Is America losing its religion?
Sean is joined by religious scholar and bestselling author Reza Aslan to discuss the state of religion in America today
October 20, 2022
52 min
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October 20, 2022
Is America losing its religion?
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Gray Area Episodes Around October 20, 2022
Episode 553 of 775 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
Is America losing its religion?
Summary
Sean Illing talks with Reza Aslan, scholar of religions and author of multiple bestselling nonfiction works, to discuss the state of religion in America today. Sean and Reza discuss the relationship between politics and religion, why it can be hard to separate the emotional experiences of faith from the symbolic language of organized religion, and how new religious identities are being forged along principles of Christian nationalism.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan), author
References:
An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville by Reza Aslan (Norton; 2022)
The Leftovers TV series (HBO; 2014–2017)
"Can Religion & Reason Be Reconciled? | Reza Aslan & Sam Harris debate" (Jan. 25, 2007; C-SPAN YouTube)
Pew Research Center Religious Landscape Study (Jan. 14, 2021)
The 2020 Census of American Religion (PRRI; July 8, 2021)
"'Pro-Life' Herschel Walker Paid for Girlfriend's Abortion" by Roger Sollenberger (The Daily Beast; Oct. 4)
President George W. Bush's remarks on the morning of Sept. 12, 2001: "This will be a monumental struggle of good versus evil. But good will prevail."
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This episode was made by:
Producer: Erikk Geannikis
Editor: Amy Drozdowska
Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall
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