Top Ten Religious Misconceptions

History is full of misconceptions and misrepresentations. Very few areas are as lush with historical falsities as religion.

Whether facts have been changed due to artistic license or intentionally altered for political reasons, religious facts are as questionable now as they ever were.

Below are some of the most questionable misconceptions and their true accounts regarding religion, religious leaders, and religious practices.
The Top Ten
1 Jesus was born on Dec 25th

The Christians looking for followers wanted to convert the Pagans, so they told them that they had a holiday during the Winter Solstice: Jesus' "Birthday". Now whenever I say this to someone, they give me a weird look and tell me to go to church. But it's the TRUTH

The Bible never claims that as a birthday. The most likely cause of the December date was due to Pope Julius the First declaring it to correspond with the Roman Winter Solstice during which many pagan festivals occurred.

The bible does not say this. No one knows when he was born, I only know when he died and rose again. We only celebrate his birth on this day.

2 The word "Jihad" means "holy war"

"Jihad" means "struggle" not a war. While there are references to a "struggle of the sword" most Islamic scholars believe that implies a spiritual struggle.

3 Christians are homophobic

If you are LGBTQ then you will perish in hell. But Christians accept gay people and try to get them to repent anyway. Our job as Christians is to love all people and spread the good news of Jesus Christ to all people. If the LGBTQ repent, and become straight then they will not go to hell

Not at all. Most Christian groups don't take the bible word for word and don't practice and preach hatred. Instead they choose to help and accept LGBT+ people.

No. People only think this because of those like Westboro Baptist Church.

4 The Quran promises martyrs 72 virgins in heaven

This is a "hadith" or a saying of the Prophet Muhammad as reported by others but not part of the Quran itself. Muslims are not meant to take hadiths as scripture.

Does that mean 72 mother-in law as well?

5 The historical Buddha was obese

The fat Buddha is not a Buddha. It's a god in taoism of prosperity, wellness, money etc... The real Buddha was thin. He ate during his meditation to reach nirvana one seed a day. There are two representations of the Buddha ( the real thin one ). One during the meditation where his two hands are together and one where he has reached nirvana where he touches the ground with his right hand. The fat god has many representations. He can sit ( like the Buddha ) and sometimes he is represented lying on his side. The god is also represented smiling while Buddha doesn't smile ( because he is in meditation ).

6 The Buddha is a god

This belief came much later in some of the Chinese schools of thought. Buddhism has always taught self-reliance and individual striving rather than a deity-based paradigm.

7 There were 3 kings who visited the baby Jesus

Nowhere in the Bible does it say exactly three magi came to visit the baby Jesus, nor that they were kings, rode on camels, or that their names were Casper, Melchior and Balthazar. The number of 3 has been assumed based on the 3 gifts being mentioned and nowhere does it say that they visited him on the day of his birth.

8 Jesus was white with blue eyes

People should realize... Jesus was Middle Eastern! Bethlehem is in the Middle East! And he was Jewish. Jesus was Jewish. People should get to know this, why would Jesus believe in something that revolved around himself? (Also the religion started hundreds of years after his death, and the religion is based mainly off of his death, so Jesus being Christian would never make sense)

This could be true because the Middle East had many civilisations who ruled there ( Greeks, Romans.. ) so there may be a heritage of this civilisations mixed with people there. Some gnostic writings and apocryph writings about jesus are saying that jesus had greek heritage. These texts are of course not accepted by the church.

9 The Pope is infallible

Roman Catholic dogma does not say that the Pope is sinless or free from error.

10 Jonah was swallowed by a whale
The Contenders
11 Allah is a moon god

Actualy allah was the name of mother of the four great idols! That is why Muslims say allah o akbar, meaning : god is greater (than other idols) not "the only god" is the greatest.

"Allah" is actually the Arabic word for God. My family consists of Arabic-speaking Christians and they call God "Allah".

12 Mormons are polygamists

While the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints practiced polygamy in its various forms, members who do so now are excommunicated.

13 The forbidden fruit was an apple

While the fruit is commonly assumed to be an apple, that is due to a translation that could have also meant "evil". Hebrew scholars believe the fruit could have been a grape, a fig, wheat, an apricot or an etrog.

14 Catholics worship the Pope and the saints

No, we don't. If we did, we would be breaking one of the Ten Commandments. We just ask them to pray for us.
In the Hail Mary prayer, we say "Holy Mary, mother of God, PRAY for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death".
You see? We officially only pray to the Lord our God.

15 Christians are not allowed to listen to heavy metal

How is this a misconception? Heavy metal is full of satanism and subliminal messages, I am not a christian but if I were one I wouldn't listen to Heavy Metal.

I've heard of Christian metal music.

16 Jesus was handsome

He actually wasn't all that good looking according to Isaiah 53:2. Probably not a supermodel but that's never really been the point.

17 The immaculate conception is related to the birth of Jesus

It also has nothing to do with the supposed belief in the virgin birth of his mother Mary. It is referring to the belief that Mary was conceived free from original sin.

18 The age of majority in the bible is 20

Like I said in a previous comment, there is no age of majority in the bible.

19 Jesus was trying to form his own religion

Not really. He was most likely trying to reform Judaism.

20 Jesus wrote the bible
21 God sends people to hell

God himself does not send people to hell. People just end up there, especially if they're not close to God and don't seek forgiveness for their sins.

22 The Devil had horns, goats legs, pitch fork, and red skin.
23 Hell is in the Bible
24 God hates Halloween
25 Satanists worship Satan
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