Crash Course Religions Season 1, Episode 3: What's the Difference Between Cults and Religion?

1

What Even IS a Religion?

Why is defining what is a religion and what is not, so difficult?

11 min

2

How Many Religions Are There?

Learn why “world religions” is a category constructed by human choice.

12 min

3

What's the Difference Between Cults and Religion?

What is a cult? How are cults different from religions?

10 min

4

What's the Difference Between Religion and Magic?

Is there really a difference between magic and religion?

12 min

5

The Infinite Stories of Hinduism

What does it mean to be Hindu?

11 min

6

Life, the Universe, and the Buddha

Let's explore the ways Buddhists try to leave that suffering behind and reach enlightenment.

11 min

7

Can a River Be A Person?

What does it mean for a river to be a person? An ancestor, even?

11 min

8

What Does it Mean to Be Jewish

What does it mean to be Jewish?

13 min

9

Sacrifice, Redemption, and Miracles: The Story of Christianity

Christianity isn’t just about Jesus.

12 min

10

The History and Practice of Islam on Earth and Beyond

In this episode of Crash Course Religions, we dig into the beliefs, pillars, and spread of Islam.

11 min

11

Religions of the African Diaspora

African religions include Islam and Christianity, but also hundreds of diverse and complex indigenou

11 min

12

Are Confucianism and Daoism philosophies or religions?

In this episode of Crash Course Religions, we’ll learn about Confucianism and Daoism!

12 min

13

Is Atheism a Religion?

We break down the different flavors of atheism and non-belief and ask if atheism is a religion?

11 min

14

How Do Religious Texts Work?

Sacred texts mean vary amongst religions—sometimes they’re essential to belief and other times not.

11 min

15

What Does Ritual Have to Do with Religion?

Rituals can mark time and space, create new identities, and connect people to something bigger.

12 min

16

Who Speaks for a Religion?

Religious leaders play a big role in shaping religions today. But who speaks for a religion?

12 min

17

Death and Afterlife Across Religions

Everybody dies—and then what?

12 min

18

Religion, Spirituality, and the Supernatural

What does it mean to be "spiritual but not religious"?

13 min

19

Are Science and Religion Compatible?

Do religion and science always have to be in conflict?

12 min

20

What Do Sex and Gender Have to Do with Religion?

What do sex, gender, and sexuality have to do with religion?

12 min

21

What Does Race Have to Do with Religion?

In this episode, we'll unpack racism’s roots in religious colonialism, and what that means for us.

11 min

22

Visions of the End of the World

How will the world end? In this episode, we explore end-of-the-world predictions.

12 min

23

What Does Religious Freedom Mean?

We might agree religious freedom is a good thing—but can we agree on what it really means?

12 min

24

Religions and Pop Culture

We’ll explore how religion shapes pop culture, and pop culture shapes religion right back.

12 min