The Dans Go to Hell

SPEAKER_1 (0:02)

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Dan McClellan (0:28)

So, he just has a field and is standing there, beholding the field in which he grows all his you-know-what, and then he just starts swelling up like violet in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and then bursts.

And then, you know, you find traditions somewhat like this in the ancient world, where somebody, some divine punishment was that somebody swelled up and popped. So, wouldn't that be totally unheard of, but very gross. And then the other option is that he, yeah, was just walking and was like doop-da-doo, and then splat, fell on his head.

Dan Beecher (1:12)

Sometimes when you hit your head just right, your entire bowels burst out of your body. That's a known thing.

Dan McClellan (1:23)

Hey, everybody, I'm Dan McClellan.

Dan Beecher (1:25)

And I'm Dan Beecher.

Dan McClellan (1:26)

And you are listening to the Data Over Dogma podcast, where we bring you greater access to the academic study of the Bible and religion, and combat the spread of misinformation about the same. And before we get into anything, Dan, I wanted to share a brief note about an episode from a couple of weeks ago, where we talked about God regretting slash repenting, because a helpful listener pointed out that I had two different words confused. When I was talking about the root, Naham, I mentioned that it was related to the word for the womb.

And that is actually a different noun, Rechem. And I had those two confused in my head, a little slip of the brain there. It doesn't affect my commentary. It doesn't affect the argument against the claim that God does not regret or repent.

But I do want to keep it 100 and make sure I'm acknowledging when I made mistakes, and a helpful listener pointed that out. I like that.

Dan Beecher (2:24)

I think it is the official position of this podcast that admitting when you make a mistake makes you more credible, not less everybody. So if that's not your position, then Dan, you've just lost all credibility.

Dan McClellan (2:40)

Well, you know, there are a lot of people for whom I never had any credibility to begin with. So I think the balances are not thrown too far off.

Dan Beecher (2:50)

I'm lucky. I'm in the position where I don't have to be credible.

You're the only one that I'm incredible and you're credible.

Dan McClellan (2:57)

Yeah. Well, there's that great line from I think it was the first Mission Impossible movie with Tom Cruise. I'm going to miss being disreputable.

I wish I could be disreputable sometimes. Yeah.

Dan Beecher (3:10)

No, you're not allowed to. You have to be the reputable one. I get to be as disreputable as I want to be.

So this week on the show, we've got a fun show coming up.

Dan McClellan (3:22)

We're going to try something different.

Dan Beecher (3:24)

You're going to take us straight to hell to start us out with for an All Right Let's See It, and then we're going to go chapter and verse, and you're going to explain to me why something in the Bible feels like it contradicts itself. I'm sure that what you're going to do is just completely harmonize everything, and it'll all work out great, and everyone will feel at peace.

Dan McClellan (3:51)

We're going to make these texts get together, sing kumbaya, and it's going to be a great time.

Dan Beecher (3:57)

All right. But first.

Dan McClellan (3:58)

All right. Let's see it.

You mentioned a pastor or author from a handful of years ago, I think. We're at an age now where a few years ago means 15 years ago.

Dan Beecher (4:13)

So it felt like only a few years ago. But yeah, there was a guy named Carlton Pearson who made waves. He was the pastor of one of the largest Pentecostal congregations in the country.

And he was out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. And he came out as being no longer believing in hell. He said it just didn't line up with either his theology or his reading of the Bible. And that just blew minds across the country. And since then, I have seen plenty of debate about what is hell, does the Bible talk about hell? Was it just made up? What's going on? So, Dan, help us.