TheESP – Ep. #515 – Exorcize Religion from Schools!

English may not be our first language but we are willing to learn! Hungarian nuts with a nationalist agenda would like you to believe in made up history, including that Jesus spoke Hungarian, and other nonsense. And they are getting a foot in at schools… In TWISH we hear about Joseph Justus Scaliger who took on historical chronology in a revolutionary way back in the 16th century. Then, it’s time for the news:

• SWEDEN: Religious teacher used exorcism against special needs students
• UK: Fake AI doctors endorse weight loss patches on social media
• GERMANY: Changes in German beliefs in pseudoscience
• TÜRKIYE: Technobabble papers by professor and editor under scrutiny

The Faculty of Law in Lund gets a Really Right Award for speaking up against an unscientific and fact resistant new legal reform.

Enjoy!

Segments: Intro; Greetings; TWISH; News; Really Right; Quote; Outro; Outtakes
 
0:00:27 INTRO

0:00:51 GREETINGS

• Our English could improve!
• Hungerian fake history is spreading

0:08:58 TWISH – THIS WEEK IN SKEPTICAL HISTORY

• 21 January 1609: Joseph Justus Scaliger, founder of modern Chronology died
  • EBSCO: https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/joseph-justus-scaliger

0:21:47 NEWS

• SWEDEN: Religious teacher used exorcism against special needs students
  • DN: https://www.dn.se/sverige/larare-forsokte-driva-ut-djavulen-ur-elev-med-hjalp-av-koranen/
  • Sydsvenskan: https://www.sydsvenskan.se/malmo/malmolarare-anvande-koranen-for-att-driva-ut-djavulen-pa-elever/
• UK: Fake AI doctors endorse weight loss patches on social media
  • Full Fact: https://fullfact.org/health/fake-doctor-weight-loss-patches-ai/
• GERMANY: Changes in German beliefs in pseudoscience
  • GWUP: https://blog.gwup.net/2026/01/14/alternative-glaubensformen-in-deutschland/
• TÜRKIYE: Technobabble papers by professor and editor under scrutiny
  • Retraction Watch: https://retractionwatch.com/2026/01/15/technobabble-papers-by-professor-and-editor-under-scrutiny/

0:46:48 REALLY RIGHT

• Really Right: Swedish faculty speaks up against unscientific and fact resistant new legal reform
  • Sydsvenskan: https://etidning.sydsvenskan.se/p/sydsvenskan/2026-01-17/a/sverige-snart-pa-rysk-niva-i-andel-fangslade/2790/2083080/69075000

0:53:02 QUOTE AND FAREWELL

“Wherever mathematics has entered it has never again been pushed out by other developments. The mathematization of an area of human endeavor is not a passing fad; it is the prime mover of scientific and technological progress.”
/ Oskar Morgenstern (24 January 1902 – 26 July 1977), German-born economist. In collaboration with mathematician John von Neumann, he is credited with founding the field of game theory and its application to social sciences and strategic decision-making. /

0:54:20 OUTRO

0:55:42 OUT-TAKES