Joseph Laycock

CultureJanuary 26, 2011

Romania’s “Witch Tax”: Magic Meets Bureaucracy

By Joseph Laycock

On January 1, Romania implemented new tax codes that, among other changes, added the occupation of “witch” to the nation’s labor codes. Those charging clients for tarot readings, curses, and blessings must now pay a 16 percent income tax and make contributions to health and pension programs. The ire of the witches, some of whom responded by performing rituals to hex the government, has become fodder for scores of offbeat news stories throughout the West. But there is a deeper story to the witches of Romania.

(A)theologiesDecember 15, 2010

Why Did Vandals Try to Destroy a Holy Tree?

By Joseph Laycock

On December 9, residents of Glastonbury, England discovered a gruesome crime scene. Vandals had dismembered the Holy Thorn Tree that sits atop Wearyall Hill. But why would someone do a thing like that?

CultureAugust 26, 2010

Strippers versus Church: Cosmic Battle With Civic Consequences

By Joseph Laycock

For the past four years, Pastor Bill Dunfee of the New Beginnings Ministries Church has led his congregation in picketing The Foxhole, a tiny gentleman’s club in Warsaw, Ohio. Church members usually arrive at the Foxhole on weekends at 11:30pm, bearing signs, bullhorns, and cameras. While…

Culture, Science & TechnologyMay 21, 2010

‘Miracles’ Rejects Disenchantment, Not Science

By Joseph Laycock

For two decades The Insane Clown Posse, a hip-hop group from Detroit, has cultivated an underground network of dedicated fans. The Posse, usually abbreviated to just “ICP,” consists of Shaggy 2 Dope and Violent J. Their musical stylings are known as “horrorcore” because…

Politics/LawMay 12, 2010

Your Hatred Will Make Me Famous

By Joseph Laycock

He threatens criminals and undocumented immigrants with impalement but he has ‘Republican values.’ Jonathon ‘The Impaler’ Sharkey’s declaration that he will seek the Republican nomination for president is just another human interest story for the media. But what does it say that his rhetoric and positions don’t deviate appreciably from the current level of discourse?

(A)theologies, Archive, CultureApril 12, 2010

Modern Vampires: Your Neighbors and Spouses

By Joseph Laycock

In studying the world of vampires, a young religion scholar is courted by MTV, forced to reckon with subtle energy (“psi”), and confronts the concerns of journalists who recall the disappearance of a colleague at work on a vampire story.

Culture, Politics/LawMarch 16, 2010

Battling The Antichrist By Outlawing Microchips

By Joseph Laycock

We can rest easy, knowing that our government wants us to be safe from forced implantation of microchips. But it’s not about civil liberties, it’s about dispensational paranoia and fear of the “Mark of the Beast.”

CultureJanuary 27, 2010

Vampires, Communion, Redemption

By Joseph Laycock

The Christian symbolism in Daybreakers.

(A)theologies, CultureJuly 1, 2009

Ten Commandments of the Antichrist: The Georgia Guidestones

By Joseph Laycock

Back in 1980, a mysterious set of stones bearing a message for civilization in various languages appeared in Georgia. From Christian dispensationalist symbol of the New World Order to Native American “power-nexus” to the interpretations of Contemporary Pagans, UFO buffs, and New Agers, the Guidestones are a spiritual and political Rorschach test.

(A)theologies, Politics/LawJune 23, 2009

Mexico’s War on Saint Death

By Joseph Laycock

The Mexican government has demolished dozens of shrines to Santa Muerta, claiming that the worship of this skeletal woman in a white cloak is a “narco-cult.” As resistance grows, so does this new religious movement.