Questions tagged [religion]
A term to describe an organized belief system which revolves around supernatural elements and entities.
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What are the strange words on back of idol from India in Devanagari script? [migrated]
A close friend showed me photographs of the reverse side which has numerous words inscribed in Devanagari. I'm unable to decipher a single word. Some of the words are clear but contain archaic forms ...
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Is the word God (or it's equivalent) always as old as the civilization's earliest written texts? [closed]
I did some research and it seems the word God (or its equivalent) is usually as old as the written text of that civilization.
Is this table accurate? Are there any civilizations of written language ...
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Where can we read/find the "Naqsh e Rajab" inscription of the Magian Priest Kartir?
In the Encyclopaedia Iranica entry on the Arda Wiraz, it mentions:
...The narrative of Wīrāz is not unique. Parallels are found in more precisely dated sources—the legend of Zoroaster recorded in ...
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When and how did the concept of posthumous reward and punishment enter ancient Judaism?
Throughout the Jewish Bible / Christian Old Testament, it's pretty consistently expressed that all people have the same fate after death - although the nature of that fate is sometimes seems to be ...
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Why was June 24th chosen for the date of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist?
I was wondering what the earliest mention of this festival was and why the date was chosen because I’ve seen different explanations like some mention the earliest mention of this festival was the 4th ...
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Who was the last Egyptian pharaoh to be worshipped as a 'deity' or seen as something 'divine' whether in potential or actuality?
During the New Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, starting with Amnhotep III and ending with Ramses XI, pharaohs were worshipped as living 'deities'. After the declaration of Wehem Mesut
and the subsequent ...
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What was life like in Korbach, Hesse, Germany during the 1700s?
I have been trying to learn about Korbach, Hesse relative to my family history. I have an ancestor who was born there around 1728. He married in Efferen (close to Cologne) in 1765 as a Catholic and ...
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Did Nazi Germany ever actually make it illegal to practice Judaism?
While I appreciate that the Nazis tried to portray their anti-Semitism as based on racial, and not religious differences per se, and I understand that if one converted to Judaism, one would be ...
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Do we know of pagan creation myths that had a creation week?
Is the creation week an introduction by Abrahamic religions, or are there other known religions that also have, as part of their creation myths, a creation week (not necessarily of 7 days)?
I've ...
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Did the teaching of evolution in the US suffer greatly from the Scopes Monkey trial?
After reading the story of the Scopes Monkey Trial, I learned that the teaching of evolution in the US suffers greatly from it. To quote some words from the wiki item, at the section Anti-evolution ...
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How did Raphael paint halos?
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing Raphael's cartoon "Christ's Charge to Peter":
In it, Christ and the apostles are depicted with halos that appear to be perfect ellipses.
I only know ...
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Did Martin Luther ever say "The prosperity of a country depends ... "?
Did Martin Luther ever say these quotes? If he did, then since he didn't speak English, what were his original words. Is this translation correct (close enough)?
The prosperity of a country depends, ...
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Is there any documentation of the use of scientific knowledge or technology in pagan temples?
One of the great rabbinic scholars from the Geonic period, Rabbi Hai Gaon (939-1038 CE) wrote a responsum wherein he mentions as something "well-known" that that idolatrous temples would set ...
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How did the East Slavic pagans perceive the process of Christianization of Rus'? [closed]
I read that the Christianization of Rus' was of great civilizational, political and cultural significance for the Eastern Slavs.
One of the notable aspects of this theme is the view, supported by some ...
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Why is it necessary to list conflicting causes for the emergence Buddhism and Jainism?
The emergence of Buddhism and Jainism in 6th Century BC is seen as the result of the following causes (as given in R.S. Sharma's Ancient India):
Reaction by Kshatriyas
The development of new ...
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What is the source for exact years of the Hittite/Egyptian state of war?
The following is an excerpt of a critique on "Reason to Believe":
Critic: Under these conditions, were the Ten Plagues and a total crush of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea waters to happen,...
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What type of headgear is shown in this Renaissance portrayal of Hell?
The painting in question is The Last Judgment by Fra Angelico. One can see a full version on Wikimedia Commons but here's a zoomed-in segment which was the first thing I saw before finding the source:
...
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Why is syncretism mostly described through an "interpretatio graeca", rather than any other polytheism? [closed]
Ancient Greeks such as Herodotus thought other culture's gods (e.g. Egyptian) are actually same deities as theirs, just having different names.
For example, Plutarch said
Not different gods for ...
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Did the polytheist Greeks or Romans call their priests “father”?
I assume not, but perhaps it has just escaped me, because I am so used to this form of address from the Greek Orthodox Church. There might be texts showing that some of them did, or texts commenting ...
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What religions were persecuted and disappeared (between 1000 BCE – 1 CE)? [closed]
R Gottlieb wrote in his book called "Reason to Believe" on page 66 that many cultures were persecuted between 1000 BCE – 1 CE, and none survived. As far as I'm aware, he does not provide any ...
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In the Gettysburg Address, what is the exact meaning of the phrase 'under God'?
Recently, while studying Chinese translations of this classic speech,
EDIT:
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and
that government of the people, by the people, for the ...
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How old is the practice of wearing your "Sunday Best" to church?
I was wondering how old the idea of wearing your "Sunday Best" (nicest clothes) to church. It only became common to have different sets of clothes in the last few centuries. And even then ...
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Who are the Cathari in the Canons of the council of Nicaea?
In Canon 8 of the Council of Nicaea – held in 325 – it states that
As for the so-called cathari, if they return to the catholic and apostolic church, the great and holy council decrees that any of ...
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Was any belief about the nature of the soul before birth widespread enough to influence common people's lives?
Medieval (European Christian 5-15th century) theologians used to argue between a few ideas about the origin of the soul (creationism, traducianism & pre-existence). However, was any belief about ...
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Did any ancient polytheistic religion hold that theirs was the only pantheon? [closed]
There are a handful of polytheistic pantheons that we are generally familiar with today, The Greek pantheon, the pre-Christianity Roman pantheon, and the Norse gods; while I see this from a western ...
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Besides the Hebrews, were there any other ancient cults that used salt in animal sacrifices?
The Hebrew Bible (Leviticus 2:13) stipulates that all animal sacrifices must have salt. I was wondering if we find such a phenomenon of requiring salt in the cultic rituals of any other society in ...
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What was the earliest legitimate ancient Satanist sect / cult?
According to this recount of Satanism, the belief system is a modern phenomenon. The only confirmed "Satanic Church" wasn't formed until the 1960s.
I suppose we can concede that part of this ...
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What were the neoplatonists' attitude towards Christianity (or religion in general)?
In the movie "Agora" an ultimatum is given to Hypatia, either she adopts Christianity or the prefect would not be able to protect her anymore. Hypatia chooses the latter and is subsequently ...
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Was Haman (who is mentioned the Book of Esther) a historical person?
according to wikipedia
Haman is the main antagonist in the Book of Esther, who according to the Hebrew Bible was a grand vizier in the Persian empire under King Ahasuerus, commonly identified as ...
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Was religion in India a matter of choice for people during Mauryan empire?
The three most important kings of the Mauryan empire were followers of different religions, though there are disputes since there is not enough evidence to support the claims about Chandragupta & ...
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Was there any Egyptian Pharaoh that was considered the one and only god that ancient Egyptians worshiped during his life?
I found the following verses in the Quran (the holy book of Islam):
Quran 79:24 And said (the king pharaoh), "I am your most exalted lord."
Quran 28:38 And king Pharaoh said, "O eminent ...
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What was the state of the Congo in 1959?
I'm reading the Poisonwood Bible. It is about a missionary family, the Prices, who in 1959 move from the U.S. state of Georgia to the village of Kilanga in the Belgian Congo.
I really have no idea ...
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Did D&D and similar media actually increase interest in the occult?
There was a scare in the 80s and less so the 90s surrounding things like the tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) or other media that depicts magic as a narrative element and a ...
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Was climate a factor in the spread of Islam?
Pasted below is a google maps image that spans much of Europe, Asia and Africa. Note the lack of vegetation in a belt cutting across this image.
The question now is as follows. Why are the places with ...
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Did Martin Luther King, Sr. change his name as an allusion to the Semitic root M-L-K?
Martin Luther King, Sr. was given the name Michael King at birth. Shortly after touring the Holy Land, he changed his name to Michael Luther King, and then to Martin Luther King. (This source seems to ...
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What was the involvement of the upper social classes of Russia in Kizhi?
Kizhi Pogost, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was built in the 17th - early 18th century in Karelia (north-west Russia). Its architecture is remarkable, and it's quite big. The only personality ...
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What percentage of the population was in the clergy (chastity vows) in Europe *at its peak* between 500-1500)?
According to this Wiki.fr page, 90% of the population were peasants. Of the 10% remaining, what percentage of them were clergy people? And does it apply during peak time? And when was this peak time?
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Are there historical examples of non-Christian martyrs who were persecuted and killed because they claimed to be firsthand eyewitnesses of a miracle?
In the context of Christianity, the obvious examples are the apostles, who claimed to have been firsthand eyewitnesses of the resurrection of Jesus (with the exception of the apostle Paul, who didn't ...
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What was the status of Shia Muslims in the Ottoman empire?
It's my understanding that the Ottoman Empire was mostly tolerant of other religions throughout most of its history*.
For example, they welcomed Jews who had been exiled from Spain during the ...
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What kind of religions did ancient aboriginals of Australia follow?
What kind of religions did ancient aboriginals of Australia follow?
Was there religion monotheistic, pantheistic or polytheistic?
In Wikipedia I read this
Australian Aboriginal religion and ...
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What caused the Roman phallus symbol to fall out of use?
In a lot of old Roman artifacts from statues to jewelry to even oil lamps,
The phallus is often a prominent feature. From what I gather, it was used as symbol of power and protection.
However, when ...
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How widespread was the observance of the Jewish Sabbath among Christians during Early Christianity (A.D. 30–324)?
Question
How widespread was the observance of the Jewish Sabbath among Christians during Early Christianity (A.D. 30–324)?
Further Details
As a reminder, the Jewish Sabbath is defined as:
[...] the ...
user46818
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What is the historical origin of the Jewish Sabbath?
The Jewish Sabbath is presented in the Old Testament:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord ...
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What is the name of the Egyptian temple which had a secret / fake voice projection chamber?
I've been touring Egypt a few years ago, and visited many temples. In one of them, I was shown a chamber, and a little passage which apparently went behind the chamber and allowed the priest to ...
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Why are some cultures historically more modest than others? [closed]
Ancient Greeks, for example, were obviously very comfortable with nudity, as reflected in a lot of their art. On the other hand, Islamic cultures value modesty much more. And of course there are ...
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Did religious names catch on before or after the use of last names?
Last names are interesting. Once upon a time, people had only first names, until growing populations and ostentatious royals started a trend of including a second name, most commonly either patronymic ...
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What social response could be expected in the Roman world after a temple collapsed?
I've been reading Ritual Landscapes of South-East Britain (2008, David Rudling). In a chapter on the Wanborough, Surrey Temple complex the author discusses how one temple was built in the late first ...
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Was any other religion as exact in terms of genealogy as Judaism? [closed]
Old Testament has extensive genealogies dating from Adam (untraceable) to Jesus, (somewhat traceable). My question is, was any other religion (Greek Paganism, Sumerian Religion, Babylonian Religion, ...
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Is there any historical evidence that suggest that Zoroastrianism is older than Judaism or vice versa?
So from what I remember reading around Zoroastrianism is or seems to be older than Judaism not only older, but the former seems to have influenced the latter. However while talking to a friend today ...
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What are the origins and history of shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing, fainting and similar manifestations in Christianity?
I'm interested in learning about the origins and evolution throughout Church history of manifestations such as shaking, trembling, jerking, contorting, collapsing or fainting attributed to the Holy ...
user46818