Greetings Heathens! In today’s episode of Talk Heathen, we’ve got the dream team back #LaMurph! Eric Murphy and Vi La Bianca are here today and ready to hear from you!
Let’s get to calls! Fran from Pennsylvania saw demons in the woods in their 20s. Their friends also described seeing a similar creature. Eric and Vi think it may be the result of pareidolia. Memories are also very malleable things, so the collection of stories in this friend group may have grown over time.
Father John from Canada is up next, he’s called in before but this time he has brought us an argument! He wants to talk about the peripatetic axiom which says “nothing is in the intellect which was not first in the senses.” He rejects the axiom and wants to know if Eric and Vi accept it, but doesn’t want to discuss what he believes and why. He thinks he is justified in not using empirical evidence to justify his beliefs.
Chrys in Pennsylvania wants to discuss the old earth and young earth creationist groups within the Orthodox Church. Chrys is not a young earther, nor does he believe in theistic evolution. Vi and Eric want to know how Chrys is helping to educate his fellow believers and support science.
Skye from Colorado, a self described “struggling Christian” is hanging on to faith because of the Immanuel prayer and fear of the rapture. Eric explains that an argument from fear, while viscerally impactful, is not a good reason to believe in something. This sort of “stay with me or you’ll be punished” rhetoric is very similar to how abusive partners talk. The Immanuel Prayer appears to be a means of self-indoctrination. Both of these last threads are forms of emotional manipulation, forming a carrot and stick combo. Wanting to learn about your religion is not a crisis! Asking questions is a good thing.
Jessica in New York wants progressive theists to recognize how their silence enables right-wing fundamentalists in the U.S. As someone who works with abused children, Jessica finds that theists who are personally opposed to abuses by the church are not willing to accept that they are culpable in supporting those abuses by supporting those organizations. We appreciate Jessica for all the work she does!
Phil in Germany wants to point out that our ability to discuss things beyond our senses is limited by our language since languages rely on sensory experiences to explain things. His friend says that all religions are looking at the same god from different angles, but that ignores the mutually exclusive claims of different religions.
That’s our show for this week, please continue to be safe in your area, wear your mask. The world is better with you in it. See you next week!

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