"It is believed that 5 percent of the Mexican population worships the saint, whose other names include Holy Death, The White Girl, The Miracle Worker, and The Skinny Girl."

"Dalton told his then 15-year-old daughter he was ‘the Holy Ghost’ and promised her she would be ‘blessed’ before forcing her to have sex with him. Prosecutors said he also condoned an ‘impression’ that Geody Harman, 38, said he had received indicating that he needed to have sex with the girl. Within the sect Harman was referred to as ‘God in the flesh.’"

"At one point her parents held her down and tried to stick live wires in her mouth to release the evil spirits through electrical shocks."

"Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints leader Warren Jeffs predicted several cities and nations would have tragedies befall them. Here are the cities, and what will happen to them according to Jeffs."

"Thousands of geoglyph "wheels," almost completely unknown to the public, are now part of public knowledge thanks to advances in technology, both photographic and social. These wheels are scattered across the deserts of Jordan and adjacent countries."

"Prof Jack Crane said Mrs Rankin had bruising on her chin consistent with the crown of thorns on Jesus' head."

"My students were former child soldiers. Let me say that after the
schools had been out of business for more than 10 years, say starting
around 1990, the wars were more like Lord of the Flies with pickup
trucks, automatic rifles, light and heavy machineguns, and mortars...

"...Illiterate 20-somethings leading uneducated armed bands of teens and children across the countryside, enticed by rice and magic. And some drugs, it's true, but chiefly rice and magic. These were hungry children empowered by an AK-47 and some sadistic charismatic leaders.

"...Funny how quickly a new generation will believe in the power of magic in as few as 10 or 12 years after the schools close."

Oxford scientists are aiming to produce a global map of the land owned or revered by the world’s religions. Many of these ‘religious forests’ and sacred sites contain some of the richest biodiversity in the world, including some of the highest numbers of threatened species.

"In a nearly unbelievable chapter of Oregon history, a guru from India gathered 2,000 followers to live on a remote eastern Oregon ranch. The dream collapsed 25 years ago amid attempted murders, criminal charges and deportations. But the whole story was never made public. With first-ever access to government files, and some participants willing to talk for the first time, it's clear things were far worse than we realized..."

"God had a wife, Asherah, whom the Book of Kings suggests was worshiped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to an Oxford scholar."

"A further controversial issue regarding Ramtha’s teachings involves the so-called end times, which are linked to a belief that the Mayan civilization predicted the world would end in 2012. Some of the cult’s students believe that they can obtain powers to raise the dead, freeze a rocket in mid-air, make gold appear out of thin air, and predict the future."