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02Knights Templar - Julian Emperor

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Saints in the Modern Era<br />

Saints have clearly continued to act as intercessors between<br />

people and God in the modern era but their influence has extended<br />

far beyond the sphere of religion and belief into the<br />

secular world.The legends and stories attached to saints and<br />

their feast days have become a rich source of inspiration for<br />

business and commerce to such an extent that, in some cases,<br />

their original identities have been almost entirely obscured.<br />

The veneration of Catholic saints has travelled into other<br />

cultures with sometimes unexpected results. As in the past,<br />

the selection of individuals to be recommended for sainthood<br />

has often been influenced by political concerns and has, at<br />

times, reflected the impact of important and traumatic events<br />

upon society.The process of canonisation has also undergone<br />

some reform but, perhaps surprisingly, it remains fundamentally<br />

unchanged.The choice of candidates for sainthood, from<br />

the Romanov family murdered during the Russian revolution<br />

to Mother Teresa, has occasionally polarised opinion and<br />

caused considerable controversy.<br />

Santeria/Voodoo<br />

The enforced transportation of slaves from Africa to the New<br />

World has had a huge impact on world history and culture and<br />

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