Weird and Religious
The ancient Norse believed that warriors who died bravely in battle were chosen by Valkyries and taken to Valhalla, where they would fight each other daily, die, come back to life, and feast every night. Eternal life was imagined as an endless cycle of violence and eating.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2011, Jos region in Nigeria. Clashes between Christian and Muslim communities led to massacres and village destruction. Both sides justified violence as protecting their faith groups, defending land seen as religiously tied, and avenging earlier killings.
Fact
In Jainism, compassion toward all life forms is expected, and Jainism links empathy with spiritual growth and responsibility.
Created for punishment
The concept of creation is riddled with inconsistency. God is said to create humans with desires, impulses, and limitations, then punish them for acting on those traits. This would be unacceptable in any human context. Designing a flawed system and blaming its components for failure is not wisdom but abdication of responsibility, and religion insists this is justice only because god is exempted from the standards applied to everything else.
Quote of the day
“Religion is based, I think, primarily and mainly upon fear.” Bertrand Russell.
Ask the right question
If a religion teaches humility, why do its truth claims often include certainty about the ultimate nature of reality?
Religious Crooks
David Koresh led the Branch Davidians and claimed exclusive prophetic authority, with former members reporting that he took multiple “spiritual wives,” including underage girls, presenting sexual access as part of his divine role.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
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.