Weird Religion
By Brian Doak and Leah Payne
Listen to a podcast, please open Podcast Republic app. Available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Image by Brian Doak and Leah Payne
Category: Christianity
Open in Apple Podcasts
Open RSS feed
Open Website
Rate for this podcast
Subscribers: 56
Reviews: 1
Episodes: 100
Sara A.
Apr 4, 2026
Description
Weird Religion is a podcast for people who think religion is weird but love it anyway. Your hosts, Leah Payne and Brian Doak, are both professors, authors, and pop culture aficionados, whose interests range from archaeology and history and linguistics to LARPing and The Walking Dead. Episodes tackle some piece of media highlighting the wonderful weirdness of religious experience—a documentary, a television show, a Twitter scandal—and use that as a "thread" on which to hang reflections on a wide variety of topics. Cults. The perils of fame within the evangelical world. Church attendance. Atheism. Gamer communities. Millennials and avocado toast. It's all here.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
126 THE LEGITIMACY (has Christian television finally arrived)
|
Dec 27, 2024 |
|
125 THE MUTATIONS (battle on: Precious Moments vs. Precious Mutations)
|
Dec 24, 2024 |
|
124 THE IMPOSSIBLE (is it OK now to believe in every miracle?)
|
Dec 20, 2024 |
|
123 THE MICROFEMINISTS (you are not alone at the end of the year)
|
Dec 17, 2024 |
|
122 THE SPIRIT (why is that man running and yelling)
|
Dec 13, 2024 |
|
121 THE OLIGARCHS (the Swiss create a new way to confess sins)
|
Dec 10, 2024 |
|
120 THE DECHURCHING (the stunning story of why people have left church)
|
Dec 06, 2023 |
|
119 THE FIRSTSTONE (news roundup: Bible quoting courtroom antics and living forever)
|
Nov 29, 2023 |
|
118 THE COTTON (academic conference attire, Cotton Mather, and the Bible in America)
|
Nov 15, 2023 |
|
117 THE BOOKS (live episode! books that have changed our lives)
|
Nov 09, 2023 |
|
116 THE MH370 (this year's weirdest airplane-UFO conspiracy so far)
|
Nov 01, 2023 |
|
115 THE SCARIES (movies we’re watching and NOT WATCHING this Halloween)
|
Oct 25, 2023 |
|
114 THE AYNRAND (what is it like to grow up in an Objectivist household?)
|
Aug 30, 2023 |
|
085 THE DEMONTIME (Kathryn Krick, your local exorcist in the park; guest Sam Kestenbaum) [April 2022]
|
Aug 23, 2023 |
|
038 THE TRUTH (Ancient Aliens, the History Channel, and all of the possibilities) [September 2019]
|
Aug 16, 2023 |
|
113 THE X (why are the clothes on floor and Real Talk Kim)
|
Aug 09, 2023 |
|
033 THE NOSTALGIA (Stranger Things, Cold War, child abductions) [AUGUST 2019]
|
Aug 02, 2023 |
|
PLEASANT SUMMER INTERLUDE (everything is permissible, a note on episode rhythm, and mustache musings)
|
Jul 26, 2023 |
|
112 THE GOLD (news roundup: miracle gold dust, huge UFOs, Aspen woo, Seven Mountains theology)
|
Jul 19, 2023 |
|
081 THE WILEYMAN (The Late Great Planet Earth and Vladimir Putin's spirituality) [March 2022]
|
Jul 12, 2023 |
|
111 THE PARENTS (what does sociology tell us about whether kids carry on with the faith of parents?)
|
Jul 05, 2023 |
|
110 THE ENNEAGRAM (we confront the personality mob and take a Bible character Enneagram test)
|
Jun 21, 2023 |
|
109 THE EXPERIENCERS (shocking developments in the UFO community)
|
Jun 07, 2023 |
|
108 THE SÉANCE (News Roundup: bringing back the dead; Rainn Wilson is Bahai; Pope's exorcist)
|
May 31, 2023 |
|
034 THE CONGREGATION (Ultra Star Wars Fandom and Authorial Intent) [August 2019]
|
May 24, 2023 |
|
107 THE LANADELREY (an annotated commentary on the track "Judah Smith Interlude")
|
May 17, 2023 |
|
106 THE HIGHLIGHTER (on reading and erasing the Bible)
|
May 10, 2023 |
|
105 THE PAPERCLIPALYPSE (pre-existent AI spirituality and doom scenarios)
|
May 03, 2023 |
|
057 THE QISAPPOINTMENT (failed QAnon prophecies, prediction disappointment) [January 2021]
|
Apr 26, 2023 |
|
104 THE CALLMEMAYBE (Third Eagle of the Apocalypse rises with Carly Rae Jepson analysis)
|
Apr 19, 2023 |
|
032 THE CREATOR (Elizabeth Holmes gender smackdown) [August 2019]
|
Apr 12, 2023 |
|
103 THE INDIANA (...Jones, that is!!)
|
Apr 05, 2023 |
|
102 THE CONSULTANT (does Jesus look at you with compassion...or anger!)
|
Mar 29, 2023 |
|
101 THE DECAPITATED (the Wind tells me I'm a ghost; Tucker says Trump is “demonic”)
|
Mar 22, 2023 |
|
100 THE NATIONALISTS (Deuteronomy ch. 32, Moses sings, and Republicans want a Christian nation)
|
Mar 15, 2023 |
|
099 THE DOMINION (a new Christian dating site, and the Gospel Coalition sex article scandal)
|
Mar 08, 2023 |
|
098 THE BREAKFAST (Brian scores an exclusive and mysterious invitation)
|
Mar 01, 2023 |
|
097 THE REVIVAL (examining debate about the "revival" at Asbury University)
|
Feb 22, 2023 |
|
096 THE SUPERBOWL (wealthy people selling Jesus to Americans during a football game)
|
Feb 15, 2023 |
|
095 THE NEPHILIM (who are they, and why did they create the Federal Reserve?)
|
Nov 16, 2022 |
|
094 THE GIANT (conspiracies about long-dead giants on YouTube)
|
Nov 09, 2022 |
|
093 THE MIDTERMS (on voting as a religious act and who loves Israel most)
|
Nov 02, 2022 |
|
092 THE SKULLS (creepy but maybe comforting neolithic plastered skulls from Jericho)
|
Oct 29, 2022 |
|
PROGRAMMING NOTE (summer break)
|
Aug 03, 2022 |
|
091 THE MARDEVIL (reviving a soap opera’s weirdly religious moment)
|
Jul 20, 2022 |
|
090 THE PROFESSOR (the sage, the mentor, the crush, the villain)
|
Jul 06, 2022 |
|
089 THE MITHRADITES (news roundup: weird Army video; Mithradites of Fond du Lac; AI goes sentient)
|
Jun 22, 2022 |
|
088 THE NRSVUE (we review a new Bible translation to fight about)
|
Jun 08, 2022 |
|
087 THE HOARD (News Roundup--Brian offers a stunning confession)
|
May 25, 2022 |
|
086 THE AIGOD (bringing an imaginary friend to life through AI, and playing God)
|
May 11, 2022 |
|
085 THE DEMONTIME (Kathryn Krick, your local TikTok exorcist in the park; guest Sam Kestenbaum)
|
Apr 27, 2022 |
|
084 THE BSG (Battlestar Galactica and the politics of polytheism)
|
Apr 13, 2022 |
|
083 THE SLAP (Denzel advises Will; QAnon growing; world’s most boring person; animal heads)
|
Mar 30, 2022 |
|
082 THE WARGOD (a hair-raising biblical story of war, prompted by Wonder Woman)
|
Mar 16, 2022 |
|
081 THE WILEYMAN (Late Great Planet Earth, Russian religions, Vladimir Putin's spiritual space)
|
Mar 02, 2022 |
|
080 THE VOID (News Roundup: God is dope and heckling the pope)
|
Feb 16, 2022 |
|
079 THE MALLPUNK (Blink-182 and UFOs)
|
Feb 02, 2022 |
|
Programming Note for a New Season (2022)
|
Jan 24, 2022 |
|
CHRISTMAS NEWS ROUNDUP SPECIAL (Jesus applies for job; feeble green children; $600K in the bathroom; Cheesecake factory)
|
Dec 21, 2021 |
|
BONUS: Ambush Session on Megachurch Pastor Comparing Jesus to "Old Town Road"
|
Dec 07, 2021 |
|
BONUS: Checking in on Battlestar, Lost, Leo as Jim Jones, QAnon is back
|
Nov 16, 2021 |
|
BONUS: Popeye joke, theory of humor
|
Oct 06, 2021 |
|
BONUS: Season in Review, Thank Yous, Mini News Roundup
|
Sep 29, 2021 |
|
078 THE CHRISTIANHAIRMETAL (Chris White, director of the new film Electric Jesus)
|
Sep 14, 2021 |
|
077 THE FACECHURCH (Should anyone be going to church on Facebook?)
|
Sep 07, 2021 |
|
076 THE NEWS (#6: genocide romance, too cold for jihad, confessions without confessor)
|
Aug 31, 2021 |
|
075 THE FORGERIES (Biblical controversy around the Shapira Scroll and Gospel of Jesus' Wife)
|
Aug 24, 2021 |
|
074 THE FLEABAG (transgressive devotion and Fleabag with author Natalie Wigg-Stevenson)
|
Aug 17, 2021 |
|
073 THE NEWS (#5: Damon-Affleck curse, Britney goes Catholic, beyond yoga)
|
Aug 10, 2021 |
|
072 THE LAMB (Brian subjects Leah to an intriguing art-horror film trailer)
|
Aug 03, 2021 |
|
071 THE XFILES (superfan and radio host David Dault on Mulder and Scully)
|
Jul 27, 2021 |
|
070 THE NEWS (#4: marrying God, TikTok translators, Instagram SkyMall)
|
Jul 20, 2021 |
|
069 THE MOTHER! (Darren Aronofsky's 2017 film mother!, Leah not impressed, Joel Mayward enlightens us)
|
Jul 13, 2021 |
|
068 THE JAVIER (remembering our friend and colleague Javier Garcia, who died recently)
|
Jul 06, 2021 |
|
067 THE KADDISH (the spirituality of the biggest financial scam in history in A Kaddish for Bernie Madoff)
|
Jun 29, 2021 |
|
066 THE BAPTISTS (newsdesk deep dive: SBC convention, history, gender, #metoo, voting)
|
Jun 22, 2021 |
|
NON-OMINOUS PROGRAMMING NOTE
|
Jun 15, 2021 |
|
065 THE HAPPYCLOUDS (a postmodern capitalist horror show about disrespecting Bob Ross' ghost)
|
Jun 08, 2021 |
|
064 THE ERUV (was Mother Theresa a cult leader, and an 18 mile wire above Manhattan)
|
Jun 01, 2021 |
|
063 THE CONSPIRACY (toucans are fake, interview with psychologist Dr. Michael Wood)
|
May 25, 2021 |
|
062 THE MARK (Vaccine passports and Marjorie Taylor Greene's Mark of the Beast)
|
May 18, 2021 |
|
061 THE NEWS (Roundup #1: Foxmania, halal tacos, mummified bodies, politics as religion, and emotional men)
|
May 11, 2021 |
|
060 THE REVIEW (internet review culture invades the classroom)
|
May 04, 2021 |
|
059 THE LICENSE (X-Files maybe-psychic killer sings a song that is sort of like another song)
|
Apr 27, 2021 |
|
058 THE CROWN (death of Prince Philip, religious dimensions of monarchies ancient and modern, royal etiquette)
|
Apr 20, 2021 |
|
057 THE QISAPPOINTMENT (failed QAnon prophecies, prediction disappointment)
|
Jan 23, 2021 |
|
056 THE BUFFALO (Capitol riot, Jake Angeli, QAnon, apocalypse, epiphany, and iconography of the insurrection)
|
Jan 09, 2021 |
|
055 THE SOUND (The Sound of Music is a Christmas movie fight us)
|
Dec 17, 2020 |
|
054 THE HEX (witches hex trump, Paula White-Cain summons African angels)
|
Nov 13, 2020 |
|
053 THE UPLOAD (crossover with Bioethics for the People on the Amazon show Upload)
|
Oct 29, 2020 |
|
052 THE RETREAT (the Kitsch Corner is back, with two personal accounts of a men's retreat)
|
Oct 15, 2020 |
|
051 THE GRANDPA (Grandpa Kitchen, food memories, death ritual, Orientalism)
|
Oct 08, 2020 |
|
050 THE FIANCÉ (90 Day Fiance, Biblical marriage patterns, "hot ladies" and "dumpy dudes")
|
Sep 30, 2020 |
|
049 THE MILITIAS (Rick Joyner's call for new militia-based wars based on a dream)
|
Sep 24, 2020 |
|
048 THE DICTATOR (BRIAN AND LEAH DISCUSS HOT NEW CAREER FIELDS IN THE 2020S)
|
May 04, 2020 |
|
047 THE COUNTERPART (LEAH SHARES A NEW FAV SHOW)
|
May 02, 2020 |
|
046 THE CARPET (A DREAM INVOLVING HERACLITUS)
|
May 02, 2020 |
|
045 THE CHARACTERS (BRIAN REVEALS THAT HE HATES MOST BATTLESTAR CHARACTERS SO FAR)
|
May 02, 2020 |
|
044 THE EXCITEMENT (THINGS ARE HAPPENING FILL YOUR LAMP WITH OIL)
|
Mar 17, 2020 |
|
043 THE GROCERIES (RUSH THE STORE SCRATCH YOUR EYE)
|
Mar 17, 2020 |