PRay TeLL, Dr. Hash Podcast By Martin Hash cover art

PRay TeLL, Dr. Hash

PRay TeLL, Dr. Hash

By: Martin Hash
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Politics & Philosophy by Dr. Martin D. Hash, Esq.Copyright© Martin Hash 2026 Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 1514 Lord’s Name in Vain

    1514 Lord’s Name in Vain
    May 14 2026
    Every child growing up in a Christian household learns to bless the food, pray before bedtime, and not use the lord’s name in vain. That last one is always confusing; not only is the sentence structure awkward but the word “vain” doesn’t seem to fit. As a kid, I certainly didn’t know what it meant, something to do with cursing. I’m know I’m not the only one who grew up feeling uncomfortable if I said the word “God” in any context. When I was a teenager and finally started cursing up a storm, I still couldn’t understand why that word should be special. After much consideration, it finally dawned on me that every adult who ever told me saying “God” was a curse word because it invoked him somehow was misinterpreting the commandment; that’s not what “Don’t take the lord’s name in vain,” means. It’s not about coarse language, that’s silly; it means don’t speak for God, as in claiming something is “God’s will” for your own personal reasons & benefit. If you have some difficulty in your life, God has nothing to do with it; there’s no predestination, as there are no prizes for doing the “right” thing. Often people who want something from you will often outright claim, that God wants you to do it. If someone is doing that, they are insinuating that they know what God wants, which implies they have some special connection to a power greater than you; it’s vanity & narcissism. Speaking for God is taking his name in vain. Curse all you want, God doesn’t care, but he might care if you claim to be reading his mind.
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    3 mins
  • 1513 Religion is Symbolism

    1513 Religion is Symbolism
    May 12 2026
    Unless trained not to be, people are born narcissistic; they will be envious, vain, self-centered, controlling, lustful & murderous. Society discourages these inclinations. A common mechanism society uses to propagandize its members is religion, for example, Christianity specifically targets these proclivities, which it terms “vices,” specifying virtues instead. But Christianity is more subtle & sublime; God is inserted above the individual; people would be ashamed but Jesus forgives them. Ritual is reassuring. The church hierarchy provides leadership. Sunday school and referencing the Bible reinforces the teachings. Tithing not only supports a dedicated clergy, but also gives a sense of value and proves commitment. Prayers are self-therapy; confession is group therapy; both protect mental health. Festivals give parishioners something to look forward to. The promise of an afterlife soothes the anxiety of death. Of course, like anything, religion can be exploited, but the teachings are its own safeguard. You don’t have to accept the imaginary, such as miracles, nor do you have to have faith; you can still reap the benefits of Christianity by practicing it, understanding what is artifice and what is substantive. Pray if you want, attend services if you want, tithe if you want. Don’t reject the whole premise because it’s shrouded in mysticism. Churches are full of people who ignore the bad to reap the good. A person who can’t do that, who thinks the whole shebang is perfect because it’s directly from God, those are what’s really wrong with religion.
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    3 mins
  • 1512 Replacing God

    1512 Replacing God
    May 10 2026
    Deep down, people are narcissists, and they will act in their own self-interest. Leaders throughout history have required something to keep their followers in line; the most successful has been religion. People can be motivated by many things: lust, avarice, anger; but all are topped by fear. Though the concept was cloaked in fealty. altruism & righteousness, at its essence, fear of an all-powerful god who would exact his vengeance if his commandments were not met, was used to control the populace. In these secular times, without the presence of an all-powerful god, something needed to serve in God’s fear-mongering place, bigger than any one person or group, that leaders could use to force everyone to comply. Obviously, something that threatened the existence of everyone, so that leaders could claim their actions were for the best; hence came the existential alarmism cults like climate change, institutionally implemented as ESG; and social justice, enforced by DEI departments everywhere. not because God said so, but because the world will become Fascist if everybody doesn’t do as they say. A wise & benign god has been replaced by the cynicism & authoritarianism of democracy.
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    2 mins
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