Holy Watermelon

13/09/2024

30/07/2024

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Sean Hannan of MacEwan University to discuss the development of Christian theology through the figure of St. Augustine of Hippo, as well as the influence of medieval mystics.
We also discuss the academic study of religious thought, and the interdisciplinary depths of the field of 'Religious Studies.'
🍉Check out the Holy Watermelon wherever you get podcasts.

15/07/2024

We've ragged on a bunch of saints who are certainly unworthy of veneration (AKA worship), but they're not all monsters.
Elizabeth Seton was the first American to be canonized as a saint by the Church of Rome, we love her for her support of public education, and her drive to lift people out of poverty.
🍉 In the latest episode of the Holy Watermelon podcast, we discuss a handful of saints that we like (though we're open to being corrected). Find the Holy Watermelon wherever you get podcasts.

02/07/2024

The Imperial Church of Rome doesn't represent all of Christianity, but it is a major portion of the global population, so it's time for us to look at their foundation, and what makes them distinct from other groups.
We also take a look at the tradition of apostolic pseudonyms, and the biblical foundation behind it.
🍉Check out the Holy Watermelon wherever you get your favourite independent podcasts.

17/06/2024

Death certainly appears to be universal, but across traditions we see a wide variety of imagery. The lords of the underworld are not the same as the gods of death, and the guides who are said to bring us to our final reward are fascinating, too.
Whether you look forward to meeting the Ferryman or the Valkyire, we've got stories to share.
🍉 Check out the latest episode of the Holy Watermelon wherever you find your favourite podcasts.
🖼 Gustav Dore: Charon. 1861.

04/06/2024

Wearing pants isn't for everyone 😉
Some people will even say so with religious conviction 😬
Religious clothing serves a few purposes, but most important is conveying to gods and neighbours that you are devoted to your faith (or faith community).
🍉 Check out the latest episode of the Holy Watermelon to learn more about religious and para-religious clothing.

14/05/2024

How does one define a religious society?
What makes it distinct from any other philosophical society?
Have you ever wondered what it takes to start a new cultus?
We've done it: The San Lanatus Fellowship is a registered religious society in Alberta, and we're happy to tell you about how we did it, and what that means for you.
🍉"Let's Build a Church"
Check out the latest episode of the Holy Watermelon wherever you get your favourite independent podcasts.

25/04/2024

Where are the bear ghosts? Maybe they aren't religious enough....
Death is profoundly important to religious tradition, and there's some fascinating diversity in how the inevitable fate is observed around the world.
Join us for a dive into the darkest depths of religious claims, including near-death experiences, in this latest episode of the Holy Watermelon, wherever you find independent podcasts.

🍉🎥 https://youtu.be/OrhDJJGleS0

23/04/2024

Passover and Easter don't always happen close together: Passover began last night. Passover is all about how God saved Israel from slavery in Egypt, named for the time the destroying angel passed over the homes of the Israelites instead of wiping out their first-born. This religious feast is tied to the spring harvest, so taking an extra month to get ready makes some sense.

26/03/2024

I hope this explains a few things.

25/03/2024

We are so excited for this week's episode! We got to interview Katherine Spallino, author of The Bad Cadet and ex-Scientology Sea Org member.

Tune in to hear about her journey growing up in Scientology on the Ranch compound, rebelling against the strict structure and hierarchy of the Sea Org, and what leaving the church meant for her and her family.

Be sure to buy her book The Bad Cadet, available on Amazon!

26/02/2024

We're continuing the discussion on becoming gods, this time focusing on apotheosis. There is a great variety of paths one might take to godhood, depending on how you define it, and your own religious traditions on the matter. See if you qualify. Conditions apply. Check out the Holy Watermelon wherever you get podcasts.

14/02/2024

Feb 14 is the Catholic feast day for Saints Cyril the Monk and Methodius the Bishop. These guys have the honour of being the (relatively obscure) patrons of all of Europe, thanks to John Paul II.

These two guys take this feast day from St. Valentinus of Rome, patron of courtly love and dubious tales of romance. FYI, the day celebrated with Valentine's patronage is NOT about familial love, nor even established relationships, only the courtship of new romances.

12/02/2024

Have you ever wanted to become a god? Did you know that there's a process that shows results in the mortal realm?

Euhemerism is a little different from deification, but it's a legacy that not many get to enjoy, so why not give it a shot? In this latest episode, we're exploring the hypothesis that explains how many gods celebrated throughout history may not have been simple fabrications but real people around whom great myths developed and grew to legendary proportions.

Check out the Holy Watermelon for more, wherever you get your favourite podcasts.

02/02/2024

It turns out that losing a shoe can be good luck, especially if it's locked between the studs in your walls. In August 2016, a shoe was found in the wall of the Senior Combination Room of Cambridge University during renovations.

Scholars on the scene were quick to tell journalists that the shoe was there to ward off bad luck, and it had been there for about 300 years, so it was returned with a time capsule for the next time it was found.

Some old legends tell us that these wall shoes bless fertility, others say they trap witches, while still, others say that they protect against demons--the sorts of things they're famously ineffectual at doing while simply worn on your feet.

30/01/2024

Who said black cats are bad? It was Pope Gregory IX, in 1233. He published a papal bull called "Vox in Rama," condemning "Luciferianism." Greg said that the devil was half-cat, and that his worshipers would kiss a cat's balloon-knot in their initiation rituals. The cat in question was supposed to be a statue come to life. From there, black cats get slandered as familiars to evil.

25/01/2024

Help us keep the podcast going! You can support us by purchasing our merch at our Spreadshop!

From now until January 28th, everything is 20% off!

https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca

24/01/2024

Make an offering to your favourite podcast by shopping on Spreadshirt this week!

From today until January 28th everything is 20% off!

https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca

21/01/2024

Jan 21 is the Feast day of St. Agnes of Rome, a 3rd Century martyr. Before she was fourteen, legend tells us she was the subject of a LOT of adult attention, but because she wouldn't marry the people who kept knocking on her door, she was dragged through the streets naked, to a brothel. The miracles that surround her martyrdom are quite fantastic, the sort of things that make you wonder why she (of all people) was special enough to be protected: she suddenly became extremely hairy to protect her modesty (and presumably to cushion her skin from the rough roads), and the men who attempted to take advantage of the four-foot yeti's situation were struck blind. Because of all this trouble, she was sentenced to burn at the stake. When that failed, she was killed by a blade to the neck. She is the patron of girls, virgins, s*x abuse victims, and... gardeners.

19/01/2024

We're not done with Christmas yet. Some Armenian Christians celebrate today. In the same way that many Orthodox Christians celebrate 13 days later than Western Christians because of a calendar issue, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem celebrates 13 days after the rest of the Armenians (who celebrate a day before most Orthodox observers).

15/01/2024

Zoroaster, or more correctly, Zarathustra was a great prophet of early Persian history, and the nuances of this religious tradition have carried over into countless others. Some argue that This is the source of Abrahamic monotheism... Join us as we explore these and other claims on the Holy Watermelon, wherever you get your favorite independent podcasts.

12/01/2024

Help us continue the Holy Watermelon podcast by purchasing some merch! Spreadshirt has Free Standard shipping until January 16th!

Time to stock up on your religious pun outfits.

https://holy-watermelon-podcast.myspreadshop.ca

11/01/2024

Don't let the title fool you, the "Devil's Bible" is NOT satanic, it's just way bigger than you want it to be, even for a coffee table display. This Codex Gigas, an 800-year-old Bohemian tome is 3 feet long (92 cm top-to-bottom), 20 inches (50cm) wide (when closed), and far too thick for anybody but Shaq to lift one-handed. This book gets its most ominous name from the enormous drawing of the devil on folio 290r, an image that might be familiar to fans of Monty Python, standing at 50cm (20") high, opposite a depiction of heaven. The book contains the Latin Vulgate version of the Bible, but between the Old and New Testaments, there is a wealth of literature on various subjects, including medicine and the two great works of Flavius Josephus.

01/01/2024

This week we're talking to a former Catholic priest--but not just any priest, Frank McMahon served in the Vatican. He's joining us to talk about his experience and the things he loved about his service with the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, as well as why he left, and the things he hopes to see change in the church. Check out our interview on the Holy Watermelon wherever you get your favourite podcasts.