New York Not So Into the Bible

The American Bible Society has put together a list of the most and least “Bible-Minded” cities in the country. Topping the list is Chattanooga, Tennessee. The study also found that the Bible isn’t so well-loved in bigger cities. Only three of the top 25 Bible-loving areas encompassed more than a million households.

What about New York, where OMGWTFBIBLE happens? That’s all the way down at 89, only slightly more into the Bible than hedonistic Las Vegas. But you wouldn’t know it from seeing OMGWTFBIBLE live!

<h/t: Andrew Sullivan>

OMGWTFBIBLE Episode 17

Behold! Episode 17 of OMGWTFBIBLE with guest Matthue Roth is now available!!

This episode was recorded at the Stanton Street Shul.

There are so many ways to listen to Episode 17!

You can listen using the video above or here.

YouTube link is here.

You can also: subscribe in iTunes, subscribe via RSS, or listen via Stitcher!

Join the Church of Yeezus

Took long enough.

There is now, and has been for a whole month, a religion founded in order to worship our Lord and Savior, the one True Deliverer, his Worshipfulness, Yeezus West. For real. Yeezianity exists and you can join it simply by believing the five precepts:

1. All things created must be for the good of all
2. No human being’s right to express themselves must ever be repressed
3. Money is unnecessary except as a means of exchange
4. Man possesses the power to create everything he wants and needs
5. All human suffering exists to stimulate the creative powers of Man

Oh, and you gotta believe “that the one who calls himself Yeezus is a divine being who has been sent by God to usher in a New Age of humanity.”

Ok! Read more about Yeezianity in an interview with its anonymous creator here. Or check out the religion’s website. But don’t expect me to profess my faith or not. As the website says:

Our membership is entirely anonymous. We insist that all of our members do not disclose their beliefs to anyone except those they know also to be members. There is no differentiating trait or clothing or behavior that we use to identify ourselves. We could be anyone you know, from your mailman to the mayor of your city. Only a member possesses the ability to identify another member, and all members immediately know every other member once they have entered our Church.

OMGWTFBIBLE Episode 16

Behold! Episode 16 of OMGWTFBIBLE with guest Lux Alptraum is blasting across the Internets!

This episode was recorded at the Magnet Theater on December 30, 2013.

In it, Lux and I read chapters 29-34 of my translation and talk a whole lot about whether or not Dinah was raped (HINT: she wasn’t).

There are so many ways to listen to Episode 16!

You can listen using the video above or here.

YouTube link is here.

You can also: subscribe in iTunes, subscribe via RSS, or listen via Stitcher!

Also: rate and review the show in iTunes! You know you want to!

OMGWTFBIBLE Episode 15

Behold! Episode 15 of OMGWTFBIBLE with guest Chris Hastings is now available!!

Check out Chris Hastings’ comic work at his personal website.

This episode was recorded at Beauty Bar. Wow!

There are so many ways to listen to Episode 15!

You can listen using the embedded audio above or here.

YouTube link is here.

You can also: subscribe in iTunes, subscribe via RSS, or listen via Stitcher!

Pope Francis Continues to Be Awesome

Pretty much every day recently, I am shocked to discover that I still like Pope Francis. Yesterday, he released an Apostolic Exhortation urging the world to reject “the new idolatry of money” and calling on the rich to turn back mounting inequality and help the poor. Cool!

It included very capitalist-unfriendly passages like this one: Continue reading

Episode 15 Happened!

I have no pictures to show, but I can assure you that Episode 15 happened last night, was recorded successfully, and will be ready for the Internet first thing Monday morning. Chris Hastings was a wonderful guest and I hope to have him back sometime in the future. The conversation after the show focused on the wide berth between what’s actually included in the text and the tradition of additional stories that has persisted over the centuries. Very interesting stuff! If you want to be part of a future post-show conversation, just show up at a live recording!

I Can Now Share This Noah Trailer

A few weeks ago, you might recall seeing a post go up on my blog about Darren Aronofsky’s new Noah movie and quickly disappearing. That is because I got a cease and desist about the pirated trailer from the movie studio and didn’t feel like making a fuss. Which is crazy because I’m pretty sure the Bible is public domain.

Whatever. An official trailer has finally been released, and here it is!

Obviously, I will see this. Obviously. The only burning question I have: will Aronofsky go into Noah’s drunken stupor and possible rape at the hands of his son I talked about in episode 4? I hope so!

OMGWTFBIBLE Episode 14

Behold! Episode 14 of OMGWTFBIBLE with Philip Wells is now available!!

Philip is the son of Steve Wells, the man behind the incredible Skeptic’s Annotated Bible.

This episode was recorded at the amazing Magnet Theater, where you should go and watch shows at and take all the classes with.

There are so many ways to listen to Episode 14!

You can listen using the embedded audio above or here.

YouTube link is here.

You can also: subscribe in iTunes, subscribe via RSS, or listen via Stitcher!

This Happened!

episode_14

 

It did, for real! On Monday night! And it was incredible! Unfortunately, Steve Wells wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t make it, so his son Philip very ably stepped in. Phil is the operator of SAB Books, which published the Skeptic’s Annotated Bible, and has been touring the country with his father for the past two weeks. We had a very interesting conversation about growing up atheist and the nature of God. Then we read some Bible.

Thanks to all who made it out on Monday. I saw a lot of new faces–it was great to meet you all.  I’m really happy with the way the Q & A sessions are working out. There was some interesting conversation that was provoked. If you want to hear what goes on during the Q & A, be sure to come to the next live show. The Q & As are not recorded are a much more free-wheeling discussion than what you hear on the show.

Episode 14 hits the Internet Monday! Watch this space!