Weird and Religious
Some early Christian groups argued fiercely over whether Jesus had one nature or two, divine and human. These debates were so intense that riots, political purges, and even wars followed, showing how abstract theology could shape real violence.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2020, Cabo Delgado in Mozambique. Islamist Muslim insurgents attacked villages, beheaded civilians, and displaced thousands. The group justified violence as jihad to establish Islamic rule, punish those cooperating with the state, and cleanse society of un-Islamic influence.
Fact
In Taoism, wu wei is an important concept, and Taoism describes it as effortless action or non forcing, where actions arise in balance with circumstances.
Divine mandate
Ruling over others has always required justification, as force alone is costly and unstable. People obey more readily when they believe authority is legitimate rather than merely strong, and religion supplied that legitimacy. If a ruler governed by divine mandate, opposition became not just political disagreement but sacrilege. The ruler was no longer an individual issuing commands but the representative of a higher will. Disobedience was transformed into sin.
Quote of the day
“One man’s religion is another man’s belly laugh.” Robert A. Heinlein.
Ask the right question
If the human mind is damaged by brain injury, what does that suggest about the idea of an independent soul?
Religious Crooks
Uriel da Costa style historical critics exist, but a clearer modern example is Paul Mackenzie of Kenya, a preacher who urged followers to starve in order to meet Jesus, leading to mass deaths and investigations into how religious control over believers was used in a closed community setting.
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.
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.