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
2012, Timbuktu region of Mali. Islamist Muslim armed groups destroyed Sufi shrines and imposed harsh rule. They justified actions as removing un-Islamic practices, enforcing strict Islamic law, and purifying society according to their interpretation of Islam.
Fact
In Islam, divine decree is accepted, and Islam teaches that God’s knowledge and will encompass all events.
Mentally ill prophets?
Mental illness is sometimes invoked to explain prophetic experiences, but this alone is insufficient and often misleading. Not all prophets show signs of pathology, and not all unusual experiences indicate disorder. What matters is not diagnosis but interpretation. In cultures without scientific understanding of the mind, intense internal experiences are interpreted as external communication. Authority then amplifies them. A voice heard in isolation is a concern. A voice believed by thousands becomes a religion.
Quote of the day
“Gods are fragile things, they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense.” Chapman Cohen.
Ask the right question
Why do religious disagreements so often mirror political or cultural divisions?
Religious Crooks
Michael Travesser, also known as Wayne Bent, led a small apocalyptic religious group and claimed prophetic status, exercising strict control over followers’ lives and resources, later convicted on charges involving abuse within the group.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.Every country in the world has its fair share of spiritual crooks.
Religion is supposed to bring morality but it also seem to bring a lot of crooks who take advantage of people.