There was no mention of Apple as the Forbidden Fruit. Possible fruits include apple, grape, pomegranate, fig, carob, etrog or citron, pear, and mushrooms. There was a misunderstanding of – or a pun on – mălum, a native Latin noun which means evil and mālum, borrowed from Greek μῆλον or apple.
religion
Manichaeism was a religion which…
Manichaeism was a religion which thrived between the third and seventh centuries, and at its height was one of the most widespread religions in the world. Briefly the main rival to Christianity before the spread of Islam in the competition to replace classical paganism.
Two Buddhists who bought £5,000…
Two Buddhists who bought £5,000 of live Crustacea and released them into the sea for good karma, were fined £15,000 for ‘untold damage’ to the environment by introducing non-native species.
In 1957 Little Richard saw a bright…
In 1957 Little Richard saw a bright red fireball flying across the sky, which he took as “sign from God” to repent from performing secular music and his wild lifestyle at the time until 1962. The fireball actually was the launching of the first artificial Earth satellite Sputnik 1.
In 1825, a British geologist went…
In 1825, a British geologist went to Sicily and examined the remains of a female saint. He concluded that they weren’t human and likely belonged to a goat. He told the priests, who kicked him out and then placed the bones into a casket to prevent future study.
Mount Athos, Greece
Mount Athos, Greece, is an entirely self-governed peninsula inhabited only by Orthodox monks.
Female humans, chickens, cows and goats are banned from entry, but female cats are explicitly permitted.
John Newton was the captain…
John Newton was the captain of a slave ship. In 1748 he encountered a severe storm and, although being non-religious, prayed out to God for safety. This event changed his life. He later became a clergy member, an abolitionist, and wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace” about his experience.
Sound Baptisms
On Sundays, San Francisco’s Church of St. John Coltrane holds ‘sound baptisms’ — three-hour jam sessions, and their general advice is ‘If you ain’t happy, you ain’t listening to enough Coltrane!’.
Studies in ‘ice cores’ found….
Studies in ‘ice cores’ found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania – the mountain which supplies the Nile with its water – have revealed that a drought did take place around 3600 years ago – around the time the Bible sets Joseph’s story in Egypt.
When the Pope visited…
When the Pope visited Arizona in 1987, 75,000 attended mass at a local university’s stadium. The name of the stadium and the image of the mascot had to be covered because their mascot is the devil holding a pitchfork and the stadium’s name was Sun Devil Stadium.