Welcome to Sects Ed, Episode 0! In this introductory episode, we introduce ourselves, the podcast, and some of the terms that we're going to be using over the course of this project.

Introduction

Welcome to Sects Ed, Episode 1: Strang-er Things. Here we discuss the rise, fall, and theology of King James J. Strang and his followers, the Strangites.

Strang-er Things

Welcome to Sects Ed, Episode 2: Nobody’s Perfect. In this episode, we cover the history and beliefs of the Cathars, a gnostic Christian sect who lived and worshiped in medieval France, and we try to give an overview of history of the Albigensian Crusade.

Nobody's Perfect

In this episode, we discuss the Shakers, an American Christian sect known for their emphasis on gender equality, work ethic, self sufficiency, and celibacy.

Shaken Not Stirred

In Episode 4 of Sects Ed, we discuss the beliefs and history of the group that ultimately came to be known as Heaven's Gate.

Gate Expectations

In this episode, we discuss the Shawnee religious leader Tenskwatawa, Prophetstown, and The War of 1812 with our first guest, Adam Franti.

Open Door Policy

Join us for our first two part episode as we head back to French history for a look at some of the religious aspects of the French Revolution, and the emergence of state sponsored atheism in the form of the Cult of Reason.

French Revolution, Part 1: Reason for the Season

In the second part of our first two part episode, we examine another new religious movement from the French Revolution. After excising the new French government of followers of the Cult of Reason, Maximilien Robespierre attempted to establish his own deist religion, the Cult of the Supreme Being.

French Revolution, Part 2: To Robespierre, with Love

In 1961, science fiction author  Robert A. Heinlein released the groundbreaking novel Stranger in a Strange Land. Little did he know that his book would inspire the first pagan church in the United States, the Church of All Worlds. Join us for this episode of Sects Ed as we discuss paganism, science fiction, and...unicorn breeding?

Grok and Roll

Content Warning: Abuse, Murder, Terrorism

In this episode, we examine the beliefs and history of Aum Shinrikyo, a new religious movement and criminal organization responsible for the infamous Tokyo subway sarin gas attack in 1995.

Aumaggedon

In the aftermath of the First Opium War, the self-proclaimed younger brother of Jesus began his quest to convert China to his own unique version of Christianity. In part one of our two part series on the Taiping Rebellion, we discuss the early life of Hong Xiuquan and the events that led to the creation of the God Worshiping Society and the Taiping Rebellion.

Taiping Rebellion, Part 1: Big Brother Is Watching You

Welcome to the first episode of Sectstra Credit, a Sects Ed side project profiling individual religious figures and facets of faiths. In this inaugural episode, we sit down with Cory James Young of the Activist History Review to discuss young Earth creationism and intelligent design. We also have a written piece designed to compliment this episode. To find it and other great work by activists and scholars showing how the past is relevant to the present, visit activisthistory.com

Sectstra Credit, Episode 1: Lost in the Flood

In part two of our series on the God Worshiping Society, Hong and his followers spark one of the largest wars in human history as their new religious movement evolves into a full blown revolutionary movement.

Taiping Rebellion, Part 2: Sibling Rivalry

This episode of Sects Ed takes us to the South Pacific. On the island of Tanna, many Indigenous people worship a divine American serviceman named John Frum. Join us as we explore the origins of this "cargo cult" that emerged in the 1940s as a response to European colonialism, but remains a recognized regional religion to this day.

Frum Here to Eternity

In this episode, we discuss the rise and fall of one of the greatest heretical leaders of Renaissance Italy, Girolamo Savonarola. 

Content Warning: Disease, Rape, Torture

Holy Rola

On June 29, 1881, Muhammad Ahmad bin Abd Allah declared that he was the Mahdi, a messianic figure aiming to expel the British and Ottoman Empires from the Sudan and create a theocratic Islamic state. Join us as we discuss the Mahdi's rise and revolt in this first part of our series on the Mahdist Revolution. 

Correction: The Funj Sultanate was founded in the early sixteenth century, not the nineteenth century as we accidentally say.

Mahdist Revolution, Part 1: A Mahdist Proposal

Following the Mahdi's death, Abdullahi al-Khalifa became the undisputed ruler of the Mahdist State. In this second part of our look at the Mahdist Revolution, we discuss the Khalifa's administration of the Sudan, religious conflicts both internal and international, and war with the British Empire during its Scramble for Africa.

Mahdist Revolution, Part 2: Melankhalifa

In this episode, we consult our pineal glands and attempt to explain some of the beliefs and history of a group of people that are occasionally inclined to describe themselves as the Discordians.

"The" "Discordian" "Episode"

In this episode, we discuss the origins of modern Satanism with a look at the life and work of Anton LaVey, author of the Satanic Bible and founder of the Church of Satan.

The music used in this episode is "Carnival Freaks" by Myuu and is registered under a Creative Commons License.

Contemporary Satanism, Part 1: Speak of the Devil

Content Warning: Satanic Ritual Abuse, Child Abuse

In this very special Halloween episode, we discuss the Satanic Panic, including "Michelle Remembers" and the McMartin Preschool Trial containing some disturbing elements. We then bring our story into the present with the Satanic Temple.

Contemporary Satanism, Part 2: Devil's Advocates

Welcome to Sects Ed, a podcast that carefully explores and shares the history of unorthodox faiths. Whether it be cults, heresies, or new religious movements, Sects Ed is dedicated to understanding the beliefs of peripheral faiths and teaching you both how the world viewed them and how they viewed themselves. Thank you for joining us as we analyze religious groups outside the mainstream whose histories are often overlooked. We post new episodes bi-weekly on Tuesdays.

Popular tracks by Sects Ed