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Avoiding Babylon

Avoiding Babylon Crew
  • 4.9 (10)
  • CHRISTIANITY

Avoiding Babylon was started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these difficult and dark days, when most of us were isolated from family, friends, our parishes, and even the Sacraments themselves, this channel was started as a statement of standing against the tyrannical mandates that many of us were living under. Since those early days, this channel has morphed into an amazing community of friends…no…more than friends…Christian brothers and sisters…who have grown in joy and charity.  As we see it, our job here at Avoiding Babylon is to remind ourselves and those who enjoy the channel that being Catholic is a joyful and exciting experience. We seek true Catholic fraternity and eutrapelia with other Catholics who, like us, are doing their best to live out their vocation with the help of God’s Grace.  Above all, we try to bring humor and joy to the craziness of this fallen world, for as Hillaire Belloc has famously said: “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!”

  1. 1D AGO

    Just Became Catholic? Here's What To Do Your First Year

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! Becoming Catholic can feel like a spiritual adrenaline rush, until you hit the first real Monday morning and realize you still have to live it. We sit down with Keith Nestor, author of The Convert’s Guide to Roman Catholicism, to talk about what new Catholics actually face after OCIA: culture shock at Mass, awkward parish dynamics, and the surprisingly hard moment of telling family and friends you’ve entered the Catholic Church.  We also get honest about “Catholic lingo” and why it matters. Words like offer it up, prayer intentions, confession, sacramental life, and liturgical year are not just insider phrases, they point to a totally different way of seeing the world. Keith shares what helped him avoid burnout and what he wishes every convert knew: celebrate your entry into the Church, go slow, set realistic goals, and stop trying to do every devotion at once. If you’re tempted to jump straight into online debates or liturgy wars, we explain why that can wreck your peace fast.  The heart of the conversation is Keith’s family story: years of division after his conversion, followed by a shocking chain of events that brought his daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law into the Church. It turns into a powerful lesson in surrender, prayer, fasting, and letting God do what arguments cannot. We also talk about suffering and why Catholic spirituality doesn’t dodge it, it puts the Cross and the Eucharist at the center, giving real meaning when life hurts.  If you’re new to Catholicism, returning to the faith, sponsoring someone in RCIA/OCIA, or trying to bring your spouse or kids back to the sacraments, this one is for you. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s discerning Catholic conversion, and leave a review with the one habit you’re committing to next. Support the show Need seafood for Lent? Check out https://shoplobster.com/ and use code AB10 to get 10% from Maine's ONLY Catholic lobster company. Check out our new sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! ******************************************************** Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise:  https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps:  https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    1h 11m

  2. 1D AGO • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Untitled Episode

    -

    2h 5m

  3. APR 1

    Pax Judaica: The Empire of Spectacle w/ Dr. Deep State

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! Everything feels louder than it should, and somehow less real at the same time. That’s the tension we sit with as Dr. Haugen (Dr. Deep State) joins us to talk about spectacle, propaganda, and the slow spiritual cost of living inside an attention economy that never stops asking for your fear, your outrage, and your loyalty. We dig into the core idea behind his new book, Saints of the Apocalypse: the apocalypse can look like distraction, not just disaster. From political theater and mass persuasion to the way online narratives “train” desire, we ask what discernment looks like when the world feels scripted. We also connect this to Catholic theology and typology, including St. Stephen, the Church’s historical memory, and how different readings of Romans 9–11 shape conversations about ecumenism and modern religious identity. From there, we turn to the interior battle: hypocrisy as religious performance without divine content, the temptation to trade truth for comfort, and the urgent need to learn how to suffer well. We close by touching big themes Dr. Haugen explores elsewhere, including AI, the metaverse as a modern Tower of Babel, and Fatima as a warning against confusion that masquerades as peace. If this conversation helps you see the spectacle more clearly, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of modern life feels most like “theater” to you right now? Support the show Need seafood for Lent? Check out https://shoplobster.com/ and use code AB10 to get 10% from Maine's ONLY Catholic lobster company. Check out our new sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! ******************************************************** Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise:  https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps:  https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    56 min

  4. APR 1 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Pax Judaica: The Empire of Spectacle w/ Dr. Deep State (Full LOCALS Version)

    The fastest way to lose your grip on reality is to let the spectacle pick your next thought for you. We sit down with Dr. Haugen, known online as Dr. Deep State, to talk about why modern politics can feel like theater, how psyops and media manipulation shape what people notice, and what a Catholic is supposed to do when everything is competing for attention at once. Dr. Haugen’s book Saints of the Apocalypse becomes our roadmap. We dig into the “empire of spectacle” idea, then move into Saint Stephen, typology, and why the saints don’t just give opinions, they train vision. We also wrestle with hard questions about Christian civilization, conscience, and how debates about Vatican II and Christian-Jewish relations can get flattened into slogans that create more heat than light. Throughout it, we keep coming back to a non-negotiable: tell the truth without becoming bitter. From there we open up bigger end times themes: Mark of the Beast fears, biodigital convergence, vaccine-era conscience pressures, Noahide laws, and the role AI and full-spectrum surveillance could play in future control systems. Whether you’re searching for Catholic spiritual warfare, end times discernment, AI and Christianity, or how to resist doom scrolling, the takeaway is the same: stay anchored in prayer, scripture, confession, and the Eucharist, and learn to suffer with joy. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share the episode with a friend who feels burned out by the news, and leave a review that tells us what topic you want next.

    2h 7m

  5. MAR 30

    Good Friday Has Changed — Most Catholics Don't Know This (with Father Mawdsley)

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! Holy Week hits different when you stop treating it like a reenactment and start treating it like formation. We sit down with Father Mawdsley to talk about the older Catholic instincts that the liturgy can rebuild: steady trust under pressure, clarity about what the Church is doing at the altar, and the quiet courage to refuse performative participation when something feels spiritually off. We get specific about the Good Friday liturgy, the solemn intercessions, and the practical question many people ask every year: when do you genuflect, and when do you remain standing? From there we move to Palm Sunday and the Passion reading, and why speaking certain crowd lines as a congregation can confuse contrition with participation. Along the way we keep coming back to the Traditional Latin Mass, pre-1955 Holy Week, and the claim that the rites don’t merely reflect Catholic belief, they shape Catholic reflexes. The conversation widens into bigger questions about propaganda, war reporting, and how Christians hold moral lines when everything feels like spectacle. We also take a listener question on usury and modern finances, including retirement accounts and how to detach from systems you didn’t build without letting money rule your life. If this helped you think more clearly about Catholic Holy Week, the Good Friday prayers, and the role of tradition in spiritual life, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with your biggest Holy Week question. Support the show Need seafood for Lent? Check out https://shoplobster.com/ and use code AB10 to get 10% from Maine's ONLY Catholic lobster company. Check out our new sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! ******************************************************** Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise:  https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps:  https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    1h 27m

  6. MAR 30

    Traditional Latin Mass Ban Is Ending? Leo & Parolin Drop Bombshells

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! A single rumor from Rome can light the fuse again: is Pope Leo quietly trying to de-escalate the fight over the Traditional Latin Mass and stop turning Catholic liturgy into a battlefield? We start with the latest chatter around easing hostility toward TLM communities after Traditionis Custodes, then zoom out to the deeper question: what does fidelity look like when Church politics, social media, and constant scandals train us to pick teams instead of pursuing holiness? We also get honest about how online Catholic drama warps the soul. The temptation is to draw hard lines, label people, and turn “calling out” leaders into a sport. We push back on that impulse and talk about why cohesion matters, especially if the cultural weather keeps shifting toward real hostility. The point isn’t to pretend everything is fine. The point is to stay in the Church, stay near the sacraments, and refuse to let rage replace judgment. From there we dig into Scripture and history, including Genesis 3:15 and the theme of spiritual conflict, plus why the liturgy itself keeps forcing these questions back onto the table especially as we head into Holy Week and the Triduum. We react to a clip about a young adult stumbling into a reverent Mass and realizing, “This is what I’ve been missing,” and we ask what that says about worship, culture, and the future of Catholic life. If this kind of deep Catholic commentary helps you think clearly, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. And if you want the extra segments and early access to upcoming guest conversations, join us on Locals. Support the show Need seafood for Lent? Check out https://shoplobster.com/ and use code AB10 to get 10% from Maine's ONLY Catholic lobster company. Check out our new sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! ******************************************************** Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise:  https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps:  https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    1h 14m

  7. MAR 30 • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    Traditional Latin Mass Ban Is Ending? Leo & Parolin Drop Bombshells (Full LOCALS Version)

    The Vatican may be signaling a truce in the liturgy wars, and we can’t ignore what that could mean for the Traditional Latin Mass after Traditionis Custodes. We walk through fresh reporting and rumors around Pope Leo’s desire to de-escalate divisions, then ask the real question underneath it all: how do you stay Catholic when the hierarchy feels messy, the internet feels weaponized, and every side demands total loyalty?We get honest about the tug-of-war between “wait and see” prudence and the urge to go scorched-earth on Church leadership. We also talk about why factional thinking can get spiritually dangerous fast, especially when Catholics start treating other Catholics as outsiders. If serious persecution ever hits, nobody is going to sort us by online labels, and we’ll need unity, sacraments, and clarity more than performative rage. That’s where Scripture comes in too: we revisit Genesis 3:15, the idea of enmity in salvation history, and why some people find their faith strengthened, not weakened, when the story of the Bible explains the madness of the moment.Then we zoom out into the wider culture: why platforms reward conflict clips over deep work, what Bishop Barron’s “Gen Z discovers the Latin Mass” moment gets right, and how myth and story (Tolkien included) can carry Christian truth without turning into a lecture. We even hit the strange overlap between UFO talk, “aliens,” and a classic Christian view of spiritual warfare, plus why exorcism conversations keep showing up in mainstream media.Subscribe for more, share this with a friend who’s stuck in Catholic doomscrolling, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What would actually help heal the divisions right now: more reverent liturgy, better teaching, or less internet rage?

    2h 22m

  8. MAR 25

    Protestants Team Up with Kosher Catholics to Attack Scott Hahn

    Want to reach out to us? Want to leave a comment or review? Want to give us a suggestion or berate Anthony? Send us a text by clicking this link! A husband posts that his wife “was formerly promiscuous” and he “was a virgin,” and somehow we’re all expected to nod along like it’s spiritual content. That moment opens a bigger problem we can’t ignore: testimony culture is starting to look like confession-as-branding, where past sin becomes a credential and conversion becomes a content strategy. We dig into what this does to the moral imagination, especially for younger Christians who grew up trying to live faithfully. When dramatic stories get rewarded, it quietly teaches that holiness is boring and that wreckage is a prerequisite for meaning. We talk about repentance versus performance, the temptation toward antinomian thinking, and why public scandal isn’t erased by a quick “sorry” when real harm was done. Then we pivot to the political-theology fight blowing up online: Catholic integralism, natural law, religious liberty, and why figures like Scott Hahn are suddenly getting name-dropped as threats on mainstream shows. We react to the Eric Metaxas clip with James Lindsay and John Zmirak, clarify what integralism actually claims about the relationship between temporal power and spiritual authority, and challenge the “we don’t impose morality” line that collapses the moment you remember that every law encodes a moral vision. We also connect the dots to the convert boom narrative, Zionism pressure, Gaza framing, and the way “anti-Semitism” gets used as a debate-ending weapon. We read and respond to public statements in the Carrie Prejean Boller controversy and Bishop Robert Barron’s response, emphasizing the need to condemn real racism while refusing to treat all criticism of Israel, Judaism, or public behavior as hatred. If you want clearer categories, sharper definitions, and less propaganda in Christian discourse, this one is for you. Subscribe, share the show, and leave a review, then tell us what you think: where should Christians draw the line in public speech? Support the show Need seafood for Lent? Check out https://shoplobster.com/ and use code AB10 to get 10% from Maine's ONLY Catholic lobster company. Check out our new sponsor, Nic Nac, at www.nicnac.com and use code "AB25%" for 25% off of your first order! ******************************************************** Please subscribe! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKsxnv80ByFV4OGvt_kImjQ?sub_confirmation=1 https://www.avoidingbabylon.com Merchandise:  https://avoiding-babylon-shop.fourthwall.com Locals Community: https://avoidingbabylon.locals.com Full Premium/Locals Shows on Audio Podcast:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1987412/subscribe RSS Feed for Podcast Apps:  https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1987412.rss

    44 min
See All (637)

4.9
out of 5
10 Ratings

About

Avoiding Babylon was started during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. During these difficult and dark days, when most of us were isolated from family, friends, our parishes, and even the Sacraments themselves, this channel was started as a statement of standing against the tyrannical mandates that many of us were living under. Since those early days, this channel has morphed into an amazing community of friends…no…more than friends…Christian brothers and sisters…who have grown in joy and charity.  As we see it, our job here at Avoiding Babylon is to remind ourselves and those who enjoy the channel that being Catholic is a joyful and exciting experience. We seek true Catholic fraternity and eutrapelia with other Catholics who, like us, are doing their best to live out their vocation with the help of God’s Grace.  Above all, we try to bring humor and joy to the craziness of this fallen world, for as Hillaire Belloc has famously said: “Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!”

Information

  • Creator
    Avoiding Babylon Crew
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    637
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Avoiding Babylon
  • Show Website
    Avoiding Babylon
  • Provider
    Robert Blyton

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