Welcome to Pub Chat! These episodes are for us to have a more free-form way to discuss listener questions, shorter subjects, as well as magical happenings, musings, and of course, go off on tangents. In this week's Pub Chat we explore Dark Religious Parasitism. The idea that there is a malicious entity negatively affecting people and their relationship to their deities and practices. So grab yourself something to drink and join us for a strange conversation about a relatively novel interpretation of what is happening these days. Ohh, and fear not, there is much vamping and many side quests! Definition: The noticeable shift in an organized religion from its patron’s doctrine to ones of hate utilizing misinformation and manipulation of teachings, selective following focusing solely on the out of context misinterpretations of select passages to reinforce hateful rhetoric, and/or the complete abandonment of key tenets if or when they oppose the new regimes focus of hate. These are additionally supported by otherness speech meant to segregate those who disagree or question the new regime, opportunistic practice where one applies the tenets of their faith to only a select group or at socially opportune times to hide or coverup hateful practices behind “goodness”, coded language to communicate and spread in group think, and outright lying publicly and to the self in order to not address or internalize the new regime of hate! The contagious spread of these parasitic creatures follow a spiraling path in both individual and group infection starting with small changes and spreading to ever greater hate. These creatures feed off not only the worship and faith energy of the newly infected followers but also of the spreading destruction of the original deities’ tenets and teachings like an insect bite that liquifies its victim for easier consumption.