Browsing: Religion

A Brief History On December 6, 343, the man we have come to know as Santa Claus died at the age of 73 in Myra, part of the Roman Empire in what is now South Western Turkey. Digging Deeper Before you break the bad news to young children, you should know that St. Nicholas of Myra, also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker (now that is a name!) is the real life inspiration for Santa Claus. (Note: Nicholas is an Anglicized version of Nikolaos.) Not only is Nicholas revered as a saint by the Catholic Church, he is also given sainthood…

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A Brief History On December 2, 1988, Benazir Bhutto was sworn in as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, thus becoming the first ever female head of government of a modern Islamic country. Not only that, but she twice became Prime Minister, the first time from 1988-1990 and the second time around from 1993-1996. And to think, the United States still has never had a woman as President… Digging Deeper Bhutto was born into a political family in Karachi, Pakistan, in 1953. Her father served as Prime Minister in the 1970’s until he was ousted in a military coup in 1977.…

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A Brief History On November 30, 2005, John Sentamu was given the title 97th Archbishop of York, making him the first Black (of sub-Saharan African origin) Archbishop in the Church of England. Digging Deeper With this event taking place so recently, it can be clearly seen that normalization of integrating people of diverse backgrounds into British society is no less trying than seamlessly integrating people of all backgrounds in the United States, a country often referred to as “The Melding Pot” (or sometimes “Melting Pot). Modern European countries, especially ones with far flung former colonies such as Britain are by…

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A Brief History On November 21, 164 BC, Judas Maccabeus dedicated the Second Temple in Jerusalem, a restoration of the Temple first built by Solomon on Temple Mount in 957 BC. Temple Mount is the holiest location for people of the Jewish faith, although at this time an Islamic mosque called The Dome of the Rock stands on that location. The dedication of the restored Temple is celebrated by Jews worldwide each year as Hanukkah, The Celebration of Lights. Digging Deeper The first Temple had a trying existence, sacked only a few decades after being built and then restored in…

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A Brief History On November 9, 694, the Seventeenth Council of Toledo opened, a third round ordered by Egica, King of the Visigoths (Spain), a council of Bishops of the Christian Church. Not surprisingly for any such council before the Renaissance, the main topic was just how bad the Jews are and what should be done about them. Digging Deeper A profoundly anti-Jewish King, Egica claimed that he had “heard” that Jews outside of Iberia were plotting to overthrow their Christian masters, and that Jews in Iberia were somehow being contaminated by those plots. Thus, the main point of the…

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