Prodigal The Podcast

theprodigalmovement.com

3 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

The First Black POPE.

7 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

“The Fear Beneath Belief”

“The Fear Beneath Belief”
Presented by Don Jackson to The Prodigal Movement

Hey everyone,

Welcome.

Let’s talk about something rarely named but deeply felt—a fear that lives under the surface of so many lives. It’s not just the fear of death, or punishment, or hell. It’s something far more silent, far more unsettling:

It’s the fear of meaninglessness.

This fear isn’t loud. It doesn’t scream. It just lingers in the background, driving people to cling to religious beliefs even when logic, evidence, and reason say otherwise. Because here’s the truth: most people don’t stay religious because the stories make sense. They stay because they’re terrified of what life would feel like without them.

Religion doesn’t just offer a narrative—it offers a promise. A divine assurance that your life matters. That your pain is seen. That your struggles are part of something bigger. And when that illusion starts to fall away, life can suddenly feel colder, emptier… and a lot harder to navigate.

Without the idea of a god watching, without the belief in a cosmic plan, we’re left wondering: Did my suffering mean anything at all? Were the sacrifices worth it? Was anyone even keeping score?

That’s the fear that grips people harder than death ever could—the fear that we could live, suffer, and die… and it might not add up to anything.

This is why religion often becomes less about truth, and more about comfort. It’s not a search for evidence—it’s a search for refuge. A shelter from the silence. A story that softens the ache of existence.

You’ll notice, in many religious teachings, that emphasis on eternal rewards—or eternal punishment. But if belief were truly rooted in trust, why would it need to be propped up by fear?

Because fear keeps the system running.

A 2014 Pew study found that 72% of religious people said faith was important to them not because it was true, but because it gave meaning. That’s a powerful insight. Meaning, not truth, is what most of us crave. And when meaning is attached to a story, we defend the story—even when we suspect it might not make sense.

Take science, for example. Evolution, the age of the earth, or the vastness of the universe—all of it reminds us how small we are. Many religious people reject those truths, not because the science is flawed, but because it threatens the comforting narrative that humans are the center of everything.

Science doesn’t flatter us. It doesn’t make promises. It just tells the truth. And that’s hard to swallow when we’re wired for stories that assure us we matter.

In ancient times, people explained suffering—plagues, earthquakes, famines—by saying the gods were angry. We’ve always needed suffering to mean something. Because random pain is unbearable.

But when we look closely, nature doesn’t reward good or punish evil. Hurricanes don’t check for morality. Cancer doesn’t care if you pray. The universe is indifferent. And that’s terrifying.

So people run from that silence into belief systems that promise there must be a reason—even if that reason is unknowable. It’s better than randomness. Better than chaos.

And that’s why, when you challenge religious belief, many people react not with debate, but with anger. Because you’re not just questioning their doctrine—you’re shaking the fragile scaffolding that keeps their existential fears at bay.

Psychologists call this Terror Management Theory. When people are reminded of death or the fragility of life, they grip their beliefs even tighter. Not because of reason. Because of fear.

And religion is perfect for this. It offers a shield. But it comes with a cost.

That cost? We stop asking questions. We shut the door on doubt. We live in a story instead of reality. And that disconnection affects more than just individuals—it affects societies. It suppresses science, stifles progress, and praises obedience over curiosity.

But let’s be clear—this fear isn’t a weakness. It’s human. All of us want to believe our lives have meaning. The real question is: do we create that meaning with eyes wide open—or do we borrow it from stories that shield us from the truth?

Creating meaning without lies is harder. It takes courage. It means facing the silence of the universe and saying, “I choose to live fully anyway.”

We create our meaning through love. Through creativity. Through justice. Through connection. Not because we’re promised rewards. Not because we fear hell. But because we understand that the meaning we create is the only meaning there is.

And that... is enough.

Thank you.

7 months ago | [YT] | 1

Prodigal The Podcast

https://youtu.be/xN8eY9QlTUo

7 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

✨ The Man-Made Foundations of Religion: A Call to Question Everything

By the Prodigal Podcast Community

Much of what we call organized religion today—especially within institutional Christianity—has evolved through centuries of politics, power struggles, and theological inventions. While faith and spirituality remain deeply personal and transformative, the religious systems that have emerged over time often serve more as tools of control than as pathways to enlightenment.

Let’s walk through some of the major milestones—real and embellished—that have shaped institutional Christianity:

📜 The Council of Nicaea (325 CE)

Contrary to some popular claims, Emperor Constantine did not create the Catholic Church at Nicaea. However, the Council did mark a turning point where Christianity became more institutionalized. One of its main outcomes was the agreement on the divine nature of Jesus and the rejection of certain "heretical" beliefs. This Council standardized doctrine, but it did not "create the Bible" or outlaw reincarnation directly—though ideas about the soul and afterlife were certainly debated.

📖 The Bible’s Formation

The Bible as we know it was compiled over centuries, not all at once by Constantine. Early texts were written between 100 BCE and 300 CE. It wasn't until the late 4th century that something resembling the modern biblical canon took shape. Church authorities selected texts that aligned with dominant theological views, excluding many others (e.g., Gnostic gospels).

🧬 Jerome and the Latin Vulgate (382 CE)

St. Jerome was commissioned by Pope Damasus I—not Constantine—to translate biblical texts into Latin. While his translation (the Vulgate) did involve interpretation and cultural adjustments, calling it an intentional "adulteration" oversimplifies the challenges of translation and early linguistic gaps.

🔔 Later Doctrines and Developments

Many Catholic doctrines and traditions developed long after Jesus' time, including:

The veneration of Mary (popularized in the 5th century, formally defined later)
Purgatory (concept evolved from early Christian writings, dogmatized in 1439)
Celibacy for priests (became mandatory in the Latin Church by the 11th century)
Infallibility of the Pope (declared in 1870 at Vatican I)
Indulgences, confession, and the Inquisition were all part of a growing hierarchical control structure
These additions often served to consolidate church power, encourage obedience, and regulate behavior—sometimes at the expense of spiritual authenticity.

🔄 Religion as System, Not Salvation

It’s no secret: religion has often been used as a tool of manipulation, business, and empire. But religion is not the same as spirituality. Spiritual awakening—our divine birthright—is about connection, awareness, and transformation. We don’t need gatekeepers to know the Divine.

Young people today are increasingly rejecting rigid religious systems in favor of authentic spiritual exploration. This is not a rejection of God—but a reclamation of the sacred from institutional control.

🙏 A Call to Deconstruct and Reclaim

You have the right to question everything. What if what you were taught as "absolute truth" was just doctrine shaped by centuries of politics and power?

It’s not blasphemy to ask hard questions—it’s a spiritual responsibility.

Evolve. Awaken. Reclaim your connection to the sacred.

7 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

There is NOTHING holy about the Roman Catholic Church.

🕊️ Community Discussion – Prodigal: The Podcast 🎙️

There is NOTHING holy about the Roman Catholic Church.
It’s not divine—it’s designed. A man-made institution built on hierarchy, wealth, and control, not the humble sacrifice of Christ or the raw truth of Scripture.

From apostles who were jailed, beaten, and martyred…
To successors living in palaces, draped in gold, protected by institutions with billion-dollar banks.

🛑 It’s time to question the traditions we've blindly accepted.
✝️ From martyrs to monarchs… where did we lose the plot?

Let’s talk. Let’s deconstruct.
👉 Join the conversation in the comments or tune in to our next episode.

#ProdigalPodcast #ReligiousDeconstruction #FaithNotReligion #ApostolicTruth #ScriptureOverSystem #BreakTheCycle

7 months ago | [YT] | 2

Prodigal The Podcast

Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell by Bernardo Kastrup

A no-nonsense, science-based argument that flips our worldview on its head and finds a fundamental role for mind in nature.

"this book will likely stretch you to think about things in a way you haven't before" -- Ethan Hansen - Quantum Computing Now

READ Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell here > www.collectiveinkbooks.com/.../analytic-idealism...

8 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

🚨 10 Secrets Pastors Don’t Want You to Know About Church 🚨
Prodigal: THE PODCAST — New Episode Now Streaming

Ever wondered what really goes on behind the pulpit? 👀
In this eye-opening episode, I sit down with former pastor turned truth-teller Darante Lamar to expose the hidden side of church leadership.

🎙️ From firsthand experience inside the system, Darante reveals:

💸 Why tithes don’t go where you think
🤐 The secret doubts many pastors carry
👔 How church leadership operates like a boys’ club
🎭 Emotional manipulation tactics that keep you “hooked”
🔁 The revolving door of church membership
🧠 And why the institution needs you more than you need it

This isn’t church-bashing—it’s truth-telling. It’s deconstruction with clarity.

🔥 Ready to peel back the curtain?
📽️ Watch the full episode now →

#ProdigalPodcast #ChurchExposed #DaranteLamar #ReligiousDeconstruct

8 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

🧠✨ From Microchips to Mysticism ✨🌌Prodigal: THE PODCAST Community — prepare to have your mind expanded and your spirit stirred.

Today, we invite you to watch a profound and personal conversation with Federico Faggin, world-renowned physicist, inventor of the microprocessor & touchscreen, and now, a seeker of truth beyond the material world.

🔍 Once rooted in scientific materialism, a spontaneous spiritual awakening transformed Federico’s view of reality — forever.

In this powerful episode, he shares:

💡 Why computers can never be conscious💡 What carries on after death💡 The essence of who we truly are💡 The force of love that underlies all things💡 Why AI will never replace the human spirit

This is more than science. It’s soul.📽️ Watch. Reflect. Awaken. https://youtu.be/d6NHRB5V1eE?si=I6WTq...

#ProdigalPodcast #FedericoFaggin #Consciousness #BeyondAI #SpiritualScience #LoveIsReal #GlobalAwakening

8 months ago | [YT] | 0

Prodigal The Podcast

What Does Quantum Entanglement Reveal About Reality?

8 months ago | [YT] | 0