The word agnostic derives from the Greek concept of gnōsis or knowledge, and means literally ‘without knowledge’.
It is the position that religious claims- such as the existence of deities, afterlife, spirits etc- are impossible to prove or disprove and therefore not truly knowable.
The definition agnostic comes from the writings of English biologist Thomas Henry Huxley [...]
Archive for April, 2009
Agnosticism
Posted in Beliefs, History, Religion, Science, tagged Agnosticism, Thomas Henry Huxley on April 29, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Uluru
Posted in Beliefs, History, Nature, People, Places, tagged Aboriginals, Australia, Indigenous Australians on April 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Aboriginals of Anangu believe that the world was once a formless place until creator beings wandered across it forming the landscape, which they call The Creation Period, and remember in stories called The Dreamtime.
Kuniya, the woma python, lived in the rocks at one sacred place called Uluru, below, where she fought with Liru, the poisonous snake. [...]
Hieronymus Bosch, 1450-1516
Posted in Art, History, tagged Hieronymus Bosch on April 26, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In the 15 th century with European contemporaries such as Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch was painting unusual religious fantasies unlike the art of anyone else of his time:
In The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things the figure in the centre is Christ, the Latin inscription reads Beware, Beware, [...]
Dying for freedom
Posted in Beliefs, Current events, People, tagged Hunger strike, Prarameswaran Subramaniam, Sri Lanka, Tamils on April 23, 2009 | 1 Comment »
In London’s Parliament Square Prarameswaran Subramaniam is starving himself to death to draw attention to the suffering in Sri Lanka’s Civil War where 70 000 people have been killed since 1983, including members of his family.
Mr Subramaniam says he is not a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, which is considered an international [...]
Vaiśākha: Buddha Day
Posted in Beliefs, Organisations, Religion, tagged Buddhism, Vasak on April 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
On May 9 th the first full moon will commemorate the annual celebration of the life of Buddha in many Asian countries and communities worldwide.
This tradition was formalised in 1950 with the first conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists although local traditional ceremonies to commemorate Buddha have always occured at this time of year.
This year’s Buddhist World Conference is being [...]
The Black Stone at Mecca
Posted in Beliefs, History, Religion, tagged Black Stone at Mecca, Islam on April 20, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
During the Hajj ritual sometimes a pilgrim will want to kiss the Black Stone seven times, once for every walk around the Kaaba, because Muhammad was once observed to kiss the stone.
Such stones were venerated prior to Islam, when objects thought to have fallen from the moon and stars were considered sacred.
Some people believe the stone was [...]
Women and The Bible
Posted in Art, Books, Organisations, People, tagged Book of Hebrews, Christians for Biblical Equality, Priscilla and Aquilla, Ruth Hoppin on April 20, 2009 | 1 Comment »
‘Do not neglect to show kindness to strangers, hereby some have entertained angels unawares.’
~ Bible, Hebrews 13:2
Several religious scholars have argued Paul is not the author of the Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament , but a compelling 1997 book ‘Priscilla’s Letter: Finding the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrews’ suggesting the [...]
Praying for Gaza
Posted in Current events, History, People, Prayer & meditation, tagged Gaza, War on April 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The Houston Coalition for Peace and Justice in Palestine is encouraging people overseas to become involved in the humanitarian crisis of citizens caught in the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Over 2000 children have already been killed or injured in the fighting, but it is impossible to get exact figures because the Israeli government banned international journalists [...]
‘Jediism’
Posted in Beliefs, Books, Film, People, tagged George Lucas, Jediism, Mythology, Star Wars on April 16, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This is the ‘public doctrine’ of the new Church of Jediism, based upon the ideas and values of the Star Wars fiction series by George Lucas:
Everything in the universe is bound by energy, from the mighty power of the sun down to a tiny grain of sand on a beach. All living creatures share a connection [...]
Hillsborough 20 th Remembrance Service
Posted in Current events, Music, Organisations, tagged Football, Hillsborough disaster, Liverpool on April 16, 2009 | 1 Comment »
This week was the 20 th remembrance service for the UK’s worst football disaster, where 96 sports fans were crushed to death at Hillsborough in 1989. The deaths lead to a comprehensive safety review of sports stadiums in Europe and the lives lost have been commemorated in tributes and memorials across the country and on the internet:
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