The Most Painful Religious Rituals

Join our Patreon community!: https://patreon.com/religionforbreakfastOne-time donations here!: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfastCheck out my favorite religious studies books: https://www.amazon.com/shop/religionforbreakfast Self-flagellation. Body mortification. Fire-walking. Global religion has bunches of examples of extreme, painful rituals. But why do humans do them?Watch full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRdi0hNqVSw&feature=youtu.beFull picture: https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/9bz875/do-anthropologists-consider-the-ice-bucket-challenge-an-extreme-ritual-106All photographs are courtesy of Dr. Dimitris Xygalatas unless otherwise stated. Support the show!: https://www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfastOne time donations: https://www.paypal.me/religionforbreakfastFollow me on Twitter: @andrewmarkhenryOther photo credits:Wikimedia Commons, tajai : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:15ème_Fête_de_Ganesh_(4939345552).jpg | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Thaipusam7.jpgBibliography:Dimitris Xygalatas, "How Extreme Rituals Forge Intense Social Bonds," https://aeon.co/essays/how-extreme-rituals-forge-intense-social-bondsFischer et. al., "The Fire-Walker’s High: Affect and Physiological Responses in an Extreme Collective Ritual," February 2014 | Volume 9 | Issue 2https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088355&type=printableXygalatas et. al. “Effects of Extreme Ritual Practices on Psychophysiological Well-Being,” Current Anthropology, Volume 60, Number 5, October 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices