Browsing: Religion

A Brief History On July 12, AD 70, the army of Titus Caesar Vespasianus, a Roman general that would later become Roman Emperor, finally attacked the walls of the city of Jerusalem after a 6 month siege, succeeding in taking the city 3 days later. Digging Deeper By taking Jerusalem, Titus effectively ended the Jewish revolt and in a punitive measure he had the Second Temple destroyed, a temple that has yet to be rebuilt.  The Second Temple, known as Herod’s Temple, had stood for nearly 6 centuries until its destruction.  The Jews never recovered from this defeat, and the…

A Brief History On July 6, 2022, a granite monument in Elberton, Georgia was heavily damaged by a bomb set by a vandal, leading to the dismantling of the “monument” which has not been replaced.  Known as the Georgia Guidestones, the 19 foot tall stone pillars were inscribed with “guidelines” for human survivors of any imminent apocalyptic event. Digging Deeper Consisting of six slabs weighing almost a quarter million pounds total, the inscriptions contained 10 guidelines repeated in eight different languages. Completed in 1980, the monument was the subject of numerous conspiracy theories and rumors, including allegations that some sort…

A Brief History On June 24, 2022, the US Supreme Court handed down a blockbuster ruling that would become a major bragging point for then former President Donald Trump, the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that made abortion a right all across the United States. Digging Deeper The case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization found that abortion was not a right guaranteed by the US Constitution, a 6-3 decision in which the three Trump appointees to the Supreme Court made a major difference in making that decision. Reveling in the victory of overturning Roe v.…

A Brief History On April 10, 2016, the Puttingal Temple in India was the scene of a horrific disaster when worshippers at a festival honoring the goddess Bhadrakali were blown up accidentally by a fireworks cache located there for the celebration. Digging Deeper We have previously asked, “Why are the faithful victims of tragedy during religious events?” and this tragedy is certainly one of those baffling events.  Sadly, 111 people lost their lives and another 350 were badly burned.   Obviously, the temple was heavily damaged, and 150 local houses also suffered damage. In response to the tragedy, three days later…

A Brief History On January 17, 1977, an otherwise unremarkable murderer, Gary Gilmore, became famous when he was executed by firing squad by the State of Utah.  Gilmore, born Faye Robert Coffman, was the first person executed in the United States after nearly a decade long hiatus mandated by the US Supreme Court decision in Furman v. Georgia in 1972 that held capital punishment as practiced in the US was “cruel and unusual.” Digging Deeper Gilmore was notable for insisting on being executed, and for demanding that he face a firing squad of five police officers armed with 30-30 caliber…