Category: History of religion

(Published in GralsWelt 62/2010) Fairy tales, legends, myths, and fables often revolve around animals. These then serve as symbols, are related to human behavior, or are supposed to express the concerns or virtues of the bearer of the coat of arms as heraldic animals. Everyone sees e.g. in the lion a symbol for a ruler, knows the fox as sly and cunning, [...]

(Published in GrailWorld 61/2010) Around the same time as Jesus lived in Alexandria a Jewish theologian and philosopher, whose works gained great importance for Christianity, while they remained of little influence on the development of Judaism: Philon of Alexandria (c. 13 B.C. - A.D. 50), who knew nothing of the life and work of Jesus [...]

The value of religious thinking as an antipole to materialism (Published in Grail World 60/2010) We have reported in the Grail World on various occasions about modern endeavors that religions would like to abolish. From the scientist's point of view [i] some natural scientists stand in the way of the search for truth and - if they drift into violent fundamentalism - even endanger the survival of the [...]

In the year 1710 - 300 years ago - the first edition of the "Theodicy that is, Trial of the Goodness of God, Freedom of Man and of the Origin of Evil" by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) appeared in French in Amsterdam. Further editions followed, in German and several other languages. The extensive font, which in baroque style [...]

(Published in Grail World 13/1999) Buddhism is currently something of a "fashion religion" in our latitudes. Many Europeans are drawn to the ancient teachings of this world religion; disappointed they turn away from Christianity and seek enlightenment in the wisdom of Asia, in immortal teachings from ancient times. Without Buddhism, East Asia is in its quiet, [...]

(Published in GralsWelt 20/2001) Has the fabulous bowl of the Lord's Supper really been found? In the Grail Message from Abd-ru-shin it is stated that the life-giving "Holy Grail" is not to be found in the earthly, but in the highest spiritual heights. From the text, however - see quotation box - it can also be seen that in addition to this actual Grail, the [...]

(Published in GrailWorld 55/2009) The Modern Fundamentalism "We have to wait until someone comes to teach us how we must sacrifice and how we should behave towards our fellow men. Only a God can give us enlightenment... In the meantime, it is necessary to stand on the debris of truth that is left to us, as it were, in a barge [...]

 (Published in GralsWelt 2/1997) There has been no other topic in the West for almost two millennia more or more intensely than Christianity and its founder. Belief in the Son of God, Jesus, became the most influential and widespread religious teaching in the world. Recently, however, this belief has been moved with [...]

(Published in GralsWelt 54/2009) Religious scholars assume that religions have accompanied cultural development since the beginning of human history. Religious feeling is apparently an essential part of the specifically human characteristics that express it e.g. B. found in cults, rituals, myths, art, music, education, etc. Religiousness is also one of the fundamental human drives that society and its [...]

How did a small Jewish faith group become the largest world religion? I have already asked myself several times what might have induced people to profess Christianity in the first few centuries. It is true that the Greek and Roman cults of gods had lost much of their prestige, but in Neoplatonism or Gnosis there were more interesting and intellectually more demanding ideologies [...]