Weird and Religious
Ancient Romans kept household gods called Lares and Penates, small figures placed near the hearth. Families made daily offerings to them, treating the kitchen area as a religious centre rather than a purely domestic space.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2001, Gujarat, India, post earthquake tensions. Some Hindu extremist groups attacked Christian missionaries and churches. Perpetrators justified violence as protecting Hindu society from conversion and defending the nation’s religious identity.
Fact
In Zoroastrianism, the Avesta is the sacred text collection, and Zoroastrianism preserves hymns and teachings attributed to its prophet Zoroaster.
Population control
Religion has always provided an efficient system helping rulers control populations. Fear of punishment extended beyond death, and eternal consequences made compliance cheap and effective. Surveillance became supernatural, as god was believed to see everything, and even thought became subject to moral scrutiny. This internalised authority reduced the need for constant force because people learned to police themselves. Guilt replaced chains, and confession replaced rebellion, moving power from the body into the mind.
Quote of the day
“Where knowledge ends, religion begins.” Benjamin Disraeli.
Ask the right question
If a god wants to be known, why is the evidence for that god so indirect and open to doubt?
Religious Crooks
Joseph Smith founded the Latter Day Saint movement and presented new scriptures and revelations, while critics in his era accused him of money digging, failed banking ventures, and blending spiritual authority with economic schemes, alongside later legal troubles before his death.
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Throughout history and still to this day, there has never been a shortage of religious leaders who were not always following their own spiritual advice.