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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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Yesterday · 9 min
What is the History of Magic Wands?
Magic wands...we see them everywhere in the modern fantasy genre. But what is the history of these mythological tools? Uploaded 18-11-16 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Blog: www.religionforbreakfast.com Thanks to our supporters on Patreon!: Brian B. Daniel D. Kalei W. Alex B. Mark H. Alice C. Wilson Cain D. Bibliography and Attributions: Pseudo-Bacon "Thesaurus Spirituum:" http://archives.wellcomelibrary.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqDb=Catalog&dsqCmd=show.tcl&dsqSearch=(RefNo==%27MS110%27) Aramaic Incantation Bowl: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coupe_Aram%C3%A9en_Nippur_Mus%C3%A9e_Mariemont_08112015.jpg Joseph H. Peterson's history: http://www.esotericarchives.com/wands/ Holly tree photograph: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holly#/media/File:Ilex-aquifolium_(Europaeische_Stechpalme-1).jpg More on the carved doors depicting Jesus wielding a wand or a staff: https://cyberdisciple.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/carved-doors-of-santa-sabina-rome/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 6 min
YHWH had a Wife?
YHWH...the God of the Israelites in the Hebrew Bible, and you shall have no other gods before him. But did some ancient Israelites worship another god, Asherah? Archaeological evidence suggests that some Israelites may have believed YHWH had a consort or wife. Uploaded 17-05-18 Support the show on Patreon! www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Sources: William Devers, "Did God Have a Wife?" Eerdmans, 2005. William Dever, “Archaeology and Ancient Israelite Iconography: Did Yahweh Have a Face?” in A.M. Maeir and P. de Miroschedji (editor), "I will Speak the Riddles of Ancient Times”: Archaeological and Historical Studies in Honor of Amihai Mazar," 461. Judith Hadley, "The Cult of Asherah in Ancient Israel and Judah: Evidence for a Hebrew Goddess," Cambridge University Press, 2000. Critical Review of William Dever’s book: https://members.bib-arch.org/biblical-archaeology-review/32/5/15 Hershel Shanks, “The Persisting Uncertainties of Kuntillet ‘Ajrud,” https://members.bib-arch.org/biblical-archaeology-review/38/6/2?ip_login_no_cache=%EA~%7C%DC%F7%B6%07%FF Dr. Erin Darby interview on pillar figurines: https://www.coursera.org/learn/bible-history/lecture/gZbL6/darby-interview Source on standing stones: Stephen Herring, "Divine Substitution," "Chapter 3: Iconic Israel: Divine Representation, Idol Polemics, and the Awareness of the Relationship between Image and Presence in the Hebrew Bible," Vandenhoeck and Ruprecht, 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 7 min
What Did Freud Think About Religion?
Sigmund Freud: Famous psychoanalyst with famously eccentric research. But did you know some of his research focused on theories about religion? Uploaded 13-09-16 @andrewmarkhenry www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast www.religionforbreakfast.com Thanks to our Patreon patrons!: Brian B. Kalei W. Alex B. Mark H. Alice C. Wilson Cain Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 4 min
The Ancient Jerusalem Soundscape: They Experienced Life Differently
One day, I was trying to write my dissertation while sitting in my room in east Jerusalem. I was writing about ancient soundscapes...how the lack of ambient sounds in ancient cities would have made conversation and religious chants audible from over 100 feet away. Then a traffic jam happened outside my window. It was very loud. So I made this video. Uploaded 21-03-18 (The ancient city you see in some of these clips comes from the city of Hippos, a Roman city in the Galilee). Andrew's religious studies book recommendations: http://amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Sources: Bruce Smith, “The Acoustic World of Early Modern England." Massachusetts Birth rate stats: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/sosmap/infant_mortality_rates/infant_mortality.htm Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 30 min
Vodou: Haiti's African-Derived Religion
Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/EFz430rNni0 Uploaded 25-08-21 Here’s a list of recommended disaster relief organizations recommended by PBS Newshour and NPR: UNICEF: https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/major-earthquake-hits-haiti/38873 Project HOPE: https://www.projecthope.org/project-hope-responding-to-7-2-magnitude-earthquake-in-haiti/08/2021/ Humanity and Inclusion: https://www.hi-us.org/haiti Hope for Haiti: https://hopeforhaiti.com/ Haitian Health Foundation: https://www.haitianhealthfoundation.org/ Direct Relief: https://www.directrelief.org/ Chapters: 00:00 Intro, Misconceptions, and Terminology 03:12 History of Haitian Vodou 06:53 Basic Vodou Beliefs 11:24 Vodou Ritual Practice 19:54 Vodou Identity Special thanks to: Dr. Grete Viddal, Dr. Kyrah Malika Daniels, and Dr. Elizabeth Thomas Crocker, For the films of Vodou ceremonies in this video, thanks also to Sosyete Nago, Manbo Asogwe Marie Maude Evans, and Jean Marie Plantin - Haiti Film Group. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram: @andrewmarkhenry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 20 min
The Daoist Scriptures Are Huge
Register for our online class "Fact and Fiction about Laozi and his Daodejing:" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Uploaded 08-08-24 Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Thumbnail art by @hotcyder Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters While the Bible or the Quran can fit into a single volume, the Daoist canon of scriptures contains around 1,500 texts. It is huge. So what is the Daoist canon all about? How did it form? 00:00 Basic overview 3:58 History of the Daozang 9:05 Daozang's role in Daoism 14:20 Register for our Daoism class! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 56 min
The Enduring Appeal of Gnosticism and Esoteric Christianity (Interview w/ Dr. David Litwa)
Register for Dr. Litwa's lecture!: https://religiondepartment.com/marcion Uploaded 29-07-25 Check out Dr. Litwa's channel here @m.davidlitwa Dr. David Litwa joins Religion for Breakfast to explore Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and the Gospel of Thomas. We talk ethics, online education, Marcion, Paul's legacy, and why esoteric Christianity is striking a chord with modern audiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Yesterday · 15 min
The Gen Z “Religious Revival” Isn’t Real
With my link, you can get 50% off of Nebula. It’s just $30/year, or $2,5/month, at https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Lindsay Ellis' "The Macabre World of Bodycam YouTube:" https://nebula.tv/videos/lindsayellis-bodycam-youtube?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 15-01-26 Headlines claim Gen Z is leading a religious revival—but major surveys show something very different. This video breaks down the data, the myths, and why America is experiencing a plateau, not a comeback. Religion for Breakfast videos take a lot of research and collaboration. Patreon support helps fund editors, scholars, and future episodes. Support us here: https://www.patreon.com/c/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
Wednesday · 6 min
What Does it Mean to Be Religious?
Many define "religion" as a "belief system." But religion encompasses a lot more than "belief" and "doctrine." In fact, many religions don't emphasize personal faith much at all. For many people, their religious identity is derived through the rituals they decide to participate in and the cultural identity that they have adopted. How, then, can we complicate our "belief centric" view of religious identity? Uploaded 01-09-17 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Andrew's religious studies book recommendations: http://amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast B-reel footage used with permission from the following photographers: EC Henry: https://www.youtube.com/user/tlwll Jennifer Lindsay: https://www.youtube.com/user/jenniferslindsay Bibliography: Ben Marcus on the 3B Framework of Religious Identity: “Religious Literacy in American Education,” in The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education, ed. Michael D. Waggoner and Nathan C. Walker (Oxford: Oxford University Press, Forthcoming). More from Ben Marcus on 3B Framework: http://www.religiousfreedomcenter.org/schools/grounding/identity/ Belief in God Pew Research study: http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/belief-in-god/ Catholic views Pew Research study: http://www.pewforum.org/2013/03/18/us-catholics-happy-with-selection-of-pope-francis/ Another study on Catholic views on birth control and homosexuality: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/09/19/majority-of-u-s-catholics-opinions-run-counter-to-church-on-contraception-homosexuality/ For a fuller discussion on Charles Hardwick and the "Protestant bias" in the study of religion, see: Dr. Tomoko Masuzawa, "The Invention of World Religions," p. 127 Dr. JZ Smith, "Drudgery Divine," (the whole book, its great). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 49 min
Why Climate Change Sounds Like Apocalypticism (feat. Dr. Susannah Crockford)
Register for Dr. Crockford's guest lecture here!: http://religiondepartment.com/aliens Uploaded 07-08-26 Anthropologist Susannah Crockford on her new book A Perturbed System, and the religious inheritance inside climate talk. Why climate discourse so often sounds like Christian theology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 5 min
Religion and the No True Scotsman Fallacy
Religion is a tough subject to study. One of the reasons why is because we bring our own preconceptions about particular religions to the subject. Our stereotypes affect how we interpret different religious traditions. This can lead to the No True Scotsman Fallacy. Uploaded 09-01-19 Become a member of our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast You can also donate to the show at: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast For religious studies book recommendations, see: https://amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Follow me on: Twitter @andrewmarkhenry www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Inspired by a blog post by Joseph Laycock and Natasha Mikles http://bulletin.equinoxpub.com/2018/05/name-it-and-disclaim-it-a-tool-for-better-discussion-in-religious-studies/ John Oliver piece on Ashin Wirathu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjPYmEZxACM&t=449s Harvard Religious Literacy Project Video: https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/for-educators/videos-teaching Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 22 min
What is the Evil Eye?
Watch Dr. Angela Puca's companion video here! https://youtu.be/rfEjXacA5Ko Uploaded 04-11-22 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 Bibliography: Lukas Licka, “Approaches to the Extramission Postulate in 13th Century Theories of Vision,” in Medieval Perceptual Puzzles, Brill 2020. Roland Betancourt, “Why Sight is Not Touch: Reconsidering the Tacility of Vision in Byzantium,” Dumbarton Oaks Papers 70, Dec 2016. Van de Ven, Zeelenberg, and Pieters, “Warding off the Evil Eye: When the Fear of Being Envied Increases Prosocial Behavior,” Psychological Science, Volume 21, Issue 11. Antioch mosaic: see Levi, The Evil Eye and the Lucky Hunchback," Antioch Mosaic Pavements, 28-34 Gadi Sagiv, “Dazzling Blue: Color Symbolism, Kabbalistic Myth, and the Evil Eye in Judaism,” Numen 64 (2017) 183-208. Giacomantonio et. al., “The evil eye: Eye gaze and competitiveness in social decision making,” European Journal of Social Psychology, August 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 22 min
Why These Christians Worship with Deadly Snakes
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 24-10-25 Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters In parts of Appalachia, a few Pentecostal Christians handle live venomous snakes during worship, following a literal reading of Mark 16. This video explores the history, psychology, and faith behind one of America’s most dangerous religious traditions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 26 min
The Dajjāl: The Islamic Antichrist?
Go to https://hensonshaving.com/religionforbreakfast and enter RELIGIONFORBREAKFAST at checkout to get 100 free blades with your purchase! Uploaded 19-03-26 The Dajjal: a one-eyed deceiver who performs miracles, raises the dead, and nearly conquers the world. We break down the Islamic end-times traditions, his origins, and why he remains one of the most feared figures in Islam. Religion for Breakfast videos take a lot of research and collaboration. Patreon support helps fund editors, scholars, and future episodes. Support us here: https://www.patreon.com/c/religionforbreakfast Thumbnail design by @ECHenry Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro 1:08 The Dajjal in the Hadith 5:42 The Physical Traits of the Dajjal 8:51 The Defeat of the Dajjal 11:00 Historical Context 12:54 Linking the Dajjal to Real People 14:47 Mystical Intepretations 16:00 Tamim al-Dari Story Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 16 min
Emperor Constantine Did NOT Choose the Books of the Bible
One of the most enduring myths today about the Council of Nicaea is that the council members voted on which books to include in the Bible. This myth is sometimes expanded to include Emperor Constantine as some driving political force behind the formation of the canon. This, in actuality, is almost certainly a fable. Dive into the historical evidence to see why. Uploaded 04-10-16 Patreon: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Facebook: www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Blog: www.religionforbreakfast.com Bibliography: 20 Canon Laws from Nicaea: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3801.htm Theodoret Ecclesiastical History: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/27021.htm Athanasius De Decretis: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2809.htm Athanasius Festal Letter info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_letter Voltaire Dictionnaire Philosophique Section 3: (see edition: Oeuvres Completes de Voltaire, 1874, p. 357). Synodicon Vetus (out of print): http://www.doaks.org/resources/publications/books-in-print/the-synodicon-vetus Thanks especially to our Patrons on Patreon!: Brian B. Daniel D. Kalei W. Alex B. Mark H. Alice C. Wilson Cain D. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 28 min
Fandoms are Religions
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Get Lifetime memberships!: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 12-09-25 Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters Are fandoms the new religions? This video explores how fan communities mirror religious traditions—from pilgrimages and sacred texts to rituals and devotion—revealing what fandom tells us about the human need for meaning and belonging. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 21 min
Garden Tomb vs. Holy Sepulchre: The Quest for the REAL Tomb of Jesus
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 29-03-24 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/ The vast majority of Christians recognize The Church of the Holy Sepulchre as the authentic tomb of Jesus. But starting in the mid-1800s, Protestant Christians started to argue that an alternate tomb, outside the walls of Jerusalem, was the REAL tomb of Jesus. 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
Wednesday · 33 min
What is Hermeticism?
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Get Lifetime memberships!: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=religionforbreakfast Watch Dracula's Ex-Girlfriend here!: https://nebula.tv/videos/dex-film?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 20-09-24 Special thanks to the writer of this episode Paul Davidson. Check out his blog "Is that in the Bible?": https://isthatinthebible.wordpress.com/ Bibliography: Christian Bull, "The Tradition of Hermes Trismegistus," 2014. M. David Litwa, "Hermetica II: The Excerpts of Stobaeus," 2018. Wouter Hanegraaff, "Dictionary of Gnosis and Western Esotericism," 2006. 00:00 Intro 1:39 Hermetica explained 6:01 Hermetic and Platonic Cosmogony 10:09 Fate and the Hermetic Human Condition 12:08 Ascension, the Way of Hermes, and Rebirth 19:30 Was Hermetism a Religion? 24:48 I included a bonus section about baboons in the Nebula version of this vid Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 35 min
What the Odyssey Gets Wrong About Bronze Age Greek Religion
Create your world with WORLD ANVIL ► https://www.worldanvil.com/?c=rfb Use code "RFB" for 51% off ANY yearly subscription! Uploaded 18-06-26 Religion for Breakfast videos take a lot of research and collaboration. Patreon support helps fund editors, scholars, and future episodes. Support us here: https://www.patreon.com/c/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters Homer’s Odyssey is set in the Bronze Age, but Homer (if he was even a real person) lived during the Iron Age. So...is he accurate? Explore Mycenaean religion, Linear B, Poseidon, Potnia, sacrifice, and what Homer gets right and wrong. 00:00 Anachronisms and Boar's Tusk Helmets 2:23 Linear B Tablets and their challenges 5:11 The Mycenaean Gods Explained 11:50 Mycenaean [State] Ritual 18:07 What Homer Gets Right and Wrong Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Wednesday · 41 min
Al-Ghazali: The Muslim Theologian Who Lost Faith in Theology
Join our Guided Reading of Rumi's Masnavi: https://www.religiondepartment.com/rumi Uploaded 11-08-26 Al-Ghazali was one of the greatest Muslim theologians who ever lived, though he almost lost his faith in a quest for certainty. Religion for Breakfast videos take a lot of research and collaboration. Patreon support helps fund editors, scholars, and future episodes. Support us here: https://www.patreon.com/c/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro 00:55 Autobiography: The Deliverance from Error 11:36 The Revival of the Religious Sciences 13:39 The Incoherence of the Philosophers 18:00 Al-Ghazali, Commoners, and Elites 20:35 The Alchemy of Happiness 23:29 The Niche of Lights, "direct experience" of God, and monism 30:43 The Legacy of Al-Ghazali Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 21–40 of 341 episodes