The oldest manuscripts of Mark end with verse 8 of chapter 16. This is a very abrupt ending; in fact in Greek it ends almost ungrammatically on a conjunction. The rest of the chapter that typically appears today contains language and symbolism which strongly suggest that they were taken from other, later sources; thus, validity of the rest of Mark is the subject of much speculation and debate.

 

Read Article: Ending of Mark's Gospel: How Should the Gospel According to Mark End?

They say that life imitates art, but of course art also imitates life -- even sacred art, according to a study done by Cornell University. Over 50 different examples of the "Last Supper" scene were studied closely to determine must how much food was sitting on the table and the results were interesting. Jesus and his disciples are now eating two-thirds more than they used to! Read more...

Secular atheists tend to treat religious and theistic beliefs as basically irrational, though some are arguably far more irrational than others. Does this mean, however, that theists themselves are necessarily irrational? To put it another way, is one justified in treating a person as irrational if they have a single irrational belief? What if their central, most fundamental belief system is irrational? Read more...

Many religious theists, especially Christians, resist defining atheism as simply the absence of belief in gods. There are a variety of reasons for this, but the main one seems to be that it makes it too obvious that the burden of proof or support lies with them, not with atheists. One tactic for arguing against the standard definition of atheism is to claim that atheist criticisms of theism and religion demonstrate that atheists must be acting on behalf of a belief, not mere lack of belief.

 

Read Article: Myth: Atheists Attack Theism & Religion Because They Deny God