13. Megachurches According to the Hartford Institute, more than 1,300 of these type of churches -- with more than 2,000 people in attendance for a weekly service -- exist in the United States. Most of their congregations average between 10,000 and 50,000 people each Sunday...
Though the intent of the megachurch is not unlike a normal sized church, questions have been raised about churchgoer's donations. Megachurches pull in millions of dollars per year and are exempt from taxes. They are also not subject to the same strict disclosure policy as other charitable institutions. It's a miracle that none of the funds have been misappropriated... or have they? We'll probably never know.
12. Grilled Cheesus For years, believers and converts to Christianity have claimed to see Jesus or other members of the holy family in everyday objects. One of the most famous examples is Mrs. Duyser's Jesus on grilled cheese. In the early 90s, she claimed to have found the image on her sandwich; it then sat, mold-free, on her nightstand for over a decade before she sold the Grilled Cheesus to Golden Palace Casino for $28,000...
The Grilled Cheesus has been spoofed everywhere, including an episode of Glee, in which the character Finn believes he sees the face of Jesus on his grilled cheese. If you're a fan of the Grilled Cheesus, you can even purchase your own sandwich press to emblazon his face onto all of your sandwiches.
11. Pope Joan Like many religious stories and traditions, the tale of Pope Joan is most likely apocryphal. The only female pope, she is said to have ruled sometime during the Middle Ages. The genesis of this story is unclear, but in some historical chronicles she is said to be an intelligent woman who may have disguised herself as a man in order to gain more power in the church...
Considering that during this time intelligent women were often killed as witches or heretics, if Pope Joan actually ascended to Christendom's highest office, it may have been accomplished through years of deception and conspiracy. Today, the Catholic Church treats Pope Joan (seen here with the cast of her biopic) as a medieval legend and tries to discredit medieval scholars who have used her story as evidence of a feminist presence in medieval Catholicism.
10. The Rapture According to Harold Camping, a Christian radio broadcaster, on May 21st, 2011, Christians were supposed to be raptured up to Heaven while unbelievers were to be smited by the sword of Jesus. (We're pretty sure this didn't happen.) Even after May 21st, Camping insisted that the end was nigh. Apparently, the rapture had only just begun and would conclude on October 21st... but that's long since passed, as well.
Now all of this and more happens in the US all in the name of religion I say where is objectivity here?
