Top Religions, Faiths, Philosophies & Religious Texts
"Believe nothing unless it agrees with your own reason." - Buddha.
"If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him." - Voltaire.
"True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness." - Albert Einstein.
"All religions, arts and sciences are branches of the same tree. All these aspirations are directed toward ennobling man's life, lifting it from the sphere of mere physical existence and leading the individual towards freedom." - Albert Einstein.
A RELIGION is a system of human thought which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity or deities, or ultimate truth. Religion is commonly identified by the practitioner's prayer, ritual, meditation, music and art, among other things, but more generally is interwoven with society and politics. It may focus on specific supernatural, metaphysical, and moral claims about reality (the cosmos and human nature) which may yield a set of religious laws, ethics, and a particular lifestyle. Religion also encompasses ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history, and mythology, as well as personal faith and religious experience.
The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to communal faith and to group rituals and communication stemming from shared conviction. "Religion" is sometimes used interchangeably with "faith" or "belief system," but it is more socially defined than personal convictions, and it entails specific behaviors, respectively.
PHILOSOPHY is the study of general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions (such as mysticism or mythology) by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned argument. Philosophy comes from the Greek philosophia, which literally translates to "love of wisdom".
News & Resources
- $1m challenge: ‘If the Turin Shroud is a forgery, show how it was done’ - "Expert on revered relic calls on British Museum to back up the results of its disputed carbon dating tests."
- 13 great & gruesome religious relics - The Telegraph.
- 15 beautiful places of worship around the world - The Telegraph.
- 2,000-year-old city where the language of Jesus is still spoken - "Mardin: Turkey's ancient treasure trove."
- A brief history of the end of the world - "Every mass extinction, including the looming next one, explained."
- A viral scene from Netflix's 'Beef' nails a very specific religious experience - "Netflix's comedy-drama 'Beef' begins with a fight in a parking lot and never really slows down as it weaves a tale of manic revenge between two strangers. However, the show's detour into the workings of a Korean American church have struck a particularly powerful chord with viewers."
- Abandoned sacred places around the world - CNN travel.
- After 500 years of schism, will the rift of the Reformation finally be healed? - The Guardian.
- Agnosticism - the view that the existence or non-existence of any deity is unknown and possibly unknowable.
- Ancient altar rediscovered in Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre - "Pressed against a wall in a back corridor of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a stone slab bore testimony only to the graffiti etched on it by multitudes of pilgrims through the ages."
- Ancient DNA is offering clues to puzzle of Dead Sea scrolls, say experts - "Study may shed light on material and debated origins of some of the 25,000 fragments."
- App faith: how religions are embracing technology - The Guardian.
- Archaeologists Devise a Better Clock for Biblical Times - "A new approach to studying the history of Old Testament conflicts, courtesy of Earth’s geomagnetic record."
- Atheism - the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities.
- Barcelona's famous Sagrada Familia will finally be completed in 2026 - more than 140 years after construction started, officials have confirmed. The construction of the last of six towers will mark the completion of the structure of the basilica, the organization responsible for managing the site announced last week.
- Can physics prove if God exists? - "If there is a God, would they be bound by the laws of physics?"
- ‘Conclave’: A Fly on the Wall Inside the Secret Process to Elect a Pope - "A new drama by Edward Berger draws the audience inside this largely hidden tradition. How accurate is it?"
- Creationism - the belief that the Universe and Life originate "from specific acts of divine creation."
- Dead Sea scrolls study raises new questions over texts' origins - "Salts used on Temple scroll are not common to Dead Sea region, researchers find."
- Deathbed conversion - the adoption of a particular religious faith shortly before dying.
- Do we need a new theory of evolution? - "A new wave of scientists argues that mainstream evolutionary theory needs an urgent overhaul. Their opponents have dismissed them as misguided careerists - and the conflict may determine the future of biology."
- does religious faith lead to a happier, healthier life? - "The stress-reducing, life-extending benefits of religion can offer useful strategies even for non-believers, say scientists."
- Easter treat uniting two religions - "Maamoul: A sweet celebration for Christians and Muslims. Maamoul is made at the end of both Lent and Ramadan, leading up to Easter and Eid al Fitr. But this year, the biscuit is extra sweet as both religions celebrate it at the same time."
- Eschatology - study of the "end time".
- GOD DID NOT CREATE THE UNIVERSE - Stephen Hawking.
- God is gender-neutral, says archbishop of Canterbury - "Justin Welby has rejected Ariana Grande’s suggestion that God is a woman. God, he says, is not male or female."
- How Well Do You Know Religion? - The New York Times.
- I bought Trump's Bible - a blasphemous, sticky nightmare - "Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, and various Trump casinos have all failed - but has the ex-president finally found himself a winning product?"
- Is Your God Dead? - The New York Times.
- It is 5 minutes to midnight - The Doomsday Clock.
- Jesus baptism site makeover aims to draw a million Christians in 2030 - "Today the River Jordan lacks its biblical proportions, but some 200,000 visitors still flock to the traditional spot for Christian baptisms in Jordan in a typical year."
- Long Before Twitter, Martin Luther Was a Media Pioneer
- Lord’s Prayer opening may be ‘problematic’, says archbishop - "The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be 'problematic' because of their patriarchal association."
- Malaysia to deport 4 Finns for distributing Christian items - AP.
- Map Shows Most Religious Countries in the World - "The concept of religion has played a significant role in shaping the development of many societies. In some nations, religion continues a central part of everyday life, whilst in others very much less so."
- Mapped: The world's most (and least) religious countries - The Telegraph.
- Modest fashion - refers to a fashion trend in women of wearing less skin-revealing clothes, especially in a way that satisfies their spiritual and stylistic requirements for reasons of faith, religion or personal preference.
- Muslims could outnumber Christians globally beyond the year 2070 - NPR.
- Navalny backers see cautionary tale in Russian raids on Jehovah’s Witnesses - "Analysis: members of religious group declared extremist in 2017 have faced arrests, surveillance and prison."
- PALEO JUDAICA - blog on ancient ("paleo-") Judaism ("Judaica") and its historical and literary context from roughly the beginning of the Second Temple period (late 500s B.C.E.) to the rise of Islam (early 600s C.E.).
- Pascal's Wager - argument in apologetic philosophy devised by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62). It posits that humans bet with their lives that God either exists or does not. Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God. If God does actually exist, such a person will have only a finite loss (some pleasures, luxury, etc.), whereas they stand to receive infinite gains (as represented by eternity in Heaven) and avoid infinite losses (eternity in Hell).
- Patmos: The Greek island where the end of the world began - "This is the place from where infernal visions of mankind's ultimate downfall sprang - inspiring St. John to write the Book of Revelation which forms the closing pages of the New Testament and gives the Bible some of its most portentous descriptions."
- PHILOSOPHY - the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.
- Pope Francis shares a spiritual life hack: Know the ‘passwords’ of your heart - "Just like on one’s computer, where 'we know how important it is to know the password in order to get into the programs where the most personal and valuable information is stored,' the pope said that discernment requires unlocking 'the passwords of our heart.'"
- Problem of evil - "The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. There are currently differing definitions of these concepts. The best known presentation of the problem is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus. It was popularized by David Hume."
- Rare example of Roman crucifixion unearthed in UK - "Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe is the first example of a crucifixion in northern Europe. The skeleton of a man with a nail through his heel was discovered in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, east England, by experts from Albion Archaeology, it was revealed Wednesday."
- Rare stamp that offered fast track to heaven to go on display in UK - "Stamp for papers that enabled ‘fast-track’ through purgatory will be on show at a Hampshire priory. A seal matrix used to authenticate medieval indulgences and offer a fast track to heaven in exchange for cash is to go on display at a Hampshire priory after spending 500 years buried in a field."
- RELIGION - organized collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to create meaning to life or traditionally to explain the origin of life or the Universe.
- Religious people find it harder to understand the world - study - The Telegraph.
- SACRED PLACES - a richly illustrated guide to the world's sacred places, sacred art, religious architecture and historic religious sites.
- SaṃsĀra - Sanskrit word that means "wandering" or "world", with the connotation of cyclic, circuitous change. It also refers to the theory of rebirth and "cyclicality of all life, matter, existence", a fundamental assumption of all Indian religions.
- SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP LAKE SHRINE TEMPLE - 17190 Sunset Blvd., Pacific Palisades, CA, U.S.A. The grounds include a Court of Religions honoring the five principal religions of the world. Many thousands of visitors come each year to enjoy the scenic beauty and serenity of this spiritual sanctuary.
- Tarsus: For three religions, this quiet city is sacred - "It has a 7,000-year-old history, was home to two of Christianity and Islam’s most important figures. Tarsus - in eastern Turkey, around 180 miles from the Syrian border - is a gumbo of history, religion and food."
- The benefits of 'deep time thinking' - "The discovery of deep time would change how we see the world. Not only did it rewrite the Biblical account of time, it would provide the canvas for the theory of evolution. Later, it would help astronomers to show that the Earth itself was relatively young compared with the age of Universe."
- The heavy hand of God: Europe's brutalist churches - in pictures - "Vienna-based photographer Jamie McGregor Smith has spent years travelling the continent in search of sacred spaces that allowed architects' imaginations to run wild."
- The keeper of the Vatican's secrets is retiring. Here's what he wants you to know - "The longtime prefect of what is now named the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, is spilling the beans for the first time, revealing some of the secrets he has uncovered in the 45 years he has worked in one of the world's most important, and unusual, repositories of documents."
- The man who built his own cathedral - "For nearly 60 years, a former monk toiled almost single-handedly on an extraordinary building outside Madrid. Is it a folly or a masterpiece?"
- The Problem of Evil - "The epistemic question posed by evil is whether the world contains undesirable states of affairs that provide the basis for an argument that makes it unreasonable to believe in the existence of God."
- The world's largest churches - The Telegraph.
- Theodicy - "In the philosophy of religion, a theodicy, meaning 'vindication of God' in Greek, is an argument that attempts to resolve the problem of evil that arises when omnipotence, omnibenevolence, and omniscience are all simultaneously ascribed to God."
- THEOLOGY - the systematic and rational study of concepts of God and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies.
- TraitÉ sur la TolÉrance - full text. In a 1763 essay, Voltaire supported the toleration of other religions and ethnicities: "It does not require great art, or magnificently trained eloquence, to prove that Christians should tolerate each other. I, however, am going further: I say that we should regard all men as our brothers. What? The Turk my brother? The Chinaman my brother? The Jew? The Siam? Yes, without doubt; are we not all children of the same father and creatures of the same God?"
- What did Voltaire mean when he said that "if God did not exist ..."? - Quora.
- What existed before the Big Bang? - "How our Universe was born from nothing or if there was something that existed before it remains a mystery, but that is not stopping some physicists from trying to figure it out."
- What it's like to experience one of the world's most famous pilgrimages - "The Camino de Santiago is arguably the world’s most famous pilgrimage. At least in terms of ones that must be taken on foot, across hundreds of miles, while carrying your simplified, reduced world in a rucksack on your back. When most people talk about 'the Camino,' they are referring to the 500-mile route from the French village of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port at the base of the Pyrenees."
- world's most beautiful churches - The Telegraph.
Bibles
 - 500 years after the expulsion of Spain’s Jews, medieval Bible comes home - "Priceless volume that survived centuries after exile of its persecuted owners finally returns to Galicia."
- Ancient Grocery Lists May Shed Light on Bible’s Age - The New York Times.
- Bible - Wikipedia.
- 'Donald Trump has never read one word of the Bible' - "Late-night hosts discussed William Barr’s no-show and the president’s fumbled attempt to quote from the Bible."
- Earliest Known Draft of King James Bible Is Found - The New York Times.
- Greek New Testament Papyrus Is Discovered on eBay - The New York Times.
- How this 'proved' Bible is real - "Rare 3,000-year-old Assyrian art work expected to fetch more than $10M at auction."
- I bought Trump's Bible - a blasphemous, sticky nightmare - "Trump Steaks, Trump Vodka, and various Trump casinos have all failed - but has the ex-president finally found himself a winning product?"
- INTERNATIONAL day of the Bible - since 1941. November 23. "Share your favorite Bible verses at noon."
- Just when you think Trump can't get any weirder ... he launches his own version of the Bible - "Of course there's extra material as well as the usual gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But is it enough to make America believe again?"
- Oldest complete Hebrew Bible expected to break auction records - "Ninth-century Codex Sassoon, critical link between Dead Sea scrolls and today’s Bible, will have estimate of $30m-$50m."
- Peake's Commentary on the Bible - first published in 1919. One-volume commentary on the Bible that gives special attention to biblical archaeology and the then-recent discoveries of biblical manuscripts.
- Polyglot (book) - book that contains side-by-side versions of the same text in several different languages. Some editions of the Bible or its parts are polyglots, in which the Hebrew and Greek originals are exhibited along with historical translations. Polyglots are useful for studying the history of the text and its interpretation.
- Rare King James Bible First Edition Discovered at Drew University - The New York Times.
- Rare ‘Wicked’ bible that encourages adultery discovered in New Zealand - "First copy of the 1631 bible, which mistakenly reads ‘thou shalt commit adultery’, to be found in the southern hemisphere."
- The Emoji Bible has arrived - The Guardian.
- Utah primary schools ban Bible for 'vulgarity & violence' - "A school district in the US state of Utah has removed the Bible from elementary and middle schools for containing 'vulgarity and violence'."
- Was Jesus a man of color? Why this question matters more than ever - "As Christians celebrate Easter, they're faced with an uncomfortable truth about the true face of Jesus."
- What do we know about Trump's love for the Bible? - "The president appeared in images holding the Bible backwards and seemingly upside down."
- What is the future of religion? - "Throughout history, people’s faith and their attachments to religious institutions have transformed, argues Sumit Paul-Choudhury. So what’s next?"
- What the Bible Says About Secrets - "Scripture offers at least two views of privacy: It’s necessary for a healthy spiritual life, but it also provides a place where sin can be committed."
- Wycliffe Global Alliance - since 1942. Alliance of organisations with the common objective of translating the Bible for every language group that needs it. As of November 2012, translations of either portions of the Bible, the New Testament, or the whole Bible exist in over 2,800 of the 6,877 languages used on Earth.
Buddhism
 - BUDDHISM - Wikipedia.
Christianity
 - Abrahamic religions - monotheistic religions of West Asian origin, emphasizing and tracing their common origin to Abraham or recognizing a spiritual tradition identified with him. As of the early 21st century, it was estimated that 54% of the world's population (3.8 billion people) considered themselves adherents of the Abrahamic religions, about 30% of other religions, and 16% of no organized religion.
- ACT OF GOD - legal term for events outside human control, such as sudden natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.
- American evangelist: Billy Graham obituary - The Guardian.
- Anabaptism - Christian movement which traces its origins to the Radical Reformation. Anabaptists are Christians who believe in delaying baptism until the candidate confesses his or her faith. Although some consider this movement to be an offshoot of Protestantism, others see it as a distinct one. The Amish, Hutterites, and Mennonites are direct descendants of the movement. Schwarzenau Brethren, Bruderhof, and the Apostolic Christian Church are considered later developments among the Anabaptists.
- Are the Amish right about new technology? - The Guardian.
- Bible's Buried Secrets - Episode. 1: Did King David's empire exist? (YouTube 59:02).
- BIBLEGATEWAY.COM - a searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.
- Black Protestant sermons are four times as long as those in US Catholic churches - "A study of sermons posted only has found ‘striking differences’ among different denominations in length and content."
- Can physics prove if God exists? - "If there is a God, would they be bound by the laws of physics?"
- Catechism - summary or exposition of doctrine and served as a learning introduction to the Sacraments traditionally used in catechesis, or Christian religious teaching of children and adult converts.
- Christian Groups That Resist Public-Health Guidelines Are Forgetting a Key Part of the Religion's History - "The Christian groups in 2020 that are resisting stay-at-home orders are actually far divorced from the historical models they might seek to emulate. Actions that put others at risk are actions that create rather than ameliorate future suffering. They’re far removed from the early Christian ideal of caritas - an ideal that should hold just as much power today as it did all those centuries ago."
- CHRISTIANITY - Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the New Testament. Christianity is the world's largest religion, with about 2.4 billion adherents, known as Christians. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God, fully divine and fully human, and the savior of humanity whose coming as Christ or the Messiah was prophesied in the Old Testament.
- ‘Conclave’: A Fly on the Wall Inside the Secret Process to Elect a Pope - "A new drama by Edward Berger draws the audience inside this largely hidden tradition. How accurate is it?"
- Ex nihilo - Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing". It often appears in conjunction with the concept of creation.
- Findings Reignite Debate on Claim of Jesus’ Bones - The New York Times.
- French FÉcamp 'precious blood' relics recovered after abbey theft - "The Catholic Church was shocked last month when an ornate golden artefact said to contain drops of Jesus's blood was stolen shortly before an annual celebration in northern France."
- Gabriel Stone - predicts a messiah before Jesus.
- 'He wears the armor of God': evangelicals hail Trump's church photo op - "The president’s appeal to his base amid protests was derided by some Christians. Others saw a victory in a world of evil."
- How New Efforts Are Recovering the Stories of People Who Were Deleted From History - "Recently, a doctoral student at Duke University discovered that the oldest known copy of the Bible’s Gospel of John had been physically altered to reduce or remove the role of Mary Magdalene."
- How Russia Is Stepping Up Its Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses - "Authorities in Russia are arresting and detaining more and more members of the U.S-based Christian denomination."
- Jehovah's Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours - "Timekeepers no more, rank-and-file Jehovah’s Witnesses say goodbye to tracking proselytizing hours. Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-known for proselytizing door-to-door and handing out their literature on city streets. Less known to the general public, their adherents have been required for the past century to make regular reports to their congregation’s leaders on how many hours they put into such ministry. But in a historic shift, that practice ended this month."
- Jerusalem syndrome - group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas, delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by a visit to the city of Jerusalem.
- Jesus, a man of color? Why this question matters more than ever - "As Christians celebrate Easter, they're faced with an uncomfortable truth about the true face of Jesus."
- Jesus baptism site makeover aims to draw a million Christians in 2030 - "Today the River Jordan lacks its biblical proportions, but some 200,000 visitors still flock to the traditional spot for Christian baptisms in Jordan in a typical year."
- Jesus's tomb unveiled after $4m restoration - The Guardian.
- Lindisfarne Gospels - illuminated manuscript gospel book produced around the year 700 in a monastery off the coast of Northumberland at Lindisfarne and which is now on display in the British Library in London. This is the oldest extant translation of the Gospels into the English language.
- Lord’s Prayer opening may be ‘problematic’, says archbishop - "The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be 'problematic' because of their patriarchal association."
- Malaysia to deport 4 Finns for distributing Christian items - AP.
- Megachurch - church with an unusually large membership, who also offer a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant Christian church having 2,000 or more people in average weekend attendance.
- Mind-Blowing Statistics About Christianity You Need to Know - "As a religion, Christianity has been around for millennia. It has changed and transformed throughout time - both in terms of the principles and beliefs, the range of denominations it is comprised of and the number of religious believers across the globe."
- Myrrh mystery: how did Balthasar, one of the three kings, become black? - "They are a Christmas card staple - the three kings who followed a star to the baby Jesus. But one of them caused a revolution in art. We unravel the mystery of the Magi."
- Navalny backers see cautionary tale in Russian raids on Jehovah’s Witnesses - "Analysis: members of religious group declared extremist in 2017 have faced arrests, surveillance and prison."
- New tests at Jesus's presumed tomb back traditional beliefs - The Telegraph.
- Oxford Movement - movement of High Church members of the Church of England which eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of some older Christian traditions of faith and their inclusion into Anglican liturgy and theology. They thought of Anglicanism as one of three branches of the "one holy, catholic, and apostolic" Christian church.
- paradox of free will - or theological fatalism, contends that omniscience and free will are incompatible and that any conception of God that incorporates both properties is therefore inconceivable.
- Parousia - the Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messianic prophecies and is part of most Christian eschatologies.
- Pascal's Wager - argument in apologetic philosophy devised by the seventeenth-century French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Blaise Pascal (1623–62). It posits that humans all bet with their lives either that God exists or that he does not.
- Patmos: The Greek island where the end of the world began - "This is the place from where infernal visions of mankind's ultimate downfall sprang - inspiring St. John to write the Book of Revelation which forms the closing pages of the New Testament and gives the Bible some of its most portentous descriptions."
- Peter's Pence - an annual voluntary contribution made by Roman Catholics toward the expenses of the Holy See.
- Pope Francis calls for Lord's Prayer to be altered as current wording suggests God is capable of leading people 'into temptation' - The Telegraph.
- Pope Francis shares a spiritual life hack: Know the ‘passwords’ of your heart - "Just like on one’s computer, where 'we know how important it is to know the password in order to get into the programs where the most personal and valuable information is stored,' the pope said that discernment requires unlocking 'the passwords of our heart.'"
- Pope Francis smacks woman's hand to free himself from her grip - "Pope Francis was happily greeting children and pilgrims in St. Peter's Square on Tuesday when he slapped a woman's hand to free himself."
- Problem of evil - "The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. There are currently differing definitions of these concepts. The best known presentation of the problem is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus. It was popularized by David Hume."
- Prosperity theology - religious belief among some Christians, who hold that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for them, and that faith, positive speech, and donations to religious causes will increase one's material wealth.
- Quietism - name given (especially in Roman Catholic Church theology) to a set of Christian beliefs that rose in popularity in through France, Italy, and Spain during the late 1670s and 1680s.
- Rare example of Roman crucifixion unearthed in UK - "Archaeologists have unearthed what they believe is the first example of a crucifixion in northern Europe. The skeleton of a man with a nail through his heel was discovered in Fenstanton, Cambridgeshire, east England, by experts from Albion Archaeology, it was revealed Wednesday."
- Rare stamp that offered fast track to heaven to go on display in UK - "Stamp for papers that enabled ‘fast-track’ through purgatory will be on show at a Hampshire priory. A seal matrix used to authenticate medieval indulgences and offer a fast track to heaven in exchange for cash is to go on display at a Hampshire priory after spending 500 years buried in a field."
- rightwing Christian preachers in deep denial over Covid-19's danger - "A number of American religious leaders have endangered their flock by holding services - and by claiming the virus can be defeated by faith in God."
- Restorationism - the belief that Christianity should be restored along the lines of what is known about the apostolic early church, which restorationists see as the search for a more pure and more ancient form of the religion.
- Risk of Collapse at Jesus’ Tomb Unites Rival Christians - The New York Times.
- Russia bans Jehovah's Witnesses as 'extremist' - The Telegraph.
- secret world of Vatican City - The Guardian.
- Shield of the Trinity - Scutum Fidei (latin for "shield of faith") is a traditional Christian visual symbol which expresses many aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity, summarizing the first part of the Athanasian Creed in a compact diagram.
- SHROUD OF TURIN - length of linen cloth bearing the image of a man that is belived by some Christians to be the burial shroud of Jesus of Nazareth. Radiocarbon dating has dated it to the Medieval period. The shroud is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, northern Italy.
- Simony - the act of selling church offices and roles. The practice is named after Simon Magus, who is described in the Acts of the Apostles 8:9–24 as having offered two disciples of Jesus, Peter and John, payment in exchange for their empowering him to impart the power of the Holy Spirit to anyone on whom he would place his hands.
- STURP | Shroud of Turin Research Project - "Rethinking the Shroup Objectively."
- Tetragrammaton - meaning "(consisting) of four letters"): YHWH. It is one of the names of the national God of the Israelites used in the Hebrew Bible.
- The hardest Jehovah's Witness in the world - "Peter Lennon expected the guns when he met Mickey Spillane - but the legendary hardboiled pulp writer had some big surprises in store."
- The heavy hand of God: Europe's brutalist churches - in pictures - "Vienna-based photographer Jamie McGregor Smith has spent years travelling the continent in search of sacred spaces that allowed architects' imaginations to run wild."
- The keeper of the Vatican's secrets is retiring. Here's what he wants you to know - "The longtime prefect of what is now named the Vatican Apostolic Archive, Archbishop Sergio Pagano, is spilling the beans for the first time, revealing some of the secrets he has uncovered in the 45 years he has worked in one of the world's most important, and unusual, repositories of documents."
- The Overlooked Queer History of Medieval Christianity - "Today, it would be easy to assume that same-gender desire, particularly among men, is at odds with the history of Christianity. After all, many elements of modern conservative evangelical Christianity, from the infamous campaigns of the Westboro Baptist Church to faith-based pushes for anti-LGBTQ policy, give the impression that the religion is fundamentally opposed to the LGBTQ community."
- The Problem of Evil - "The epistemic question posed by evil is whether the world contains undesirable states of affairs that provide the basis for an argument that makes it unreasonable to believe in the existence of God."
- The Secret History of Leviticus - The New York Times.
- Theodicy - "In the philosophy of religion, a theodicy, meaning 'vindication of God' in Greek, is an argument that attempts to resolve the problem of evil that arises when omnipotence, omnibenevolence, and omniscience are all simultaneously ascribed to God."
- Two-thirds of US believers see Covid-19 as message from God, poll finds - "Poll found 31% feel strongly that God is telling humanity to change with the same number feeling that somewhat."
- VATI LEAKS - 'Catholic Church is not for respectable people'.
- Vatican reveals it owns more than 5,000 properties - "Real estate holdings published for first time show it owns 4,051 properties in Italy, 1,120 abroad."
- Was Jesus a man of color? Why this question matters more than ever - "As Christians celebrate Easter, they're faced with an uncomfortable truth about the true face of Jesus."
- What do we know about Trump's love for the Bible? - "The president appeared in images holding the Bible backwards and seemingly upside down."
- What Jesus Really Said About Heaven & Hell - TIME Magazine.
- What the new Testament really says about heaven - "The New Testament Doesn’t Say What Most People Think It Does About Heaven."
- When was Jesus born? - "When was Jesus born? Apparently not Dec. 25." Live Science.
- Who’s that knocking on my door? - "The Jehovah’s Witnesses have been granted official registration in Monaco."
- Why Did Christianity Prevail? - The New York Times.
- Why Is Easter So Late This Year? - TIME Magazine.
- WORD OF FAITH - worldwide Christian movement; it teaches that Christians can access the power of faith or fear through speech. Its distinctive teachings are found on the radio, Internet, television, and in many Christian churches. The basic doctrine preached is that of wealth and health through positive confession.
Hinduism
 - Hinduism - Wikipedia.
- Vedas - Wikipedia.
- Bhagavad Gita - 700-verse scripture that is part of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. It is a sacred text of the Hindus.
- Dharma - key concept with multiple meanings in the Indian religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. There is no single word translation for dharma in western languages.
- Karma - means action, work or deed; it also refers to the principle of causality where intent and actions of an individual influence the future of that individual. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness, while bad intent and bad deed contribute to bad karma and future suffering.
- Karma yoga - a form of yoga based on the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Sanskrit scripture of Hinduism. Of the four paths to realization, karma yoga is the process of achieving perfection in action. Karma yoga is derived from the spiritual life. Karma yoga is said to be the most authentic way to progress in the spiritual life.
- Shaivism - one of the four most widely followed sects of Hinduism, which reveres the god Shiva as the Supreme Being.
- Shaktism - denomination of Hinduism that focuses worship upon Shakti or Devi – the Hindu Divine Mother – as the absolute, ultimate Godhead.
- Smartism - orthodox Hindu "family tradition" or sect composed of Brahmins, c.q. "certain category of brahmins", which follows Shanmata.
- Vaishnavism - one of the major branches of Hinduism along with Shaivism, Smartism, and Shaktism. It is focused on the veneration of Vishnu.
Islam
 - 550 hajj pilgrims die in Mecca as temperatures exceed 50C - "At least 320 of the dead are from Egypt and Saudi officials report treating more than 2,000 people for heat stress."
- A Ramadan etiquette guide for non-Muslims - "There are about 7.6 billion people in the world. And around 24% of them - 1.8 billion - are fasting from sunup to sundown. Every day. For an entire month. It's Ramadan, the holiest month of the Muslim calendar. You can earn some cool points if you follow these 10 tips."
- At least 14 pilgrims die during hajj pilgrimage amid soaring temperatures - "Jordanians died in Saudi Arabia after suffering heatstroke, said officials, with temperatures reaching 47C in Mecca."
- Hagia Sophia: Former Istanbul museum to open for Muslim worshippers - "Friday prayers are to be held at Istanbul's iconic Hagia Sophia building for the first time since the celebrated museum was turned back into a mosque."
- HAJJ - annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.
- How Do Sunni & Shia Islam Differ? - The New York Times.
- ISLAM - Wikipedia.
- Mecca to accept only ‘immunised’ pilgrims from Ramadan - "From the start of Ramadan, only Muslims immunised against Covid-19 will be allowed to perform the umrah pilgrimage, Saudi authorities have said."
- NATION OF ISLAM
- RAMADAN - the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting to commemorate the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief.
- Ramadan in a time of plague: 'The best thing is to stay home, stay quiet' - "For many the inability to pray and eat together will be keenly felt, while others are carrying on regardless."
- The Black Stone of Mecca like you've never seen before - "The images of al-Hajar al-Aswad, or the Black Stone, are up to 49,000 megapixels in size and took more than 50 hours to photograph and develop, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Saudi Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque said in a press release Monday."
- The Destruction of Mecca - Ziauddin Sardar | The New York Times.
- What Muslims Do on Hajj, and Why - The New York Times.
- World's grandest place of worship - "Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Mosque: Secrets of the world's grandest place of worship."
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- Thomas Jefferson's effort (approx. 1819) to extract the doctrine of Jesus by removing sections of the New Testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by the Four Evangelists.
