Wicca is a new religious movement of the mid-20th century and subset of modern witchcraft that bases itself upon historical pagan religions emphasizing the use of magic and rituals. The online website […]
What is Wicca and What Do They Believe?
What is Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism?
In the period following the historical Buddha’s life (mid-sixth or mid-fourth centuries BCE) divisions arose leading to the development of two main schools of Buddhist thought: the Mahayana and Theravada traditions. It […]
How Good is the Qur’an as a Biographical Source for the Prophet Muhammad?
The Qur’an is Islam’s authoritative sacred text believed by Muslims to have been dictated by God to the Prophet Muhammad. Our purpose in this article is not theological but historical. We wish […]
Aztec Creation Myth and Blood Sacrifices to the Gods
Who Were the Aztecs? The Aztecs were an agricultural people living in Mexico from 1300 to 1521 CE. Religiously, the Aztecs were polytheistic for they believed in a pantheon of major and […]
What is the Historical Revisionism of Islam’s Origin?
This entry is an introduction to some of the discoveries scholars and critics have recently made which are thought to challenge traditional understandings of Islamic origins. This paper is intended to present […]
What is Hinduism?
Hinduism is the general term used to denote the religious traditions indigenous to the Indian sub-continent that formed in the Indus Valley Civilization. This civilization existed in contemporary day Pakistan and northwest […]
What is Jainism?
Origins in the Religious Reformer Mahavira Although Jains believe that Jainism has always existed and that it always will exist, it is Mahavira, regarded by Jains to be the most recent of […]
What is Sikhism?
Sikhism (derived from a Sanskrit word meaning “learner” or “disciple”) is a religion founded during the 15th century in the Northern Indian subcontinent by the religious teacher Guru Nanak (1469-1539). Sikhism is […]
Historical Problems with the Qur’an’s View of Christ’s Crucifixion
Most Muslims do not believe that Jesus Christ died by crucifixion, and the primary reason for this is the Qur’an’s rejection that Christ had been crucified or killed (4:157). Scholar Michael Fonner […]
What was the Golden Age of Islam?
The Islamic Golden Age or Golden Age of Islam was spurred on by conquests resulting in the collections of Greek manuscripts held within Arab-controlled areas, and the founding of the city of […]
