There are a lot of chuds converting to Orthodox Christianity. So much so that young Orthodox women are getting really annoyed about being hit on in church.
Dr Robin Douglas
@robincdouglas.bsky.social
Historian of religions, paganism and esotericism. Website: https://www.robindouglas.org Posting in a personal capacity.
One extraordinary feature of the Judaeo-Bolshevik myth was that the early Bolsheviks, including Lenin, worried about the optics of it. In internal documentation, we find the preposterous idea that the Marxist regime should put more "Orthodox Christians" in charge because too many Jews looked bad.
New post on the London "Temple of Reason". An 18th century experiment in founding a secular church. An strange road not taken in the history of freethought in Britain. religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com/p/the-temple...
The Temple of Reason in London
A secularist church
religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com
For reasons, I have been calculating gender ratios for German professors of ancient history today. Turns out that 13% of chairs in Ancient History in Germany are held by women, less than in engineering (17%). That compares to 30% of chairs in Germany overall, and 44% in the Humanities.
By at least one metric, one translation of the Odyssey is the third-best-selling book in the country right now, while another is eighth. Wild.
The Gorgons - A pagan group in 1930s England? New article on my website on what seems to be a satirical account of an all-female pagan cult. The question is whether there was a grain of truth in the satire.... robindouglas.org/2026/07/19/t...
The Gorgons – A pagan group in 1930s England?
The following text, from 1934, claims to reveal a pagan society of man-hating women which was operating in an unidentified place located roughly to the west of London. If the report were true, it w…
robindouglas.org
The Gorgons - A pagan group in 1930s England? New article on my website on what seems to be a satirical account of an all-female pagan cult. The question is whether there was a grain of truth in the satire.... robindouglas.org/2026/07/19/t...
The Gorgons – A pagan group in 1930s England?
The following text, from 1934, claims to reveal a pagan society of man-hating women which was operating in an unidentified place located roughly to the west of London. If the report were true, it w…
robindouglas.org
When Mandela died, there were all kinds of right-on white westerners posting things like "farewell, Madiba, rest in power brother". People who had never met the guy or even been to SA. One imagined Mandela rousing himself to send a last round of tweets saying "fck off, it's 'Mr Mandela' to you"
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani@mayor.nyc.gov · 3w agoToday across the world , Nelson Mandela is a hero exalted as a legend. But to the people of South Africa who he liberated, he was Madiba, a leader who fought against the tides for justice. To honor Madiba’s legacy is to fight injustice before history rewrites itself. youtu.be/I39uc0PRhCY
"What ho!" The Deeds of Beowulf: An English Epic of the Eighth Century, 1892 John Earle 🇬🇧
I'm delighted to announce that I've been offered a contract by Cherry Hill Seminary (@chseminary.bsky.social) for a book entitled "Children of Starry Heaven: The Ancient Greek Transcendental Tradition". /1
I'm delighted to announce that I've been offered a contract by Cherry Hill Seminary (@chseminary.bsky.social) for a book entitled "Children of Starry Heaven: The Ancient Greek Transcendental Tradition". /1
PHOTO OF THE DAY. Grave of Eleanor Rigby in the churchyard of St Peter's Church, Woolton, Liverpool, where John Lennon & Paul McCartney met for the 1st time #OTD in 1957.
Just listened to an interview with Massimo Introvigne in which he suggested that the SSPX's adherents are in the tens rather than hundreds of thousands and that the movement is facing decline.
someone needs to found a woke latin mass society
Speaking from my own religious context, it's also just dangerous for more liberal types to shy away from open devotion, because I've seen people drawn into very toxic spaces by the initial appeal of "at least the people here talk like they believe this stuff".
This quadrant (old-school liturgy/ left to far left politics) isn’t as well occupied as it should be
Volt Beleriand@yungdreyfusard.bsky.social · last mo.someone needs to found a woke latin mass society
#PhantomsFriday In 1642, after the battle of Edgehill ghostly armies were seen fighting in the sky. King Charles sent a Royal Commission to investigate & they also saw the apparitions. This is the only official ghost sighting in the UK. Intriguing details below www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Hi...
Ghostly Battle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill on October 23rd 1642 was the first battle of the English Civil War - and is reputed to be contested again and again by ghostly armies at the battle site...
historic-uk.com
I see that the Vatican is insisting on defectors from the SSPX being received as converts. Leo isn't messing about.
Ok - this is up now. If you want to read something about the SSPX situation from the perspective of a historian of religion - something which doesn't just tediously repeat the usual points - this is for you. Links below.
Dr Robin Douglas@robincdouglas.bsky.social · 2mo agoWould anyone be interested in an article about the SSPX bishops affair which tries to be genuinely reflective, isn't apologetic in purpose, and explains what is going on for the benefit of people who aren't insiders?
Excellent article about the reality of the SSPX. wherepeteris.com/seven-years-...
Seven Years in the SSPX
On a sunny Santa Clara mountainside, I stood in shocked silence. It was lunchtime at the retreat center, and the buffet was ready. Prayers were said, and everyone stood. An unassuming woman in a loose...
wherepeteris.com
A contemporary report on the occult scene in Liverpool in 1857 This will be of interest to anyone who is curious about the history of esotericism. /1
A contemporary report on the occult scene in Liverpool in 1857 This will be of interest to anyone who is curious about the history of esotericism. /1
Just wow. I Googled to see if 18th century artist Henry Fuseli had ever painted Orpheus and Eurydice, and AI overview said: "It appears you may be blending the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with the distinct, spiraling noodle known as fusilli"
This is perhaps my last chance to post my piece on Sir Kier Starmer as Britain's first atheist Prime Minister. religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com/p/britains-f...
Britain's first atheist prime minister?
It's about time
religionoffthebeatentrack.substack.com
Ok - this is up now. If you want to read something about the SSPX situation from the perspective of a historian of religion - something which doesn't just tediously repeat the usual points - this is for you. Links below.
Dr Robin Douglas@robincdouglas.bsky.social · 2mo agoWould anyone be interested in an article about the SSPX bishops affair which tries to be genuinely reflective, isn't apologetic in purpose, and explains what is going on for the benefit of people who aren't insiders?
Would anyone be interested in an article about the SSPX bishops affair which tries to be genuinely reflective, isn't apologetic in purpose, and explains what is going on for the benefit of people who aren't insiders?
There is a real fear that liberal democratic societies are starting to fail to reproduce their own ideology.
Whomever@fullydecaffeinated.bsky.social · 2mo agoMy 16 year old's whole life has been cuts and closures, brexit, covid lockdowns and now this. He says 'democracy doesn't work'. And he's a middle class kid getting good grades and desperate to start his politics a level. I predict problems!
Christianity as Aryan - A Victorian rant Crank theories that Christianity is an "Aryan" rather than a "Semitic" religion are usually associated with the wilder fringe of 1930s Nazi theology. But, as my latest piece shows, they go back at least to Victorian London. robindouglas.org/2026/06/12/c...
Christianity as Aryan – A Victorian rant
The idea that Christianity is an “Aryan” religion rather than a “Semitic” one is usually associated with the wilder fringes of 1930s Nazi theology. But the idea goes back fu…
robindouglas.org
Christianity as Aryan - A Victorian rant Crank theories that Christianity is an "Aryan" rather than a "Semitic" religion are usually associated with the wilder fringe of 1930s Nazi theology. But, as my latest piece shows, they go back at least to Victorian London. robindouglas.org/2026/06/12/c...
Christianity as Aryan – A Victorian rant
The idea that Christianity is an “Aryan” religion rather than a “Semitic” one is usually associated with the wilder fringes of 1930s Nazi theology. But the idea goes back fu…
robindouglas.org