The content of CushVlogs often veers into religious commentary (the most recent one especially). Why do you think Matt is so invested in it? I'm wondering if it's due to one or more of the following reasons: Americans are uniquely religious, so trying to divine anything about their politics requires interpreting their faith. Or: Part of being a revolutionary is believing in a prophecy that an ultimate goal will be achieved one day--a goal there's not much concrete evidence for--and in this way the revolution is faith based. Or: Studying religion comes with the territory of being a history buff (things like Luther and the Hundred Years War midwifing capitalism onto the world stage, etc). Or: Matt is obsessed with his mortality and is more and more curious about the big "Why are we here" questions. The reason I ask is because I don't hear much analysis of religion in left spaces now, and I think there's somewhat of a vacuum left by the Bush-era /stem cell-era libs who would call out jesus camps, televangelists, and mega-churches. (Like, that part of the culture war was deemed over by 2008-09)
In the light of morning, I felt I should add something. You're right that mortality is often a driving force in the adoption of spiritual and religious thinking, but our big wet boy had a mortality crisis earlier in life, around 18 or so. This is when his "spine exploded". If I remember correctly, he not only has limited mobility in one leg, but a kind of phantom leg pain he has compared with a mild burning. He has said that this is when he acquired an over developed hypochondria, and fixation on his own death.
If anything I'd say that this reified his materialist stances on life and death, and that his spiritual turn is more due to podcasting success. New wife, living in Cali, earning more money than he likely anticipated for the work(?) of essentially being a niche media personality recognizable mostly to online weirdos. That kind of life development can screw with a fella who's geared towards introspection and nebbish-ness.