Weird and Religious
Some Hindu traditions describe gods who take animal forms not as disguises but as full divine incarnations. A god appearing as a fish or a boar was not seen as a lesser form but as a direct intervention in cosmic events.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1947 to 1948, Palestine. Fighting between Jewish and Arab Muslim forces included attacks on civilian areas and expulsions. Religious narratives about promised land, holy sites, and sacred duty were used by both sides to justify control and removal of populations.
Fact
In Buddhism, loving kindness is cultivated as a mental attitude, and Buddhism teaches extending goodwill and friendliness towards oneself and others without discrimination.
Sacred obligation
As human populations grew, hierarchy became inevitable. Leadership roles hardened, authority demanded justification, and religion provided it. Chiefs and kings began to claim divine ancestry or favour, transforming obedience from a practical duty into a sacred obligation. Laws acquired supernatural endorsement, and punishment became moral rather than social, framed as cosmic justice rather than human enforcement. Gods began to care not only about rituals but also about conduct, and morality entered religion not through enlightenment but through control. A society governed by divine law required less negotiation and produced more stability than one governed by human debate.
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 karma explains suffering in Hinduism and Buddhism, why do people not remember the actions from past lives that supposedly caused their present suffering?
Religious Crooks
Johann Tetzel was a Dominican friar in the 16th century known for aggressively selling indulgences, promising spiritual benefits in exchange for money, a practice widely condemned at the time as a corrupt abuse of religious authority.
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.