People have been entering hypnotic-type trances for thousands and thousands of years; various forms of meditation play an important role in many cultures' religions. But the scientific conception of hypnotism wasn't born until the late 1700s. What Lies Beneath The predominant school of thought on...
I was recently asked how many churches I have visited, and how many I intend to visit. And then a speculative question arose: Exactly how many churches are there in the world? To be clear, this was a reference to the number of church buildings, not the number of denominations or congreg...
Many religions symbolize this reality with archetypal stories. Two famous examples include the case of Jesus, who had to face Satan in the desert, and Buddha’s encounter with Mara (the Buddhist Satan) before hisspiritual awakening. When I write about embracing or integrating your Shadow Self, ...
I was a mentor and friend to Ben (who had Cerebral Palsy) and cared for other people in my life. Lord, do you know of others I can help? Please show it to me so I can start working on it. Lord, we can each help other people in many ways—by praying for them, doing acts of...
It is interesting to note that non-Judeo-Christian religions have stories and descriptions of death that seem to explain many of the common NDE traits. Buddhism, for example, describes "the clear light of death," as well as demonic embodiments of moral failure. The soul's goal is to recogn...
There are many religions in the world today but amazingly there is only one group of people who has 100% assurance they are going to heaven. Muslims only hope so but they never know for sure. They even believe it is blaspheme for anyone to say they know for sure because their prophet ...
Church leaders have incorporated the word ‘grace’ into their lingo since I’ve left the church. In other christian religions, grace is what Jesus Christ offers to sinners who accept Christ as their savior. Just believe in a christ, and you’re saved (you’ll go to heaven instead of out...
A Dumb Supper, meaning silent supper, is a ritual that's observed in many pagan religions and it's usually performed on Samhain (October 31) when the veil between our world and the spirit world is the most thin. When you host a Dumb Supper you shouldn't expect to have a one-on-one...
"One of the great contributions of Pentecostals was this new emphasis on praise, on worship, spontaneity and freedom," says Mittelstadt. "The service is not taking place in front of you, but you are full participants within it." Many Pentecostal practices have found their way into other Chri...
I’m an atheist, but I’m also not from Uganda. If someone asked me where I’m from, answering “Not Uganda” would be unhelpful. Likewise, if my only spiritual identity is, “I don’t believe in the divine components of the world’s large, ancient religions,” that makes me a spi...