To Hell With It: Of Sin & Sex, Wings, & Dante -- Dinty W. Moore
March 19, 2021
Hosted by Diane Dewey
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Guest Information
Episode Description
To Hell with It: Of Sin and Sex, Chicken Wings, and Dante’s Entirely Ridiculous Inferno skewers and questions fundamental beliefs: Are we really damned? Part memoir/part spiritual essay, Moore is asking what would our world be like if eternal damnation was not hanging constantly over our heads, stoking our self-loathing and making so many of us vaguely miserable? At the same time, To Hell with It examines the various ways that organized religion inevitably taints spirituality. How can we truly love ourselves, be in touch with our spirituality, and love one another if we can't come to love ourselves. How can we be lovable if we are all sinners? Is it true that God is perfection if we were made in His image? Men are greedy for power, and religion is a way to hold sway over others, so once a religion begins to construct a hierarchy, bad things start to happen. (Plus, Dante who influenced theology for centuries does not even look nice, begging the question: Why do we still hold these beliefs?) The book is written with humor, what one reviewer has termed “stand-up theology.” You'll never look at chicken wings, medieval poetry, the church (really, any church), your tortured and supposedly damaged soul, and perhaps even your life, the same way again. Debunk with Dinty W. Moore and Drop In with us!
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Diane Dewey
My most pressing question has always been about identity: Who am I? Growing up near Philadelphia with my adoptive family, my genetic identity was hidden. Then, my Swiss biological father, Otto, contacted me when I was age forty-seven in 2002. I’d been told by my adoptive parents that my biological parents were dead, supposedly to protect me. Meeting Otto upended my life. Through him, I met my German biological mother’s family to discover that her story too, had been changed; that she’d not wanted to surrender me and she’d searched for me all her life. Finding my truth was essential.
Based on my experience I am excited to talk to people about their own search for identity. My education includes a BA from Villanova University, a certificate from the Art Institute of Philadelphia and a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University. I’ve worked for The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The SoHo Partnership and the National Academy of Design and have studied writing through New York University’s Continuing Education program. As an entrepreneur, I founded my art appraisal business, The Realization of Art in 2006. My non-fiction writing has been published in Shared Space, a monograph, and in Artes online magazine. Writing workshops worldwide have given me the chance to learn and hone my craft. My first book, “Fixing the Fates,” was awarded the National Non-Fiction Author’s Association Silver Medal and the Living Now Award.