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Showing posts from May, 2017

35 Interesting Facts About Judaism

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Judaism is the oldest among the three Abrahamic religions and one of the oldest in the world. It dates back to over 3000 years. Judaism is primarily composed of the people of Israel. Conversion from other faiths of non-Israeli people is usually not encouraged. Israeli Jews are divided into four main groups according to their religious and cultural affiliation. Around 50% are secular Jews (Hilonim) who give less importance to religion and more to culture. The smallest (9%) and the most religiously devoted group is Haredim. They reject military service and oppose Zionism. ( Source ) Jews can also be divided into ethical and geographical basis. These are Mizrahi (Middle Eastern) Jews, Ethiopian Jews, Ashkenazim (German and Northern French) Jews, and Sephardim (Iberian) Jews. ( Source ) There are three main branches of Judaism. These include Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism. The Jewish calendar is the oldest still in use. Its general usage started in the 9 th  Century BC,

45 Interesting Facts About Christianity

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Christianity is the largest religion in the world, with more than 2.4 billion adherents (over 33% world population). All the European countries have a Christian majority population except Kosovo, Albania , Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Czech Republic, and Estonia. All the countries in the Americas (North America and South America ) have a Christian majority population. The  USA , Brazil, and Mexico have the  largest Christian populations in the world. Nearly half of all Christians live in the 10 countries in various continents. ( Source ) Latin America and the Caribbean is the region with the highest population of Roman Catholic Christians worldwide. The Catholic Church established the office of the  Inquisition  to stop and punish heresy in Europe and South America. This practice started in the 12 th  Century and continued for centuries. These inquisitions resulted in the execution of numerous non-Catholic Christians, Jews, and Muslims. ( Source ) Most of the Christians in

25+ Interesting Facts About Islam

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Islam is a pure  monotheistic religion  that teaches Allah (God) is the sole creator, the lord, all-powerful, merciful, eternal, and unique. With around 1.5 billion followers, Islam is the 2 nd largest religion in the world after Christianity. ( Source ) Islam is the  fastest-growing religion in the world. It can surpass Christianity as the largest religion in the second half of the 21 st Century if this trend continues. ( Source ) Holy Quran is the principal religious book of Islam. However, Islam accepts the original and unaltered Torah and Bible as texts from Allah . The Holy Quran is one of the most read religious books in the world. Millions of Muslims read it regularly. Apart from the Arabic text, translations in numerous languages are also available for Muslims and people of other faiths to read and understand the Quran. Islam recognizes all the prophets of Judaism and Christianity. But it emphasizes that all these prophets taught Islam. Contrary to Judaism, Isla

50 Interesting Facts About Ancient Egypt

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Ancient Egypt is one of the six ancient civilizations collectively known as the  Cradle of Civilization .  The era of Ancient Egypt began around  3100 BC . The Egyptian-Hittite treaty of 1271 BC is the first known peace treaty in history. This peace agreement continued for 40 years until the fall of the Hittite Empire. ( Source ) Bread and beer were the  most significant food and drink  in Ancient Egypt. Beer and wine were more popular than fruits and fruit juices among Egyptians. There are only a few signs of diseases such as  cancer , syphilis, and tooth decay in mummies of Ancient Egypt. However, many  worms and other parasites  were seen during their examination. ( Source ) Egyptians were the first to develop  raised wooden bed frames . Its purpose was to seek protection from cold ground and harmful animals (snakes, rodents, insects, etc.) while sleeping.  Egyptians were the first to describe similarities between sleep and awakening. There were  sleep temples  in Ancient Egyp

40+ Interesting Facts About Israel

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Israel, a small country in the Middle East, is the only Jewish-majority country in the world. It was founded in 1948 after the end of British mandate in Mandatory Palestine.  The Ramon Crater in the Negev Desert of Israel is the  largest erosion crater . It appeared 220 million years ago and has a length of 40 km. ( Source ) The oldest known hearth was discovered in an Israeli limestone cave. This  “first-ever fireplace”  was used in cooking meals 300,000 years ago. ( Source ) Israel opened its  first underwater national park  in 2021. Caesarea was a major port city nearly 2,000 years ago during the era of King Herod. ( Source ) Jellyfish stings are lethal to humans. Israel has prepared the world’s first  jellyfish repellent, which can protect humans from this dangerous sting. ( Source ) Israel is known for several modern scientific inventions . A few of these inventions that have changed the world include PillCam (a digestible medical camera), the flexible stent (for opening art