Questions tagged [religion]

A term to describe an organized belief system which revolves around supernatural elements and entities.

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Why didn't the linguistic split overlap with the religion split in Prussian Silesia?

The Prussian province of Silesia was split in two "halves", the northwest, centered around Breslau (Wrocław), was mostly Protestant, German-speaking, and was akin to other regions of the kingdom of ...
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Did a ritual of pushing 60-year-olds off a bridge really exist in Archaic Rome?

I've read about the archaic Roman practice of killing 60-year-olds by pushing them off a bridge, in a book by historian Eva Cantarella, namely Perfino Catone scriveva ricette - I greci, i romani e noi ...
Vincenzo Oliva's user avatar
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What are other obvious samples in history where political/religious leaders try to shape religion to their need [closed]

This question is inspired by What were Hitler's religious beliefs? So they have well documented records on how Hitler actually tried to change/replace christianity. What other similar records ...
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Did Roundheads have opinions on early leaders of the Reformation (e.g., Martin Luther) during the Civil War?

We know that Henry VIII had been against Luther, even after Henry broke with Rome. So the Reformation in England developed differently to the one in Europe at that point. But were later Protestants in ...
Ne Mo's user avatar
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Why were Arians outnumbered on the First Council of Nicaea?

Constantine was baptized by an Arian bishop a few years after the Council of Nicaea. His sons were Arians. At least the leadership of the Visigoths that sacked Rome where Arians. That was in 410, only ...
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Orphism's alleged influence on Christianity

I've read in Nils Johan Ringdal's delightful but ill-footnoted Love For Sale: A World History of Prostitution that the apostle Paul was influenced by Orphism when he set out to weaken women's roles in ...
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Did Mithraism and other Roman cults surpass the original Greco-Roman religion in popularity before the rise of Christianity?

From the death of Alexander the Great onward, the religion of the ancient Greeks steadily absorbed foreign elements creating new forms of worship and new deities. Some examples of newly worshipped ...
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Why did the US Navy and Marine Corps use satanic symbolism in WW2?

When you look at certain names and symbols used by the U.S. Navy (USN) and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) during WW2, you could see they are heavily loaded with satanic symbols. You have the F6F Hellcat ...
rs.29's user avatar
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What is the first known organized religion in the world?

Which were the first religions to be created with well known scriptures, ceremonies and traditions? Was it that of the ancient Egyptians or the old kingdoms of the Middle East? What about Africa or ...
The Byzantine's user avatar
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How does a runic alphabet work?

For instance, let's take the Younger Futhark alphabet. How do you build a word? By just getting the first letter or phoneme of the name of each rune? Or do they have a contextual meaning?
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What was the Orthodox Church's role in Russian expansion?

Yuri Semyonov's The Conquest of Siberia says the main motivation for the Russian empire's eastwards expansion was the acquisition of furs (in the form of yasak, the fur tax assessed on native male ...
Aaron Brick's user avatar
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What is "Mary's Part"?

The poem on this gravestone in RI refers to "Mary's part." What does this phrase mean?
jim smothe's user avatar
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What do historians mean when they say "divinity" in the context of Ancient Greece?

I was going to find sources for the Wikipedia article on Thales of Miletus, since the section on divinity has almost none, I was wondering what "divinity" even means in the context of Ancient Greece. ...
user32799's user avatar
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How did religions interpret rainbows before science explained it? [closed]

A rainbow this morning to work made me think of how religions used to interpret these colorful appearances. Signs from the gods? Repent for your sins? A gift? I want to know how different religions ...
Zaenille's user avatar
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Were Puritans Prudes or Progressive?

I have recently encountered two independent assertions that Puritans were not prudes like I and most of society think they were. Either society's view of Puritans is revisionist, or the two sources I ...
Dale's user avatar
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When and where did praying with eyes closed originate?

I understand closing eyes for prayer as something done as a matter of course by Western Christians, and possibly also by other religions practicing in the West and/or by Christians practicing ...
Luke Sawczak's user avatar
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Did American colonists object to the protections of Catholicism in the Quebec Act?

One of the acts which helped precipitate the American Revolutionary War was the Quebec Act. This act was passed in the aftermath of the Seven Years' War (aka the French & Indian War), after the ...
Michael Seifert's user avatar
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What’s this odd hat/crown and is it related to Baal?

So I was looking at a history book and it was set in ancient Egypt, in the temple of karnak. They were talking about how their were doors only the pharaohs and priests were allowed in, and how they ...
cgperfect's user avatar
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What was the primary source Brugsch used to argue for Egyptian monotheism?

There is a theory held by some that Ancient Egypt had a degree of monotheism (A certain Emmanuel de Rougé even going as far as saying, in 1839, "The Egyptian religion is a pure monotheism, which ...
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Which days in the Mayan calendar were most auspicious for performing sacrifices?

In Classic Mayan civilization, human sacrifices were performed. I've read that there were days that were more and less auspicious for sacrifices, but I haven't been able to find out which days those ...
Joe's user avatar
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Did the Mayans view the gods as antagonistic to humanity?

How did the precolonial Maya view their gods' relationship to mankind, specifically: were they considered benevolent, neutral, or antagonistic? I've seen a number of hints that they may have ...
Joe's user avatar
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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: ...
readyready15728's user avatar
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Did the Indo-Greeks play a crucial role in promoting Buddhism?

Did Buddhism become a widespread religion primarily due to the political support of the Indo-Greek rulers of India who favored it in opposition to Jainism?
Anixx's user avatar
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How far into the past was significance ascribed to the Golden Ratio?

I think everyone knows about the golden ratio or the divine proportion (I got to know more about it after reading the wikipedia article on it). It's present everywhere in nature and also in the human ...
Jayaram's user avatar
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What religion did Mustafa Kemal Atatürk self-identify as following?

He was born in the Ottoman Empire (later Turkey), so I assume he was a Muslim. But when I checked his attitude towards religion, it became clear that he saw religion as an obstacle in making ...
L. Peters's user avatar
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Was Bhai Mati Das sawed in half on the orders of Aurangzeb?

The wikipedia entry about Bhai Mati Das mentions that he was sawed into two on the express orders of Aurangzeb (he was asked to convert to Islam). Is it true? I have doubts because I haven't seen ...
Daud's user avatar
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Was residual animism partially responsible for Hitler's rise?

Although Miller had never bothered to think about it, it was once out of these and other oceans of pine and beech that the old Germanic tribes had swarmed to be checked by Caesar at the Rhine. Later, ...
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After Jesus was executed what became of Pontius Pilate

After all of the unrest in the area did Pontius Pilate resolve the issue by the death of Jesus Christ. Historically what became of Pontius Pilate.
Shannon Chesnut's user avatar
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Historical examples of advanced societies that abruptly abandoned or changed religions?

Acknowledging that society and culture are broadly influenced by religion; understanding that a society and the religion of that society are frequently inextricably connected; is there such a thing as ...
iAndelin's user avatar
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What was the last religion to become 'extinct'?

Some ancient religions, like the one of the Romans and the Ancient Greek, used to have a rather large number of followers, but are now 'extinct', i.e. they aren't practiced anymore (though there are ...
Glorfindel's user avatar
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Why was the spread of Christianity scattered compared to other major religions?

This video of the spread of world religions makes Christianity look like an anomaly. Every other religion spreads out smoothly from a central point, growing at the edges. Christianity begins as a ...
spraff's user avatar
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5 answers
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How did ancient mystery religions impact Christianity?

I recently learned about the existence of mystery religions while listening to lectures by Robert Garland about Daily Life in the Ancient World. Wikipedia seems to imply that the mystery religions ...
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7 votes
2 answers
184 views

What clergy went on the second Bering expedition?

Vitus Bering led two seaborne expeditions to explore the Russian Far East. On the second expedition, he founded Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky by building a "City-Nativity" church [Богородско-Рождественской ...
Aaron Brick's user avatar
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Were the Puritans for a State Church?

In a book titled America's Providential History it states on page 84 that The major Puritan weakness was their holding to the idea of a State Church. They saw nothing wrong with a National church....
Max Isom's user avatar
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2 answers
643 views

When were the different stories of Hindu gods written?

I'm a Hindu by religion. And I really respect my religion like I respect others. But from my childhood, I'm listening a lot of stories about Hindu Gods and Goddess which are interrelated to each other....
Shirish Herwade's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
662 views

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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7 votes
1 answer
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Is the Bible considered a reliable historical resource? [closed]

I realize there is probably a large spectrum of opinions on this matter. Nevertheless, what is the general consensus among academics on the historical reliability of the Bible? Is it a sound ...
Napoleonothecake's user avatar
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1 answer
413 views

Is there a place in Europe that has never been Christian?

Before the advent of Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, Europe had numerous religions over at least 40 thousand years, as archaeologic evidence shows. Is there any place/community where Celtic, ...
MrMartin's user avatar
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Did Roman Empire elite believe in their gods?

For example, did Julius Cesar or Augustus believe in the existence of Jupiter? Is there some consistent evidence in writings that they truly believed in the Roman gods? Or maybe they thought that the ...
luchonacho's user avatar
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When were the heresy laws abolished in England?

We know that during the English Reformation several "heretics" were burnt at the stake. We also know that during the reign of Henry VIII both protestants and catholics were burnt or beheaded while ...
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Are there any secular accounts of the Sadduccees?

1. Question : Are there any accounts by Greek, or other historians, that detail what happened to the Sadducees, who were tied to Temple in Jerusalem? Was there a persecution of the Sadducees? I am ...
elika kohen's user avatar
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2 answers
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Are there any written records of Norse mythology dated prior to Christianization?

As I understand it, most of what we know about Norse mythology is based on texts written in sagas by Christians in the late Middle Ages. Do we have any contemporary accounts of Norse mythology from ...
Wad Cheber's user avatar
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Was Ashoka motivated more by economics rather than religion in giving up war?

Is there any evidence to support the idea that Ashoka's aversion to war might have been due to inflationary economics rather than religion or remorse? Such as say the degradation in the value of coins ...
Rajib's user avatar
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Does a Baal human sacrifice statue from Carthage exist?

While I was reading a Roman history book, it said that people from Carthage used to sacrifice children by placing them on the arms of Baal's statue and letting them roll to the fire. What would be ...
loki's user avatar
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1 answer
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What exactly were the religious beliefs of Gemistus Plethon?

According to wikipedia: [Gemistus Plethon] was a Greek scholar of Neoplatonic philosophy. He was one of the chief pioneers of the revival of Greek learning in Western Europe. In the dying years of ...
Notaras's user avatar
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Diaries or writings of Cathar Perfecti in 12th Century France

The Cathars were a Gnostic sect of southern (Languedoc) France in the 12th Century. "Perfecti" were individuals in the sect who followed the most extremely austere lives, renouncing worldly pleasures ...
jan's user avatar
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1 answer
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Manichaeism almost becoming state religion of Roman Empire

I am reading Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, an excellent source throughout. At one point (on p. 270 in the German edition) the author mentions a turning point in history ...
Drux's user avatar
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What is the role of towers in Romanesque architecture?

I'm currently reading some books about romanesque architecture. I would like to know the roles of towers that many religious buildings have. I have some guesses, so I would like you to tell me if ...
The Unholy Metal Machine's user avatar
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How did early Judaism and Zoroastrianism influence each other, if they were so far apart?

I've been reading, from various sources, fairly vague and hand-wavey claims that Zoroastrianism and early Judaism influenced each other (and that both were influenced by Atenism). Looking at ...
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6 votes
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Were there any pharaohs who believed in any of the Abrahamic religions?

There are many stories in religious books about Abraham meeting the pharaoh of Egypt. Also Jacob, Josef, Moses, etc. Did any of these pharaohs believe in Abrahamic religions? Was there any proof from ...
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