Weird and Religious
In parts of Southern Africa, traditional healers called sangomas are believed to be chosen by ancestors through illness or disturbing dreams. Training involves learning to communicate with spirits, interpret bones thrown on the ground, and diagnose spiritual causes of problems.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
1947, Punjab and Bengal during the Partition of India. Mass killings, abductions, and forced migration accompanied the creation of India and Pakistan. Mobs and militias justified attacks as defending Sikh, Hindu, or Muslim communities, avenging wrongs, and securing territory for their religious group.
Fact
In Shinto, nature is treated with deep respect, and Shinto links mountains, rivers, trees, and other natural features with spiritual significance.
Defenders of error
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. The scale of apologetic labour is revealing. Thousands of books, lectures, debates, and commentaries exist to explain what god really meant, and entire careers are built on reinterpretation. If the meaning were obvious, none of this would be necessary, because no one needs an apologetics industry to explain mathematics or gravity. Truth does not require a defence force, but error does, and the size of the defence reveals the size of the problem.
Quote of the day
“Faith is believing what you know is not so.” Mark Twain.
Ask the right question
If a prophet speaks for god, how can ordinary people reliably distinguish a true prophet from a deluded or manipulative one?
Religious Crooks
Joshua Iginla is a Nigerian prophet associated with prophecy and miracle claims, with critics questioning financial transparency and the use of religious authority to support luxury living.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
If a real God existed, would he allow crooks to act on his behalf?