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
1997, Luxor in Egypt. Islamist militants attacked tourists at Hatshepsut Temple, killing many people. The assault was justified by perpetrators as striking infidels and damaging Egypt’s economy to weaken the state, framed as jihad against an un-Islamic government and foreign presence.
Fact
In Islam, the Five Pillars form the basic framework of practice, and Islam presents these acts as essential duties for believers.
Angry Gods
Anger plays a central role in divine narratives because gods are often portrayed as easily offended and quick to rage. Natural disasters become expressions of displeasure, disease becomes punishment, and death becomes judgement. These stories reflect the human tendency to moralise misfortune, since when something bad happens, the mind searches for blame, and gods provide a convenient target. They turn chaos into consequence and randomness into intention, offering emotional satisfaction in place of understanding. Nature, however, does not punish or forgive; it simply behaves according to causes that have nothing to do with morality.
Quote of the day
“Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived.” Isaac Asimov.
Ask the right question
If demons or evil spirits cause wrongdoing, how can humans be held fully responsible?
Religious Crooks
Herbert W. Armstrong founded the Worldwide Church of God, preaching apocalyptic messages while building a media and education empire funded by tithes, with later internal scandals and financial controversies after his leadership period.
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.