Mystic-Skeptic Radio: Uncensored/Raiders of the Unknown

Send us Fan Mail

In this week's show we feature our 2015 Interview with conspiracy expert Brian Dunning. He is an American writer and producer who focuses on science and skepticism.He has hosted a weekly podcast, Skeptoid, since 2006, and he is an author of a series of books on the subject of scientific skepticism, some of which are based on the podcast. Skeptoid has been the recipient of several podcast awards such as the Parsec Award. Dunning has also created the Skeptoid.org spin-off video series, inFact, and The Feeding Tube both available on YouTube. Dunning has produced two educational films on the subject of critical thinking: Here Be Dragons in 2008, and Principles of Curiosity in 2017.His podcast is available at the following website: https://skeptoid.com

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…

Send us Fan Mail

In this week's show we discuss conspiracy theorist Ye's ongoing abuse against the historical Jewish community. We discuss the latest developments and why it is important to combat this type of vitriol from him.

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…

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…

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…

Send us Fan Mail

The book The Tribunal of Zaragoza and Crypto-Judaism 1484-1515 sheds light into the histographical proof of the Crypto-Jewish experience of certain individuals summoned by the Inquisition in the 15th Century. During that time period the inquisitorial tribunal tried and prosecuted countless “Catholic” heretics for the crime of Judaizing. Ms. D’Abrera profound understanding of the subject exposes the social and political issues connected with this crucial part of Jewish history as well as the controversies that are part of this academic field. In page 172 she defines their negative belief system which is seen by the Inquisition as heresy, according to the 1484 Valencian Edict of Grace: “… if you have believed, taught or said you believe something against the Catholic faith or if you know anyone who has blasphemed. “

Ms. D’Abrera not only addresses how the Inquisition persecuted the anusim systematically, but her research adds important facts to the limited resources on this subject. Her scholarly approach documents and explains the sources thoroughly corroborating her findings. The book exposes the Inquisition record, and lets it speak for itself something other scholars fail to do in many cases. She addresses many important issues not dealt with by other scholars, such as Ben Zion Netanyahu, Norman Roth and Henry Kamen. They view Conversos not as Crypto-Jews, but as sincere Catholics who were falsely accused of practicing Judaism due to their Jewish lineage. On the other hand Haim Beinart and Fritz Baer, using multiple sources, portray them show Crypto-Jews as Jewish martyrs who died honoring Torah. D’Abreira is part of the new generation of scholars who study the Inquisition records to find clues which point to a real Crypto-Jewish community. These findings are not based on a preconceived agenda, but build a case based on the historical evidence. She writes”…the inquisitors’ questions and conduct throughout the trials indicate that they were far more interested in the religious behavior of the defendant after he or she had been received into the Church, rather than presuming to judge whether the conversion had been genuine or not.” (P. 51)

Advertisements

REPORT THIS AD

She also contends with contemporary scholars such as Henry Kamen who “believes that the inquisitors possessed minimal understanding of Jewish religious practices” and were not able to adequately document Jewish practice, something she shows to be contrary to the available evidence (P.57) The inquisitors posessed books such as Directorioum inquisitorioum, which assisted them in being able to distinguish Jewish practices from false accusations during their trial by Christian Anti-Semites from the community who resented the conversos (P.57-58)

D’Abrera’s conclusions are that the anusim in Christian Spain, specifically Zaragoza experienced in captivity to an alien creed many challenges, an that the doubt raised by some scholars of their historical legitimacy is driven by their own philosophical perspectives.  To her Benzion Netanyahu’s elaborate theory not only undermines their Jewish practices as real but gives the inquisitors the power to falsify their testimonies for political purposes. This challenges the existence of sincere Crypto-Jews and builds a case against their halachic status. Netanyahu bases his arguments on the negative view toward Crypto-Jews by some Posekim of that time. The Rabbis (either in either exile or from other communities not affected by the persecution) saw them as meshumadim (willing converts) rather than anusim (forced ones). They were not able to fathom that Jews would partake in Christian idolatry and embrace the supersessionist theologies of the Catholic Church. D’Abrera shows how in Valencia in 1484 the inquisitors “received substantial assistance from Jewish communities , some of which may have been particularly antagonistic toward the conversos, whom they saw as traitors.” (P.

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…

Send us Fan Mail

In this week’s show the topic is Maimonides on Crypto-Judaism. This presentation took place in 2010 in San Antonio during the 20th Annual Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies Conference. I presented on this subject to discover some insights on the halachic (Jewish legal) status of Crypto-Jews. I explored the writings of the halakhic master Maimonides, one of his works Iggeret ha-Shemad (Letter on Martyrdom) stands out regarding his perspective on the Anusim of his time. Maimonides writes: “Now if he did not surrender himself to death but transgressed under duress and did not die, he did not act properly and under compulsion he profaned G-d’s name. However, he is not to be punished by any of the seven means of retribution. Not a single instance is found in the Torah in which a forced individual is sentenced to any of the punishments, whether the transgression was light or grave. Only he who acts voluntarily is subject as Scripture directs: "But the person…who acts defiantly…that soul shall be cut off" (Numbers 15:30). This Epistle to the Moroccan Jewish community of the 12th century deals with their forced conversions to Islam; as compared to the modern day Anusim who are the descendants of those who were forced to convert to Catholicism. This letter is a response to an unidentified rabbi who wrote to the Jews of Morocco condemning them as heretics. At the time of this presentation there was one contemporary scholar of religious law who agreed with the 12th Century rabbi and considers the Rambam’s letter a fiasco. Haym Soloveitchik, believed the letter written by Maimonides contradicted the Mishnah Torah and has a “flimsy position and (a) make shift” argument. This letter and it’s critique are relevant to the debate of Modern-day Conversos or Anusim. As there are two prevalent views regarding this issue either in their Muslim or Christian forms. On one side the Jewish community helps them achieve repentance as expressed by the Rambam. And on the other condemns them as Soloveitchik clearly indicates in his critique of the Rambam’s letter. 

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…

Send us Fan Mail

En el episodio de Cazadores de Nuestro Pasado de esta semana profundizaremos en la historia de los cripto-judíos o descendientes de los judíos hispano-portugueses en las Américas conocidos como los Anusim. Este grupo a menudo difamado, que ya no se llama marranos, sigue apareciendo en la cultura popular y de vez en cuando en las principales publicaciones judías. Sin embargo, el hecho de que sea un tema interesante no significa que a nadie realmente le importen estas personas. La razón por la que sueno cínico es porque la mayoría de los criptojudíos están en una especie de "tierra de nadie" o son parte de muchas iglesias evangélicas que solo están interesadas en algún tipo de israelismo. Pocas personas parecen preocuparse por la supervivencia criptojudía o están interesadas en desarrollar programas para su regreso al judaísmo dominante, lo cual es crucial para la normalización de su experiencia. Únase a mí en este viaje por el mundo del criptojudaísmo mientras exploramos su experiencia desde mi punto de vista, como alguien en las trincheras de la batalla por la supervivencia judía en nuestro mundo moderno. También compartimos una breve historia de los judíos en México, Discutir los apellidos judío latinos, La verdad acerca de que el Papa Alejandro VI que es conocido como el judío "marrano" y el uso de la santería entre los conversos. 

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…

Send us Fan Mail

In this week’s episode of Heritage Hunters we will go deeper into the history of Crypto-Jews or descendants of the Spanish-Portuguese Jews in the Americas known as the Anusim. This often maligned group, who are no longer called marranos, keep popping up in popular culture and every now and then in major Jewish publications. However, just because it is an interesting topic that does not mean that anyone really cares about these individuals. The reason that I sound cynical is because most CryptoJews are either in a “no man’s land” of sorts or are part of the many evangelical churches which are only interested in some kind of Israelism. Few people seem to care about CryptoJewish survival or are interested in developing programs for their return to mainstream Judaism which is crucial for the normalization of their experience. Please join me on this journey through the world of CryptoJudaism as we explore their experience from my point of view, as someone in the trenches of the battle for Jewish survival in our modern world. We also share a brief history of the Jews in Mexico, Discuss Latino Jewish Surname, The truth about Pope Alexander VI being a “Marrano” Jew and the use of Santeria Among Conversos.

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…

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…

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…