Elenie Poulos

The Deepak Chopra-Jeffrey Epstein friendship tells of a spirituality industry in crisis Chopra’s friendship with Epstein is dismaying, in part for what it says about the spiritual and wellness culture he exemplifies.

Ann Gleig writes that 'The spiritual and wellness world often presents itself as immune from patriarchal and authoritarian aspects of religion... But the friendship between Chopra and Epstein tells a very familiar story of male power and protection'.

religionnews.com/2026/03/06/t...

Starseeds, government plots and an alien mantis: Inside New Age spirituality's new age Thousands converged in Los Angeles for the Conscious Life Expo, where influencers and cultural shifts are fueling cosmic belief systems often featuring extraterrestrials.

My research in religion focuses on pretty ‘mainstream’ religion and politics stuff but some of my colleagues research the intersection of new spiritual movements, the wellbeing industry and conspiracy theories. It’s fascinating work👇🏼. religionnews.com/2026/03/02/s...

What should a writers’ festival be? There are cultural events that entertain, and there are rare ones that reorganise how a society encounters ideas. The Jaipur Literature Festival is the latter. Founded in 2006 by Namita Gokhale, Willi...

What should a writers’ festival be?

Marcia Langton nails it.

www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/culture/2026... via @thesaturdaypaper.com.au

🤣

I marched against apartheid in South Africa. The Sydney protests triggered me I did not spend my 20s protesting a regime using violence to silence its critics just to spend my 70s watching Australian governments do the same.

This👇🏼

www.smh.com.au/national/nsw...

We went to Pauline Hanson’s cancelled-then-uncancelled propaganda movie premiere so you don’t have to The Australian described the 85-minute movie as being worth five minutes of your time, so went to see for ourselves.

Wow 😱

We went to Pauline Hanson’s cancelled-then-uncancelled propaganda movie premiere so you don’t have to  www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/30/a...

The muted response to the Perth bombing exposes a pattern of national indifference A failed bomb attack in Perth on Invasion Day drew little attention from the media and public. It shows Australia has long been selective in its sense of danger.

An important piece by Daniel James @crikey.com.au

The muted response to the Perth bombing exposes a pattern of national indifference www.crikey.com.au/2026/01/29/p...

Defense Contractors Report Invite to Pentagon's Christian Prayer Service A civil rights organization said it received calls from multiple defense contractors perplexed by a religious invitation to the Pentagon.

This reminds me of that story about Jesus being tempted in the wilderness, resisting the temptation to exercise and demonstrate power. Guess that's not the approach to humble and peaceful living they're taking here.

Opinion | Can James Talarico Reclaim Christianity for the Left?

From the other side of the world, I'll be watching the Democratic primary in Texas. @jamestalarico.bsky.social talking to @ezrakleinbot.bsky.social about why Christian Nationalism is not Christian.

Ukip have submitted a new logo and slogan to the Electoral Commission, swapping the £ pound sterling symbol for a cross, that looks very much like it is modelled on the Iron Cross used by Prussia & Germany 1871-1918 and Hitler's Nazi regime from 1933-45

As a Jew who knows antisemitism, I need answers, not the stifling of free speech We’ve heard calls not only to investigate how the Bondi massacre occurred but to place universities, protest movements and migrants under suspicion.

👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼

The Bondi attack shows how little we understand religion - ABC Religion & Ethics After the shootings at Bondi on the first day of Chanukah, some have claimed the actions of the gunman had “nothing to do with religion”, whereas others insist they were “all about religion” — both cl...

This is an excellent piece by @ekwilson.bsky.social. There is no easy separation of religion and politics in what happened at Bondi and no one is served by thinking there is.

They’re doing to America what they did to Christianity | Bill McKibben Trump’s wrecking-ball approach to America has a precedent: the evangelical perversion of Jesus’s message of radical love to one of hate and aggression

Thank you @billmckibben.bsky.social. While the situation in Australia is different, the dangers posed by an aggressive and toxic Christianity. This piece is a clarion call for vigilance, bold and clear speech and thoughtful action.

History’s booming in podcasts – but many of its academics are out of a job We live in momentous times. History podcasts and books are more popular than ever. So why is academic history in crisis?

This is a most excellent piece by @nickbryantoz.bsky.social
highlighting the calamitous decline of the scholarly study of history just when we need it most.

@frankbongiorno.bsky.social @capandgown.bsky.social @michellearrow.bsky.social are national treasures and we need more of them!

The Radical Faith of Walter Brueggemann in 10 Unforgettable Quotes From empire critique to Sabbath rest, Brueggemann’s writing called us to a more courageous, liberated Christianity.

Vale Walter Brueggemann. One of the great Christian theologians. A huge influence on my life. I met him once by chance in the breakfast room of a London B&B and went full fan-girl. He was so kind to me!

The chaos Elon Musk and Doge are leaving behind in Washington Though Musk promised modernization and efficiency, what’s left is a trail of uncertainty and reduced functionality

"Doge is not being left leaderless... Taking over for Musk, according to the Wall Street Journal, is Christian nationalist and key figure in the rightwing Project 2025 manifesto Russ Vought... Vought has said that he wants federal employees to be left “in trauma” and to slash federal funding."

Sebastião Salgado: a photographer of great humanity Salgado produced technically flawless, mesmerising images of some of the world’s harshest realities, from the gold mines of Brazil to the horror of the Rwandan genocide.

Vale Sebastião Salgado. One of the great photographers.

“The planet remains divided, the First World in a crisis of excess, the Third World in a crisis of need.”

The number of Labor women in the HoR is actually monumental. Like, listing the names of women in each party and... just, wow.

#AusPol #AusVotes

Nationals leaving Coalition as David Littleproud announces split with Liberal party after election defeat Formal coalition agreement ending after breakdown in talks with Liberal leader Sussan Ley

I guess we call this a #trialseparation 😳

Australia doesn’t have a federal Human Rights Act – but the election clears the way for overdue reform On election night, the prime minister talked about ‘fairness’ and ‘Australian values’. To legally protect those values, we need a national human rights act.

I'm proud to be involved in the Australian campaign for a national Human Rights Act @aushumanrightsact.bsky.social. As Amy Maguire has written 'The ground has been laid... This project could unite “Australian values” of fairness and equity with protection of human rights in Australian law.'

The unique art of an Australian federal election #democracysausageday

The rise of right-wing Christian populism and its powerful impact on Australian politics An network of Australian Christian groups have adapted the language of global right-wing populism to amplify their influence on Australian politics.

Here I am with Cristina Rocha in @theconversation.com exploring how the Australian Christian Right have adopted and adapted the language of global populism to create a uniquely Australian version of the genre.

Who's Right? Who's Left? What role will religion play in this election? The differing and diverse religious beliefs Australians hold will influence their vote this election.

I had a great chat to SBS for their short-form 'SBS Examines' podcasts on the role of religion in Australia's federal election campaign.

‘Saving Australia’: global populism and the rhetoric of the Australian Christian Right This article examines how the intersection between the Christian Right and populism takes shape in Australia. It analyses how Australian Christian Right (ACR) actors mobilise the ideology, rhetoric...

I'm very excited to have just had the paper I wrote with the brilliant Cristina Rocha about the populist rhetoric of the Australian Christian Right published by the journal Religion, State and Society and you can get it right here for FREE

Thanks so much!

Hi there. I research the Christian Right in Australia and would love to follow up on those statements. Can you tell me where to find them? Thanks so much.

The Promise of American Higher Education No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue

"Seeking truth is a journey without end. It requires us to be open to new information and different perspectives, to subject our beliefs to ongoing scrutiny, and to be ready to change our minds."
- Alan Garber, President, Harvard University

The rise of end times fascism | Naomi Klein and Astra Taylor The governing ideology of the far right has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism. Our task is to build a movement strong enough to stop them

This from @naomiaklein.bsky.social & @astra.bsky.social

"The governing ideology of the far right in our age of escalating disasters has become a monstrous, supremacist survivalism.

It is terrifying in its wickedness, yes. But it also opens up powerful possibilities for resistance."

Seven Mountain Prophecy is connected to Project 2025.

Just heard that we don’t take US beef because of mad cow disease.