Mystic-Skeptic Radio: Uncensored/Raiders of the Unknown

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In this week's show we feature a tribute to friend of the show and supporter of The Farm Intentional Community, Dr. Joel Arya Goldstein. He passed away on July 10, 2022 at the age of 82. Him and his wife Betty Stevenson lived in Summertown, TN and were life long partakers of psilocybe cubensis or "Magic Mushrooms" and other natural hallucinogens. He was part of our first discussion on the influence of psychedelics in religion and he shared his experience and philosophy during this episode with the co-founder/host of Mystic-Skeptic Ryan Ratigan and I. We also feature music created by Joel as part of his prolific career as a folk singer and around the area were he lived.

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In today’s show we are doing something out of the ordinary I am planning to show how you can’t be part of two opposing worldviews and how Jesus cannot be a Jewish Messiah who became by default a Catholic savior. The main question I am asking is "How can someone claim to accept Jewish identity of Jesus while throwing all his former coreligionists under the bus?"
Please comment or contact me if you are part of this phenomenon and would like to share how to keep both traditions alive when they appear to be at odds with each other.

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week's episode we discuss Rabbi Ariel Tzadok post called "The Torah of Yeshu HaNotzi versus the Gospel of Jesus Christ." He is featured on the History Channel's Ancient Aliens program and spearheads www.koshertorah.com working with Noachides, Jews and Christians teaching them Jewish concepts. In his post he discusses the following book:
"The Jesus Scroll is a best-selling book first published in 1972 and written by Australian author Donovan Joyce. A forerunner to some of the ideas later investigated in The Da Vinci Code, Joyce's book made the claim that Jesus of Nazareth may have actually died aged 80 at Masada[4] near the Dead Sea, site of the last stand made by Jewish zealot rebels against the Roman Empire, after the Fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple. Joyce, an Australian journalist, claimed to have seen a scroll stolen from the Masada excavations. He wrote that it was one of fifteen scrolls discovered during the dig there. His book states that the stolen autobiographical scroll was signed Yeshua ben Ya’akob ben Gennesareth, who described himself as eighty years old and added that he was the last of the rightful kings of Israel. The name when translated into English became Jesus of Gennesareth, son of Jacob. Joyce identifies the author as Jesus of Nazareth. Joyce's book further suggests that Jesus may have survived the crucifixion, was present during the Roman siege of Masada during the Jewish Revolt of 66-74 AD, and that he had married Mary Magdalene and fathered a child with her. Joyce claimed that he attempted to visit Masada in 1964 during the archaeological excavation but was prevented by Yigael Yadin. Joyce further claimed that an anonymous and corrupt archaeologist, "Dr. Grosset", asked him to help smuggle the 'Jesus Scroll' out of Israel that had been discovered during that dig. Joyce says in his book that the scroll was sneaked aboard an airplane by Dr. Grosset, who then most likely took it to Russia to strike a deal with Soviet leaders. Joyce proposed controversial theories concerning the historicity of Jesus that caused outrage among many Christians, and for which he received numerous death threats."(Source: Wikipedia)

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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Welcome to another episode of Mystic-Skeptic Media’s Raiders of The Unknown. In this week's show we discuss Exorcism & Demonology with Rabbi David J Zucker a retired medical chaplain who conducted a ritual to assist some medical staff. We explore biblical, rabbinic, medieval and historical Jewish though in relation to dark forces and rituals to contain these powers

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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We have a special treat for our audience. Our guest is musical artist Ari Lesser. He is a Jewish American rapper, singer and songwriter. He is known for his advocacy for the State of Israel and Jewish religious life and lifestyle. He studied political science, has performed with Gad Elbaz and Lipa Schmeltzer. He has spoken and performed at hundreds of events for Jewish communities around the world, and done shows with Moshav Band and Nissim Black. In 2008 Mr. Lesser became religious and took a Nazirite vow in 2009, the hebrew term for this tradition is Nazir.

In the past year we have been discussing the sectarian group of the Jewish followers of Jesus. In our research the Apostle Paul, John The Baptist and James brother of Jesus are discussed as either taking a Nazarite vow or being nazarites. "Nazarite" comes from the Hebrew word nazir meaning "consecrated"(Numbers 6:1–21) or "separated", and may be ultimately derived from a root meaning "to vow", similar to Hebrew nadar.  The word nazir is also sometimes used to refer to a prince, who fills a special position of secular power, and the cognate word nezer can refer to either the state of being a nazirite, or else to a physical crown.

• Abstain from wine and all other grape products, such as vinegar and grapes[3]
• Refrain from cutting the hair on his head.
• Not to become ritually impure by contact with corpses or graves, even those of family members.

the nazirite would offer a specific animal sacrifice; along with it, the nazirite's hair was to be shorn and burned.

 On March 30 Mr. Lesser posted on facebook the article “It’s not easy being a Nazir in the 21st century.” discussing his experience with a modern orthodox high school that decided to not have him visit their students due to their religious outlook which seems to be against this tradition.  "Earlier this year a Modern Orthodox high school reached out to me. They were planning a Shabbaton, and invited me to be the keynote speaker for the weekend, writing in their initial email, “I'm sure our students would find you inspiring and would benefit from having you join us!”  They were offering a nice honorarium and I love a good Shabbaton, so I excitedly began planning the trip. I reached out to many of my contacts in the area, letting them know when I’d be coming to town, while simultaneously working with the school to hammer out all the details of the program. Then, several weeks into the process, I received a surprising message from an administrator at the school: “I realize this is a strange question, but do you still have long hair? (in some of the videos it looks like you have shorter hair but I can't tell what's more recent)” I replied openly, “Yes, I took on Nazirus 12 years ago, and I haven't cut my hair since. I initially took the vow for one year, but then I learned Tractate #Nazir in Yeshiva and realized that to finish the process, I would first need Para Adumah and then I’d have to bring an offering to the Beis HaMikdash, so until then, my hair just keeps growing. My Rosh Yeshiva is fully aware of the situation and I'd be happy to put you in touch with him if you have any other questions.” The administrator immediately responded: “I'm so sorry to say this won't work for a number of reasons. I really e

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week show we interview independent researcher Jeramiah Giehl who has researched the historical Jesus from a Jewish perspective

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week's show we discuss the podcast "Misquoting Jesus" which recently discussed the Gospel of Mark. We explore how "The Messianic Secret" is part of Jesus epic journey of discovery and how Mr. Erhman misses the most important Jewish elements of this narrative. Another interesting Jewish tradition which points to description of the Meshiach in Isaiah 11 is what is known as "The Meal of the Messiah." A Passover commemoration of the 8 day at the end of a week of partaking of the "Matzah/bread of affliction" which is redeemed as the time to look forward to a bright future in the Olam Haba/Age to Come .

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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We return to our segment The Legacy of Paul: Mystic, Heretic or Pagan as part of the Jesus the Israelite podcast. The host of popular podcast on Second Temple Jewish-Christianity joins us as we discuss the historical context of Jesus and Paul. Bill Scofield, our guest ,shares wisdom from Torah within the "apocalyptic" writings of apostles

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

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In this week's show we discuss the book Dr. John D. Levenson which discuses the Pesach Korban (pascal sacrifice) and the Akeida (binding of Issac) both crucial Jewish stories in the Tanach which are considered meritorious and substitutional in both the biblical text and later tradition. We explore how these concepts were incorporated into the narrative about Jesus. Another book we review which fails flat on its face is "Ceasar's Messiah." A creative solution to get rid of the historical Jesus, but not based on academics but wishful thinking..

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Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

Send us Fan Mail

Support the show

Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Anti-Semitism Rising & Jesus The Israelite (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 11 seasons we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…