Book Censorship & P*rn | 2 To Ramble

[@thomaswrites]

Thanks for having me on guys! Had a great time chatting with you and offering my perspective on these topics. I really value getting to have constructive and healthy conversations like this. Keep up the great work! :)

[@Jan-gh7qi]

I think, the porn part of the video is the first time, I'm on a hard disagree with the channel. I feel like there is a lot of christian/christian-inspired bias, thats hidden in the arguments. Of cause I won't dispute, that if someone believes, that something should be banned because it is against that persons religious or ideological views, thats that persons right to state openly. What I don't agree on is, that there is an argument for the ban of pornography outside of religion/ideology, solemly based on reason. I think I should tackle the individual arguments mentioned in the video: "Porn has a negative influence on children": This is true without a doubt. But its the same with a lot of things, starting with candles and ending with the Dune movies. Just because something might cause harm for children, we normally don't try to ban it, but restrict it, as its also stated in teh video as a possibility. "Porn causes addiction": It does, if you misuse it and combine it with already existing mental problems. Same with Alcohol, MMORPGS, Coffee, Sugar and real Sex. But most of us don't want to ban these things. The solution seems to be an increase in mental-health-care for all of these. "Porn messes with your brain": I seems to do. But there are still no large-scale studies on the topic. One study sugests, that the impact of porn on a human brain is comarable to the influence of choclate. "Porn panders to the male gaze": A lot of it does. But its not a given. In the end, its movies and pictures. The same could be said about most genres. Most action-flics are aimed at men and most of the are pretty sexist. But the progressive solution shouldn't be to ban action-movies but to make ones, that don't have these flaws. Also (hot take here) in a vacuum male-gazy porn isn't really a problem. its a fantasy. Most people who are watching Fast&Furious do not start illegal street races. (Some did, back in the 2000s, but we all agreed, that the problem wasn't the movie, but that these people were idiots). So the problem isn't really the cotent of the porn but the environment surrounding it, that paints, what happens inside as natural. "Porn isn't art, because its only there to arouse people": Its a medium with the goal to transport an emotion. Thats a definition of art. one might argue, that its aim is a bodily reaction and not an intellectual one. But thats also true for Horror which only exists to scare people and Action whcih only exists to pump up adrenaline in people. Also, where is the line here. Game of Thornes has a lot of sex scenes. And some of them are pretty obviously there to arouse the audience. Is it therefore pron and not art? What about the exploitation-cinema of the 60s/70s/80s that tsarted out as porn and gore movies but in that role had the freedom to tell stories that weren't possible in mainstream-cinema. This starts with female main-characters in action movies, but also includes PoC in leading roles (especially in the Blaxsploitation-Cinema), same-sex-relationships on screen, critical portraits of institutions like the Catholic church (Especially in the Nusploitation subgenre) and discussions of WWII apart from heroic wartales (especially in the Nazisploitation subgenre). Exploitaion-cinema gave rise to modern cinema as it inspired Alien, Terminator and other and is the key-influence on the oevre of Tarentino. Ans this is not even considering art, that is older then cinema. A lot of painters drew naked ladies and sexual acts. Are Etruscan Vases, Greeks statues and the poems of Ovidius not art? And "intent" doesn't really cut it here for me. Botticelli wanted, that you are aroused by his Venus and same goes for a lot of artists. Ans it also really doens't fit with "death of the author" as a concept, that in this one scenario suddenly intent is important. I always find it curious, that every problem associated with porn is also present in different things but only in porn we conclude, that because of that reason we want to ban it. Purity-culture casts a long shadow.

[@readingwithrebeccanicole]

In the US, we do have a legal way to identify porn beyond "you know it when you see it." It's the Miller Test, which is much more helpful. The problem with "you know it when you see it" is that people see porn when they see a sex education book. People see porn when they see a book that tackles sexual abuse. People see porn when they see two men kissing in a book. None of these are porn. But when states are passing laws to remove the nonexistent porn from public libraries, these are exactly the books that are being targeted. Books that deal with these topics have helped victims of abuse find the courage and resources to escape their abuser - and yes this includes minors.

[@kingdonsobek]

I am very confused by the title, but I see two to ramble I click

[@felder1122]

what he said

[@Halofancheif117]

@@kingdonsobek I aggre fully

[@Halofancheif117]

@@kingdonsobek i aggre fully

[@janefan1216]

Came to say the same thing, but you said it better 😂

[@xRoyalty94]

Perhaps a minority opinion, but pornography can absolutely be artistic. I understand why Thomas, and others, whom are more conservative wouldn't agree, but art is subjective. Not all pornography is a means to an end - some productions are soulful, beautiful representations of sexuality and/or intimacy. I'm sure that concept is alien to many, and I get it, but morally superior repression doesn't invalidate the status of something as artistic.

[@light-wolfred741]

Just like Strokemon, Spongeknob Square Nuts, and JurASSic Park. So much passion went into making those costumes

[@arabellawillow]

The new set looks great! I'm beyond envious of all your shelves 📚😱 Austin, your vulnerability is so admirable and I believe as a society we need to be having these conversations about "uncomfortable" topics. I was raised Christian and as a kid I was restricted from almost every form of media. It drove me away from those spiritual beliefs and, for me, set me down a long, dark path of self destruction. Thomas really hit the nail on the head when he mentioned this 👏🏼

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you for sharing that - appreciate it a bunch for the thoughts and hoping for a long, uphill path if you’re still in that valley. Stories have their all is lost right before the climb!

[@arabellawillow]

@@2ToRamble Thanks guys! I appreciate your sincerity and am soaring in the clouds with Anomander Rake these days 🤙🏼

[@adamborst]

I'm only 20 minutes in, but what a fantastic well spoken guest with very good well thought out points. I'm thoroughly enjoying this discussion.

[@2ToRamble]

Appreciate you!!

[@shereeh94]

Thank you for the insightful, respectful, enjoyable and thought-provoking discussion about these relevant issues- our daily moral decisions about what media we consume and our responsibility to make choices about what we allow children to access (if you’re a parent). As a Christian, I don’t often see Christians and agnostics/atheists engaging in such productive and open dialogue.

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks a bunch for the kind words!

[@ParaRevd]

New set looks so good!!! 😁

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you!!

[@WhoGuyThat]

My girlfriend got me back into reading this year! So far I've read The Hobbit, Dune, Dune Messiah and I just finished Project Hail Mary. I found your guys' podcast through tik tok. From the clips I've seen I really enjoy and respect all of your opinions and what not on books. I ordered The Martian, Elantris and The Fisherman today. Can't wait to dig into them and start binging this podcast while at work. Just wanted to say y'all are so great and have helped me find enjoyment in reading again!

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks a ton - welcome to the channel !

[@2ToRamble]

Glad you’re back into reading 👊

[@carterwogoman5421]

I am bit late to this, but I really enjoyed this episode. I enjoy the normal book stuff too, but I think discussions like this are desperately needed on the modern internet. Do more! You could say it really teeters my totter. I also especially appreciate seeing a fellow Christian's perspective. Thank y'all for having him on your platform, and I do hope he was able to share the gospel with you off camera!

[@2ToRamble]

Glad you enjoyed, we love these topics! More to come

[@jsrush]

thomas is so well spoken

[@thomaswrites]

Thanks a bunch! :)

[@tobitobnick699]

defending the “you’ll know it when you see it” point that SCOTUS made regarding pornography was interesting. as a lesbian we are seeing lgbtq+ books, topics, conversations being silenced and banned under the guise of the “it’s pornography or pornographic in nature” argument from extremist christians (and extremist christians in power). He kept the definition open ended so it can be used for things outside of explicit pornography. this is a good episode but i wish it wasn’t the same opinions being bounced around, there are no points of view being challenged here and i think some points are missing nuance and facts.

[@tresenpartychef1891]

There is also the point to make that content can be created with the intention to arouse the viewer but still be art simultaneously. There is no clean cut between these two things. And thats why it might be a hindrance to try to define what is okay and what not. Obviously there is a lot of content that can be classified in a glance but a ton of it is somewhere in between.

[@ronaldwatson3862]

You can find some pretty bad messages and inappropriate stuff for kids within the Christian bible, too. That didn't get mentioned at all in this discussion about Christianity and censorship.

[@alexklozano]

That's very fair, but I don't remember any of my Sunday school teachers ever teaching those books. Typically, Christians will give their kids a children's Bible story book that's pretty PG.

[@ronaldwatson3862]

@@alexklozano I mean, that's my point. Children being gifted a PG Bible just makes the case that the Christian Bible does need censorship, which was almost entirely ignored in this discussion about religion and censorship. Many Christians tend to focus their censorship worries outward without reflecting on their own problematic materials. My Church and Sunday School teachers did not skip the books of Genesis, Exodus and Leviticus. The story of Noah's Ark is marketed to kids, with cute little animals on the PG cover. We know what that story is about, though. A lot of the Bible would have to be avoided to be kid-friendly. Children also still have easy access to actual Bibles. I was handed one every Sunday morning as a child. How many parents are honestly putting up their Bibles so their kids can't get ahold of it? And what Christian parents who are trying to censor libraries are also targeting the Christian Bible, with more controversial stories in it then the books they are trying to ban? Consistency would be nice.

[@2ToRamble]

Fair! That wouldve been an interesting question to ask Thomas, missed that one. Curious what his answer would be

[@ronaldwatson3862]

@@2ToRamble Thomas touched on it with the part about Solomon's love letters being a bit graphic, but it is an often missed, or inadequately examined, part of this discussion.

[@LeonC0704]

I would say the difference relies on the Bible being truth. Truth does not need censorship. Fiction, however, does not require some of the things it sometimes contains. Also, when the Bible touches on things like murder or sexual immorality, it is within a war context, or never reflected in a positive light. And with sexual immorality in particular, it is not explicitly, meaning you won’t hear how big someone’s manhood is and the things he was doing to a girl and how she enjoyed it and things like that.

[@samuelleask1132]

9:30 as a Christian myself who is an absolutely enormous fan of fantasy, I agree very much with Thomas here. I kind of subscribe to the worldview that it’s far more important to simply show love and respect to each and every person on earth than to try and Bible-bash someone else to try and convert them. However, I’m just one guy and that’s my opinion, and it’s just the way I’ve found to be the best way to try and demonstrate my faith to others and hopefully they might look at me and go “hey that guy acts different, maybe I’ll talk to him about it and see what’s going on” 🤷‍♂️

[@KALtheLostie108]

This is definitely one of your best episodes! I really agree with a lot of what Thomas said in regards to how parents should deal with their children and inappropriate media. The one thing I would add would be that the most important part is teaching your kids proper right from wrong and how to discern them. After all, they won't be under your authority forever, so you need to teach them how while you can. Here's your episode rating: Overall: Emotional Impact: 4.25 Thought-provokingness: 5 Characters: 4.75 Plot: 4 Worldbuilding: 5 (new set) Prose: 4.5

[@2ToRamble]

We gotta improve our plot score next time, just you wait for the plot twists we have coming

[@katherinep1010]

EDIT: I commented too soon. Lol. Thanks Austin for putting that in there. 50:42 Consent. Consent is the difference. (Hopefully) The people in porn *should* be consenting to having other people view it.

[@SimplementInefable]

I'm from Spain and it always shocks me the discussion around book banning in schools. In my school and highschool, nothing was banned, but they simply had an age appropriate collection of books. It is impossible for an school library to have ALL books available, so the school makes a selection. The result is the same: certain books do not make it to the school library, but it is never made a big deal which books are there and which are missing.

[@Erisplay]

The new set is awesome!! Great episode!

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you!!

[@jfish67]

Are you aware that you can be addictive too? Thank God, it's a good addiction 😂. Hilarious and very needed ramble! Thank you for your honesty, guys! ❤

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks so much 😁

[@brittneymoresco8523]

love the new set!

[@2ToRamble]

Thankyou!

[@matthewm.7623]

When I was in 6th grade I found Game of Thrones in my middle school library. I read it and like 3 of the sequels and I should never have had access to those books at 12 years old. My parents had no idea what they were so they couldn't stop me which also speaks to how aware parents need to be about what kind of content their children are consuming because something like that happens all the time

[@2185wisai]

i think i read twilight in 7th grade lmao

[@8thelfchild585]

I appreciate the way you handled this episode. It was a very respectful and open discussion all around! I'm a Christian who primarily reads fantasy for fun, but have lately been trying to expand by reading other genres, including biographies and religious topics. As "curious agnostics" do either of you read much to explore the big questions in life? Any favorites?

[@2ToRamble]

I (austin) find fantasy and sci-fi as some of the best ways to explore these big questions in life - so a lot of my favorite books would be my answer to this! Hitchikers Guide, Small Gods, Piranesi, etc. As for any nonfiction, I very much listen to speakers/philosophers/psychologists/scientists/etc and some youtube personalities that talk about the metaphysical and I get the most of those. Although books like Meditations, etc, are also great to see from that POV.

[@amy_harboredinpages8272]

Great discussion/ramble. I like the new setup😃✨️📖📚

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you!!

[@valliyarnl]

I’m scared of “liking” this video bc of what will show up on my feed

[@thomaswrites]

Honestly...fair. 😅

[@Mightyjordy]

Loved this episode! It brings up something that’s been on my mind a long time as a father and a reader, which is the content warnings. I’m actually very against censorship by government or religious entities since their morals aren’t mine, but it would be so easy to just have a page on every book that ticks off boxes for content that could potentially be offensive like they do with movies and games. For example, swearing doesn’t really bother me, but when I listen to audiobooks like Piranesi that seem fairly tame and halfway through we’re suddenly getting F bombs and sexual assault and I’ve got to rush over to stop it in the middle of doing my dishes so my kids don’t hear. The StoryGraph app does this ok, but I really just want something in the back of the book where I can check and see if it’s something I want to read or want to let my kids read. Funny enough if you were to look at content warnings for Harry Potter, I can’t imagine you’d find anything very offensive. There’s no Satan or Devil or anything like that, just a really evil dude doing evil things and good people trying to stop him. It’s as heroic of a story as you can get. As a side note, I’ll never forget reading Wise Man’s Fear though and getting to the community of teachers “relieving” their students so they could focus on their fighting and thinking “I hope no kids read this and think this sort of thing is ok”. No condemnation of the action either. WMF is just a really weird book to begin with actually and would probably get my biggest content warning specifically because it doesn’t condemn things that are objectively super not ok. Edit* to clarify, I don’t expect the author to literally condemn actions in some kind of post script, rather some in book acknowledgement that it’s not ok as many authors who tackle morally gray books do.

[@2ToRamble]

Oo - this whole content warning discussion could be another full hour pod. Thanks a bunch for this comment and your thoughts! (We will credit you if we do a video on this!)

[@rkgrkg]

@@2ToRamble Great idea! I am very on the fence about content warnings, so a discussion on that would be awesome! While the warnings could help parents decide what's appropriate for their kids or help someone avoid a heavy topic, the warnings could also go too far or even misrepresent the book. (e.g. I can see certain people slapping the word 'misogyny' on just about every book published before five minutes ago, and have already seen people skip the warnings altogether and outright edit books, like Roald Dahl's.)

[@2ToRamble]

@@rkgrkg Great point! Yea, this could be a great discussion

[@jedthefroggy]

I love the painted color, bro. That's the best shade of blue. May actually get some merch cause that hoodie is hilarious.

[@doctor1alex]

I wasn't expecting to hear a Christian speaking so candidly when I clicked on this video but I am thankful. Here's a theology piece for you - marriage and intimacy is a picture of what there is for Christ and His Church. And He offers that to you too.

[@doctor1alex]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/iqKtfmCwZ9l6rJIsi=vpsvqerCeyWuVqO7

[@guilleyo161]

You have inspired me to star a book podcast in Spanish and with my girlfriend , with a similar structure to yours (still quite different). Any advice?

[@2ToRamble]

Jump in the deep end. Do it for the fun because for the first several months it won't be for views. Find a niche that fits with your interest and relative expertise. Promote yourself on every available platform you can manage. Lastly, have fun with the process and development, not just the end product. Cheers and good luck!

[@guilleyo161]

@@2ToRamble thank you! Been a fan for long

[@supermayo8a]

I loved this conversation! The new set looks amazing! Congrats Richard. I just want to add that I disagree on Thomas' stand on p*rn. It's funny how he disavowes the parent outrage when calling Harry Potter witchcraft, but proceeds to be outraged by calling porn art. 😂 Come on bro, do you really think a person cannot artistically share their sexuality? Yes, sex is sacred, but sacred to the individual. You don't decide how I treat or who I share my treasures with. Not all porn is the same, get some perspective. Sex is art.

[@rosarodriguezarguijo93]

Don't take this the wrong way, I'm Christian myself so maybe I'm biased but I'm gonna come in defense of the guest speaker sort of. Let's go back to the discussion at the beginning about Harry Potter and parents outrage. When Thomas read a verse from the Bible I originally thought he would quote a different verse, he ended up saying something different from what I had in mind (had to double check) but I'll refer to Romans 14 (check out the chapter if you want, I don't really care). That chapter and other ones following it, almost tie in with say the discussion on tattoos. Like tattoos were mostly a pagan thing used for the sake of other deities and it's also an open wound hence it's seen as unclean but now since that was the old covenant, and Christians are supposed to be under a new one under Christ, it's more acceptable to get a tattoo depending on what it is. Granted you keep in mind what you put on your body, like it doesn't have to be too meaningful, but there's a reason behind it. For instance, your reason for getting it isn't for the purpose of it being evil. Yet at the same time, if a person who has a tattoo already but turns into a Christian and feels wrong having one, is right to feel that way. And a person who has one and turns Christian but feels nothing too deep about is also right. Like their salvation doesn't depend on those things. It really is a base to base, person to person type of thing and their relationship with God. Which you're not Christian, so I get you could disagree. Different view on life ig. (you know I just really want to say this somewhere but I hate conservatives who say "facts matter not your feeling" bc honestly the Bible would disagree and that's just stupid, that's not true all the times and it's so annoying how often it's said, it's pretty invalidating to a person and can just lead to worse outcome, imo, anyway moving on) Next about the sex thing, and it not being art, he mentioned the Greeks and how it isn't exactly a foreign concept, also the Songs of Solomon which really is weird if you have an idea of what the Bible is and then read that on there. Like it's not the type of thing you expect. I think more he got heated about a subject he, like many others are passionate about and just went straight in. But at the same time, like as Christians there are still certain moral laws we ought to abide by. Like we're under a new covenant and not all of the old laws apply to us, those being the ceremonial and judicial laws. We're still under the Moral laws though and sex falls right into that one. Now I get that you aren't Christian and when people make certain claims like that applying it to the whole of humanity it can be jarring. Like "who are you to tell me what to do with my body" type of thing, but I feel like I gave you context as to a view Christians have on the matter, and like any other group of people, there is the right to voice that view and have it be heard, just as you have the right to disagree. It also says in the Bible to preach so many more people can be saved, which he would do, and if you decide to ignore you've that right as well. IDK i think I rambled too much and might've just turned back full circle getting nowhere here but I tried. Oh well.

[@supermayo8a]

@@rosarodriguezarguijo93 Thank you for explaining all of that. I think I understand the point. Thomas just made it seem like there is no redeemable quality about porn whatsoever. Use it in moderation, don't outright make it ilegal. Yes it can lead your life to a bad place, just like alcohol, videogames, relationships. Porn is just a thing we have to learn to live with. And it is not surprising it is a big industry. Just do you, and costume what your think it's best for you. If it's hurting you or the people around you, take the steps to address that! Just don't come out saying porn is just an all around bad thing. Stop it is not

[@2ToRamble]

Love the dialogue here - appreciate both your points of view. Thank you to you both

[@OrangeHand]

I hear about the potential effects on kids and all I think of is Butters turning into Gollum after seeing a dirty tape.

[@lukasmorrow8255]

Also disagreeing with some points made, but I think other people have covered those re: what value and art there can be in explicit books. Kind of off the bat with Thomas' talk I heavily disagree with his definition of "occult". It's not a root word for "opposing religion" just because it has the word "cult" in it (that's like saying Saturn and Satan are the same root - they're not). It's based on the same root as "occluded", meaning hidden or mysterious, secret. 'Occult' kind of gets applied to any spiritual tradition based on spiritual mysteries or that don't publicize their direct practices. You can also find the word 'occult' used as a physical descriptor of a darkened or cloudy scene in many books, which shows you more expressly what its actual meaning is.

[@ScottBass]

Thank you for discussing sensitive topics, and doing it with a respective, open minded perspective.

[@ScottBass]

*respectful

[@janefan1216]

1) great discussion -- the title had me worried, but I was very drawn in by the deep, meaningful conversation. 2) the bookshelf looks terrific! 3) as a Christian, I remember our church at the time (Baptist) being all in a tissy about HP, and they held an educational briefings (you couldn't really call them discussions) on it, where members of the congregation watched a presentation on it and how filled with witchcraft it was, how dangerous it was. None of them actually read it to form their own opinions, mind you. They just went along with whatever they were told by whoever this was in the video. It was completley ridiculous. (These are the same people who had a Sunday School presentation video that was making its way around various churches about evolution and the question of what happened to the dinosaurs in Noah's flood. I am dead serious: according to my dad (who sat in on it for fun) they said God shrank the dinosaurs. 🙄 Dad joked maybe the mice ate them 😂 -- I'm a Christian who has no problem with evolution bc, if you want to take Genesis literally, who was Cain afraid of? There were other people around at the time. Also, every one of us have small, varying amount of Neanderthal DNA. So, there ya go.) Sorry, I guess I rambled. 😅 4) I appreciate the honesty and candor you both shared about a delicate subject that impacts pretty much every human. Open and honest discussions like that help bring the dangers and negative impacts of that industry into the light. 5) Your discussions are one of my top favorite go-to things online. I am in bed with a very bad migraine today, and this was wonderful to listen to amd really kept my mind off the pain. Thanks for bringing thoughtful and entertaining book related content to us. Absolutely love all your videos! ❤

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks so much for your perspective! Glad we could deliver despite the cautious title - we love these kinds of talks

[@ironballistics]

As long as we are being reasonable, regulating exposure of certain work to children is a great thing. But once we start to limit an adults freedom of speech in a free market, that I don't agree with. Also, when somebody says there is a study that shows a trend or proves some correlation, I'd like a link to that study. But if not, thats cool too. I understand this is just a casual discussion. im just gonna throw that statement out when considering your point. *shrug*

[@therevanchist1123]

I would say at least for the Astrology, numerology, and reading the future for the most part is parodied in Harry Potter and spoke of as being fake minus the one prediction made but was even stated as being false unless the person truly believed it and acted on it in so trapping themselves within the prophecy. Of course there are little ones inserted here and there as more of a aha moments for repeated reading and individuals who are willing to deep dive.

[@EvanAdair14]

Is that Kaladin and Szeth fighting on the bookshelf?!

[@2ToRamble]

Yes it is!

[@EvanAdair14]

@@2ToRamble outstanding! The new set has my approval haha

[@2ToRamble]

@@EvanAdair14 :D

[@IndigoStat]

That is definitely a title for sure

[@ktmckay2]

You guys should check out the book Echoes of Eden by Jerram Barrs. As a Christian and lover of fantasy myself, it is a great deep dive into some of the topics you discussed. It was a great video. I loved the discussion. So much respect for you guys and the things you cover on the channel.

[@2ToRamble]

Thanks a bunch

[@Wouter_K]

What a fun discussion. Personally I think that the end kind of asked for a follow up. As we acknowledge that internet heavily impairs our ability to control the media and art that our kids are confronted with, I feel it becomes increasingly important to start early with proportional exposure and discussion. This allows us to teach our children to handle these things critically and value-based, rather than in an uncontrolled vacuum. So I'm very much opposed to any banning or editing culture (and yes we can agree Carrie does not have a place in the elementary or even high school library, but like you said, that's not banning). So to use the pr*n example. That our kids will have access to their own or their friends devices with free internet from an earlier age, to me, that means we should teach our kids early on about intimacy, relationships and s*x. So that if they encounter, whether by curiosity or accident, porn or nudity, they can form an informed opinion and it is easier to have a conversation about it. Similarly for books. I'd much rather my kids read something dodgy or controversial while we can discuss it together, than forbidding it and having them read that in a vacuum. A great example here are the edited Roald Dahl books. I'd much rather have a conversation about stereotypes and insults than avoid every word that would now be offensive. Finally, an important note of hope. My experience with my kids (who are now 6 and 8) is that they usually process whatever input or information at a level that they can handle and fathom. So the death of Mufasa in the Lion King (sorry spoilers) kind of always lands relative to their comprehension and its impact and the response change over time.

[@CosmereReviews]

New setup is goated, but the title made me double take💀

[@Smileysmiley012]

New setup is fire 🔥

[@nyxian_grid]

I always find it very interesting how there's all these different interpretations of Christianity. I was raised Catholic, and I would say there's plenty of "woo woo" magic adjacent stuff in it ahah

[@AndrewFrancisIlyrian]

Hope you're still Catholic.

[@OneofTheHats]

I remember one of my friends was not allowed to play or talk about Pokemon but... we just circumvented it. One day though, he was caught and was somewhat ostracized by his family for a while and he was destroyed from it. And when I asked why he was treated this way, he said that his family was apart of some religious group which was probably some cult I assume (There were many tells). I've actually never read Harry Potter since I was a snob and thought I was better than reading the hot topic. And, I watched the movies when I was around 6 and have no recollection of them. So, how YA is Harry Potter maybe I'll should read it?

[@2ToRamble]

Harry Potter starts off as more children/middle grade, and become more for youbg adults as the books progress. It grows up with its audience, I’d say (Austin here, this is just what I know from talking with others about it)

[@thebooklion]

So cool of you to have real life Sazed on the channel

[@2ToRamble]

I dont get this reference but this sounds suck

[@thebooklion]

Sazed from Mistborn Era 1, he was a keeper of religions, so kinda theologist

[@thomaswrites]

I am honored to be referred to as such! 😁

[@2ToRamble]

@@thebooklion Oh shoot, Im starting the series soon, I guess I'll find out!

[@thebooklion]

@@2ToRamble RAFO!

[@qbanboi069]

The very subtle Hail Satan made me laugh

[@AstroAves]

The set looks great and the audio is CRISP. Great work as always. Looks like you're improving instead of expanding on the mediocrity like you said in the worldbuilding episode

[@2ToRamble]

Thank you!!

[@CasualTotoro]

Love the new set! And with the recent political climate, love the merch drop! I think this episode showcased views bouncing off within side an echo chamber. But I guess that’s the nature of a podcast. So many points could be talked and debated about: one, Christianity and its teachings also being a harmful influence to children. Two,That Porn can be and is Art, especially as someone who comes with a film study back ground you should be able to see that. Defending the take “you know it when you see it” is horrible because it’s what started the entire discussion: that Christians can’t ‘see’ that Harry Potter is just a YA fantasy series and nothing else. Three,The problems you discuss are not because of “porn”, but of people’s struggle with any forms of addiction. Choosing a new medium (drugs, sex, gambling) doesn’t solve the root issue. Four: Consent! Consent is the difference. You can’t just “still” this. That’s a huge difference in your very obvious negative view of something. You paint a simile that is false to help make the thing you’re talking about look bad. These are incredibly nuanced topics, and when you run with on point, you leave a lot behind that leaves the audience with unanswered questions. I believe if you want to have an actual conversation on the effects of sex and porn on society and a developing mind, then a Sex Therapist would be a better guest than a theologist.

[@greyowlaudio]

To be fair, the IKEA bookshelves look great! 😄 I think today's society is stressed, overworked, and lonely. All of these are major crises that the internet, inflation, reduced dating options, and a failing job market are directly responsible for. Banning the-algorithm-unapproved-word without fixing those underlying structural issues takes away what's basically a steam valve for that frustration, and it'll probably end badly despite the good intentions behind it. There definitely needs to be action taken to find some balance where kids can be protected but not outright suppressed; Thomas was right about how if kids are reading Harry Potter, they aren't reading Thrones.

[@WesleyStubbs-x4t]

such a based episode

[@jacklynkirsch7968]

Do you guys know of an app or site that posts content rating and cautions for books?

[@2ToRamble]

We dont!

[@jamesalexander958]

"Season 1" of the Boys is a good show. Thank god, I'm not alone. It was a 9.5 and went to trash real quick

[@charliemelton885]

If 2 to ramble talks about the Bible, does that make it a fantasy book? (All jokes, great ep)

[@2ToRamble]

😁 thanks a bunch

[@playermartin286]

Isn´t Harry Potter very biblical anyway? I mean certain parts and themes she straight up took from the Bible like the St George story for example

[@LuzzyStef]

You guys should do a podcast on religion (if you need a Jew I’m here very knowledgeable 😅)

[@Halofancheif117]

I was here under a hour

[@Halofancheif117]

Great episode btw

[@rovorsolution3746]

Not first : )

[@ashleyholbird4287]

Reject Fundimentalism and embrace the Reformation! This falls under Christian freedom as the guest speaker stated. If you ask a fubdamentalist this question they will most likely tell you your damned (this is their answer to most things). Us reformed folks are much more charitable. That being said, if it makes tou uncomfortable by all means dont read it.

[@General_reader]

I understand the importance of the thumbnail. But I don’t want those words scrolling across my screen.

[@PhreakPhantom]

As far as cornography goes I am with Richard: ban it all. This is not a religious take. Corn is just bad all around: for your mind, how you interact with your partner, how your childen will learn what s3x works, etc. Not to mention the awful industry it became with the subject matter, high number of su. icide within the performers etc... lost years of productivity in my life due to it.

[@moostermcmoosterpants817]

I think satanism is a perfectly respectable religion