10 Things You May Have Wondered About The Pope

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Leading the worldwide Catholic church and its more than 1 billion members is certainly a big job. The office of Pope brings with it a good deal of pomp, history and ceremony. But what about the day-to-day aspects of the papacy? Here are some facts about some of the less well-known aspects of the job.

10 Unsolved Mysteries About Satan

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Satan has become one of the most popular figures in modern religion and pop culture, but his appearances in religious texts tend to be brief and somewhat confusing. As a result, there are a number of mysteries about the Devil that we won't clear up any time soon.

10 Real People Who Became Gods

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Gods are generally thought of as eternal, existing before the universe or being the first things to spring from the chaos. That is not a view shared by everyone, however. Throughout history, humans like us have been raised to the status of gods. Here are 10 people who have been deified.

The Hofskirkja Church - Iceland's Only Church With A Grass Rooftop

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The Hofskirkja Church is the last grass roof church standing in Iceland. The Church was built in 1884. Its pointed roof stretches all the way down to the ground. The roof was built using stone slabs and covered with grass.

This was an usual style of Icelandic architecture; one of the best methods of keeping the warmth inside during winter. This way, the Hofskirkja church was a warm place for its visitors.

Benin's Amazing Technicolor Voodoo Cloaks

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Voodoo has gotten a bad rap. Typically associated with the fear of someone sticking needles into a tiny doll that looks like you, it is widely stereotyped as a black magic cult.

But did you know that in the West African country of Benin, believed to be its place of origin, voodoo has been recognised as an official religion since 1989? To 17% of the nation, voodoo is their legitimate religion.

(via Everlasting Blort)

El Novio De La Muerte: La Legión Con Su Cristo

One of the highlights in Malaga is Maundy Thursday, when hundreds of Spanish legionnaires arrive from Melilla, a Spanish enclave in North Africa to carry the wooden figure of Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Christ of the Good Death) in the visually stunning Procession of the Cross.



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(thanks Cora)

There's A Shoe-Shaped Church In Taiwan To Attract Female Worshippers

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What would take us to church? More than a hit song from Hozier, according to this Taiwanese church. An enormous Cinderella-liked glass slipper church has been erected in Ocean View Park in Budai town, situated on the east coast of Taiwan.

Made entirely out of blue tinted glass, the church took two months to build and will be opened to the public before the Lunar New Year which falls on February 8. The church is a way of drawing in female worshippers.

The Holy Order Of The Sasquatch

The Holy Order of the Sasquatch is the Bigfoot cult that rocks! The Order is a sacred Knighthood of creative warriors who make and do cool things, a DIY spirituality that exalts the imagination in order to make the world a better place. You can believe whatever you want, become your imaginary self, and save the world!

(via Humanyms)

10 Legendary Mysteries Involving The Knights Templar

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Few organizations have captured the world's collective imagination like the Knights Templar. Certainly, no other group has such a dual image of pious devotion and absolute heresy. They served the poor and the pilgrims.

They amassed a huge fortune and all but invented banking. They were put on trial and purged. A lot of fascinating mysteries surrounding the Templars walk the strange line between legend and history.

13 Interesting Things You Didn't Know About Pope Francis

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Pope Francis is one of the world's most public figures - and yet, you might not know him as well as you think. Here are a few facts to help you learn a bit more about the 'the people's pope.'

16th Century Prayer Nuts Reveal Incredibly Detailed Scenes

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A prayer nut was an extravagant, intricately carved boxwood carving from the Middle Ages that could be carried and used for private devotion. Owned mainly by the wealthy in northern Europe, a prayer nut was as much a status symbol as a sign of faith, as only those with money could afford them.

Prayer nuts are small, measuring only a few inches in diameter. When closed, the object resembles an elaborately carved nut that could be worn on a belt or a rosary. Once opened, the interior reveals incredibly detailed, religious scenes.

(via MetaFilter)

8 Historical Figures Excommunicated By The Catholic Church

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What do Fidel Castro, Henry VIII, and Napoleon have in common? Aside from their penchant for power and natty hats, they have all been excommunicated.

Excommunication is the harshest punishment available to the Roman Catholic Church, and essentially means that the excommunicated person must be shunned by their community and, unless they clean up their act, they will probably be going to Hell.

'Wicked Bible' Encouraging People To Commit Adultery Is Up For Auction

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A famously controversial (and very rare) edition of the Bible that features an awkwardly placed typo is going up for auction in London next month.

The 'Wicked Bible' misses out the word 'not' in the Seventh Commandment, resulting in the sentence 'Thou shalt commit adultery' and inadvertently instructing readers to have affairs in order to obey the word of God. The auction price is set at £10,000-£15,000 ($15,447-$23,170).

(via Nag on the Lake)

10 Gods Of Death, Destruction, And The Underworld

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The old gods in their many shapes and sizes are as diverse as the people who worshiped them.

Before the arrival of monotheism on the world stage, tribes and or other pagan kingdoms were bowing down to an entire pantheon of deities, some good, and some bad and all responsible for everything that's happening around the world. Each of these gods has a story to tell in terms of its origins, its purpose, and its relation to its worshipers.

10 Awe-Inspiring Religious Sites Around The World

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Religion is one of the oldest institutions, which still has a great influence on the lives of modern people. There are many religious sites across the world which attract the attention of thousands of visitors - both believers and non-believers.

These astounding structures will not only inspire and amaze you but will also bring the peace of your mind.

Giant 'Chicken Church' In The Middle Of Indonesian Jungle

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Buried deep inside the Indonesian jungle is a very odd structure, shaped like a giant chicken. The long abandoned construction is locally known as Gereja Ayam.

This strange construction was designed to be a church, but according to its creator, the building is neither a chicken nor a church. Daniel Alamsjah revealed that he was working in Jakarta when he suddenly received a divine message from God to build a prayer room in the form of a dove.

20 Facts About The Reformation

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The Protestant Reformation was the religious revolution within Europe in the sixteenth century that led to a split in the Catholic Church. Christianity became no longer a religion only tied to the Pope in Rome.

The many denominations that now exist within Christianity - that is believing that Jesus Christ lived, died and rose from the dead as the son of God - proliferated because of the protests and reforms that took place during the Prostestant Reformation.

Fire And Ice: Norse Mythology Explained

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The Norse religion was based on a set of beliefs common to northern Europe at the time. The Germanic tribes that made up the Anglo-Saxons shared many of the same beliefs that the Scandinavian Vikings held; their creation story was similar and their gods were the same in all but name.

The attributes of these deities reflect the important parts of contemporary life in the Dark Ages, consequently the study of Norse myths and stories has yielded a wealth of information about the time.

The Dhammakaya Temple - The Worlds Largest Buddhist Temple

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The enormous Phra Dhammakaya Temple on the outskirts of Bangkok is renowned throughout Thailand for its mass ceremonies. From monk ordinations to celebrating Buddhist holy days the temple holds vast ceremonies involving sometimes hundreds of thousands of participants.

With centres all over the world and a live to air television network to view such events the Dhammaka Movement is said to be the fastest-growing Buddhist movement in present-day Thailand. It teaches of the reality of a True Self (the Dhammakaya) in all beings, which equates with Nirvana.

(via Everlasting Blort)

9 Roman Gods Who Weren't Just Rip Offs Of Greek Gods

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We know that the ancient Greeks had a massively entertaining sets of gods and goddesses. So it's no wonder that when Rome conquered Greece, they replaced their own dull pantheon with renamed versions of Zeus, Athena, and the others. But not all Roman gods were Greek copies - here are a few of the more important ones.