logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2021
1h 45m

The Creepy and the Culty: "Normal" Thing...

THE THINKING ATHEIST
About this episode
Often, mainstream religious practices don't seem strange to us...because we're accustomed to them. But are the mainstream faiths any less culty? We think not, and this show provides examples.

Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support.
Up next
Yesterday
Zionism: The Messy Story of the Biblical State of Israel
End-of-the-World prophecies and global foreign policy often involve Zion. But what is it, and how do skeptics compassionately and correctly approach the persecution of and propaganda by today's Nation of Israel?<br /><br /><br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href=" ... Show More
58m 38s
Nov 18
The Hypocrites & the Hang-Ups (with Matt Dillahunty)
Matt joins Seth for a chat about video games, the Democrats, civil war, penis snakes, and more!<br /><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/9CLzqJGP_l8" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><b>VIDEO</b></a> of this conversation<br /><br />Become a supporter of this podcast: <a href ... Show More
1h 25m
Nov 14
Isaac Asimov: The Last Question
Enjoy a 35-minute reading of one of sci-fi author and scientist Isaac Asimov's greatest stories.PDF of "The Last Question"Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/thethinkingatheist--3270347/support. 
43m 4s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2025
Is Technology-Worship America's New Religion?
Today the Pugs discuss a provocative essay in the English publication, AirMail by Tara Isabella Burton. In this article she explores a new and very self-conscious religious disposition that is taking hold among tech elites in Silicon Valley. While there has been some buzz about a ... Show More
53m 39s
Jul 2025
Stories Revisited: Not What They Seem: Stories of spirits imitating humans and animals
If a spirit walked past you, would you even know? In this week’s episode, I’ll be sharing stories from real people who encountered entities pretending to be something else. [This episode originally aired 6/12/2023] Listen to the Dinky Podcast - https://dinkypod.com/ Learn more ab ... Show More
32m 5s
Mar 2025
Episode #223 ... Religion and the duck-rabbit - Kyoto School pt. 3
Today we talk about the relationship between philosophy and religion. We talk about the duck-rabbit as a metaphor that may have something useful to teach us about the way we experience reality. We talk about the enormous difficulty of fully addressing the question: what is religi ... Show More
33m 37s
Feb 2025
Mystery Cults, Part 1
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the world of Greco-Roman Mystery Cults. What exactly were the Mysteries and how did they factor into religious practices of the day? Find out…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
45m 11s
Feb 2024
do we need religion to survive?
<p>hello sweet pumpkins,<br></p> <p><br></p> <p><br>this week we&#39;re talking about the ways that secularism has failed us. we talk about the utility of religion and the implications of its absence. we imagine what a new religion might look like, and where the future of spiritu ... Show More
12m 46s
Mar 2025
Mystery Cults, Part 2
In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Robert and Joe dive into the world of Greco-Roman Mystery Cults. What exactly were the Mysteries and how did they factor into religious practices of the day? Find out…See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
52m 43s
Jan 2024
Golden Globes goof on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry
Harry ad Meghan weren't even there (not invited/) and yet the Golden Globes still made fun of them.<br /><br />Meghan is said to be left off the Suits group chat...but not for the reason you might guess.<br /><br />The Queen's podcast is out and nobody cares.<br /><br /><a href=" ... Show More
6m 38s
Nov 13
“We Had To Pluck Our Eyebrows A Certain Way” | Avoiding Cults
Have you ever been in a cult? (Are you sure?) Are Disney Adults in a cult? What about Serious Coffee People? How obsessed with Mother God are you? On today’s episode, Stephanie and Melissa discuss all of the cults and cult-ish groups they’ve encountered in their lives, share whic ... Show More
47m 43s
Feb 2025
The Cult of Waldorf Schools
If you’ve ever met a kid who could knit a scarf before they could read, you might already be familiar with this week's "cult." With their dreamy, arts-infused approach to education (think: seasonal festivals, storytelling over standardized testing), Waldorf schools promise a ~hol ... Show More
1h 5m
Jan 2025
The Cult of Neil Gaiman
Very rarely does a culty news topic compel us to the mic as urgently as this week’s subject, a nerdy literature fandom turned…collective traumatic experience? In the wake of a bombshell Vulture exposé that straight-up reads like a Sounds Like A Cult script, Reese and Amanda are u ... Show More
48m 28s