Curated Video
Obama Links Conservation to Climate Change
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus062268Standing beneath the forest-green peaks of the Sierra Nevada, President Barack Obama drew a connection Wednesday between conservation efforts and stopping global warming, describing the two...
PBS
India's Effort To Clean Up Sacred But Polluted Ganga River
The Ganga River, known as the Ganges under British rule, is one of the most revered waterways in the world -- and also among the most polluted. Stretching from the Himalayan foothills to the Bay of Bengal, it provides water to nearly...
TED Talks
Jonathan Haidt: Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence
Psychologist Jonathan Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: The dark history of Mount Rushmore | Ned Blackhawk and Jeffrey D. Means
Between 1927 and 1941, workers blasted 450,000 tons of rock from a mountainside using chisels, jackhammers, and dynamite. Gradually, they carved out Mount Rushmore. Today, the monument draws nearly 3 million people to South Dakota's...
TED-Ed
TED-Ed: A day in the life of an ancient Celtic Druid | Philip Freeman
As the sun rises in 55 BCE, Camma lays two pigeons on the altar at the center of her village. She wrings the birds' necks and cuts them open to examine their entrails for divine messages. Camma is a druid. She conducts religious rites,...
TED Talks
TED: An underwater art museum, teeming with life | Jason deCaires Taylor
For sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor, the ocean is more than a muse -- it's an exhibition space and museum. Taylor creates sculptures of human forms and mundane life on land and sinks them to the ocean floor, where they are subsumed by the...
Crash Course
Fire and Buffalo Goddesses: Crash Course World Mythology
This week, we're continuing our talk about the characteristics of Goddesses, and we're going to look in depth at two stories from parts of the world we haven't visited much in this series so far. From Hawaii, we're going to hear a story...
TED Talks
The worldwide web of belief and ritual - Wade Davis
* Viewer discretion advised. This video includes discussion of mature topics and may be inappropriate for some audiences. Anthropologist Wade Davis muses on the worldwide web of belief and ritual that makes us human. He shares...
TED Talks
TED: The intergenerational wisdom woven into Indigenous stories | Tai Simpson
The way we behave politically, socially, economically and ecologically isn't working, says community organizer and activist Tai Simpson. Sharing the creation myth of her Nez Perce tribe, she advocates for a return to the "old ways"...
Crash Course
Theories of Myth: Crash Course World Mythology
This week, we're talking about theories of Myth. We'll look at the different ways mythology has been studied in the last couple of millenia, and talk about the diffeent ways people have interpreted myth, academically.
Crash Course
All Night Demon Dance Party - Kathakali: Crash Course Theater #24
This week, we're headed back to India to learn about the all night dance shows that culminate in killing a Demon (metaphorically): Kathakali! This form arose in the Kerala region of India, and tells traditional Indian stories, but with...
Crash Course
Religion: Crash Course Sociology
Today we’re turning our sociological eye to another major social institution: religion. We’ll use symbolic interactionism to help us understand the dichotomy of the Sacred vs. the Profane. We’ll compare the perspectives of structural...
Curated Video
The Aryan Influx and the Evolution of Early Indian Civilization
The Indus Valley civilization began to decline around 2000 BC. This decline coincided with the arrival of the Aryans, nomadic warriors who spread across the fertile Indian plains. Their society, divided into three classes—farmers,...
Great Big Story
Quinault Indian Nation, relocating to preserve heritage
Fawn Sharp discusses the Quinault Indian Nation's move to higher ground due to climate change, emphasizing the deep connection to their ancestral lands.
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 5.3 Word Nerd: sacrifice
This video explores the etymology and evolving usage of the word "sacrifice." The video specifically analyzes the use of "sacrifice" in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," particularly in Act 5, Scene 3. The discussion provides insight...
Curated Video
Why Does Every Culture Have Myths About Trees?
Cultures around the world have venerated trees for thousands of years, often seeing them as gifts from or manifestations of Gods. With their impressive size, longevity, and ability to support life, it’s hard not to see trees as divine....
Curated Video
Romeo and Juliet 2.1 Word Nerd: Conjure
This video provides a detailed examination of the etymology and historical significance of the word "conjure," as used in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." The explanation traces the evolution of the term from its Latin roots to its...
Curated Video
A Midsummer Night's Dream 3.2.158 Word Nerd: Conjure
The word "conjure" comes from the Latin words for "with" and "oath," initially meaning to accomplish something through a sacred oath. By Shakespeare's era, it evolved to refer specifically to summoning devils or spirits by using a sacred...
Wonderscape
Jewish Beliefs and Customs: A Tapestry of Tradition and Modernity
This video delves into the shared beliefs and customs that unify Jewish people, despite their diverse backgrounds and practices. It covers key concepts like Sadaka, Tikkun Olam, Shabbat, and various Jewish holidays, including Passover,...
Australian Children's Television Foundation
A Tasmanian Devil Whisperer Comes to the Rescue
Season 1, Tasmanian Devil part 4. Kayne calls a man known in as "The Devil Whisperer" due to his knowledge of Tasmanian devils in the area. He shows them where to find a few nests and gives them a quick lesson in the history and culture...
Wonderscape
History Kids: All About Judaism
This video provides an overview of Judaism, exploring its history, beliefs, and customs. It discusses the origins of monotheism with Abraham, the importance of the Torah, and the central pillars of Jewish life. It also touches on the...
Religion for Breakfast
What Is Religion?
What is religion? The answer might not be as simple as you thought.
Religion for Breakfast
Computer Modeling Religious Violence
This is the 2nd part of my interview with Dr. Connor Wood talking about the Modeling Religion Project.
National Film Board of Canada
To Wake Up the Nakota Language
Across North America, Indigenous languages are at risk of disappearing. “When you don’t know your language or your culture, you don’t know who you are,” says Armand McArthur, one of the last fluent Nakota speakers in Pheasant Rump First...