History Archives - Universal Life Church Monastery Blog

Japanese Jesus? Inside the Obscure Legend That Christ Died in Japan at Age 106

April 21st, 2022

The small town of Shingo, Japan, has a strange local legend. They say that Jesus Christ is buried there. As the story goes, he escaped crucifixion, traveled to Japan, and died at the ripe age of 106 in northern Japan. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Christian | 22 Comments »

Does Getting High Bring Us Closer to God? One Pastor Thinks So

April 1st, 2022

Should Christians try marijuana? One pastor is on a quest to get Christians high, touting the spiritual side of marijuana use. He says cannabis brought him closer to God, and hopes to help others discover the same. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Political & Religious Controversy | 65 Comments »

Violating "God's Time"? The Religious Fight Against Daylight Savings

March 15th, 2022

Are we violating "God's time" every time we observe daylight savings time? If you curse the time change, you're not alone. Many evangelical Christians were historically against springing forward and falling back. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Political & Religious Controversy | 37 Comments »

How Shakespeare and Chaucer Helped Create Valentine's Day

February 8th, 2022

How did Valentine's Day go from a violent pagan fertility festival involving whips and sacrifices to the lovey-dovey holiday we know today? We can thank William Shakespeare and Geoffrey Chaucer for that. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Pagan & Wiccan | 46 Comments »

Whitewashed: What Did Jesus, Mary, and Joseph Actually Look Like?

December 14th, 2021

What did Jesus Christ look like? That depends on who you ask. While Western depictions of Christ have often shown him as fair haired and white skinned, historians and theologians say he likely looked very different. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Science & Technology, Christian | 181 Comments »

Pick Your Favorite Monster: The History of Halloween Creatures Explained

October 29th, 2021

With Halloween right around the corner, we decided to dive into the spirit of the spooky season by breaking down the origin stories of some of the most popular creatures that might be haunting your doorstep this year. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Life and Death | 24 Comments »

Long Before Witches in Salem, Europe Had 'Werewolf Trials'

October 25th, 2021

Did you know that long before we were persecuting witches in America, we were persecuting werewolves in Europe? From beheadings to burnings, those accused of 'werewolfery' often met a rather unpleasant fate. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Pagan & Wiccan | 32 Comments »

What Happened to the City of Sodom? Scientists May Have Finally Solved the Mystery

September 27th, 2021

Scientists believe they've discovered the origins of the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah, arguing that it likely originated from a real life event - the destruction of a Middle Eastern city some 3,600 years ago. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Science & Technology | 99 Comments »

Wrongly Convicted Salem 'Witch' Could Finally Be Exonerated

August 26th, 2021

Over 300 years ago, Elizabeth Johnson Jr. was accused of being a witch, but never officially exonerated. Now an eighth-grade civics class hopes to formally exonerate the last accused 'witch' of the Salem Witch Trials. Continue Reading »

Posted in: Pagan & Wiccan | 59 Comments »

A Nonbinary Viking? New Discovery Challenges Medieval Gender Roles

August 13th, 2021

Were Vikings more progressive on gender than we are today? That's what many archaeologists are asking following the discovery that an important Viking tomb contains a nonbinary, gender nonconforming individual within. Continue Reading »

Posted in: LGBTQ & Human Rights | 69 Comments »