Ghostbusters. (Photo: twm1340)

This week’s buzz features Jesus in hell and a rap battle between the Mythbusters and the Ghostbusters.

Ghostbusters vs. Mythbusters

Epic Rap Battles of History kicked off their fourth season with this matchup. (WARNING: there’s some strong language in this video.)  

Brother Guy Wins the Carl Sagan Medal

Brother Guy Consolmagno, a Vatican astronomer, just won a big award. The Detroit Free Press reported the details:

Consolmagno, 62, a member of the Catholic Jesuit order of priests and brothers, is being recognized for his witty, wise and engaging explanations of the heavens. He has authored or co-authored several books, such as “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?” and “Turn Left at Orion,” has lectured around the world and even has an asteroid named after him.

The American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences annually honors individuals whose work has made scientific learning understandable and accessible to the public. The medal is named after astronomer Carl Sagan, who explained the heavens via the popular 1980s public TV series “Cosmos.”

Brother Guy is a great, entertaining voice of reason in the science and religion debate. For more on his views, check out an interview he did with HuffPost a few months ago.

What Was Jesus Doing in Hell?

The Apostles’ Creed says that Jesus “descended into hell” after his death and before his resurrection.

What in the world does that mean? Did Jesus actually go to hell, or is this just a metaphor for something? Richard Ostling—”The Religion Guy”—responded to these questions. Check out what he said about this strange doctrine.

Darwin & God

Dr. Ronald Numbers, a historian who has written much about science and religion, gave a lecture about Darwin and God.

Adam and Eve: “Fall, or Folly?”

Chaplain Mike, over at Internet Monk, wrote a great four-part series on Adam and Eve: part 1, 2, 3, and 4. He looked at how Adam and Eve’s story resembles a wisdom story, and he drew some helpful conclusions:

This story was intended first for Israel, who throughout their history followed the same patterns set by Adam and Eve and then by their children Cain and Abel and were likewise sent off into exile from God’s good land.

But one effect of reading this as a wisdom story is that it tends to universalize its message. Jew and Gentile alike, we recognize ourselves in the stories of Adam and Eve and their children. As one of our commenters said in yesterday’s thread: Adam is everyman. And Eve is everywoman. These stories reveal the universal human susceptibility to temptation. We all show ourselves to be simpletons, in need of divine wisdom.

Chaplain Mike tackled other questions, such as whether humanity fell from a state of perfection and how Paul viewed Adam and Eve.

What do you think of his points?