Weird and Religious
In ancient Mesopotamia, people carried small clay statues of gods in their homes, but if disaster struck they sometimes punished the statue, even throwing it away, as though the god had failed in its duty. The relationship with the divine could be treated like a contract.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1990, Kashmir region. Armed Islamist groups targeted Hindu Pandit civilians, leading to killings and mass displacement. Militants justified violence as jihad to free Muslim land and remove perceived collaborators, while victims were labelled enemies of the faith or obstacles to religious self rule.
Fact
In Christianity, hope plays a central role, and Christianity teaches confidence in God’s promises even in suffering or uncertainty.
Good timing
What unites all prophetic figures is not moral insight or supernatural access, but timing. Their revelations conveniently address immediate problems, typically their own. Rules appear when control is needed. Permissions appear when desire conflicts with existing norms. Prohibitions appear when rivals threaten authority. This pattern is so consistent that it ceases to be suspicious and becomes diagnostic. There is no better example than a prophet receiving convenient revelation than Muhammad. Many of the revelation he "received" directly addressed some of his domestic problems such as how long his guests could stay after a meal. Woud a read god be concerned with this?
Quote of the day
“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.” Bertrand Russell.
Ask the right question
Why do creation stories from different religions contradict each other in basic details?
Religious Crooks
Wayne Bent, also known as Michael Travesser, led a small apocalyptic Christian sect, claimed prophetic authority, and exercised strict control over followers’ lives and resources, later convicted on charges involving abuse within the group.
For more information, google the name.
That was just a tiny case in a vast ocean of religious crooks.