Celebrating Religious Differences??

[brag]

The Youtube video below speaks about celebrating religious differences, but is it? It comes across as an attempt to convert the Hindu youth to a believer in Jesus. More of this kind of thing happens more than we imagine. I remember my niece's story of an experience in South Carolina when she was befriended to attend a Baptiste Church only for the purpose of converting her to Christianity. When she refused, her friends never came around again.

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1918937

[letric]

Said Waldershare,
Sensible men are all the same religion. And pray what is that?
Sensible men never tell.

Endymion (1880) ch. 81. C. Shaftesbury 563:20

[letric]

ANXIETY IN THE HEART OF MAN CAUSES DEPRESSION, BUT A GOOD WORD MAKES IT GLAD.
Proverbs: 12:25

When one is on the brink of failure, the right word at the right time can keep us in the game; when we are too tired or discouraged to keep going, an act of compassion can give us new strength; encouragement is one of the central themes of the Bible: 'Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word make it glad'. Encouragement doesn't deny the problem; it enables us to overcome it. It does not validate stubborness or stupidity; it simply corrects and guide us in the right path.

[letric]

The Bible says: 'The glory of old men is...wisdom and experience,' so listen...An elderly man gives us words to live by: 'Time has a way of catching you unawares. Whatever you'd to accomplish in yuour life...do it today. Your life is a gift from God, how you live it is your gift to Him and ensuing generations.

[brag]

Some religious differences are simply maya, the quality of not being able to discern what is false from what is true.

It is like small children who are satisfied to suck on the wrapper of the candy before going on to the sweetness of the candy itself.

So the test of maya is personal experience and transformation of the ehart, based on what is practiced versus what is understood from the lessons learned in scriptures.

But no matter what the extent of the learning or reading, nothing can compare with personal experiences to define what God is for anyone.

[letric]

ANY ENTERPRISE....BUILT BY WISE PLANNING, BEOMES STRONG
-Proverbs 24:3

What happens when you are not well-prepared? Things you hope won't happen, do, and they occur with greater frequency than the things you hope will happen. The dividing line between winning and losing is preparation!
The key to winning is self-confidence, and the key to self-confidence is preparation, Ever queried what Jesus was doing during those pre-dawn risings and nights of prayer? Preparing! 'Any venture/enterprise...built by wise planning, becomes strong through common sense, and gains wonderfully by keeping abreast of the facts.

[brag]

Faith in God as derived from scriptures is a given. We either believe in scriptures or we don't. What is not a given is the acceptanc of any one interpretation of scriptures. And we know how disagreements have lead to the formation of religious sects and new religions. God not being around to clarify makes it difficult, and we use intuition, logic, and good, old, common sense with the help of theology to learn for ourselves.

http://www.burningcross.net/crusades/or ... ament.html (http://www.burningcross.net/crusades/origins-new-testament.html)

"Historically speaking the Judeo-Christians led by James at Jerusalem were a Jewish sect and the followers of Paul [Pauline Christians] were a Jewish heresy. Paul claimed to have met Jesus in a vision but he disagreed with the teachings of the original apostles and of James..."

"Paul introduced his own version of Christianity by adding the conceptions of ‘original sin’ [later elaborated on by Augustine of Hippo] and the pagan ideas of the resurrection, salvation thru the blood of Jesus, salvation by faith not by works, the divinity of Jesus [Jesus as God], the doctrine of the Holy Spirit [later to be developed into the doctrine of the Trinity], etc!..."

"My disbelief of the Bible is founded on a pure and religious belief in God." — Thomas Paine

"When you have examined the Bible with the attention that I have done (for I do not think you know much about it), and permit yourself to have just ideas of God, you will most probably believe as I do. But I wish you to know that this answer to your letter is not written for the purpose of changing your opinion. It is written to satisfy you, and some other friends whom I esteem, that my disbelief of the Bible is founded on a pure and religious belief in God; for in my opinion the Bible is a gross libel against the justice and goodness of God, in almost every part of it." [Thomas Paine]

[brag]

Indian Festivals establishing Communal Harmony and World Record

By Tanveer Jafri
Modern Ghana. Ghana; Feature Article

Mumbai, India's financial Capital has become more united against terrorism after the 26/11 terror attack. 183 people lost their lives in that terror attack and hundreds of people were critically wounded. Such terror attacks have also occurred in the past in festival season. Though the main objective of these inhuman elements is to disturb peace during the festivals, but the festivities of different religions are in full swing irrespective of terror threat. Last days, the Hindus organized their religious festival Ganesh Pooja with full devotion whereas the Muslims were busy in its pious month of Ramazan. Preparations are on to celebrate the famous festivals of Dusshehra, the Durga Pooja and the Eid-Ul-Fitr. While the festivals of different communities in India, the nation of unity in diversity, are associated with their religious importance, at the same time these festivals present a rare example of communal harmony and equality, for which the world has perhaps no match. Surprisingly, these examples are seen in India at that time, when the terrorists and communal elements are putting their best day and night to disturb the social fabric of our country.

Barara town in Haryana state in India , which created world record by creating and burning the tallest effigy of Ravana last year, is once again ready to break its own record. Rana Tejinder Singh Chauhan, President and founder of the Ramleela Club, is busy with his hundreds of companions in creating the tallest effigy of Ravana since four months. To help create this world record, a group of Muslim artisans led by Mohammad Usman has come from the historical city of Agra. The entire group is staying at Barara as special guests for the last four months. Muhammad Usman too has a deep desire to help Tejinder Singh Chauhan in this highly ambitious project. During the preparation of this huge effigy of Ravana, the holy month of Ramzan also passed. Mohammad Usman and his family kept fast regularly. All their religious needs are taken care of by Tejinder Singh Chauhan and his colleagues. They perform their religious rituals at the very place where the preparation of Ravana's effigy is being built. Mohd. Usman, himself, is of the view that the religious freedom he got in Barara is perhaps not available even among people of his own community. This is the reason that Usman and his group come every year on the invitation of Chauhan for Dusshehra preparations. On this, Chauhan says that he just does his duty by fulfilling the religious requirements of Usman and his family and follows the tradition of 'Atithi Devo Bhav'(Guest is God). Chauhan says that he is trying to get the Ravana in the Guinness World Records. If that happens, then this effigy will not only make the world record of being tallest and gigantic, but also set a great example of communal harmony.

Similarly the festival of Ganesh Pooja, like every year, presented an example of communal harmony this year. While the popular film actor Salman Khan was seen celebrating Ganesh Pooja with full devotion, at the same time the Ganesh Pooja festival was organized by the Muslim community in many parts of India. Not only this, in many cases, the Ganesh statue was installed by the Muslims in their houses and worshipped. While proving the 26/11 attacks a blot, people from the Muslim community participated in large numbers in the ritual of Ganpati Visarjan. Superstar Shahrukh khan too celebrates all the festivals with great zeal in his house and sets an example of a real Indian by celebrating Holi, Deepawali, Eid, and Baqrid.

Such models religious and communal harmony are not only set by rich and wealthy or famous people, the poor and helpless people in India too have the strong feeling of celebrating these festivals with great zeal. For example, 19 districts of Bihar state in India were badly affected because of severe floods last year that was caused by the Kosi river dam breakage. The victims without any religious discrimination cooperated with other victims in relief work. The collective functions and prayers were organized at many places to get rid of the disaster. These prayers from both the communities were organised under one roof at many places. Not only this, at the time of flood during the month of Ramzan, the Hindus not only helped their Muslim brethren in their religious needs, even at some places there were news that the Hindus too fast.

Amidst the spread of terrorism, news of involvement of the Muslim youth in majority of terror incidents and in respond to that the attempt communal polarization by some anti-national forces and at the same time the above examples of communal harmony easily makes one to understand that on this holy land of Ramanand, Kabir, Nanak, Chishti, Khusro, Nizam, Sai Baba, Sheikh Farid and Bulle Shah, the attempts to spoil the communal harmony cannot succeed. No terrorist organization can uproot the plants of communal harmony from this country of saints and hermits. Indian festivals would continue to set models for religious brotherhood and keep alive 'Unity in Diversity'.

http://www.modernghana.com/news/239431/ ... y-and.html (http://www.modernghana.com/news/239431/1/indian-festivals-establishing-communal-harmony-and.html)

[brag]

All names and all forms are mine says Rama, Krishna, Bhagawans Shirdi Sai Baba and Sathya Sai Baba. The principle of God is not limited to one name and one form but the principle of love whereever it is embodied.

The many names of God both in Christianity as shown below and the ninety names of Allah in Islam represent the spirit of syncretism among religions, from an earlier understanding of God's names to a newer one. Each name represents the principle of God as One and the only way to God, whatever that name may be.

http://www.elroy.net/ehr/fighttheright.html

"JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN"

True, according to the Bible. However, contrary to what Fundamentalists preach, this does not mean everyone who is "saved" calls Jesus by that same name. In John 3:16 we read that God sent his son, whom most Fundamentalists call "Jesus," to save the world, and that anyone who simply believes in him will be saved. It does not say that we must call him "Jesus" in order to believe in him. In fact, the Bible gives many names to Christ - meaning many people very well might believe in the savior without believing his name is Jesus.

He's called the "Son of God" (Hebrews 4:14), the "Son of Man" (Luke 6:5), the "King of Kings" (Revelation 17:14), the "Savoir" (1 Timothy 4:10), the "High Priest" (Hebrews 4:14), the "Teacher" (John 3:2), the "Word" (John 1:1), the "Rabbi" (John 1:38), the "Master" (John 1:38), "Emmanuel" (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23), "Creator" (Isaiah 40:28; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16), "Adam" (1Corinthians 15:45), "Angel" (Genesis 48:16), "Counselor" (Isaiah 9:6), "Ensign" (Isaiah 11:10), "Fountain" (Zechariah 13:1), "Light" (John 8:12), "Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16), "Wisdom" (Proverbs 8:12), even "Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:6). And these are just a few. Throughout the Old Testament, before he was given an earthly name, Christ was referred to by hundreds of different names.

And even if we call him "Jesus," that's not his real name. In Greek it's "Iesous." in Hebrew it's "Joshua" or "Hoshea," and in Latin it's "Jesu." If his name is important, by which name should we call him? Indeed, if using his correct name is necessary, then no English-speaking Christian could be saved since we don't call him by his real name.

[brag]

Sri Shree Ravi Shankar of the Arts of Living Institute of India takes on hatred and speaks about peace to Islamists in Iraq.

http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sri-s ... IDURVMUS03 (http://video.aol.com/video-detail/sri-sri-ravi-shankar-in-irag/36028840302987068/?icid=VIDURVMUS03)

[brag]

Chinese celebrate with Mother Kali

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 132946.cms (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/For-this-Kali-bhog-is-noodles-and-chopsuey/articleshow/5132946.cms)

For this Kali, bhog is noodles and chopsuey
Jhimli Mukherjee Pandey, TNN 17 October 2009, 02:00am IST
Print Email Discuss Bookmark/Share Save Comment Text Size: |

KOLKATA: There is nothing different about the Kali idol. But one look at the `bhog' - noodles, chopsuey, rice-and-vegetables dishes - and you

One look at the 'bhog' - noodles, chopsuey, rice-and-vegetables dishes - and you realize this isn't just any Kali temple.
realize this isn't just any Kali temple.

In the heart of Kolkata's Tangra area -- India's own Chinatown -- stands this unique symbol of cross-cultural assimilation. The `Chinese Kali Temple' (so the marble plaque says) is not only a bridge between Chinese and Indian cultures, but also strengthens bonds within the Chinese community.

For most of the year, the ethnic Chinese and their Hindu neighbours rarely mingle. But on Kali Puja, most Chinese residents of Tangra take the day off and get together in front of the temple. On the average weekday, you would catch the Chinese residents pause, take off their shoes, and pray for a moment in front of the idol.

``Kali Puja is special for us. Our activities start early in the morning. Most of us have been given our responsibilities for the day. Some get the flowers, some fruits and sweets for the prasad and a few oversee the preparations. The pandit (a Bengali Brahmin) comes here every day for the morning and evening aarti,'' says an enthusiastic Ison Chen. The 55-year-old has been selected by the community to be in-charge of the temple.

But how did the temple start off? The site is about 60 years old, says Ison. In those days, it was a couple of sindoor-smeared black stones under an old tree. Local people worshipped these stones. Seeing them, the Chinese started following suit.

``The story goes that a 10-year-old boy of the Chinese community was once very ill. Even doctors could not cure him. His parents had lost hope and lay him down near the tree and prayed for several nights at a stretch. A miracle happened. The boy got well, and the site became special for all of us. Most of us are Buddhists and some are Christians, but we are great fans of the Kali temple. We consider it an integral part of the community,'' says Ison.

The granite walled temple was built 12 years ago. The two stones are still there. Two traditional Kali statues have since been installed. Every Chinese family in Tangra donated money to build the temple and the idols.

At least 2,000 members of the community gather here on Diwali night to witness the puja, participate in pushpanjali and partake of the prasad. While the mantras and the way in which the puja is conducted is completely Hindu, some typical Chinese traditions have crept in. ``We light tall candles on Kali puja night. We also get special Chinese incense sticks and light them, so the aroma you get at the temple is different from what you get at other temples or pandals. It is typically Chinese,'' says 70-year-old A K Chung, who owns a leather finishing unit.

Another quaint tradition is that of burning handmade paper to ward off evil spirits. Even the way in which the pranaam is done before the goddess is typically Chinese.

Women of the community are especially attached to the temple. ``I had prayed to Goddess Kali for a son. On Diwali night, 10 years ago, I prayed for a bonny boy and the next day, Mark was born. So, this idol and the temple is of great importance to my family,'' says Michelle Wong, who also has an eight-year-old daughter. The mother-daughter duo visit the temple every evening for prayers despite the fact that they are of Roman Catholic faith

[letric]

YOU WILL KEEP HIM IN PERFECT PEACE, WHOSE MIND IS STAYED ON YOU...
ISAIAH(20:3)

One of the greatest promises in the Bible is,
You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Too many of us have the idea that it's wrong to enjoy ourselves while we have problems. We grow up believing that if we can't do anything else, the least we can is worry, act stressed out and be miserable. The Bible addresses this:
Do not (for a moment) be frightened...for such (constancy and feasrlessness) will be a clear sign...from God. (Philippians 1:28)
When things go wrong do what God leads us to do, then rest in Him and watch Him work on our behalf!

[letric]

Our yearning to go back speaks to a cry of restoration not a need to change the past. It is God's radical love of John 3:16, which gives us hope and anchors us in our present pain and joy and keeps us focused on our purpose and not our past. Much of what we experience in our present pain is our process of being restored to the original intent of God in preparation for this moment and time. The courses we are on, the journeys we are taking, thje sights we see along the way, the people we meet, the experiences we have are all taking us to the future; and it's a wonderful life.

[brag]

Namaste
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7YxhEM5 ... re=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7YxhEM5FNw&feature=related)
Namaste
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izzNFCtFyyY

[letric]

DANIEL PURPOSED IN HIIS HEART... (Daniel 1:8.)


Small battles train us to win big ones. If Daniel hadn't taken action early on, he wouldn't have had the strength to say 'no' to idol worship and face the lion's den without fear or compromise. When you 'purpose in your heart' to honour God, He blesses you to become involved in your life in ways you never thought possible.

[brag]

Karma and reincarnation spreading rapidly in America without Hindu missionaries.

http://religionnewsblog.blogspot.com/20 ... hindu.html (http://religionnewsblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/reincarnation-american-vs-hindu.html)

Reincarnation: American vs Hindu conceptions

The belief in karma and reincarnation is rapidly spreading through America, despite virtually zero missionary effort on the half of Hindus themselves. Rather than spreading through any systematic effort of missionization, the Hindu concepts spread in a kind of word of mouth contagion of catchy ideas. However, the American ideas of reincarnation are different in significant ways from the original Hindu understandings.

American flirtation with reincarnation and karma is like a gateway experience, but over time, the ideas will come to conform more and more with traditional Hindu understandings. Not because the Hindus will gain control of the ideas in some institutional sense, but simply because there is a deep logic to their ideas that they explored and finalized centuries ago. Americans have not explored the logical conclusions of these beliefs yet, but are only beginning to flirt with them in a superficial way.

The true irony is that Americans are happily adopting these beliefs which the Hindus themselves view as a curse to be escaped from. The Hindus themselves postulate that the ultimate goal of their religion is to escape from existence, which they call moksha.

The history of Indian religion is littered with attempts to escape from the eternal nightmare of birth, death, and rebirth that Hindus call Samsara. The most significant and long lasting anti-Hinduism was Buddhism, invented as a total rejection of Hindu thought and practice on every level, yet, ominously, was later re-swallowed by Hinduism and put back in service to the Hindu worldview.

Yet here we Americans are, adopting Hindu ideas on a mass and expanding scale. Most surveys of religious belief put acceptance of reincarnation at 20-25% of the US population, with a higher percent among the young. The percentage is probably even higher when it comes to secondary Hindu beliefs like "God is all around us," "Everything is God," "in order to find God just look within," and "the goal of religion is oneness with God". Odd, quite odd, isn't it, how far American is away from being a Christian nation, and how quickly Euro-Americans are abandoning their ancestral beliefs.

Americans belief in reincarnation is based on a small handful of faddish but attractive ideas.

For example, an irrational fear you have, such as a fear of falling, is explained as having died from falling in a past life.

You might refer to someone as an "Old Soul", describing someone who is wise and sober, and someone else as "new soul", meaning they are more energetic, self-concerned, and impulsive.

You have probably heard the idea of "soul mates" and "soul families". Thus, when you meet someone and have an immediate connection, you must have known them in a past life in some intimate way, like a lover or family member, and you must have some "karmic connection" with them, needed to learn some spiritual lesson.

Americans tend to think in terms of three or four past lives, such as a life in Atlantis, one in the ancient Mid-East somewhere, like Egypt or Israel, and probably one in an Indian tribe or as an American colonial.

Most Americans have never thought of past lives as bugs or animals, and even if they do, they tend to think of the process as a one-way street, leading upward, never thinking that they could become a roach or ant in a future life.

Yet, all of the above beliefs are contradicted by real Hinduism, as our American ideas are just a make-it-up-as-you-go collection of beliefs concocted by spiritualists over the last 150 years.

In real Hinduism, all souls are infinitely old. There are no old souls or new souls and in the process of that infinite time, your own soul has been incarnated in an intimate relationship with every other creature in existence, and thus, you have no soul family or soul mates.

In Hinduism, reincarnation goes up and down the ladder. In future lives, you could become an animal, or even a god. In all cases, you will be forced to reincarnate again and again, as the process has no end, unless you somehow manage to end your own individual existence, in the process of spiritual suicide called moksha.

Americans view reincarnation as a process like school, meaning you may have to repeat a grade, but once you move up, you never go back. In Hinduism, quite the opposite is true. The highest gods have worked their way down to bugs, and in the iron future of infinite reincarnations, every imaginable reincarnation will be your fate. Thus, you have died already in infinite variety, leaving no possibility for some special "irrational fear" based on a particular way you died before.

Americans define good karma as helping others, and living a life of love and forgiveness (ethical ideas lifted from their Christian heritage). In Hinduism, there is no impetus for charity, and no use for forgiveness. Whatever bad thing you are experiencing is your own fault, a result of your own karma and you are getting what you deserve. Nor is there a drive to improve, because that would involve violating your karma, which will only create more bad karma. Accepting your fate is the only correct karmic response. Forgiveness is simply meaningless in a spiritual sense. Whether one forgives or not is irrelevant, as the other will be punished inevitably by the laws of karma, which control even the fates of the gods.

The process of reincarnation also involves explaining the rather dark fact that your memory has been wiped clean. Many explanations of this fact postulate the role of some powerful evil force. Gnosticism, for example, postulated that evil demons erased your memory and keep you trapped in the material world for their own wicked reasons. Modern Scientology says basically the same thing, except substituting space aliens for the old idea of demon spirits. In Hinduism pure and traditional, no explanation was required, because they simply accepted it as the inevitable action of the laws of the universe, as a manifestation of the eternal and impersonal ground of being called the Brahman.

Overall, Americans have not yet realized that karma and reincarnation are the front-end beliefs of a spiritually hopeless and negative world view, a nightmare scenario governed by impersonal laws and forces, escape from which is the highest hope, in a process of spiritual suicide. A world view which creates social passivity and stagnation, to boot.

The American heritage of Christianity has been emasculated, marginalized, and demonized by its atheistic, pagan, and Jewish enemies. Given that humans are deeply religious creatures, and nothing gets filled faster than a spiritual vacuum, I suppose it is only natural that this Hindu world view rushes to fill the hearts and minds of America's youngest generation, who have been most heavily inundated with a constant anti-Christian barrage.

Is there a light at the end of this long dark tunnel? I, for one, do not see one. These cultural/religious trends are only gaining steam and we have only just begun to feel their effects.
Posted by Justin at Wednesday, October 29, 2008

[brag]

Musings of an ethnically English follower of Sanatana Dharma.

http://western-hindu.org/2007/10/29/why ... han-india/ (http://western-hindu.org/2007/10/29/why-dont-christian-missionaries-target-britain-rather-than-india/)

Why don’t Christian missionaries target Britain rather than India?
October 29, 2007 by Chris

When Christian missionaries target India they are bringing discord to a highly religious and spiritual country, where most people believe in God and at least value a moral life. They bring division to a society where generally religions are inclusive and accepting.

In Britain a small number of people are religious. The exact number is hard to say, when asked if they “know that God exists without a doubt” 23% say yes, but when asked “which comes closest to your belief” 56% responded with an answer that indicated that they had some belief. Even if this number have some belief, most don’t act on it, regular religious involvement is only 7.5%. You only have to go to a city centre in Britain at night to see that many young people regularly get drunk and live only for sensual pleasure.

A few weeks ago my wife and I attended a “Gouanga (ISKCON) festival” at our Hindu temple. There we met a young woman who had joined ISKCON after attending one of these festivals, where she realised that there was more to life than getting drunk. She now works for ISKCON in the UK. She said a couple of years ago she would have probably been drunk in the gutter. At the festival she contemplated Krishna for the first time, and felt that there was something spiritual inside her.

Why, with so many people living a non-spiritual life, don’t Christian missionaries target the UK? Surely this is a country where spirituality could bring great benefit?

I believe that it is because they know that they cannot easily offer bribes and inducements in a relatively rich country. This is the reason that they oppose laws in India that ban forced religious conversions. They know that this is their easiest way to success. For them religion is not about improved behaviour, spirituality or social adhesion, they would willingly sacrifice those to win in the numbers game. All that matters is the number who say they are Christian. That is enough. The fact is that despite the lack of belief, 71% of the British population say they are Christian is enough for them.

A Christian who is violent to members of other faiths, rarely thinks about God, acts immorally and is drunk in the city centre every night is saved. There is no point in missionaries taking notice of them where there are peaceful and tolerant members of other faiths to target. If only they could get them all to be like the Christians!

[letric]

GOD DOES NOT PROCLAIM HIMSELF, HE'S EVERYBODY SECRET....