Impolite Conversation: Religion and Politics

Impolite Conversation: Religion and Politics


#53: The Meaning of Dec. 25 and Anti-Semitic Violence

December 03, 2019

For the holidays, we're digging into why Christmas is celebrated on December 25--and no, it's not just because of Saturnalia. And then we chat about the sharp rise in anti-Semitic violence the past few years and whether or not there's any reason for hope. And in One Last Thing, Dan read another audiobook this month and Tim has been flipping through the scholarly journals.

Some of the things we talked about this month:

Our guest, Dr. McGowan, brought up mariology.

Here are discussions of the planned attack on the synagogue in Pueblo, CO and the successful one in Poway, CA. And here is a description of the vandalism in an Omaha, NE cemetery.

Dan mentioned a verse in the Gospel of John that refers to Jews as the children of the devil. (And here is why it shouldn't be taken out of context.)

Dan's OLT was about Mythos: The Grek Myths Retold, by Stephen Fry.

Tim's OLT was about "Kids These Days: Why the Youth of Today Seem Lacking," by John Protzko and Jonathan W. Schooler.

0:00-0:58: Introduction

1:02-27:06: McGowan interview

27:10-50:40: Anti-Semitic violence discussion

50:45-53:49: Dan's OLT

53:50-56:49: Tim's OLT

56:50-57:49: Credits