The Religious Treehouse

By Matthew Day and Jodie Alderette

Welcome to the Religious Treehouse! Remember when you were a kid and would have deep conversations in a treehouse-like setting? That’s what we’re trying to recreate here! Hosts, Jodie Alderette and Ma... more

· Religion & Spirituality

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FAQs about The Religious Treehouse:

How many episodes does The Religious Treehouse have?

The podcast currently has 57 episodes available.

The Religious Treehouse episodes:

July 20, 2025 #37 Kumaré (2011): A TRT Movie Review
Jodie and Matthew review the 2011 documentary, which recounts the journey of Vikram Ghandi as he impersonates a guru and builds a following in Arizona. Join us for discussion on the journey.
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]
...more
44min
July 13, 2025 #36 Texts of Terror: Part 3 (Unnamed Woman from Judges 19)
We are continuing a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about the unnamed woman from Judges 19, a concubine who gets used, abused, and dismembered. Let us know your thoughts!
Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:
Texts of Terror: Literary-Feminist Readings of Biblical Narratives by Phyllis Trible (1984)
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
52min
July 06, 2025 #35 Noah (2014): A TRT Movie Review
Jodie and Matthew review the 2014 fantasy/adventure film Noah, which takes a unique approach to the story of Noah. Join us for discussion on the interesting directorial choices made by Darren Aronofsky and Jodie’s obsession with the casting choices.
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]
...more
35min
June 29, 2025 #34 Texts of Terror: Part 2 (Tamar)
We are continuing a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about Tamar, a daughter of King David who is coveted by her brother Amnon. It’s a tragic story, but an important one in the Bible. Let us know your thoughts!
Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:
Texts of Terror: Literary-Femisist Readings of Biblical Narratives by Phyllis Trible (1984)
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
52min
June 22, 2025 #33 Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979): A TRT Movie Review
Jodie and Matthew review the 1979 film Life of Brian, which tells the story of a Judean man mistaken for a messianic prophet at the time of Jesus. Join us for discussion on Monty Python’s satirical commentary on religion, gender, and more by creating a parallel to the well-known story of Jesus.
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT

Email: [email protected]
...more
44min
June 15, 2025 #32 Texts of Terror: Part 1 (Hagar)
We are starting a 4-part series, going through Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror, where each week, we will discuss a story from the Hebrew Bible from a Literary-Feminist perspective, following Trible’s book. Feel free to follow along and read with us! This week, we talk about Hagar, an enslaved Egyptian woman who conceived a son for Abraham, but is then banished. It’s a tragic story, but an important one in the Bible. Let us know your thoughts!
Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:
Texts of Terror: Literary-Femisist Readings of Biblical Narratives by Phyllis Trible (1984)
Spectres of Marx by Jacques Derrida (1993)
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
1h 1min
June 08, 2025 #31 The Man From Earth (2007): A TRT Movie Review
Jodie and Matthew review Jerome Bixby’s 2007 film “The Man From Earth,” which explores the concept of what would happen if there was an unaging 14,000 year old man walking among us. While this is an interesting concept for a film, it delves into a conversation on religion that gets a lot wrong
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
41min
June 01, 2025 #30 Sodom and Gomorrah
The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is one of the most misused stories of the Bible, often to promote homophobic ideologies despite never commenting on the topic or being associated with homosexuality anywhere in the Bible. So, Jodie and Matthew discuss what the story of Sodom and Gomorrah is actually about and how it has been interpreted by early readers of the text. Let us know what you think!
.Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:
Toensing, H. J. (2005). WOMEN OF SODOM AND GOMORRAH: Collateral Damage in the War against Homosexuality? Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion (Indiana University Press), 21(2), 61–74. https://doi-org.proxy.lib.duke.edu/10.1353/jfs.2005.0038
Greenberg, S.Wrestling with God & Men: Homosexuality in the Jewish Tradition. University of Wisconsin Press.
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
53min
May 25, 2025 #29 Jesus Christ Superstar (1973): A TRT Movie Review
Jesus Christ, Superstar. Who are you? What have you sacrificed? Do you think you’re who they say you are? These are all fantastic questions asked by Judas, scholars of the historical Jesus, and Chrsitian theologians. Too bad we don’t really get into answering those questions from any of those perspectives (though we pontificate on how Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Judas would have thought about those questions). Jodie and Matthew analyze Jesus Christ Superstar and talk about the provocative and controversial artistic choices made in this film about the last few days of Jesus’ life. Take a listen and let us know what you think!
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
1h 5min
May 18, 2025 #28 What is Belief?
This may sound really simple, but belief may be more complicated than we would like to think. In this episode Jodie and Matthew explore what belief is in religious settings and how we have come to see other religions in terms of belief - and how that’s largely due to Chrsitianity’s influence on western culture. What is belief and what do you believe?
.Works Referenced and Recommended Readings:
Robert A. Orsi (2011) Belief, Material Religion, 7:1, 10-16, DOI: 10.2752/175183411X12968355481773
Chapter 1: Belief by Donald S. Lopez Jr. from Critical Terms for Religious Studies (1998) edited by Mark C. Taylor
Follow our socials and reach out to us with thoughts or questions!
Twitter/X: @TheRELTreehouse
Bluesky: @TheRELTreehouse
Instagram: @TheReligiousTreehouse
TikTok: @thereligioustreehouse
Facebook: TRT
Email: [email protected]
...more
45min

FAQs about The Religious Treehouse:

How many episodes does The Religious Treehouse have?

The podcast currently has 57 episodes available.