#57 A Charlie Brown Christmas: A TRT Movie Review

Christmastime is here! So Jodie and Matthew are looking at one of the most iconic Christmas movies of all time, and one of the most explicitly Christian scenes in all of Christmas media. But is that enough to make this a religious movie? And does this movie, whose central message is anticonsumerism succeed in its goal? See what we have to say about these things, and we'd also love to hear your thoughts!!

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Lind, S. J. (2014). Christmas in the 1960s: a Charlie Brown Christmas, religion, and the conventions of the television genre. Journal of Religion and Popular Culture, 26(1), 1.

Matthew Rating: 4/5

Jodie Rating: 4/5

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Jodie and Matthew continue the series going through Mark Juergensmeyer’s book “Terror in the Mind of God” as they discuss Islamic extremism. By looking at case studies of Extremist and Terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Hamas, and those that support them, Jodie and Matthew try to follow the logic on why these organizations create terror and why the vast majority of Muslims across the world condemn these organizations. Like other extremists mentioned, common themes in Islamic extremism include a sense of marginalization, interpretations of being in a cosmic war, and a political identity tied to the religion.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God, Fourth Edition: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. 4th ed. University of California Press, 2017.

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Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse

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Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]

Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]

Who doesn’t love Jim Carey?! This week, Jodie and Matthew look at the 2003 film, Bruce Almighty, and analyze how it presented an American view of religion that parallels Christianity without ever actually using explicitly religious terminology. How does Bruce Almighty depict religion and western depictions of a deity in a way that is appealing to the religious and non-religious alike? Let us know your thoughts on this and how this movie tackles ideas of free will, American religion, and comedy, and whether or not you agree with our hot takes!

Matthew Rating: 3/5 

Jodie Rating: 4/5

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Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

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Jodie and Matthew delve into the topic of Jewish Extremism as they discuss Chapter 3 of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s “Terror in the Mind of God” (TITMOG). Much of modern Jewish extremism and violence is related to Zionism in one form or another. Without getting into too many details about Zionism (that’s a topic for another time), Jodie and Matthew discuss Jewish extremists such as Meir Kahane, Yoel Lerner, and Baruch Goldstein to try to understand their forms of Zionism and extremism and follow the logic of these extremists and understand why they may have advocated for these horrible acts.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God, Fourth Edition: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. 4th ed. University of California Press, 2017.

Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!

Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse

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In a fun change of pace, Jodie and Matthew review Jeff Baena’s “The Little Hours” starring Allison Brie, Kate Micucci, Aubrey Plaza, and Dave Franco, which is a comedy based on a story from The Decameron about a 14th century convent who lust after a new groundskeeper who is pretending to be deaf and mute. Shenanigans occur as the movie hilariously delves into human flaws and fascinating characters under the backdrop of a 14th century conventFollow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouseInstagram: @TheReligiousTreehouseTikTok: @thereligioustreehouse Facebook: TRTEmail: [email protected]

Jodie and Matthew delve into the topic of Christian Extremism as they discuss Chapter 2 of Mark Jurgensmeyer’s “Terror in the Mind of God” (TITMOG). They look at some case studies of religious violence in extremists such as Anders Brievik, Timothy McVeigh, and Michael Bray and then discuss some of their justifications and reasonings behind committing these horrible acts of violence, briefly touching on topics of Just War theory, Dominion theology, and Reconstructionist Theology. Follow along and let us know what you think!

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God, Fourth Edition: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. 4th ed. University of California Press, 2017.

Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!

Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse

TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse 

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Email: [email protected]

Boo! It's a spooky season and that means Jodie and Matthew get to review a religious horror movie: Midsommar. Matthew’s advice is to never watch this movie, but that’s mainly because he doesn’t like horror movies. Jodie’s advice is to follow us on social media, but that’s unrelated. But Jodie and Matthew discuss some of the religious themes and tropes that pop up throughout Midsommar and discuss anthropological concerns such as “how should one study communities who practice life in a way that seems so removed from our western values - especially when their way of life costs others theirs?" If you’ve seen the movie, listen along and let us know your thoughts!

Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!

Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

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Jodie and Matthew begin their discussion on religious violence and extremism by offering a brief introduction to religious violence. Following Mark Jurgensmeyer’s book: Terror in the Mind of God, Jodie and Matthew will explore various care studies of religious extremism before delving into the logic and justification of these horrific acts of violence.

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Juergensmeyer, Mark. Terror in the Mind of God, Fourth Edition: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. 4th ed. University of California Press, 2017.

Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!

Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse

TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse 

Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]

Jodie and Matthew delve into a sensitive topic as they review a PBS Frontline Documentary about how religious faith changed in the aftermath of 9/11. While this is a relatively unknown documentary, it acts as a great introduction to religious extremism and hopefully will act as a good starting point as The Religious Treehouse starts an extended series on religious extremism, fundamentalism, and violence, starting next episode. 

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur

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Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

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This week, Jodie and Matthew delve into the New Testament to discuss Jesus’ parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard… if that’s what we want to call it. As with most parables of Jesus, historical and modern interpretations have vastly differed, but how would Jews that Jesus was speaking to have understood the parable? To address this, Jodie and Matthew set off to explore the variety of ways it has been interpreted, for better or for worse, relying on AJ Levine’s book “Short Stories by Jesus” (Seriously. It’s a great book. Go read it).

Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:

Short Stories by Jesus: The Enigmatic Parables of a Controversial Rabbi by Amy Jill Levine. 

Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!

Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse

Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse

TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse 

Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]