Weird and Religious
Among the ancient Greeks, the oracle at Delphi delivered prophecies while in a trance, possibly induced by gases rising from a geological fault. Her unclear words were interpreted by priests, giving divine authority to ambiguous statements.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2013, Nairobi in Kenya. Islamist Muslim group Al Shabaab attacked the Westgate shopping centre, killing shoppers. The group said the assault was retaliation for Kenyan military action in Somalia and framed it as jihad against non Muslims and their supporters.
Fact
In Jainism, non possession is encouraged, and Jainism teaches reducing attachment to material goods and limiting desires.
From literal to metaphor
Religion did not collapse when science emerged but instead adapted to survive. As specific claims were disproven, they were reinterpreted, and as literal explanations failed, metaphor was introduced. Gods retreated from weather into morality, from disease into meaning, and from creation into abstraction. The domain of belief shrank, but the belief itself persisted. The original role of religion as a universal explanation was forgotten and replaced by claims of spiritual depth and timeless wisdom, yet the underlying structure remained unchanged, relying on assertion without evidence and confidence without accountability.
Quote of the day
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” Carl Sagan.
Ask the right question
Why do religions warn against doubt rather than encouraging open and critical examination of their claims?
Religious Crooks
Mitsuo Matayoshi was a Japanese political-religious claimant who presented himself as a divine figure and mixed spiritual authority with public fundraising and self promotion, drawing criticism that religious identity was used for personal platform building.
For more information, google the name.
Every country in the world has its fair share of spiritual crooks.
That was just a tiny case in a vast ocean of religious crooks.