Episode 59 (May 20, 2024), "The End(s) of Monotheism" w/ David Burnett

They said they were going to do it, and doggonit, it got did! This week David Burnett makes his triumphal return to Data Over Dogma to discuss the recent academic conference on monotheism that he, Dan McClellan, and others organized at Brown University. And if that sounds boring or dry to you, hold onto your butt, because—fire in the hole!—they were dropping bombs! The whole goal of this conference was to challenge any notion that the people of ancient Southwest Asia (meaning the people who wrote the Bible) were monotheists in any meaningful way. Christian and Jewish people today may only believe in a single God, but the same probably couldn't be said for the people who wrote their scriptures. David and Dan will report on papers from some heavy-hitter scholars that discuss this incendiary topic, and honestly they might just blow your mind. Unless you're a regular Data Over Dogma listener. Then, they might just be super interesting. For early access to an ad-free version of every episode of Data Over Dogma, exclusive content, and an opportunity to support our work, please consider becoming a monthly patron at:   / dataoverdogma      Follow us on the various social media places:   / dataoverdogmapod     / data_over_dogma