Tag Archives: Religion
The Emperor Julian – last ‘pagan’ ruler of the Roman Empire
The emperor Julian ruled the Roman Empire for a brief 20 months in 361-3, after a 50-year period of Christianity as the state religion under Constantine and Constantius II. Immediately on assuming the role with the death of Constantius II, … Continue reading
Another detour: What is Shia Islam?
Before we progress deeper along the Iranian tourist trail, it’s is a good time to clarify the dominant (95%) Muslim sect in Iran, Shi’ism. To the outsider, the differences between Sunni and Shia Islam appear slight, even trivial. Both apply the confessional … Continue reading
The Arad and Lachish Letters, and the last moments of the Kingdom of Judah
The Arad and Lachish letters are military communications that date to the final years of the Kingdom of Judah. Carefully read, they provide a valuable insight into the daily lives of the military personnel and their attitudes to events as … Continue reading
On godlessness and ISIS
On November 23, Prime Minister Turnbull gave a speech in parliament on the atrocities committed in Paris. In it, he described ISIS as “godless murderers … who defame and blasphemed Islam itself”. I have written to PM Turnbull in response: … Continue reading
No Zen puns: An introduction to Zen Buddhism
““What is the sound of one hand clapping?” This short question,’or koan, sums up much of the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. What is the educated, twenty-first century man or woman to make of this seemingly irrational nonsense? Many claim that … Continue reading
Why the study of religion is a maze, full of dead ends and bear traps
Neil Godfrey is a blogger who writes mostly on Christian origins at Vridar. As far as I know, he is a librarian who has no formal qualifications in the field. But he is deeply analytical in his approach and frequently … Continue reading
The Rise of Religious Fundamentalism in Australian Schools
It would be very easy to argue that ‘fundamentalism’ is the most contentious religious issue facing Australian society. Islamic fundamentalism appears daily in the newspapers and constantly occupies the minds of defence and other policymakers. But what makes someone a … Continue reading
‘Salvation’ in Hinduism and Islam
The world’s major religions reveal significant diversity in their approaches to ‘salvation’. In this post, I will explore the knowledge path to moksha and compare it to salvation beliefs in Islam. Two more divergent views of the human condition would … Continue reading
Fundamentalism Part 2 – The War in Gaza
In my last post, I explored the theme of religious fundamentalism in the context of the ongoing war in Syria and Iraq. This post, focusing on the recent war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, takes a somewhat different approach … Continue reading
Fundamentalism Part 1: The war in Syria
This is a follow-up post to the one I put up a few days ago, in response to Karen Armstrong’s new book which tries to separate religion and violence. Specifically, I’m looking here at the link between fundamentalist religion and … Continue reading
the suppository depository 