Lynne Mystic-Healer, Frank Hieparky and I mix lament with promise in our discussion of the state of our politics today, especially in the United States. We talked about religion, propaganda, and race and other things that divide us. At the same time, we consider things we can do to see through the lies and disinformation and become more critical and even skeptical consumers of news and propaganda. I come on about six minutes into the program, so Frank starts us off talking about religion. Then I come in to speak about propaganda and the election and then we move on to touch on race, militarism, the environment, and other important issues and analysis. The music in the show is by Patty A Becker. 

This is a series of shows on the Gospel of Matthew by Author and Minister Bert Newton. Bert explores the Gospel of Matthew as literature, as a story. I make the argument that the story is one of a nonviolent revolutionary peasant leader named Jesus. The story, therefore, is sociopolitically subversive. Not only is the story subversive in its content it is also subversive in its form. It parodies an ancient genre of literature common among the upper classes. Bert makes the argument that the author of this gospel was a defector from the upper classes (probably the retainer class) who expressed his solidarity with a peasant movement by writing out a version of the story of its foremost champion.

In this episode, Bert describes how the genealogy in Matthew is actually a parody of a genealogy. In the gospel in which Jesus instructs his followers to "call no one on earth 'father,'" this list of fathers is intentionally ironic.

The music used in this series comes from several sources. The intro and exit music is a composition entitled "Oaks of Madison" by my good friend Bob Nolty. Much of the interlude music beginning in episode 2 was composed specifically for this series by my friend and brother-in-law, David Martyn. In episode 1, most of the interlude music is royalty-free music by various artists who will be credited on the Subversive Wisdom website, once that site gets up and running. The icon artwork is by David Martyn.

Media Psychology Specialist Lisa Snow and I continue our discussion about the use, effects, and dangers of propaganda. We talk about the propaganda leading up to the invasion of Iraq and the images of a mushroom cloud the Bush Administration used to generate support for the war. Then we talk about the use of the supposed threat of "Christian Nationalism" in the upcoming election.

"Christian Nationalism" is not new and it's not the threat they make it out to be. Lisa argues that "Christian Nationalism" does refer to a type of ideology or theology but that it can also be used as propaganda. Putting the hated words "Christian" and "Nationalism" together tends to demonize Christians. Otherwise, Lisa defends the usefulness of the label "Christian Nationalism" to describe a particular set of ideas. 

This is an edited version of my interview by Lynne Mystic Healer. She asked me how to bring back real democracy. We can begin by recognizing that propaganda and other covert techniques are being used against us.  I talk about the effects and types of propaganda and how propagandists spread disinformation and cause division.  How many advertisements do you see every day? How about political advertisements and partisan news sources? I describe my experiences and how I became aware of things like propaganda, political cults, and covert hypnosis. In this age of influence, propaganda is everywhere. To resist oppression we must educate ourselves and be critical about what we choose to think and believe. 

We are inundated with propaganda. If we consider that propaganda includes advertising, messaging, and public relations, we can begin to recognize how surrounded we are by propaganda.

This episode is part one of a two-part series on propaganda. If we were to ask why America is so divided, why the Left is always divided and chaotic, and why we are in the situation we are in politically here in the United States and around the world, one answer would be propaganda. Once we recognize that we are all influenced by propaganda, we can learn to defend ourselves against it.

On this show, we talk about propaganda, what it is, where it comes from, and how we can protect ourselves from it. Then we will examine some recent propaganda around impeachment and the election and expose some of the propaganda we can expect to hear as the 2020 election approaches. 

Our panel includes:

Author and Minister Bert Newton,

Media Psychology Specialist Lisa Snow, and

Professor of Philosophy, Joseph Dowd.

My name is Rich Procida and I write on religion and politics for LAProgressive.com and I blog at ModernLectionaries.blogspot.com.

Let’s begin.

#Impeach #Impeach45 

On this show, myself, Andy Miller, and Lynne Mystic-Healer talk about propaganda and the election. We are inundated with political propaganda and it's important to recognize and resist it. Andy and I go over some of the propaganda that we are hearing now and expect hear during the election. We also discuss ways to identify and resist deceptive and manipulative propaganda coming from our leaders and the media that is designed to divide the Left and unify the Right.

This is a recording of a press conference put on by a number of local groups to demand that the Senate conduct a full and fair trial with documents and witnesses. 

The people have every right to demand and fair trial with witnesses and documents. The America people expect Donald Trump to stand up and defend himself. 

My analysis of the post-impeachment situation and placing it in a biblical context.

Why don’t Christians follow Jesus and the Bible? This is a question many Americans are asking given the historical support among Evangelicals for unchristian policies, and particularly their support for President Donald Trump. On this show, New Age podcaster Lynne Mystic-Healer seeks answers on this and other questions. Along the way, we discuss the problem of human evil and the purpose and importance of impeachment. I hope you enjoy this discussion of the darkness in the human heart and its collective expression in politics.