Weird and Religious
The ancient Norse believed that warriors who died bravely in battle were chosen by Valkyries and taken to Valhalla, where they would fight each other daily, die, come back to life, and feast every night. Eternal life was imagined as an endless cycle of violence and eating.
Religious image of the day.
In the name of religion
2020, France, Nice. An Islamist extremist killed worshippers in a church. The attacker framed the act as revenge for perceived insults to Islam and justified killing civilians as part of a religious struggle against unbelievers.
Fact
In Sikhism, initiation into the Khalsa is significant for many, and Sikhism includes a ceremony in which individuals commit to a disciplined religious life.
The wrong guesses of religion
What is most revealing is that no scientific discovery has ever confirmed a specific religious claim in advance. There is no instance where scripture has provided unique, testable knowledge later verified by observation. The flow of correction runs in one direction only. Science explains what religion guessed at and guessed wrongly. Where religion made no claim, science remains neutral. Where religion did, science evaluates and finds error.
Quote of the day
“Religion is the masterpiece of the art of animal training, for it trains people as to how they shall think.” Arthur Schopenhauer.
Ask the right question
Why do religions so often claim special status for their own founders while dismissing others as false?
Religious Crooks
David Koresh led the Branch Davidians in the United States, claiming unique prophetic status while controlling members’ lives, relationships, and resources, with critics and former members describing a system where religious authority justified personal power and material control.
For more information, google the name.
Almost all of the crooks appearing in this section have their own wikipedia page.
History tells us that wherever fools gathered, there was always a religious crook to take advantage of them. The best way to stop the crooks is not to be a fool.