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
2008, Mumbai in India. Islamist Muslim group Lashkar-e-Taiba attacked hotels, a Jewish centre, and public places, killing civilians. The assault was justified as jihad against India and its allies, portraying targets as enemies of Islam and promising religious reward.
Fact
In Christianity, moral teaching includes guidance on honesty, sexual behaviour, justice, and care for the poor, and Christianity links these to living according to God’s will.
Complex apologetics
A religious apologist is an individual who engages in the systematic defense, justification, and explanation of religious doctrines, faith, and beliefs, often using logic, scripture, philosophy, and historical evidence. Have you ever seen a religious apologist give a clear and short answer to any question? Apologetics hides behind complexity. Simple questions receive long, technical answers meant to exhaust rather than enlighten, and the goal is not clarity but fatigue. When the critic gives up, the apologist claims victory. The tactic works socially, not intellectually, because confusion is mistaken for depth and obscurity is mistaken for sophistication.
Quote of the day
“You can safely assume that you have created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.” Anne Lamott.
Ask the right question
If sacred history is essential, why is archaeological evidence so often unclear or contradictory?
Religious Crooks
Sogyal Rinpoche was a Tibetan Buddhist teacher and founder of Rigpa, with multiple former students accusing him of sexual and physical abuse, leading to his resignation after an internal letter and subsequent scrutiny exposed long standing allegations.
For more information, google the name.
That was just a tiny case in a vast ocean of religious crooks.