8 Incredibly Strange Religions From Around The World

1. Happy Science

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-oNFukF1cI Happy Science win the price for the religion with the nicest name on this list (sorry, Church of Euthanasia). Founded in Japan by Ryuho Okawa in 1986, basically this religion concerns itself with...well...making people happy. A large number of their teachings reflect Buddhism and the concept of "Right Mind". Alright, so far so good. Nothing too weird. Well, Okawa claims to be the incarnate form of the "Supreme Being" which Happy Science calls "El Cantare", which they state is the true hidden name of God in the Old Testament. Okawa also regularly interviews the "Guardian Spirits" of other political figures and publishes them in the group's news letter and in books. Oh, and they believe that China and North Korea are plotting to use nuclear weapons on Japan so that they can invade and colonize it. Granted, that sounds moderately less crazy than the supreme being and guardian spirits business, but that's entirely the point. So there you have it. Next time you start feeling a little weird for what you believe or don't believe, remember: You will never be the weirdest one out there.
 
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I'm very proudly a nerd, which is the quality you'll see most on display here. Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Spider-man are my biggest nerdy obsessions, but I don't like to exclude anything. I'm also an avid sports fan. My teams are the Detroit Red Wings, Notre Dame, and Detroit Lions. I love playing and watching hockey, but don't get to do the former often enough. I play some guitar, and love music. That's me, concisely speaking.