Content warning: This episode contains discussions of suicide

Have you heard the one where the atheist walks into the divinity school? Oh, it’s not a joke, it’s the lived experience of humanist chaplain Chris Stedman. Phill and Chris talk about the pros and cons of organized religion, cultivating community and ritual outside of religious contexts, using the internet to heal after personal tragedy, and finding the divine in pop divas. Required listening for the “spiritual vibes of non-religious people.”

Resources:

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255 or text HELLO to 741741

For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

Welcome to covid’s Groundhog Day. Every day’s the same and we constantly have six weeks to go before it’s over. But school’s open, traffic is back, and it’s time to start thinking about what the world looks like on the other side. Here to talk to Phill about reentering a very changed and very similar world are writers Michael Arcenaux and Aminatou Sow. They chat about the challenges of creating through disaster, seeing old injustices through new eyes, creating boundaries, and finding god in memes.

For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

Phill was always bound to interview Michelle Williams. You could call it fate, but we prefer DESTINY, child. The Gospel Girl talks to Phill about the connections between mental health and faith, how god lives in the high notes, and what to do with your life after you check ‘global superstar’ off the checklist.

For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

In the inaugural episode of our resurrected show, Phill talks to one of his favorite people in the world: Samhita Mukhopadhyay. Samhita made some big changes during covid (like a lot of us). As Editor in Chief of Teen Vogue, she was at the height of her career: she had the high profile, the platform, the influence. And then? She stepped away. She and Phill dive in to betting on yourself, the lessons of grief, and rebuilding relationships over time. 

For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

Someone must have moved a boulder out of the way, because Unholier Than Thou is back from the dead, baby! And we’re celebrating our resurrection with stories about yours. New jobs, new loves, new mistakes, new realizations, new challenges, new gay people talking about Catholic guilt (not all new — Phill’s still here). Join Phill and a stable of stars, friends, colleagues, and strangers as they try to glean answers from a year full of questions. New episodes every Friday, starting October 8. 

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Remember that time Joe Jonas had a Purity Ring and then…didn’t? That’s the Virgin Mary’s fault. Sort of. The most famous woman in all of Christianity is a virgin — or is she? Phill is joined by feminist theologian Meggan Watterson for a chat on Biblical revisionism and the real miracle of the immaculate conception. 

For a transcript of this show, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

As appealing as hunky blondes can be, Phill isn’t interested in worshipping one (well, at least not as the son of God). There's a whole lot of myths about Jesus—and then there's who the Bible ACTUALLY says he was. And turns out, he's kind of a great guy! To help him dissect the activist Jesus was in his own life, Brittany Packnett Cunningham joins to play a fun Bible game. (The grand prize is kind of a bummer, though.)

Listen to Brittany's podcast, Undistracted

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

It's Hanukkah, listeners, and you're going to plotz when you see this week's guests. First, Phill shmoozes with author, icon, and national treasure Alice Hoffman about the role of Jewish folklore in her work, the resilience of women, and the power of the word (and Practical Magic). Then, Crooked Media founder and all-around mensch Jon Lovett confronts his sins for a (very personal) Am I Going To Hell For This?

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

The Pope wants you to stay home, but Amy Coney Barrett wants to see your ass in church. We check in with Dan Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion and Belief, on what the most recent SCOTUS hearing really means about "religious freedom." Then, after an explosive report detailing how the US military is buying the location data of millions of Muslim people, Phill welcomes Joseph Cox, the journalist who broke the story. Then, Ani Zonneveld, founder of Muslims for Progressive Values, breaks down the real life implications of citizen surveillance for practitioners of Islam.

Show notes:

Attend MPV's Celebration of Life

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.

Now that you're stuffed with stuffing, it’s time to go shopping. Psychology professor Matt Rossano joins to argue that consumerism is filling the hole left vacant by religious rituals. Do you buy it? (What if it's 50% off?) Then, comedian Bryan Safi offers his sinful expertise for a holiday edition of Am I Going To Hell for This.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/unholierthanthou.