounding chaos monsters.

Monsters serve to *demonstrate* or reveal the evil within the hearts of a people--or, that's the theory, anyway. They delineate the realm of chaos from the orderly cosmos, and they preserve that boundary. 

Also, we talk about Cthulhu and the outer gods, and the risk of insanity that comes with knowing the unknowable.

We've explored the fallacy of pagans and atheists bowing to Satan, and outlined some of the "Satanist" groups that don't believe he's a real personality. Now let's look at the real deal: the folks who genuinely worship a living Satan. Even with these groups, it's probably not what you would expect.

Most of these groups grow out of a resentment for the Christian establishment. Some of these groups are terribly anti-semitic, and in wonderfully odd ways; others have a troubling history of domestic abuse. The Order of the Nine Angles and the Joy of Satan Ministries get to join the list with the Temple of Set and the Luciferians on this new look at the spooky traditions that are growing in the world around us.

We also talk about Freemasons again, and the Leo Taxil hoax of the 1890s.

This week, we're talking with Dr. Glen Fairen, PhD, a religious studies professor at Oklahoma State University. The Viking shares with us the work he's been doing, and some of his research might surprise you. His work includes scholarship on the Qumran and Nag Hammadi groups, as well as the realm of witchcraft. Join us for a great discussion.

For part 2 of this interview, check us out on Patreon, linked below.

Freemasonry, the oldest fraternal organization in the world, has some deeply rooted religious traits, and an odd don't-ask-don't-tell relationship with the Church of Rome. The national mythology of the whole democratic world celebrates men who have been initiated into its sacred rites, and countless exposés have been published, yet there's still an awful lot of secrecy and misinformation. 

Is Freemasonry a cult? Does it even qualify as a religion?

The Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Alberta will help shed some light on the subject.

Fascism has earned an ugly name over the last century, no question about it. Some religions lean into it, some look forward to a day when it can be openly celebrated, especially in monotheistic traditions. This week, we're exploring what it really means to be inside, to see fascism differently than what history has shown us. Straight out of the mouths of Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco, we examine the difficulty in defining fascism, and why some Christians are taking advantage of that obscurity.

We get a little help from Umberto Eco and Stanley Payne in our efforts to delineate the nature of the beast, but few organizations hit all the landmarks--watch out for the ones that do. Ultimately, when it comes to religious groups throwing their hats in with the fascists, as we see all around the world today, it's up to every good person to stand against these fundamentalist authoritarian parties while it's still safe to do so.

Religious communism isn't just for the weird new cult that bought up a farm down the road. People often forget, especially in the west, that Christianity was strictly communist in the first century, and that the Jewish nation from which they were born enjoyed a tightly regulated, moderately socialist dictatorship. Join us for an exploration of these and other groups who decided not to put arbitrary economic qualifications on "Love your neighbour."

Socialism isn't the bogeyman vaguely remembered from the Cold War--those governing parties used the title without admiring or espousing the core principle: common ownership of all goods and services. Religious groups often do a much better job of applying socialist and communist principles; but, like the "Second World," they tend to lean heavily into authoritarianism, the real enemy of freedom.

We take a look at Communal cults, hippie communes, ancient Hellenic and Vedic communal groups, and of course Christian groups--not just the Anabaptists, but the Latter-day Saints (Mormons), too. We also talk about some of the big Christian thinkers that have influenced western culture on the subject before the rise of Leninism.

This week we have the pleasure of interviewing another friend. Vernon Boldick shares with us the details of his journey preparing to enter the seminary and the priesthood of the Catholic church, only to find his faith shaken. Spoiler alert: Today he's an atheist. The journey is what we're here for.

You can find more of this interview on Patreon.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube.

The puritanical roots of western colonialism may have obscured this for some, but several religious traditions are tightly tied to the use of hallucinogenic substances. Some may find that their origins are reliant on them. In this week's episode, we explore the phenomenon, as well as a quick survey of those who might protest too much... and this time, Katie's had a bit to drink.

After a brief look at the occult last fall, we're taking a closer look at the Hermetic tradition, including some of the most popular literature on hermeticism and a survey of some of the sources behind the mythical figure of Hermes Trismegistus.

We explore some of the pseudepigraphical writings like the Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Perfect Sermon, and the wild figure of William Walker Atkinson (AKA Magus Incognito, Yogi Ramacharaka, and many other names), who had some professional connections with the Freemasons.

There's some misunderstanding surrounding celibacy, so we're going to explore why it's such a prominent part of the Imperial Christian Priesthood, and we'll take a look at some of the damage that the policy has caused. We've made a point of keeping the trauma-triggers to the later portion of the show, so everybody can enjoy the more interesting bits of history before we get to the more sensitive content.

We explore some of the history of the celibacy policy, as well as other rules that have been ignored over time. Chastity and celibacy are not the same thing, and they're not mutually assured, but they're not mutually exclusive either. We also take a peek at the work of Vincent Doyle and Coping International.

Trigger-Warning: Halfway through (with deliberate break and warning), we talk about priestly sex scandals around the world.

Looking again to Katie's Irish roots, the Troubles of Northern Ireland are a fascinating example of how religion gets tied to conflict. But is it really a religious conflict? What are the prerequisites for such a label. How much is religion really a part of the problem. Join us for an exploration of the history behind the Troubles, and the people who motivate them. It's easy to take sides, but solving the problem is a lot more complicated than agreeing to a cease-fire. Centuries of nationalism and colonialism have caused deep scars....

Scientology gets a lot of bad press (and most of it is hard to refute), but we're going to shed a little light on the sci-fi religion of L Ron Hubbard, and explore the aspects of this authoritarian cultus that make it so enticing to initiates and so terrifying to survivors. 

What happened to Shelly Miscavige? Why is Tom Cruise reported to be leaving the church when he's up to his neck in it with David Miscavige? There's a lot more to this space-age religion than Dianetics, pseudo-science, and alternative facts. It's all fair game, now. Hail Xenu!

Everybody collects something; but for the Imperial Tradition Christian churches, that collection has some really weird stuff. Not just the bones of saints and a handful of miraculous statues, but enough "holy prepuce" to fill your cereal bowl, and the miraculous rehydrating blood of the saints of Naples can help wash all that down. This isn't your regular daily mass - join us to see what other strange relics the Catholic Church has been collecting.

Our first interview episode, with the lovely and talented Sarah Snyder. She grew up in a cult, but has escaped. She isn't just surviving, she's thriving. We're proud to call her a friend, and grateful for her willingness to share her story and her advice.

The traditions that revere Jesus are diverse, and some of them are so far off the mark that they are hard to recognize as Christian. Some even abhor the Christian label, hoping to stand out as different -- It's easy to agree, when they lean into authoritarianism.

You can also watch this interview on YouTube.

A lot of great pantheons have disappeared as Christianity swept the world. Katie and Preston explore the details around the disappearance of the imperial and tribal traditions of Europe and North-Eastern Africa. Is it reasonable to expect monotheism to supersede polytheism, is there really a scheme for the evolution of religion?

The Kemetic people of ancient Egypt had a fascinating theology that developed from a variety of sources, much like their Greek and Roman neighbors across the sea. Join us as we explore the Egyptian gods, from the animist origins of Anubis, to the cosmic origins of Ra. Egypt's ancient mystery schools were a magical realm of literary development and ritual emulation, more familiar to modern Freemasonry than to Protestant or Imperial Christianity.

Need to know more about the theological background behind Marvel's Moon Knight, look no further.

Join us as we explore Katie's Irish roots, and the ancient religious traditions of the Western European Celts. We talk a little about the religious sites that Katie has visited, and the ancestral gods and druidic arts that too few remember today.

We look at Julius Caesar's report about the Wicker Man, and discuss the musical magic of the Bards, Fili, and Druids. Some strong D&D vibes here.

Wicca finds some natural appeal in the Celtic tradition, but this tradition is more interested in goddesses like Brigid, Epona, and Morrigan.

Thor and Odin are well known today, but are these images faithful to the source material?

There's more to the Norse religious tradition than the bit of mythology that makes it into the movies. It's a complex system with a rich poetic tradition. Unfortunately, much is lost to time.

The North Germanic pagan tradition is alive today, but things have gotten complicated. Join us as we explore the Eddas and the things Marvel got wrong.

The Roman way of looking at their neighbors has had a powerful effect on religious studies today. The cults who are responsible for these traditions are never part of the popular mythology we see in popular media today, but we're about to break that silence.

Emulation is adoration. While the Romans borrowed and adapted many of the gods in their pantheon from the Greeks, the Ancient Romans developed mythology over and above what the Greeks had. We'll peek at some of the stolen gods, but also explore what was native to the Italian Peninsula.

In this episode, we'll compare and contrast the two!

The first in a mini-series on ancient religions, let's start with Ancient Hellenism, also known as Greek Paganism. There's a lot to Greek mythology, but the lives of the people who brought us these legends often get swept under the rug. We're here to dig up the dirt on the cults that changed the world be sharing their stories of the gods, and why they were important to the Greeks of millennia past.

If you liked Disney's Hercules as a kid.... Well, we're here to blow it out of the water for you. Find out what the ancient Greeks believed in, the problem with Zeus, and about Hellenic Revivalism on this episode of the Holy Watermelon Podcast.

The 12 Days of Christmas is such a popular song, but Katie has a bone to pick with the retail industry. The 12 Days of Christmas are not a countdown to Christmas. They are the days from Christmas to Epiphany. Join us as we explore the various celebrations and memorials that make up this extended holy week, as well as the secular traditions attached to them.

Be sure to check out Blackbird Farm and Apothecary.

The birth of Jesus. The Nativity. Christmas.

In this episode, we cover the story of Jesus' birth and sift through what is plausible and what must be fiction.

Be sure to check out Blackbird Farm and Apothecary.

Did you know that the 8-day Jewish celebration of Hanukkah isn't in the Hebrew Bible? It's origins are much more recent than that!

This episode, we learn about how the celebration of Hanukkah began with the Maccabees, and how your Jewish friends and family celebrate today.

Be sure to check out Blackbird Farm and Apothecary on Facebook and Instagram.

Curious why there were fireworks popping in your neighborhood last week? It was all in celebration of Diwali, the pan-Asian holiday rooted in Hinduism. This week learn more about Diwali traditions and the story of the Ramayana.

Check out Blackbird Farm and Apothecary on Facebook and Instagram.

This week we are talking about Yoga & Hinduism! Is yoga a fun athletic activity or a religious practice? Learn more about the origins of yoga, its role in Hinduism, and how we can be respectful of its origins as Western practitioners. 

To wrap up Spooktober we are talking about exorcisms! Exorcisms are not exclusively Catholic or Christian but can be found in religious traditions around the globe. Exorcisms have been taking place for centuries. Are these demonic possessions real? Or is there something deeper taking place? 

Trigger Warning: We take a look at a few cases of people using claims of possession to abuse people.

After having to record 3 times, it was starting to look like the Dark Forces were trying to keep us from revealing the truth, but Katie and Preston are committed to bringing you the best religious education they can.

Occultism is a big, nebulous, misunderstood topic. Tune in to find out more about Hermeticism, Alchemy, Astrology, and more.

Voodoo has a long history originating in the West African Vodun tradition. While pop culture has made Voodoo out to be dark or evil, it's actually a spiritual religion that is syncretic with Catholicism.

This episode is all about witchcraft and wizardry. Based in old English folklore and paganism, Wicca is a relatively new religion. We promise it's not nearly as spooky as you may think!

Religious Trauma Syndrome is similar to PTSD. Negative beliefs taught at a young age have lifelong ramifications. In this episode we are diving into what causes religious trauma. 

Trigger warning: we're talking about lots of yucky stuff, and we're not psychologists!

We're discussing the Revelation of John in this episode. What does this prophecy mean for mankind? Should we take it literally or only as a metaphor?

Prophecy is prevalent in all major religions. Someone always seems to have a phone line right up to the Big Guy. Is prophecy real? When does it get dangerous? How does one become a prophet?

Religion and morality are so intertwined. Many people we believe we get our morals from the heavens.

How do we know what is good and what is evil?

A lot of people spent a lot of time getting prayer removed from the public school system. Now it seems getting religion back in schools is a hot topic. Katie and Preston chat about the benefits of having comparative religion in the classroom.

"You're a saint" might not be such a big compliment once you here this episode! There are a lot of saints in the Roman Catholic Church... we're talking about some more questionable ones!

Satan is THE ultimate rebel. If you want to learn all about Satanic Death cults and how evil they are well... you're going to be disappointed. Satanism is actually pretty normal? Tune in to find out more!

Atheism and agnosticism can sound like scary words. These two concepts are often misunderstood as something more nefarious than they actually are. Tune in to learn more about these belief (or lack of belief) systems!

In this episode we talk about Parody Religions! These are religions based in pop culture, or as a commentary on religion. Should they be taken as seriously as mainstream religions? Join us as we talk about everything from Jediism to the Invisible Pink Unicorn!

TW: Cults are pretty icky and we talk about abuse in this episode in addition to Katie's potty mouth.
What is a cult? Did you know all religions start as cults? How do we determine if a cult is dangerous, or just an off-shoot of a major religion?
In this episode we talk about what to look for to determine if any group is a cult!

Is belief a choice or are our beliefs inherent to us? How do we decide whether something is true or not. With 7 billion people on the planet there are about 10,000 different types of religious beliefs. How do we come to our conclusions?
Epistemology is a complex area of philosophy that deal with how we process information and decide if something is fact or fiction.

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan. It doesn't have one central figure or doctrine that is based on, but rather the worship of spirits or kami. Kami can be almost anything including ancestors, or natural elements like rivers and mountains. Many people who practice Shinto are also practicing Buddhists and Confucianists.

Sikhism is one of the newest "World Religions," only about 800 years old. Sikhism was developed in a context of Islam and Hinduism. It is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of 10 gurus. 

Is Buddhism a way of life or a religion? Is Buddha divine or is he just a smart guy?

Join us for a broad overview of the Buddhist religion, beliefs, practices, and more!

In this episode, we are covering Hinduism. The oldest continuous religion in the world with maybe the largest pantheon of gods. We dig into a handful of their hundreds of Gods, and explain their beliefs of karma, reincarnation, moksha, and more. 

The last in the triumvirate of large Abrahamic traditions, Islam began in 609CE with the prophet Muhammed's revelations from the angel Gabriel. Now the second largest religion in the world, Islam has contributed to arts and science over the centuries. In this episode we cover the history of Islam, the observances as well as the controversies of 9/11 and the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

For more great resources check out Karen Armstrong's book, A Short History of Islam; and the 8-part podcast by History & WNYC Studios, Blindspot: The Road to 9/11.

Our second episode on the Abrahamic traditions is Christianity, the most popular religion in the world. Katie and Preston give a high-level overview of history, traditions, observances, and the handful of common beliefs that are found amongst all denominations. 

We are spending the next 7 episodes giving overviews of the world's most popular religious traditions. We're starting with the oldest persistent Abrahamic tradition: Judaism. Join us as we discuss religious texts, practices, observances, and more!