Weird and Religious
Among the ancient Maya, human sacrifice was tied to astronomy and kingship. Captured rulers or nobles could be sacrificed during major calendar events. Blood was seen as sacred nourishment for the gods, linking political power, timekeeping, and violence in a single religious act.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2020, France, Nice. An Islamist extremist killed worshippers in a church. The attacker framed the act as revenge for perceived insults to Islam and justified killing civilians as part of a religious struggle against unbelievers.
Fact
In Judaism, law and ethics are closely linked, and Judaism treats many everyday actions as having religious significance.
Resolving Uncertainty
Uncertainty is an enemy of the human mind. Not knowing creates discomfort, demands effort, and threatens control. Religion offers certainty in a universe that provides very little of it. Clear answers feel better than honest ones, and the brain often prefers a wrong explanation to no explanation at all. Gods provide instant causes, purposes, and outcomes. They turn randomness into intention and complexity into plan. This is emotionally satisfying, even when it is intellectually empty. The relief is real, which makes the belief feel real.
Quote of the day
“Men would never be superstitious if they could govern all their circumstances by set rules, or if they were always favoured by fortune.” Baruch Spinoza.
Ask the right question
If a god values honesty, why reward belief based on faith rather than evidence?
Religious Crooks
Edd Branson is a Zimbabwean prophet known for prophecy and miracle branding, with critics alleging that religious image and promises are used as part of a money generating enterprise.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
Today we took a look at yet another religious crook but there are hundreds of thousands of them. You could spend a lifetime researching the topic.