Strap in, skeptics and scripture-snarkers, for another blasphemous deep-dive into the Bible's gloomiest hits, as we unpack the cheerless world of Jeremiah chapters 6 through 10. Get ready to say "I told you so" to the ancient world as we dissect the not-so-uplifting words of a prophet who could've used a dose of sunshine.
We're cranking up the irreverence and dialing down the reverence, starting with Jeremiah's centerpiece of sadness: the very middle letter of the Tanakh. Riveting, right? If you're the kind who thrills at alphabet antics, this is the nerdy nitpick for you. But don't fret, we're not here to bore you with letter counts—we're all about the action, or in this case, the lack thereof.
Our spotlight falls on the OG drama queens: the wailing women. Forget "Netflix and Chill," these ladies were all about "Weep and Wail." Part professional mourners, part grief counselors, and all ancient Jewish custom, they put the 'fun' in funerals, the 'lively' in lifeless, and gave Jeremiah something to whine about. Hear about their eerie echoes through history, and marvel at how the art of paid grieving has evolved—or devolved, depending on your viewpoint.
After you've dried your eyes from all that empathetic weeping (or stifled your yawns, we won't judge), we've got a teaser for our sacrilegiously named Book Club, perfect for washing down that bitter taste of Jeremiah's despair with a dose of literary levity. For those who keep the faith—in us, that is—our Patreon prophets get a holy sneak-peek at exclusive content that'll have you seeing visions... of more episodes.
Join us as we wrap up our weekly dose of skepticism with a preview of Jeremiah chapter 11. Will it be more doomsaying, or will Jerry finally crack a smile? Spoiler alert: don't hold your breath. If you've ever wanted to question the Big Book without the guilt, consider this your sanctuary.
We've got the lowdown on the biblical throwdown, so tune in, turn up the blasphemy, and enjoy a walk on the heretical side with your favorite atheist podcasters. Who said ancient texts had to be a snoozefest?
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[00:00:00] Hey everyone, husband here.
[00:00:05] And I'm wife.
[00:00:06] If you've been listening to us, then you know we're all about reading the Bible and
[00:00:10] reacting to it on our first read-through.
[00:00:12] Cuss words, crying, laughing, and more.
[00:00:14] We're passionate about creating a podcast that takes the sanctity out of the sacred
[00:00:17] text and simply stating it as we see it.
[00:00:19] But we can't do it without your help.
[00:00:21] We're asking for your support to help us keep this podcast going.
[00:00:24] There are two ways you can donate. we're reading the Bible for the very first time. We grew up without religion and wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Well, what have we learned so far? That God is a dick and apparently some people believe in talking donkeys? We're not trying to pass ourselves off as experts. Nope, we're just reading the Bible for the first time and giving our first take reaction. If you'd like to join us in this venture, you might consider starting in episode 1.
[00:01:42] Otherwise, jump in wherever you like.
[00:01:44] Alright, let's go read the Bible.
[00:01:46] Yeah, let's get to it. Olive and June gives you everything that you need for a salon quality manicure in one box. And if you break it down, it really comes out to $2 a manicure, which is absolutely insane. It's also so easy to get salon worthy nails at home with Olive and June. The difference between how your nails used to look when you did them yourself and now with the manny system is a complete game changer.
[00:03:00] The best thing about Olive and June too is it's a quick dry.
[00:03:03] It dries in about one minute, lasts for five updates. So all work happens in one place and everyone's on the same page. Yeah. The reason that I particularly like it is that it gives me stepping stones and kind of like a guide post as to this is how far we've come which means that this is how far we have to go. So that appeals to me on a personal Yeah. But something that kept coming up over and over again in my research was a wailing woman which is something entirely different that we're not talking about except that I am gonna tell you what she is
[00:07:01] so that you don't get her confused
[00:07:03] with what we are talking about.
[00:07:04] It's also biblically related?
[00:07:06] No.
[00:07:07] No. to say that because she kept coming up and I'm like, no, I'm not looking for long Le Rona. God damn it. Okay. So wailing women is what we're talking about today. Okay. All right. All right. So in the ancient near East, there was a profession, the wailing woman profession, put on whatever Effects that they needed to got it to display their their morning right of the person who had passed They were skilled and trained in the art of grieving which I mean they considered this a skill yeah
[00:10:47] to befall Israel. So I kind of overlooked that when we were reading about the whaling women, like it didn't occur to me that as you know, he was saying
[00:10:51] gather them and get them going. Yeah. That they actually listened to Jeremiah
[00:10:56] and started up. No, I do have a question. They were they were a guild, they were
[00:11:01] for hire. So were they listening or was and response. Okay, right. That's cool, right? Like they tried to get everybody involved in it. A little involvement, yeah. Well, I mean, like I said, it was a community event. Yeah, yeah. The lead whaler, like they had, you know,
[00:12:21] positioned, there was a hierarchy.
[00:12:23] Sure.
[00:12:24] It wasn't just like a bunch of girls got together
[00:12:26] and cried a lot.
[00:12:27] They trained and practiced. important. Always. Always. That, yeah, okay. Yeah, that's a little dismaying. Right. But that doesn't take away from the fact that, but these, these women also, it's kind of like, if you know somebody who cuts hair, right, she might work in us, I say she, that was very sexist, I apologize. The person who is a Yeah. And this went on into the Roman Empire. And so when the Romans started doing it, the procession sometimes got it. So they all had a different role to play. Like some were like the grieving and crying and mourning. And others were like begging God, you know, how could you let this happen? And, you know, others were just like so stricken that they were dancing around wildly.
[00:16:23] Yeah.
[00:16:24] It was quite the display.
[00:16:25] Sounds like it.
[00:16:26] Right.
[00:16:27] Kind of interesting though.
[00:16:28] Yeah. So a similar ritual to what I just described has been traced back to the Tang dynasty of China in seventh through 10th century AD. Okay. So this side of zero, like in the positive, not in the BCs. Right.
[00:17:40] Okay.
[00:17:41] With actors being hired to attend funerals, attendees to pity, performing heartbreaking lamentations about the loss
[00:19:02] in order to leave the relatives on the verge of tears. mute people, mute mourners in some of his books, like Oliver Twist, and I forget what the other one was, but anyway, he included them quite frequently in his work. Sure. Because it was something that was in society and it was something that you would see. Yeah, and he was writing about the times as he called them. Right, right. So that's pretty much it for whaling women.
[00:20:22] Okay.
[00:20:22] And the whaling woman.
[00:20:26] Don't get them confused, guys.
[00:20:27] I won't get! Hey, wife. I guess that's the end. But husband, that's just sad. It doesn't have to be. We are on lots of social media platforms like Twitter. Our handle there is sacralidus underscore D. Four D's nuts.
[00:21:40] Oh my god.
[00:21:42] Stop doing that.
[00:21:43] Anyway, we're also on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
