Holy Watermelon
Holy Watermelon
Welcome to the Holy Watermelon podcast where a Christian and an atheist talk about religious studies. Join us, Katie and Preston, as we dive into the world of comparative religion. We use humor and research to have real, challenging, and uproarious conversations about the world's religious traditions and behaviors. If you're interested in religious studies, learning about other people and cultures, or fun facts for your dinner conversation, tune in to our bi-weekly episodes.
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Leviathan to Lovecraft
Holy Watermelon
10/10/22 • 51 min
Monsters play a huge role in most of the old religions. From Jormungandr to Leviathan, monsters can embody chaos, or they can protect sacred ground. Generally, they are used to instill obedience in people, but sometimes they simply help to explain why the world is a mess. Join us as we dive into the realm of religious traditions surrounding chaos monsters.
Monsters serve to *demonstrate* or reveal the evil within the hearts of a people--or, that's the theory, anyway. They delineate the realm of chaos from the orderly cosmos, and they preserve that boundary.
Also, we talk about Cthulhu and the outer gods, and the risk of insanity that comes with knowing the unknowable.
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From the Litani River, to the Jordan River, to the Norwegian Sea, the great sea monster is a foe of the gods of thunder and lightning. Whether Tiamat or Typhon, the king of the gods will preserve order by putting chaos in it's place.
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Masonic Religion
Holy Watermelon
08/29/22 • 74 min
Freemasonry, the oldest fraternal organization in the world, has some deeply rooted religious traits, and an odd don't-ask-don't-tell relationship with the Church of Rome. The national mythology of the whole democratic world celebrates men who have been initiated into its sacred rites, and countless exposés have been published, yet there's still an awful lot of secrecy and misinformation.
Is Freemasonry a cult? Does it even qualify as a religion?
The Grand Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of Alberta will help shed some light on the subject.
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Freemasonry is democratic all the way to the core, and only half of the legitimate Grand Lodges claim jurisdiction over entire countries; the other half stick to provincial and "state" boundaries. A friendly relationship exists between the vast majority of these Grand Lodges (as long as they have legitimate claim to authority in that region), but there is no global Masonic authority.
Hermetic Appeal
Holy Watermelon
06/20/22 • 64 min
After a brief look at the occult last fall, we're taking a closer look at the Hermetic tradition, including some of the most popular literature on hermeticism and a survey of some of the sources behind the mythical figure of Hermes Trismegistus.
We explore some of the pseudepigraphical writings like the Emerald Tablet, the Corpus Hermeticum, and the Perfect Sermon, and the wild figure of William Walker Atkinson (AKA Magus Incognito, Yogi Ramacharaka, and many other names), who had some professional connections with the Freemasons.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holywatermelon
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Hermeticism is more than alchemy and astrology, and even these aspects have allegorical utility in addition to their physical scientific claims.
The Man in Red
Holy Watermelon
08/01/22 • 55 min
Religious communism isn't just for the weird new cult that bought up a farm down the road. People often forget, especially in the west, that Christianity was strictly communist in the first century, and that the Jewish nation from which they were born enjoyed a tightly regulated, moderately socialist dictatorship. Join us for an exploration of these and other groups who decided not to put arbitrary economic qualifications on "Love your neighbour."
Socialism isn't the bogeyman vaguely remembered from the Cold War--those governing parties used the title without admiring or espousing the core principle: common ownership of all goods and services. Religious groups often do a much better job of applying socialist and communist principles; but, like the "Second World," they tend to lean heavily into authoritarianism, the real enemy of freedom.
We take a look at Communal cults, hippie communes, ancient Hellenic and Vedic communal groups, and of course Christian groups--not just the Anabaptists, but the Latter-day Saints (Mormons), too. We also talk about some of the big Christian thinkers that have influenced western culture on the subject before the rise of Leninism.
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Discernment House Dropout - an Interview with Vernon Boldick
Holy Watermelon
07/18/22 • 49 min
This week we have the pleasure of interviewing another friend. Vernon Boldick shares with us the details of his journey preparing to enter the seminary and the priesthood of the Catholic church, only to find his faith shaken. Spoiler alert: Today he's an atheist. The journey is what we're here for.
You can find more of this interview on Patreon.
You can also watch this interview on YouTube.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holywatermelon
Store: https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca/
Discord: https://discord.gg/NurpUjS7cc
Web: https://holywatermelonpod.wixsite.com/homepage
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdf4BpEkNaME_3whgtQnX3A
High & Mighty
Holy Watermelon
07/04/22 • 52 min
The puritanical roots of western colonialism may have obscured this for some, but several religious traditions are tightly tied to the use of hallucinogenic substances. Some may find that their origins are reliant on them. In this week's episode, we explore the phenomenon, as well as a quick survey of those who might protest too much... and this time, Katie's had a bit to drink.
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Entheogens are a trippy way into religion--or at least cosmic faith. Religious intoxicants aren't exactly common, but they're certainly not an oddity in the wide array of traditions on this planet. Sacraments can take a great variety of forms, from DMT to mescaline, to cannabis (marijuana), to mushrooms. Who are we to judge what others have believed for millennia? We look at sacraments of the Rastafarians, Indo-Arab Aryans, Wixáritari, and the Greeks. We also examine the American "Religious Freedom Restoration Act" of 1993.
Apes Together Strong
Holy Watermelon
08/15/22 • 66 min
Fascism has earned an ugly name over the last century, no question about it. Some religions lean into it, some look forward to a day when it can be openly celebrated, especially in monotheistic traditions. This week, we're exploring what it really means to be inside, to see fascism differently than what history has shown us. Straight out of the mouths of Benito Mussolini and Francisco Franco, we examine the difficulty in defining fascism, and why some Christians are taking advantage of that obscurity.
We get a little help from Umberto Eco and Stanley Payne in our efforts to delineate the nature of the beast, but few organizations hit all the landmarks--watch out for the ones that do. Ultimately, when it comes to religious groups throwing their hats in with the fascists, as we see all around the world today, it's up to every good person to stand against these fundamentalist authoritarian parties while it's still safe to do so.
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Sinclair Lewis: “When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross”
Celibacy & Scandal
Holy Watermelon
06/06/22 • 56 min
There's some misunderstanding surrounding celibacy, so we're going to explore why it's such a prominent part of the Imperial Christian Priesthood, and we'll take a look at some of the damage that the policy has caused. We've made a point of keeping the trauma-triggers to the later portion of the show, so everybody can enjoy the more interesting bits of history before we get to the more sensitive content.
We explore some of the history of the celibacy policy, as well as other rules that have been ignored over time. Chastity and celibacy are not the same thing, and they're not mutually assured, but they're not mutually exclusive either. We also take a peek at the work of Vincent Doyle and Coping International.
Trigger-Warning: Halfway through (with deliberate break and warning), we talk about priestly sex scandals around the world.
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Catholicism has taken a few hits since the priestly diddlers hit the news, but it turns out that antidisestablishmentarianism is still strong in the American federal government. After the trigger warning, learn more about the statistics around the Catholic sex abuse scandal, and some of the profiling of those priests who have been identified. It turns out an awful lot of external reports encourage the Catholic church to let their priests marry, with good reason.
The Troubles of Two Irelands
Holy Watermelon
05/23/22 • 66 min
Looking again to Katie's Irish roots, the Troubles of Northern Ireland are a fascinating example of how religion gets tied to conflict. But is it really a religious conflict? What are the prerequisites for such a label. How much is religion really a part of the problem. Join us for an exploration of the history behind the Troubles, and the people who motivate them. It's easy to take sides, but solving the problem is a lot more complicated than agreeing to a cease-fire. Centuries of nationalism and colonialism have caused deep scars....
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holywatermelon
Store: https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca/
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Web: https://holywatermelonpod.wixsite.com/homepage
We take a look at the unionist "planters" who came from Great Britain to colonize Ireland, and follow through the Williamite Wars, and the Battle of the Boyne. We talk about Bobby Sands, and the assassination of Lord Mountbatten, and the Incredible Hulk's alter-ego, Bruce Banner.
The Orange Order has some interesting history, not all of it good. Colonial nationalism and defensive patriotic nationalism are all that's left behind when you strip away the religious labels, but is it really that simple?
09/12/22 • 47 min
This week, we're talking with Dr. Glen Fairen, PhD, a religious studies professor at Oklahoma State University. The Viking shares with us the work he's been doing, and some of his research might surprise you. His work includes scholarship on the Qumran and Nag Hammadi groups, as well as the realm of witchcraft. Join us for a great discussion.
For part 2 of this interview, check us out on Patreon, linked below.
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/holywatermelon
Store: https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca/
Discord: https://discord.gg/NurpUjS7cc
Web: https://holywatermelonpod.wixsite.com/homepage
Dr. Fairen is the author of As Below, So Above: Apocalypticism, Gnosticism, and the Scribes of Qumran and Nag Hammadi. You can find it on Amazon, linked below.
https://www.amazon.com/As-Below-Above-Apocalypticism-Gnosticism/dp/1593330820/
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FAQ
How many episodes does Holy Watermelon have?
Holy Watermelon currently has 66 episodes available.
What topics does Holy Watermelon cover?
The podcast is about Cult, Jewish, Hindu, History, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, Atheism, Buddhism, Catholic, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Religion, Witchcraft and Philosophy.
What is the most popular episode on Holy Watermelon?
The episode title 'Leviathan to Lovecraft' is the most popular with 2 listens and 1 ratings.
What is the average episode length on Holy Watermelon?
The average episode length on Holy Watermelon is 58 minutes.
How often are episodes of Holy Watermelon released?
Episodes of Holy Watermelon are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Holy Watermelon?
The first episode of Holy Watermelon was released on Oct 5, 2020.
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