Weird and Religious
In some ancient Near Eastern traditions, there are references to child sacrifice associated with the god Molech. Texts describe children being passed through fire as part of worship. Later religious writers strongly condemned the practice, but its existence shows how sacrifice could be directed at the most vulnerable.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2021, Ethiopia, Tigray region. Although mainly ethnic and political, attacks on religious sites and identity occurred. Some actors used Orthodox Christian or Muslim identity rhetoric to mobilise supporters, framing struggle as defence of faith community amid war.
Fact
In Confucianism, righteousness, known as yi, guides action, and Confucianism teaches doing what is morally appropriate rather than what is merely profitable.
The edge of knowledge
Science does not pretend to answer questions that cannot be tested. It explains what can be observed, measured, and inferred, and it stops where evidence ends. There is no scientific explanation for why the universe exists, or whether the word why has any meaning when applied to existence itself. Time may not be an eternal backdrop but a property that began with the universe. If time began then questions about what came before lose coherence. Asking why something exists may assume a cause where none is required, for the universe may simply be, without intention, purpose, or origin in the way human experience defines those terms. This uncertainty is not a failure of science but a boundary that marks the edge of knowledge. Progress depends on respecting that edge rather than filling it with invention. Religion does the opposite. It inserts certainty precisely where knowledge is impossible and calls this wisdom. Where honesty would say we do not know, religion provides answers that cannot be tested and must never be doubted. This does not resolve the question of purpose. It conceals it behind comforting stories that demand faith instead of thought.
Quote of the day
“The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself.” Richard Francis Burton.
Ask the right question
If a god values honesty, why reward belief based on faith rather than evidence?
Religious Crooks
Samuel Bateman, a breakaway Mormon fundamentalist leader, claimed prophetic status and controlled a closed religious community, later arrested on serious criminal charges, with authorities alleging that religious authority was used to dominate members and their assets.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
Religion is supposed to bring morality but it also seem to bring a lot of crooks who take advantage of people.