this vid is SO affirming to me!! this series is just educational for me, as i was raised outside of the church or any religion. great place to come from when reading scripture but, i’ve been unsure if my bias was clouding my judgment. im a trans gay man so, i’ve heard it referenced tons & decided to read it myself a bit ago! my notes say, “THIS is why ppl think homosexuality is bad?!!? it sounds like they’re telling us r@pe is bad!!!” it’s very nice to hear i understood the message, even if it’s very personally upsetting. not trying to brag LOL, just wanted share how cool it is 2 ppl from diff generations & very different cultures can garner the same lesson from such a story! :)

On this particular topic I have seen enough scientific medical, psychological research that shows the homosexual lifestyle as ultimately having a negative impact on the human brain and body. I have also witnessed how Christians who deny the legitimacy of a homosexual lifestyle are routinely denounced as homophobic, intolerant, even hateful. There is thus tremendous intimidation concerning this issue. Sadly, many churches have moved away from the historic Christian position, capitulating to the post-modern rhetoric around homosexuality , and endorsed its lifestyle and even ordain those who practice it to serve as their ministers. So when the pedophiles choose to emerge from the closet...do they get the same treatment? Or will we throw the Book at them?

Very helpful insights Jennifer. Sex before marriage (as in a "ceremony" and a "piece of paper") is a sorely misunderstood topic in churches today. I've even seen how church leaders exercise scary control over young couples and get to say whether 'The Lord' approves of their relationship or not. Creepy.

Thank You Jenni ...been trying to tell my Christian friends this for years! It's questions like these that poke the hornets nest in most church circles. "Can a man and a women, date, fall in love, have kids and do life together and be married in God's eyes, WITHOUT a wedding ceremony or a signed piece of paper?" I asked this in the light of the latest wave of men opting out of 'legal' paper marriages, because the courts generally favor women in divorces, and he is left paying maintenance for her shopping sprees. It sounds like a ridiculous question , but did 'legal' marriage certificates and ceremonies arrive AFTER Adam and Eve sinned, or BEFORE? _I believe that Christians in particular need to stop making dating complicated. If there's mutual attraction that looks emotionally centered, then do life together without expecting that a piece of paper called a Marriage Certificate is going to magically guarantee you a blessed future in the sight of God. A church wedding and marriage certificate were not part of God's instruction to Adam & Eve._ _Sex is an incredibly powerful emotional bond between a man and a woman. As long as we don't reduce the meaning of 'married' down to a piece of paper or a ceremony. As if that is the only license needed to have intercourse with the person you fell in love with. It is entirely possible for 2 people to fall in love, have kids and be happy without a signed piece of paper saying that they can now kiss and make love and have a family. I think that Humans started their own troubles by making marriage an 'event' and a 'legal document'._ Let's stop the marriage illusion today, and find out what the word actually means! God Bless Lance Antonio Marchetti

We knew about imperial cult when I was in theology at uni back in the 70’s. Yes. I’m old.

Wait I’m sorry are you Christian or atheist?

Yes, this stems from a misunderstanding of the Bible.

Learned about it in High School as part of general history.

I have heard of thr imperial cult, I learned that it promoted the worship of the emperors' "genious" to help the emperor rule justly, or well.

The universe is governed by laws. Jesus comes to fulfill the law according to the spirit. The crucifixion story is imagery. It is fulfilled that YHWH may be justified when he speaks and vindicated in his sentence. Arjuna questions Krishna on the consequences of going to war and becomes Job wondering why he suffers for no apparent reason. There are two appearances, within the same generation - the sacrifice followed by the resurrection. The warrior Messiah followed by the suffering servant Messiah. The wrath of the sacrificial lamb followed by the child sacrifice as the scapegoat with the sin placed on him. ...in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption (Rom 8:20-21 NABO) YHWH and Christ, in becoming the Snake (Serpent) and the Worm, bore that corruption, in demonstration of the Spirit and of ability: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of YHWH (1Co 2:4-5) For the Spirit scrutinizes everything, even the depths of YHWH, (1Co 2:10 NABO) that the just demands of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live... according to the spirit (Rom 8:4 NABO) Strike at my heel, will you! You little deceiver (and usurper). Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau! (Gen 32:12 NABO) Esau ran to meet him, embraced him, and flinging himself on his neck, kissed him as he wept. (Gen 33:4 NABO) YHWH is shaking in his boots! No one comes to the Father you spring from, Santa Claus, except through me, Krampus, the Gatekeeper. there is no mediator when only one party is involved, and YHWH is one. (Gal 3:20 NAB) the one who ascended far above all the heavens (Eph 4:10 NABO) never to return to corruption (Act 13:34 NABO) Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. (Mar 13:31 NAB)

Women are men. Genesis Chapter 3.

26:20 “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” takes on a slightly different meaning than just “pay your taxes.”

love the show but the constant references to Ply- Knee drove me mad. is that the way americans call him? Always thought it was Pl - in -ee. 😅

Why did you skip the part where Lot knew so much that the guys in that town wanted to sexually rape the angels so bad that Lot said you can rape my virgin daughters if you want to, just leave these 2 guys alone? People who have been raped always say it has a sexual component to it. How do you not know that?

To me the important lessons from Pliny Jr.'s letters are that (a) Christianity was almost moribund in early 2nd century northern Turkey ("Bithynia and Pontus") (b) Christians had never come to substantial judicial attention in Rome; otherwise Pliny would not have been so at sea about who and what they were, having been chief of police in Rome for many years. Even if such activity preceded him, Pliny Sr. would have written it up and he would have read that. I am inclined to treat the line about torturing deaconesses as a late, hagiographic interpolation. Abuse was later-century Christians' bread and butter.

This is my first time hearing about the empirical cult, but I have heard about some of the things they did without knowing the connection 😉

Everyone possesses a religious instinct, whether they like the idea of that or not. If whatever meaning you perceive in your life is damaged, you will find yourself in a psychological crisis until that meaning, sense of purpose, place in the world is repaired or replaced with an alternative to the damaged sense of meaning. As we evolve as individuals, organized religion will tend to provide still fewer answers and solutions in life.

Bonjour, cette présentation sur les éléments élaborant une religion est très instructive. Merci professeur Jennifer Bird.✌️✌️☮️☮️❤️❤️

Men and the patriarchy are fragile and project a lot so they might be worried all they’re good for is giving sperm. Female bodies create the baby, and babies start out as female, too. Also, their fragility makes them fear being one-upped, so to speak. People have said this in more serious tones and in more academic ways than I have, but those are some things I’ve seen.

Dr. Bird, good episode! Fun! I knew about Pliny's letter and that it referenced the 'Christians' because apologists like to use it as proof of a historical Jesus (a weak argument), but it had been a long time since I read about exactly HOW Trajan dealt w/ them. Interesting to see the breadth of the influence of the Imperial cult. My question about John was trying to infer info about John: he could read/write, he was educated, his parents were successful people with the means to pay for schooling (which would imply his family might have lived there for a few generations and perhaps had a business of some kind that made them money). In about 145 bce the Romans probably took over the island from the Greeks and started sending criminals and political prisoners there, so when John was exiled, there were buildings to house the prisoners and administrative buildings. John probably had food and water as a prisoner and had papyrus and a stylus provided so he could write, which would have been provided by the Romans. As I recall, there was a harbor with harbor facilities at the time where prisoners and supplies would be brought over, so unlike how we've traditionally thought of John's exile as being on a barren island and him living in a cave and eating bugs, mice, bird eggs, and a few plants he foraged for, he would have been fairly well taken care of. Also, somehow, his papyrus of Revelation got off the island, even though it's a negative missive about Rome and the emperor! Go figure! There's a lot that can be sussed out of history about this island and John's exile there...

I have heard of the imperial cult. We have a very similar cult he in US, of which I am NOT a member. Really enjoy your videos, been watching them on my daughter's TV so have just now had chance to subscribe. Been following your work since your first appearance on Mythvision through

I recall doing Latin in school and it included various content - Pliny's constant 'what do I do about....' to Trajan was part of the course; and the 'what to do about these christians' one of the letters we translated

I heard a while ago that the reason well-educated people are less religious is not because they're better at critical thinking, but that education provides the majority of things that religion does: 1) It maintains traditions (and their histories) and belief systems (with evidence) 2) Myths (ie, stories) and symbols abound 3) It provides skills and tools for people to "save" or better their world 4) It puts higher importance on places and objects as subjects of study 5) It provides habits that improve well-being 6) It focuses on specific writings as subjects of study, and holds that all information is important 7) It creates communities of practice, and makes learners more pro-social 8) Lifelong learning and following curiosity are "sacred experiences" and deeply fulfilling 9) It instills *reasons* for ethical and moral behavior, allowing learners to better react to ethical scenarios in the future 10) It has experts whose authority is built by their own education, experience and practice 11) Okay maybe not really this one 12) Or this one. If you want to know why certain religious communities oppose public or higher education, it's because it's a competitor.

Always enjoy your take on things.

I like it! critical thinking outside the emotional knee jerk reactions. yes helpful dr jaybird

I definitely agree that there's more room for nuance in a lot of online discussions. But generally I chalk that up to being less informed on the subject. So it's ultimately a matter of lack of access than anything. Where access here refers not just to availability but also time and motivation. Too which any lasting solution is going to entail a radical restructuring of our society. So I'm skeptical of the long term efficacy of interim solutions. Fight the good fight and all that but it's ultimately the fable of Sisyphus. That said, I've met plenty of former daoists, buddhists, etc. They tend to describe a lot of the same issues that former christians tend to talk about. There's a kind of inverse phenomenon here which I've observed where people with a non-western perspective on these things seek to align themselves as being "not-christian" in the sense that they want their beliefs, practices, etc. to be viewed as distinct from "religion" even when they describe the things they do which, with a different coat of paint, would be indistinguishable from christian practices. I can't help but feel like a lot of this discussion is more about establishing a social identity in opposition to the hegemonic group than anything else. Maybe a person's "analytical framework" or whatever term they choose to use is much closer to "religion" than they'd like to admit? Feels more like taking issue with the label itself and where it's coming from rather than the conceptual package underlying the whole thing.

My main problem is with the priests and leadership that are only too human.

I wish I had taken one of your classes! loved this video. Even though I disagree with your main point. I agree that, taken individually, most of the things you listed can be wonderful, but I believe that when combined into a "religion" they are inevitably degraded. I feel that religions have a fatal flaw: their main purpose is to create a rigid cultural identity which is used to define friend from foe. This is just human nature, and if there were no religions, we would find another way to do it. But religions are by far the worst offenders.

In the first instance religions are mirrors, that work two ways. They reflect the people that came up with them, and they reflect the livability of the environments that gave birth to them. Consider, the desert god is a bit of a handful. IN your face, and many other places besides, much like sand. Relentless, like the heat. Demanding and tough, like the environment. Make a mistake and it's likely to be fatal. Consider the Norse mythology - from the lands of fire and ice - their mythology reflecting this and their "way of being religious". You might be forgiven for thinking that this is why the Northern Europeans embraced protestantism and removed all the icons and colourful things from their churches, to reflect the often grey skies and wet weather. A cold, remote god, hard to please, reflecting a cold climate, far from the warmth of the South, and often hard work to be in. The bible also contains some cosmological truths, very deeply buried in amongst the mythology and the story telling. Whether the stories and the myths were concocted to ensure those truths were passed along is another matter. It sort of has to be that, because the alternative requires magical thinking. Genesis then, far from being "the story of creation", is the account, HEAVILY mythologised and edited for later claims to supremacy, of the world recovering from some sort of cataclysm. Sufficient to darken the skies and flood the known world. The waters being to subside and the atmosphere begins to clear. Celestial objects begin to become visible. Now that the waters have stopped surging and have settled down, fish return. Then land animals. "Adam", likely a survivor in some sort of underground shelter (there are whole ancient cities underground in Turkey), found some area that offered a lot of protection on all sides, rounded up some cattle and moved them there, then went and fetched his partner/wife. By the time the resultant sons were old to need wives other survivors had appeared in the area and here were people "at the well". Given that this "cataclysm" is recognised, and that it's part of a pattern of such events that happen with "regularity", and that this is attested to elsewhere in the canon of human literature, we can see why it is that we have no idea who we are, or how long we've been here, or even if "here" is home. 99.9% of human archives do not survive these events, resetting us back to the stone age every time it happens. As an aside, I wonder if this why we haven't become an interstellar species. We get, at best, about 12,000 years between major events, with "half cycles" around the 6000 year mark. The aftermath of the most recent of which is what Genesis describes; but is really the recovery of the biosphere, written by someone with delusions of grandeur. The Carrington Event of 1859 is worth knowing about, and then imagine that on a planetary scale. And then consider that in light of "the great and terrible day of the Lord". There's more that could be said, but time prohibits for now.

I have significant difficulty with the idea that religion is intrinsically human. I would say that an intrinsic part of humans is to default to assuming agency to almost everything - especially the unexpected. I would also accept that religion has proven effective in humans for structuring power and meeting social and emotional needs. But i don't think that expediency or efficacy equates to it being intrinsic. Happy to have this challenged though 😊

I think Jesus spoke quite definitely on marriage: Matt 19:6 "They are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." What is God's design for joining couples? It includes the built-in system of sexual attraction and bonding. From Matt 5^27-30 Looking with lust is adultery. "If your eye offends you, pluck it out". In the OT it seems that Deuteronomy 22:28-30 deals with premarital sex. The verb in some versions rendered as rape is not the word for rape. It is the verb for using a tool or musical instrument. I think it is just a vigorous word for youthful sex. What this say is that if a young couple not betrothed (promised by their parents to each other) jump the gun, that act is take to be the start of their marriage. Sex is identified with marriage.

Sometimes an agnostic position is better than a corrupted religion. I meam less harmful.

I have thought about a word wide organization that encourages the arts, sciences, mathematics, etc, you know all the accumulated knowledge that has brought us human innovations to create human wellbeing when done right. I have addressed many of these list topics but in a secular society structure, similar to a governance.

9:12 I would suggest that people think about a library & that everyone is silent. It is very ritualistic.

Like this. I really don't like the word "religious" - people often say are you religious, meaning do you believe in god - I'm part of a "religion", but I don't think of myself as "religious", because to me that word says someone who is into all the trappings of religion, like meetings, rituals, having spiritual experiences etc., and that's not me. I have reasons to believe what I believe, but I don't want to be told how to live it. Which can be problematic with people on both sides of the fence trying to "put me right".

This could be interesting. I just finished going through Acts and I found it a more interesting and complex work than I first remembered. I came to a tentative conclusion that Acts wasn't written by the same author as Luke's gospel and that the work isn't truly a unity. That is it is a layered work with Ch 20-28 coming first, then Ch 16-19 and the largely legendary background passages of Ch 1-15 on order to foreground the Pauliad. One thing that caught my eye in Acts is how mobile (geographically) religious communities are, both Christian and Jewish. The Jews appear geographically networked. If Paul has a negative encounter in one city then they will send representatives to the next city to agitate things, and ultimately to Jerusalem itself. How likely is this in reality? It marks a degree of evangelical and apologetic fervour in both Christian and Jewish communities. I am a little sceptical that is realistic. I agree about antisemitic aspects of the text. I broadly see this as a kind of parallel to the life of Jesus. Rejected by the High Priest and the Sanhedrin and handed over to the gentiles (Roman authorities) who find no fault in him. At the conclusion Paul says 'I appeal to Caesar'. Did Caesar spend most of his time adjudicating minor obscure religious disputes in far away provinces? Surely the entire point of having Kings and provincial governors is that they have the full authority to decide cases brought before them. So I don't think it's a straight historical text.

You know how they say that alcohol is both the cause of and solution to all of your problems? Well myth is kind of like that to the human species.

5:54 - Yup!! Let's talk Isaiah 45:7... you feel like I'm the serpent teaching you about 'evil'. Hidden in our faces (and ruining us) for thousands of years. Go get 'em doc!! 💞

0:44 🤣🤣🤣 What religions do? Well, once a person can be a bit more rational, much of the drama in these writings can be reduced to very basic - and wonderful - instruction when you know the 'construct'. Otherwise, it is the Great SWORD that takes peace from the earth.

Religion. Great stuff. Somewhere is our 'God' saying... "What is this I have done??"

List of 12...coincidence? I think not haha, 12, number of completeness, perfection, disciples, tribes, months, zodiac. You're not going to find it in Religion, Religion separates you from the divine, you just don't measure up, you need to be "saved" which is a lie, "Religion is the "Business" the arose out of Spirituality". The psycho paths (Ancients and still today) figured out a long time ago they could Scare the people into bringing the King and Priests food, gold, treasures, anything they would ask for for protection/saved, the king from worldly threats and the priests from other worldly threats, Forbes list of psycho path occupations, clergy #8....Don't get me wrong Religion is an interesting subject i love digging into. Man i could go on and on and on.

What I find extraordinarily fascinating is how this set of features applies to many "secular" communities and movements. So-called religion appears to be more a modality of community-making and -shaping.

Someone knows more than yes and no of theism or atheism. The human need to show and tell more than time is telling.

the abrahamic traditions are just made up trash go back to sanatan dharma

Are we living in an age of _nuance?_

Thank you Dr Bird...looking forward to it

Jesus/IesU, a personification of the sun, just like Noah/Osiris, and Moses, is a Transgender. During the six days of Genesis one, the savior sun is female and during the six nights is male. Jesus, symbolic of the winter sun/male is crucified (not killed) as we leave the winter season (death) and enter the summer season/female (life). The same female sun is crucified at the autumn equinox and becomes male. This is the crucifixion in Egypt. See Rev where the savior sun is crucified in Egypt and at Calvary. Also see Isaiah 47.3 where Isaiah (savior sun) comes out of winter, not as a man (barren earth) but as a woman (nurture). ....and don't forget Jesus wearing the girdle of Aphrodite around his paps. This tale is modified with the taking of the first night (Libra) and adding it to the six days. Thus leaving the male sun with only five signs (Scorpion - Pisces). see Rev. 9.5. See Painting of Michael (who is like god) holding the sword of Ares (Aries) in his right hand and scales (Libra) in his left hand. Also see the goddess of Liberty (think Roman Liber) holding sword in her left hand and scales in her right hand.

Thank you Jennifer for being so kind and helpful!

It is a sin, but the reality is that the human race as a race no longer exists. What we witness every day is an alien race that is the leftovers of the human race.