Hard to Believe - A Podcast About Belief
Religious studies teacher John Brooks talks with special guests and experts about the wide world of human beliefs. Why do we believe what we believe, and how do those beliefs show up in our world? All the answers you never knew you wanted to questions you never knew you had.Disclaimer: This show may and will include sarcasm and liberalism.
1
#2.14 - Octavia of Earth - with Anand Kalra
"Octavia of Earth" cocreator Anand Kalra on the life, work, and legacy of Octavia Butler and the work of adapting her story into a musical.
64 min
2
#2.13 - Dr. Fred Grewe - On what working with t...
Fred Grewe eases John into talking about his least-favorite subject outside of calculus: death.
45 min
3
Shirley (2020) - A Special Hard to Believe/The ...
John joins Aislinn and Tobin of The Contenders to discuss "Shirley" (2020)
81 min
4
#2.12 - Bry Jensen - Host of "Pontifacts"
Pontifacts host Bry Jensen talks about the first three years of covering every pope in the Church's history.
58 min
5
#2.11 - Q: Into the Storm - with Teddy Smith
John is joined by his colleague and frequent guest Teddy Smith to unpack Cullen Hoback's "Q: Into the Storm"
78 min
6
#2.10 - Witch Life - with the hosts of the That...
Hilary Whitmore, Kanani Soleil, and Courtney Weber of That Witch Life join to discuss the world of modern witchcraft
63 min
7
#2.9 - Robin Wilkins - PhD: Parenting is HarD
Robin Wilkins joins John to discuss Alison Gopnik, the wide world of parenting philosophies, and why so many of them are dumb and terrible.
50 min
8
Hard to Believe Weekend Bonus Mini Episode - Sh...
A short conversation between John and Sebastian Major on Shakespeare authorship.
14 min
9
#2.8 - Steven Sabel - Bard to Believe - The Oxf...
John and Steven Sabel, host of the Don't Quill the Messenger podcast, layout the evidence for the Oxfordian Shakespeare authorship case and talk about their shared love of the author's work.
80 min
10
#2.7 - Grigori Rasputin and Anastasia Romanov -...
The truth behind the lies that rewrote the stories of Grigori Rasputin and Anastasia Romanov.
99 min
11
#2.6 - Chris Kluwe - On standing up for others,...
Christ Kluwe talks being banned from the NFL on account of being a decent person, his love of books. his writing process, and his sci-fi novel "Otaku"
61 min
12
#2.5 - Sebastian Major - The host and creator o...
Sebastian Major on teaching history, real and fake, to high schoolers and on his podcast, "Our Fake History".
56 min
13
Trailer - Hard to Believe: A Podcast About Belief
2 min
14
#2.4 - Nina MacLaughlin: on Metamorphoses
Nina MacLaughlin on her own metamorphosis, and Ovid's "Metamorphoses"
47 min
15
Hard to Believe Weekend Bonus Episode - The Hau...
John, Joey, and Nico talk about Netflix's two "Haunting of..." series.
59 min
16
#2.3 - The Protocols of the Elders of Zion - Pa...
How the "lie that wouldn't die" gave birth to the modern Conspiracy Industrial Complex
78 min
17
#2.2 - Daniel J. Clark: The Flat Earthers - Cla...
John is joined by "Behind the Curve" director Daniel J. Clark to discuss the subculture of Flat Earth conspiracy theorists
43 min
18
#2.1 - I Still Want to Believe - "The Leftovers...
A discussion of our strange times through the lens of "The Leftovers", "Watchmen", "The Man in the High Castle", and more.
65 min
19
#1.25 - Gerry Bowler: The Christmas Chronicler ...
Gerry Bowler on Santa Claus
54 min
20
#1.24 - Gil Bar-Sela: Israel, Palestine, and th...
Gil Bar-Sela on a life marked by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how we can find peace in ourselves and others.
51 min
21
#1.23 - Dr. Lisa Vox: on Why the End is Always ...
Dr. Lisa Vox joins the podcast to talk about the past, present, and future of the apocalypse, and what changes when the ability to destroy humanity lies in our own hands.
47 min
22
#1.22 - Joseph Laycock: The author of "Speak of...
Joseph Laycock, associate professor of religious studies at Texas State University, joins John to talk Satanic Panics, Satanism, and the fight for the freedom of and from religion.
68 min
23
HTB - A Very Special Episode: QANON - with Mike...
John and three guests sacrifice their time and any and all hope for humanity by exploring the terrifying and increasingly ubiquitous QAnon phenomenon. Take the red pill and learn the TRUTH!
145 min
24
#1.21 - Richard Kaczynski: "Perdurabo" author t...
Crowley's biographer helps correct the record on his life and legacy
54 min
25
#1.20 - Pastor June Joplin: on Living her Truth
Pastor June Joplin on coming out, opening up, and moving forward.
50 min
26
#1.19 - Liza Richardson: The Emmy Nominee Talks...
Liza Richardson, Emmy-nominated music supervisor for "Watchmen", talks to us about music, "The Leftovers", and how she approaches her work.
54 min
27
#1.18 - Greg Garrett: Cultural Theologian - The...
Cultural theologian Greg Garrett talks U2, zombies, and Hollywood's race problem
77 min
28
#1.17 - Mandisa Thomas: Founder of Black Nonbel...
Black Nonbelievers founder Mandisa Thomas on being Black and atheist, Christianity's white supremacy, and keeping momentum alive.
57 min
29
#1.16 - Kevin S. Decker: Philosophy Professor, ...
Philosophy professor Kevin S. Decker joins John and Nico Vasilo to discuss how he teaches philosophy through the lens of science fiction and pop culture.
63 min
30
#1.15 - S.T. Joshi: The Lovecraftian - H.P. Lov...
H.P. Lovecraft biographer S.T. Joshi on the life, work, and philosophy of America's greatest and most enigmatic horror writer.
46 min
31
#1.14 - J.W. Rinzler: on Reaching for the Stars...
Author JW Rinzler on his work covering Star Wars, Alien, and his love of all things space.
62 min
32
#1.13 - Cats! (Not the Movie!) - The Seriously ...
John and Jess Collins learn all about the...um...interesting history of cats in religion!
51 min
33
#1.12 - Tony Ortega: on Scientology, David Misc...
Journalist Tony Ortega on how Scientology got to where it is today, what new scandals mean for its future, and the real deal with Lord Xenu
51 min
34
#1.11 - Roger Moorhouse: on Stauffenberg, Tresc...
Historian Roger Moorhouse on the legacy of Stauffenberg, Tresckow, and Hitler's other would-be assassins
61 min
35
#1.10 - Operation Valkyrie: The July 20th Plot ...
A brief history of Claus von Stauffenberg and the July 20th plot.
26 min
36
#1.9 - Andrew Phillip Smith: on the Cathars and...
The history and beliefs of the Cathars and their lingering influence.
68 min
37
#1.8 - Kris Lane: Tulane professor of Latin Ame...
How did we come to believe myths that don’t square with history?
54 min
38
#1.7 - Lane Wilcken: The Artist and Author ("Th...
Discussion about the cultural traditions and myths of the Pacific islands.
67 min
39
HTB Special Episode - Tulsa: A Brief History of...
Greenwood remains the most deadly incident of domestic racist terrorism in this country’s history.
20 min
40
BONUS! #HANX for the Memories: Angels & Demons ...
Bonus episode!
52 min
41
#1.6 - The Devil's Drink - The Weird Story of t...
How did coffee go from the Devil’s Drink to the Nectar of the Gods in just four short centuries?
62 min
42
#1.5 - Beyond the Wall - "Centurion" and the In...
What really happened to the Ninth?
47 min
43
BONUS! #HANX for the Memories: The Da Vinci Cod...
Bonus episode!
61 min
44
#1.4 - Linda Kay Klein: The Author of "Pure" on...
An in-depth interview about the evangelical purity movement.
54 min
45
#1.3 - The New World: Pocahontas, Smith, Discov...
Exploring the films and philosophy of Terrence Malick.
90 min
46
#1.2 - The Antichrist - with Teddy Smith
Why does everyone think the Antichrist will become the President of the United States?
81 min
47
#1.1 - I Want to Believe: The X-Files, Dana Scu...
The legacy of The X-Files.
60 min