Hello, Good People! Lot of the modern Western world has moved away from religion, but have they really? Or have the roles of religious leaders been replaced by celebrities? Has the Bible been replaced by Marvel Lore? Have the temples been replaced by the Magic Kingdom? Monia Ali, our resident fandom expert, is back by popular request. We were supposed to discuss fan astroturfing, and we got to it eventually, but I was more fascinated with her article on the religion of fandom. What do you think? Are Disney adults perfectly normal? Have you ever fallen into a fandom trap? Could it happen to anyone?? These ideas are fun when we talk about fandom, but the same ideas are dangerous when we talk about cults and political propaganda. Gotta keep an eye out. Read along with Monia's Substack here Love Beyond Reason: The Consecration of Fandom https://exiledfan.substack.com/p/love-beyond-reason-the-consecration Storyliving by Disney: Fan Domestication on a Grand Scale https://exiledfan.substack.com/p/storyliving-by-disney-fan-domestication Astroturfing by any other Name: The Flipside of Empowerment https://exiledfan.substack.com/p/astroturfing-by-any-other-name #fandom #disneyadults #celebrityworship ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYRD1ZE-N1g

Merry Christmas, Good People! Ever wonder what the Romans thought about Jesus? Well, the algorithm saw fit to tell me, and I have some thoughts. The full YouTube video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTilTcdVAb8 You can read the original document here: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/celsus.html #earlychristianity #romans #christianity ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Rauj6eHK0E

Hello, Good People! How is the health of the great United States, or as I so lovingly call her, Rome 2? Short answer, it could be better, but we go into it here. Life expectancy is down, and the kids are sad. What can we do to turn it around? Also, Ukraine is back in the news with a very special CIA guest star making a special appearance over there. What's up with that? And what is he wearing? Then, we discuss California. Things are a little messy at the moment, but I gotta say, it's better than last year IMO. If you missed the intro video to this series, I suggest you go back and check it out. You may be missing jokes! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0ESOut0qbY Check out that article from Jacques Baud here https://www.thepostil.com/author/jacques-baud/ and compare it to the article from RIA Novosti here https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4042394/posts #USNews #infotainment #health ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bu0SyyfCums

Hello, Good People. Can you believe I used to go to Church? Well, I did, and I bet it's not the one you're thinking of. But then, I left. I go into that here. Also, I think Church can be a helpful institution to a person, family and community. I'm not against them at all. Church attendance is a going down in the US, and this video gives my reason for no longer attending. If you're a member of a church that doesn't want to lose followers, this video might be for you. Do you want to go to church but can't find a good one? I can't help you, but I sympathize! #church #leavingreligion #religion ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBebm5TbhaE