Weird and Religious
Some medieval saints were believed to produce a pleasant smell after death, called the “odour of sanctity.” A sweet scent from a corpse was taken as proof of holiness rather than a natural process of decay.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1992 to 1995, Bosnia. Serb Orthodox, Croat Catholic, and Bosniak Muslim forces committed ethnic cleansing, sieges, and massacres. Religious identity markers were used to justify expulsion and killing, portraying war as defence of faith communities and sacred national heritage.
Fact
In Wicca, magic is considered a natural practice, and Wicca teaches that intention, symbolism, and ritual can influence events.
Explaining scientific errors
Believers often claim that scripture was never intended to be scientific, yet this argument fails for two reasons. First, religious texts make factual claims about the physical world and do not present themselves as metaphor when doing so. Second, religions have historically insisted on the literal truth of these claims until evidence made that position impossible. Metaphor appears only after contradiction, not before it, and this is not wisdom but retreat.
Quote of the day
“Religion is the impotence of the human mind to deal with occurrences it cannot understand.” Karl Marx.
Ask the right question
Why would a just system judge people for beliefs shaped largely by family, culture and geography?
Religious Crooks
Keith Raniere led NXIVM, a group with spiritual and self development framing, and was convicted of sex trafficking and related crimes after evidence showed women were coerced into sexual relationships under his authority.
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.