A Manheim Township man [near Lancaster, PA] has filed a discrimination complaint against a Columbia restaurant that offers a 10 percent discount for diners who present a church bulletin on Sundays. John Wolff, who is an atheist, filed the complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission against Prudhomme’s Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia. Wolff said Read more
Maybe religion really is the opiate of the masses — just not the way Karl Marx imagined. A University of Washington study posits that worship services at megachurches can trigger feelings of transcendence and changes in brain chemistry — a spiritual “high” that keeps congregants coming back for more. “We see this experience of unalloyed Read more
An apocalyptic religious sect in western Mexico which has refused to allow public school teachers to hold classes in their town of Nueva Jerusalen, or New Jerusalem, has been described as “quasi catholic” – quasi meaning “having a resemblance to” or “appearing to be like but not genuine” Women in New Jerusalem must wear colored Read more
Some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5. When Jesus saw this he grew Read more
They got hitched while still in their teens, divorced 20 years and four children later, and are getting remarried after nearly a half-century apart. For Lena Henderson and Roland Davis, both 85-years-old, the second time around is finally here. The couple married again earlier this month, with four generations on hand to see it happen. Read more
In 1935, Kiyomaro Takeuchi discovered a 1900 year old document stored in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, containing evidence, that Jesus (Joshua) born in Bethlehem to virgin Mary, is buried in Herai Village in the Aomori district of Japan. The document contained also Jesus’ will, requesting that his brother’s tomb be located next to his. The document Read more
Derived from the Latin word “reliquus,” meaning “left behind,” relics have always played an important part in religion. More than a decaying body part or a stained rag of cloth, the items became the physical embodiment of God’s work on Earth. Many Churches during the Middle Ages cashed in on the hype and created their Read more
It’s the latest prescription for extreme ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who shun contact with the opposite sex: Glasses that blur their vision, so they don’t have to see women they consider to be immodestly dressed. In an effort to maintain their strictly devout lifestyle, the ultra-Orthodox have separated the sexes on buses, sidewalks and other public Read more
Devout Muslims pray five times a day, facing the holy city of Mecca. But what if you don’t know what direction Mecca is? Try the new illuminated prayer mat. Invented by London-based Turkish designer Soner Ozenc, the mat lights up when facing the Saudi city. Currently, only two prototypes exist, one of which was purchased Read more
Richard Hay threw his new wife into the North Sea, as part of a post wedding photo-shoot. “I took the opportunity to give her the dunking of her life. Watching everyone’s reactions was quite satisfying. It was like winning the FA Cup. The highlight of the year.” he said His new wife Lysa added that she Read more