Popular Culture Association 2027 Special Topic: UFOs, Cryptids, Conspiracies, and the Paranormal (Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association)
The CFP List
An academic call for papers database.
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Joseph Laycock
@josephlaycock.bsky.social
I'm a religious studies professor. I study new religious movements, exorcism, and satanic panic, among other topics. https://sites.google.com/view/joseph-p-laycock/
Father Carlos Martins made pictures of me on his youtube channel saying things I never said and added demonic pentagrams swirling around my face. You live by the youtube libel, you die by the youtube libel.
Exorcist Files vs. Jesus 911 Libel Suit Can Go Forward
From Martins v. Romero, decided today by Judge Kay Behm (E.D. Mich.) (for more on the Complaint, see this post):...
reason.com
"These A.I. agents, it seems, understood that they weren’t supposed to be breaking out and committing cybercrimes. It didn’t stop them."
Opinion | If You Weren’t Worried About A.I., You Should Be After the Past Few Weeks (Gift Article)
If there was ever a time to consider halting development of A.I., it’s now.
nytimes.com
Texas State University religious studies professor Joseph Laycock defines religion as an "ultimate concern" " I think that for some members of TST, this is an ultimate concern," Laycock said. "The most important thing for them is to create what they consider to be a more just version of society."
Satanists are raising hell in Texas. Here's what you should know.
The religious organization fosters community through the devil, but it may not be what you think.
yahoo.com
"Hampshire Police noticed that attacks coincided with phases of the moon or dates in satanic calendars" Satanic calendars? Do the have sexy pictures of goats or something? Seriously, this guy seems to be a "cult' of one person. Classic case of media ostension.
Vampire cultist sentenced over New Forest church carcasses
Benjamin Lewis, who had a "fascination with vampires", displayed animal body parts at churches.
bbc.com
Some people think religious studies isn't relevant to business or making money. But I got interviewed about "witchy side hustles." So there's that.
How Witchy Side Hustles Went Mainstream on "WitchTok" and Etsy
Thanks to social media, witchcraft has become popular in the US. Learn how to turn your interest in everything esoteric into a side hustle.
sidehustles.com
"Lynn, 40, of Orlando, called the moment “spiritual warfare” and said “demons don’t like the name of Jesus.”" So this whole time, demons could have just gotten flight attendants to remove the exorcists?
Christian influencer kicked off Alaska Airlines for evangelizing passengers
Whitney Lynn, a Florida evangelist with a large social media following, was ordered off an Alaska Airlines flight bound for San Diego this week after she preached to passengers before the plane
christianpost.com
Not The Onion: "The evening was intended to highlight the university’s new program, Combat U, which made Sacramento State, in its president’s words, “the first university, not only in the country but in the world, to have a collegiate pathway to professional combat sports.”
When College Gets Gory
On the campy, violent, inspiring, dismaying, downright-confusing world of Sacramento State’s Combat U.
chronicle.com
I received this email yesterday. My first thought was how did an email with 420 ccs get through my spam filter!
Victorian cults inquiry accidentally shares email address of anonymous survivors with group members
Committee apologises for not concealing email addresses when alerting witnesses to final report
theguardian.com
Instead of demanding systemic responses, they should recycle. Something like that is happening now in higher education with AI. Institutions capitulate or dodge; students who don’t want to cheat with AI do; and then students believe it’s their individual failing.
Opinion | My Students Hate AI. But They Can’t Stop Using It.
Big Tech has gotten them addicted to cheating, and they’ve internalized the blame.
chronicle.com
“My major objection is that I think the traditional role of an exorcist is a very private one." Maybe some exorcists don't want to be famous, but so many write books, make podcasts, go on Fox news, etc. Exorcism is no longer private because it's become a political cudgel, not a ministry of healing.
Cardinal McElroy: Exorcist role should be ‘private’ after priest’s removal tied to UFO controversy
"It wasn't touching on the question of UFOs," the cardinal said in an interview June 29 at the Pontifical North American College. "My major objection is that I think the traditional role of an exorcis...
americamagazine.org
I got cited in Psychology Today but the author clearly never read my article (or even its full title). Psychology Today's editorial process page states that AI is allowed for "research and brainstorming." I suspect thats how this happened.
Chart of Coercion in Cults
Cult leaders use coercive control tactics to manipulate members and take their resources. This chart helps us understand and explain the manipulative tactics of cults.
psychologytoday.com
"Lots of people are urgently wrestling with 'big questions' about the nature of reality. They want help from an expert, and they still believe that a public university is where they might find one." Good read on #religion and #reality from @thebaffler.com & @josephlaycock.bsky.social
Territorial Spirits | Joseph P. Laycock
He didn’t realize his dream job would involve desperate strangers asking him to save them from demonic oppression.
thebaffler.com
Since my wife and I are in Europe, we are taking in some high culture.
Terrible precedent. Davis isn't a Satanist and wasn't one when he committed murder. The state's "expert" knew nothing about Satanism but his ignorant claims about the Satanic Bible were repeated by the court. You can't give someone a different sentence for the same crime because of their religion.
Court Rules Admission of Evidence Tied to a Criminal’s Satanism Does Not Violate Religious Liberty
Irving Alvin Davis is on death row for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl.
texasscorecard.com
CFP on "Disclosure" for Nova Religio. Please share.
cfp | call for papers
call-for-papers.sas.upenn.edu
""Hampshire’s educational model did not fail. Hampshire’s faculty, staff, and students did not fail. Rather, Hampshire proved to the world that an institution could provide a deeply personalized, rigorous, and radically creative education at a fraction of the cost of its older and wealthier peers."
Opinion: Hampshire College Didn’t Fail; Society Failed Hampshire - Amherst Indy
Since the public announcement of its imminent closure on April 14, many have opined on why Hampshire College "failed." Many of the reasons offered on outlets ranging from new social media to establish...
amherstindy.org
"Could it be that buried deep inside of decades of sensitive professional actions and complicated relationships related to St. Luke’s, the Cardinal has other beef with Msgr. Rossetti, and simply wants him out of his way?"
Fr. Rossetti, Cardinal McElroy, and the case of unidentified ecclesiastical motives
catholicworldreport.com
You---yes you---can watch me talk about lizard people for 90 minutes.
Are you a lizard person? - Joseph P Laycock - Zoom
This talk traces the conspiracy theory from its origins in the stories of Texas writer Robert E. Howard
eventbrite.co.uk
"Could there be beings from other planets, or even other dimensions? We do not know. But the important thing is that we should not judge ahead of time. There may be beings who are entirely peace-seeking and whom God may bring into our lives to help us."
What a Catholic Exorcist’s Removal Teaches Us About UFOs, De...
A priest exorcist was removed after linking UFOs to demons. This reflection explores what exorcism is, the risk of misjudging others, and how faith approaches u...
dailyjournalonline.com
"This restructuring of faith codes has now excluded minority faith/worldview groups including Atheists, Asatru, Deists, Druids, Eckankar, Heathens, Humanists, Magick, New Age churches, Pagan, Rosicrucianism, Shaman, Spiritualists, Troth, Unitarian Universalists and various Wiccans."
DOD Officially Drops 180 Faiths From Military's Recognized Religion List
Defense Secretary Hegseth previously announced the change due to an "impractical" system.
military.com
Before there was any effort to exit the car, the officer just shot John through the driver’s window in his back, and it went through his heart. According to the three young men, the officer immediately started making statements about how he messed up and made a mistake."
Texas State student shot and killed by Brazoria County sheriff’s deputy
Update as of 5:38, June 2 A university spokesperson provided a statement to The University Star regarding the June 1 shooting of Texas State student John Gabriel Mendoza Jr. “The Texas State Universit...
universitystar.com
The archbishop of Washington, D.C., on Wednesday removed a longtime archdiocesan exorcist, saying his recent comments about UFOs being demons “gravely undermine” church teachings.
Archbishop removes D.C. priest as exorcist for saying UFOs are demons
Monsignor Stephen Rossetti had been an archdiocesan exorcist in Washington for nearly two decades.
washingtonpost.com
My book got some coverage in this article by a graduate student at Northwestern.
Rise in Christian nationalism leaves number of The Satanic Temple Illinois members worried about practicing openly, but some continue to fight for right to be heard - Medill Reports Chicago
By Madison Roth Medill Reports A black-and-gray face with horns sprouting out of its head paints the upper arm of Minister Sharper’s right arm. Red flames poke out from the undone buttons of Sharper’...
news.medill.northwestern.edu
I have an article out in The Baffler today. It's about "the crank file" of messages I receive from people who want help with demons. It turned into cathartic piece about my own biography and the nature and purpose of education.
Territorial Spirits | Joseph P. Laycock
He didn’t realize his dream job would involve desperate strangers asking him to save them from demonic oppression.
thebaffler.com