CHRISTMAS NEWS ROUNDUP SPECIAL (Jesus applies for job; feeble green children; $600K in the bathroom; Cheesecake factory)

Weird Religion

Blessings abound as we round up some of the weirdest and most wonderful and most horrible stories from the end of 2021. Baptist women try to lead, small green children will grow up on Mars and turn feeble, you will find $600,000 in a megachurch bathroom, and you will protest our Nazi government in a Cheesecake Factory.

And here are links to the stories, in no particular order:

Speaking Babylonian in Marvel: https://www.tcd.ie/news_events/articles/whats-the-babylonian-for-thank-you-trinity-academic-provides-ancient-babylonian-translations-for-marvel-studios-eternals/

Future world will suck: https://futurism.com/the-byte/ar-pioneer-warns-metaverse

Mars mutant children with photo of green child: https://www.the-sun.com/tech/4044467/elon-musk-mars-children-mutations-skin-bones/

Southern Baptist Women Lead: https://apnews.com/article/religion-baptist-6c5ea89af77883048855b41e4bc30963

Bendroth book Leah referenced: https://www.amazon.com/Fundamentalism-Present-Margaret-Lamberts-Bendroth/dp/0300068646

WSJ reports: people leaving religion during pandemic: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-americans-left-religion-during-the-pandemic-11639494003

Satanic theories about concert deaths: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/09/astroworld-disaster-fuels-wave-of-satanic-conspiracy-theories-on-tiktok

New religion on the internet https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22832827/manifesting-tiktok-astroworld-conspiracy-qanon-religion

$600,000 in the church bathroom walls: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/plumber-finds-cash-checks-loose-toilet-wall-joel-osteens-lakewood-chur-rcna7512

City buried beneath Iowa: https://religiondispatches.org/mormon-group-digging-for-scriptural-city-of-zarahemla-in-iowa-is-a-portrait-of-religious-nationalism/; https://iowastartingline.com/2021/12/06/archeological-search-underway-in-se-iowa-for-ancient-morman-city/

Love Has Won: https://www.westword.com/news/silver-colloidal-treatment-love-has-won-cult-leader-death-update-12974120

JFK: https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/qanon-dallas-conspiracy-theorist-jfk-still-there-1264953/

Cult of We: https://www.almanacnews.com/news/2021/12/16/authors-of-new-book-on-wework-discuss-the-cult-of-we

Optimal Business: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/workaholic-work-life-balance-employees-office-workers-hybrid-working-employment-2383521

Cheesecake Factory: https://twitter.com/l2ftv/status/1470993160939712512?s=21

"Cult fave" : https://www.bustle.com/life/33-cult-favorite-products-on-amazon-that-actually-live-up-to-the-hype-8334906

Unfortunately posed inflatable Santa: https://www.newsweek.com/womans-obscene-santa-display-goes-viral-hoa-lady-just-had-stroke-1654648

Geraldo Rivera opens a safe: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/78842/oral-history-30-years-ago-geraldo-rivera-opened-al-capones-vault

Jesus applies for VP of Student Success: https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/jesus-christ-applies-for-vp-of-student-success