Evidence Based
Politics and religion—the two taboo topics you’re never supposed to bring up on a first date.
Podcasting is similar.
Unless your show is explicitly on either of these subjects, as soon as you even comment on them, the “stay in your lane” comments and emails start flying.
Well, I’ve never been one for orthodoxy, so here we are, with yet another deviation from the usual fitness content—a discussion with my friend and fellow podcaster and author Pat Flynn on religion, and specifically why us moderns should care about it more, not less.
In case you’re not familiar with Pat, he’s a fitness expert known for his kettlebell prowess, a podcaster, and author with several books to his name, including his most recent How to Think About God, which is an illuminating, philosophical look at faith.
Pat’s also a philosopher by training who has made the spiritual trek from atheism to catholicism, so he has not only read widely and thought deeply about this stuff, he also understands what it’s like to be all over the spectrum on the many issues that religion touches.
In this episode, Pat and I discuss . . .
- Whether having religious beliefs is inherently good
- The personal and societal benefits of religion and why you should care
- Child molestation and cover-ups in the Catholic church
- Why God permits evil to exist and whether we have an obligation to fight it
- The principle of illumination and Pascal’s wager
- And more . . .
So, whether you’re religious or not, if you’re committed to flourishing to the best of your ability, and certainly if you’ve enjoyed other episodes I’ve done with Pat Flynn, I think you’ll like this one. Press play and let me know your thoughts!
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Timestamps:
12:37 – Do you think religion in general is good? Do you think having some kind of religion is better than having none?
17:39 – Do you think religion has benefits on a societal and personal level?
38:26 – What if islam becomes the number one religion in the world? What does that mean?
40:40 – What does indefectibility mean?
52:25 – What are your thoughts on what’s happening with child molestation inside the catholic religion?
1:03:38 – Do you think we have an imperative to fight evil?
1:11:29 – Have you ever thought that maybe one day the religion you believe in might be wrong? Would you give up that religion if you knew it was wrong?
1:17:26 – How can you determine for yourself what religion is true to you without becoming a professional philosopher?
1:21:17 – What if you’re wrong?
1:32:57 – Where are some good resources for people who want to know more about catholicism?
Mentioned on the show:
Articles and Docs Pat Mentioned:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAPQ9UAoKjN6kItIozrPggVqXkg156mfDuJhZd3Hdqk/edit
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3671693/
What did you think of this episode? Have anything else to share? Let me know in the comments below!
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