December 4, 2025 -- GOD: FACT OR FICTION? (by Zoom)

# Meetup is by Zoom in Dec-Jan-Feb

(We are meeting in the first week in Dec this month because we are away the next two thursdays)

# We gather at 8:00pm by Zoom for 90 min of informal, facilitated discussion based on the assigned 2 podcasts listed below

(recommend listening at 1.25x speed and fast-forward through the ads)
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Tis the season for religious holidays so we will talk about God (super-power, divine power, cosmic energy, or whatever name you prefer)

QUESTIONS TO THINK ABOUT AS YOU LISTEN TO THE PODCASTS:
1. Can you believe in God, but not practice any formal religion?
2. Can you practice a religion, but not believe in God?
3. What value does belief in God bring-- is it a source of comfort? or a way to make sense out of chaos? or a way to explain the unexplainable?
4. Are individual people better off if they accept the concept of God? Are societies better off?
5. Is belief in God enough to be a good person? Or must belief be combined with a set of behaviors that groups deem as moral/ethical/kind?
6. What do we lose if people reject the concept of God?

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1.
Belief in God
Honestly (1hr 36 min)
Riss Douthat - Why it’s Logical to Believe in God
You may have noticed on this show that Bari Weiss is always asking her guests, “Do you believe in God?,” “What is your favorite biblical character?,” or “Do we need a religious revival?”
And you might be wondering why she keeps knocking on this door?
It’s partly because we’re curious about people’s metaphysical beliefs. But it’s also because we think something profound has gotten lost in our society, as we’ve lost traditional religion.
You can argue that we are starting to see the beginnings of a religious revival, and even if you don’t believe in God, many think that the practice of religion—keeping Shabbat, going to church—has clear benefits like a community or a moral code. Religion, in other words, is a good program.
Our guest today, Ross Douthat, has a different perspective. Ross makes the case that we should be more religious—not in order to cure society’s many ills—but because it is the best way—the most accurate way—to understand the world around us. Belief in God, he says, is entirely rational.
Ross is a best-selling author, a columnist at The New York Times, and the host of a new podcast called Interesting Times. His newest book is Believe: Why Everyone Should Be Religious. The release is perfectly timed to our strange moment of “plagues, populism, psychedelic encounters, and AI voices in the air,” as Ross writes.
Ross says it’s not enough to argue that religion is simply good for society, or that we must be religious to sustain our civilization. Ross argues that it’s time for people to actually become religious. Bari presses him about this distinction.
And this week, as billions of Christians gather for Holy Week—the sacred days leading up to, and including, Easter—we are wondering if this return that Ross suggests is even possible. And if yes, will it fix our problems?
Today on Honestly, Bari sits down with Ross to understand why he thinks belief in God is the most logical way to understand our world, how he rationalizes and justifies faith, and how he thinks readers can move from doubt to belief.
**https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honestly-with-bari-weiss/id1570872415?i=1000703851883**

2.
Hidden Brain
Creating God (54 min)
If you’ve taken part in a religious service, have you ever stopped to think about how people become believers? Where do the rituals come from? And what purpose does it all serve? This week, we bring you a 2018 episode with social psychologist Azim Shariff. He argues that we should consider religion from a Darwinian perspective, as an innovation that helped human societies to grow and flourish.
**https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hidden-brain/id1028908750?i=1000437364064**

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