Religion and Spirituality
Bantercast Episode 28: Charles Eisenstein And The Origin Of Wrongness In The World
In this thought provoking episode of The Bantercast, Ben and Michael talk with famed author and speaker Charles Eisenstein about the growing identity crisis we are facing in the West. What is the origin of wrongness in the world? How can we live more meaningful lives, and what ...read more
Banter Cast Episode 26: Teresa Yung, Shaman In The Making
On today's show, Ben and Michael talk with the amazing Teresa Yung, a teacher who aims to share indigenous medicines of the world and promote spiritual growth and connection. Amongst many topics, we discuss the current political climate, whether we 'manifested' Donald Trump in ...read more
Bantercast Episode 24: How to Choose a Religion
In today's show, Ben and Michael discuss how to choose a religion. Are you interested in Buddhism? Does Christianity make sense to you? Do you even need a religion in the first place, and why isn't atheism enough? We grapple with the deep questions and help you figure out which ...read more
MEMBERS ONLY: Writing And Fighting Without Chez
The weekend my friend and long time co-worker Chez died, I had been thinking about what we could be doing differently at the Banter, and how we might expand our team to include new writers. I was very confident about our future prospects with the team we had in place, and I felt ...read more
Pastor Punches Kid For Jesus
Sometimes a miracle is a bearded dude turning water into wine and whatnot. Other times, a miracle comes in the form of really beating the crap out of some bratty kid. Meet Bible Baptist Church Pastor Eric Dammann, who literally wails on kids for Jesus. In a recent sermon caught ...read more
Scott Walker Loves Jesus, But We Should Know Just How Much
Scott Walker wants you to know that he loves him some Jesus. So much so that on March 16 he simply tweeted, “Philippians 4:13,” a New Testament verse which reads, “I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.” And why not? Americans love them some Jesus too, with ...read more
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Killer Faith: The Death of Brandon Schaible
I genuinely don't want to become the "anti-religion beat" reporter around here but, as with most columnists tasked with churning out daily content, when I see something that infuriates the hell out of me I can't help but feel the need to turn it into copy. Slipping through the ...read more
Please Don't Ask Me To Have Faith at a Time Like This
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, as the unimaginably horrific sight of bodies raining down from the upper floors of the World Trade Center was being beamed out across the country and around the world, my grandmother sat on the couch in my parents' living room taking it ...read more
Meet the New Pope, Same as the Old Pope
I suppose it would be too much to ask for the Catholic Church to simply close up shop once Pope Benedict officially steps down, eh? The important thing to keep in mind in the wake of the once-and-future Joseph Ratzinger's surprise announcement that he'll be abdicating the ...read more
Rick Warren Is Just a Symptom
By Chez Pazienza: Some of the most entertaining columns written for this site, I think, come from the times when Bob Cesca and I decide to get into a back-and-forth over subjects we're passionate about. While we both write here and host a podcast together, we obviously don't ...read more
Election Post Mortem and Some Tough Love
By Bob Cesca: There's been an understandable amount of discussion since Tuesday night about how the Republicans failed and what they can do to improve. I love a good concern-trolling post as much as anyone, especially in the wake of such an exhilarating victory. Let's face ...read more
Quote of the Day Pt 2: Catholic Church's Moral Obscenity
Andrew Sullivan on the Catholic Church's ridiculous and morally bankrupt stance on contraception: I find the protectors of child rapists preaching to women about contraception to be a moral obscenity. When all the implicated bishops and the Pope resign, ther replacements ...read more