You just know a podcast is going to be good when it begins with the words: “I’ve been thinking about God, lately.”

This week, Tertiary co-hosts Heaven-Leigh and Justin discuss the latest installment in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out” series of films, Wake Up Dead Man (2025). Along the way, they break down their personal experiences with religion through the lens of William James’ theory that if a religion produces positive “fruits” (i.e., if a religion makes an individual more courageous, charitable, and better functioning in life) then it is both valuable and true.

What is true? What does it mean to believe in something? What value does religion offer society? Big questions guide the conversation this week—Christian nationalism, religious extremism, fear mongering alike—and, while we don’t pretend to have any of the answers, we’re excited to dive into the grey area with you.

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Our intro and outro music comes from “Cloud Dancer” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0.

Assigned Reading:

• Find William James’ The Varieties of Religious Experience (Penguin Classics, 1982) here or on Project Gutenberg
• Read Richard Brody’s “The Best Movies of 2025” here