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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).

(A)theologies, Archive, Joseph Laycock, RD BlogOctober 2, 2014

What’s Wrong With the Virgin Mary Depicted as a Barbie Doll?

By Joseph Laycock

Catholic and Hindu leaders—two religions that normally appreciate religious statues and images—have decried “Barbie: The Plastic…

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(A)theologies, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogSeptember 23, 2014

Cyclops Baby of the Apocalypse? Another Day in ISIS Fundamentalism

By Joseph Laycock

Earlier this month, Vocativ reported on rumors circulating on Twitter and some Islamic websites that…

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(A)theologies, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogSeptember 12, 2014

Is the State a Religious Actor in Deeming Teen’s Crotch-Rubbing of Jesus Statue Illegal?

By Joseph Laycock

This week, controversies emerged involving both a statue of Satan and a statue of Jesus,…

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Culture, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogSeptember 9, 2014

Satanic FOIA Reveals Deep Confusion About 1st Amendment

By Joseph Laycock

The Satanic Temple, best known for its offer to build a monument to Satan in an attempt…

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(A)theologies, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogSeptember 2, 2014

Was Student Who Claims She Was Suspended For Saying, “Bless You” Mimicking God’s Not Dead?

By Joseph Laycock

Because why would anyone want to be an ordinary student when they could be a hero of Biblical proportions?

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Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogJuly 23, 2014

Racist Ramtha Tirade: The Questions We Aren’t Asking

By Joseph Laycock

This week a news item has been making the rounds concerning a video of New…

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(A)theologies, Culture, Joseph Laycock, OMFGJuly 20, 2014

Romanian Exorcist Released from Prison, Becomes New Folk Devil

By Joseph Laycock

In 2005, world news reported on an exorcism in Tanacu, Romania, in which Irina Cornici,…

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(A)theologies, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogJuly 15, 2014

Raelian Swastika Campaign Calculated to Stoke Controversy

By Joseph Laycock

This weekend a plane flew over Coney Island and the Rockaways towing a banner with…

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(A)theologies, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogJuly 9, 2014

Black Masses Continue to Titillate Conservative Catholics

By Joseph Laycock

In May, conservative Catholics mobilized in response to an announcement of a Satanic black mass…

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Culture, Joseph Laycock, OMFG, RD BlogJuly 8, 2014

The Paranormal to Pop Culture Pipeline

By Joseph Laycock

Last week, Raw Story featured an unusual summer travel spot—The Occult Museum of Ed and…

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