365 Honest Questions

Just a quick promo for a new blog post about doubt infused with horror on dantestack.com

Reeling from the last episode on the book of Judges, Dante examines what it is that holds him to Christianity.

The Old Testament book of Judges chronicles a series of very unfortunate events. Why is this panoply of miserable stories in the Bible? Dante tries to reconcile himself with the book by examining the genre of it, and thus, our lens of interpretation.

A young ruler came up to Jesus calling him a "good teacher". Jesus responded by saying no one is good but God... so why do you deep down think you're a pretty good person?

How far can we go in applying interpretations of Jesus' parables to modern events and situations? Dante throws out three examples... you decide if they fall flat or not.

Is their forgiveness for the Judas among us? If you are tortured and buckle under the pain, recanting everything you believe in, will God let you past heaven's gates?

Is it possible to fully believe two contradictory beliefs? Dante will test your might and try to convince you of two completely opposite positions to the old idea that the only unforgiveable sin is to blaspheme the Spirit by renouncing your faith. Bam! Come get it!!!

What if there are rules that God has chosen to follow and enforce that we don't exactly know about? Dante wrestles with blasphemous thoughts as he serenades himself with clapping for tinkerbell to help make sense out of three persnickety Biblical passages.

Still scratching his head over the bizarre 2 Kings chapter 3 passage, Dante takes 10 different approaches in order to figure out how demons interact with humanity. Warning: this episode is like a Jackson Pollock of podcasts.

Do the gods of the nations surrounding Israel have any power? Are they merely wooden and stone idols, or is there something else behind them? The answer isn't as apparent as it may seem.

If God made Solomon the wisest man who ever lived, then why did he act like such an idiot? Dante tries to reconcile the wisdom of Solomon with the Kings insane paganism.

What exactly does the Bible define as gossip; talking behind someone's back? One might come to that conclusion looking at Jesus' life and ministry, but the apostle Paul knows this guy... a guy he likes to call Alexander the coppersmith...

Do differences in the personalities of the New Testament writers echo a fundamental difference in theology? Dante loses his mind and starts looking for reasons to insult Calvinism. Fun times for all!

Recent movements in the Christian church in the West have emphasized social justice, perhaps even at the expense of preaching and teaching. Does the Bible support such a view? Dante finds evidence for both positions this week and has fun with Biblical translations in the meantime.

Sometimes a dissonance arises between what we say we believe and what it actually turns out we truly hold as true. This week, Dante goes through a self-reckoning in dealing with his doubts about prayer.

When the Israelites were scouting out Jericho, the prostitute Rahab hid them and lied to keep them safe. God blessed her for doing this... so does that give us license to lie sometimes?

All theologies fail Dante's sniff test as he hems and haws over which framework leads to the most honest reading of Scripture. The dichotomy is on full display in the predicted consequences of eating the forbidden fruit according to God and the Serpent.

Dybbuks are wandering ghosts/dead souls stuck on this plane of existence according to the Kabbalah and certain Jewish traditions. But is there Biblical evidence for these creepers?

Friend of the show Jonathan Benedetti and Dante dialogue about the possible interpretations of passages in the Bible wherein God appears to experience remorse. How can an infinite, all-knowing, all-powerful God have any regrets? The discussion takes us from Stephen King to cool new words such as "anthropopathism"!

In the most rambling episode yet, Dante wonders if religion is just an extension of societal evolution. He trucks over pharaohs, rainbows, and Sigmund Freud in his vain attempt to articulate his doubt.