Pastor Andrew takes us back to the ancient city of Ugarit, this time for the story of the twin gods Shahar and Shalim, sons of El and Asherah, and talks about how this artifact tells us an interesting and important insight into how ancient people viewed their religion, in a very different way than we do in modern and pre-modern times.

Pastor Andrew breaks down the religious history of Russia and Ukraine and the significant part today's religious situation plays in the current conflict.

As the pandemic slides into an endemic, Pastor Andrew has been pondering the reasons why such a large percentage of the country has a mistrust of vaccines and he has come up with a hypothesis. It's not just that the government has done bad things in the past (The Tuskegee Experiment, etc), it's that the people responsible have not been help accountable. In short, the US hasn't made things right. Therein lie the roots of mistrust.

Back to the ancient city of Ugarit for the story of Nikkal-and-Ib. Pastor Andrew talks about this hard to define tale, which exists on only one tablet, about the God Yarich falling in love with Nikkal and asking her father for permission to marry her. He talks about how this story has echos of the Hebrew bible, and the value these ancient stories have for us today.

Pastor Andrew takes us back to the ancient city of Ugarit for the story of King Keret, a legendary king who we catch at the moment he looses everyone he loves and Goddess Asherah gives him instructions to get back the one thing he desires, but he makes one royal mistake. It's a cautionary tale warning against being more religious than God wants you to be. Pastor Andrew places this story in its historical context, talks about its use of repetition, and explains what it might be saying to us in our modern times, and much more!

On this episode, we return back to the ancient city of Ugarit, for the Epos of Aqhat, a poetic tale written in cuneiform 3000 years ago about a special son (Aqhat), a jealous goddess (Anat), a super cool bow and arrow set (with instructions on how to make it yourself), a hit man (Yatipan), a vengeful sister (Pughat), and much more! Just don't expect an ending that wraps it all up. That part is lost forever!

Amy Coney Barrett's line of questioning, at the recent hearing regarding Mississippi's abortion law, betrays her utter ignorance or recent history and just general sociological understanding. Thinking that adoptions and orphanages are a solution to the problem of "forced motherhood" is not only scandalous but also callous. It leads to a discussion about recent Romanian history of parent-less childhood squalor, and into a broader discussion of abortion itself, the true definition of "pro life," and much more.

The total acquittal of Wisconsin vigilante/terrorist Kyle Rittenhouse prompts a discussion about the idea of placing the value of property over the value of human lives, and how this whole episode falls, once again, under the frightening banner of christian white nationalism.

On this episode, Peter has a question for Pastor Andrew regarding the quote "myths are that which never were, yet always are." Which leads to a discussion about the transformative importance of myths, and how fundamentalistic approaches to these stories cheat us out of their impact.

Here is a YouTube short video about Exodus myth.

https://youtu.be/_Nfkrmm3emg

In the third and final segment of the "Angels" series, Pastor Andrew talks about how the hierarchy of angels mirrors the hierarchy of gods in polytheistic theology and how one phrase from Jesus revolutionized the whole structure. Plus he answer the questions 'should angels be unionized?' and MUCH more!