Religiosanity

Pastor Andrew reads selections from a sermon written by artificial intelligence which leads to a discussion about these exciting and possibly concerning advancements in technology, its crossroads with religion, and the ways people react to it.

Pastor Andrew brings us back again to the ancient city of Ugarit, this time to talk about a short cuneiform passage that briefly details (what most scholars think is) a solar eclipse. This leads into a discussion about viewing eclipses (including the Pastor's 2017 trip to Kentucky to see a solar eclipse), and the intersection of religion and astronomy, particular in Hawaii where the two have been butting heads of late.

A hike near Stony Point New York brings Pastor Andrew face to face (both literally and figuratively) with the current state of mental health care in America when he comes across the dilapidated remains of the Letchworth Village Sanatorium. He takes the opportunity to compare mental health facilities in his homeland, and to offer up ways to begin to deal with this crisis in humane and productive ways.

Here is a blog which I wrote eight years ago. http://blog-andrew.stehlik.org/2014/12/psychiatrists-kid.html

Pastor Andrew promised us a story about God El, head of Pantheon, getting drunk; and he delivered. As we dives into this Ugarit myth, we learn about ancient people's relationship to alcohol (particularly wine, and its road from experimentation to temperance) and other mind altering substances.

Freshly recovered from his first bought with Covid-19, Pastor Andrew shares his experience with it, how he fared, how he passed the time, why he wouldn't wish it on his worst enemy, and speculation on why people would deny themselves the vaccine for religious reasons. Plus much more!

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/c/GreshamCollege

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_D._Ehrman

Pastor Andrew offers up his thoughts on Francesca Stavrakopoulou's book "God: An Anatomy." Spoiler alert: he really likes it! He offers an appreciation of the maturity of the worldview, grasp of the biblical world, and understanding that the ancients were reflecting on their own humanity through the reflection of their deities. Plus much more!

Pastor Andrew returns to the Ugarit story of the twin gods Shahar and Shalim, this time to focus on another aspect of that ancient text--the circumcision of God El. He talks about the origins of circumcision as a form of marriage ritual, and how this leads right into the Hebrew tradition.

Here is a YouTube sermon about Zipporah - Tsiporah

Check out the previous episode about Shahar and Shalim--https://soundcloud.com/user-268177934-789175382/the-feast-of-the-goodly-gods

Pastor Andrew brings us back to the ancient city of Ugarit, this time to talk about interesting lists of Gods (KTU 1.47; 1.118 and RS 20.24). Deities numbering over 30, including...a guitar?!

We waited a month before sitting down to talk about the Supreme Court decision that the constitution does not confer a right to abortion. But now that some time has passed, Pastor Andrew expresses his feelings about this decision--morally, theologically, logically--and the steps Rutgers Church has taken to help out with this tragedy.

Here's the statement released by Rutgers Church the week of the decision:

Clergy of the Rutgers Presbyterian Church are without reservation PRO CHOICE!

The supreme court's ruling which overturned half a century of reproductive autonomy (so called Roe v. Wade) will negatively affect the lives of millions of women and girls especially those in marginalized communities.

We adamantly reject any notion that laws, courts, and judges should have power over the bodily autonomy of women. It is no one's right to limit and control a woman's personal and medical reproductive decisions. As people of faith, we must refuse and actively resist any attempts to use religion as a pretext for undermining and destroying fundamental human rights!

Pastor Andrew sheds light on a Ugaritic Day of Atonement that pre-dates the Hebrew bible by hundreds of years, which leads to a conversation and an idea for adding such a day to our calendar as Christians.