What the Bible Says About Taking Your Own Life (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)

This episode, we're covering a sensitive subject, but an important one: suicide. King Saul dies in the Bible by purposefully falling on his own sword. It was an act designed to rob his enemies of the satisfaction of killing him. But was it a sin? 

Certainly, Christian tradition has held the act of taking one's own life as a sin for centuries, but is this theology biblically supported, or a later innovation? Is it possible that the labeling of suicide as sinful is actually wrong?

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. You are not alone:

-- In the US and Canada: Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org to reach the 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. (Veterans, press 1).

-- In the UK: Call 111 (Non-emergency) or 999 (Emergency), or contact the Samaritans at 116 123.

-- International: To find a helpline in your country, visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention at iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres or OpenCounseling's International Suicide Hotlines list at blog.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines/.

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/zEjTxVZNwNY?si=NBvxzjcx8bjYwzlR

Biblical Literalism is a Fiction (Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)

This week we're diving in to some deep controversy, and we gotta say: come on in, the water's fine.

First, we're looking at biblical literalism. There are a lot of Christians out there these days who claim that they believe that the Bible is to be taken exactly at face value. It's literally true exactly as it is, no interpretation needed. Well, if you've been with us for any amount of time, you already know that's a position that's not going to work around here.

But what is biblical literalism really? When you boil it down, what are the literalists really saying? Is literalism a dogma that goes back to beginning of Christianity, or is it relatively new?
Interview: 

https://youtu.be/VrJKlKmcHjE?si=CYwfsnTSVvbaKzvO