An excellent response to Pat Robertson. "This Vodou priest is not speaking about divine retribution, as has Pat Robertson. God is not punishing us for disobedience. Erol is speaking about a giant natural rebalancing act, a reaction against human dealings with the ecosystem."
posted by fullofragerie
on Jan 15, 2010 -
148 comments
“We got a bit excited because we realized that people have
collected lots of
dybbuk stories, but
our fragment describes a real event, where you see how they come together and pray in order to exorcise the ghost from a widow,”
[more inside]
posted by ServSci
on Dec 21, 2009 -
11 comments
A major survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life finds that most Americans have a non-dogmatic approach to faith. A strong majority of those who are affiliated with a religion, including majorities of nearly every religious tradition, do not believe their religion is the only way to salvation. And almost the same number believes that there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their religion.
The survey finds that constant movement characterizes the American religious marketplace, as every major religious group is simultaneously gaining and losing adherents. (
.pdf of full report (268 pages) or
watch the video of Pew Forum Director Luis Lugo giving an overview of the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey and talking about some of its key findings.)
[more inside]
posted by ServSci
on Dec 11, 2009 -
37 comments
Dr Kent Hovind (seen here
previously) claims to hold a doctorate, but both he and its awarding institution (
Patriot Bible University) have refused to publish his dissertation in any form. The
WikiLeaks site has obtained a scanned copy; highlights include "the truth about cave men", the co-existence of humans and dinosaurs, and a null reference list.
posted by gene_machine
on Dec 10, 2009 -
101 comments
Tim Nicholson, a UK former executive, believes he was
fired for his environmental views. He has
sued his former employer for discrimination on grounds of the
Employment Equality act, which states that employees may not be discriminated against for religious or philosophical beliefs. His former employers argue that his views were political, and thus do not fall under the act.
[more inside]
posted by mccarty.tim
on Nov 3, 2009 -
28 comments
Deconversion 2.0. A series of Youtube videos detailing the author's separation from his faith. His diction, with...pauses, is a little odd to get used to but worth getting around.
posted by notsnot
on Nov 1, 2009 -
37 comments
"For 35 years, I attended the same religion. When I left, I realized I didn't know the first thing about what other faiths believe. So I decided to find out the only way I know how: Go ask. For 52 weeks, I'm setting out to visit 52 different religions.
Christian to
Muslim,
Buddhist to
atheist, I'm going to attend their services, discuss faith with their leaders, and
bring it all back to you."
(
via)
posted by sabira
on Oct 18, 2009 -
85 comments
Welcome to the charming world of Vissarion: the Siberian, vegan,
reincarnation of Christ, who also happens to be a Polygamist. When he lost his job as a traffic cop in 1991, Sergei Torop changed his name to Vissarion and began spreading his message about how to attain moral perfection, drive out negative energy, and survive the coming Apocalypse. Today the Community of Vassarion in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia numbers around 10,000,
while a further 50,000 follow his teachings in the world beyond. [more inside]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy
on Oct 16, 2009 -
28 comments
"All of which is a long way of saying that, to construct a new church of anatomical horror and to do so out of stone, as Al-Mehdari seems to be suggesting, is a fascinating idea. " -
Body Baroque
posted by Artw
on Sep 23, 2009 -
24 comments
The Big Picture: Recent Hindu festivals and rituals. "Many Hindus throughout India recently celebrated
Ganesha Chaturthi, a 10-day festival celebrating the birth of
Ganesh, their supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. Hinduism, the predominant religion in India, is rich with traditional festivals and rituals, celebrated in many ways and locations around the world. Collected here are a few photographs from recent Hindu festivals and of Hindu devotees worshipping and practicing ritual ceremonies in India, England, Nepal and Indonesia."
posted by homunculus
on Sep 9, 2009 -
25 comments
Stuff Christian Culture Likes - A preacher's daughter marries another preacher's son and offers an insider's perspective about
youth leaders,
tips and
hawks,
sexual jewelry,
hot wives,
drama teams,
video games,
Jumbotrons,
coffee,
graphic design,
typography and more.
posted by Blazecock Pileon
on Aug 31, 2009 -
197 comments
Kōfuku-no-Kagaku (幸福の科学), also called Happy Science, is a relatively new religious and spiritual movement, founded in Japan in October 1986. The organization is gaining ground world-wide, with the international headquarter office in central Tokyo, 6 local temples located in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seoul and Taiwan, and an additional 37 local offices around the world. The group's leader, Master Ryuho Okawa, has is not limiting the scope of the movement to politics, and in May 2009 the
Happiness Realization Party was formed, with
over 300 HRP candidates running for the coming general election. To provide background on the religion and political movement, here is
a little investigation of Happy Science by MeFi's own
shii [via
mefi projects]
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Jul 28, 2009 -
32 comments
Recently, there have been a host of websites that delight in exposing the inanity and stupidity of our society. There is the granddaddy,
Overheard in New York, which recounts silly conversations heard in the Big Apple, as well as a
host of similar sites.
There are now a variety of such websites, dedicated to different aspects of our society.
[more inside]
posted by reenum
on Jul 28, 2009 -
51 comments
An American Sadhu - A seeking of holiness, resulting in disillusionment and abandonment. A very good read about one man's experience meeting a guru and his disciple, and ultimately coming full circle to "you get the guru you deserve".
posted by Kickstart70
on Jul 26, 2009 -
11 comments
