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History and Religion

2023-10-30T11:48:43-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What Do We Really Know About the Ancient Druids?

Last updated on: October 30, 2023 at 11:48 am By Barbara O'Brien

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The ancient Druids are still leaving a mark on western culture. They turn up in countless novels, films, and video games. Their holiday Samhain, our Hallowe’en, is now a big deal in North America as well as in Ireland and Britain. There is a modern Druid movement that seeks to revive the spirit of Druidism, especially its reverence for nature, and I wish the modern Druids well. This post, however, focuses on what we know about the original, ancient Druids.... Read more

Pagan

2023-10-31T14:12:31-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hallowe’en Is an Irish-American Holiday

Last updated on: October 31, 2023 at 2:12 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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Hallowe’en, at least as it’s observed in North America, is a thoroughly Irish-American holiday. You may know that Hallowe’en began as the Irish Samhain (pronounced “SOW-wen”) observance, thought to be the day in which the veil between the living and the dead is at it thinnest. From pagan times the Irish lit bonfires and wore disguises during Samhain to keep away ghosts. In an attempt to co-opt the holiday to make it Christian, the Catholic Church designated the two days... Read more

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2023-10-24T17:00:15-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Albert Einstein and Spinoza’s God

Last updated on: October 24, 2023 at 5:00 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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Theoretical physicist Albert Einstein (1879 – 1955) often was asked if he believed in God. His usual answer was that he believed in Spinoza’s God. “I believe in Spinoza’s God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with fates and actions of human beings,” the physicist once wrote in a letter. In an article he wrote in 1930 titled “Religion and Science,” Einstein mentioned Spinoza three times as an example... Read more

More Voices

2023-10-22T17:14:18-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Don’t Fall for Jesus Mythicism

Last updated on: October 22, 2023 at 5:14 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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What is Jesus mythicism? In general, it’s a proposal that Jesus Christ is entirely fictional and ahistorical. There are several variations of this proposal floating around. But the version that shows up frequently on social media is the argument that the life of Jesus Christ was based on earlier myths. Further, the argument goes, the degree to which the life of Christ resembles earlier myths is proof that Christ is a myth also. In the past few weeks I’ve seen... Read more

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2023-11-01T10:47:59-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Reflections on War and Religion

Last updated on: November 1, 2023 at 10:47 am By Barbara O'Brien

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A horrific new war involving Israel and Gaza evokes the old subject of war and religion. Doesn’t religion cause most of the conflict in the world? It is widely believed that it does. Prominent neuroscientist and author Sam Harris wrote that religion is “the most prolific source of violence in our history” (The End of Faith, page 27). Another scientist and author, Richard Dawkins, said in a video interview, “There’s no doubt that throughout history religious faith has been a... Read more

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2023-10-11T23:34:41-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Boy Who Is the Bogd

Last updated on: October 11, 2023 at 11:34 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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Very old history has a way of keeping its grip on current events. Now some very old history has thrust an eight-year-old boy into an international conflict of global concern. The boy is known as A. Altannar, and he has been identified as the tenth tulku, or rebirth, of the Bogd, the spiritual leader of Mongolia. This puts the child at the center of long contention among China, Mongolia, Tibet, and leaders of Tibetan Buddhism. It could have implications regarding... Read more

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2023-09-28T18:51:32-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Beneath the Sands of Mes Aynak

Last updated on: September 28, 2023 at 6:51 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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Mes Aynak is a desolate place located about 25 miles, or 40 kilometers, southeast of Kabul, Afghanistan. In photographs much of the area around Mes Aynak appears to be nothing but sand. But beneath the sand are treasures — one mineral, one archeological. And one treasure may be destroyed to aquire the other. Beneath the sands of Mes Aynak is a fortune of copper, one of the largest deposits of copper in the world. Copper is essential to renewable energy... Read more

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2023-09-22T14:27:49-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Nalanda: The First University

Last updated on: September 22, 2023 at 2:27 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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Nalanda was the first residential university in human history. It also was one of the greatest centers of learning in the ancient world. This Nalanda university was a vast complex in which as many as ten thousand students could live and study under fifteen hundred teachers. Its legendary library was said to hold nine million books, although more sober sources suggest is was only hundreds of thousands. This remarkable place flourished for several centuries, but eventually it was destroyed and... Read more

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2023-09-18T20:05:35-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Faith and Football: What’s the Deal With Prayers Before Games?

Last updated on: September 18, 2023 at 8:05 pm By Barbara O'Brien

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What’s the deal with prayers before football games? I don’t know when it became the norm for someone to lead players and spectators in prayer before high school football games in the U.S. I don’t remember such prayers before high school football games when I was in high school in the 1960s, but perhaps we said them and I’ve forgotten. And I don’t know how widespread the practice is, or was. But in at least some parts of the country... Read more

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2023-09-08T00:18:24-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Kennedy v. Bremerton: The Praying Coach Returns

Last updated on: September 8, 2023 at 12:18 am By Barbara O'Brien

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On Friday night, September 1, 2023, an event happened that will be a footnote in the history of church-state relations in the United States: Coach Joe Kennedy once again knelt and prayed on the Bremerton High School football field after a game. Coach Kennedy and his prayers were the subject of a 2022 U.S. Supreme Court case, Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, that has critically impacted church-state relations in the U.S. Joseph Kennedy was an assistant football coach at a public... Read more

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