The Classical Ideas Podcast

I’m so glad I thought about looking up this podcast. Mr. Soden was my sophomore English teacher and seriously changed my life! I remember him telling us about his podcast in class a couple different times not long after he made it. He would regularly suggest to take his Classical ideas and world religions class to really further our education and go into it with an open mind. He was absolutely my favorite teacher and was what I really needed in a role model at that point of my life. Being 15 I had so much to really learn about the world and how he taught our class was engaging and challenging. I learned things I still utilize to this day. I always had so much fun in his class and was so excited to take the class about religions. I signed up for the class and he told us close to the end of the school year he would no longer be teaching at our school as his family was moving away. I was so upset and even told him I would drop the class since the whole reason I wanted to take it was specifically because his teaching style resonated with me the most. He told me to still take it and not to rob myself of that experience simply because he wouldn’t be teaching the class. Although the teacher who took his place wasn’t as energetic and engaging as Mr. Soden was, as well as never getting to talk to any guest speakers or go to any places of religious significance like he had intended. I don’t regret listening to him and remaining in the class. People always ask me about the hoodie I got with the logo and I get to tell them about it t what I learned and how it changed my life for the better. I’m super excited to catch up with all the missing bits of the class I didn’t get to experience years ago though this podcast. I’m only on episode two but I’ll probably be caught up by the end of the week 😁

If you are like me who love to learn about other perspective this great resource for. My only issue podcaster need have better sound.

I’m twenty seven minutes into “EP 189: The Lives of Objects w/Maia Kotrosits,” author of _ The Lives of Objects: Material Culture, Experience, and the Real in the History of Early Christianity_ and it's still unclear exactly what one would learn by reading the book. They talk about the author’s background for eleven minutes, then why she wrote the book, then about material culture in general. Twenty seven minutes in and still not the slightest hint what if anything the book has to say about how any of it relates to early Christianity. I give up.

It's an interesting and informative podcast, covering a variety of religions. However, I wish the host would not bring up his political beliefs. If the guests want to bring up theirs, that's fine, but hosts of educational podcasts should leave their own beliefs out of it. It's also noticeable that of all of the guests that have brought up their political beliefs are left-wing like the host. I wonder if the host will ever interview someone who does not share his political beliefs. He's clearly interested in understanding different religious beliefs, but doesn't seem interested in understanding why people might hold different political beliefs, and gives the typical left-wing strawman representations of different political beliefs.