The Two Tongues Podcast

S5E21 - The Crusades, Propaganda and Politics with Daniel Torridon

In this episode Kyle and Chris reunite with their mate across the pond--Daniel Torridon--of the Onion Unlimited Podcast. This one doesn't go quite as planned, when an off-hand remark about the Crusades unexpectedly ignites a tense discussion on politics, Christianity and propaganda. We cover political Islam, Christian morals as a social prescription, free speech and revisionist history. From a discussion of political manipulation, we move to the manipulation of social media algorithms and wrap up with a bit of speculation on the nature of spirit.

Enjoy ;)

S5E20 - Cannabis and Islam

In this episode Kyle and Chris reunite for an open and honest dialogue about the realities of cannabis and its effects, both positive and negative. Is it medicine, a slippery slope into psychological and physiological dependence or a mixed bag with plenty of grey area? They recount their experiences and hold nothing back. The conversation then turns to the topic of Islam and its cultural encroachment in the West. We discuss critical scholarship of the Quran and compare the examples of the Biblical Jesus to that of Muhammad. This topic wouldn't be complete without a critique of the political power games involved and the propaganda finding its way into the news and our social media feed. Strap in!

Enjoy ;)

S5E19 - Deprogramming Democrats with Lisa Ekman

In this episode Kyle and Chris interview author, Lisa Ekman, about her book Deprogramming Democrats & unEducating the Elites: How I Escaped the Progressive Cult. We begin with the biography of a typical American democrat. A middle-class upbringing; graduate degrees and a career in public service; a compassionate soul who just wanted to help her fellow citizen. But then...Lisa unravels her awakening experience where the scales fell from her eyes and she finally saw the dark truth behind the political machine she supported all her life. We ask tough questions and she gives honest answers. Strap in!

Buy Lisa's book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iKR0Jvr

Enjoy ;)

S5E17 - On the Mysteries - AUDIO FIXED

**Re-publishing this one with improved audio**

In this episode Chris explores the ideas of the ancient Greek, Neoplatonic philosopher--Iamblichus--through his correspondence with an ancient Egyptian priest. Iamblichus does something no philosopher did before him, at least not to such a degree; he questioned religious orthodoxy, expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of religious ritual and sacrifice and even of the priesthood itself. Along the way, however, he's striving to understand the nature of the divine at the deepest level. It turns out, there was no better source for answers to religious questions than the Egyptian priesthood, who benefited from the oldest and grandest religious tradition in all of the ancient world. And what did Iamblichus learn? It's not at all what you'd expect. 

Enjoy ;)

S5E18 - The Religions of El and Yahweh - The Indo-European Roots of Monotheism

In this episode Chris delivers Opinion Scholarship on the origins of Judeo-Christian monotheism. He takes us through the archeological record, exploring the Canaanite religion of El and seeking the mysterious origin of Yahweh. The questions arise: Was the religion of El the same as the religion of Yahweh? and Was El the same god as Yahweh? From here we step into controversial territory as we explore the possibility that both Yahweh and monotheism come not from ancient Judea, but from the Indo-European tribes of Europe.

Enjoy ;)

S5E17 - On the Mysteries

In this episode Chris explores the ideas of the ancient Greek, Neoplatonic philosopher--Iamblichus--through his correspondence with an ancient Egyptian priest. Iamblichus does something no philosopher did before him, at least not to such a degree; he questioned religious orthodoxy, expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of religious ritual and sacrifice and even of the priesthood itself. Along the way, however, he's striving to understand the nature of the divine at the deepest level. It turns out, there was no better source for answers to religious questions than the Egyptian priesthood, who benefited from the oldest and grandest religious tradition in all of the ancient world. And what did Iamblichus learn? It's not at all what you'd expect. 

Enjoy ;)

S5E16 - The Philosophic Image of God

In this episode Chris engages with the ideas of author--Brian Cranely, in his book The Call of Wonder. He discusses the importance of the human experience of wonder and awe as a catalyst for opening one's mind to realities greater than oneself. He then moves to the Western philosophical tradition to trace how we have wrestled with the idea of 'greater realities,' leading to Plato's idea of forms and eventually to the realm of spirit as formulated in our religious traditions. Next, we trace the pedigree of the idea of God with a capital 'G,' beginning with Plato's idea of the Form of the Good in distinction to the gods of Olympus. From there we arrive at Aristotle's First Cause and start to pin down the qualities that such a thing must necessarily have--Unity, Eternity and Unknowability. From this basic pattern we arrive at the religious idea of the Image of God and describe how it is reflected in cosmology, biology and consciousness.

Enjoy ;)

S5E15 - Debate, Discussion, Charlie Kirk and the Future of America

In this episode Kyle and Chris reflect on the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. We discuss the state of discourse in the United States, the prevalence of debate over discussion and the slow progress of leftist totalitarianism and identity politics. We ask the question: How do we diagnose the cause of this new stream of anti-Western political violence? And after we're done licking our wounds, we ask: What can be done and what should be done to remove this cancer from our social body. We agree on one thing...that justice delivered to Charlie's killer is insufficient to prevent such things from recurring. More must be done. The public has expectations here from our leaders. Let's just hope they rise to the occasion.

Enjoy ;)

S5E14 - The Call of Wonder

In this episode Chris interviews author Brian Cranely about his new book 'The Call of Wonder'. Brian studied biomedical engineering and built a career in the field before heeding the call of wonder, which put is professional career on hold in favor of divinity school where we received his graduate degree along with a heaping helping of philosophy! Brian's unique background, weighted equally in the domains of science and religion, inspired the message which became 'The Call of Wonder.' We discuss the key discoveries of ancient Greek philosophy, which , through logic and reason alone, brought such figures as Plato and Aristotle right to the precipice of monotheistic revelation. We touch on the impact of Greek philosophy on the early development of Christianity and on the medieval scholastic tradition, which succeeded in synthesizing them. And finally, we reach deeply into the speculative, discussing the Biblical 'Image of God' and how it can be seen reflected fractally in each of the great unexplained mysteries of science--the origin of the cosmos, of life and of the psyche.

Check Brian out at: briancranely.com & buy the book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/8cMP2JO

Enjoy ;)

S5E13 - Noncanonical Christ - Stories of Jesus from Outside the Bible

In this episode Chris brings Opinion Scholarship on stories told about Jesus that appear in the historical record, but not in the canonical Bible. We explore weird tales from Jesus' childhood recorded in Gnostic gospels, refutations of Christ told by the Greeks and Jews of the first, second and third centuries AD, and lastly we explore the Talmud where uncanny tales of Jesus appear. Was Jesus a sorcerer or a genuine prophet? Was he man or God? Was he a carpenter or did he study under one of the greatest Rabbis of the Jewish Tradition? Find out here...

Enjoy ;)