ISP #23 – The Satanic Panic

Here are the notes from this show, originally broadcast May 17, 2014. They’re lengthy, so I’m just going to dump them all, raw and uncut. Enjoy!

(Also, note that the Dark Dungeons movie is out now! You can get it for $5, and the bonus features for another $2.50.)


Poor ol' Satan...

Poor ol’ Satan…

Hello and welcome to the Irreverent Skeptics podcast! I’m your host, Jon Ownbey, and joining me today in the unending fight against the forces of darkness are Erno Marttila, Michael McElroy, Mike Bohler, and Dumbass!

And special guest – The Astronomer Royal of Karl Mamer’s “The Conspiracy Skeptic” Podcast and the brains and brawn of the “Exposing PseudoAstronomy” podcast, Stuart Robbins!

Today, we’re going to talk about the Satanic Panic – that period during the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s when the devil was always lurking just around the corner. If the Religious Right is to be believed (and if not them, who can you trust?), diabolical influences were everywhere in pop culture – from music and movies to games and toys. Where did it all start? What were some of their wildest claims? Is it still going on today? Let’s dip our toes into the lake of fire, pinch our noses to keep out the smell of burning brimstone, and take a journey through hell to find out the truth.

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Irreverent Skeptics Podcast Episode 15 – Who are we? And how did we get here?

On March 22, 2014, Jon, the two Mikes, and Erno had a chat about their backgrounds with regard to religion, science, and skepticism, and how the podcast itself came to be.

Special guest Adam Reakes, host of the Herd Mentality Podcast, joined Jon, Brandi, and Erno to talk about his show and share some good news about how the Australian Vaccination Network, a group that spreads misinformation and helps spark outbreaks of preventable diseases in Australia, faced some serious legal challenges. We also discussed how insurance covers woo-woo treatments such as chiropractic and homeopathy, and how this gives them an unearned air of legitimacy. Adam also had exciting news about a project he’s working on that every exorcist is sure to love!

The intro music for the interview is “Go” by Guineo (David Ramírez and Avelino Herrera). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.5 Generic License. Find the original at http://guineo.atlantes.org/guineo%20-%20go.mp3.

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