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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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Friday · 21 min
What is the Tibetan Book of the Dead?
Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today’s video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/BBou50N4T0f Uploaded 23-03-23 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 The Tibetan Book of the Dead, or the Bardo Thodol, is arguably the most popular Buddhist text in Europe and the United States. Carl Jung loved it. So did John Lennon. But why? What is this text all about? Sources: Lopez, Donald S. Jr. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: A Biography. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011. Coleman, Graham, and Thupten Jinpa, eds. The Tibetan Book of the Dead: First Complete Translation. Translated by Gyurme Dorje. New York: Penguin Random House, 2005. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 21 min
The Prophet Idrīs: The Islamic Enoch?
Register for our Coptic class!: https://www.religiondepartment.com/coptic Uploaded 21-10-25 Few prophets in Islam are as mysterious as Idrīs. In this video, we explore his identity, tracing how Muslims connected Idrīs with Enoch and Hermes Trismegistus, and why this ancient figure became a bridge between prophecy and esotericism. 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
Friday · 6 min
The Pre-Christian Origins of Baptism
Baptism is one of the most well-known rituals in Christianity. But what are the origins of this ritual? Did John the Baptist invent it himself? Uploaded 08-05-18 Support the show on Patreon!: www.patreon.com/religionfobreakfast www.religionfobreakfast.com www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Bibliography: Jonathan Klawans, "Impurity and Sin in Ancient Judaism," Oxford University Press, 2000 Brook W.R. Pearson, "Baptism and Initiation in the Cult of Isis and Sarapis," in "Baptism, the New Testament, and the Church: Historical and Contemporary Studies in Honour of R.E.O White." Jodi Magness, "Stone and Dung, Oil and Spit: Jewish Daily Life in the Time of Jesus," Eerdmans, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 46 min
Coptic Christianity Explained
Want to learn Coptic? Join our 8-week Intro to Coptic course and start reading the Gospel of Thomas: https://www.religiondepartment.com/coptic Uploaded 24-06-25 Special thanks to the Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church Macon, GA for the Port Said icon footage. For the original footage, check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUjqmUGxbfo&ab_channel=ArchangelMichaelCopticOrthodoxChuchMacon%2CGA Coptic Orthodox Christianity is one of the oldest branches of Christianity, tracing its roots to first-century Egypt. This video explores its history, theology, saints, and unique traditions. 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
Friday · 17 min
Saturnalia Explained
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 12-12-19 What is Saturnalia? You may have heard of this Roman holiday, but the details are scant and fragmentary from Roman sources. This video explains what we know about Saturnalia and whether or not it influenced the institution of Christmas. Follow me on Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast PRIMARY SOURCES: Chronographia anni 354 Seneca, "Moral Letters" Lucian, "Saturnalia" Athenaeus, "The Learned Banqueters" Plutarch, "Moralia" Macrobius, "Saturnalia" Martial Suetonius, "Augustus" and "Vespasian" Pliny, "Letters," 4 Historia Augusta, Life of Verus, 7 Justinus "Collection of Memorable Things" Epictetus, "Discourses" Catullus 14 Hippolytus, "Chronograph" and "Commentary on Daniel" Julius Africanus, "Chronograph" Augustine "On the Trinity" On Solstices and Equinoxes SECONDARY SOURCES: Andrew McGowan, "How December 25 Became Christmas," https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/how-december-25-became-christmas/ C. Philipp E. Nothaft, "Early Christian Chronology and the Origins of the Christmas Date: In Defense of the 'Calculation Theory,'" QL 94 (2013), 247-265. Thomas Schmidt, “Calculating December 25 as the Birth of Jesus in Hippolytus’ Canon and Chronicon,” Vigiliae Christian 69 (2015) 542-563: https://tcschmidtblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/schmidt-calculating-december-25-as-the-birth-of-jesus-in-hippolytus1.pdf Fanny Dolansky, "Celebrating the Saturnalia: Religious Ritual and Roman Domestic Life,” Chapter 29 in A Companion to Families in the Greek and Roman Worlds," 2010. Gaston Halsberghe, Cult of Sol Invictus, Brill 2015. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 35 min
The Origins of Infant Baptism
Watch my Josephus interview with Dr. Tom Schmidt!: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-did-josephus-really-write-about-jesus-interview-w-dr-tom-schmidt?ref=religionforbreakfast Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 13-06-25 Was early Christian baptism always full immersion for adults? Or did infant baptism and pouring water evolve earlier than we thought? Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro 1:22 Origins of Baptism 4:22 Adult-Full-Immersion-With-Exceptions Model 6:36 Earliest Evidence for Infant Baptism 10:43 1st or 2nd century evidence? 18:51 Archaeological Evidence for Diversity of Practice 23:37 The Influence of Original Sin Theology 26:56 Nebula is seriously awesome, you should check it out Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 16 min
What is Day of the Dead?
Join the RFB Patreon community!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 24-10-21 Writer: Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut Editor: Mark Henry Executive Producers: Daniel Cuevas, Jay Gotschalk Producers: Lyndsay Ballew Further Reading: R. Andrew Chesnut, "Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint," 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 14 min
The Druids: What Do We Really Know?
The Druids. The mysterious Celtic religious specialists of ancient Ireland, Britain, and Northern Europe. But who were they really? What historical evidence corroborates their existence? Uploaded 22-03-19 Become a member of our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Donate to the show at: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Follow me on: Twitter @andrewmarkhenry www.facebook.com/religionforbreakfast Bibliography: Andrew Fitzpatrick, “Druids: Towards an Archaeology,” Communities and Connections: Essays in Honor of Barry Cunliffe, 287 Anthony King and Graham Soffe, "Internal Organization and Deposition at the Iron Age Temple on Hayling Island (Hampshire), https://sites.google.com/site/tixxys/theromantemple/the-temple-in-depth Barry Cunliffe, "Druids: A Very Short Introduction," Oxford University Press, 2010. British Museum Celtic Spoons: https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details/collection_image_gallery.aspx?partid=1&assetid=791976001&objectid=828993 https://www.britishmuseum.org/research/collection_online/collection_object_details.aspx?objectId=829014&partId=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 17 min
Is Miyazaki Inspired By Shinto?
Join my online seminars on ancient religion: https://www.speakeasy.com/speaker/andrew-henry Or, join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 04-03-21 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 Watch Kaitlyn Ugoretz's new channel here: https://www.youtube.com/c/EatPrayAnime/featured Bibliography: Boyd, James W. and Nishimura Tetsuya. “Shinto Perspectives in Miyazaki’s Anime Film ‘Spirited Away.’” Journal of Religion and Film 8.3 (2004): 1-14. Ogihara-Schuck, Eriko. Miyazaki’s Animism Abroad: The Reception of Japanese Religious Themes by American and German Audiences. Jefferson: McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, 2014. Thomas, Jolyon. Drawing on Tradition: Manga, Anime, and Religion in Contemporary Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press, 2012. Ugoretz, Kaitlyn. “As the Spirit Moves You: How Studio Ghibli Films Leave Room for A Range of Religious Interpretations.” Beneath The Tangles, 23 September. Available online: https://beneaththetangles.com/2019/09/23/studio-ghibli-films-leave-room-for-a-range-of-religious-interpretations/. Wright, Lucy. “Forest Spirits, Giant Insects and World Trees: The Nature Vision of Hayao Miyazaki.” The Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 10.1 (2005): n.p. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 1 hr 15 min
Why AI Feels Spiritually Dangerous | ft. Jared Henderson
Support Religion for Breakfast on Patreon! It's the best way to keep the channel going. We recently grew from 700 to 800 patrons, and the goal is 1,000 in 2026. Join us and help make it happen: http://patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 25-03-26 Check out Jared's channel @_jared Philosopher Jared Henderson joins me to explore AI, attention, and the future of human thought. We discuss the post-literate age, synthetic relationships, and whether technology is reshaping what it means to be human. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 16 min
Intro to Indigenous Religions
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 30-01-20 Special thanks to Abel Gomez for co-writing this episode. Follow him on Twitter!: @jaratura Any world religion textbook will include Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. But how many include indigenous religions? What even are indigenous religions and how do we study them? This video was brought to you, in part, by support from Sacred Writes: Public Scholarship on Religion, funded by the Henry R. Luce Foundation and hosted by Northeastern University: https://www.sacred-writes.org/about Twitter: @ andrewmarkhenry Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andrewmarkhenry/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 10 min
The Gnostic Gospels: Were They Illegal?
A common theory is that the Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of Gnostic texts, were an illegal stash of books hidden from Orthodox Christian authorities. But recent scholarship has called this theory into question. Were the Gnostic Gospels legal? Uploaded 16-07-19 Support us on Patreon!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Or Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast Check out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Follow me on Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry Bibliography: Mark Goodacre: https://www.academia.edu/26053912/How_reliable_is_the_story_of_the_Nag_Hammadi_discovery Nicola Denzey Lewis and Justine Ariel Blount: https://www.academia.edu/8105963/_Rethinking_the_Origins_of_the_Nag_Hammadi_Library_ Brent Nongbri, "The Nag Hammadi Discovery Story," https://brentnongbri.com/2018/08/20/the-nag-hammadi-discovery-story/ Tony Burke, "What Do We Talk About When We Talk About the Nag Hammadi Library?" http://www.tonyburke.ca/wp-content/uploads/What-Do-We-Talk-About.pdf Lundhaug and Jenott, The Monastic Origins of the Nag Hammadi Codices Photo credits: Amulet: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jasper_intaglio-_Harpocrates_seated_on_lotus_in_papyrus_boat_MET_DP280467.jpg Coptic Magical Text: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coptic_magical_text_599v_apis.jpg Book of the Dead: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Imhotep%27s_Book_of_the_Dead.jpg Byzantine Amuletic Armband: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Byzantine_-_Amuletic_Armband_with_Holy_Rider,_Saints,_and_Magical_Symbols_-_Walters_542657.jpg Codex II: http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/nha/id/1381 Codex V Interior: http://ccdl.libraries.claremont.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/nha/id/1997/rec/1 Gospel of Thomas manuscript: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:El_Evangelio_de_Tom%C3%A1s-Gospel_of_Thomas-_Codex_II_Manuscritos_de_Nag_Hammadi-The_Nag_Hammadi_manuscripts.png Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 21 min
Did a Pagan Goddess Inspire Easter?
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch Becoming Human, exclusive in Nebula: https://nebula.tv/videos/realscience-how-humans-started-speaking?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 30-03-23 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 Select footage and images courtesy of Getty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 28 min
Why Religions Survive When Prophecies Fail
Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Watch QAnon Bonus Video: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-why-people-still-believe-in-qanon?ref=religionforbreakfast Get Lifetime memberships!: https://go.nebula.tv/lifetime?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 16-10-25 Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters When prophecies fail, religious movements don't always collapse. They adapt. From TikTok’s Rapture predictions to 19th-century millenarian movements, this video explores why religious groups often grow stronger after being proven wrong, and how communities survive disappointment. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 28 min
The Pre-Biblical Origins of Noah's Flood
Get a free copy of the 80,000 Hours in-depth career guide: https://80000hours.org/rfb Uploaded 25-07-24 Special thanks to the writer of this episode Paul Davidson. Check out his blog "Is that in the Bible?": https://wp.me/p4jfyy-jKF Join our Patreon community to vote on the next episode in this series! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast One-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfast 00:00 Introduction 2:11 Sumerian Flood Story 3:47 Atrahasis Epic 5:12 Epic of Gilgamesh 6:58 Genesis and Noah's Flood 8:58 Comparing the Arks 15:47 Comparing Major Themes 20:42 Sponsor: 80,000 Hours 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
Friday · 17 min
This Is Not The Buddha (yet)
Watch my tour of the Red Basilica on Nebula!: https://nebula.tv/videos/religionforbreakfast-sacred-spaces-inside-the-red-basilica-a-roman-temple-to-the-egyptian-gods?ref=religionforbreakfast Get Nebula using my link for 40% off an annual subscription: https://go.nebula.tv/religionforbreakfast Uploaded 15-05-25 Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters He’s not the Buddha—but he might be a Buddha someday. Meet Budai: a 10th-century Chinese monk turned laughing folk hero, Zen trickster, and future Buddha in disguise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 32 min
What is Daoism?
Thank you to Wondrium for sponsoring today's video! Signup for your FREE trial to Wondrium here: http://ow.ly/pNJv50KwXxF Uploaded 22-09-22 Daoism, sometimes spelled as Taoism, is a religious and philosophical tradition indigenous to China. But what is Daoism? 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: There are several excellent intro books available. Here are a few I consulted for this video: Ronnie Littlejohn, Daoism: An Introduction, 2009. Livia Kohn, Introducing Daoism, 2008. James Miller, Daoism: A Beginner's Guide, 2003. Stephen Prothero, Religion Matters: An Introduction to the World's Religions, 2020. 00:00 Intro 1:00 The Dao Explained 2:53 The Dao De Jing 7:43 The Zhuangzi 12:00 "Religious" Daoism Intro 13:40 Tianshi dao 15:07 Quanzhen dao 16:13 Daoist Canon 16:45 Daoist Deities 19:05 Self-Cultivation Techniques 21:58 21st-century Daoism Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 22 min
UFO Religions Explained
Go to https://brilliant.org/ReligionforBreakfast/ to get a 30-day free trial + the first 200 people will get 20% off their annual subscription. Uploaded 15-06-23 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 A subset of New Religious Movements draw inspiration from the complex constellation of beliefs surrounding UFOs and intelligent extraterrestrial life. Scholars call these: UFO Religions. But what are they all about? To learn more, check out the Handbook of UFO Religions edited by Dr. Ben Zeller. Brill, 2021. Select footage and images courtesy of Getty Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 24 min
Grimoires Explained: Manuals of Magic
Register for our online class "What Does It Mean To Be a Witch?" https://religionforbreakfast.eventbrite.com/ Uploaded 23-10-24 In this video, we explore the history of grimoires, manuals of magic, that shaped magical practices from ancient Egypt to modern witchcraft. Discover how these spellbooks and magical textbooks held esoteric knowledge and influenced occult traditions for centuries. Join our Patreon community! https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters 00:00 Intro and Basics 1:56 Grimoires as Elite Texts 6:31 The Magic of Writing 11:12 The Democratization of Grimoires and Contemporary Witchcraft 16:25 The Dematerialization of the Grimoire Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Friday · 37 min
The Gods of Pre-Islamic Arabia
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 SarahZ's "Three Dead Girls I Love": https://nebula.tv/videos/sarahz-three-dead-girls-i-love?ref=religionforbreakfast Uploaded 14-05-26 Thumbnail design by ⁨ @ECHenry 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 Before Islam, Arabs worshipped many gods. Using newly deciphered ancient desert inscriptions, we explore the forgotten religious world of pre-Islamic Arabia: The goddess Allāt, sacrifice, pilgrimage, fate, magic, and the everyday prayers of ordinary people. 00:00 Intro to Safaitic Inscriptions 3:44 The Goddess Allat (also Rodaw and Dushara) 8:35 The Gods On Humanity's Side (Shams, Ba'al Samin, the Gadds) 15:07 Ritual Practice (prayer, pilgrimage, sacrifice, magic) 25:45 Fate Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Showing 141–160 of 341 episodes