#strange religion

[morbid-n-macabre]

The Savage King Henry VIII

As an American I can’t explain my obsession with Tudor England, except that there’s so much scandal and murder involved. And y’all already know that I do love me some scandal and murder! King Henry VII King Henry VIII had only been the second of the Tudor dynasty; his father, Henry VII, who had held very few ties to the crown, won the throne from Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485…

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#Death Penalty #History #Infamous #Obsessed #Strange Religion #Tragic Death #What Do You Think #Wrongly Accused

[apocalypse-polakiewicz]

timmolloyart

#strange religion #concept art #apocalypse

[graceandpeacejoanne]

“Strange Religion” by Nijay K. Gupta

I really enjoy reading Nijay Gupta’s work, and Strange Religion is just as interesting and appealing as everything else I have read from this author. I highly recommend it. #StrangeReligion #WeirdReligion #NijayKGupta

Strange Religion, by Nijay K. Gupta, Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2024. 228 Pages What Makes Christianity Weird? What is it about Christianity that’s distinctive? Different than other philosophies of life, faith disciplines, and religions? Nijay Gupta begins his book with a question that answers my own: “Why did the early Christians call themselves ‘believers’?” I had never really wondered…

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#Book Review #nijay gupta #nijay K. Gupta #strange religion #weird religion

[sixteenseveredhands]

Medieval Hermitage atop Katskhi Pillar, in Georgia (South Caucasus), c. 800-900 CE: this church was built during the Middle Ages; it sits atop a limestone column that has been venerated as a "Pillar of Life" for thousands of years

Known as Katskhi Pillar (or Katskhis Sveti), this enormous block of limestone is located in western Georgia, about 10km from the town of Chiatura.

The church that stands atop Katskhi Pillar was originally constructed during the 9th-10th century CE. It was long used as a hermitage for Stylites, who are sometimes referred to as "Pillar Saints" -- Christian ascetics who lived, prayed, and fasted atop pillars, often in total isolation, in an effort to bring themselves closer to God. This tradition originated in Syria during the 5th century CE, when a hermit known as Simeon the Elder purportedly climbed up onto a pillar and then stayed there for nearly 40 years, giving rise (no pun intended) to the Stylites. Stylitism managed to survive for about 1,000 years after its inception, but it gradually began to die out during the late Middle Ages, and by the end of the 16th century, it had essentially gone extinct.

Researchers don't really know how the monks originally gained access to the top of Katskhi Pillar, or how they were able to transport their building materials up to the top of the column. There's evidence that the Stylites were still living at Katskhi Pillar up until the 15th century, but the site was then abandoned shortly thereafter. This was the same period in which Georgia came under Ottoman rule, though it's unclear whether or not that may have played a role in the abandonment of the site.

The hermitage continued to lay abandoned for nearly 500 years after that. No one had been able to gain access to the top of the pillar, and very little was even known about the ruins that lay scattered at the top, as knowledge about the site's origin/history was gradually lost. There are many local legends that emerged as a way to fill in those blanks.

The site was not visited again until July 29th, 1944, when a mountaineer finally ascended to the top of the column with a small team of researchers, and the group performed the first archaeological survey of the ruins. They found that the structure included three hermit cells, a chapel, a wine cellar, and a small crypt; within the crypt lay a single set of human remains, likely belonging to one of the monks who had inhabited the site during the Middle Ages.

A metal ladder (the "stairway to Heaven") was ultimately installed into the side of the pillar, making it much easier for both researchers and tourists to gain access to these ruins.

The hermitage at the top of Katskhi Pillar actually became active again in the early 1990's, when a small group of monks attempted to revive the Stylite tradition. A Georgian Orthodox monk named Maxime Qavtaradze then lived alone at the top of Katskhi Pillar for almost 20 years, beginning in 1995 and ending with his death in 2014. He is now buried at the base of the pillar.

While the hermitage is no longer accessible to the public, and it is currently uninhabited, it's still visited by local monks, who regularly climb up to the church in order to pray. There is also an active monastery complex at the base of the pillar, where a temple known as the Church of the Simeon Stylites is located.

The Church of the Simeon Stylites: this church is located within an active monastery complex that has been built at the base of the pillar; several frescoes and religious icons decorate the walls of the church, and a small shrine containing a 6th century cross is located in the center

There are many lingering questions about the history of Katskhi Pillar, particularly during the pre-Christian era. There is at least some evidence suggesting that it was once the site of votive offerings to pagan deities, as a series of pre-Christian idols have been found buried in the areas that surround the pillar; according to local tradition, the pillar itself was once venerated by the pagan societies that inhabited the area, but it's difficult to determine the extent to which these claims may simply be part of the mythos that surrounds Katskhi Pillar, particularly given its mysterious reputation.

Sources & More Info:

BBC: Georgia's Daring, Death-Defying Pilgrimage

CNN: Katskhi Pillar, the Extraordinary Church where Daring Monks Climb Closer to God

Radio Free Europe: Georgian Monk Renews Tradition, Lives Atop Pillar

Architecture and Asceticism (Ch. 4): Stylitism as a Cultural Trend Between Syria and Georgia

Research Publication from the Georgian National Museum: Katskhi Pillar

Journal of Nomads: Katskhi Pillar, the Most Incredible Cliff Church in the World

Georgian Journal: Georgia's Katskhi Pillar Among World's 20 Wonderfully Serene and Secluded Places

#archaeology #history #anthropology #artifact #medieval architecture #medieval church #Stylites #asceticism #georgia #sakartvelo #katskhi pillar #religion #travel #monastery #paganism #caucasus #medieval europe #christianity #strange places

[joons]

dying at the theological implications of jesus christ superstar, which tells the story on the most raw, human level it can, with none of the miracles, and the whole time, every character and the audience are like, "this doesn't make sense. i don't understand. why is he doing this? i thought he just wanted to help the poor, fight the romans, #bekind. what is the point?" the absence screams. the unspoken answer is too big for any character to face. they can make sense of loving jesus but cannot understand him loving them back, not in the midst of all this brutality and betrayal that he says is inevitable. "if he said he loved me, i'd be lost, i'd be frightened, i couldn't cope, just couldn't cope." it's so huge that it would demand change beyond what we are prepared to see. i usually find "could we start again please?" the most skippable song, but on a recent live viewing, i was just like "wow wow wow." to go back to the start, fresh, the blood on your hands wiped away. if only there was some way that could happen ... but often we stop "before it gets too frightening."

#Y E L L I N G #jesus christ superstar #christianity #there are a lot of things you can take from the musical but it retains that strangeness essential to the gospels #'it is a religion you could not have guessed' #and letting that purposefully unsettle everyone involved is just A+++++

[otpadsis]

candlelit dinner <3

#enstars #mayoi ayase #these church candles r more tatsumi themed (or whoever else in es has strange relation to religion) than mayoi but um well you see. i love. #my ankle is fine now. i have this nasty scary bruise that i rly like

[pratchettquotes]

Fear is strange soil. Mainly it grows obedience like corn, which grows in rows and makes weeding easy. But sometimes it grows the potatoes of defiance, which flourish underground.

Terry Pratchett, Small Gods

#om #vorbis #the quisition #omnians #small gods #discworld #terry pratchett #psychology #oppression #religion #fear #obedience #defiance #resistance #strange soil #the potatoes of defiance

[akkivee]

there was some display gallery showing off the various logos in hypmic and the ichikuu peeps on the tl were in shambles over both of them using halos in their mc name signatures lol

#vee queued to fill the void #i understand lol this is a pretty big deal like actually lol #one fan suggested an nb logo could have angel imagery since nb was under stairway to heaven #another in a very fast paced series of tweets cried about it being potential sign of ichiro and kuukou’s bond spanning from life #but even into their deaths and beyond when they reunite in heaven (and even pointed out the meaning of stairway to heaven) #and goddamn i sure love being jacked into the hypmic hive mind i can’t believe i was just musing about kuukou and death #and then directly got food for thought LOL but ichiro!!!!!!! i wasn’t expecting ichiro lol!!!!!! #but bb has been weirdly associated with christmas aka the birth of jesus #who gave his life for humanity and i am too in shambles no way does both ichiro and kuukou have self sacrifice themes NO WAY #god i remember when the hella awesome banquet mv dropped and bat fandom banded together to dissect the video #one person commented it’s strange to see kuukou in association with catholic/christian imagery #but posted a wiki article talking about the similarities between buddha and jesus and the ideologies in those religions #*crying* i even posted about it the black crown above kuukou’s head was both catholic and buddhist and meant to be beneficial for humanity #ichiro constantly being shaken to his core by sacrifices…….. him trying to show the nation the path of hope………… #this is so much lol i love getting food for thought from random observations and drops lol

[pickled-flowers]

Having very big thoughts about spirituality and humanity.. alas I am never articulate enough so I'm just gonna rent in the tags as always

#IDK #like also im from Quebec and the relation to spirituality/religion here is strange #i wish i could have a conversation with someone about it 😭 #and like spirituality is such an important part of the human experience? #hhh idk how to explain what im feeling but #anyways. #im very thankful to have found faith in my life i believe it is making me a better person #a year ago i discovered one of my best friend has very bad religious trauma #her point of view on any and all spirituality was really bad (still sort of is) #but to completely dismiss religion in regard to human life is not the way!! #i was glad to explain to her what religion meant to me and like yea i did grow up thinking religion was a little stupid #but that was because all i was taught about religion was through christian lenses #i truly love discussing with religious people about our beliefs and how it affects our day to day #like my old colleague who was muslim was always happy to talk to me about Islam and her name-sake Aisha #like idk #idk ok!! #spirituality can be very beautiful and i have many feelings about it

[steverogerscanyounot]

Captain Carter, the First Avenger DOCTOR STRANGE in the Multiverse of Madness (2022) dir. Sam Raimi

#mine: edits #peggy carter #captain carter #hayley atwell #doctor strange in the multiverse of madness #dsmom #these are the only good ones i could get of her face lol #GOD IS A WOMAN #AND SHE IS MY RELIGION

[theman-and-themachine]

Mr and Mrs. Emily. (Not too old art but realized i never posted so i post now)

When Henry was born: Mr emily was around 43, ms. Emily around 35(both subject to change but she's pretty younger)

They love their son and eachother. But..... they are not good examples of parents (NEGLECT. Mostly. Especially after Mrs. Emily's death.)

(Their names in progress...... sorry mr and mrs emily)

#mommy issues henry emily #they're mexican/irish. im embarrased to share that information 'outloud' so you get tags #most catholic guy and like the Heart of catholic but probably more atheist/conflicted lady #their son... also conflicted/atheist/ #or strange religion beliefs of his own. #dotpng #henry emily #mrs emily #mr emily #fnaf

[troius]

So, Yhwach is the Soul King's son. That's an interesting twist, thematically...I'm almost tempted to construct some complicated theories about what this means for the eastern vs. western religious showdown that we've got going on here, but I think at this point the Bleach universe's own lore has swallowed the thematic inspirations.

What does Yhwach mean by "my father who has seen the future"? Does he have another father who hasn't seen the future? Is it notable that the father or the character we just established as being able to see the future can also see the future?

#bleach #troius reads bleach #yhwach #the soul king #I actually do want to play these religious implications out though #does the reio represent eastern religions being usurped by westerns religions that it inspired (doesn't really track historically) #or does the reio represent some greater truth #and the Wandenreich and Soul Society two different (and strangely antagonistic) means of dealing with that truth? #anyways Kubo probably wasn't going this far into the weeds

[ariesbilly]

Not to be the token atheist of the group but sometimes I listen to people talk about their religion and im like “wow…people really take this shit seriously”

#idk if my followers are theists lmao so idk if this is gonna be controversial 😂 #but it’s just like …. people follow these books that are written by just some guy #and it’s so serious to them #I mean listen I’m more agnostic than anything #I’m not saying definitively there’s no god #I just don’t think it’s coming from any holy book #I’ve always found organized religion to be strange like why can’t yall just go off vibes #feel like the world would be more peaceful #or at least not as cuckoo as it is now #or has ever been when it comes to religion

[holysaintscathedral]

#hierophilia #priest kink #priestkink #religion kink #blasphemy kink #meme #this is the start of a strange 'atheist to Catholic' pipeline i just know it

[rivertigo]

crazy to think I was so peculiar as a very young child before the abuse started setting in to change me. I would get so pissed off because we had a game in preschool where you would do a certain move around the carpet in a circle and I was convinced everyone was galloping wrong and I was the only one doing it right and I would just stew in annoyance. this is a symptom of something

#I was also PISSED when I had to start pronouncing sphere as sfhere instead of spear #because I was convinced I was doing it right and it was better #maybe I was just stubborn #but there are so many instances of this #like me being really peculiar #maybe it was ocd all along #because I would have such strange fears and stuff #and there was religion all cooked in #so I didn’t really notice because I could blame a lot on god #like I also had this irrational fear of the earth depleting resources #which came from Minecraft pocket edition having limited worlds and not infinite

[korrolrezni]

Kayne and his biblically sinful laughter.

#malevolent #malevolent podcast #kayne malevolent #I am still thinking about it #it's unsettling but there is a certain allure to it #the kind that makes you follow a strange sound into the silent woods #or investigate haunted buildings #or search religion in an abandoned church #it's just....mmm #that jackass