Rebecca Bratten Weiss
@rbratten.bsky.social
Editor and journalist residing in the Appalachian region of Ohio. Writes about religion, culture, justice issues. Raised to be a prepper / homesteader and lived in some religious cults. Now trying to survive in another one, on a national scale.
But an awful lot of the folks who ten years ago I thought of as liberal because they were into organics, yoga, herbal tinctures, and howling at the moon have now tumbled straight into conspiracy theories, woowoo stuff, and of course MAGA. Good times. Anyway thanks for your great research and work.
October 22, 2025 at 12:24 AM
But an awful lot of the folks who ten years ago I thought of as liberal because they were into organics, yoga, herbal tinctures, and howling at the moon have now tumbled straight into conspiracy theories, woowoo stuff, and of course MAGA. Good times. Anyway thanks for your great research and work.
It was so illuminating. Before I read your book my association between yoga and fascism was usually to do with conservative Christians being racist about nonwhite cultures ("if you do yoga you are worshiping Hindu deities who are actually demons and you will be possessed" sort of nonsense).
October 22, 2025 at 12:23 AM
It was so illuminating. Before I read your book my association between yoga and fascism was usually to do with conservative Christians being racist about nonwhite cultures ("if you do yoga you are worshiping Hindu deities who are actually demons and you will be possessed" sort of nonsense).
(I still do yoga stretches and poses though. They are super helpful for middle aged equestrians).
October 19, 2025 at 6:44 PM
(I still do yoga stretches and poses though. They are super helpful for middle aged equestrians).
The Books that Made Us: Deconstructing the Modern Christian Classics by Rebecca Bratten Weiss, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® share.google/ZFqKrdEMhxKX...
The Books that Made Us: Deconstructing the Modern Christian Classics|Paperback
A travelog of the moral and spiritual journey Rebecca Bratten Weiss has taken through some of the books in the modern Christian literary canon. She offering readers an open-eyed expedition into the ru...
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August 24, 2025 at 2:56 PM
The Books that Made Us: Deconstructing the Modern Christian Classics by Rebecca Bratten Weiss, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® share.google/ZFqKrdEMhxKX...
Another: the husband of a former friend who went on a weird rant in about the heroism of the Maccabees and how there should be a movie about it but also about how poor Mel Gibson was right about the Jews. This right in front of my proudly Ashkenazi self.
July 21, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Another: the husband of a former friend who went on a weird rant in about the heroism of the Maccabees and how there should be a movie about it but also about how poor Mel Gibson was right about the Jews. This right in front of my proudly Ashkenazi self.
Another example: my former co-author with whom I want nothing to do, who wrote me a weird, inappropriate letter critiquing my opposition to MAGA and setting herself up as adjudicator of Jewish ethics and identity.
July 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Another example: my former co-author with whom I want nothing to do, who wrote me a weird, inappropriate letter critiquing my opposition to MAGA and setting herself up as adjudicator of Jewish ethics and identity.
Example: the rich white lady quasi-academic who took issue with my depiction of a Jewish character. "Jews should be deeply spiritual like Edith Stein."
Note that 1) I'm ethnically Jewish. My critic wasn't.
2) My critic chose an example of a Jew who converted to Catholicism as a "real Jew."
Note that 1) I'm ethnically Jewish. My critic wasn't.
2) My critic chose an example of a Jew who converted to Catholicism as a "real Jew."
July 21, 2025 at 6:20 PM
Example: the rich white lady quasi-academic who took issue with my depiction of a Jewish character. "Jews should be deeply spiritual like Edith Stein."
Note that 1) I'm ethnically Jewish. My critic wasn't.
2) My critic chose an example of a Jew who converted to Catholicism as a "real Jew."
Note that 1) I'm ethnically Jewish. My critic wasn't.
2) My critic chose an example of a Jew who converted to Catholicism as a "real Jew."
I'm afraid I just plant them with a whopping big serving of organic fertilizer. They always do great but I'm not sure if there's a balance that could make them do even better.
May 26, 2025 at 4:16 AM
I'm afraid I just plant them with a whopping big serving of organic fertilizer. They always do great but I'm not sure if there's a balance that could make them do even better.
This is why they think anyone in government must be in it for wealth and power: they can't imagine simply wanting to represent the people and work for a better community for all.
May 16, 2025 at 11:13 AM
This is why they think anyone in government must be in it for wealth and power: they can't imagine simply wanting to represent the people and work for a better community for all.
The handsies that mocked them and the heart that fed!
May 14, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The handsies that mocked them and the heart that fed!
Thanks Steven!
April 26, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Thanks Steven!