What’s up, swimmers? We’re back!
If you follow me Instagram, you’re likely familiar with my Sunday blasphememes! If not, they’re weekly drops of memes & tweets that poke fun at mainly Christianity, but also the construct and history of religion.
What you may not know, is that before I identified as a witch, I very much chose to participate in, and find Divine connection through, organized religion. Keeping up this tradition, and the community interaction that’s built up around it, has been super amazing for my own deconditioning.
This week’s episode of SITS carries on my love of marrying humor with religion, as we take a look at five funny faith-based feuds.
BUT FIRST… A DUNE UPDATE!
Listen for the full plan, but here’s the TL;DL version:
We’re starting DUNE today! We’re reading 100 pages a week for 8 weeks, ending on 10/7/2022. Every two weeks, we’ll have a short and sweet check-in via new episodes of SITS. I’ll also be releasing longer DUNE-only episodes for my paid pals!
Now back to the good stuff…
LET’S MEET OUR FIGHTERS!
1. HILDEGARD VON BINGEN VS. THE ABBOT KUNO
What begins as a stand-off between two religious powers ultimately turns into a wild story of paralysis and “Divine” intervention.
For more on Hildegard, listen to this multi-episode series from DOTS Podcast, as well as her entry in the World History Encyclopedia.
2. MICHELANGELO VS. BIAGIO DE CESENA
Find out which of Michelangelo’s critics was his inspiration for this striking and NSFW inclusion of Minos, the judge of Hell.
For more on Michelangelo’s famed feud, read Through Eternity Tour’s reflections on Nudity and Controversy in the Sistine Chapel or discover 10 Secrets of the Sistine Chapel from Michelangelo.org.
3. THE BROTHERS GEEF VS. THE CATHEDRAL OF SAINT PAUL
A commissioned statue of Lucifer goes horribly wrong, but even worse is how the church decided to have it replaced…
Find out more about The Brothers Geef in Theophane Avery’s You Sexy Devil or Art History News’s piece, The Devil is Too Sublime.
4. THE SATANIC TEMPLE VS. THE STATE OF ARKANSAS
What happens when you mix the 10 Commandments with Baphomet and the fight for religious freedoms in the US? Just ask the state of Arkansas…
Learn more about the Satanic Temple’s fight for religious freedoms in the documentary Hail Satan! or the AP News coverage of the Arkansas Capitol unveiling.
5. THE ARK ENCOUNTER VS. ALLIED WORLD ASSURANCE COMPANY
Heavy floods + a life-sized recreation of Noah’s Ark = an insurance company’s worst nightmare…
Read more about this recently settled lawsuit on the Courier Journal.
Additional Episode Citations:
Burge, R. P. (2022, August 5). Nondenominational Churches Are Adding Millions of Members. Where Are They Coming From? News & Reporting. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2022/august/nondenominational-growth-mainline-protestant-decline-survey.html
Deibert, B. (2018, November 8). What Are Non-Denominational Churches? Meaning & Examples. Christianity.Com. https://www.christianity.com/church/denominations/what-are-non-denominational-churches-meaning-examples.html
Earls, A. (2022, January 11). 22 Vital Stats for Ministry in 2022. Lifeway Research. https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/05/22-vital-stats-for-ministry-in-2022/
SITS 1x02: Five Funny Faith-Based Feuds