Religion – motto.media

‘Wild Wild Country’: Most Shocking Reveals From the Sex Cult’s FBI Informant

David Berry Knapp, aka Swami Krishna Deva, the former mayor of Rajneeshpuram, famously flipped on the cult. And his FBI testimony was eye-opening and very disturbing. Netflix’s Wild Wild Country is, so far, the must-see television event of 2018. [...]

On the Adulteration of Japan’s Oldest Religion

Michael Hoffman writes: Primitive Shinto is one of the loveliest religions in the world. It’s beautiful in its simplicity — defenseless too, as it proved, against the nativists and nationalists who warped it into 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century [...]

Japan’s first Christmas

The first Noel, the Jesuits in Yamaguchi did say, was a 16th-century celebration in a converted Buddhist temple with midnight hymns. Joji Sakurai writes: In a letter home to Portuguese brethren, Jesuit missionary Pedro de Alcacova writes of [...]

Chief Priest Killed in Murder-Suicide Knife Attack at Tokyo Shinto Shrine

After attacking Tomioka, Shigenaga killed the female suspect and then himself. TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The female chief priest of Tomioka Hachimangu in Tokyo was killed in a knife attack that is believed to have happened near the premises of the [...]

[VIDEO] EXCLUSIVE: ‘They Look Like Lions, But They’re Gods’: New Edition of Tono Matsuri Festival Documentary

We arrived at our new home in northern Japan just days before the beginning of the Tono-matsuri Festival. We had a unique opportunity to capture some footage and share it with our readers. Tōno, Iwate, is motto.media‘s new eastern HQ. [...]

[VIDEO] Hong Kong Celebrates the Birthday of the ‘God of War’ Kwan Tai

Kwan Tai, the personification of loyalty and integrity, is worshipped in Hong Kong by police and gangsters alike. The historic Man Mo Temple in Sheung Wan hosts an annual lion dance in his honour. Unswerving Loyalty: Kwan Tai, Hong Kong’s God of [...]

Like the Enlightenment, in Reverse: People Are Getting Exorcisms Instead of Going to the Doctor

When serious medical conditions are misdiagnosed as demonic possession, it can lead to some pretty disastrous consequences—even death. Josiah Hesse writes: Marie McClellan told me that she was 15 when she first thought a demon was inside her. A [...]

[VIDEO] German ‘Robot Priest’ Helps Mark Reformation Anniversary

A robot named BlessU-2 has been installed as part of an exhibition in Germany to mark 500 years since Martin Luther wrote Ninety-five Theses, a list of propostions for academic debate that started the Protestant Reformation in Europe. BlessU-2 can [...]

Writing China: The Return of Chinese Soul-Seaching

Ian Johnson on his new book, ‘The Souls of China: The Return of Religion After Mao’ Te-Ping Chen writes: In parks scattered across Chinese cities are millions of brightly colored exercise machines, popular among the elderly. Ian [...]

At the Saidaiji Temple in Okayama, Japanese Men Strip for the Naked Festival

Around 10,000 hardy souls celebrating the religious festival stepped under ice-cold fountains to purify their bodies before risking life and limb in a mysterious ceremony dating back some 500 years. Okayama, Japan – Quentin Tyberghien reports: [...]

Moral Relativist Slams Murder As ‘Highly Undesirable’

KANSAS CITY, MO—Self-described agnostic and moral relativist Carl Horton has issued a scathing critique of the concept of murder, claiming the practice is “highly undesirable” and “not what I’d choose for myself,” sources confirmed [...]

Ramirez Cartoon: ‘And The Star Shone Brightly…’

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‘Robot Rescue’: Last Supper Parody

We just found a fantastic new addition to our collection of The Last Supper parodies. Entitled Robot Rescue, this version depicts the iconic meal taking place in a pastoral setting. Floating robot eyes and an alien invasion seem to be [...]

Police released this image of a knife Usaama Rahim allegedly waved at officers before being fatally shot.

Suspect Plotted to Kill Pamela Geller

‘Draw Mohammed’ organizer target of Boston terror plot (CNN) Ray Sanchez, Evan Perez and Shimon Prokupecz report: Usaamah Rahim, who was fatally shot after waving a military knife at law enforcement officers in Boston, was [...]

Professor Yuval Noah Harari: Humans ‘Will Become God-Like Cyborgs Within 200 Years’

Sarah Knapton writes: Wealthy humans are likely become cyborgs within 200 years as they gradually merge with technology like computers and smart phones, a historian has claimed. “I think it is likely in the next 200 years or so homo sapiens will [...]