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Zechariah Chapters 1 - 4 Q&A: Bible Study by Atheists
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In this episode of Sacrilegious Discourse, Husband and Wife dive into a lively Q&A session focused on Zechariah Chapters One through Four. They tackle the five bizarre visions that Zechariah experienced, from the call to repentance to the strange imagery of horses, horns, and lampstands. With their characteristic humor and skepticism, they sift through the chaos of these prophetic messages and what they might mean for the Israelites.
The couple discusses the significance of the visions, including the implications of Joshua's filthy garments, the encouragement given to Zerubbabel, and the symbolism of the olive trees and lampstands. They share their confusion, insights, and plenty of laughs as they try to make sense of the text and its relevance in today's world.
š¬ What are your thoughts on the visions? How do you interpret the role of Zerubbabel and Joshua in this narrative? Join the conversation in the comments or on social media!
š§ Get ready for a fun and insightful discussion filled with engaging commentary as they reflect on the complexities of Zechariah's prophecies and prepare for the next chapter!
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Suck My Johnson (Act)
01:14:30|Suck My Johnson (Act): How the IRS Just Gutted Church-State Separation (and Called It a āFamily Discussionā)š Episode Summary:Buckle up, blasphemersāthis weekās episode of Sacrilegious Discourse takes a red-hot poker to the Johnson Amendment, that dusty 1954 rule designed to keep churches from morphing into tax-free political machines. Spoiler alert: the IRS just whispered āgo aheadā to pulpit endorsementsāso long as itās done in āgood faithā (LOL), during āusual religious channelsā (double LOL), and preferably with dark money and zero consequences.Hosts Husband and Wifeāyour favorite godless duoābreak down how this IRS court filing didnāt technically change the law, just eviscerated it with a wink and a sermon. Weāre talking about churches now being unofficial super PACs, taxpayer-subsidized political propaganda, and the creeping death of democracy dressed in clerical robes. Thereās rage, sarcasm, and a brief detour into defining āharmā that turns into a full-on debate about free speech, Nazis, and why āfamily discussionsā shouldnāt involve campaign endorsements and theocracy cosplay.They also torch the mediaās milquetoast coverageāNPR, NYT, and Christianity Today all get dragged for their sins of omission, soft framing, and āboth sidesā nonsense. And yes, Wife literally shouts, āLetās stand for the dick the way we didnāt stand for the vagina!ā So if you thought we wouldnāt end this episode with righteous fury and a call to action⦠you must be new here.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āIRS guts Johnson Amendment enforcementācalls it āgood faithāāāChurches now have unofficial permission to endorse candidatesāāWhy secular taxpayers are now funding religious politickingāāDark money, no donor disclosure, and the rise of the church super PACāāTrump, ADF, and evangelical strategy paying offāfinallyāāMediaās weak sauce reporting gets a godless side-eyeāāDefining āharmā turns into a free speech brawlāāCall your damn legislatorsābefore this becomes the next Roe v. Wadeāš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āLetās stand for the dick the way we didnāt stand for the vagina.ā1. Malachi Chapter 1: Bible Study by Atheists
47:01||Season 39, Ep. 1Malachi, Messenger of Mayhem: When God Hates Esau and Slams Your Goat Sacrificesš Episode Summary:Welcome to the divine roast of Malachi Chapter 1, where God kicks things off by saying āI love youā and then immediately follows it up with a detailed description of how much he hates Esau. Romantic, right? In this snark-laced breakdown, your favorite atheist duo dives into the last book of the Hebrew BibleāMalachi (or as we like to call it, Malarkey). Whether Malachi is a prophet, a messenger, or just some anonymous guy with opinions, nobody knows... and honestly, nobody in this book seems to either.We dig into theories about Malachiās identityāEzra? A Levite? God's celestial DoorDash angel?āand laugh through the hot mess of post-exilic tantrums disguised as prophecy. God is once again displeased (shocker), this time because priests are grilling up garbage-tier sacrifices and the people are phoning in their worship. Thereās plenty of contempt, judgment, and a whole lot of theological gaslighting. Bonus: we compare God to Trump, decide Lindsay Graham might be Esau reincarnated, and try to figure out why the Almighty is obsessed with being feared more than loved.Come for the biblical takedown, stay for the rant about taxes, governors, and why giving God your blind goat is apparently the ultimate insult.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āGod proves love by absolutely wrecking Esauās descendantsāāPriests caught whining over crappy sacrificial food they approvedāāMalachi: prophet, Ezra, or Yahwehās anonymous pen pal?āāThe Governor test: If your pet wouldn't eat it, why would God?āāFear me, says the Lordābecause love is too mainstreamāā400 years of silence incoming⦠and we get itāš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āDo you love us?ā ā āWell, I hated Esau, so⦠what do you think?ā24. Bible Study by Atheists Weekly: Zechariah Chapters 12 - 14 Q&A, Wrap Up, Contradictions and Specials!
07:17:55||Season 38, Ep. 24Zechariahās Zombie Apocalypse, Divine Meltdowns, and a Bible Book Wrap-Up from Hellš Episode Summary:Hold onto your prophetic horsesāthis aināt your grandmaās Bible study. In this irreverent breakdown of Zechariah Chapters 12ā14, we hit peak theological absurdity: God turns Jerusalem into a drunken stumbling block, demands loyalty through magical fountains and plague-stricken horses, and ends with a bizarre image of people being forced to worship him with threats of drought and divine pestilence. Because nothing says ālove meā like supernatural weather terrorism.But waitāthereās more! This oversized episode packs in our Q&A session (yes, we read your spicy, chaotic questions), a full Book of Zechariah Wrap-Up, a hearty helping of contradictions and inconsistencies, and even a couple of off-topic specials that spiral into discussions of Christian nationalism, prophecy bros, and how the apocalypse is apparently Godās favorite aesthetic. We laugh, we rant, we side-eye... and yes, we call out every ridiculous āprophecyā thatās aged like holy milk.If youāve ever wondered how many ways one book can contradict itselfāor how a divine war fantasy turns into mandatory holiday attendanceāthis oneās for you.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āJerusalem becomes a stumbling cup of wrath... whatever that meansāāZombie plagues, eye rot, and divine horse punishmentāclassic YahwehāāQ&A chaos: listener questions about prophecy, politics, and pet peevesāāZechariahās greatest hits (and misses): a contradictory wrap-upāāHow Christian nationalists weaponize these versesāand why itās terrifyingāāBonus mini-episode: Why does God need feasts if heās omnipotent?āāSpoiler: End Times theology still doesnāt make senseā23. Zechariah Contradictions: Bible Study by Atheists
39:40||Season 38, Ep. 23Zechariah's Contradictions: God Is Furious. Unless He Isn't.š Episode Summary:Buckle up, hereticsāit's our last dance with Zechariah, and weāre sending him off with a contradictions episode so absurd, even God might need a flowchart. In this glorious finale, our snarky hosts debate whether Zechariah was Iddo's son or grandson (because apparently genealogy is as hard for the Lord as kindness). Then it's on to Godās rage issues: is He full of āgreat furyā or just pretending not to be? Depends on the verse, the day, and how smitey Heās feeling.But the real theological whiplash hits when we ask: how should strangers be treated? One verse says love them like family, the next says kill them without mercy. You know, totally normal divine guidance. It all spirals into hilarious chaos as the hosts quiz each other on Zechariahās bizarre visions, measuring lines, oily trees, and that one moment where Joshua gets a celestial wardrobe makeover.Thereās also a deep dive into the dangerous allure of black-and-white moralism, a pop quiz with suspiciously many āCā answers, and yesāa Star Trek reference about pretend nukes and incinerator death lotteries. Because why not?š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āWas Zechariah Iddoās son or grandson? Depends on the Bible's mood.āāGod says He's not furiousāexcept when He absolutely is.āāStrangers: love them, unless you're told to murder them instead.āāGolden lampstands, olive trees, and God's bizarre Pinterest board of visionsāāWhy Old Testament morality is the original gray-area gaslightingāāA pop quiz where āCā is suspiciously the right answer 80% of the timeāāThe shepherd-messiah who got ghosted harder than your Hinge dateāš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āIām God, I can be whatever the f* I want. Mostly Iām a dickāthatās what I choose.ā**22. Zechariah Wrap Up: Bible Study by Atheists
01:20:52||Season 38, Ep. 22Zechariah's Prophetic Fever Dream: Donkeys, Flying Scrolls, and the Jesus Retconš Episode Summary:Hold onto your chariots, folksāthis episode is a wild theological autopsy of Zechariah, where prophecy, PTSD, and political propaganda come together like a DIY apocalypse starter kit. The hosts finally wrap up the Book of Zechariah, dissecting its two-part structure (First Zechariah: dreams and dates, Second Zechariah: undated messianic mayhem) while dunking on the absurd Christian rewrites that claim Jesus was foreshadowed by every flying scroll and basket-bound woman in sight. Spoiler: he wasnāt.We get into the scholarly consensus that multiple authors likely Frankensteined this book together, and how Christians conveniently ignore that to force Jesus into every metaphor. Dirty laundry becomes spiritual cleansing. Donkeys become messianic Uber rides. And āThe Branchā? Apparently a divine pseudonym no one asked for. The hosts also riff on everything from religious power grabs to their own family political dramaābecause nothing says āholy scriptureā like Thanksgiving table trauma.There's talk of satan not being Satan, visions that feel like bad acid trips, and the inevitable hijacking of Jewish apocalyptic literature to justify modern Christian nationalism. Bonus content: a mini rant on King James being a flaming homo and why that makes evangelicals accidentally hilarious.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āZechariahās visions: acid trip or divine surveillance program?āāWhy every Christian thinks a donkey equals JesusāāSpoiler alert: the 30 pieces of silver thing was just a petty insultāāJewish scholars: this is national trauma, not divine foreshadowingāāFlying scrolls, women in baskets, and other biblical acid flashbacksāāChristian nationalism hijacks apocalyptic literatureāagaināāWhy āThe Branchā is just another vague poetic nothingburgerāāZechariah: a desperate messiah grab wrapped in Persian politicsāSunday Assembly
01:04:03|Godless Congregations & The Joy of Non-Stick Spirituality: Sunday Assembly Exposedš Episode Summary:What happens when you take out the hymns, prayers, and judgmentābut keep the community, music, and awkward potlucks? You get Sunday Assembly, the non-religious, non-doctrinal, definitely-not-a-church thatās somehow more wholesome than your average church barbecue. In this very special episode, we dive into the rise of so-called āatheist mega churchesā (spoiler: theyāre not mega and theyāre not churches), and discover how secular folks across the globe are gathering to celebrate lifeāwithout the ghost stories.We cover how Sunday Assembly started with two comedians who just wanted a god-free community vibe, how it now spans continents (even Idaho, somehow), and why the word āchurchā makes both fundamentalists and cranky atheists foam at the mouth. The hosts rage lovingly about why religious people donāt own words, why community isnāt just for the sanctified, and why this whole thing is basically the Unitarian church... minus the apologetic whispers of āGod, maybe?āIf you've ever wanted a book club meets TED Talk meets karaoke night without being guilt-tripped about hellfireāthis is your jam. We also talk petty atheist highway cleanups, how to start your own chapter (spoiler: it starts with a YouTube watch party), and why we desperately want one in Ohio.Find links to local chapters and livestreams here: https://sacrilegiousdiscourse.com/blog/sunday-assembly-a-godless-community-for-atheists-and-secularistsš Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āWhy Sunday Assembly isnāt a churchābut still has better music than yoursāāScience talks, karaoke, and no hymns? Where do we sign up?āāLive Better, Help Often, Wonder Moreāno gods requiredāāHow to start a local group without burning out or burning bushesāāThe irony of atheists arguing over whether they need friendsāāReligious people mad that secular folks discovered community? ShockingāāPetty atheism done right: cleaning up near the Ark Encounterāš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āIf I want to call it a church, I will. And you donāt have to like it. I didnāt ask you.āGodās Top 10 Kill Streaks (episode 1)
01:20:09|Lotās Wife, Onanās Pullout Fail, and the Egyptian Baby Massacreš Episode Summary:Welcome to the blood-splattered kickoff of our new series, āGodās Top 10 Kill Streaks ā Old Testament Edition,ā where your favorite heathens dive headfirst into Yahwehās most unhinged murder sprees. Starting at number 10, we salt-shame Lotās wife who was turned into a sodium statue for the crime of looking back while her hometown gets nuked. Thatās right: no name, no dialogue, just divine vaporization for having a human moment.Coming in hot at number 9, we tackle the infamous case of Onan, who was smote for pulling out. Spoiler: this has nothing to do with masturbation and everything to do with inheritance, manipulation, and patriarchal BS. And rounding out this murdery trio, the piĆØce de rĆ©sistance...Godās mass execution of Egyptian firstborns (Exodus 12:29). Babies. Animals. Prisoners. All dead in one holy tantrum... and we celebrate it with freaking Passover? What the literal hell?With plenty of righteous rage, historical breakdowns, and off-the-rails commentary (yes, thereās a āGirls Gone Wild: Seder Editionā tangent), we call out the hypocrisy of divine justice and ask: if Godās so powerful, why does he kill like a toddler throwing a fit? Donāt miss this episode if you like your theology with a side of āwhat the fuck?āš Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āLotās wife looked backāand God lost his damn mindāāSalt: not just seasoning, now also divine punishmentāāOnan spills his seed and gets executedācalm down, YahwehāāSpoiler: itās not about masturbation, itās about inheritance and patriarchyāāEgyptās firstborns get mass murdered⦠and we made it a holiday?āāCollective punishment: still Godās favorite kinkāāModern leaders would be tried for war crimesābut Bible God gets worshipedāāDoes God really need blood to feel loved?āš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āGodās trying to teach love through mass murderāand somehow, we're the immoral ones?ā21. Zechariah Chapters 12 -14 Q&A: Bible Study by Atheists
01:37:30||Season 38, Ep. 21Zechariahās Endgame: Plagues, Prophets, and WTF Apocalypse Fuelš Episode Summary:Itās the final chaotic cluster of Zechariahāchapters 12, 13, and 14āand oh boy, itās less āholy scriptureā and more āpolitical manifesto meets acid trip.ā Your favorite atheist duo dives into post-exilic fever dreams where Jerusalem gets divine superpowers, horses go blind, and God plays Mad Max with cups of judgment and supernatural rocks. Bonus: apparently the real apocalypse involves killing prophets, lying about your career path, and stamping āHoly to the Lordā on cookware.We get messy with interpretations: is God pierced? Is it a metaphor for guilt? A prophecy about Jesus? Or just a confusing editorial mess written centuries after the fact to shore up priestly power? (Spoiler: probably that last one.) Expect tangents about nuclear war panic, theocracy creep, and why every chapter seems to be written by a different guy with anger issues. And if you thought things couldnāt get weirderāget ready for rivers of blood, horse bells, and sacrificial meat cookpots. Because Yahwehās final mic drop is... sacred Tupperware?This oneās jam-packed with snark, scholarship, political fury, and a healthy dose of Butthole Surfers. Yep, that happened.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āDivine intoxication, blind horses, and drunken geopolitical chaosāāThat time God killed ā of his own people and called it purificationāāWhy prophets suddenly needed to fake farm experienceāāThe priesthood's jealous power grab dressed up as holy reformāāHow apocalyptic revenge fantasies replaced temple-building hopeāāSeriouslyāwhy does God care so much about pots and pans?āāNo gods, just goat blood, guilt, and theological gaslightingāš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:āZechariah can lick my ass. How about that?ā20. Zechariah Chapter 14: Bible Study by Atheists
36:50||Season 38, Ep. 20Zechariahās End-Times Dumpster Fire: Rape, Rotting Flesh, and Holy Crockpotsš Episode Summary:Brace yourselves, heathens, weāve reached the flaming finale of Zechariah, and boy, does it go out with a bang (and some divine rot). In this final chapter, God makes sure Jerusalem is properly plundered, the women are raped (againābecause Yahweh loves a war crime), and half the city gets dragged into exile before He bothers to lift a celestial finger. The hosts dive headfirst into the horror show, side-eying a deity who lets atrocities happen before swooping in to flex His holy muscles. Spoiler alert: Godās big plan still sucks.Itās an apocalyptic fever dream featuring melting eyeballs, earthquake valleys, and yet another āDay of the Lordā that reads like a mix of a B-movie and divine temper tantrum. We get discussions of biblical sci-fi, nuclear plagues, and Godās bizarre obsession with sacred kitchenware; because nothing says holiness like a glowing crockpot and a plague-ridden donkey.The hosts donāt just critique the theological carnage, they blow it wide open with pop culture jabs (Star Trek meets Leviticus), rants about religious trauma, and exasperated geography fails that would make a fifth-grade social studies teacher weep. Youāll laugh, youāll rage, and youāll definitely never look at a Sunday school lesson the same way again.š Listen now at sacrilegiousdiscourse.comš Join our godless rebellion on Discord: discord.gg/VBnyTYV6nCš Support the snark on Patreon: patreon.com/sacrilegiousdiscourseš Topics Covered:āGod lets Jerusalem get sacked before bothering to help. Classic.āāRaping, rotting, and religious traumaājust another day in the Old Testament.āāEclipses and earthquakes = signs of divine tantrums, apparently.āāThe Festival of Tabernacles makes a confusing comeback.āāHoly cooking pots and zombie plaguesāGodās weird endgame.āāGeography fails and theology flops: the Canaanites get banned (again).āāWhen religion shapes law, even science becomes heresy.āš¬ Best Quote from the Episode:"Could you imagine saying you're so shitty that I'm just gonna let all of yāall get raped?"