Jerusalem Syndrome: Real or Not?

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  • Опубліковано 4 сер 2024
  • Lots of people have heard of Jerusalem Syndrome...the phenomenon of tourists suddenly having religiously-themed psychotic episodes upon visiting Jerusalem. But is this a real mental condition?
    Support the show on Patreon!: www.patreon.com/religionforbreakfast
    Follow on Twitter: @andrewmarkhenry
    Facebook: religionforbreakfast
    Insta: / andrewmarkhenry
    Sources:
    Louise Howard (ed.), Kalian and Witztum, "Comments on Jerusalem Syndrome." British Journal of Psychiatry (2000) 176
    Moshe Kalian and Eliezer Witztum, “Jerusalem Syndrome as reflected in the pilgrimage and biographies of four extraordinary women from the 14th century to the end of the second millennium.” Mental Health, Religion and Culture, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2002.
    Yair Bar-El et. al. “Jerusalem Syndrome,” British Journal of Psychiatry, (2000), 176, 86-90.
    Samson episode: www.nytimes.com/1992/05/13/wor...
    Moshe Kalian and Eliezer Witztum, "The management of Pilgrims with Malevolent Behavior in a Holy Space: A study of Jerusalem Syndrome,” chapter 8 in Maria Leppakari et. al. (eds.) Pilgrimage and Tourism to Holy Cities: Ideological and Management Perspectives
    2017 Tourist Figures: www.jpost.com/Israel-News/More...

КОМЕНТАРІ • 503

  • @sudocatsda1guy390
    @sudocatsda1guy390 6 років тому +958

    When I was in Jerusalem, I saw some of those people. Poor, delusional folks. I felt sorry for them. Then I realised I could actually help them, because I am the messiah

    • @jimslickens2325
      @jimslickens2325 3 роки тому +114

      They had us in the first half, not gonna lie

    • @truewarrior3646
      @truewarrior3646 3 роки тому +13

      😀😀😆😆😉😉 oh Snap.

    • @darkwolve
      @darkwolve 3 роки тому +46

      How are you the messiah when I'm the messiah!? Wait... Are we twinsiahs!? 😆

    • @jomun0z912
      @jomun0z912 3 роки тому +1

      😭

    • @georgem7502
      @georgem7502 3 роки тому +7

      You’re not the Messiah.... 🤣

  • @Monosekist
    @Monosekist 3 роки тому +138

    I would imagine that going to the world's biggest Evangelion theme park makes a few people go insane every once in a while.

    • @fafo867
      @fafo867 3 роки тому +7

      man imagine an actual Evangelion theme park. i can allready hear: Shinji, start bullying the offended catholics!

    • @Amoebacity
      @Amoebacity 3 роки тому +6

      My favorite ride is the Childhood Traumanator

    • @bellalugosisrightnipple3719
      @bellalugosisrightnipple3719 3 роки тому +2

      @@giuseppelogiurato5718 disney doesn't have anywhere near the same magnetism that religion has , I guarantee a handful of people a day think they're the second coming of jesus lol

  • @Leggett1994
    @Leggett1994 6 років тому +283

    I think we all want to be the main character in this life.

    • @tbishop4961
      @tbishop4961 3 роки тому +9

      You can't though.
      If you wind up in Oklahoma, I'll let you play an extra assuming you have an amusing skill

    • @alspezial2747
      @alspezial2747 3 роки тому +13

      every one is the main character of their own live (except people who see their children as more important than themselves)

    • @Ant42Lee
      @Ant42Lee 3 роки тому +8

      There's actually a psychological bias that everyone has which makes people assume that they are more important to whatever's going on around them than they actually are

    • @mightymadrid
      @mightymadrid 3 роки тому +8

      We are

    • @ghostgate82
      @ghostgate82 3 роки тому +11

      I’d rather be the best supporting actor to the main Protagonist.

  • @bigkkm
    @bigkkm 6 років тому +185

    The concept of "sacred spaces" tends to trigger some believers. Jerusalem is sacred spaces on steroids, so this is not surprising. Once again, a very thoughtful exercise. Thank you!

    • @thecannaviking
      @thecannaviking 5 років тому

      ua-cam.com/video/vFU8vCHZBbc/v-deo.html

  • @disposablebasterd
    @disposablebasterd 3 роки тому +61

    When I was in 3rd grade my Elementry school principal went to Jerusalem and came back all super religious fro the rest of the year.

    • @RexoryByzaboo
      @RexoryByzaboo 3 роки тому +3

      Woah, how did he act?

    • @RobMacKendrick
      @RobMacKendrick 3 роки тому +4

      At least he seems to have gotten over it. Some people are incurable.

    • @flopimus
      @flopimus 3 роки тому +1

      Was he ever the same after rocking the super religious fro?!

  • @Grmario85
    @Grmario85 6 років тому +54

    Well the first time i entered the gates of Jerusalem in 2013, my knees became weak and i got goosebumps. Couldn't believe where i was. That is the closest i got to the Jerusalem syndrome.

  • @GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic
    @GeneticallyModifiedSkeptic 6 років тому +463

    Religious studies and mental health discussed in the same video hits the sweet spot for me. I had never heard of this specific phenomenon, so thanks for teaching me something! Your videos are always an instant watch for me.

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +74

      Awesome. Cognitive science is huge in religious studies right now. Some of my favorite research in this field.

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 6 років тому +7

      A while ago I watched a whole course (on youtube) by Prof Robert Sapolsky on evolution and neuroscience and he mentioned the Jerusalem syndrome somewhere in one of the lectures. If I remember correctly he said cases are not uncommon and first aid responders and doctors have learnt to recognise them quickly and treat them effectively.
      He spoke of short duration and complete remission once the subject is back home so I don't know if these mild cases make it into the statistics or Prof Sapolsky was talking on anecdotal evidence.

    • @IAmAlgolei
      @IAmAlgolei 6 років тому +14

      I've been intrigued by Jerusalem syndrome and Paris syndrome for a while now. They're usually considered to be "transient mental disorders" and severe forms of culture shock. The part I find most interesting is that Paris syndrome is particularly associated with Japanese visitors. It should be noted, however, that only around 20 Japanese visitors are reported to have been affected by it per year. Apparently the reality of Paris does not match up to most Japanese tourists' over-romanticised expectations.

    • @jd2981
      @jd2981 6 років тому +8

      Genetically Modified Skeptic I see you everywhere

    • @wallswitheyesjr
      @wallswitheyesjr 5 років тому +8

      @Andro mache the God of the Bible is not believed to be a personal butler who will give you whatever you want if you pray hard enough for it. So no, cutting off your hand and praying it will grow back does not disprove the existence of the Biblical God. That is a ridiculous argument.

  • @stevehurl298
    @stevehurl298 3 роки тому +26

    Well-said, well-paced, beautiful backdrop for your essay, and no annoying, over-loud music track. Way to go.

  • @GhostRanger5060
    @GhostRanger5060 3 роки тому +43

    I saw this manifest one time. A big boy from Alabama who went into a catatonic state after about three days in Israel. We weren't even in Jerusalem but at an Army base not too far from the airport in Joppa. When he wasn't in a catatonic state he was jabbering about spiritual things and seeing "visions." It was an overnight personality change. We were not on a religious tour nor were we in a spiritual environment at the time. He was put in a taxi and sent off to the US Embassy but got out of the cab and disappeared. Call it what you want -- possession, mental illness, or hyped up emotionalism but it's a real thing. Despite the somewhat skeptical tone of this video.

    • @Crossword131
      @Crossword131 3 роки тому

      Imma guess you are military. And I believe you 100%

  • @jaygon8656
    @jaygon8656 6 років тому +224

    What's up with the thumbnail? Is there something you'd like to tell us? Lol

    • @midnightswim34
      @midnightswim34 3 роки тому +8

      Yeah I thought the same thing...odd thumbnail choice.

    • @hermask815
      @hermask815 3 роки тому +1

      2nd coming.

    • @samuelmartinez493
      @samuelmartinez493 3 роки тому +45

      In the video he's talking about a condition where people have the illusion that they are the messiah (or think they know the future) so the picture is a parallel of that. It makes sense

    • @heronofheaven
      @heronofheaven 3 роки тому +9

      His psychosis made him to believe he was the Messiah

    • @aos757
      @aos757 3 роки тому +6

      He’s got a rocking profile view and he knows it lol

  • @alspezial2747
    @alspezial2747 3 роки тому +23

    when i was in a steel factory at the place where they blow oxygen into the molten metal and giant flames comes out of it, i was so amazed that my jaw dropped and i was frozen in place.

  • @xtscarfacem8255
    @xtscarfacem8255 3 роки тому +27

    This channel is becoming one of my favorite. As an atheist that wants to keep learning I find it informative and he doesn't seem to take sides. Great channel!

    • @greggeverman5578
      @greggeverman5578 3 роки тому

      Catholic here who also appreciates it.
      Hope this isn't scandalous but...

    • @xtscarfacem8255
      @xtscarfacem8255 3 роки тому +1

      @@greggeverman5578 why would it be scandalous.? Im here to learn. I also question and take it as a guide to do research on my own.

    • @hasanmuttaqin464
      @hasanmuttaqin464 2 роки тому

      @@greggeverman5578 but what? spit it out.

  • @chrisrowl
    @chrisrowl 6 років тому +79

    The lack of sacred space and action in (modern) daily life further contributes to this phenomena. Life has become largely profane, so people have little connection to true sacred experience in any part of life.

    • @eclipsesolar8345
      @eclipsesolar8345 4 роки тому

      Spot on !

    • @adamplentl5588
      @adamplentl5588 4 роки тому +5

      "True sacred experience."
      Can you elaborate on what exactly constitutes one of those?

    • @imperiumoccidentis7351
      @imperiumoccidentis7351 3 роки тому +17

      @@adamplentl5588 And here's the smarmy fedora atheist coming out swinging to destroy everyone with facts and logic.

    • @BeOtterMyFriend
      @BeOtterMyFriend 3 роки тому +3

      @@imperiumoccidentis7351 Not everyone. You cannot destroy the factual und logical with facts and logic. If facts and logic are a threat of destruction for something that is quite telling about the nature of that thing. Wouldn't you agree?

    • @imperiumoccidentis7351
      @imperiumoccidentis7351 3 роки тому +14

      ​@@BeOtterMyFriend Except "facts and logic" are not the be-all and end-all of the human experience, nor of life in general. Things like procreation, love, morality, emotions or the need for meaning have no basis in facts or logic.

  • @christianschloth8656
    @christianschloth8656 6 років тому +2

    good to have ya back

  • @daddyleon
    @daddyleon 6 років тому +5

    I'm getting a Dirk of Vertarasium vibe here, tone of voice, cadence, casual yet informative, even the way of walking... it all works!

    • @greggeverman5578
      @greggeverman5578 3 роки тому

      The raw power his brain is emitting is palpable!

  • @greggeverman5578
    @greggeverman5578 3 роки тому +5

    REALLY appreciated and learned from the unbiased opinions.
    You dah man.

  • @johnkilmartin5101
    @johnkilmartin5101 6 років тому +19

    I may be off base here but my understanding was the point of a pilgrimage was to have a religious experience at the site. There is an Irish poem from the ninth century I think that says something to the effect if you don't bring him whom you seek with you then you will not find him there (referring to a pilgrimage to Rome).

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +11

      I think there were many motivations. In the early Byzantine period (my area of study), many people went on pilgrimages to obtain magical souvenirs from the site. An amulet with a picture of St. Symeon on it for example.

    • @howtubeable
      @howtubeable 6 років тому +2

      John Kilmartin Exactly. A pilgrimage is not a vacation resort. Practice spiritual disciplines, and you should arrive expecting some kind of spiritual drama to unfold. If God is everywhere equally, then you might as well spend your time at Disneyland.

    • @RobMacKendrick
      @RobMacKendrick 3 роки тому +1

      Said Robert Pirsig: "The only Zen you find on mountaintops is the Zen you bring up there." (I'm a Zen monk, and not an unreserved fan of Pirsig's Zen musings, but here and there he nails it.)

  • @AngeloNasios
    @AngeloNasios 6 років тому +2

    Very good analysis. Thanks

  • @aaronpaterson1615
    @aaronpaterson1615 6 років тому +11

    Considering you are walking around talking, you are doing a decent job as it appears to be talking off the top of yiur head and that's pretty amazing. Now where did I leave my prozac this morning?

  • @sh3lieMa3
    @sh3lieMa3 3 роки тому +2

    That cloudless sky and buildings in the background looks so beautiful

  • @GargamelGold
    @GargamelGold 6 років тому +98

    ReligionForBreakfast,
    Speaking of religion and mental illness, its a big pet peeve of mine where some anti theists insist that religion is a mental illness. maybe you could do a video debunking that claim.

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +77

      Yeah that really annoys me too. Basically people are just trying to be trolls when they say that.

    • @GargamelGold
      @GargamelGold 6 років тому +19

      ReligionForBreakfast,
      I think that some of them are actually serious through, which is the biggest reason I think you or someone else should consider making a video discrediting that argument. I've actually heard some people try to use it as a legitimate argument against religion when they weren't just trolling.

    • @atomicb8222
      @atomicb8222 6 років тому +3

      GargamelGold Jordan Peterson

    • @pansepot1490
      @pansepot1490 6 років тому +13

      GargamelGold, I don't believe religion is a mental illness but there are extreme manifestations inside religion such as demonic possession, mystic visions, or hearing of voices, that can be caused by mental health problems. Do you think these cases call for debunking too? Or do you think they all must have a supernatural origin?

    • @colinp2238
      @colinp2238 6 років тому

      ReligionForBreakfast You are most likely correct about the trolling but there must be cases throughout history where the mentality of some are deeply affected by religion (in all forms including the so called new age beliefs).

  • @howardcurtis9138
    @howardcurtis9138 3 роки тому +3

    An Israeli ex-pat friend of mine asked me if I wanted to visit Israel with him. While we were there his relative asked me, "You're a Christian, aren't you?" I explained that I was raised Christian but no longer consider myself one. He said that nevertheless I should visit the shrines of my (former) religion while I was in Israel. When my friend and I went to Nazareth, he asked me if I wanted to go to the Basilica of the Annunciation. "Why not?" I figured. We went inside, walked up to what looked like a communion rail and knelt down. Below, we could see the ruin of the porch of a house with a pillar. Suddenly in my mind's eye I could see the Virgin Mary and the Angel, and in my mind's ear hear the Gospel narrative. I began trembling and sobbing uncontrollably. My "rational" mind said, "What the f. is happening to me? I don't even believe in this religion!" My friend asked if I wanted to leave and we left immediately. I wonder to this day what that was all about. Jerusalem syndrome? Or scratch a so-called 'recovering Catholic' and find out he isn't so 'recovered" after all?

  • @dj-kq4fz
    @dj-kq4fz 3 роки тому +7

    What's Paris syndrome like? Refusal to speak english while being overwhelmed with ennui and constantly wishing for a baguette? I do love Paris by the way.

    • @RobMacKendrick
      @RobMacKendrick 3 роки тому

      I suspect Paris Syndrome is being snotty and rude to random people. (I'm from Marseille, by the way.)

    • @bradhartliep879
      @bradhartliep879 3 роки тому +1

      Paris Syndrome is when you run into a German and automatically raise your hands in surrender ..

    • @bearcb
      @bearcb 2 роки тому +1

      I’ve read that it happens mainly with Japanese tourists who have an idealized vision of the city, and have a mental colapse when confronted with reality (some dirty places, traffic, beggars, tourist traps etc).
      Being more realistic, I think it’s a great city, even with those annoyances.

  • @blakewright575
    @blakewright575 6 років тому +3

    Ummm... I just discovered your channel, and I have to tell you... I LOVE IT! Thank you!
    PS I’m post LDS and I initially was interested in the deep theology, which led me to study the history, which has led me to my interest in the psychology of religion.

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +3

      Glad you found the channel! The psychology of religion is one of my favorite aspects of this field.

  • @justsipi
    @justsipi 6 років тому +10

    my sister got into a manic episode after she visited jerusalem. that's how we discovered she is bipolar. also you say especially for christian but my sister's jewish. and i know some other jews that this happened to them as well

  • @Trp44
    @Trp44 3 роки тому +1

    Great Post...Thank You

  • @Ant42Lee
    @Ant42Lee 3 роки тому +45

    If anyone needs a chuckle, I recommend the song "Jerusalem" by Dan Bern about a guy going through an episode of Jerusalem syndrome

    • @brighteyesandstardust
      @brighteyesandstardust 3 роки тому +2

      i love that song. had no idea jerusalem syndrome was a thing until i saw this video but that song has been in my library for years

    • @user-di5fq4vu1q
      @user-di5fq4vu1q 3 роки тому

      I sat at a booth the signed the wall of in corpus

    • @StallionFernando
      @StallionFernando 3 роки тому

      That guy is a walmart version of Bob Dylan.

    • @RobMacKendrick
      @RobMacKendrick 3 роки тому

      @@StallionFernando Bob Dylan, yes. Walmart, no.

  • @starfed64
    @starfed64 5 років тому

    Concise reporting... wow. Thanks.

  • @scottwarthin1528
    @scottwarthin1528 3 роки тому

    "-seeing a classic case of correlation proving causation-" is an example of why I watch & like most ReligionForBreakfast.

  • @davidpaul1970
    @davidpaul1970 6 років тому

    this is what I'e been waiting for.

  • @justarandomgal2683
    @justarandomgal2683 6 років тому +3

    Never heard of this. Interesting. I'm not religious, but it would still be interesting to go to these sights from a historical and archeological standpoint.

  • @mikeharrison1868
    @mikeharrison1868 3 роки тому +13

    I lived in Jerusalem / Il Kuds for six months in 2000. It had been 15 years since I deprogrammed myself, but it was still a powerful experience. I can understand how someone who was mentally unstable could lose it.

    • @jonahs92
      @jonahs92 3 роки тому +1

      It's called Jerusalem.

    • @mikeharrison1868
      @mikeharrison1868 3 роки тому +2

      @@jonahs92 I don't have Hebrew fonts installed, but in Hebrew it's soemthing like Yerush'layim. In English, Jerusalem. In Arabic (once again, I don't have the fonts installed), it's Il Kuds. Best wishes.

    • @jonahs92
      @jonahs92 3 роки тому

      @@mikeharrison1868 And considering that the original name is Yerushalayim/Jerusalem, that's the name that should be used. Not the name given to it by colonizers.

    • @mikeharrison1868
      @mikeharrison1868 3 роки тому +3

      @@jonahs92 Tricky. The history of that area is complex. In Britain, the Anglo-Saxons sort of pushed the original Britons to the margins at around the same time that Byzantine culture in the area was being conquered by the Muslim forces. But in fact, it was the Romans who largely removed the Jewish population from the area after the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE. Though a small amount of Jewish settlement remained.
      Persecution of Jewish people through the centuries (including BCE) has been a stain on humankind. I think of 1492 when the last of the Muslims and Jews were expelled from Andalusia by the Christian Reconquista. I think of the pogroms in Russia which gave huge impetus for the need of Jewish people to escape persecution, and to get a homeland of their own (just as peoples within e.g. the Austro-Hungarian empire were agitating for their homelands.
      But the Muslim population of the area had been stable-ish through the various conquests and reconquests from Syria, Baghdad, Cairo and Istanbul.
      In the 1870s, the Jewish population of Il Kuds was tiny. Then, because of the pogroms, waves of Jewish immigration to Palestine began occurring.
      6% of the land of Israel was legitimately purchased, much from absentee landlords in e.g. Lebanon. Otherwise, as was the case in my native New Zealand, land was simply taken over by incomers who used the land in a different way that disrupted local lifestyles, leading to hostility.
      I think it's a bit simplistic to refer to Muslims as colonisers. If Welsh people suddenly turned up in London and started taking over there, English people would have grounds to think that the Welsh were colonisers.
      It's a tricky situation. Best wishes.

    • @YAHSHUA-KINGOFGLORY
      @YAHSHUA-KINGOFGLORY Рік тому

      @@mikeharrison1868 The Book of Ephesians describes this very well. This is a "principality" called “IMPOSTOR” over Ancient Palestine whom is what the Book of Revelation 2:9 & 3:9 calls IT the Synagogue of Satan WHO SAY THEY ARE JEWS BUT INDEED LIE. IS=ISHTAR, RA=AMUN-RA, EL=the principal deity “sun” god. The REAL YERÛWSHÂLAYIM is located in a land filled with milk and honey but raped from its truth over the centuries to fulfill prophecy UNTIL…the Last Days! *Numbers 12 Maranatha!

  • @yazyo07
    @yazyo07 2 роки тому +1

    Woow! Super interesting! Would like to learn more about it.

  • @adamspears8489
    @adamspears8489 6 років тому +1

    Any videos on the Targum/targumim ? the gospel of John seems to be influenced by Targum Jonathan. Johns/philo’s Logos and Targums memra

  • @blindtruth4614
    @blindtruth4614 6 років тому

    Very interesting video thank you

  • @TheAngelicRider
    @TheAngelicRider 3 роки тому +2

    Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Being well informed is important! I wanted to share a thought though and it is not backed by any peer review (that I know of), but I sometimes wonder if Yeshua himself was suffering by similar psychotic issues like those who suffer from Jerusalem Syndrome.

  • @gadda01
    @gadda01 5 років тому +3

    How about: people with preexisting conditions visit sites and have a mental breakdown of sorts, people then interpret that as being a correlation, when the reality is that they’re just having a break down they would have otherwise had in a different location

  • @earlystrings1
    @earlystrings1 3 роки тому +3

    I've sometimes wondered if these travel syndromes, in Americans in particular, are triggered by language differences. Americans are not used to being a minority surrounded by non-English speakers, and I've heard many accounts of travelers who were overwhelmed, even in Western Europe, and had to take to their beds for a day or two. I lived in Germany for several years and wound up learning the language pretty fluently, but I well remember the complete and overwhelming disorientation of the first few weeks.

  • @GargamelGold
    @GargamelGold 6 років тому +5

    ReligionForBreakfast
    I'd also be somewhat skeptical because what exactly would it be about Jerusalem that would trigger this, and clearly the vast majority of people who have been to Jerusalem have never been afflicted by it, including the people who belong to one of the three major Abrahamic faiths.

    • @exillens
      @exillens 5 років тому

      Because it only happens to people who are already believers is how we know it's psychotic in nature

  • @Witchofthewoods.
    @Witchofthewoods. 4 роки тому +1

    Awesome video...very fact driven, moreso than biased. I could see myself fitting into Jerusalem just fine 👌✝️ I'll be watching more of your content. ✌️

  • @joaoclaudio6060
    @joaoclaudio6060 3 роки тому +1

    There's a book by a nineteenth century Portuguese writer, Eça de Queiroz, where the protagonist experiences this Jerusalem Syndrome while traveling through the holy land. The book is called "A Relíquia", but I don't know if it's available in english...

    • @joaoclaudio6060
      @joaoclaudio6060 3 роки тому

      @@giuseppelogiurato5718 i’ve just looked it up and there actually is a translated version available at Amazon called The Relic. I really encourage you to read it, it’s one of my favorite books. It explores the bigotry of XIX century Portuguese society and religiosity with a good touch of irony, while also presenting some critics to Jesus' actions and alternatives to Biblical happenings.

  • @ezzthetick
    @ezzthetick 3 роки тому +1

    When I first heard about Jerusalem Syndrome years ago, it was explained that if often took the form of people absconding from their hotel rooms draped in sheets they’d stolen from their bedrooms, and wandering the streets ranting like Old Testament prophets. There was even a dedicated ward in the psychiatric hospital to cope with the influx. Even worse, it was noted that the main types who were prone to it were individuals who were not known to be religious. Later I heard that the whole thing had been exaggerated, and while religious paranoia might be a thing, it wasn’t especially unusual.

  • @Iamthebigcheeze
    @Iamthebigcheeze 6 років тому +8

    Can you do a video on the evolution of purity laws within the judeo-Christian-Islam faith. Where do these purity ideas like Mikva, baptism, kosher, circumcision originate-beyond the sacred texts-anthropological sense. Also perhaps talk about the evolution on how the concept of “purity” and “purification” and dirt fit into today and historical

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +4

      Great idea. I have a video coming out soon on the pre-Christian origins of baptism. So that is related to your question.

    • @TreespeakerOfTheLand
      @TreespeakerOfTheLand 6 років тому

      Purity and dirt? I smell me some Durkheimian sacred and profane... Don't you disappoint me, Andrew :P

    • @TorianTammas
      @TorianTammas 6 років тому

      drnemer - In a sentence - One possible explanation: The purity laws about women come from insecure man. They had a problem with all the goddesses and the power they saw as well in women and tried to control them in such a way. They are the result of insecurity of men.

    • @Iamthebigcheeze
      @Iamthebigcheeze 6 років тому

      TorianTammas very true. I majored in anthropology in college and my professor did a course that focused on the concepts and purity and dirt. But it was mostly focused in Indian/Bengali traditions. However I very much thought it could be applied to Judaism and Christianity as well

    • @Iamthebigcheeze
      @Iamthebigcheeze 6 років тому

      ReligionForBreakfast that would be great. Maybe you can touch upon the Mikvah as well. I always thought baptism related to that

  • @dynamic9016
    @dynamic9016 4 роки тому

    Good content.

  • @mandrutwarrior
    @mandrutwarrior 6 років тому +38

    Hey man, really like your work, an introduction to judaism would be amazingly helpful, I mean, if you plan to do one :)

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +18

      I would love to. Currently working on an Intro to Sikhism first, but Judaism is on the list.

    • @mandrutwarrior
      @mandrutwarrior 6 років тому +2

      ReligionForBreakfast Well thank you a lot and keep the good work going, you're doing great :D

  • @Vincere.academia
    @Vincere.academia 6 років тому

    Love your videos! Please make one talking about Sol Invictus! I hear that it had some relationship with early christianity, is that true?

    • @georgejob7544
      @georgejob7544 3 роки тому

      Yes! Source , Encyclopedia Britannica...
      It was to welcome the return of the sun after the winter solstice on 25/12 subsequently adopted by the Christians as the Nativity...

  • @gigignash6596
    @gigignash6596 3 роки тому +3

    I wonder if the cities where phenomena like this happen have higher than average NyQuil sales...

  • @timothyblack2495
    @timothyblack2495 3 роки тому +2

    Once he explained how there is no statistical spike in such behavior in ANY city (including Jerusalem) that's it. You are done, brother. Good job.

  • @johntaylor9381
    @johntaylor9381 6 років тому +24

    Does it say anything about growing a beard?

  • @drewdent6852
    @drewdent6852 6 років тому +1

    I will never cease to be amazed by your vast vocabulary and speaking quality. Another fantastic video, as usual.

  • @TheSquigy
    @TheSquigy 3 роки тому

    I wonder if people going on the Hodge experience something similar at Mecca in proportional numbers.

  • @TheMrcassina
    @TheMrcassina 3 роки тому

    I love your videos. From what I understood religion is a very human thing. They change with humanity, they are far from being absolute. Can a person like you be religious?

  • @Carlos-ln8fd
    @Carlos-ln8fd 2 роки тому +1

    Reminded of how Malcom X had such a powerful experience when he visited Mecca that it influenced him to change many of his political beliefs.

  • @Bacopa68
    @Bacopa68 3 роки тому

    I saw an Ailanthus tree in the background. I grew up in the South and never saw them, but these trees are invasive in the mid Atlantic and Northeast. The dry rocks of the middle east are the same as the concrete of the northeast. These trees were everywhere growing in cracks in concrete.
    Now that I am back in southeast Texas I will sometimes see a small Pecan tree or a sumac and fear the Ailanthus has come for us.

  • @tintinismybelgian
    @tintinismybelgian 3 роки тому

    Did Horatio Spafford (writer of the hymn "It Is Well (With My Soul)") fall victim to this condition? It's hard to find clear information surrounding his last years of life.

  • @xamazingxethanx
    @xamazingxethanx 3 роки тому +1

    When I went to NYC I was really disappointed by Time Square. I guess hype can be a powerful tool

  • @wanderingquestions7501
    @wanderingquestions7501 6 років тому +4

    People are weird aren't they.

  • @pursuingpeas8236
    @pursuingpeas8236 6 років тому +5

    These people are already disturbed
    I completely agree with your conclusion
    Thanks for sharing this phenomenon
    I am a Christian and also studied psychology so this is exactly what I needed to learn about
    I always said that if I saw a spirit or something I would get myself into a psych eval

    • @dr.zoidberg5096
      @dr.zoidberg5096 3 роки тому +2

      How can you be a Christian and not believe in the incorporial, the mention of it is strewn through scripture?

    • @tommythecat4961
      @tommythecat4961 3 роки тому +2

      @@dr.zoidberg5096 believing in spiritual things does not (nor should it) exclude knowledge and belief in psychological phenomena and mental issues. You may believe that Jesus is the Saviour or that Allah is the one true God, but if they spoke to you tomorrow, the sensible thing to do would be to get a check up, because it could also (much more likely) be a tumor, schizophrenia or many more things.

    • @dr.zoidberg5096
      @dr.zoidberg5096 3 роки тому +1

      @@tommythecat4961 thats such a foolish thing to say. So all who proclaim that Jesus is Lord or Allah is Lord are more likely to have mental health issues, and you base this statement on what i might ask? on the contrary one might say that the atheist who has an "ultimate doom" out look on life might be the ones with manic functional depression. But, thats just as rash as your previous statement and with some real thought, can be thrown aside.

    • @lostecho4394
      @lostecho4394 Рік тому +1

      ​@@dr.zoidberg5096Are you unable to read or something? They aren't saying the belief makes you likely to be schizophrenic or anything, but that if you are literally being directly spoken to by the voice of God, its likely that you have some mental health issues that needs checking up on.

  • @drpigglesnuudelworte5209
    @drpigglesnuudelworte5209 Рік тому +2

    I can kinda understand it because when I read about history I try to think about how these people must’ve lived, loved, thought, and what they yearned for and I often create characters and become attached to them, maybe even exploring what everyday life would’ve been like by imagining I’m them.
    And with obsession to cleanliness, well Christians are taught that we’re sinful and unworthy of the holiness of god, so to be in the Holy Land and see these locations you hold to be so sacred-you might feel inadequate or unworthy to be in this presence

    • @drpigglesnuudelworte5209
      @drpigglesnuudelworte5209 Рік тому

      With the people thinking that they’re biblical figures, I definitely think it’s a type of religious delusion

  • @davidlevesque9137
    @davidlevesque9137 3 роки тому +1

    I would think you already mention the symptoms. Anxiety, depression, psychosis.
    And yes in the DSM there are many syndromes listed. It could possibly be resolved when visiting, for western culture people by wearing 3 watches on your wrist. One that is an hour fast, one an hour slow, one that stopped working at 2 o'clock. And if you want to know the time, pull the hidden watch out of you pocket to confirm it.
    The 3 wrist watches.
    They're just to get conversations started.
    Good luck

  • @colinp2238
    @colinp2238 6 років тому +9

    I visited Jerusalem and the only thing that affected me was that I had the worst cup of coffee ever.
    The things that you describe are exactly the same when people visit notorious "haunted" places. They always result feeling a prescence of other phenomena but if they had not been told in advance that the place is haunted there would be no such reactions. It's all in the mind probably due to expectancy.

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +4

      Yeah no offense to Jerusalem, but the coffee here is bad. So much instant coffee.

    • @jonahs92
      @jonahs92 3 роки тому

      @@paradisecityX0 It is! Israeli honey is always great. I can't speak for the coffee, though, since I don't drink it...

  • @foxface04
    @foxface04 5 років тому +2

    I tend to get sarcastic around religious dudes,
    Bu you seem like a nice guy

  • @christopherellis2663
    @christopherellis2663 3 роки тому

    So, is there any equivalent data for other religions?

  • @CaritasGothKaraoke
    @CaritasGothKaraoke 2 місяці тому

    What would they call it if people got all psyched out when visiting Stockholm?

  • @JBrooksNYS
    @JBrooksNYS 3 роки тому +1

    These people subconsciously decided they were going to react like this before they even got on the plane.

  • @DeathbyProxy
    @DeathbyProxy 3 роки тому +1

    This is why I’m scared to go to Jerusalem, I feel like I would be susceptible to this

  • @Richard_is_cool
    @Richard_is_cool 6 років тому +3

    Yay! Thanks Andrew and happy to be an inspiration!! ...
    ...
    not in *that* sense...

  • @amandar3598
    @amandar3598 6 років тому +1

    Hi I have a video request/question. Growing up my great grandma (who is a Methodist) always told me that Judas went to heaven and was saved while my other grandma (I think catholic or Baptist?) told me that Judas went to hell for betraying Jesus the son of god. I’ve heard both arguments. Some saying Judas was forgiven because Jesus’s death was part of the overall plan. Are there certain denominations that believe one or the other? Does the Bible say something about it ? Which one is more widely believed?” Thank you :)

    • @clickaccept
      @clickaccept 5 років тому

      Good question.

    • @johncosminsky5351
      @johncosminsky5351 5 років тому +1

      John 17:12 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
      Christ seems to indicate Judas is lost in this passage

  • @MrFreezook
    @MrFreezook 6 років тому

    Anthropology plays a role too ... only but who is going to explain WHat ...
    They are Lost by their own desire.

  • @terrytzaneros8007
    @terrytzaneros8007 3 роки тому +2

    we can do with a little Jerusalem Syndrome in the secularist morass many of us live in.

  • @zimnizzle
    @zimnizzle 3 роки тому

    I like the way you talk.

  • @noahinson
    @noahinson 6 років тому

    I think it'd be really cool if you showed the differences and similarities between world religions.

  • @evelynlamoy8483
    @evelynlamoy8483 Рік тому

    I honestly get it.
    I was an ashiest most of my life
    Discovered a obscure form of spirituality
    and now my compulsion to go to holy places and touch various objects with reverence and awe has never been higher.

  • @atzmut3884
    @atzmut3884 2 роки тому

    Good vid

  • @TheBirdHouse
    @TheBirdHouse 3 роки тому

    50-100 per year? That’s one about every 4-8 days.... that’s pretty common.

  • @slaplapdog
    @slaplapdog 3 роки тому

    Mental health is a social construct, in that certain behaviors are considered normal in one context, but would be considered flat out insane in other contexts.
    A lot of what could be Jerusalem Syndrome would not show up in the admittance statistics because hearing voices, having visions and speaking in tongues are expected and accepted in a religious context, whereas they would be considered signs of madness if the voices, images and vocalizations were associated with aliens, for example.

  • @jonesthemoblin1400
    @jonesthemoblin1400 3 роки тому +6

    I don't even know why it would be considered a disorder. I would expect strong reactions from people believing they are visiting sacred spots - some moreso than others, even to the point off seeming psychopathy. I mean people sometimes have strong reactions to their weekly worship service it seems to me that being in a location they consider to be sacred would only magnify that reaction.
    What surprised me is the idea that locations like Paris create similar reactions.

  • @annalisette5897
    @annalisette5897 3 роки тому +1

    If you haven't already, please listen to Dr. Robert Sapolsky's lectures on religion, and other topics of the physiology of human behaviour. These are available on the Stanford University channel. Sapolsky has some real interesting insights into the physiology behind religions and religious experiences. It is both simple and complicated so I think it is best to recommend his easy to follow lectures.

  • @josephmillraney1061
    @josephmillraney1061 5 років тому +2

    Nothing like that happened for me when I went to Israel! Question:. What is your PhD in?

    • @exillens
      @exillens 5 років тому

      What's the point of your question?

  • @eacalvert
    @eacalvert 3 роки тому +3

    Makes wonder if there's so called "Mecca Syndrome" and if so, is it more prevalent during Ramadan? You mentioned there's also Paris syndrome as well. If there is a Mecca Syndrome I would hypothesize it's not as well known in the west due to how history presented in the west tends to be eurocentric

    • @peternagy6067
      @peternagy6067 3 роки тому

      Good question

    • @pentelegomenon1175
      @pentelegomenon1175 3 роки тому

      I think the main problem is that people can't just go to Mecca and see what's going on there, so Mecca Syndrome could be more difficult to report.

  • @crunch1757
    @crunch1757 6 років тому

    The earliest case of Jerusalem syndrome was 00 ad

  • @traposucio2944
    @traposucio2944 3 роки тому +2

    As someone with bipolar who actually knows what a psychotic episode looks like, let me tell you, you meant delirium; not hallucination. Not the same thing at all. Anyway, interesting video. I actually think that the delirium bit of psychosis is not far from 'sane' magical and religious thinking, many times. Science still has to evolve a big deal on regards with this. As you sort of point out, a pilgrimage and mania are not that different. After my 'pilgrimage' I could bet many prophets where just nuts. The thing is that bipolar disorder is not generally understood. The psicosis can be as hardcore as when having schizophrenia. The thing is that you overcome it soon after. Without modern culture, you'd probably believe your experiences were real and carry on with your highly functional life (being probably a highly intelligent and emphatic individual). Actually, the chances are that if you don't believe the experience was real you'll go depressed, which is what your brain tries to avoid when it starts reshaping reality to your eye. That's a dangerous combination that could start many a religion, philosophy, theory and so on. It's no coincidence many artists, mostly in narrative, suffered (or where blessed 🤷) with the condition. A video talking about mental health in general Vs religion would be invaluable.

  • @jan_Masewin
    @jan_Masewin 3 роки тому +13

    Reminds me how people will hear mysterious sounds and feel an aura of dread when falsely told that the previous owner of a house was murdered. Humans are pretty good at constructing value and awe.

    • @DJ5780
      @DJ5780 3 роки тому +2

      True, I use to hallucinate my fears when I was a child.

  • @Trp44
    @Trp44 3 роки тому +1

    This subject is good to discuss🐚

  • @michaeldriggers7681
    @michaeldriggers7681 3 роки тому +2

    I'd be curious to see if any Muslims occasionally experience any similar symptoms in Mecca when on pilgrimage.

  • @espositogregory
    @espositogregory 6 років тому

    Do a video on the Catholic claim to apostolic succession please.

  • @StudeSteve62
    @StudeSteve62 3 роки тому

    Interesting. (I'm really, really fond of Cuba as a vacation destination myself...but have never visited Israel. Will have to watch my step if I do, I guess...)😁

  • @exillens
    @exillens 5 років тому +3

    The fact it only happens to people who are already believers proves it's psychosomatic at best

    • @exillens
      @exillens 3 роки тому +1

      @TinyTinTeeth Yup. Especially if one of those delusional religious nuts are your parents and you're a 5yr old kid totally at their mercy

  • @jorenbosmans8065
    @jorenbosmans8065 3 роки тому

    So basically it is a psychotic disorder/episode but the focus on Jerusalem is not enough to make it a seperate type. Kind of how like the color of your car doesn't give your car very unique properties, but it is still a Car of that model.

  • @jackpullen3820
    @jackpullen3820 6 років тому +2

    What about the Stigmata and a host of other manifestations, they are experiences that happen any where in the world? When someone is prayed for and they are healed, doctors will say it appears the body has healed itself, which in part is true. I have seen someone's eye clear to perfectly normal that before was clouded over whitish and many other things as well. Even if there were a ton of paper documentation on such things there would still be those who doubt and that's good, because it's really about faith and you either have it or you don't... Thanks Andrew!

    • @adamplentl5588
      @adamplentl5588 4 роки тому

      "Even if there were documentation,"
      But there isn't. Literally none.
      Nothing you said has ever happened
      tho. Not once. Not one single verifiable instance of prayer healing anyone or spontaneous stigmata occurring ever.

  • @captainpicard2678
    @captainpicard2678 6 років тому +1

    one day archeaologists might find the remains of a ancient trampoline on mount olive.

  • @michaelball93
    @michaelball93 6 років тому

    Does this affect religions other than Christianity or just those with a 'messiah' figure? Are there any cases of Muslims having the same thing entering Mecca for example?

    • @ReligionForBreakfast
      @ReligionForBreakfast  6 років тому +1

      From what I read it almost exclusively happens to Christians. Not sure about Mecca for Muslims.

  • @MartianBuddy
    @MartianBuddy 3 роки тому

    oh dear, i never knew. Can architecture provoke such feeling?

  • @dubsar
    @dubsar 2 роки тому

    1:30
    The doors were locked. Did he try the Golden Gate?

  • @Alusnovalotus
    @Alusnovalotus 6 років тому

    I like this.

  • @CaskTheology
    @CaskTheology 6 років тому +1

    Great video. It's hard to deny that some places have their own sort of.. for want of a better word, 'gravity'. You can stand in a cathedral or an ancient battleground and feel connected to it somehow. So I guess it's no surprise that some of the more high profile places can cause an overload of thoughts and emotions, even more so if such a place features prominently in a faith you're part of.

  • @EpicKate
    @EpicKate 3 роки тому

    I have a serious complaint about this video.
    It's too short!

  • @SidekickSam24
    @SidekickSam24 5 років тому

    Did you touch any of those sacred rocks in the holy land churches?

  • @j.obrien4990
    @j.obrien4990 5 років тому +2

    I visited Sweden, and got Stockholm syndrome after getting tied up and held hostage by the swedish curling team

    • @DJ5780
      @DJ5780 3 роки тому

      Hate it when that happens

  • @sebastianstewart6894
    @sebastianstewart6894 3 роки тому

    But you know holy sepulcher is a sacred space because it produces holy fire but it's not really a well font of mana unlike forests.