This article does not reflect the views of HCUK.
I’m giving you fair warning right now: if you have a weak constitution, if blood and suffering bother you, please click away now; go here instead. Today, we’re going to read about some religious rituals that still take place today for some reason. I won’t be injecting any of my own opinions into this article, and will only be presenting you with the facts. It’s gonna get a little ugly. Here we go. . .
- Christianity: Church of God with Signs Following
There is a sect of the Pentecostal religion called the Church of God (or Lord Jesus) with Signs Following, and most of those churches are in Appalachia, but there are some as far as Florida and Alberta, Canada. They practice snake-handling and speaking in tongues, despite snake-handling being illegal in a number of states. The most common snakes for use in these ceremonies are copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes; these are all venomous and aggressive snakes. The congregants of this church take Mark 16:18 very literally: “They will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Unfortunately for adherents of this practice, that’s not how venom works, and an estimated 90 pastors have died after sustaining bites from these snakes, some then refusing medical treatment.
2. Christianity: Crucifixion
Filipino men are crucifed voluntarily) every year on Good Friday. In San Fernando, Philippines, there is an annual Easter festival in which 5-25 Catholic adherents are crucified by men dressed as Roman Centurions in front of a crowd of thousands. Some participate every year and have for several decades; occasionally tourists will join in on the ritual as well. Part of the ceremony includes self-flagellation, and everything is done to atone for sins and bring the particpants closer to God.
3. Judaism: Metzitzah b’peh
In Judaism, circumcision is called a “brit milah” or “bris” and the ceremony is performed when the infant is 8 days old. Certain Ultra-Orthodox Jews, such as Haredi Jews, also perform Metzitzah b’peh, in which the mohel performing the ceremony sucks blood off of the cut infant penis and spits it out. At least a dozen infant boys have contracted herpes from the ceremony, at least two of whom later died from complications of the disease.
4. Judaism: Jewish Magic
Keep in mind, I am not talking about Kabbalah in this section; this is magic within traditional Judaism. I could not find a proper name for this ritual, but there is a ceremony within some Jewish circles that involves placing a live pigeon within the abdomen of someone who has contracted hepatitis. It is believed that once the pigeon dies, it will absorb the disease and the patient will be cured.
5. Hinduism: Inedia
Inedia, or Breathanarianism, is the modern belief within certain sects of Hinduism that people do not need food to survive. In Hindu belief, there is a vital life force called “prana” which is gained through consuming sunlight rather than sustenance (sometimes including water). Some adherents believe that inedia is contagious, and that spending time near someone who is practicing will make you need less food. Most people, including the man who brought the practice to the U.S., do not practice for more than a few weeks at a time, and several dozen who have attempted to continue past that time died from starvation and dehydration.
6. Hinudism: Garudan Thookkam
I intended to introduce you to Sati, the ritual of burning a widow on the funeral pyre of her recently passed husband, but the practice has been outlawed and is almost completely eradicated. So, instead we’ll talk about the Garudan Thookkam, or the “Eagle Hanging” festival. This is an annual festival wherein adherenets as young as six years old are hung by their skin on hooks like you see in the picture above. This is done as a penance and to honor Lord Murugan.
7. Islam and Hinduism: Baby Tossing
A two-fer! This ritual is practiced by both Muslims and Hindus in India and has been for over 700 years. Infants are tossed off of a temple 30-50 feet high (the height is disputed) into a sheet held by men below in order to give their families good luck for the year. No injuries or deaths have ever been reported, though the ceremony only came to light in recent years.
8. Islam: ‘Ashura
Ashura is an annual ritual in which Shi’a Muslims take to the streets to commemorate the death of Muhammad’s grandson Hussein. To show penance for not being able to save Hussein, adherents will self-flagellate, cut themselves (particularly across the forehead) and cut the heads of those who aren’t able to participate on their own, such as children, the elderly and the infirm.
9. Islam: Ritual Animal Sacrifice
I will be perfectly honest and tell you that I found the pictures of this to be far too upsetting to include. There are two particular instance in which animals are ritually sacrificed in Islam: for the birth of a child and or Eid al-fitr. For the latter, thousands of lambs, camels and cows are slaughtered for the celebratory feast marking the end of fasting for Ramadan.
10. Buddhism
When researching for this article, I wanted to include at least one bad practice from each of the big five. I was unable to find anything to include for Buddhism, as any of their questionable practices (like self-mummification above) have been banned. My main criticism is for the rule against a woman ever being the Dalai Lama, but Buddhist leaders have long advocated for equality between the sexes. There may be other practices that can be criticised, but none so harmful as those listed above.
How are we feeling? Little queasy? I know that was unpleasant, but it’s important to know what’s happening in the world. Have a gif of a cat giving his buddy a back rub:
Photo credits:
http://img.bhs4.com/5e/a/5ea594e2bc8713bfe8daf03d2368b1c74d5a3a48_large.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/52/4c/2a/524c2a2c91bae29e6102a326674aa995.jpg
http://circwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/10846424_744049009019622_7795555870536516444_n.jpg
http://ste.india.com/sites/default/files/2015/12/01/437197-pigeon.jpg
http://www.fixinghabits.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/food-pyramid1-1024×512.jpg
http://crapcurry.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/10-horrifying-Indian-rituals-2.jpg
http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01541/babytoss2_1541126c.jpg
https://ivarfjeld.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/ashura-dagger-banging-14.jpg
http://www.onearabvegan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/animal-sacrifice-islam-vegan-1.jpg
http://www.soulask.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Sokushinbutsu.jpg?26dde3
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/1200x/dd/97/bd/dd97bdf4fb7eb1a8bdc0e905eeb0aa7d.jpg