The Christian Bible contains four books called Gospels. These canonical texts narrate the life of Jesus from the start of his ministry to his death. Most of these stories are well-known, as virtually every Christian can recount some of the main events from them. They can also list at least one (if not at all four) by name and order. However, what far fewer people can do is list one or more of the gospels that did not make it into the Bible.

This list includes ten of the most interesting gospels that didn’t make it into the Bible. Each of these gospels were written by ancient Christians but ultimately rejected. Some were rejected for purely editorial reasons, such as questions about their authorship, while others contained teachings and stories about Jesus which were far too controversial or heretical. Fortunately for modern readers, most of these books still exist in part or in whole and can be read at any time online.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to controversy. Throughout history, the Vatican has caused more than its fair share of scandals and has carried this trend into the modern era. The following offenses all came to light within the last decade or so and show the Church in a very bad light.

After nearly two millennia, Christians have yet to stop arguing over doctrines. One does not have to look far to see differing opinions across the Christian stage—Catholics, Presbyterians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Anglicans, Episcopalians, and more. Even before a plethora of denominations existed in Christianity, though, some beliefs about Jesus Christ were considered incongruent with what the Bible and church tradition had taught.

With Jesus Christ being recognized as the founder of Christianity, it is only natural that important discussions were held about who and what He truly was. If a man came and claimed to be God, would one not ask some difficult questions about this mind-boggling claim?

Was Jesus fully human? Was Jesus fully divine? When did Jesus come into being? Is Jesus two people combined into one? Did Jesus earn His divinity? Was Jesus ever really here?

These are questions that Christians have asked throughout the centuries. Some answers to these questions were found collectively by Christians to be heretical (i.e., not in accordance with the reality of God as revealed to us in Scripture). Here are 10 beliefs (heresies) about Jesus Christ that Christians have rejected through the centuries.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to controversy. Throughout history, the Vatican has caused more than its fair share of scandals and has carried this trend into the modern era. The following offenses all came to light within the last decade or so and show the Church in a very bad light.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to controversy. Throughout history, the Vatican has caused more than its fair share of scandals and has carried this trend into the modern era. The following offenses all came to light within the last decade or so and show the Church in a very bad light.

The Catholic Church is no stranger to controversy. Throughout history, the Vatican has caused more than its fair share of scandals and has carried this trend into the modern era. The following offenses all came to light within the last decade or so and show the Church in a very bad light.

Many will argue that the Bible, if it is to be taken in any way seriously, is all about interpretation. With that in mind, many who subscribe to the ancient astronaut theory in particular believe the Bible to be awash with UFOencounters and laced with interaction between human beings and extraterrestrials. Indeed, for them, it forms a lot of the basis for their theory.

While there is, of course, no proof to be offered to back up these claims, the interpretations and how they are pieced together are fascinating in their own right and certainly worth exploring, if only to ask the question: What if our ancestors really were describing encounters with intelligent beings not of this world?

For most people, religious practices are special activities that happen on the weekend or during the holidays. However, religious rituals have also involved incredible feats of endurance and challenges to test human limits. This list includes ten of the most challenging forms of religious practices found in traditions from across the globe. These include ancient rituals that were once quite common (but may have ceased being performed), to contemporary practices that are still taking place today.

Whether a person called Jesus Christ ever actually existed or not, the story attributed to Him is largely, although unofficially, agreed by most atheists to be an allegory for the yearly journey of the Sun. Written accounts can be found that predate the lifetime of Jesus by thousands of years, and each draws from a previous version, essentially telling the same story right back to ancient times, when humans really did worship the Sun.

Perhaps the Sun was worshiped for good reason; after all, life here would not exist without it. For those in ancient times, the realization of their reliance on the Sun for their harvests, and in turn their survival, was evident in their ancient writings. If anything did deserve our utter respect and adulation, you could make a strong argument that the Sun might just be such a body. Here are ten reasons why the story of Jesus, and indeed the tales that predated it, might be the telling of the annual journey of the Sun through the zodiac. Remember, this isn’t fact; everything you read from here on are merely theories and interpretation . . . 

The Roman Catholic Church keeps records of thousands of deceased persons it has recognized as saints—people whose presence in Heaven it considers verified. Given these saints’ lofty stature, their help (or intercession) is often invoked by Catholics on Earth to petition God for help with particular issues. The issues for which they are invoked are usually connected with some event or trial in the saint’s own life. Thus, a patron saint for a given issue is frequently designated as such for their connection to that issue.

That said, patronages can sometimes take some pretty strange twists and turns. Here are some of the strangest. You probably never thought you could turn to the following saints for protection from . . .

Whatever your take on the story of Jesus might be, the fact that such a person existed at the time claimed is most likely true. Who He actually was and whether He was divine or not, however, is very much a matter for discussion—as is, it would seem, whether or not the story of His demise was at all accurate.

Many religious artifacts, predominantly statues or images of the Virgin Mary or Jesus Christ, have been subject to claims of miracles or divine events. While the vast majority of these are exposed as hoaxes designed for monetary gain or even to attract more people to the church, some are still without explanation.

Perhaps the fact that these incidents made international news, if only for a short time, suggests a little more to them than simple trickery. That is not to say they’re divine. But they are interesting cases of something a little bit out of the ordinary.

Autumn shadows grow long. Skeletons peek through house windows. Scary costumes fill store aisles. But what about that other part of Halloween—the one that claims this is All Hallows’ Eve?

Any Church calendar notes that Halloween falls just before All Saints’ Day, but how do holy and creepy go together? This list will look at saints who met horror with heroic courage. Here are ten saints fit for a Halloween celebration.

Ask a modern Christian about incarnation and they will tell you that it is when God chose to enter the world as a human. But other religions have not always had such a restricted view of incarnation. A god might choose to become a tree, a rock, a lightning bolt, or even an animal. Incarnation merely means a divinity has taken physical form.

Some animals are considered holy just by their association with a god or goddess. Some are worshiped and cared for by devotees, while others are sacrificed in shocking ways. Here are ten examples of animals that some people believed to have a touch of the divine in them.

Various religions promote their versions of universal and eternal truths. Although it might seem that these “truths” haven’t changed over the years, a glimpse at the history of any religion will reveal that they all evolve with time.

What seems perpetual today was once a hotly contested innovation. Christianity is no exception. The early Church was a seething tumult of controversies and rivalries that shaped what has become today’s Christianity. Here are 10 weird facts from the early days of the Christian faith.