If we assume that the Nephilim were real, we can be fairly certain that they would no longer exist today. We can be certain about that because of the flood. Looking at the buildup to Noah’s flood, we are first introduced to the nephilim. They are part of the reasonRead More →
Excellent question, and I’ve actually been discussing this lately. So I will start from the beginning and work towards modern views. First, we have to start with Paul. Paul was a Pharisee, and obviously, he thought Jesus was the messiah. This isn’t surprising as Jesus wasn’t the first person toRead More →
When the Mennonites (and Quakers) immigrated to the United States, it was because they were facing heavy persecution in Germany. The Pennsylvania Dutch would follow later on. In the United States, they didn’t completely get beyond that discrimination, and there were other issues that came up. The United States alsoRead More →
Right now, the fastest-growing religion in China is Christianity. This is largely due to revamped missionary work in the country, as well as all of Asia. However, this isn’t really a new phenomenon. Christianity did spread eastward early on, and it created a variety of distinct and rather interesting traditions.Read More →
One of the problems with many of the tribes of people, or even individuals, who are mentioned in Biblical texts is that there are no extra-biblical sources. The reason is often that they were smaller players on the world stage. They existed in a really insignificant area, as we canRead More →
The easiest explanation is that Israel was located on a major trade route. It was an area that was conquered over and over again. Donald Redford, in Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times, gives an excellent overview of all of this. Since the Levant area, or Canaanite, was aRead More →
My go-to work on, at least the early history of Israel, is Donald Redford’s Egypt, Canaan and Israel. When we look at the Israelites being dominated at that time, during their history as the dual nations of Israel and Judah, the reason is simple. They existed in a key geographicalRead More →
Dante used many common tropes of his time when describing hell. We can look at one quickly. Why is hell underground? The idea during medieval times was that things that were dirty, that were sinful, impure, were drawn downwards. So all of the Earthly problems would be drawn downward, withRead More →
Zoroastrianism is a bit difficult. We just don’t know much about the earliest formations of the religion. It most likely began with a people called the Aryans, which is where Hinduism also develops from. There are a lot of connections between Hinduism and Zoroastrianism, including a lot of similarity inRead More →
In my last post, I stated that religion, and in particular, Christianity, can have value for an atheist. This really stems from my view that Jesus can also be seen in a non-religious manner. As I mentioned before, during some of my teenage years, I was an atheist, and whatRead More →
