Weird and Religious
There have also been religions built around very recent figures. In parts of Melanesia in the twentieth century, “cargo cults” formed where people believed Western goods came from ancestral spirits. They built imitation airstrips and control towers from wood, performing rituals in the hope that planes full of supplies would return.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1979, Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Islamist militants seized the Grand Mosque, leading to fighting and executions. The group claimed rulers were corrupt and un-Islamic, justifying rebellion as a religious obligation to purify Islam and restore true Islamic leadership.
Fact
In Christianity, repentance is important, and Christianity teaches turning away from sin and changing one’s direction in life as part of returning to God.
Sacred flaws
Contradictions are everywhere. Events are retold differently. Laws change without explanation. God’s character shifts from merciful to murderous depending on context. Instructions conflict. Promises fail. Prophecies are retrofitted. Apologists call this depth or mystery. In any other book, it would be called poor editing. When a text claims perfection, inconsistency is not a minor flaw. It is fatal.
Quote of the day
“Religion is like a glowworm. It needs darkness to shine.” Arthur Schopenhauer.
Ask the right question
If divine punishment teaches a lesson, what lesson is learned through eternal punishment?
Religious Crooks
Keith Raniere led NXIVM, a group with spiritual and self development framing, and was convicted of sex trafficking and related crimes after evidence showed women were coerced into sexual relationships under his authority.
For more information, google the name.
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.