Weird and Religious
There are reports in Islamic tradition that the Prophet’s night journey involved travelling from Mecca to Jerusalem and then ascending through multiple heavens in a single night, meeting earlier prophets along the way and seeing paradise and hell. The journey is presented as both physical and supernatural.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1995, Tokyo in Japan. Members of Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas in the subway, killing and injuring commuters. The cult blended apocalyptic beliefs and claimed spiritual necessity. Leaders justified violence as purifying the world, protecting followers, and fulfilling a divine end times mission.
Fact
In Buddhism, bodhisattvas are important in Mahayana traditions, where Buddhism presents the bodhisattva as someone who seeks enlightenment while also committing to help all other beings reach liberation.
The purpose of existence
The appeal of religious stories explaining life lies not in their accuracy but in the comfort they provide. Purpose feels reassuring when it arrives fully formed, especially when it removes the discomfort of uncertainty and replaces independent thought with obedience. Aligning life with ancient doctrine feels meaningful because it removes the burden of asking questions that may never yield satisfying answers. The problem is that these doctrines were created by people who knew nothing of evolution, cosmology, or the vast age of the universe. To entrust the purpose of existence to ancestors who lacked the means to understand reality as we now do is not humility but intellectual surrender, a retreat from inquiry disguised as faith.
Quote of the day
“The Bible and the Church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women’s emancipation.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
Ask the right question
If divine punishment teaches a lesson, what lesson is learned through eternal punishment?
Religious Crooks
Bikram Choudhury, founder of Bikram Yoga, built a global yoga movement with spiritual overtones and faced numerous lawsuits alleging sexual harassment and assault, with court judgments and settlements severely damaging his standing.
For more information, google the name.
Every country in the world has its fair share of spiritual crooks.
History tells us that wherever fools gathered, there was always a religious crook to take advantage of them. The best way to stop the crooks is not to be a fool.