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Questions tagged [religion]

Use this tag for questions about religious practices. Do not ask questions about religious beliefs, though. Those are off-topic and there is no tag to use.

Religion is a cultural system that creates powerful and long-lasting meaning by establishing symbols that relate humanity to beliefs and values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to explain the origin of life or the universe. They tend to derive morality, ethics, religious laws or a preferred lifestyle from their ideas about the cosmos and human nature.

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Muslim couple provocatively pictured on beach — true holiday photo or fake (i.e. staged/set up)?

Recently I found a very provocative picture circulating in anti-Islam communities. It shows a presumably Muslim man, who is wearing a very small bathing suit and is standing next to a fully clothed woman in black jilbab. The question The primary…
2manyusernamestaken
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Did the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, wear a hijab?

This claim (apparently) appeared on billboards in February 2018 on Interstate 55 and the Tri-State Tollway outside Chicago: (Which, yes, does not literally and explicity make the claim "the Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus, wore a hijab" but it has…
Roger
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Did all of Germany's Muslim MPs vote in favor of same-sex marriage?

I saw the following claim on The Independent's web-site: All six of Germany's Muslim members of parliament voted in favour of same-sex marriage as Angela Merkel faced criticism for opposing the bill and announcing: "Marriage is between a man and a…
TangoFoxtrot
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Is this an old church being destroyed in France?

I saw this video on Facebook this morning: 2800 churches could be destroyed in France in the next 10 years according to current trends. Catholicism is weakened from inside and outside, islam is booming because of petro-dollars and islamic…
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Is the swastika over 11000 years old?

The Wikipedia entry on the swastika says: It is considered to be a sacred and auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism and dates back at least 11,000 years. The source cited for the claim is The Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols.…
Sakib Arifin
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Are there more Mormons in the world than Jews?

I notice on Wikipedia that it lists the total number of Jewish adherents at ~14 million, and it lists the number of adherents in the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) at ~15.3 million. Are there really more Mormons in the…
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Did Pope Gregory IX call the Holy Fire a fraud?

It is commonly claimed that Pope Gregory IX said the annual Holy Fire miracle in Jerusalem is a fake. This backed up by the Holy Fire Wikipedia page. Unfortunately, the reference for that claim leads to an article that no longer exists, but we can…
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Was Jaco van der Westhuyzen's knee faith-healed by TB Joshua?

Reading in the South Africa newspapers about the awful church building collapse of the popular prophet T. B. Joshua in Nigeria lead me to the claims of Jaco van der Westhuyzen regarding T. B. Joshua's miraculous healing powers: From an early age I…
Drew
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Was Alberto Rivera formerly a Jesuit priest?

"Chick tracts" are a series of comic books by cartoonist Jack Chick. The publisher estimates that is has printed over 800 million tracts since its founding. An issue in this series from 1981, called Double Cross, purports to be "based on a true…
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Was Theodor Herzl a self-confessed atheist?

I'm watching a Youtube video that explains the Israel-Palestine situation, and at this point the journalist/narrator says that Theodor Herzl, known as the father of Zionism or at least a chief proponent, was a Hungarian atheist. This surprised me…
Zebrafish
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Are the letters claimed to be sent by Muhammad authentic?

There are several manuscripts claimed to be letters sent by the Islamic prophet Muhammad to various rulers. In this video series, a YouTube user claims that scientific evidence supports that they are genuine and original. Original Letters of…
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Did Sam Harris "argued that Muslims are driven to violent actions by their violent religion"?

This report says: In 2004 Sam Harris published his bestselling book “The End of Faith”. In the aftermath of 9/11, the declaration of the War on Terror and the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, Harris’ book hit the mark with middle class…
Sakib Arifin
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Is owning a bible punishable by death in North Korea?

This article claims that people may be killed for owning a bible. How true is it?
Sakib Arifin
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Has Kim Davis been divorced three times?

This CNN article claims that Kim Davis has been divorced three times. The Kentucky county clerk who has refused to issue same-sex marriage licenses for religious reasons despite a Supreme Court ruling has been divorced three times, according to…
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Is this list of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad accurate?

I'd like to know to what extend this list is trustable: Wikiislam.net - List of Killings Ordered or Supported by Muhammad Are the sources credible and backed up with solid information? And if not, are there any other sources for the listed claims…
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