Pod Only Knows
Hosted by Dr. Kelly J. Baker and John Brooks. Kelly and John invite other people from the wide and wild world of religious studies to talk to them about why and how they do what they do and why their work matters to us all. They also talk to each other about the ideas, stories, and histories that fascinate them and that they think you should know about, too.
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#041 – A Load of Comstock - The life and times ...
John tells Kelly all about Anthony Comstock, the Christian zealot and giant weirdo whose ghost is about to haunt your life
82 min
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#040 – Did Dickens "Invent" Christmas? - with K...
Victorianist Kristen Hanley Cardozo shares some of her expertise as we talk about spirits, Scrooges, and the real reasons for the season.
67 min
28
RERELEASE (12/19/23) Ghosts of Christmas Past -...
In a rerelease from last Christmas season, Folklorists Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman join Kelly and John to talk about the ghosts that haunted the Victorian Christmas.0
55 min
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RERELEASE (11/21/23) - Unraveling the Thanksgiv...
Dr. David J. Silverman helps us unpack the (nonsense, ahistorical) myth that lies at the heart of Thanksgiving.
85 min
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#039 – Breath of Fire: Conspirituality, Fraud, ...
Kelly and John discuss the HBO documentary series "Breath of Fire" about the fraud and abuse that underpinned the Kundalini Yoga movement.
68 min
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#038 – Welp...what now? - with Andrew Tobolowsky
Andrew Tobolowsky joins us to talk through our thoughts, hopes, and fears following the election.
70 min
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#037 – What really happened at Salem - with Kat...
Historian Kathleen M. Brown joins Kelly and John to shine a light on the facts and fictions of the Salem Witch Trials
66 min
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#036 – HELL HOUSE (2001) - with Jason Bivins
Jason Bivins returns to the show to talk trauma, fear, and horror in George Ratliff's 2001 documentary "Hell House".
72 min
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#035 – Sarah Posner - Humor vs. Rage and The Oh...
Journalist Sarah Posner returns to the show to talk about "They're Eating the Dogs", Blood Libel, and the role mockery has to play in combatting fascism.
65 min
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#034 – Thomas Lecaque - Why the right can't sto...
Kelly and John welcome historian Thomas Lecaque to talk about the religious right's unending obsession with the Crusades and other disastrous, losing enterprises.
67 min
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#033 – “Jesus Camp” (2006) with Megan Goodwin
Megan Goodwin returns to discuss Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's 2006 Academy Award-nominated documentary "Jesus Camp"
76 min
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#032 - Stockholm Syndrome: The Story of a Dumb ...
John and Kelly take a look at the event that gave us Stockholm syndrome and discuss why it probably doesn't exist (and what that tells us)
50 min
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#031 - Project 2025 (and why you should really,...
John and Kelly look behind the curtain of Project 2025, including a look at the key players both in its creation and of the organization that produced it, the Heritage Foundation.
64 min
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#030 - "Marjoe" (1972) with Megan Goodwin
Dr. Megan Goodwin rejoins Kelly and John to discuss the 1972 documentary "Marjoe"
60 min
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#029 - Thou Shalt Not Violate the 1st Amendment
Kelly and John take a look at two different attempts to put Christian indoctrination in public classrooms in Louisiana and Oklahoma
55 min
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#028 - Dr. Matthew Taylor on An Appeal to Heave...
Dr. Matthew Taylor joins Kelly and John to talk about Samuel Alito's new favorite flag and the threat to democracy it represents.
72 min
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#027 - DeSantis v Satan
Kelly and John discuss the Florida school chaplain bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and its arbitrary banning of Satanists
61 min
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#026 - Dr. Richard Newton
Kelly and John are joined for a wide-ranging discussion with Dr. Richard Newton, religious studies professor at the University of Alabama
60 min
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#025 - Eclipse Day Special! - featuring journal...
Kelly and John discuss eclipses and invite journalist Emily McFarlan Miller to talk about how religious communities are responding to the event.
56 min
45
#024 - Simulation Theory, or Young Earth Creati...
In honor of the 25th anniversary of THE MATRIX, Kelly and John look into the theory that reality is just a computer simulation
53 min
46
#023 - Sarah Posner
Kelly and John talk to journalist and author Sarah Posner about the past, present, and future of Christian Nationalism in America.
56 min
47
#022 - God's Army with Amanda Moore
Kelly and John talk to Amanda Moore about God's Army, QAnon, and some guy named Michael Yon.
60 min
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#021 - Dr. Nicole Symmonds
Kelly and John talk to Dr. Nicole Symmonds about her work, her journey to Black Catholicism, and working with John at Beliefnet
73 min
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#020 - Dr. Judith Weisenfeld
Kelly and John talk to Dr. Judith Weisenfeld about her life in religious studies and her books, Hollywood Be Thy Name and New World A-Coming.
72 min
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#019 - The Cult of Peloton?
Kelly and John make good use of Kelly's Peloton bike to explore why so many fitness crazes get accused of being cult-like.
63 min