Weird and Religious
In ancient Egypt, some gods were shown with animal heads because qualities of animals were thought to reflect divine traits. A falcon head suggested sharp sight and power, while a jackal head linked a god with cemeteries and the desert. The image was not symbolic art in the modern sense but a literal way of showing a god’s nature.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2016, Syria, sectarian militias. Various Shia and Sunni Muslim militias committed atrocities during the civil war. Fighters justified actions as defending their branch of Islam, protecting shrines, and fighting heretics or unbelievers.
Fact
In Christianity, forgiveness is emphasised, and Christianity teaches that believers should forgive others as God forgives them.
Optional reality
The definition of truth that matters for human progress is simple and demanding. Truth is the quality of a claim that has been demonstrated to be accurate through empirical verification or through sound logical deduction, using the best available knowledge at the time. Anything that does not meet this standard belongs in the category of we do not know, not in belief, doctrine, or law.
Religion fails this standard repeatedly. Its central claims cannot be tested, cannot be verified, and cannot be deduced from known facts. They survive only by lowering the bar for truth until feeling replaces evidence. When belief is treated as knowledge, reality becomes optional.
Quote of the day
“Religion is the one area of our discourse in which it is considered noble to pretend to be certain about things no human being could possibly be certain about.” Sam Harris.
Ask the right question
Why would an all powerful being require ritual worship, praise and submission from humans?
Religious Crooks
John of God, born João Teixeira de Faria, was a Brazilian spiritual healer who claimed psychic surgery abilities and drew international followers, later convicted of sexual crimes, with long standing allegations that spiritual authority was used to exploit vulnerable people.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
If a real God existed, would he allow crooks to act on his behalf?