1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: From UFOs to psychic powers and government conspiracies. History is 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 1: riddled with unexplained events. You can turn back now or 3 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: learn this stuff they don't want you to know. A 4 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 1: production of iHeartRadio. 5 00:00:25,760 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 2: Welcome back to the show. My name is Matt, my. 6 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 3: Name is Noel. 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:31,520 Speaker 4: They called me Ben. We are joined as always with 8 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 4: our super producer Andrew the try Force Howard. Most importantly, 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 4: you are you are here. That makes this the stuff 10 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 4: they don't want you to know. Hold the phone, call 11 00:00:44,080 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 4: the Wise Man. This is part two in a special 12 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 4: two part series. And please, please please, if you haven't 13 00:00:50,640 --> 00:00:53,160 Speaker 4: listened to part one before you listen to the rest 14 00:00:53,159 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 4: of this, get thee to thy podcast platform of choice 15 00:00:57,280 --> 00:01:00,480 Speaker 4: and check out the first part of When was Jesus 16 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 4: Actually Born? 17 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:07,240 Speaker 2: Oh? Yes, this episode all magi. That's all we're doing. 18 00:01:07,319 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: I'm just playing the wise men. Magi are They hold 19 00:01:12,080 --> 00:01:14,760 Speaker 2: a special place in my heart. I don't know about you, guys. 20 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:18,319 Speaker 4: Great get it super big and the murr the gum Resin, 21 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 4: which was a huge, huge deal that it was sort 22 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 4: of the crypto of its day. 23 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:25,759 Speaker 2: M frankincense. It's the only reason I know that word. 24 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 4: You don't know, Franken said he's a guy. It's his 25 00:01:29,440 --> 00:01:29,959 Speaker 4: street name. 26 00:01:30,480 --> 00:01:31,479 Speaker 2: I don't know much. 27 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:41,920 Speaker 5: This is part two, so uh, maybe maybe we can 28 00:01:41,959 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 5: talk a little bit though about this. 29 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,880 Speaker 4: The the idea of a natural bookend to a heroic journey. 30 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 4: One is born on a specific, perhaps auspicious date, and 31 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:57,680 Speaker 4: then later, when you leave the mortal veil, you die 32 00:01:58,360 --> 00:02:02,080 Speaker 4: on that same day, just later in time. Kind of 33 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:05,800 Speaker 4: like a good modern analogue would be Mark Twain in 34 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:06,920 Speaker 4: Haley's comment. 35 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:12,240 Speaker 2: Oh yes, absolutely, this idea of a predetermined amount of 36 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,480 Speaker 2: time that this deity will visit with humanity, right, or 37 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:21,040 Speaker 2: that this god will It sounds bad when I say it, 38 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 2: but when this God will grace humanity with its presence 39 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:27,920 Speaker 2: to impart whatever wisdom, knowledge and miracles are you know, 40 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:29,519 Speaker 2: needed for humanity at the time. 41 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 6: A Ladda. 42 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, well, I mean I know it feel it 43 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 2: feels weird, but it is. 44 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:35,280 Speaker 4: I'm joking. 45 00:02:35,320 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 6: It's it's it's of course, it's a It's a God. 46 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 3: Doesn't get much more grand and and all and self 47 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:42,320 Speaker 3: important than. 48 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 2: That, right, Going back to theology versus chronology, it is 49 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 2: about the story, the the myth that that story becomes, 50 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 2: rather than exactly when it happened. 51 00:02:53,639 --> 00:02:57,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, Yeah, exactly. That's he nailed it because we see 52 00:02:58,120 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 4: also the yeah, idea of predestination. That's a huge part 53 00:03:03,120 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 4: of it, right, not just faith, but fate, and this 54 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 4: spoils things too, or it makes things more complicated for 55 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 4: later researchers because honestly, it sounds like they're producers in 56 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,520 Speaker 4: the mix. There are people talking about story structures, you 57 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:22,079 Speaker 4: know what I mean. 58 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:26,000 Speaker 3: Or it's like that three chord pop song that has 59 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 3: fifteen writers and twenty five producers on the credit. 60 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, very very much so. And that's not a dean. 61 00:03:33,400 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 4: We just think it's a fascinating comparison and it's not 62 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 4: too off the mark. 63 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 3: So just a too many cooks kind of situation, which 64 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 3: is why it's a little hard to always take everything 65 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 3: at face value. 66 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 4: Right right, because a lot of people who were perhaps 67 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:50,520 Speaker 4: closer to those historical events actual facts, as our pal 68 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,000 Speaker 4: Lauren would call them, they died and they couldn't stop 69 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,000 Speaker 4: someone else from coming in with their own agenda or 70 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 4: acts to grind. 71 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: Council of nice and Ben. 72 00:04:01,680 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 3: You mentioned earlier awkward conversation with somebody about the King 73 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,440 Speaker 3: James Bible being the only correct one quote unquote because 74 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 3: of its you know use of the English language. But 75 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 3: I mean we know that there were some liberties taken 76 00:04:14,720 --> 00:04:18,600 Speaker 3: in that translation that we're political. No, do we have 77 00:04:18,880 --> 00:04:21,120 Speaker 3: like a list of those or is it just kind 78 00:04:21,120 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 3: of lost to history? 79 00:04:23,440 --> 00:04:29,120 Speaker 4: Uh? We have. We have some guesses why King James 80 00:04:29,120 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 4: made up Bible. That's a great idea for ridiculous history. Uh, 81 00:04:33,279 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 4: we could, we could spoil some of it. 82 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 2: Quick question about that, guys, have you done a Ridiculous 83 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:42,839 Speaker 2: History episode specifically on the golden sickle, white cloth and mistletoe? 84 00:04:43,720 --> 00:04:47,760 Speaker 4: No Ah, I know what you're talking about. We have not, 85 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:49,760 Speaker 4: but we will if you come on air with you. 86 00:04:49,920 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 3: Please, Matt, this is your baby already. You did it, 87 00:04:52,400 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 3: You spoke it into existence. But why are you scared 88 00:04:56,880 --> 00:04:58,520 Speaker 3: of Matt? We do podcasts together. 89 00:04:58,240 --> 00:04:58,799 Speaker 6: All the time. 90 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 2: I will do yeah, I will do that. Actually, the 91 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,359 Speaker 2: golden sickle is the thing you gotta or at least 92 00:05:05,560 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 2: that if you're a druid and you got your robes on, 93 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 2: you climb up the oak tree, lop off the missiletoe. 94 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:13,240 Speaker 2: But it can't touch the ground. It has to hit 95 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 2: the white cloth. 96 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:15,839 Speaker 3: So it's like elf on the shelf kind of rules, 97 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:18,360 Speaker 3: kind of like if you touch the elf on the shelf, 98 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:21,479 Speaker 3: the magic goes away, similar because. 99 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 2: The missletoe is the thing that is protecting the oak tree, 100 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,640 Speaker 2: which is mighty and very kingly and actually a symbol 101 00:05:27,760 --> 00:05:31,240 Speaker 2: of a king. And then you can't you can't fell 102 00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:35,720 Speaker 2: the massive oak tree unless you've saved its protective missiletoe 103 00:05:36,120 --> 00:05:38,520 Speaker 2: in honor of the king that you're about to fell 104 00:05:38,800 --> 00:05:41,640 Speaker 2: and then make into burning stuff. 105 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,960 Speaker 4: The emphasis being that there is a right way to 106 00:05:45,160 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 4: do things, Yeah, in favor of the gods and all 107 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 4: the orderly proceedings of the cosmos. 108 00:05:52,120 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 3: Well, and as much as Christianity would like to raise 109 00:05:55,800 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 3: itself up as being better or more evolved than some 110 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,960 Speaker 3: of those pagan ritualistic who or ancient religions, there's just 111 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:09,080 Speaker 3: as much ritual involved in Christianity as there were in 112 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:11,040 Speaker 3: those other you know, belief systems. 113 00:06:11,279 --> 00:06:15,560 Speaker 4: Shout out transubstantiation, shout out the idea of the the 114 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,400 Speaker 4: cauldron God and the vegetable God. Oh Man Fraser is 115 00:06:20,480 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 4: just so cool. The show and the author Doctor Folklore 116 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:30,280 Speaker 4: thing Yeah, both both toss salad scram so working back 117 00:06:30,320 --> 00:06:33,680 Speaker 4: from the life of John the Baptist based on the 118 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 4: stuff mentioned in Luke and a few other few other 119 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 4: tidbits there. There are experts, there are theologians who believe 120 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:45,120 Speaker 4: they've gotten closer to the actual answer. What is the 121 00:06:45,160 --> 00:06:47,800 Speaker 4: birthday of Jesus Christ. We're going to pause for a 122 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 4: word from our sponsors, and then we're going to get 123 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:54,800 Speaker 4: into it. Folks. We'll see what you think. 124 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 2: And we're back, and we've discovered that it is. Wait, 125 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 2: he's a leo, right, Jesus was a leo. He's got leo. 126 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,560 Speaker 4: Come on, I don't know, come on, I wonder what 127 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:12,760 Speaker 4: the astrology of the day was. We got to find 128 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:15,120 Speaker 4: the history of astrology. You know, a lot of good 129 00:07:15,120 --> 00:07:15,800 Speaker 4: ideas in this. 130 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 2: But no, no, it's not that though. But it's pretty close, 131 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 2: isn't it. 132 00:07:21,240 --> 00:07:24,760 Speaker 4: Uh. I You know, I'm glad you point that out, Ma, 133 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:30,560 Speaker 4: because based on those calculations, which get spoiler cartoonishly complex 134 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 4: related to the birth of not Jesus but John the Baptist, 135 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 4: and where John the Baptist would have been when Jesus was, 136 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,880 Speaker 4: you know, messing around and getting baptized and so on. Uh. 137 00:07:41,360 --> 00:07:45,040 Speaker 4: Some folks like Ian Paul that we mentioned earlier, speculate 138 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 4: the true birth of Jesus Christ was sometime in September 139 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:57,200 Speaker 4: comma maybe comma asterisk. It's it's so weird because the 140 00:07:57,240 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 4: main thing we agree on we being modern civilization. All 141 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:05,240 Speaker 4: the theologians, the vast majority of read up about this. 142 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:09,720 Speaker 4: They may not agree on the actual birth date, but 143 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:12,880 Speaker 4: they pretty much all agree the celebration of Christmas on 144 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 4: December twenty fifth is not determined by the historical facts. 145 00:08:17,720 --> 00:08:19,920 Speaker 4: It's the idea that counts. 146 00:08:20,080 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 3: That's right, yeah, which has trickled down into gift giving 147 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 3: during Christmas. 148 00:08:24,240 --> 00:08:25,320 Speaker 6: It's the thought that counts. 149 00:08:25,440 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 4: So just shut out Saturnalia. 150 00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:32,000 Speaker 2: In a super snitchy elf that my son named Tyrone 151 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:32,800 Speaker 2: for some reason. 152 00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:37,320 Speaker 3: That's incredible. I think Ella Choice is my family ELF's name. 153 00:08:38,360 --> 00:08:41,720 Speaker 4: I always rejected the Elf on the shelf. It's beat 154 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:45,120 Speaker 4: me here, triforce, it's Norwellian. I don't don't like how 155 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 4: it's normalized. 156 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, it's all and it all benefits one 157 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,319 Speaker 3: company who sells these packages with the elf and the book, 158 00:08:52,679 --> 00:08:55,600 Speaker 3: and they created the lore, and it's just it is 159 00:08:55,679 --> 00:08:59,120 Speaker 3: kind of amazing though, that nobody before this product figured 160 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:02,240 Speaker 3: out how to WEAPONI that same kind of big lie 161 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,079 Speaker 3: about Santa Claus and create. 162 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 6: A new thing, a new version of it. 163 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 4: On that and it did though, right do you? No? 164 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:10,400 Speaker 6: It just occurred to me. 165 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,040 Speaker 2: Have you heard about the two new iterations. I just 166 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:15,320 Speaker 2: learned about them a few hours ago. I'm serious. 167 00:09:15,720 --> 00:09:18,200 Speaker 4: No, I'm kind of a grinch Scrooge character. I'm not 168 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:18,880 Speaker 4: read up on this. 169 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:24,079 Speaker 2: Martha on the Mantle and Snoop on the stoop they're real. 170 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:26,720 Speaker 6: What about mensh on the bench? 171 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,360 Speaker 3: I've heard about that one for Jewish families looking to 172 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:31,640 Speaker 3: integrate a big lie around the holiday season. 173 00:09:31,960 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 4: Oh gosh, so just the surveillance state is going to 174 00:09:35,640 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 4: keep doing merch spinoffs. 175 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:41,240 Speaker 2: Yes, watch how Snoop might see you. 176 00:09:41,480 --> 00:09:43,240 Speaker 4: This is a true story. This has not I was 177 00:09:43,280 --> 00:09:45,960 Speaker 4: thinking of this for our strange news segment later. But 178 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:49,600 Speaker 4: did you hear that air frars might be spying on you? 179 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,120 Speaker 2: Oh? Yes, I did hear about that. 180 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 4: Yeah, it just came up a few that's the new ELFLA. 181 00:09:57,160 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 4: At least the air frar does something. 182 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 3: Else you're talking, of course about, maybe like Wi Fi 183 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 3: connected airfriers. 184 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:07,480 Speaker 6: Surely my dumb airfryer isn't spying on me. Can I 185 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:07,839 Speaker 6: just say that? 186 00:10:07,920 --> 00:10:09,680 Speaker 3: Guys? I didn't make up mench on the bench. It 187 00:10:09,720 --> 00:10:11,440 Speaker 3: was apparently, as seen on shark tank. 188 00:10:12,400 --> 00:10:14,640 Speaker 4: Ah, yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I didn't think you 189 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:17,679 Speaker 4: were making it up. I'm not that cloud. You are 190 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:19,840 Speaker 4: way more clear for that. You would have come up 191 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,200 Speaker 4: with a better no offense to the bench. 192 00:10:22,480 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 2: Oh hey, and last thing, it might not just be 193 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:28,880 Speaker 2: your air frier. We've mentioned this before on the show, 194 00:10:28,920 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 2: but it's the Wi Fi signal that now, through the 195 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:36,000 Speaker 2: magic of AI, has been trained not yours necessarily, but 196 00:10:36,080 --> 00:10:38,520 Speaker 2: has been trained to be able to identify where people 197 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 2: are due to basically holes in the Wi Fi signal, yes, 198 00:10:43,200 --> 00:10:47,400 Speaker 2: human shaped holes, and then it can analyze how that 199 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:50,120 Speaker 2: human shape hole is moving. So literally, if you want 200 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:52,679 Speaker 2: something to be spying on you, it could just be 201 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:54,680 Speaker 2: your Wi Fi signal. 202 00:10:55,080 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 4: Somebody's watching me, So okay. This leads us all to 203 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:05,720 Speaker 4: the next big question. If everybody already kind of agrees 204 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 4: the official date is wrong for several compelling reasons, the 205 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 4: next question is how did we end up with December 206 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 4: twenty fifth. This is a great thing to ask. Depending 207 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,400 Speaker 4: upon whom you approach with this question, you may be 208 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 4: told there is a conspiracy afoot. Britannica sums it up 209 00:11:25,400 --> 00:11:29,560 Speaker 4: pretty nicely. They point out the origins of Christmas and 210 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:32,880 Speaker 4: its December date can be found in the ancient Greco 211 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:38,000 Speaker 4: Roman world, because commemorations probably began again around second century. 212 00:11:38,360 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 4: They say there are three possible origins for the December date. First, 213 00:11:42,880 --> 00:11:48,400 Speaker 4: a guy named Sextus Julius Africanus. He looked back at 214 00:11:48,840 --> 00:11:50,200 Speaker 4: this is kind of what we're talking about, a little 215 00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 4: off air. He looked back at the expected conception date 216 00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 4: of Jesus Christ, and he said, that's March twenty fifth. 217 00:11:57,679 --> 00:12:01,880 Speaker 4: So count forward nine months and then Jesus is logically 218 00:12:01,920 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 4: bored on December twenty fifth. It sounds solid until we 219 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 4: realize that our buddy Sextus also said the entire world 220 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 4: was created on March twenty fifth. So I think you 221 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,280 Speaker 4: was just putting a lot of stuff in the bucket 222 00:12:16,559 --> 00:12:17,439 Speaker 4: on that one. 223 00:12:17,520 --> 00:12:22,120 Speaker 2: That'd be cool, that'd be cool back, you know, when 224 00:12:22,160 --> 00:12:26,199 Speaker 2: there were absolutely no calendars or and time was arguably 225 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 2: different as the earth was forming from what I know. 226 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,840 Speaker 4: You know, if you've ever edited a manuscript, you kind 227 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 4: of have to respect him, yeah, for just getting a 228 00:12:38,360 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 4: lot done in one day, you know what I mean. 229 00:12:41,080 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 2: Not to continue to poke holes in this, but you know, 230 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 2: babies aren't born exactly nine months after conception. 231 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,800 Speaker 4: No one tells sextus it's close. 232 00:12:52,360 --> 00:12:54,760 Speaker 2: But anyway, it's just very. 233 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:58,120 Speaker 4: There's a lot of wiggle room, you know what I mean. Yeah, 234 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:03,480 Speaker 4: sometimes not enough wiggle room exactly. So there's this other 235 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,240 Speaker 4: belief that we talked about a little bit, the idea 236 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:11,200 Speaker 4: that the date of the twenty fifth of December was 237 00:13:11,360 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 4: chosen to sort of gentrify religious celebration, to displace competing 238 00:13:18,760 --> 00:13:24,080 Speaker 4: spiritual belief systems like Mythris, Soul and Victis celebrations, or 239 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:29,679 Speaker 4: push out other non Christian celebrations like a Roman festival Saturnalia, 240 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:33,079 Speaker 4: which had you know, some traditions that might sound a 241 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:37,360 Speaker 4: little familiar to Christmas enthusiasts. You give gifts, ye at 242 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:41,480 Speaker 4: big parties with friends and families. We feaced like we're 243 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,120 Speaker 4: at medieval times, which is very much not a thing 244 00:13:44,160 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 4: pack then. 245 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:49,280 Speaker 2: Well yeah, well yeah, and you know, in certain parts 246 00:13:49,320 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: of the world when you have Yule and things like that, 247 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,640 Speaker 2: that end up getting put into the same festivals because 248 00:13:55,640 --> 00:14:00,280 Speaker 2: it's just I remember we did that video way in 249 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 2: the day talking about the origins of Christmas and just 250 00:14:02,720 --> 00:14:06,679 Speaker 2: how baffled I know, I was, at least at the 251 00:14:06,679 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 2: things we were finding about all of these celebrations and 252 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:11,880 Speaker 2: where they really do come from, and how it is 253 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:16,920 Speaker 2: in amalgamation of pretty much the world going through crisis. 254 00:14:17,440 --> 00:14:23,480 Speaker 2: These are celebrations of stuff is really bad and cold 255 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,480 Speaker 2: and dark. Right now, let's do some things to get together. 256 00:14:27,640 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 2: Warm up a bit, celebrate, and eat a bunch of 257 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 2: food because we need to get food in our bellies. 258 00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,880 Speaker 4: Spring is on the way. Right from the darkness comes 259 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:41,240 Speaker 4: to the light. Yeah, this is okay. We do know 260 00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:47,000 Speaker 4: a lot of the hubbub around December twenty fifth comes from, 261 00:14:47,560 --> 00:14:51,760 Speaker 4: weirdly enough, geopolitics, which were still the thing back then. 262 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 4: This is where we introduce our second or our third 263 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 4: technically Flavious of the story for accounting my gerbil. Flavious 264 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,440 Speaker 4: was just way more common name back then. This is 265 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 4: a guy that we've talked about before. Flavius Valerius Constantinus, 266 00:15:08,160 --> 00:15:11,040 Speaker 4: also known as Constantine the First or in a burst 267 00:15:11,080 --> 00:15:14,840 Speaker 4: of humility and modesty, Constantine. 268 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 3: The Great, not to be confused with Flava, Flavius Valarius, Constantaneous, 269 00:15:18,040 --> 00:15:20,119 Speaker 3: Constantine the First, or. 270 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:24,160 Speaker 2: Flavius Flava. 271 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:25,840 Speaker 4: Or walk a flack of Flavius. 272 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:28,040 Speaker 6: Thanks for playing guys. 273 00:15:28,440 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 4: Also first of his name. Yeah, so we we also 274 00:15:32,800 --> 00:15:36,200 Speaker 4: those are all good, all right, thank you for playing fun. 275 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 4: We know that Constantine ruled over Rome from about three 276 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 4: oh six to three thirty seven. He is perhaps best 277 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:49,320 Speaker 4: known for the purposes of this exploration as the first 278 00:15:49,400 --> 00:15:54,920 Speaker 4: Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, and because emperors are 279 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 4: super humble, he expected everybody else to do exactly what 280 00:15:59,560 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 4: he did. 281 00:16:00,080 --> 00:16:00,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, that makes sense. 282 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:05,200 Speaker 4: It's like it's like, how, oh gosh, that dictator out 283 00:16:05,240 --> 00:16:09,240 Speaker 4: in the stands. I think it's Turkmenistan. He quit smoking 284 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 4: cigarettes and then banned cigarettes for the whole country, and 285 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 4: like whenever he made a decision, he put in a 286 00:16:15,440 --> 00:16:18,200 Speaker 4: law that said everybody else in that country had to 287 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:18,920 Speaker 4: do the same thing. 288 00:16:19,120 --> 00:16:23,880 Speaker 6: It takes a type to ascend to that level of influence. 289 00:16:23,840 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 4: I guess. But it's like it's like if I, you know, 290 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:31,800 Speaker 4: imagine we go back and forth on political corruption here 291 00:16:31,840 --> 00:16:35,120 Speaker 4: in the United States. But I will say this, the 292 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:40,800 Speaker 4: US public would absolutely revolt if any given president, you know, 293 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 4: but like just a terrible vehicle, like a Honda Odyssey, 294 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:47,760 Speaker 4: and they said from now on, everybody has to drive 295 00:16:47,800 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 4: a Honda Odyssey. It would be blood in the streets. 296 00:16:50,280 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 6: I would just argue that in American politics. 297 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:56,440 Speaker 3: They just wouldn't come right out and say that was why. 298 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 2: What was the last American president that would be like 299 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:03,119 Speaker 2: caught outside on the White House lawns smoking a cigarette? 300 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:04,080 Speaker 4: Barack Obama? 301 00:17:04,119 --> 00:17:05,680 Speaker 2: Obama, he was chief. 302 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 6: Aren't there photos of him? 303 00:17:09,280 --> 00:17:11,440 Speaker 2: I don't. I don't have that image in my head. 304 00:17:11,600 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 2: That's interesting, Okay. 305 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:16,920 Speaker 4: I think the PR game was a little bit h well. 306 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 4: I think they deployed some PR to tamp down the 307 00:17:19,760 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 4: occasional coffin nail on the part of that administer. 308 00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,720 Speaker 6: Clinton smoke, no thinks, so he does say cheeseburgers and playing. 309 00:17:26,440 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 2: The cigars, cigars something. 310 00:17:31,440 --> 00:17:33,280 Speaker 4: A very specific type of cigar. 311 00:17:34,240 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 6: Yeah, very specific. 312 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:40,919 Speaker 4: Indeed, let's say he customized it. So all right, we'll 313 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:46,199 Speaker 4: keep that it. So, part of this Christianization of the 314 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 4: Roman Empire included finding a official date for the birthday 315 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:56,000 Speaker 4: of Jesus Christ. I'm trying to convince you friends, Romans 316 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:00,000 Speaker 4: countrymen to follow my lead on this new idea. I 317 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:02,760 Speaker 4: you know you have your own spiritual beliefs, but let 318 00:18:02,800 --> 00:18:07,200 Speaker 4: me convince you of this this school of thoughts bona fides. 319 00:18:07,560 --> 00:18:10,800 Speaker 4: So they need more of these celebrations, they need these 320 00:18:10,840 --> 00:18:16,000 Speaker 4: things that are official rules. The rollout doesn't go perfectly 321 00:18:16,119 --> 00:18:20,280 Speaker 4: because the eastern area of the Empire still says, we 322 00:18:20,359 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 4: think it's January sixth, and it took fifty years to 323 00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:28,760 Speaker 4: get them kind of on board, and they're still kind. 324 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 3: Of not so I guess it's time to get to 325 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 3: the conspiracy theory at play here that Constantine's administration was 326 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:39,480 Speaker 3: hoping to put the kaibosh on some competing religions and 327 00:18:39,560 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 3: other year in celebrations. Hence the whole discussion around religious syncretism. 328 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 3: It happens all the time. You've got a new game 329 00:18:47,520 --> 00:18:49,880 Speaker 3: in town, the new king in town that's trying to 330 00:18:49,920 --> 00:18:52,639 Speaker 3: push forth a new way of doing things. Therefore, you 331 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 3: have to tamp down the competition by in some ways 332 00:18:56,200 --> 00:18:59,720 Speaker 3: co opting their pre existing traditions. And while this might 333 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:04,320 Speaker 3: not have and overnight, generationally speaking, it does tend to work. 334 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 2: Well. Who has time for yaalda if we need to 335 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 2: celebrate this new thing now and we're being told we 336 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:12,880 Speaker 2: need to celebrate it. 337 00:19:13,640 --> 00:19:17,639 Speaker 4: Yeah, And then to that point we see syncretism also 338 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:23,240 Speaker 4: becomes its own enemy with the rise of heretical christian sects, 339 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 4: because still Christianity, especially in the early days, it can't 340 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:30,000 Speaker 4: agree on what it is you know, and it can't 341 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:33,159 Speaker 4: agree on the true nature of God, you know, the 342 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:36,879 Speaker 4: three and one Spirit. It can't agree on when I 343 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 4: mean forget a specific date. These people are killing each 344 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:43,959 Speaker 4: other over doctrinal stuff that would seem even smaller to 345 00:19:44,080 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 4: us today, the conspiracy of ham shrinking competing belief systems. 346 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 4: It's a great story, you know. Put on our producer hats. 347 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 4: It's just like EPs. We would love this story. It 348 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:01,600 Speaker 4: ticks all the boxes we need for heroes and villain Notice, however, 349 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 4: we called it a conspiracy theory and not a conspiracy actual. 350 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 4: That's because the whole thing might be a convenient myth. 351 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:13,439 Speaker 4: We did not know this going into it. But the 352 00:20:13,560 --> 00:20:19,480 Speaker 4: whole idea of this Constantinian conspiracy right to advance Christianity 353 00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:23,919 Speaker 4: over all other pre existing religions. It doesn't come from 354 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 4: hard evidence. It comes from people looking at timelines and 355 00:20:27,640 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 4: making educated guesses. And the closest thing to a smoking 356 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:36,440 Speaker 4: gun is literal scribbling in margins of a book or 357 00:20:36,480 --> 00:20:42,159 Speaker 4: a manuscript by an unnamed anonymous Syrian monk sometime in 358 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 4: the twelfth century sore than more than a millennia after 359 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 4: the fact, people read about this and they just dug 360 00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 4: the vibe. Whoever this guy was, he wasn't originally out 361 00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:56,320 Speaker 4: to make a hit piece. He was trying to figure 362 00:20:56,359 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 4: out why Western churches moved Christianity from January to December 363 00:21:02,280 --> 00:21:06,439 Speaker 4: and why Eastern churches didn't get with the program. And 364 00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:09,120 Speaker 4: he was like, hey, they moved it closer to the solstice. 365 00:21:09,320 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 4: That's weird. And then people who did not like Christianity 366 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:17,080 Speaker 4: found out about this and they said, perfect, you know 367 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:19,520 Speaker 4: what I mean. It's like if you already don't like, 368 00:21:20,080 --> 00:21:24,480 Speaker 4: you know, a specific creed or ethnicity, and you read 369 00:21:24,560 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 4: something that you think makes them sound bad and then 370 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:29,240 Speaker 4: you repost it on Twitter. 371 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:37,159 Speaker 2: Dude, but I have to The winter solstice thing is 372 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,840 Speaker 2: so interesting to me when it comes to the storytelling 373 00:21:41,280 --> 00:21:45,359 Speaker 2: that was happening, happening in like ancient Persia at the time. 374 00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:51,560 Speaker 2: About this concept, the very concept that evil forces, darkness 375 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:55,480 Speaker 2: worth it's the strongest right around this time of year 376 00:21:55,640 --> 00:21:58,200 Speaker 2: when when you when you're at the winter solstice, when 377 00:21:58,240 --> 00:22:02,360 Speaker 2: the days are the shortest, when the night is the longest, 378 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 2: when it's very cold, that is when the evil forces 379 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 2: are at its strongest. So if you have a savior 380 00:22:09,359 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 2: figure that emerges right in that moment when it is, 381 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:17,160 Speaker 2: you know, the darkest night of the soul for all 382 00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 2: of humanity. Right, you have a savior figure arise in 383 00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,600 Speaker 2: that moment literally with a star, you know, in this 384 00:22:23,720 --> 00:22:26,479 Speaker 2: symbology and all that stuff. It is the type of 385 00:22:26,520 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 2: storytelling that could be. You could see it cutting through 386 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:35,960 Speaker 2: cultural different cultural and religious beliefs. 387 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:37,600 Speaker 6: It takes the same boxes, right. 388 00:22:39,320 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean this is where we get to studies 389 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:48,840 Speaker 4: of comparative religion. Again, George Fraser, The Golden Bough is nuts. 390 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:51,560 Speaker 4: It was first published in eighteen ninety and it's talking 391 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 4: about a lot of the same things, and it still 392 00:22:54,240 --> 00:22:59,720 Speaker 4: holds up because Fraser was largely correct. We're fun at parties. 393 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:04,400 Speaker 4: This is a great point that we're making here because 394 00:23:04,920 --> 00:23:09,439 Speaker 4: we see commonality of experience. Right, it doesn't matter what 395 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:13,119 Speaker 4: you believe. Winter Solstice is still the longest night of 396 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:18,160 Speaker 4: the year. Doesn't matter to whom you pray. It still 397 00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,280 Speaker 4: gets cold, yeah, at predictable times of the year and 398 00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 4: warmer at other times. 399 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:26,320 Speaker 2: Well, and it goes across every culture. You look at Stonehenge, 400 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:31,439 Speaker 2: Machu Pichu, you all over the planet, there are monuments 401 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,920 Speaker 2: built to both celebrate and venerate the solstices, right, and 402 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:40,719 Speaker 2: that's there are slits within stone work that will only 403 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:46,480 Speaker 2: send light into one part of a massive dome thing 404 00:23:46,520 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 2: that was built, you know, well before allegedly Jesus was 405 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:54,399 Speaker 2: born that are celebrating that moment of the sunrise the 406 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,320 Speaker 2: dawn on that day. 407 00:23:57,040 --> 00:24:01,240 Speaker 4: So if you want, if you want your hero in 408 00:24:01,320 --> 00:24:05,160 Speaker 4: your story to be the most heroic and most auspicious, 409 00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:09,439 Speaker 4: then you push them or associate them with something that 410 00:24:09,480 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 4: people already understand as auspicious and important. That doesn't make 411 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:17,360 Speaker 4: Now we're not denigrating any belief system. That doesn't make 412 00:24:17,359 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 4: it untrue. Right, And that's not us poo pooing or 413 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:26,520 Speaker 4: anything that is pointing out how this sort of stuff 414 00:24:26,720 --> 00:24:30,359 Speaker 4: historically works, not just in the case of Christianity, but 415 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:34,159 Speaker 4: in the case of pretty much every successful religious school 416 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:38,800 Speaker 4: of thoughts. Successful being defined as something that a mimetic 417 00:24:39,320 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 4: evolution that propagates across generations. 418 00:24:42,119 --> 00:24:42,199 Speaker 2: Oh. 419 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:48,879 Speaker 4: Still, the conspiracy theory about Constantine saying, you know, screw Saturnalia, 420 00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:54,040 Speaker 4: I'm tired of this Mythris guy that probably came to 421 00:24:54,080 --> 00:24:57,000 Speaker 4: be way after his death. And we got to give 422 00:24:57,040 --> 00:24:59,680 Speaker 4: a shout out to a professor at Yale Andrew McGowan, 423 00:25:00,119 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 4: who totally agrees with this and makes a really compelling 424 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:09,879 Speaker 4: case that this was anti Christian and anti Christmas propaganda 425 00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:13,160 Speaker 4: in the twelfth century. What we're saying is, that's right, 426 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 4: fellow conspiracy realist. It sounds silly when you hear it 427 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 4: on your news networks every year, but back in the day, 428 00:25:19,560 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 4: there really was a war on Christmas. There really was 429 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:28,639 Speaker 4: war on Christmas. It's also strange because birthdays were not 430 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:31,640 Speaker 4: as big of a deal back then. You know, if 431 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 4: you like think about it, you are an adherent of Christianity. 432 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 4: Jesus Christ is the Messiah. His birthday is great, good 433 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:44,160 Speaker 4: that he's here, but the real emphasis is on when 434 00:25:44,240 --> 00:25:47,840 Speaker 4: he dies and rises again. Sure, that's what makes him 435 00:25:47,920 --> 00:25:53,040 Speaker 4: Jesus Christ. Definitely, it's definitely the more impressive trick. Everybody 436 00:25:53,119 --> 00:25:55,000 Speaker 4: has a birthday, not everybody has an Easter. 437 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 2: It's true, exactly, but it's a lot like it's a 438 00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,679 Speaker 2: lot like the Sun, guys, the Sun. I'm just you know, 439 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:06,040 Speaker 2: just saying absolutely, because I can't get over this. I did, wait, 440 00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 2: I dove way too deep into the Midsummer Thing. I 441 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 2: think I watched that movie not that long ago, and 442 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 2: I was just thinking more and more about it about 443 00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:19,040 Speaker 2: ancient practices. But like New Grange, this tomb mound built 444 00:26:19,040 --> 00:26:22,800 Speaker 2: in Ireland, like thirty two hundred BC, is all about 445 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,520 Speaker 2: the rising of the sun on that you know, right 446 00:26:26,560 --> 00:26:29,080 Speaker 2: around that time. Like I don't know exactly what the 447 00:26:29,160 --> 00:26:31,920 Speaker 2: date was, December, what what it would be calculated to 448 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 2: in thirty two hundred BC when it was built, but 449 00:26:34,480 --> 00:26:36,399 Speaker 2: it would be it would be right around that time 450 00:26:36,680 --> 00:26:40,639 Speaker 2: when the sun rises and defeats evil, right, defeats the cold, 451 00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 2: the winter, all that stuff. Go back to karnak out 452 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 2: in lux or all these places, same thing four thousand 453 00:26:47,359 --> 00:26:50,440 Speaker 2: years ago. That story is just so potent. 454 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:55,520 Speaker 4: It makes me wonder what maritime life forms worship, right, 455 00:26:55,800 --> 00:26:58,960 Speaker 4: should they have the capacity for worship, which they probably do, 456 00:26:59,119 --> 00:27:00,560 Speaker 4: especially to take Do. 457 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:02,920 Speaker 2: You think it would be sun based or it would 458 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:05,480 Speaker 2: be more based on current Maybe. 459 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 4: I think it would be current. Yeah, I think it 460 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:11,600 Speaker 4: would have to be current. Right, Let us know what 461 00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 4: your local pods and citations worship, you know, because yeah, 462 00:27:17,320 --> 00:27:19,880 Speaker 4: the humans in the early days obviously they're gonna they're 463 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 4: they're gonna worship the sun and they're gonna fear the night, yes, right, 464 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:25,879 Speaker 4: and then they'll worship the things they fear. Because you 465 00:27:25,960 --> 00:27:29,400 Speaker 4: worship what you adore, you also worship what you fear. 466 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:33,040 Speaker 2: Just crazy, Yeah, you sacrifice stuff to it to be like, 467 00:27:33,040 --> 00:27:34,080 Speaker 2: please don't hurt. 468 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:38,320 Speaker 4: Us ancestor worship animism. Yeah, those are cool, man, They're 469 00:27:38,320 --> 00:27:40,440 Speaker 4: still continued practices. 470 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 2: Did you guys see the trailer for The Witcher. 471 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:47,640 Speaker 4: For I did? I did? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm excited. 472 00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:50,680 Speaker 2: Deals exactly with that concept of sacrificing to the bad thing. 473 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 3: Guys, sorry to do for five seconds. Speaking of trailers, 474 00:27:54,640 --> 00:27:56,439 Speaker 3: have you seen the trailer for the New twenty the 475 00:27:56,480 --> 00:28:00,600 Speaker 3: twenty eight years later, the Zion film. It has this 476 00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 3: poem in it that is is like a like a 477 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:06,600 Speaker 3: vintage recording of this poem called I think it's called. 478 00:28:06,400 --> 00:28:10,760 Speaker 6: Boots, Boots Boots. It's by rudyerd Kipling. But it doesn't 479 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:11,119 Speaker 6: say that. 480 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,800 Speaker 3: It's just this insane, arresting spoken word that like just 481 00:28:14,880 --> 00:28:16,879 Speaker 3: kind of syncs up with the bill and the tension 482 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:18,840 Speaker 3: of the music and the images and the trailer. 483 00:28:18,960 --> 00:28:21,399 Speaker 6: I had to look it up and it's freaking wild. 484 00:28:21,680 --> 00:28:23,199 Speaker 3: I mean, I know, Ben, you're a big fan of 485 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,040 Speaker 3: his poetry. Despite him, you know, we all know he's 486 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 3: got problematic figure. 487 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 4: I'm a big fan of some of his There you goes. 488 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 6: So this one, man, it blew me away. 489 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:33,120 Speaker 3: It's just all about war, and it's like it has 490 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,480 Speaker 3: this cadence to it. It's almost Death March kind of 491 00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,600 Speaker 3: cadence to it. Really powerful. If you look up on YouTube, 492 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:40,960 Speaker 3: you can hear recording on its own, it's this very 493 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:43,920 Speaker 3: like famous recording with somebody reading this poem. 494 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:47,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, and it's also used. I think it'll be very 495 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:52,240 Speaker 4: familiar with a lot of our marine conspiracy realist in 496 00:28:52,280 --> 00:28:58,200 Speaker 4: the crowd. Not maritime animals, but like actual marines, because yeah, 497 00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 4: tell us what you think. We also know that eventually, 498 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:06,240 Speaker 4: through this great game of heavenly and Earthly telephone, more 499 00:29:06,280 --> 00:29:09,360 Speaker 4: and more people began to accept the idea of December 500 00:29:09,360 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 4: twenty fifth as the date of the Messiah's birth, and 501 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,240 Speaker 4: that created a feedback loop because the more people that 502 00:29:15,360 --> 00:29:17,680 Speaker 4: accept it, the more people that accept it. 503 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:20,240 Speaker 2: And now you're weird for not accepting it. 504 00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:23,920 Speaker 4: Right, not like having a cell phone used to be weird, 505 00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 4: and now it's weird to not have one. So we 506 00:29:27,440 --> 00:29:30,239 Speaker 4: will never know the actual real birthday of Jesus, at 507 00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,320 Speaker 4: least not here on earth. But we can say conclusively, 508 00:29:34,400 --> 00:29:38,360 Speaker 4: probably wasn't what we call Christmas today, Probably was not 509 00:29:38,600 --> 00:29:41,160 Speaker 4: in December. This shouldn't be a bummer, though, because it's 510 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:44,440 Speaker 4: the thought that matters more than a specific date and time. 511 00:29:44,520 --> 00:29:47,120 Speaker 4: Matthew and Luke were probably onto something with that that 512 00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 4: was actually kind of smarter them. Yeah. 513 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:51,160 Speaker 3: But speaking of the thought that matters, or the thought 514 00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 3: that counts, that is no excuse to give Amazon gift 515 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:54,520 Speaker 3: cards for Christmas. 516 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:55,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's just lazy. 517 00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 4: What happened? 518 00:29:58,120 --> 00:29:58,280 Speaker 7: Man? 519 00:29:58,600 --> 00:30:02,720 Speaker 6: I just I will die on this. Hell be thoughtful? 520 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:06,360 Speaker 4: Okay? Does someone hurt your feelings? 521 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,000 Speaker 3: I know, maybe irrelevant. It's just an opinion that I 522 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:11,280 Speaker 3: wanted to express in this moment. 523 00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:14,880 Speaker 4: And I assume that we apply to all gift cards. 524 00:30:15,200 --> 00:30:18,280 Speaker 3: I think gift cards are a little weak sauce that's awful, 525 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:19,440 Speaker 3: even if. 526 00:30:19,280 --> 00:30:21,440 Speaker 4: It's like a gift card to a specific thing. 527 00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:26,840 Speaker 7: Applebee's maybe as I yeah, as yeah, sure, absolutely that 528 00:30:26,880 --> 00:30:30,520 Speaker 7: would be a fun, thoughtful gift card because he really 529 00:30:30,560 --> 00:30:31,640 Speaker 7: loves Applebee's. 530 00:30:31,720 --> 00:30:35,440 Speaker 3: But to give this just open ended, you figure it 531 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 3: out thing to somebody as. 532 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,720 Speaker 6: A gift, I would say, just don't don't, don't get 533 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:40,200 Speaker 6: them anything. 534 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 4: What do you think about hard currency. 535 00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,920 Speaker 3: Yes, the gift of grandparents and absolutely acceptable from them 536 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:48,320 Speaker 3: in a card with. 537 00:30:48,400 --> 00:30:51,400 Speaker 2: Handwritten okay, okay okay. 538 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,719 Speaker 4: Or hands signs. I used to give my uh the 539 00:30:55,760 --> 00:30:59,000 Speaker 4: cards I would send people for like Hanukah or Christmas 540 00:30:59,080 --> 00:31:02,000 Speaker 4: or whatever they would they would usually I would usually 541 00:31:02,040 --> 00:31:05,160 Speaker 4: have somewhere in there dictated but not read. Here you go, 542 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 4: which yeah, I got I had. Uh. This has nothing 543 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,440 Speaker 4: to do with anything. When you get Eagle Scout, you 544 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:18,480 Speaker 4: used to get a lot of notable politicians and celebrities 545 00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,800 Speaker 4: and astronauts and stuff that would send you like a 546 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 4: congratulatory letter or they would send you a picture that 547 00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:28,960 Speaker 4: they had signed. And got one from Bob Hope with 548 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:31,960 Speaker 4: this pretty nice letter was a super long it was 549 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 4: about a page and it ended with dictated but not 550 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:40,440 Speaker 4: read and his secretary and I thought it was the 551 00:31:40,560 --> 00:31:46,000 Speaker 4: classiest thing. I figure he was. I just imagine the 552 00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:50,800 Speaker 4: guy strolling around the room. Well he just just extolling 553 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:55,719 Speaker 4: these ideas. He's like put something in about uh America. 554 00:31:55,400 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 6: He was mister a s O. 555 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,280 Speaker 3: Like the big the big touring productions for the troops, 556 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:03,400 Speaker 3: you know, the road shows and stuff. 557 00:32:03,440 --> 00:32:05,440 Speaker 6: Wasn't that a big thing that Bob Hope was into 558 00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:06,320 Speaker 6: it makes it yeah. 559 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:08,840 Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. But this this also gives us 560 00:32:08,880 --> 00:32:12,600 Speaker 4: the idea of people spitballing, right the gospel dictated but 561 00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,040 Speaker 4: not red yea and read later. So this is where 562 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:18,960 Speaker 4: we see calendars change. You know, this is another trip, 563 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 4: he thought, you guys, I know we're going along, but 564 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:28,280 Speaker 4: calendars seem permanent, yet are somewhat changeable over time, you know, 565 00:32:28,840 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 4: like the what happens when humans continue to reach toward 566 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:38,800 Speaker 4: the stars? Are we? I suggest the calendars will have 567 00:32:38,880 --> 00:32:41,160 Speaker 4: to evolve in step? You know what I mean? 568 00:32:41,360 --> 00:32:44,400 Speaker 2: Yeah, Well, once all these aliens finally make themselves known 569 00:32:44,440 --> 00:32:46,440 Speaker 2: that are hanging out in New Jersey right now, I mean, yeah, 570 00:32:46,440 --> 00:32:51,120 Speaker 2: you stop it. I'm okay, I will. 571 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,040 Speaker 4: Or the aliens land and they say, they say something like, 572 00:32:56,720 --> 00:32:59,880 Speaker 4: oh yeah, Jesus is absolutely real. We hang out with 573 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:02,600 Speaker 4: him all the time. Yeah, like we see him all 574 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 4: the time, don't you guys? He was what did you 575 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:08,600 Speaker 4: do to him? Hey? What happened? 576 00:33:08,920 --> 00:33:11,800 Speaker 2: That's uh? That was Oh who did that? Somebody went 577 00:33:11,840 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 2: on stage and did that as a as their bit? Yes, 578 00:33:15,640 --> 00:33:19,480 Speaker 2: and it was it was so good. It was Oh 579 00:33:19,640 --> 00:33:23,239 Speaker 2: what the I just I just heard it recounted it 580 00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:26,640 Speaker 2: hold on I got at no. 581 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,480 Speaker 4: Bob Hope, no Carpenter. 582 00:33:33,040 --> 00:33:35,680 Speaker 2: Sorry, I just uh, I've got a. 583 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:37,600 Speaker 4: Can you describe the person? 584 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:41,480 Speaker 2: It was Richard Pryor, And it was a retelling of 585 00:33:41,560 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 2: a time that Richard Pryor went on stage and he 586 00:33:44,320 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 2: embodied God, like God himself. He went out on stage 587 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,560 Speaker 2: as God, and I was talking about his son and like, 588 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 2: I mean, my son is so awesome, just talking about 589 00:33:54,400 --> 00:33:57,560 Speaker 2: his son, and he's like, so, where have you seen him? 590 00:33:57,560 --> 00:34:00,000 Speaker 2: Like where is he? Wait? What? And then the audio 591 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 2: proceeds to explain to God what happened to Jesus? 592 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:04,240 Speaker 6: I see? 593 00:34:04,280 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 2: And then he does the same thing with Martin Luther King, 594 00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,320 Speaker 2: with Malcolm X, with JFK and all this stuff. It 595 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:14,400 Speaker 2: was just and it was apparently really somber and sad 596 00:34:14,520 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 2: the entire time he's on set and they just left 597 00:34:17,200 --> 00:34:22,200 Speaker 2: and he's just like, all right, well, they basically just said, well, 598 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 2: this is I'm leaving. Yeah, this is the bottomy of 599 00:34:26,640 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 2: Now God is no longer with us. 600 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,360 Speaker 4: Sorry, yeah, no, I feel you. Richard Pryor is one 601 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,200 Speaker 4: of the great orators of Western society. I would often 602 00:34:35,480 --> 00:34:39,200 Speaker 4: people confused with the comedian, just like George Carling, but 603 00:34:39,920 --> 00:34:43,960 Speaker 4: I would say the alien thing would be interesting. They 604 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 4: we don't know if that's going to happen yet, but 605 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:49,760 Speaker 4: we know the calendar will probably transform as humanity becomes 606 00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:53,560 Speaker 4: a multi terrestrial species, right, and well. 607 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:58,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, what if it's based on the rather than the 608 00:34:58,200 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 2: Solar system, right solar? What if it's on the galaxy 609 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:03,760 Speaker 2: itself at least for every time? 610 00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 4: That'd be cool. I miss the Zoom meeting, guys, I 611 00:35:06,680 --> 00:35:08,400 Speaker 4: thought this was in galactic time. 612 00:35:09,480 --> 00:35:11,000 Speaker 2: Crap, crap. 613 00:35:11,560 --> 00:35:13,920 Speaker 4: I mean, it's a question for another day. But we 614 00:35:13,960 --> 00:35:16,880 Speaker 4: do have we do have an answer. You know, whether 615 00:35:16,880 --> 00:35:20,840 Speaker 4: you're Christian, whether you're non Christian, atheist, whatever your belief 616 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,120 Speaker 4: system may be, you don't have to be Christian to 617 00:35:24,840 --> 00:35:28,640 Speaker 4: agree with the overall message of this guy. Just be 618 00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:31,279 Speaker 4: good to other people. Help when you can, how you 619 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:34,320 Speaker 4: can when you can. You know, that's the real stuff 620 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,279 Speaker 4: they don't want you to know. To shout out to 621 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 4: Frank Cross and Scrooge, no one ever needed a specific 622 00:35:40,920 --> 00:35:44,360 Speaker 4: day to be a good person. It can just be 623 00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:48,600 Speaker 4: a Tuesday and you can still do amazing noble things. 624 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:53,560 Speaker 4: It's awesome to be kind in March September tomorrow, the 625 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 4: next week, the next day, it's just as crucial to 626 00:35:57,040 --> 00:35:59,839 Speaker 4: do that as it is on Christmas at least, that's 627 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,920 Speaker 4: we think. So what do you think. We can't wait 628 00:36:02,960 --> 00:36:04,680 Speaker 4: to hear from you, folks, so we try to be 629 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,880 Speaker 4: easy to find online. You can send us an email 630 00:36:09,400 --> 00:36:11,440 Speaker 4: if you want to get on our naughty list. 631 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:12,640 Speaker 6: Or our nice list. 632 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,000 Speaker 3: And you can also find this all over the internet 633 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:17,200 Speaker 3: on your social media platforms a choice where we are 634 00:36:17,200 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 3: conspiracy stuff. On x FKA, Twitter, on YouTube where we 635 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:25,279 Speaker 3: have video content glor for you to enjoy, as well 636 00:36:25,320 --> 00:36:27,000 Speaker 3: as on Facebook where we have our Facebook group. 637 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:29,440 Speaker 6: Here's where it gets crazy. On Instagram and TikTok, we're 638 00:36:29,480 --> 00:36:30,320 Speaker 6: conspiracy stuff. 639 00:36:30,320 --> 00:36:33,160 Speaker 2: Show you better call us you naughty a little so 640 00:36:33,320 --> 00:36:36,239 Speaker 2: and so. Our number is one eight three three st 641 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:40,440 Speaker 2: d WYTK. That story, by the way, about Richard Pryor 642 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:43,320 Speaker 2: was told by Howie Mandel. That's if you want to 643 00:36:43,320 --> 00:36:47,319 Speaker 2: search it up Howi Mandel, Richard Pryor. God check that out. 644 00:36:47,520 --> 00:36:50,720 Speaker 2: When you call in. Give us a cool nickname for yourself. 645 00:36:50,760 --> 00:36:52,719 Speaker 2: Whatever it is, we don't care. We're excited to hear it. 646 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:54,880 Speaker 2: You've got three minutes. Say whatever you'd like. At some 647 00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,799 Speaker 2: point in the message, let us know if we can 648 00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:59,160 Speaker 2: use your name and message on the air. If you've 649 00:36:59,160 --> 00:37:00,719 Speaker 2: got more to say than can fit in a three 650 00:37:00,719 --> 00:37:03,200 Speaker 2: minute voicemail, why not instead send us a good old 651 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:04,000 Speaker 2: fashioned email. 652 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:08,320 Speaker 4: We are the entities that read every piece of correspondence 653 00:37:08,400 --> 00:37:12,000 Speaker 4: we receive twenty four to seven as long as this 654 00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:15,880 Speaker 4: calendar continues. Spoiler. Getting on the Knotty list is a 655 00:37:16,040 --> 00:37:18,840 Speaker 4: very very cool thing, and we want to take a 656 00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:21,840 Speaker 4: second and thank everybody who wrote in with amazing stories 657 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:25,600 Speaker 4: about the third Man factor, as well as dropping us 658 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:29,960 Speaker 4: some phone calls. So many stories, we were betting this 659 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:33,280 Speaker 4: one would speak to a lot of us in the audience. 660 00:37:33,680 --> 00:37:37,640 Speaker 4: We've received so many accounts that it may be time 661 00:37:37,719 --> 00:37:41,120 Speaker 4: for us to do a themed listener mail program on 662 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:45,279 Speaker 4: these third Man stories in the meantime, If you'd like 663 00:37:45,280 --> 00:37:47,560 Speaker 4: to be part of that, or give us any of 664 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:50,440 Speaker 4: your thoughts at all, hit us up out here in 665 00:37:50,480 --> 00:38:14,759 Speaker 4: the dark Conspiracy at iHeartRadio dot com. 666 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:16,960 Speaker 2: Stuff they Don't Want You to Know is a production 667 00:38:17,080 --> 00:38:21,600 Speaker 2: of iHeartRadio. 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