Skoptsy Sect's Fatal Mistranslation

In 18th-century Russia, a radical Christian sect known as the Skoptsy became infamous for practicing castration, mastectomies, and even female genital mutilation as part of their teachings against lust. Their founder, Kondraty Selivanov, drew from a mistranslation of scripture, interpreting a command meant as "be fruitful" to instead mean "castrate yourselves." This mistranslation shaped their practices for over a century, leading to waves of persecution by Russian authorities and earning the sect a notorious place in religious history.

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