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A Jewish statistician walks into a podcast … and hilarity and enlightenment ensues thanks to Linda Weiser Friedman, the co-author (along with Hershey Friedman) of “God Laughs: Sources of Jewish Humor.” We talk about why Jews are so funny, the types of humor Jews employ (including Holocaust humor), and how comedy can be found in sacred texts if one looks closely. We also discuss the boundaries of religio-ethnic humor and how religion can bring us closer to God.

Find some additional bits of humor from the Friedman’s book on our Facebook Fan Page.

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In celebration of my son having to read “The Hobbit” over the summer as a high school assignment, I am re-running this popular episode on J.R.R. Tolkien that aired in fall of 2012. The staff at Research on Religion is still on vacation following our 200th episode, but we will return shortly with some crescent fresh episodes.

Dig into those archives for other tasty nuggets that you may have missed and go over to our Facebook Fan Page to see some of Tony’s favorite episodes over the past year.

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One of the most distinctive and recognizable Christian groups in the United States are the Amish. But how much do we really know about this group? Prof. Don Kraybill, a noted scholar on Old Order Mennonites and Anabaptists, provides us with a historical background of the Amish and the related “horse and buggy” Mennonites. We also discuss their theology, ethnic/cultural practices, demographics, and economics. Along the way, we explode many of the myths and stereotypes in this wonderfully comprehensive interview.

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Writer, producer, and director John Errington joins us to discuss the most recent film he directed, “A Long Way Off,” a modern telling of the story of the prodigal son. We discuss the process of film making and the role that religious themes play in our contemporary cinematic culture. Our conversation also covers how smaller, independent religiously-based films are marketed through church organizations and via “word of mouth.”

Click “read more” for additional links to our discussion and related podcasts.

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Prof. David Dixon of St. Joseph’s College discusses his massive project to document various sermons and speeches giving during the height of the Civil Rights Movement (1954-65). These speeches are from lesser known individuals who were nonetheless a critical part of the social environment pushing for civil liberties for African Americans and others. We also discuss how this project relates to his previous and ongoing research on religion in Latin America.

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Hollywood actor Tim Kelleher joins us to discuss the recent documentary he wrote, directed, and produced entitled “The Creed: What Christians Profess and Why It Ought to Matter.” The conversation goes over the process of making the documentary, what Tim learned about the Nicene Creed in the film’s production, and the reactions to the film. We also cover what it is like to be a person of faith in the entertainment industry.

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By listener request, David Bentley Hart joins us to discuss his award-winning book, “Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and its Fashionable Enemies.” We cover who these “new” atheists are, how they differ from the old atheists, and Prof. Hart’s general reactions to more common claims by atheist scholars about the Christian past and the “Age of Reason.”

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Despite being a nation prided upon religious freedom, the United States has witnessed several episodes of intense persecution of religious minorities. Prof. David Smith (University of Sydney) discusses why these episodic violations of civil liberties happen with specific reference to the Latter Day Saints in the mid-19th century and the Jehovah’s Witnesses in the early 20th century. He links these (and other) events to the threat that they generate towards the political status quo. We also discuss how this may relate to harassment of Catholics, Jews, and Muslims in US history over the past two centuries.

Join us on our Facebook Fan Page for weekly updates and additional insights. Help us reach 500 fans by June!

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Being that it is Super Bowl week, the mid-point of the NBA season, and with the Winter Olympics just around the corner, we are re-running one of our favorite interviews featuring Timothy Dalrymple discussing the relationship between religion and sports. When athletes point their fingers skyward to thank the Lord following a great play, what are they really doing? Based on his own experience as a world-class gymnast sidelined by a traumatic neck injury, Timothy covers the life of an elite athlete and adds to the story his experience with basketball phenomenon Jeremy Lin.

We’ll be back next week with a fresh episode. In the meantime, share us with your friends!

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Prof. Robert Priest of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School discusses the causes and consequences of the growing trend of witchcraft accusations against individuals in Africa. We survey the demographic patterns in these accusations, potential reasons for why such claims are brought about, what the consequences are for individuals, and what some people are trying to do to protect those facing such accusations.

Please share this free educational resource with your friends, family, and colleagues using the social media links below. We enjoy the company!

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