Weird and Religious
In ancient China, oracle bones were used to ask questions of ancestors or gods. Priests carved questions onto animal bones or turtle shells, then heated them until cracks formed. The pattern of cracks was read as an answer from the spirit world, making burnt bone a decision making device.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2005 to 2014, northern Nigeria. Boko Haram carried out bombings, massacres, and mass kidnappings, including schoolgirls. The group justified violence as rejecting Western education, enforcing strict Islam, and punishing Muslims and Christians seen as collaborators, promising divine approval for warfare.
Fact
In Jainism, meditation is important, and Jainism uses reflection and concentration to purify the mind and reduce karmic attachment.
Divine rule
Understanding religion as an instrument of power does not require cynicism or conspiracy but simple observation. Wherever religion and power converge, religion bends toward power. It always has and always will. Gods do not rule societies. Humans do, and religion provided them with the most persuasive language ever devised to make that rule appear unquestionable.
Quote of the day
“Religion can be defined as a belief in and reverence for a supernatural power, but it is also a system of control.” Madalyn Murray O’Hair.
Ask the right question
Why does divine guidance seem clearer on personal lifestyle than on preventing wars or disasters?
Religious Crooks
Ravi Zacharias was a prominent Christian apologist whose ministry commissioned an independent investigation after his death, which concluded that he had engaged in sexual misconduct and exploited women while using his religious reputation as cover.
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.