Evil and Urizen: William Blake’s Visions of a Demiurge
Is reason the root of all evil? That's the core theme romantic era poet and artist, William Blake, tackles in his alternative-to-Genesis creation story, The Book of Urizen.
Night Battles: How the Benandanti Fought Witches During the Sabbath
The benandanti were an agrarian fertility cult in Northern Italy in the 16th-17th centuries who claimed they would leave their bodies and fight witches 4 times each year.
Ancient Semitic Demon Possession and Exorcism
How did ancient semites deal with demon possession? Once a person came under the influence of demons, generally an exorcism was the only remedy. Here are some strategies sorcerer-priests used to banish evil spirits including magical preparations using various objects, incantations, and various magical rituals.
Ancient Semitic Defenses against Demons
With so many types of demons wrecking havoc on human lives, the Babylonians, Assyrians and early Jews concocted numerous ways to deal with their menacing foes. One of their key weapons were in the form of rituals stressing the demon's name.
Philosophy of Religion: The Nature of God
An article on the characteristics we tend to associate with God.
Philosophy of Religion: What is Religion?
Religion is one of those vague, umbrella terms that is incredibly difficult to define because it encompasses so many traditions of varying beliefs.
Philosophy of Religion: A Definition of Philosophy
A framework for looking at religion from a philosophical perspective.
What Do We Know About the Historical Jesus?
When scholars talk about the "Historical Jesus," they are looking to separate myth from reality. Who was Jesus as a person? We have no first-hand primary sources like his diaries. All we have are documents written by believers - and sometimes, non-believers - that were written after his death. This article attempts to explain what we know - and can know - about Jesus the man.