Weird and Religious
In ancient Greece, there were curse tablets where people scratched the names of enemies onto thin sheets of lead and buried them in graves or wells. They asked gods or spirits of the dead to harm rivals in love, business, or court cases. Religion functioned as a supernatural legal weapon.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1683, Vienna. A second Ottoman siege ended in major battle involving Catholic and Muslim armies. Both sides used religious rhetoric, with Christians describing defence of the faith and Muslims invoking jihad and imperial religious duty to justify warfare.
Fact
In Shinto, respect, sincerity, and gratitude are key attitudes, and Shinto links these qualities to proper relationship with kami and people.
Slogans to the rescue
Religious slogans often do the heavy lifting because most believers do not have the time or the energy to read sacred texts. For example, Islam is presented as a religion of peace, of justice, of mercy, and of equality. This is the opposite of what Islam really is but these phrases circulate endlessly, repeated in sermons, classrooms, and media appearances. They are rarely tested against the text itself. When the text contradicts the slogan, the contradiction is ignored, denied, or explained away by an authority figure. The believer is not expected to resolve these tensions personally. They are expected to trust. Most Muslims believe in what they have been told, not what is written in the Qu'ran.
Quote of the day
“God is a concept by which we measure our pain.” John Lennon.
Ask the right question
Why do prophecies in religious texts tend to be vague, symbolic or written after the events they appear to predict?
Religious Crooks
Jim Bakker was a US televangelist who built a massive ministry empire and a Christian theme park, then was convicted of fraud and conspiracy after soliciting money from supporters through misleading financial claims.
For more information, google the name.
Every country in the world has its fair share of spiritual crooks.
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.