Weird and Religious
In medieval Europe, people sometimes believed that the Devil could not cross running water. Bridges and rivers were therefore seen as spiritual boundaries, and some places were named after supposed encounters with the Devil being tricked at a crossing.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2000, Maluku and Sulawesi in Indonesia. Continued clashes between Christian and Muslim militias involved bombings, village burnings, and killings. Each side justified attacks as defence of churches or mosques, protecting believers, and resisting religious encroachment.
Fact
In Christianity, worship often takes place in community, and Christianity gathers believers for teaching, prayer, singing, and shared rituals.
Built on fear
There was no expectation that the early gods were fair or consistent. Like human rulers, they were unpredictable. They could be generous one season and cruel the next. When prayers failed, the response was not disbelief. It was escalation. More sacrifice. More devotion. More obedience. Failure never falsified the belief. It only deepened it. This is a hallmark of systems built on fear rather than evidence.
Importantly, these gods did not care about ethics beyond what affected outcomes. Kindness, honesty, and compassion mattered only if they pleased the god or maintained social cohesion. Moral concern emerged later, when religion became a tool for regulating large populations. Early gods cared about results, not intentions. They wanted rain, victory, fertility, and survival. Human suffering was incidental.
Quote of the day
“One man’s religion is another man’s belly laugh.” Robert A. Heinlein.
Ask the right question
If holy figures performed public miracles, why do we not see similarly clear events in the age of cameras and global media?
Religious Crooks
Elizabeth Clare Prophet headed the Church Universal and Triumphant, promoting apocalyptic prophecies and building a large organisation funded by followers, with critics pointing to failed predictions and heavy financial expectations.
For more information, google the name.
Every country in the world has its fair share of spiritual crooks.
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.