Down the Wormhole

In part 1 of our new miniseries exploring our digital presence in these "corona-days", we are looking at our religious rituals. Why do some of our rituals seem to transition easily to the internet while others feel flat and uninspiring? Can we create new digital rituals? How do we find hope and spiritual connection when our internet connection keeps cutting out? Can we replace the body and blood of Christ with Oreos and coffee without ruining the whole thing? Can you replace the shankbone of a Seder Plate with a family hug in an attempt to preserve the meaning behind it? What is sacred, what is profane, and who is deciding this stuff? 

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

Scientists in Synagogues application due July 23 - https://sinaiandsynapses.org/scientists-in-synagogues/

::coming soon::

In the final episode of our miniseries on science and religion in film, we're taking you to a remote island off the coast of Costa Rica that is teeming with dinosaurs and valuable moral lessons. It's Jurassic Park! Let's talk about dinosaurs, the morality of genetics, what makes humans special, and why you should definitely be scared of chickens. 

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

::coming soon::

In part 5 of our miniseries on film, we are literally taking you down the wormhole to visit the 2014 scifi masterpiece, Interstellar. Zack leads the discussion on ancient apocalyptic literature, and why he thinks that the modern end-of-the-world movies are not all that different from the ancient religious texts, and can bring a similar spirit of hope in uncertain times. At least that's the idea. We'll have to wait for the live action version of The Book of Revelation to compare apples to apples. 

That's a joke by the way. Dear lord, I hope that's a joke in the future too....

Revised Miniseries schedule:

3/25 - Contact

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

::coming soon::

In part five of our science and religion in film miniseries, Rachael boldly leads us where no podcast has gone before. Well, at least where THIS podcast has gone before. Yeah. We're talking Star Trek. Specifically, Star Trek: Generations. How similar is "the Nexus" to our own popular images of Heaven, and what does that reveal about our deepest desires? What do we actually believe about the afterlife, and how sturdy are those beliefs when put to a few simple tests? On our voyage to the other side, we will also talk about Talmudic orgies, eyeball hooks, who gets your organs in the resurrection, and how to neuter a pigeon. You know you want to hit play... Resistance is futile... 

Revised Miniseries schedule:

3/25 - Contact

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

::coming soon::

In part 4 of our science and religion in film miniseries, Ian finally gets to geek out on Star Wars. You can't tell, but he brought his own lightsaber to record this episode. Oh yeah. We're in it to win it! Since we obviously couldn't talk about everything, we focused on "The Last Jedi", and more specifically on the modern tension between religion and spirituality. Do we need the "sacred texts" to become better force users or are we stronger without the ancient traditions? Can a person be both Jedi and Sith? Do those distinctions matter or are they merely power constructs? Most importantly, what color would your lightsaber be and what would be the first thing that you would do with it? 

Revised Miniseries schedule:

3/25 - Contact

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

Websites

• https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/12/why-the-last-jedi-is-more-spiritual-than-religious/549146/

When One Religion Isn't Enough: The Lives of Spiritually Fluid People by Duane R. Bidwell

In Part 3 of our miniseries on science and religion in movies, Adam does what Adam does and rejects the premise to get to the point through the back door! the 2006 Guillermo del Toro masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth (available on Netflix) is not even a little bit scifi. It is a fantasy-realism film that centers on a young girl who is trapped in the crossfire of 1944 Falangist Spain, and is confronted by a mythical creature who tells her that she is so much more than she thinks she is. While this film is not overtly scientific, it is an excellent vehicle for helping us to examine what we believe is real and how we know that. Is science magic? What makes it compelling? Can we become re-enchanted once we have lost the faith of our childhood? How can those of us without mythical spirit guides make sense of the world? 

Miniseries schedule:

3/25 - Contact

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

Stephen Hunt -The Chour of the Air

https://www.amazon.com/COURT-AIR-STEPHEN-HUNT/dp/0765380218

Wizard in Harry Potter reading A Brief History of Time

https://harrypotter.fandom.com/wiki/Wizard_in_the_Leaky_Cauldron

“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” ~  Arthur C. Clarke (NOT Isaac Asamov as Zack says in the episode)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke%27s_three_laws

“The second naivete” as a concept in spiritual development 

https://www.mpjauthor.com/spiritual-development-concept/Paul-Ricoeur.html

https://c1b9a88f-157e-47ac-91dd-90f00bc73c13.filesusr.com/ugd/18a280_3bcaa8e62ed848ac954aeae897a5a4a7.pdf

Zack’s Uncle Ed Zacharewicz’s art

Albert Camus’s joyful philosophy 

https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/7699175-the-literal-meaning-of-life-is-whatever-you-re-doing-that

It's part 2 of our miniseries on movies, and Kendra leads us in discussing perhaps the most influential scifi movie of all time, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Despite its preeminence, however, she is the only one among us who truly love it. Can she make believers out of the rest of us? Can she help us to appreciate silence and multiple layers of acceptable meaning? Will that draw us deeper into our own spiritual journeys as well? You be the judge. Just make sure you watch the film first, or this episode will make even less sense! 

Miniseries schedule:

4/1 - 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

John Cage 4’33 : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr9YnBaZBgc

Rudolph Otto Mysterium tremendum : 

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/mysterium-tremendum-et-fascinans ; 

Articles on the movie 

• https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/hearing-and-seeing-2001-a-space-odyssey-anew 

In Part 1 of our new miniseries on science and religion in film, Ian takes us on a tour of perhaps the most famous and influential modern scifi movie that openly grappled with science and religion. If you found quantitative evidence of God, would it change anything? If you never found evidence of God, would THAT change anything? Does good science contain an element of storytelling? What if God were just an alien that looked like your dad? 

Miniseries schedule:

4/1 - 2001: A Space Odyssey 

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

Faith and Film: Theological Themes at the Cinema by Bryan Stone 

https://www.amazon.com/Faith-Film-Theological-Themes-Cinema/dp/0827210272/

Religion and Science (Gifford Lectures Series) by Ian Barbour

https://www.amazon.com/Religion-Science-Gifford-Lectures-Barbour/dp/0060609389

What is COVID-19? What is SARS-CoV-2? What is being done to stop this pandemic and what can we do to stay safe? We are joined by Dr Daniel Janies who is on the front lines of this crisis and graciously offered us an hour of his time to answer our burning questions as well as some of yours from our Facebook page.

Support this podcast on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/DowntheWormholepodcast

More information at https://www.downthewormhole.com/

produced by Zack Jackson

Articles and resources from Dr Janies

https://cci.uncc.edu/directory/daniel-janies

https://janieslab.github.io/index.html

https://brc.uncc.edu/news/2020-02-26/what-do-we-need-know-about-coronavirus-cov-emergent-wuhan-china-long-and-short-terms

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/congressional-testimony/hearing-emerging-disease-threat-how-us-responding-covid-19-novel-coronavirus-03032020

https://www.medtechdive.com/news/fda-chief-warns-of-supply-pressure-on-reagents-for-coronavirus-tests/573999/

NPR story about the Coronavirus spillover from bats

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/20/807742861/new-research-bats-harbor-hundreds-of-coronaviruses-and-spillovers-arent-rare

Statement from Labcorp

https://www.labcorp.com/information-labcorp-about-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Before you share to social media or get angry about something you read there, be sure to fact check! The truth is often far more complicated and boring than the memes would have us believe.

https://www.snopes.com/collections/new-coronavirus-collection/