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Religion Behind the Scenes

How Holy Water is Made

By Fr. Richard Tomlinson

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, Fr. Richard Tomlinson tells us a bit about how Holy Water is made and how it is used in the Christian...

How Church Bellringing Works

By Veronica Johnstone

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we learn a bit about how church bellringing works, and why someone in the 21st century would want to...

How Unitarian Universalist Flaming Chalices Are Made and...

By Kat Rose

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we’ll learn a bit about flaming chalices, what they symbolize, how they are used, and what “religion”...

How Rosary Beads are Made and Used

By Mary Mulloy

In this touching interview, Mary Mulloy—of Graceful Rosaries—tells us about her inspired journey into making rosaries.

How Oil Vials for Priesthood Blessings Are Made

By Mike Thompson

In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, consecrated olive oil is used in blessing the sick. Learn how oil vials for priesthood blessings are...

How Jewish Shomers ‘Guard’ Bodies Until They’re Buried

By Sharon Bushman

In this fascinating episode of Religion Behind the Scenes, Sharon tells us about the responsibilities of shomers, why this work is important in Judaism,...

How Malas For Meditation Are Made

By Yasir Einaudi

In this installment of Religion Behind the Scenes, we talk to Yasir about mala beads, what they’re for, why they are important, and what got him into the...

How and Why Jewish Mikvah’s Are Used

By Sara Wolkenfeld

Sara Wolkenfeld shares with us a bit about what a mikvah is, some of the different circumstances in which it is employed, and what it means for...

How Torah Scrolls are Repaired and Preserved

By Ronnie Sieger

Having worked as a sofer for more than 30-years, Ronnie Sieger shares with us some of the “behind the scenes” aspects of the work of Jewish scribes.

How the Sikh Langar is Made

By Sara Kaur

In this interview, Sara Kaur shares some “behind the scenes” details about the langar, how it is made, and what it means for practitioners of Sikhism.

How Priestly Vestments Are Made

By Krista West

Krista West is an ecclesiastical tailor whose greatest passion is to bring more beauty into the world, and she reads, writes and sews in the basement...

How Prashad Gets Made

By Mr. Bilumber Singh

Mr. Bilumber Singh will share a bit about the sacred food, what it means to practitioners of the faith, and what it has meant to him personally to...

How Religious Icons Get Made

By Stan Kranidiotis

Stan Kranidiotis is an artist, and an iconographer, who lives in Greece, and has been painting icons since he was a teenager. In this “Religion Behind...

How Tarot Cards Get Made

By Darren Shill and Kay Medaglia

Tarot decks have been used for spiritual pursuits since the 15th century, though each deck has its own story to tell.

How To Ritually Slaughter An Animal For Eid

By Arsalan Qureshi

The slaughtering of an animal is a central part of Eid Al Fitr, one of the most celebrated Islamic holidays, for many Muslims. But how does it get done?

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

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