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  • Election 2024
    • Even if Voters ‘Get What They Asked For’ it’s More Likely to Cause a Fascist Death Spiral Than a Lesson Learned
      Even if Voters ‘Get What They Asked For’ it’s More Likely to Cause a Fascist Death Spiral Than a Lesson Learned
    • Loyalty and Chaos Play a Role in Trump’s Nominations, But This Schoolyard Tactic May Provide a Better Explanation
      Loyalty and Chaos Play a Role in Trump’s Nominations, But This Schoolyard Tactic May Provide a Better Explanation
    • Progressive Christian Election Response ‘Give us Barabbas’ May Be Well-Meaning — But Functions as Anti-Jewish Dogwhistle
      Progressive Christian Election Response ‘Give us Barabbas’ May Be Well-Meaning — But Functions as Anti-Jewish Dogwhistle
  • Racial Justice
    • Phoning It In: ‘Heathen’ Isn’t a Neutral Religious Description — It’s Also a Significant Force in the Creation of Race in the US
      Phoning It In: ‘Heathen’ Isn’t a Neutral Religious Description — It’s Also a Significant Force in the Creation of Race in the US
    • No image
      With no Viable Alternative on Ballot, Anti-immigrant Movement Claims Victory and Releases Wish Lists
    • New Doc Claiming Columbus was Jewish May Have Some Accuracy Issues — But There’s a Far Bigger Issue We Need to Reckon With
      New Doc Claiming Columbus was Jewish May Have Some Accuracy Issues — But There’s a Far Bigger Issue We Need to Reckon With
  • Sex/Gender/Justice
    • With Election Takeaways Like ‘Too Transgender’ or ‘the US is Shifting Right,’ Dems are Determined to Learn the Wrong Lesson
      With Election Takeaways Like ‘Too Transgender’ or ‘the US is Shifting Right,’ Dems are Determined to Learn the Wrong Lesson
    • Packed with Threats of Political Violence, Media Largely Ignore the NAR’s ‘Million Women’ Rally in DC
      Packed with Threats of Political Violence, Media Largely Ignore the NAR’s ‘Million Women’ Rally in DC
    • New Doc Strives for Christian Unity—But What if Unity is the Problem?
      New Doc Strives for Christian Unity—But What if Unity is the Problem?
  • Christian Nationalism
    • Phoning It In: ‘Heathen’ Isn’t a Neutral Religious Description — It’s Also a Significant Force in the Creation of Race in the US
      Phoning It In: ‘Heathen’ Isn’t a Neutral Religious Description — It’s Also a Significant Force in the Creation of Race in the US
    • Trump’s Fervent Christian Zionists Poised to Lead the Military — And US-Israel Relations
      Trump’s Fervent Christian Zionists Poised to Lead the Military — And US-Israel Relations
    • Meet Pete Hegseth, the Man Who Will Lead the Entire US Military — A Man Deemed an ‘Extremist’ by the US Military
      Meet Pete Hegseth, the Man Who Will Lead the Entire US Military — A Man Deemed an ‘Extremist’ by the US Military
  • The Ashes Initiative

Joseph Laycock

Joseph Laycock is an assistant professor of religious studies at Texas State University. In addition to Speak of the Devil (Oxford University Press, 2020), his books include The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle for Catholic Tradition (Oxford University Press, 2014) and Dangerous Games: What the Moral Panic Over Role-Playing Games Says About Religion, Play, and Imagined Worlds (University of California Press, 2015).

Joseph Laycock, RD Blog, StoriesApril 7, 2014

Satanic Legos Threaten Polish Priest

By Joseph Laycock

Fr. Kostrzewa wants to be the Monster Fighter.

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Joseph Laycock, RD Blog, StoriesApril 2, 2014

Keep These Satanists Out of Congress!

By Joseph Laycock

When Republicans turn Satanic Panic on their own.

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Archive, StoriesApril 2, 2014

Raelians’ “Clitoraid” Met With Suspicion in Burkina Faso

By Joseph Laycock

The Raelians, who regard the Catholic Church as their sexually repressive nemesis, say they’ve launched Clitoraid to help the victims of female circumcision.

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Joseph Laycock, RD Blog, StoriesMarch 19, 2014

Why the Disappeared Malaysian Airliner Brings Out the Paranormal

By Joseph Laycock

Uri Geller lends his bent spoon to the effort.

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Joseph Laycock, RD BlogMarch 17, 2014

Finding the Missing Airliner with Coconuts

By Joseph Laycock

Who gets to define what a “real” Islamic practice is?

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StoriesMarch 10, 2014

The Two Mythologies Behind True Detective Come Crashing Down in Finale

By Joseph Laycock

A struggle between two modern and intertwined mythologies of evil, True Detective ultimately fell back on the easiest of formulas. 

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RD Blog, StoriesMarch 10, 2014

Goat Head Found in Brooklyn. Who Cares?

By Joseph Laycock

Severed animal parts are probably less religious than just freaky. 

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StoriesMarch 5, 2014

Quiz: What’s the Most Heavily Attended Mass of the Year?

By Joseph Laycock

Bonus points for why.

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RD Blog, StoriesMarch 3, 2014

Katy Perry’s Siren Song to Conspiracy Theorists

By Joseph Laycock

Are pop stars all Illuminati or are these outraged viewers just tabloid junkies?

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Joseph Laycock, RD BlogFebruary 18, 2014

The New Manson Family or Teens at “Play”?

By Joseph Laycock

Let’s not rush to blame a couple of recent murders on satanic activity.

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