Witches 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: American Indians Beliefs about Ghosts
The idea that the soul leaves the physical body at death and journeys to the land of dead is found in Native American cultures throughout North America. In some instances, the soul may remain in the...
View ArticleReligion 101: Ancestor Worship in the Americas
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: Tobacco and the Ho-Chunk
Among the tribes of the western portion of the Northeastern Woodlands, tobacco was an important ceremonial and trade plant. Tobacco smoking is a symbolic way of enhancing the communication between...
View ArticleReligion 101: Ancestor Worship in Oceania
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 ArticleAncestor Worship in Africa
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 ArticleMy trip to the Elk River Valley. Kayaking the WigWam. A tiny ray of hope for...
I thought on a day full of sorrow, when the future of America and even the world seems in doubt you might like to come with me on a trip to one of the most beautiful parts of Naⱡmuqȼin. If you stay to...
View ArticleReligious Prophets
One of the things that defines humans is the ability to conceive of, think about, and discuss the future. Included in this is the ability to worry about the future and the uncertainties which it may...
View ArticleIndians 201: Mormons and Indians
When the European explorers, soldiers, missionaries, and colonists arrived in the Americas, they viewed the world through the lens of Christianity. Encountering peoples who were not mentioned in the...
View ArticleMassachusetts VA Hospital Blocks Patient Access to “Alternative Beliefs”...
On the heels of Vice President Mike Pence declaring that Veterans Administration hospitals “will NOT be religion-free zones,” a patient at one VA hospital is finding out that this so-called freedom of...
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