Questions tagged [christianity]

the religion based on the person and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, or its beliefs and practices.

Use this tag for notable claims in which Christian practice, belief, or affiliation is a major factor. This includes:

  • Claims involving the beliefs or practices of specific Christian groups (e.g. "Does the Church of X really hold to Teaching Y?") that can be verified through consulting official statements, interviewing church officials, or attending services.
  • Claims involving whether notable Christian leaders did or did not make certain notable statements.
  • Claims involving historically verifiable parts of Christian history, such as the existence of certain religious figures or leaders (e.g. whether there is historical evidence for the existence of St. Patrick).

Do not use this tag for inquiries into the truth or falsity of Christian belief (such as the divinity of Jesus, the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the exact mechanics of a future Rapture, etc.), as religious belief is, by definition, not falsifiable.

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Have Islamic prayers been introduced into Ontario public schools while Christian ones have been removed?

Recently I saw one of those chain letters circulating that made a number of lurid claims that looked suspect for me. Here's the first such claim: Islamic prayers have now been introduced into Toronto and other public schools in Ontario, and, yes,…
Tim B
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Has Zelensky "declared war against Christianity"?

One headline on the December 21, 2022 episode of Tucker Carlson Tonight claimed that "Zelensky has declared war against Christianity", referring to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy In this episode, Carlson says: You will not hear a word on…
quant
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Did Christians kill thirty to fifty times as many people in political violence as Muslims in the 20th century?

Blog post by US academic Juan Cole (sometimes linked to in twitter) Twentieth Century Deaths in War and Political Violence by Religion Total: 102 Million Killed by Christians of European Heritage [very large slice] Killed by Muslims [very small…
Andrew Grimm
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Did a Russian Orthodox priest sprinkle holy water on Russia's Central Bank's servers?

Tweet by @bankableInsight (3,639 retweets, 1,662 favorites), reported by the NZ Herald: This is a Russian priest sprinkling holy water on the central bank's servers in an attempt to stop the fall of ruble. Are Russia's central bank's servers…
Andrew Grimm
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Did a survey of conservative Christians show 85% would disown their child if they turned out to be homo sapiens?

This Facebook post, attributed to the The Atheist Advocate, says: We polled over 10,000 conservative Christians "What would you do, if you discovered that your child was a homo sapien?" 85% said they would disown them and force them to leave their…
dsollen
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Did Augustine of Hippo warn Christians to beware mathematicians?

On the first page of Mathematics for the Nonmathematician, mathematician Morris Kline quotes Augustine of Hippo as saying: The good Christian should beware the mathematician and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that…
Jayson Virissimo
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Are LDS missionaries taught languages to a level of fluency in under three months which takes other schools years?

In How do Mormon missionaries learn foreign languages so quickly? it is claimed that LDS (Mormon) missionaries spend only up to ten weeks in languge learning, and that most are "fluent" within one year. These missionaries receive this training…
curiousdannii
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Did fewer Jews die of the Black Plague because of ritual washing?

I've frequently heard the claim that fewer Jews died of the Bubonic Plague than their Christian neighbors in the Middle Ages because Jews took regular ritual baths (mikva) and ritually washed hands before eating (netilat yadaim), while the…
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Did Pope Francis say that women are "unfit for political office", and merely the "helper of men"?

A popular image going around Facebook claims it to be true. The image was found on the Anti-Theists blog page, currently with 65,000+ followers. The picture reads, Women are naturally unfit for political office. Both the natural order and facts…
Evan Carroll
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Does the "Blood of Jesus on the Cross" flower only bloom during the Holy week (just before Easter)?

It is claimed that this flower grows only in the Holy week on social media. For example: Facebook This beautiful flower grows in New Zealand and is called the "Blood of Jesus on the Cross". This flower grows only in the Holy Week. You can see the…
Arun Xavier
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Have 50 million Eastern Orthodox Christians been killed in the 20th century?

Eastern Orthodox Christians claim that there has been a 'Holocaust' of sorts in the latter part of the 19th century and throughout the entire 20th century (and continuing into the 21st century). But unlike the 6 million Jews killed in Nazi Germany,…
Dan
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Was Messina destroyed by earthquake three days after local newspaper dared God to do so?

Popular Christian author Nancy Leigh DeMoss said the following on her radio show: One hundred years ago Messina was a prosperous, gorgeous coastal city on the Italian island of Sicily, just off the toe of the boot there. This city of Messina had a…
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Was marriage defined as "selling your daughter for three goats and a cow" in the Bible?

The organisation Planting Peace recently put up a billboard in controversial county clerk Kim Davis' hometown: Dear Kim Davis, The fact that you can't sell your daughter for three goats and a cow means we've already REDEFINED MARRIAGE. They then…
March Ho
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Is Jesus Christ's birthday March 28th?

Prior to about a week ago, I've never known Christ's birthday to be anything other than December 25th. However, my kids are starting to tell me about how they're hearing claims from peers that this is not the case. Couple this with the latest…
Shawn Holmes
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Is it true that 4th century Christians "destroyed all they could reach of ancient learning"?

On page 19 of Mathematics for the Nonmathematician, mathematician Morris Kline claims that: In 313 A.D. Rome legalized Christianity and, under the emperor Theodosius (379-395), adopted it as the official religion of the empire. But even before…
Jayson Virissimo
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