Ethiopia adopted Christianity in 330 AD, just 17 years after the Roman empire. Despite the rise of Islam, fall of the Byzantine Orthodox Church, and being cut off from all other Christians for centuries Ethiopia remained Christian. They remain the only majority Orthodox Christian African nation.
Christianity
10th century Norwegian Viking ruler…
10th century Norwegian Viking ruler King Haakon the Good made the household production of Juleøl (Christmas Beer) a law. Families that did not have beer at their Christmas feast were issued a fine.
Long before Christianity made its way to the native Germanic peoples, Norwegians celebrated the winter solstice by brewing and drinking beer to honor their Norse gods. To celebrate “Jul,” a Norwegian word that in modern vernacular refers to the Christmas season, Vikings brewed and consumed strong, barley-based beer while in the throes of winter’s coldest and dreariest months. They also used the ale to make offerings in hopes to entice the gods to bring back the summer sun.
According to “The Geography of Beer,” King Haakon the Good, who ruled from 934 to 961, later used the ancient Jul celebration to push a Christian agenda. As part of his efforts to introduce Christianity to the Norwegian people, King Haakon the Good implemented a pagan-meets-Christian mash-up, making it a law to celebrate Christmas with beer. Those who didn’t have beer at their Christmas feast were issued a fine. Norway became Christianized in the 11th century.
Constantine XI Palaiologos was the last Christian Emperor of Constantinople and the Byzantine empire. In 1453, when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks, he was last seen fighting at the city walls, but the actual circumstances of his death have remained surrounded in myth.
Fumi-e
In Japan, back when Christianity was illegal, people were told to step on this plaque with a picture of Mary or Jesus on it to prove that they weren’t Christians.
Spiritualists, Mormons, Shakers, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Adventists…
Spiritualists, Mormons, Shakers, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Adventists all originated from relatively the same place (upstate New York) and the same time (early 1800s).
Mary (mother of Jesus) is considered one of the most righteous women in the…
Mary (mother of Jesus) is considered one of the most righteous women in the Islamic religion. She is mentioned more in the Quran than in the entire New Testament.
A professor of medical psychology in New York started hearing a voice…
A professor of medical psychology in New York started hearing a voice in her head in 1965. Her colleague encouraged her to write down what it said. The voice produced 3 volumes of “spiritual psychology,” some of which is written in iambic pentameter.
Romans used to call Christians atheists because they didn’t…
Romans used to call Christians atheists because they didn’t pay tribute to their gods.
When Vladimir the Great was trying to decide on the national religion…
When Vladimir the Great was trying to decide on the national religion of Russia in 987, he nearly chose Islam; however, after realizing that Muslims weren’t allowed to drink alcohol, he decided on Orthodox Christianity instead.
The Bible explicitly tells you not to…
The Bible explicitly tells you not to force people into believing or boasting about your religion.