Lost and blinded by academic “correctness.”

Taking religious studies as an undergraduate was one of the best decisions I made in life, so when I stumbled upon this podcast, I was excited to continue engaging with such interesting topics. However, the problem I encountered with religious studies in general is the problem I encountered with this podcasts. Many of the topics and interviews seem so distant from the reality of religious people as they are. Occasionally, there will be an episode that avoids the elitist/reductive disposition this podcast often has towards religious belief, however they are few and far between. Religious Studies is not some observational analysis of “goofy” people who believe “silly” things. It is a study of real human beings with richly diverse and intensely complicated cultures, world views, and histories. Sadly, I’ve tried many times to listen for the sake of engaging with the interesting topics presented, but am always confronted with the elitist academic tone found too often within the study of religion.

Literal nothingness. Not a discussion. Just people taking turns trying to create sound bites. I’ve learned nothing expect how important quality sound engineering is.

I’m interested in religion and the history of religion, but each episode has been dry, pedantic or both. This is the kind of closed worldview and discussion that give academics a bad name. A positive note: most of the contributors seem like they’d be nice enough people to talk to about topics outside their areas of expertise, and I’d probably trust them to take care of a cat or indoor plants.

this podcast has filled in so many gaps left in my religious studies curriculum & has helped me to better focus my academic interests.

I stopped listening to the first episode I picked when the speaker said that Krishna was fashioned after Jesus. Modern scholarship accepts that the Gita was written 200 years before Christ. The speaker’s failure to mention that fact and to simply say, without qualification, that Krishna is based on Jesus reveals that this podcast has a goal - and it’s not education. Is Christian indoctrination.

Really great work for scholars, students, and interested folks.

Grateful to you for your wonderful programming! Thanks to one of your early guests, Michel Desjardins, I am reframing my middle school religion course to study the intersection of religion and food.

A solid Podcast for those interested in the academic study of religion. Quite engaging interviews, especially as my own university never touches upon many of the topics discussed. Highly recommended

This podcast takes you behind the scenes with well-known religion professors. It's great to hear them talk about their work in an informal setting so that their interests and motivations come out. I also enjoyed the roundtables with rising stars in religious studies such as Kevin Whitesides.

I was introduced to the RSP podcast in a Religious Studies course at university; flat out, I was hooked from episode 1. They approach complicated, rather opaque topics in a modern, almost lay person-esque manner. Though everyone is involved is clearly a scholar in the field, the multitude of views and opinions that they bring in on such a wide variety of topics-in such as way as to be approachable with no "ivory tower" in site- has very much energized my own academic work in the field. A great tool and resource for undergrads and laity alike, great work boys!!

The RSP podcasts aim to "provide a resource for undergraduate students of religion, their teachers, and interested members of the public." I think the podcasts do a very good job of promoting religious studies in a way that mediates between the often superficial nature of what is covered in standard news media and the inaccessibility of some of the more scholarly resources in the field. As a specialist myself, I find that some of these podcasts are helpful in introducing me to areas of the larger field and to specific scholars and projects about which I previously had only a vague idea. I especially enjoyed the recent interview with Linda Woodhead on secularization theory. I highly recommend these podcasts as a resource for anyone who is interested in a jargon-free yet still serious exploration of what it means to study religion in the contemporary world.