Religion today: January 28, 2009

It's already been a year since Archbishop Christodoulos of Athens passed away. To honor the anniversary, Το ελληνάκι has made the informative post Αιωνία του η μνήμη, which I urge you to read if you've got a handle on Greek. I don't think I could have preserved the memory any better if I tried.

Instead, today's religion watch focuses on Lagos, Nigeria, and the dangers of witchcraft. In an informative Reuters article, it is revealed that a goat has been detained over armed robbery. More specifically:

Police in Nigeria are holding a goat on suspicion of attempted armed robbery.

Vigilantes took the black and white beast to the police saying it was an armed robber who had used black magic to transform himself into a goat to escape arrest after trying to steal a Mazda 323.

"The group of vigilante men came to report that while they were on patrol they saw some hoodlums attempting to rob a car. They pursued them. However one of them escaped while the other turned into a goat," Kwara state police spokesman Tunde Mohammed told Reuters by telephone.

"We cannot confirm the story, but the goat is in our custody. We cannot base our information on something mystical. It is something that has to be proved scientifically, that a human being turned into a goat," he said.

Hey, if you're gonna believe in virgin births, reincarnation as a slug or flying spaghetti monsters, shapeshifting's not just possible, it's a fact. (Thus spake Nyarlathotep.)

Oh, and here's another hot religious topic over in List of the Day: money messages.