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ReligionForBreakfast

An educational channel dedicated to the academic, nonsectarian study of religion. We promote improving the public's religious literacy by exploring humanity's beliefs and rituals through an anthropological, sociological, and archaeological lens.

Religion for Breakfast does not endorse any particular religious tradition or non-religious perspective. Please be respectful in the comments!

The host, Dr. Andrew M. Henry, is a scholar of religious studies. His research focus is early Christianity and late Roman religion. He earned his PhD at Boston University. Follow him on Twitter @andrewmarkhenry.
fan Made. no infringement intended.

Links:
Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
Twitter: https://twitter.com/andrewmarkhenry
Blog: http://www.religionforbreakfast.com

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October 26 · 15 min
Vesak: The Most Important Buddhist Holiday?
Subscribe to Sacred and Profane's newsletter here!: http://eepurl.com/gjbzuX Uploaded 16-05-24 Vesak is celebrated by millions of Buddhists around the world. A day commemorating the birth, awakening, and death of the Buddha. Special thanks to @gunnertravel for his Singapore footage! Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Sign-up for my mailing list to be notified of online classes: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ 00:00 Intro 2:08 Unknown Historical Origins of Vesak 3:10 Vesak Rituals and Practices 6:06 Buddhist Modernism and Vesak 9:57 Growth of Vesak Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 36 min
Was Jesus a Magician?
Watch ESOTERICA here!: https://youtu.be/DEwDxn-qqUI Patreon here!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 20-05-22 Sources: Heidi Wendt, "At the Temple Gates: The Religion of Freelance Experts in the Early Roman Empire," 2016 David Frankfurter, "Guide to the Study of Ancient Magic," 2019 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 28 min
Maya Religion Explained
Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books by following this affiliate link to my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 05-12-21 Credits: Executive Producer: Jay Gottschalk Producers: Audra M Owens, Dhruv Singhal, Lyndsay Ballew Co-writers: Dr. Joanne Baron, Catherine Wilde Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 9 min
What is the Western Wall?
Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 07-01-20 The Western Wall is one of the most iconic religious sites in the world. Tens of thousands of Jews travel there to pray. But what is the Western Wall? Twitter: @ andrewmarkhenry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Sources: Jodi Magness, "Archaeology of the Holy Land." Estimated visitors/per year: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/750000-people-visit-Western-Wall-since-start-of-Passover-587868 Clashes with Women of the Wall: https://religionnews.com/2019/10/30/womens-group-brings-torahs-to-western-wall-faces-backlash-from-conservatives/ https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredi-women-mass-at-kotel-for-standoff-with-feminist-group/ Clearing of the Moroccan Quarter: Thomas Philip Abowd, "Colonial Jerusalem," p. 124-125 Kotel Heritage Foundation: https://english.thekotel.org/ Report on prayer note removal: https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Notes-to-be-removed-from-Western-Wall-602558 Photo credits: Thumbnail: Photograph attributed to Daniel Majewski. This photograph is used under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license. Changes were not made to the photograph: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Wall,_Jerusalem,_Shavuot.JPG Women praying at the Wall: WikiCommons, Yochi Rappeport Women at the Wall, WikiCommons, Britchi Mirela, Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 11 min
Ceremonial Deism: The Religion of the Supreme Court
Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 16-06-20 Co-written by Dr. David McConeghy, scholar of religion in the United States. Follow him on Twitter @dmcconeghy. American Civil Religion Series: Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x49n90lWi0s&feature=youtu.be Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4AHNAnSbCc&feature=youtu.be Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abr-aTp7uhI&feature=youtu.be Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 12 min
How to Elect a Pope | Papal Conclave Explained
Join our online guest lecture: Environmental Catastrophe, The Fall of Rome, and the Rise of Christianity with Dr. Travis Proctor!: https://www.religiondepartment.com/environmental-catastrophe Uploaded 04-05-25 What happens when a pope dies? Who picks the next one—and how? From locked doors to smoke signals, discover the secretive process behind the papal conclave. Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 19 min
Why Baseball Players Are So Superstitious
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 19-10-23 Watch Becoming Human here: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-burial-marks-the-start-of-human-culture?ref=religionforbreakfast Baseball players do a lot of rituals...and anthropologists of religion have noticed. Some call it superstition, but are there other reasons why athletes might ritualize so many of their behaviors? Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Sign-up for my classes list to be notified of online classes: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ Thumbnail art by @hotcyder Bibliography: George Gmelch, "Baseball Magic," Society 8(8) June 1971 Michael Jackson, "Existential Anthropology," 2005. Xygalatas, "Ritual: How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living," 2022. Stanley Tambiah, "The Magical Power of Words," Man, New Series, Vol. 3, No 2 (Jun., 1968), 175-208 Stanley Tambiah, "Form and Meaning of Magical Acts: A Point of View," 00:00 2:08 Malinowski's uncertainty theory of magic 4:13 Pre-Performance Routines 8:06 Empirical Studies of Sports Magic 11:35 Is it Superstition? Select images courtesy of Getty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 8 min
The Ancient Egyptians Believed in Invisibility Spells
An example of a magical text from the 5th century CE. What can it tell us about the beliefs and practices of ancient individuals living in Greco-Roman Egypt? Uploaded 01-03-16 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Blog: www.religionforbreakfast.com Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Images/Videos Bibliography: Cicero: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Tullius_Cicero#/media/File:Cicero_-_Musei_Capitolini.JPG Experiment: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Chemistry_experiments#/media/File:Universidad_San_Pedro_practica_de_Qu%C3%ADmica_I.jpg Antikythera Mechanism Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eUibFQKJqI Bending Visible Light Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKBzwKfP8E Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 9 min
What is Ritual?
"Ritual." We all think we know what it means...right? Ritual, though, is a lot more complicated than you think. Uploaded 05-07-16 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Blog: www.religionforbreakfast.com Thanks to our Patreon patrons!: Brian B Dan D Alex B John M Wilson Cain D Manny Mark H Image Attributions: Fasting Buddha: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fasting_Buddha#/media/File:Siddhartha_Gautama_meditating.PNG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Prayer_in_art#/media/File:Teodor_Axentowicz,_Anachoreta.jpg wedding: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Marriage#/media/File:%22The_Moldavian_wedding%22_(the_end_of_60th_years)._(6149079487).jpg Orthodox Eucharist: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eucharist#/media/File:%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%89%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B5_%D0%B2%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%83%D1%8E%D1%89%D0%B8%D1%85_(1801436812).jpg Eucharist portions: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Communion_Baptist.jpg Army priest: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eucharist#/media/File:US_Navy_041024-N-6495K-028_Chaplain_Lt._John_Burnette_prays_over_the_Blood_and_Body_of_Christ_during_Sunday_Roman_Catholic_Mass_aboard_the_Nimitz-class_aircraft_carrier_USS_Harry_S._Truman_(CVN_75).jpg Altar pic: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Eucharist#/media/File:StJamesAltar.jpg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 16 min
Doom-Bringing Solar Eclipses in the World's Religions
Register for my class on the Book of Revelation!: https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Mailing list for future class announcements: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ Uploaded 07-04-24 Solar eclipses are cool, but for most of human history in many religions, they were viewed as extremely dangerous. Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Sign-up for my mailing list to be notified of online classes: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ Bibliography: Lange and McLeish, "Eclipse and Revelation: Total Solar Eclipses in Science, History, Literature, and the Arts," Oxford University Press: 2024. Littmann, Espenak, Willcox, "Totality: Eclipses of the Sun," 3rd edition, 2009. Dowd and Milbrath, "Cosmology, Calendars, and Horizon-Based Astronomy in Ancient Mesoamerica," University of Colorado: 2015. Milbrath, "Eclipse Imagery in Mexica Sculpture of Central Mexico," Vistas in Astronomy, Vol. 39, 479-502: 1995. Emil Khalisi, "Eclipses in the Aztec Codices," 2020. Ross, "Eclipses and the Precipitation of Conflict: Deciphering the Signal to Attack," in The Religious Aspects of War in the Ancient Near East, Greece, and Rome." 2016. Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 3 min
6000 subscribers! (and channel update)
We have passed 6000 subscribers and are growing more every day! Thank you so much everyone for supporting Religion for Breakfast. Religious literacy is needed more than ever in this day and age, and I hope, in some small way, RFB can help. Uploaded 31-08-17 All summer I have been working at the Newseum Institute's Religious Freedom Center developing educational material for religious studies teachers. Part of this project involved creating videos on a variety of religious studies topics. So stay tuned in the coming months, and you will see some new videos in this different format. I hope you like them! Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry blog: www.religionforbreakfast.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 22 min
The Ancient Greeks Who Converted to Buddhism
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Archaeology Quest here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-pottery?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 10-05-24 Join our Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Sign-up for my mailing list to be notified of online classes: https://classes.religionforbreakfast.com/ Greece is very far away from the heartland of early Buddhism in India and parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. But thanks to Alexander the Great, Hellenistic and Buddhist cultures came into contact in the 4th century BCE, creating a cultural synthesis known as Greco-Buddhism. 00:00 A Greco-Bactrian Buddhist Inscription 1:41 The Hellenistic "Far East" 4:10 Pyrrho: A Buddhist for Greece? 7:42 Ashoka and his Dharma Conquest 10:23 King Menander: The Most Famous Greek Buddhist 13:26 Greco-Buddhist Art of Gandhara 15:23 Syncretism? 16:44 Nebula! Indie creators being awesome Thumbnail art by @hotcyder Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 23 min
Santa Muerte: The Folk Saint of Death
Join the RFB Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 31-10-21 One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books by following this affiliate link to my Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 26 · 22 min
What is Atheism?
Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 01-08-24 This video was made possible through the support of Grant 61928 from the John Templeton Foundation managed by The Queen’s University of Belfast. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the John Templeton Foundation or The Queen’s University of Belfast. Production Team: Producers: Andrew Aghapour, Andrew Henry Writers: Rachel Carbonara, Andrew Henry, Evan Stewart Consultant Scholar: Hugh Turpin Editor: Lachlan Davis Production Assistant: Casey A'Hearn Thumbnail art by @hotcyder Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro 1:25 Complicating the basic definition 6:20 Diversity of atheism and nonreligion 8:03 Atheism as a worldview and identity 11:59 More on Atheism as a social identity 15:34 Patreon plug Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 11 min
Animism: The First Religion?
Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Infographic designed by Simon E. Davies. Follow him on Twitter here: @Simon_E_Davies and Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Mythopia1 Uploaded 28-02-20 Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Anthropologists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries hypothesized that animism was the earliest religion. But later scholars have called this theory into question. What is animism? And how should we categorize it? This video was brought to you, in part, by the Foundation for Religious Literacy. Twitter: @ andrewmarkhenry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Bibliography: Source for the infographic: https://ultraculture.org/blog/2015/11/30/map-world-religions/ Bill Sillar. "The Social Agency of Things? Animism and Materiality in the Andes" Bruno Latour, “An Attepmt at a ‘Compositionist Manifesto,” http://www.bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/120-NLH-finalpdf.pdf Charles Darwin to E.B. Tylor, September 24, 1871. E.B. Tylor, “Primitive Culture,” 1871 Harvey, Graham. 2005. Animism: Respecting the Living World (London: Hurst and co.; New York: Columbia University Press; Adelaide: Wakefield Press) Liam Sutherland, “An Evaluation of Harvey’s Approach to Animism and the Tylorian Legacy,” https://www.religiousstudiesproject.com/2012/02/17/liam-sutherland-an-evaluation-of-harvey%e2%80%99s-approach-to-animism-and-the-tylorian-legacy/ Russell McCutcheon, “Studying Religion: An Introduction." Stewart Guthrie, “On Animism,” Current Anthropology, 41, no. 1 (February 2000), 1016-107, https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/300107?mobileUi=0&journalCode=ca Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 14 min
What is Shinto?
Join my 15-person online seminars here: https://www.speakeasy.com/speaker/andrew-henry Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 30-09-20 This series was co-written by Kaitlyn Ugoretz, scholar of Japanese religion and new media. Follow her on Twitter @KaitlynUgoretz and learn more about her research on Shinto at www.digitalshinto.com." What is Shinto? This is Episode 1 of a 5-part series introducing what some call the indigenous Japanese religion. What is it all about? What are kami? And how do people practice it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 5 min
What Are Frankincense and Myrrh?
According to the Gospel of Matthew, the magi bring gold, frankincense, and myrrh as expensive gifts to the young Jesus. We all know what gold is, but what is this frankincense and myrrh stuff? What did the ancients use it for? Uploaded 20-12-16 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Blog: www.religionforbreakfast Further Reading: Dr. Sarah Bond's article: https://marquettehistorians.wordpress.com/2012/12/24/sweat-of-the-gods-frankincense-and-myrrh-in-antiquity/ Dr. Susan Ashbrook Harvey: "Scenting Salvation: Ancient Christianity and the Olfactory Imagination" Ambrose quote from his "Exposition of the Christian Faith," ch. IV.31: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf210.iv.iv.iii.v.html Incense altar painting from Aldobrandini Wedding Fresco found in Rome: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aldobrandini_Wedding Special Thanks to Our Patrons!: Brian B Dan D Alex B John M Wilson Cain D Manny Mark H Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 23 min
Nimrod: The Bible’s Most Mysterious King
Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms. Try Ground News today and get 40% off your subscription by going to https://ground.news/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 22-05-25 Shoutout to Paul Davidson for writing this episode. Check out his amazing YouTube channel @InquisitiveBible Who was Nimrod, the Bible’s mighty hunter and empire-builder? Some scholars think he’s more than myth—maybe even Sargon of Akkad, one of the great kings of Mesopotamia. In this video, we explore the mystery behind one of Genesis’s most enigmatic figures. Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro 1:15 Nimrod in the Table of Nations 5:12 Sargon of Akkad Theory 7:07 Ninurta Theory 10:03 Later Identities of Nimrod 15:38 Nimrod = Zoroaster? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 3 min
Religion for Breakfast Patreon Trailer
www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 16-02-16 Religion for Breakfast believes everyone should know a little bit more about religion. It touches every aspect of human civilization—our art, politics, history, and culture. It has inspired some of our most ethereal music. It has motivated some of our greatest leaders. And, yes, it has also sparked some of our biggest wars and social injustices. But for something that is so important to human history, how much do we really know about religion? In order to navigate the pluralism and complexity of the 21st-century religious landscape, Religion for Breakfast strives to boost our religious literacy by producing high-quality educational videos on a variety of religious studies topics. Our topics range from ancient Christianity to modern religious theory, though we hope to expand our offerings as the channel grows. We handle each topic with the utmost respect, recognizing that discussions about religion often evoke powerful emotions and opinions. This, however, proves the vital importance of religious literacy. If we care so much about this topic, we better know something about it! To that end, we invite you to pledge financial support for Religion for Breakfast. With your help, we can raise the level of conversation about religion on YouTube! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
October 25 · 6 min
Exorcism: Ancient Medical Practice?
The ancients blamed all sorts of medical problems on demons: headaches? stomach pain? eye infection? They would say a demon caused it. But why associated demons with medicine? Uploaded 31-10-17 This show is funded by generous supporters on Patreon. Please consider donating at www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Andrew's religious studies book recommendations: http://amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 221–240 of 341 episodes