Gods and Government in the Ancient World
For most of the past 300,000 years, Homo sapiens lived in relatively small hunting, gathering, and fishing bands. The social organization of these bands was egalitarian—there were no ruling classes, no...
View ArticleReligion 101: Divination in Ancient Civilizations
Among hunting and gathering peoples prior to the advent of farming and herding ways of live, many people sought supernatural help in determining the location of game animals and the probability of...
View ArticleIndians 201: Skolaskin, A Sanpoil Prophet
The Columbia Plateau refers to the area between the Cascade Mountains and the Rocky Mountains in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, British Columbia, and Western Montana. The Sanpoil are an Interior...
View ArticleReligion 101: The Evolution of Morality
For most of human existence, people lived in relatively small groups which were based on a food foraging (i.e. hunting, gathering, fishing) economy. Within such groups, cooperation among group members...
View ArticleIndians 101: Animism and Shamanism Among New England Tribes
Generally, the traditional Native American spirituality among the tribes of New England is considered to be animistic: that is, the people saw themselves as a part of nature. All things were alive—that...
View ArticleReligion 101: Some Norse Gods
In Europe, the Viking Age is generally described as beginning in 793 CE when Norse raiders attacked and looted the Christian monastery at Lindisfarne in Britain. The Norse raiders, commonly known as...
View ArticleDozens of witches to put hex on Brett Kavanaugh
I don’t believe in magic, miracles, curses, hexes, horoscopes, Ouija boards, the power of prayer, or much of anything supernatural. I believe in technology and phenomena solidly backed by the...
View ArticleIndians 101: Supernatural Entities among the Eastern Algonquian Tribes
The Northeastern Atlantic Coast of the U.S. was dominated by Algonquian-speaking nations who practiced agriculture supplemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering. In general, tribes tended to be...
View ArticleWitches are sick and tired of being maligned by Trump
It's only a matter of time before Donald Trump managed to offend every last remaining constituency on earth other than angry white men, and now he can cross yet another one off his list: witches.Real...
View ArticleIndians 101: Forced Christianity 150 Years Ago, 1869
In 1869, the Peace Policy of President Grant forcibly mixed religion and the federal government’s policies regarding Indian reservations. Disregarding any possible religious views of Indians, services...
View ArticleIndians 101: California Missions 200 Years Ago, 1819
In 1819, the Spanish missions in California were continuing their practice of enslaving Indians in order to convert them to Christianity. At this time, the Spanish had begun to congregate the Yokuts...
View ArticleIndians 101: Religion and Indians a Century Ago, 1919
In 1919, American Indian religions were still outlawed. Federal Indian policy viewed American Indian religions as barriers to “civilizing” Indians and emphasized the importance of Christianity....
View ArticleReligion 201: Reincarnation
Reincarnation is a concept which is tolerated by some religious traditions, strongly embraced by others, and vehemently denied as a form of blasphemy by a few. The concept of reincarnation is fairly...
View ArticleReligion 101: The Meaning of Ghosts
Throughout the world, and in many different kinds of cultures, there is a belief in ghosts: supernatural beings who were once human and have not gone on to an afterlife in a special place following...
View ArticleReligion 201: Human Sacrifice
For thousands of years, and perhaps hundreds of thousands of years, various religious traditions throughout the world have incorporated ceremonies in which participants make offerings. These offerings...
View ArticleReligion 201: An Introduction to Ancestor Worship and Veneration
In speculating on the origins of religion, one common approach is to see the development from impersonal, non-human spirits(as found in animism) to personified, human-like deities. In this development,...
View ArticleReligion 101: Ceremonial Human Sacrifice
In religious traditions throughout the world, there are ceremonies which involve sacrifice, such as killing a goat or a chicken as an offering to the gods. This type of offering is based on an idea of...
View ArticleReligion 101: Ghosts in Different Cultures
In many cultures, the spiritual essence of a human being, commonly called the soul, survives death and, in some cases, instead of journeying on to an afterlife, the soul can become a ghost which can be...
View ArticleReligion 101: Ancestor Worship in Ancient Europe and the Arctic
Ancestor worship or ancestor veneration is among the world’s oldest religious practices. Ancestor worship is based on the belief that the deceased continue to have an active interest in the daily...
View ArticleIndians 101: Supernatural Entities among the Eastern Algonquian Tribes
The Northeastern Atlantic Coast of the U.S. was dominated by Algonquian-speaking nations who practiced agriculture supplemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering. In general, tribes tended to be...
View Article