Mystic-skeptic Radio Show

In this week's show we are honored to have Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library, Faculty Member Trevan Hatch. He is a graduate of Spertust Institute of jewish Learning and author of A Stranger in Jerusalem: Seeing Jesus as a Jew.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

In 2020 we discussed the "Replacement" or "White Genocide" Conspiracy Theory. This issue is now at the forefront again after the massacre in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Michael Heiser gave us his take on what led the Poway Synagogue Shooter (a devout Christian) to harm a group of Jews at a Chabad Synagogue? We now present this relevant program in which Dr. Heiser discusses the fallacies behind the "White Genocide Conspiracy Theory." We also discuss how the Westboro Baptist Church, uses Bible verses to justify their hatred. Dr. Heiser reviews these passages and shares better ways to interpret them.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen)

In this week’s episode we discuss the anachronism of “a Jewish Trinity” proposed by Daniel Boyarin and promoted by Michael Heiser. This idea retrograde into Israelite/biblical theology by these two scholars. We address this by comparing Jewish and Christian approaches to describing or defining God. Both authors point to Cannanite Theology to support their claims. Talmudist Daniel Boyarin in his Jewish Gospels book and Dr. Michael Heiser in his presentations based on his dissertation titled “The Divine Council in Late Canonical and non-Canonical Second Temple Jewish Literature.” Both suppose that both ancient linguistics and biblical mysticism point to a trinity-like concept that existed in pre-first century theological ideas found in the Bible. Frank Morris and I explore the traditions that lead to the two powers in heaven theology and how the early church fathers developed theological concepts, which could be considered to be inconsistent with the ancient Israelite worldview portrayed in the Bible.Mystic-Ske

In the week's show our guest is Rebecca Moore professor Emerita of Religion at San Diego State University. She is currently Reviews Editor for Nova Religio, the quarterly journal on new and emergent religions published by University of California Press. She is an expert in the history of Christianity, in 2015 she published Women in Christian Traditions, a feminist analysis of the role women have played in the development of Christianity (NYU Press). Her narrative anthology, Voices of Christianity: A Global Introduction (McGraw Hill 2006), come out in a revised second edition from Herder and Herder/Crossroad in 2018.Her current research examines contemporary Jewish and Christian relations, with a book coming out in Fall 2021—A Blessing to Each Other: A New Account of Jewish and Christian Relations (Herder and Herder/Crossroad, 2021). Her presentation Perils of the Passion was featured at the Lutheran Church of San Juans on April 7.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of

Mira Z. Amiras was raised on her mother’s accounts of the Inquisition and Holocaust, and her father’s tales of the Hebrew aleph bet letters and their role in the creation of the universe. Mira Amiras has taught Jewish mysticism, magic, and folklore along with many other topics in Jewish and Islamic Studies and the anthropology of religion. She founded the Middle East Studies Program at San Jose State University, where she was Professor of Comparative Religious Studies for over 25 years. She received her PhD in Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and served as president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, and on the Executive Board of the American Anthropological Association. Mira Amiras is co-founder and facilitator of the Beit Malkhut Study Group, which has been meeting in San Francisco since 1996. Her experimental project, Kaddish in Two-Part Harmony, is a collaboration with musician, Erin Vang. She founded Something Will Emerge Productions in 2012 to take on a new appr

In this week's show our guest is Rabbi Mike Harvey. He is an Author, Podcaster, Chaplain, PhD Student, Jewish Studies Scholar. Ordained by the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in 2015, Rabbi Harvey earned a Master’s degree in Hebrew Letters from Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and a Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston University. Throughout his tenure at HUC-JIR, Rabbi Harvey served congregations, small and large, in Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Rabbi Harvey’s new book "Let's Talk: A Rabbi Speaks to Christians" (Fortress Press, July 2022) is now available for preorder on Amazon and Barnes & Noble and is a handbook for Christian clergy.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured acade

In this week's show our guest is Rabbi Dr. Juan Marcos Bejarano Gutierrez  author of Reimagining Boundaries: Jewish and Christian Identity in Late Antiquity.In the eighth century, a debate between Sergius the Stylite and a Jew occurred. The discussion was conveniently titled, Debate against a Jew. It records arguments about the relevance of biblical texts to Christians and the Jewish people. The anti-Jewish perspectives of Sergius are not surprising. The response given by his Jewish interlocutor is, however. The Jew noted that he was surprised by the number of Christians who attended his synagogue, contributed to it, and celebrated various Jewish holidays alongside Jews.What does this tell us? It shows us that the boundaries between Jews and Christians even as late as the 8th century were permeable at the very least and ill-defined at the most extreme. The anti-Jewish polemics of Melito of Sardis in the second century or John Chrysostom in the fourth century are heartfelt. Regardless of how vile they are

In this week’s show we feature  Grace Kohn in celebration of World Autism Day. Grace Kohn is an author and mother of a person with Autism. She shares her metamorphosis as a result of doing everything in her power to help her daughter, Julianne, heal. She is the author of Children on Autumn Autism-Here on Purpose a book of teachings. As an autism advocate Grace shares how to develop a supportive loving community for those born with this special ability. She co-wrote the song at the end of the interview with composers Marco Griggs and was recorded by John L'hirondelle Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Heale

In this conversation we discuss the way the death by suicide of a sibling impacted his brother Rafael and the emotional, spiritual and religious challenges connected to this tragedy. Our guest is a an American born citizen of the State of Israel who shares about his experience and the way his family supported each other through their grief and complex existential questions about the loss of their loved one.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial t

In this week's  edition of Mystic-Skeptic we are honored to feature an interview with Natalie Khawam the attorney for Vanessa Guillen’s family who passed federal legislation to protect survivors of harassment and sexual assault in the military.  Military sexual trauma as defined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, entails military sexual trauma experiences of sexual assault, or repeated threatening sexual harassment that occurred while a person was in the United States Armed Forces. According to an article from the Associated Press " An independent review of Fort Hood — prompted by the deaths of more than two dozen soldiers at the base in 2020 — revealed that military leaders were not adequately dealing with high rates of sexual assault and harassment, drug use and other problems. ..."https://apnews.com/article/us-army-texas-army-sexual-assault-d62485c11b38bfbd0456eece822581c1Attorney Natalie Khawam graduated from Georgetown University Law School. She holds both an M.B.A. and a

In this week’s show we present an interview of the guest judges of Cosplay contest at Brazcon Teen Comic Convention. Organized by the Brazoria County Library System this event included sessions and activities based on comic books, graphic novels, manga, anime, and popular fiction. The participants were judged in the following criteria: Creativity, time and effort and out of the ordinary. During event I dressed up as Batman (Knightmare Version) our guest Ojy was Spider Gwen and Sky was Boku from My Hero Academia. Some of the winning contestants included Dino Dana, Springtrap from Five Nights at Freddy's, Joker and Riddler from Batman, two other Anime characters. My guests also presented on the topic of Cosplay for a Cause. During this panel we discussed participating in charity events as Cosplayer and how as children watching superhero shows were able to discern which superheroes were saviors or crime fighters. Some of the other panelists included Kris Vanderwege as Shakespeare from Anime Fate Apocrypha,

In this week's show our guest is Greg Kelso host of the Con Hour. A podcast for those who are interested in Conventions and like/love to attend panels and can't always go to the Cons. On their show they interview Artists, Actors, Authors, Musicians and Cosplayers.  Greg is an author and shares the podcast hosting with Aimee and C.J. for more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/groups/theconhour/aboutMystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, cont

In this week’s show we are honored to have again our expert on scientific knowledge and inquiry, Brian Dunning. The host of “Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Media” he shares about how conspiracy shows are supporting flawed thinking for people who already have preconceived notions about some topics.  We  discuss Alex Jones' influence as many similar conspiracy theorists and “entertainers” have sprung up all over the AM radio. One of these programs is “Ground Zero with Clyde Lewis” who in their February 6, 2019 show discussed racist and destructive ideas such as the so called invasion of Muslims and Chinese from Canada and the coming race war pushed by supremacists. We also discuss Mr. Dunning’s confrontation with Joe Rogan after writing a report on how Rogan was part of the "Then Most Wanted: Celebrities who Promote Harmful Pseudoscience" and how these shows will say anything to get ratings being irresponsible and sensationalistic.Brian Dunning is an American writer and producer who focuses o

In this week's show we discuss Comedian Tim Dillon's recent interview with Joe Rogan on his podcast. During the conversation influential Spotify podcaster and social commentator Joe Rogan made the following statement "most of his (Alex Jones') predictions have come true..." Sam Granger a fan of Rogan and Joe Balog our religion and spirituality commentator and I discuss the repercussions of this statement and the issues related to this topic. Alex Jones is a provocateur and conspiracy prognosticator who for years has supported or spearheaded racist, Anti-Semitic, seditious, religiously intolerant and triumphalist claims which have no correlation with reality and/or are based on little evidence or facts. He did not only get sued by the surviving parents of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy, but according to a RollingStone article he has pushed hateful conspiracies such as Birtherism Conspiracy ( Barack Obama citizenship), 911 Truth (terrorist attack being an inside job), Government Weat

In this week's show yours truly is interviewed by the host of Love and Loss Podcast Joy Van Staalduinen. Our topic Pediatric Chaplaincy and Bereavement Support addresses the needs of those who have experienced death of a child/miscarriage or are in the process of supporting someone who is dying. I am currently spearheading a grief guidance project with his wife Jodie Gonzalez, LCSW to provide support to the bereaved. For more information please visit: www.jahgriefservices.comMystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient

In this week's show we discuss the concept of Jesus being a Necromancer. Our discussion of early Christianity, Greco-Roman culture and Gnosticism with Robert Conner continues. He is the author of Resurrection or Ghost Story? available online. During our program we discuss his research and the different types of ghosts stories in the ancient world. He shares how modern ghost stories are influenced by ancient ones and describes the documented apparitions of Romulus & Apollonius of Tyana which have many parallels to the resurrection stories in the New Testament and other stories.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and

In this week's show we discuss the concept of Jesus being a Necromancer. Our discussion of early Christianity, Greco-Roman culture and Gnosticism with Robert Conner continues. He is the author of Resurrection or Ghost Story? available online. During our program we discuss his research and the different types of ghosts stories in the ancient world. He shares how modern ghost stories are influenced by ancient ones and describes the documented apparitions of Romulus & Apollonius of Tyana which have many parallels to the resurrection stories in the New Testament and other stories.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and

In this week's show discuss the religious case for Vegetarianism/Veganism with a friend of the show Joe Balog.Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology and the occult, social movements, controversial topics and many of the current affairs affecting our society. Join us as as we explore the mystic-skeptic mind space…

In this interview with researcher Robert Conner we discuss the following discovery: While cataloging material in the library of the monastery of Mar Saba in 1958, Morton Smith discovered a quotation from a letter of Clement of Alexandria copied in the end pages of a 17th century collection of the letters of Ignatius. After more than a decade of collaborative analysis of the find, Smith published his conclusions in 1973, setting off a firestorm of controversy in the New Testament studies guild. In 1975, a Jesuit scholar, Quentin Quesnell, claimed the letter had been forged and implied that Smith was the forger, moving the focus of debate off the text itself and onto Smith. Since then the pages containing the letter have been removed from the book and possibly destroyed, while Catholic and evangelical writers, none of whom have ever seen the pages in question, continue to claim that Smith forged the letter. Following his death in 1991, accusations against Smith took on a considerably more personal tone, highlig

In this weeks's show we interview Chaplain Tom Saunders about the historical Jesus and discuss alternative views on prophecies considered to be related to him. We also address some of the  halachic (concerning Jewish Law) challenges to the theological concept that Jesus kept the Torah perfectly. Did Jesus partake in the sacrificial system, did he eat the passover lamb, did he obeyed his parents and fulfilled all the obligation of a first century Jew? Mystic-Skeptic Radio produces programs such as Uncensored & Raiders of the Unknown. Some of the ongoing series are: Jesus The Israelite, Anti-Semitism Rising & Paul's Legacy (all available on our YouTube channels). In the past 8 years we have featured academics (Amy Jill Levine) , presidential candidates( Howie Hawkins), Commentators (Jay Michaelson) , Advocates (Vanessa Guillen), Scholars(John Dominic Crossan) and Holistic Healers (Rosemary Gladstar). We have taken deep dives on the topics of human trafficking, ancient civilizations, demonology