Weird Religious Beliefs

Weird beliefs can be found in most societies, and are a notable part of many traditional religions. Such beliefs can often be traced back to the primitive superstitions of much earlier times. Many are also found in the mythological stories of ancient civilizations such as those that arose in Egypt and Greece. But what may be surprising to some people is that several of these primitive beliefs still survive in major modern religions. For example, many modern Christians believe in the primitive ideas of demonic possession, human descent from a god, and the possibility of divine interventions.

Some weird ideas, such as possession and holy relics, are found in several different religions. But many are specific to a particular religious system. Christianity appears to have an unusually large number of strange unique ideas, including the Antichrist, the Rapture, Incorruptible Bodies, Transubstantiation, the Trinity, and Original Sin. Skeptics and atheists often use beliefs such as these as evidence to support their argument that modern religions are essentially superstitions.

The following glossary provides brief definitions of some of the best-known weird religious beliefs:

Glossary

Gods in Human Form

The belief that a god or goddess can appear on earth in the form of a human is found in many religions. For example, in ancient Greek myths, a god or goddess sometimes came to earth in the guise of a human and mingled among ordinary people. In Hinduism, gods or goddesses can appear on earth in the form of either humans or animals, and these incarnations are called avatars. Also, founders of several major religions have been viewed by their adherents as incarnations of a god. These include the Buddha Gautama, Zoroaster, and Jesus.

The Antichrist

In Christian belief, the Antichrist is an extremely evil man who will appear shortly before the end of the present age, during a period known as the End Times. Assisted by Satan, he will gain temporary control over the earth. While he is in power, he will persecute good people and give rewards to wicked people. His trickery and promises of rewards will dupe millions of people into supporting his rule. But eventually he and his followers will be defeated and condemned to eternal torture in hell.

Possession

Possession is the condition that results when an evil spirit enters a person's body and gains control over it. These evil spirits are also called demons, and their possession of a person creates a condition that resembles certain mental disorders. According to the Christian bible, Jesus sometimes encountered possessed people and cured them by ordering the demons to leave their bodies. Some Christians believe that these demons were originally angels, but that they were cast out of heaven after they supported Satan in his rebellion against God. In some societies people believe that evil spirits can bring bad luck and cause accidents or diseases.

Incorruptibility

The word incorruptibility refers to a weird belief that divine intervention preserves some dead human bodies from normal decomposition. Most dead bodies gradually decay after they are buried or placed in tombs. But some Christians believe that the bodies of very holy people are miraculously preserved indefinitely without any change at all. This is not artificial preservation or mummification, but a divine supernatural effect. However, it only happens to the bodies of saints and people who were very holy. Some Christians also think that these miraculously-preserved bodies will be resurrected to life again during the End Times.

Holy Stigmata

Stigmata are mysterious wounds or skin blotches which sometimes appear on members of certain religious sects. The most common cases occur among Christians, especially very devout Christians, who develop wounds similar to those inflicted on Jesus during his trial and crucifixion. Some people believe that these stigmata appear spontaneously, and are a supernatural sign that an individual is very devout and close to God. But there is evidence that some cases have been faked, or were caused by rare medical conditions.

Jesus Visited Hell

A line in the Christian Apostle's Creed says that Jesus "descended into hell." This is a reference to an early Christian story which describes how Jesus temporarily went down into hell after he died on the cross. One reason Jesus made this visit to hell was to rescue the souls of Adam, Eve, and some other early biblical figures from their imprisonment there, and give them an opportunity to go to heaven. According to some versions of this story, Jesus had a fight with the Devil during this visit and severely injured the evil fiend.

Religious Relics

A religious relic is a surviving body part or personal item thought to possess special properties such as magical powers. In Christianity, relics of Jesus or well-known saints are especially treasured and are frequently kept in shrines or churches. Famous relics include the Crown of Thorns, Veronica's Veil, the True Cross of Jesus, and the skull of Mary Magdalene. Some people believe that wood from the True Cross has miraculous healing powers. But many purported relics could actually be fakes.

Oracle

An oracle is a shrine at which advice and prophetic messages from a god or goddess can be received. At ancient Greek oracles the messages were usually channeled through a priestess.

Transubstantiation

In a Christian ritual called Holy Communion (or the Eucharist), ordinary bread and wine is purportedly converted into the flesh and blood of Jesus. This supposed conversion, which is thought to be a miraculous act of God, is called transubstantiation. After the conversion, the newly-created flesh and blood of Jesus is eaten by the Christians participating in the ritual, in the belief that this will enable their souls to go to heaven after they die. To most people, the bread and wine look and taste the same after the purported conversion, and in fact many modern Christians doubt that the transformation into flesh and blood actually occurs.

Original Sin

Original Sin is the sinful condition which all human beings inherit from Adam and Eve, who acquired it after they disobeyed God's instructions in the Garden of Eden. (It's hard to imagine a weirder belief than this.)

The Rapture

Some Christians eagerly look forward to an expected future event which they call the Rapture. When the expected moment comes, Jesus will suddenly appear in the clouds and miraculously draw all true Christians up to him, then take them to heaven. Non-Christians and insincere believers will be left behind on the earth, where they will have to go through a period of terrible suffering called the Tribulation. During the Rapture all of the saved people will be pulled up to Jesus at exactly the same moment, thereby vanishing instantly from the face of the earth. At the same time all dead people who lived truely-good Christian lives will be resurrected and also pulled up. During this process, the bodies of all of the chosen will be transformed into an imperishable perfect state, and their minds will be freed from any tendency to do sinful things or even to have sinful thoughts.

The Trinity

A common Christian teaching is that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are actually different forms of the same entity. Known as the Trinity, this entity is sometimes conceived as a single Godhead which can take on different appearances or aspects according to circumstances. Thus, although Jesus is often called the Son of God, he is also God. Logically, this would make him the son of himself.

Self-Flagellation

Self-flagellation is a religious ritual in which a person repeatedly whips or flogs his or her own body.

Human Descent from a God

Stories about gods or goddesses having human offspring can be found in many religions. For example, the Inca kings of Peru believed that they were descended from the sun god. According to Shintoism, the ancient religion of Japan, all Japanese people are descended from gods. In ancient Greek mythology, Hercules was the son of the god Zeus, and the famous warrior Achilles was the son of the sea goddess Thetis. And most Christians believe that Jesus was the son of their God.

Divine Intervention

A divine intervention is an action of a god or goddess which affects events on the earth in an unnatural way. Many religions contain stories in which a god or goddess intervenes in human affairs, sometimes to bring assistance, and sometimes to cause problems. For example, in the Iliad the god Apollo sends a pestilence to sicken the Greek soldiers as punishment for dishonoring his priest. And in the bible, the Hebrew god Yahweh sends a flood to kill everyone on the earth except the people on Noah's boat.

Animal Sacrifice

Animal sacrifice is the ceremonial killing of an animal (or human) in the belief that the action will win favor from a god or goddess. The sacrifice is often intended to be a substitute punishment, with the sacrificed animal being killed instead of the sinful person who is the one who actually deserves to die. Many Christians regard the crucifixion of Jesus as a sacrifice to atone for the sins of all humanity.

Seance

A seance is a gathering in which efforts are made to communicate with the spirits of dead people. The gathering often includes an especially sensitive person known as a "medium" who serves as a channel for the communications.

Weeping Statues

A weeping statue is a statue which appears to be shedding tears by supernatural means. In many reported cases the tears are said to resemble blood or scented oil. Most modern cases involve statues (or paintings) of either Jesus or the Virgin Mary.

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Note: All of the images on this page, including depictions of demonic possession, the true cross, and the crucifixion of Jesus, are public domain images reproduced from the WikiMedia Commons Website. In some cases the images were cropped and captions added.