TED Talks
TED: The unheard story of the Sistine Chapel | Elizabeth Lev
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. The Sistine Chapel is one of the most iconic buildings on earth -- but there's a lot you probably don't know about...
TED Talks
Richard Dawkins: Militant atheism
Richard Dawkins urges all atheists to openly state their position -- and to fight the incursion of the church into politics and science. A fiery, funny, powerful talk.
TED Talks
Dan Dennett: Let's teach religion -- all religion -- in schools
Philosopher Dan Dennett calls for religion -- all religion -- to be taught in schools, so we can understand its nature as a natural phenomenon. Then he takes on The Purpose-Driven Life, disputing its claim that, to be moral, one must...
TED Talks
Michael Shermer: The pattern behind self-deception
Michael Shermer says the human tendency to believe strange things -- from alien abductions to dowsing rods -- boils down to two of the brain's most basic, hard-wired survival skills. He explains what they are, and how they get us into...
TED Talks
Billy Graham: On technology and faith
Speaking at TED in 1998, Rev. Billy Graham marvels at technology's power to improve lives and change the world -- but says the end of evil, suffering and death will come only after the world accepts Christ. A legendary talk from TED's...
TED Talks
Tom Honey: Why would God create a tsunami?
In the days following the tragic South Asian tsunami of 2004, the Rev. Tom Honey pondered the question, "How could a loving God have done this?" Here is his answer.
TED Talks
Robert Thurman: We can be Buddhas
In our hyperlinked world, we can know anything, anytime. And this mass enlightenment, says Buddhist scholar Bob Thurman, is our first step toward Buddha nature.
TED Talks
Julia Sweeney: Letting go of God
When two young Mormon missionaries knock on Julia Sweeney's door one day, it touches off a quest to completely rethink her own beliefs, in this excerpt from Sweeney's solo show "Letting Go of God."
TED Talks
TED: The gospel of doubt | Casey Gerald
What do you do when your firmly held beliefs turn out not to be true? When Casey Gerald's religion failed him, he searched for something new to believe in -- in business, in government, in philanthropy -- but found only false saviors. In...
TED Talks
Karen Armstrong: Let's revive the Golden Rule
Weeks from the Charter for Compassion launch, Karen Armstrong looks at religion's role in the 21st century: Will its dogmas divide us? Or will it unite us for common good? She reviews the catalysts that can drive the world's faiths to...
TED Talks
Diane Benscoter: How cults rewire the brain
Diane Benscoter spent five years as a "Moonie." She shares an insider's perspective on the mind of a cult member, and proposes a new way to think about today's most troubling conflicts and extremist movements.
Crash Course
Aquinas & the Cosmological Arguments: Crash Course Philosophy
Our unit on the philosophy of religion and the existence of god continues with Thomas Aquinas. Today, we consider his first four arguments: the cosmological arguments.
TED Talks
TED: How I'm working for change inside my church | Chelsea Shields
How do we respect someone's religious beliefs, while also holding religion accountable for the damage those beliefs may cause? Chelsea Shields has a bold answer to this question. She was raised in the orthodox Mormon tradition, and she...
TED Talks
Rick Warren: A life of purpose
Pastor Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose-Driven Life," reflects on his own crisis of purpose in the wake of his book's wild success. He explains his belief that God's intention is for each of us to use our talents and influence to do...
TED Talks
TED: 12 truths I learned from life and writing | Anne Lamott
A few days before she turned 61, writer Anne Lamott decided to write down everything she knew for sure. She dives into the nuances of being a human who lives in a confusing, beautiful, emotional world, offering her characteristic...
TED Talks
TED: My failed mission to find God -- and what I found instead | Anjali Kumar
Anjali Kumar went looking for God and ended up finding something else entirely. In an uplifting, funny talk about our shared humanity, she takes us on a spiritual pilgrimage to meet witches in New York, a shaman in Peru, an infamous...
Crash Course
Intelligent Design: Crash Course Philosophy
Last week we introduced Thomas Aquinas’s four cosmological arguments for the existence of god; today we introduce his fifth argument: the teleological argument, and the ensuing dialogue it initiated.
Crash Course
Anselm & the Argument for God: Crash Course Philosophy
Today we are introducing a new area of philosophy – philosophy of religion. We are starting this unit off with Anselm’s argument for God’s existence, while also considering objections to that argument.
TED-Ed
A brief history of the devil | Brian A. Pavlac
Satan, the beast crunching sinners' bones. Lucifer, the fallen angel. Mephistopheles, the trickster striking deals. These three divergent devils are all based on Satan of the Old Testament. But unlike any of these literary devils, the...
TED Talks
Matthieu Ricard: The habits of happiness
What is happiness, and how can we all get some? Biochemist turned Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard says we can train our minds in habits of well-being, to generate a true sense of serenity and fulfillment.
Curated Video
Darwin's Dilemma
The creation, controversy and competition surrounding the publication of Darwin's most iconic work: The Origin of Species. Biology - Adaptation And Evolution - Learning Points. Darwin, an English scientist, worked on his theory of...
Curated Video
The Pledge of Allegiance
All across the United States, its citizens regularly stand, with hands on heart, to make the Pledge of Allegiance. But what is it, what does it mean and why is it so important?
Curated Video
Joseph Smith: American Prophet
Inspired by the religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening, Joseph Smith founded the most widely-practiced religion founded in the United States, the Mormon faith.
Curated Video
God's Clouds & Umbrellas by Marjorie Gettys
An uplifting work that will inspire children to share their God-given gifts with the world. Using clouds and umbrellas as metaphors for the changes that occur in life, the author reassures the reader that all things work out for the good...