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Religion

Michelangelo gave his statue of Moses horns because a Latin Bible turned a ray of light into a horn. These religion stories are full of mistakes, gaps and odd turns. Ganesha is invoked first before weddings and new businesses. Martin Luther married a nun who was smuggled out of her convent in herring barrels. The Buddha left no written record from his own lifetime, and Ashoka's edicts later named him. Pope John Paul II visited the man who shot him and called him a brother. Japan had no word for religion until 1853, as the Religion story tells.

  • JesusJesus left no writings of his own. Almost everything known about him comes from accounts by others.
  • MosesMichelangelo's statue of Moses has horns because of a mistranslation. A Latin Bible turned ray of light into horned.
  • Garden of EdenPeople have placed the Garden of Eden in Iran, Lebanon, Missouri and Bedford, England.
  • ReligionJapan had no word for religion until American warships arrived in 1853. Treaties then demanded freedom of religion.
  • Mary, mother of JesusMary, mother of Jesus, is named more often in the Quran than any other woman. The Quran mentions her 50 times.
  • GaneshaBefore a wedding, a new business or a dance, Hindus invoke Ganesha first.
  • Pope John Paul IIPope John Paul II visited the man who shot him in 1981 and called him a brother.
  • DiwaliIn October 2025, Ayodhya lit 2,617,615 oil lamps at once for Diwali. It broke a Guinness World Record.
  • KrishnaA hunter mistook the sleeping Hindu god Krishna for a deer and shot him in the foot. Krishna forgave Jara and died.
  • Francis of AssisiFrancis of Assisi crossed enemy lines during a crusade to meet a sultan. He returned unharmed.
  • MeccaAround 19.3 million international visitors came to Mecca in 2024, yet caught non-Muslims there can be prosecuted.
  • The BuddhaNo written record of the Buddha survives from his lifetime. Ashoka's edicts name him in the 3rd century BCE.
  • MuhammadMuhammad had lost his father, mother and grandfather by age eight. He founded a religion that spread across Arabia.
  • Martin LutherMartin Luther married a nun who had been smuggled out of her convent in herring barrels.
  • RumiA wandering dervish named Shams-e Tabrizi arrived in Konya in 1244 and upended Rumi's settled life.
  • 14th Dalai LamaA two-year-old asked a disguised monk for an old mala that had belonged to the 13th Dalai Lama.

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