Dor HaMidbar
@dorhamidbar.bsky.social
Some Religion, some Conspiracism, some Māori wairuatanga | Ngāpuhi, Te Rarawa, ngā Pākehā
4 months back, I won Russell Tracey McCutcheon's competition, by suggesting an 'easy win' in Religious Studies!
I just got the prize from @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social. Ripping into it right now.
Starts well from first sentence, by taking a swipe at 'agency' - so overblown analytically.
Thanks, RTM!
I just got the prize from @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social. Ripping into it right now.
Starts well from first sentence, by taking a swipe at 'agency' - so overblown analytically.
Thanks, RTM!
February 6, 2026 at 1:51 AM
4 months back, I won Russell Tracey McCutcheon's competition, by suggesting an 'easy win' in Religious Studies!
I just got the prize from @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social. Ripping into it right now.
Starts well from first sentence, by taking a swipe at 'agency' - so overblown analytically.
Thanks, RTM!
I just got the prize from @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social. Ripping into it right now.
Starts well from first sentence, by taking a swipe at 'agency' - so overblown analytically.
Thanks, RTM!
1/4 A tale of "White superiority" from the 1842 diary of missionary James Watkin, in Waikouaiti, New Zealand:
"July 4th 1842. Yesterday conducted the usual services, and buried a Native woman in the Christian burial ground and near the grave of Mrs Thomas--who was interred the previous Tuesday...
"July 4th 1842. Yesterday conducted the usual services, and buried a Native woman in the Christian burial ground and near the grave of Mrs Thomas--who was interred the previous Tuesday...
February 6, 2026 at 12:33 AM
1/4 A tale of "White superiority" from the 1842 diary of missionary James Watkin, in Waikouaiti, New Zealand:
"July 4th 1842. Yesterday conducted the usual services, and buried a Native woman in the Christian burial ground and near the grave of Mrs Thomas--who was interred the previous Tuesday...
"July 4th 1842. Yesterday conducted the usual services, and buried a Native woman in the Christian burial ground and near the grave of Mrs Thomas--who was interred the previous Tuesday...
At 58:51, Deputy PM David Seymour gives what is described as a "karakia" at Waitangi. www.maoriplus.co.nz/show/waitang...
Bishop Kito responded diplomatically, as always. But you can read in two ways:
"It may not be a orthodox karakia, as we know, but he's expressing himself the best way he can."
Bishop Kito responded diplomatically, as always. But you can read in two ways:
"It may not be a orthodox karakia, as we know, but he's expressing himself the best way he can."
Watch Waitangi 2026 Kei ō Ringa - E1 | MĀORI+ | Whakaata Māori
The national broadcast of the official Waitangi Day 2026 commemorations, celebrates and challenges the state of the nation and role of Te Tiriti in an Election Year.
www.maoriplus.co.nz
February 5, 2026 at 11:18 PM
At 58:51, Deputy PM David Seymour gives what is described as a "karakia" at Waitangi. www.maoriplus.co.nz/show/waitang...
Bishop Kito responded diplomatically, as always. But you can read in two ways:
"It may not be a orthodox karakia, as we know, but he's expressing himself the best way he can."
Bishop Kito responded diplomatically, as always. But you can read in two ways:
"It may not be a orthodox karakia, as we know, but he's expressing himself the best way he can."
אידיאולוגיית ״העליונות היהודית״, שהפכה לדומיננטית בממשלת ישראל, מזכירה את תורת הגזע הנאצית
"The ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’, which has become dominant in the government of Israel, is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory."
Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon
mondoweiss.net/2026/02/form...
"The ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’, which has become dominant in the government of Israel, is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory."
Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon
mondoweiss.net/2026/02/form...
Former Israeli Defense Minister: Israel’s ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’ resembles Nazi race theory
Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon says the “ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’” has become dominant in Israel, and it “is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory.”
mondoweiss.net
February 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
אידיאולוגיית ״העליונות היהודית״, שהפכה לדומיננטית בממשלת ישראל, מזכירה את תורת הגזע הנאצית
"The ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’, which has become dominant in the government of Israel, is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory."
Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon
mondoweiss.net/2026/02/form...
"The ideology of ‘Jewish supremacy’, which has become dominant in the government of Israel, is reminiscent of the Nazi race theory."
Former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon
mondoweiss.net/2026/02/form...
Reposted by Dor HaMidbar
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 11:50 AM
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
The Guardian quip on the Melania film.
Nails it.
Nails it.
February 1, 2026 at 6:27 PM
The Guardian quip on the Melania film.
Nails it.
Nails it.
www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-genera...
"The first thing that jumps out to me is that religious attendance has dropped significantly in the 2024 data compared to the same age buckets in the survey from the early 1970s" - Ryan Burge
"The first thing that jumps out to me is that religious attendance has dropped significantly in the 2024 data compared to the same age buckets in the survey from the early 1970s" - Ryan Burge
January 24, 2026 at 12:13 AM
www.graphsaboutreligion.com/p/the-genera...
"The first thing that jumps out to me is that religious attendance has dropped significantly in the 2024 data compared to the same age buckets in the survey from the early 1970s" - Ryan Burge
"The first thing that jumps out to me is that religious attendance has dropped significantly in the 2024 data compared to the same age buckets in the survey from the early 1970s" - Ryan Burge
Dear Russell, @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social
Every day I check my mailbox for the prize I won in your competition. But every day I leave, disappointed. It has been over three months. Will you soon send me my prize?
Love, etc
Every day I check my mailbox for the prize I won in your competition. But every day I leave, disappointed. It has been over three months. Will you soon send me my prize?
Love, etc
As with FB where I chose the recipient I took seriously the “easy win” aspect, which aimed to give struggling faculty a who might read the post quick strategy they could consider adopting. But I’ll happily send you a free book. Send me your name & mailing address.
January 23, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Dear Russell, @mccutcheonsays.bsky.social
Every day I check my mailbox for the prize I won in your competition. But every day I leave, disappointed. It has been over three months. Will you soon send me my prize?
Love, etc
Every day I check my mailbox for the prize I won in your competition. But every day I leave, disappointed. It has been over three months. Will you soon send me my prize?
Love, etc
Uncle Russell McCutcheon has STILL not sent me his book, that I won three months ago.
What's going on, Uncle Russ?
What's going on, Uncle Russ?
I won Russell McCutcheon's book competition - with 50% more 'likes' than my nearest rivals!
Uncle Russ is sending me the prize: a copy of his latest book:
Our Primary Expertise
A Future for the Study of Religion
Thank you all who 'liked' my idea for an 'easy win' in the future study of religion.
Uncle Russ is sending me the prize: a copy of his latest book:
Our Primary Expertise
A Future for the Study of Religion
Thank you all who 'liked' my idea for an 'easy win' in the future study of religion.
January 23, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Uncle Russell McCutcheon has STILL not sent me his book, that I won three months ago.
What's going on, Uncle Russ?
What's going on, Uncle Russ?
1/2 "I shall now demonstrate that the religion patronised by the Australian Supreme Being, and inculcated in his Mysteries, is actually used to counteract the immoral character which natives acquire by associating with Anglo-Saxon Christians."
- Andrew Lang, The Making of Religion (1898), 195
- Andrew Lang, The Making of Religion (1898), 195
January 20, 2026 at 9:36 PM
1/2 "I shall now demonstrate that the religion patronised by the Australian Supreme Being, and inculcated in his Mysteries, is actually used to counteract the immoral character which natives acquire by associating with Anglo-Saxon Christians."
- Andrew Lang, The Making of Religion (1898), 195
- Andrew Lang, The Making of Religion (1898), 195
www.smh.com.au/national/as-...
"Antisemitism is not criticism of Israel or Zionism, nor is it a timeless or mystical hatred... Right now, it is real, escalating and sometimes lethal – but it is being tackled in exactly the wrong way."
"Antisemitism is not criticism of Israel or Zionism, nor is it a timeless or mystical hatred... Right now, it is real, escalating and sometimes lethal – but it is being tackled in exactly the wrong way."
As a Jew who knows antisemitism, I need answers, not the stifling of free speech
We’ve heard calls not only to investigate how the Bondi massacre occurred but to place universities, protest movements and migrants under suspicion.
www.smh.com.au
January 20, 2026 at 8:45 PM
www.smh.com.au/national/as-...
"Antisemitism is not criticism of Israel or Zionism, nor is it a timeless or mystical hatred... Right now, it is real, escalating and sometimes lethal – but it is being tackled in exactly the wrong way."
"Antisemitism is not criticism of Israel or Zionism, nor is it a timeless or mystical hatred... Right now, it is real, escalating and sometimes lethal – but it is being tackled in exactly the wrong way."
"... a generally accepted consensus has not been reached. For any biblical scholar, this implies that the danger of cherry-picking lies at hand. With this I mean that members of our guild have the inclination to follow the theory that best seems to fit with one’s exegetical agenda" (Bob Becking)
January 17, 2026 at 10:17 PM
"... a generally accepted consensus has not been reached. For any biblical scholar, this implies that the danger of cherry-picking lies at hand. With this I mean that members of our guild have the inclination to follow the theory that best seems to fit with one’s exegetical agenda" (Bob Becking)
News Corp Australia just discovers that the Satanic Panic is still a thing. Wait till you find aout about Pizzagate! Only 10 years too late:
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...
www.news.com.au
January 13, 2026 at 12:58 AM
News Corp Australia just discovers that the Satanic Panic is still a thing. Wait till you find aout about Pizzagate! Only 10 years too late:
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...
www.news.com.au/lifestyle/re...
Reposted by Dor HaMidbar
As we start the new semester, I thought I’d share what I’m doing in response to Chat GPT. While I have a no AI clause, policing it is not productive most of the time.
Instead, I’ve included this automatic 0’s clause in my syllabus that has worked very, very well, feel free to use/modify!
Instead, I’ve included this automatic 0’s clause in my syllabus that has worked very, very well, feel free to use/modify!
January 11, 2026 at 9:49 PM
As we start the new semester, I thought I’d share what I’m doing in response to Chat GPT. While I have a no AI clause, policing it is not productive most of the time.
Instead, I’ve included this automatic 0’s clause in my syllabus that has worked very, very well, feel free to use/modify!
Instead, I’ve included this automatic 0’s clause in my syllabus that has worked very, very well, feel free to use/modify!
Erich von Däniken has died.
His book 'Chariots of the Gods?' (1968) was the second-best-selling 'non-fiction' work of the 1970s.
What was the number one bestseller? The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey - a book connecting biblical prophecy with contemporary politics.
His book 'Chariots of the Gods?' (1968) was the second-best-selling 'non-fiction' work of the 1970s.
What was the number one bestseller? The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey - a book connecting biblical prophecy with contemporary politics.
🧵Unbelievably, Erich Von Däniken has only just died, aged 90. I read 'Chariots of the Gods' + a couple of others when I was a kid – I was a voracious reader and those books were all over popular culture. And then I got 'Some Trust in Chariots', a collection of essays debunking von Daniken's claims.
January 11, 2026 at 7:43 PM
Erich von Däniken has died.
His book 'Chariots of the Gods?' (1968) was the second-best-selling 'non-fiction' work of the 1970s.
What was the number one bestseller? The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey - a book connecting biblical prophecy with contemporary politics.
His book 'Chariots of the Gods?' (1968) was the second-best-selling 'non-fiction' work of the 1970s.
What was the number one bestseller? The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey - a book connecting biblical prophecy with contemporary politics.
"...Waiting for a Māori God..."
- James K. Baxter, "Salutation to Tim Shadbolt"
Moe mai ra, Westie mayor (1947 - 2026)
- James K. Baxter, "Salutation to Tim Shadbolt"
Moe mai ra, Westie mayor (1947 - 2026)
January 8, 2026 at 4:42 AM
"...Waiting for a Māori God..."
- James K. Baxter, "Salutation to Tim Shadbolt"
Moe mai ra, Westie mayor (1947 - 2026)
- James K. Baxter, "Salutation to Tim Shadbolt"
Moe mai ra, Westie mayor (1947 - 2026)
Kia kaha /Stay strong from Aotearoa New Zealand, Sami sister!
Ellinor: "While I still have power to fight for Indigenous rights in Norway, I will"
->Amnesty International Australia | #indigenous right | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
->Amnesty International Australia | #indigenous right | More from Lil Dr Glen EcoChat at BigEarthData.ai
Ellinor: "While I still have power to fight for Indigenous rights in Norway, I will"
Ellinor Guttorm Utsi, 60, is a Sami reindeer herder from Norway. The Sami people are an Indigenous People with distinct culture, languages, and traditions who inhabit the northernmost regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Now, this land and way...
www.amnesty.org.au
January 3, 2026 at 7:57 AM
Kia kaha /Stay strong from Aotearoa New Zealand, Sami sister!
Summertime persecution
December 29, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Summertime persecution
"By means of the ruse of protecting Jews, Germans are permitted to make acceptable their seething Islamophobia. Germans do not respect Jews; they possess a bigotry-rancid regard for people of the Islamic faith."
dissidentvoice.org/2025/12/for-...
dissidentvoice.org/2025/12/for-...
For Me, a Jew, a Painful Truth: Israel Is a Perpetual Crime Against Humanity Masquerading as a Nation | Dissident Voice
I hold joint US/German citizenship due to the historical fact that my maternal family was stripped of their German citizenship by The Reich Citizenship act attendant to Nazi imposed Nuremberg Laws ena...
dissidentvoice.org
December 27, 2025 at 7:21 PM
"By means of the ruse of protecting Jews, Germans are permitted to make acceptable their seething Islamophobia. Germans do not respect Jews; they possess a bigotry-rancid regard for people of the Islamic faith."
dissidentvoice.org/2025/12/for-...
dissidentvoice.org/2025/12/for-...
"Nearly three in 10 American adults today identify as religiously unaffiliated — a 33 percent jump since 2013, according to the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). That's quicker than almost any major religious shift in modern U.S. history"
www.alternet.org/axios-religi...
www.alternet.org/axios-religi...
US 'unchurching' marks the 'fastest religious shift in modern history'
Far-right Christian nationalists are feeling empowered during Donald Trump's second presidency. Idaho-based evangelical Christ Church, led by pastor Doug Wilson — who believes that women never should ...
www.alternet.org
December 27, 2025 at 7:16 PM
"Nearly three in 10 American adults today identify as religiously unaffiliated — a 33 percent jump since 2013, according to the nonpartisan Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI). That's quicker than almost any major religious shift in modern U.S. history"
www.alternet.org/axios-religi...
www.alternet.org/axios-religi...
Why NT Wright is also among the apologists, not the biblical scholars.
December 25, 2025 at 8:06 AM
Why NT Wright is also among the apologists, not the biblical scholars.
"The term “antisemitism” has become so divorced from its 19th-century origins, so thoroughly inverted and weaponized, that it no longer serves as a useful framework for understanding or combating anti-Jewish hatred."
contendingmodernities.nd.edu/global-curre...
contendingmodernities.nd.edu/global-curre...
The End of Antisemitism: How the Fight Against Hate Became a Weapon of Repression | Contending Modernities
By insisting that Israel deserved special treatment because of Jewish suffering the Israeli state and its supporters reinforced and exploited the very logic of antisemitism they claimed to oppose.
contendingmodernities.nd.edu
December 23, 2025 at 9:20 AM
"The term “antisemitism” has become so divorced from its 19th-century origins, so thoroughly inverted and weaponized, that it no longer serves as a useful framework for understanding or combating anti-Jewish hatred."
contendingmodernities.nd.edu/global-curre...
contendingmodernities.nd.edu/global-curre...
1/3 In court this week, Julian Batchelor has been perpetuating the debunked myth of pre-Polynesian settlement of New Zealand by a tribe of "fair-skinned ginger-haired people".
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
Inside the weirdest trial of the year: Jim Grenon, Julian Batchelor and TVNZ
Billionaires, secrets, conspiracy theories, denials of racism, contempt of court and twists at every turn. This case had it all.
thespinoff.co.nz
December 18, 2025 at 8:04 PM
1/3 In court this week, Julian Batchelor has been perpetuating the debunked myth of pre-Polynesian settlement of New Zealand by a tribe of "fair-skinned ginger-haired people".
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
thespinoff.co.nz/media/19-12-...
The Tutsi 'Giants': from a Dangerous Colonial Fantasy, to Hutu Genocide, to the JPS Biblical Commentary on Deuteronomy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eShb...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eShb...
The Tutsi 'Giants': from a Dangerous Colonial Fantasy, to Hutu Genocide, to Biblical Commentary
YouTube video by Deane Galbraith
www.youtube.com
December 16, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The Tutsi 'Giants': from a Dangerous Colonial Fantasy, to Hutu Genocide, to the JPS Biblical Commentary on Deuteronomy
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eShb...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=eShb...
Remember: Jesus was born twice in Bethlehem!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYS...
The Two Contradictory Christmas Stories of Jesus' Birth in Bethlehem
YouTube video by Deane Galbraith
www.youtube.com
December 14, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Remember: Jesus was born twice in Bethlehem!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYS...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxYS...