Showing posts with label manipulation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label manipulation. Show all posts
Monday, September 14, 2026
Wednesday, July 15, 2026
The Bible Verse People Use to End Every Argument (Dan McClellan and Dan Beecher; Data Over Dogma podcast on YouTube)
This episode it's Twisted Scripture: Proverbs 3:5–6 — "trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding" — and the way it gets wielded to shut a conversation down.
We dig into the claim that you can only "really" understand the Bible if you read it with the Holy Spirit, why that's textbook special pleading, and how John Lennox's red Ferrari ends up parked in the same garage as Carl Sagan's invisible dragon.
Along the way: intuition versus reflective cognition, why every tradition reports the same spiritual "confirmation," and the difference between private faith and public claims.
Chapters:
Chapters:
0:00 Intro1:15 Twisted Scripture Begins1:50 Proverbs 3:5–63:05 "I Read With the Spirit"4:18 Special Pleading6:18 Slavery as the Test Case7:23 What the Commentary Says8:19 Hidden From the Wise9:19 Whose Spirit Is Right?10:03 Intuition vs. Reflection11:46 The Unreliable Brain14:24 The Problem of Qualia16:22 Lennox's Red Ferrari17:24 Sagan's Garage Dragon19:41 Feelings vs. Evidence20:28 Every Tradition Feels It23:47 The Thought-Stopping Cliché25:01 Private Faith, Public Claims27:10 "The Spirit Told Me"28:41 More Trump-Card Verses29:51 Data Over Dogma
Interview:
Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Sunday, June 7, 2026
Ark Encounter's Decade-Long Disaster (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #638)
— Ark Encounter's decade-long disaster: How the Creationist theme park failed on its promises (0:48)
— “Swallow it!”: A Christian "prophet" told a teen to eat a Bible page to receive God’s blessings. (20:11)
— A Connecticut law protects kids from abusive homeschooling parents. Republicans opposed it. (31:38)
— Colorado GOP candidate's wildest religious claims unravel in must-watch interview. (46:51)
— The Catholic Church protected a predator priest. The courts punished the whistleblower. (1:10:49)
Interview:
— “Swallow it!”: A Christian "prophet" told a teen to eat a Bible page to receive God’s blessings. (20:11)
— A Connecticut law protects kids from abusive homeschooling parents. Republicans opposed it. (31:38)
— Colorado GOP candidate's wildest religious claims unravel in must-watch interview. (46:51)
— The Catholic Church protected a predator priest. The courts punished the whistleblower. (1:10:49)
Interview:
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
X suspends 800m accounts in one year amid ‘massive’ scale of manipulation attempts
Social media company tells MPs of continual fight against state-backed efforts, with Russia being most prolific…
Friday, October 31, 2025
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Is Rogan REALLY Leading a Death Cult? (Conspirituality podcast, #274)
If it wasn't all so tragic, politics might seem like a bad joke. But how did comedy become so unfunny, so politically toxic?
From his hideout in a remote mountain cabin, anonymous video collage artist and essayist The Elephant Graveyard has finally cracked the code. According to him, Joe Rogan has created a doomsday death cult that feeds the dad-shaped hole in the hearts of its followers. In this allegory, his Comedy Mothership theater in Austin is like the alien spacecraft zooming in from behind the Hale Bop comet to take the Heaven's Gate group suicide victims home, freed from their earth-suits.
And it turns out tech oligarchs Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are really behind it all.
Interview:
From his hideout in a remote mountain cabin, anonymous video collage artist and essayist The Elephant Graveyard has finally cracked the code. According to him, Joe Rogan has created a doomsday death cult that feeds the dad-shaped hole in the hearts of its followers. In this allegory, his Comedy Mothership theater in Austin is like the alien spacecraft zooming in from behind the Hale Bop comet to take the Heaven's Gate group suicide victims home, freed from their earth-suits.
And it turns out tech oligarchs Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are really behind it all.
Interview:
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Chatbots can be manipulated through flattery and peer pressure | The Verge
Researchers convinced ChatGPT to do things it normally wouldn't with basic psychology...
https://www.theverge.com/news/768508/chatbots-are-susceptible-to-flattery-and-peer-pressure
Monday, August 18, 2025
Weekly Roundup: God and the Military in DC + Nazi-Loving Economist Takes Over Jobs Data (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)
In this episode of Straight White American Jesus, Brad and Dan reunite to break down a tumultuous week in American politics, focusing on the federal takeover of Washington DC, the appointment of a controversial Heritage Foundation economist to oversee jobs data, and Gavin Newsom’s bold trolling of Trump.
Brad & Dan explore the deeper cultural and theological roots of authoritarianism, the weaponization of fear and emotion in right-wing politics, and the chilling implications of ICE and military presence at political events. With sharp analysis, personal anecdotes, and a dash of humor, they offer listeners both a sobering look at the current state of democracy and reasons for hope and resistance.
Interview:
Brad & Dan explore the deeper cultural and theological roots of authoritarianism, the weaponization of fear and emotion in right-wing politics, and the chilling implications of ICE and military presence at political events. With sharp analysis, personal anecdotes, and a dash of humor, they offer listeners both a sobering look at the current state of democracy and reasons for hope and resistance.
Interview:
Is It Time for the Catholic Church to Ordain Women as Deacons? (Open to Debate podcast)
The election of Pope Leo XIV as the head of the Catholic Church has reignited a long-simmering question in the Catholic Church: Should women be ordained as deacons?
Deacons can preach, baptize, and officiate weddings and funerals, but not consecrate the Eucharist. Under Pope Francis, the Vatican launched commissions to study the issue and elevated women to senior positions — moves seen as laying the groundwork for potential change. Supporters say ordaining women would restore an early Church tradition, not break with it, and make the Church more inclusive and responsive to modern society. Opponents say the records indicate the opposite and that it would violate longstanding doctrine. They warn it could blur theological lines, sow confusion about the priesthood, and open the door to demands for women priests—something the Church has firmly rejected. They also point out that women already hold influential, non-ordained leadership roles.
Now, under new leadership, we ask: Is It Time for the Catholic Church to Ordain Women as Deacons?
Interview:
Deacons can preach, baptize, and officiate weddings and funerals, but not consecrate the Eucharist. Under Pope Francis, the Vatican launched commissions to study the issue and elevated women to senior positions — moves seen as laying the groundwork for potential change. Supporters say ordaining women would restore an early Church tradition, not break with it, and make the Church more inclusive and responsive to modern society. Opponents say the records indicate the opposite and that it would violate longstanding doctrine. They warn it could blur theological lines, sow confusion about the priesthood, and open the door to demands for women priests—something the Church has firmly rejected. They also point out that women already hold influential, non-ordained leadership roles.
Now, under new leadership, we ask: Is It Time for the Catholic Church to Ordain Women as Deacons?
Interview:
Friday, August 15, 2025
The Bible Says So…or Does It? (Reveal/More to the Story podcast)
Dan McClellan has spent much of his life learning—and relearning—what the Bible and its authors were trying to tell us. But the years he spent in graduate school studying Hebrew texts, Near Eastern cultures, and the concept of deity taught him something else: The way scholars talk about the Bible is much different from how churchgoers—or most people on social media—talk about it.
So several years ago, McClellan began pushing back against what he saw as misguided biblical interpretations online and found an audience. Today, he has almost 1 million followers on TikTok who look for his thoughts on topics like the “sin of empathy,” what the Bible says about slavery, or maybe just to see what graphic T-shirt he has decided to wear that day. (He confesses to also being a comic book nerd.) But one strand of thought that weaves through many of his videos is how Christian nationalists have recently used the Bible to gain political power.
“The hot new thing right now is to be a Christian nationalist,” says McClellan, who also wrote The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. “And I think a lot of people are jumping at the opportunity to get on board this attempt to take over the government on the part of Christians. And unfortunately, it means hurting an awful lot of people along the way.”
On this week’s More To The Story, McClellan sits down with host Al Letson to talk about the ways people throughout history have used the Bible to serve their own interests, pushing back against conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s biblical interpretations, and describes a time when his own perspective of the Bible was challenged.
Interview:
So several years ago, McClellan began pushing back against what he saw as misguided biblical interpretations online and found an audience. Today, he has almost 1 million followers on TikTok who look for his thoughts on topics like the “sin of empathy,” what the Bible says about slavery, or maybe just to see what graphic T-shirt he has decided to wear that day. (He confesses to also being a comic book nerd.) But one strand of thought that weaves through many of his videos is how Christian nationalists have recently used the Bible to gain political power.
“The hot new thing right now is to be a Christian nationalist,” says McClellan, who also wrote The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. “And I think a lot of people are jumping at the opportunity to get on board this attempt to take over the government on the part of Christians. And unfortunately, it means hurting an awful lot of people along the way.”
On this week’s More To The Story, McClellan sits down with host Al Letson to talk about the ways people throughout history have used the Bible to serve their own interests, pushing back against conservative commentator Charlie Kirk’s biblical interpretations, and describes a time when his own perspective of the Bible was challenged.
Interview:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
Victims of a college ministry's sexual abuse seek answers
Victims of a former minister and confessed sex offender say the Assemblies of God, the world's largest Pentecostal denomination, failed to protect them despite knowledge of his actions. NBC News' Kate Snow spoke to survivors who want the church to admit to their wrongdoing and take corrective actions.
Interview:
Sunday, August 3, 2025
Ryan Walters’ Naughty, Naughty Computer (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #594)
— Ryan Walters’ TV displayed “nude women” during a meeting. Now he’s blaming the media. (0:49)
— An Alabama church secretly sent kids to evangelize in a homeless encampment. (30:05)
— New memo lets government workers push Christianity on colleagues—even if they’re the boss. (46:20)
— “Shiny Happy People” sequel highlights Christian boot camp that traumatized a generation. (1:04:08)
— Crypto for Christ? Colorado pastor and wife indicted in $3.4M INDXcoin scam. (1:11:45)
— Indiana Lt. Gov. proposes death penalty as condition for abortion access for assault victims. (1:23:42)
Interview:
— An Alabama church secretly sent kids to evangelize in a homeless encampment. (30:05)
— New memo lets government workers push Christianity on colleagues—even if they’re the boss. (46:20)
— “Shiny Happy People” sequel highlights Christian boot camp that traumatized a generation. (1:04:08)
— Crypto for Christ? Colorado pastor and wife indicted in $3.4M INDXcoin scam. (1:11:45)
— Indiana Lt. Gov. proposes death penalty as condition for abortion access for assault victims. (1:23:42)
Interview:
Sunday, July 13, 2025
The End of the Johnson Amendment? (Hemant Mehta and Jessica Bluemke, The Friendly Atheist podast #591)
— Is the Johnson Amendment dead? IRS says churches can now endorse candidates from the pulpit. (1:35)
— Hate-fueled, anti-gay sermons from Indiana New IFB church spark outrage. (32:30)
— Court rules against West Virginia in $5,000,000 religious grant controversy. (52:59)
— FOX & Friends promotes Creationist theme park in sponsored segment disguised as news. (1:04:25)
— “Sheep do not judge the shepherd”: Priest defends convicted abuser in shocking sermon. (1:17:20)
Interview:
— Hate-fueled, anti-gay sermons from Indiana New IFB church spark outrage. (32:30)
— Court rules against West Virginia in $5,000,000 religious grant controversy. (52:59)
— FOX & Friends promotes Creationist theme park in sponsored segment disguised as news. (1:04:25)
— “Sheep do not judge the shepherd”: Priest defends convicted abuser in shocking sermon. (1:17:20)
Interview:
Sunday, June 8, 2025
“Abortion Is Healthcare, Pt. 1” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) (It’s in the Code ep 149)
In this episode we address the first of what Stuckey identifies as progressive “lies”: “Abortion Is Healthcare.”
In looking at her discussion, Dan offers an overview of the contradictions, fallacies, and revisionist history she uses to defend her views. He explores how she uses the precise rhetorical tricks she accuses others of using, and how her discussion of abortion contradicts her entire thesis about the dangers of empathy. Listen in to hear more!
Interview:
Saturday, May 24, 2025
“Love Is…What, Exactly?” (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast) (It’s in the Code ep 147)
Allie Beth Stuckey and the opponents of “toxic empathy” tell us that the remedy to excessive empathy is love.
But what does this mean? What is “love,” as they understand it? How is it different from emotions like empathy or sympathy? And how does it license practices of abuse and coercion that empower high-control Christianity?
Why, in other words, is their understanding of love so dangerous and damaging?
Check out this week’s episode as Dan explains.
Interview:
Madness: CIA-funded mind-control experiments and their victims (Beyond All Repair podcast from WBUR)
WBUR's reintroducing you to Endless Thread's 2020 series, "Madness," that unraveled the shocking story of forced brainwashing and the murky history of CIA-funded mind-control experiments.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
AI Gurus (Conspirituality podcast, #257)
The chat bot flashes its elipsis at the bottom of the screen. What is it thinking, what does it want from you, what do you want from it? Beneath those pixels lies a sea of mined data and lightning storms of electricity heating up servers in barren deserts. What will it find for you in the past labor of the generations?
According to a stunning new article in Rolling Stone, it will find whatever the fuck makes you feel like a god—incuding all the NewAge pablum it has scarfed down—because oops, ChatGPT released a model that is just too sycophantic.
But as we break down today, the AI nonsensient flattery machine is designed to hook you into the regurgitative process of self-seduction. Is this a new spiritual delusion, or more of the same? And what does that kind and agreeable bot conceal?
Interview:
According to a stunning new article in Rolling Stone, it will find whatever the fuck makes you feel like a god—incuding all the NewAge pablum it has scarfed down—because oops, ChatGPT released a model that is just too sycophantic.
But as we break down today, the AI nonsensient flattery machine is designed to hook you into the regurgitative process of self-seduction. Is this a new spiritual delusion, or more of the same? And what does that kind and agreeable bot conceal?
Interview:
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