http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/eastern-religion/ en-us Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:25:38 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2036258/posts NEW DELHI: With Democrat senator Barack Obama busy in the run-up to the US presidential polls, a group of well-wishers in the capital have decided to send him a symbol of his lucky charm, Lord Hanuman, to help him emerge victorious. Obama's representative Carolyn Sauvage-Mar on Tuesday received a gold-plated two-feet-high idol which she will pass it on to the Obama after it is sanctified. The idol is being presented to Obama as he is reported to be a Lord Hanuman devotee and carries with him a locket of the monkey god along with other good luck charms. An hour-long... The Times of India http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2036258/posts#comment Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:25:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2005031/posts I was about to ask someone on another thread which translation she uses and I thought maybe it might be better as an individual thread. I don't think this will become contentious, but who knows? So, the question: Which translation do you use for your personal Bible? If the answer is different: Which do you prefer? Why not use it as your personal Bible? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2005031/posts#comment Tue, 22 Apr 2008 01:42:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1991107/posts Two young, LDS missionaries, wearing their white shirts and ties, left their apartment and went out into the busy streets of Bangkok, Thailand, in July 1972. As they tracted, they found an unusual picture on the front page of the newspapers: another missionary they knew sitting on top of a large statue of Buddha. That evening, the elders received a phone call. They were to stay inside their apartments and not proselyte. A photo that seemed fun at the time turned out to have some drastic consequences. For six weeks Elder Mark Tippets and his companion read, all they could... BYU NewsNet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1991107/posts#comment Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:19:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1981685/posts The kirpan, or ceremonial dagger, is worn by many devout Sikhs Sikh representatives will not attend an inter-faith meeting with Pope Benedict XVI when he visits the US next month.They say this is because the Pope's guards in the US will not allow them to wear their "kirpan" ceremonial daggers. Jewish, Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist representatives are meeting the Pope in Washington. The kirpan must be worn by all baptised Sikhs (Khalsa), after an order issued by the faith's leader Guru Gobind Singh, in 1699. Sikhs are being replaced by representatives from the Jain religion at the ceremony. The... BBC http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1981685/posts#comment Fri, 7 Mar 2008 01:53:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1972256/posts A prominent Hindu leader met a senior leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) in Salt Lake City (Utah) yesterday and discussed similarities in both the religions. Rajan Zed, prominent leader of Hindus and Indo-Americans, and Neil L. Anderson, member of the Presidency of the Seventy of LDS Church, met in LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City, and talked about various issues concerning their religions. Similarities examined were "law of the harvest" of LDS and karma doctrine of Hinduism; life does not begin with birth nor end with death; Brahman is unlimited and pervasive, so is... NewsBlaze http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1972256/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:30:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1972242/posts The Utah State Senate will begin differently today. As in other states, the Utah's Senate meeting begins with a prayer or religious rite. However, today will mark the first time a Hindu prayer has opened the Utah Senate meeting. Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain, will read a prayer from the "Rig-Veda," an ancient book of Hindu scripture that dates back more than 3,000 years. Zed will first read the prayer in Sanscrit, a language considered sacred by Hindus, and then an English translation. After the prayer, Zed will meet with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and with Elder Quentin L. Cook... BYU NewsNet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1972242/posts#comment Mon, 18 Feb 2008 15:06:06 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1956493/posts How far can Catholics go in “interreligious learning”? Jesuit Father Francis X. Clooney hinted at the answer to this question in a Jan. 15 posting on the internet site of America magazine, a Jesuit national weekly. Fr. Clooney related his trip, during the second week of January, to the Culver City-based Jesuit novitiate, where he gave a three-day seminar “on interreligious dialogue and related issues to the first year novices of the California and Oregon Provinces.”  The seminar featured, in part, the viewing of documentaries. One of the films presented was Swamiji, about the life of a French Benedictine,... california catholic daily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1956493/posts#comment Sun, 20 Jan 2008 01:22:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1942751/posts New Delhi - India's eastern state of Orissa has lodged a protest with the US government seeking action against a California-based website for hurting religious sentiments of people by selling undergarments with images of Hindu gods, a newspaper reported Friday. Hindu priests and religious groups had slammed the website, cafepress.com, for selling undergarments embellished with faces of several gods and goddesses, including the presiding deities of Jagannath temple, considered among the most sacred Hindu temples in India. Besides writing to the US embassy in New Delhi, the state authorities also wrote to the federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil urging him... earthtimes.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1942751/posts#comment Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:19:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1940632/posts GREENVILLE, S.C. --Pastor Frank Page says he has learned to be wary of the media during his tenure as head of the Southern Baptist Convention. But, he said, he is glad he opened the doors of his church to documentary filmmakers looking to show the personal faith of some of the world's spiritual leaders. "Because of who I am, I talked about Jesus Christ every other word, every other phrase, because I knew if they cut out Christ, they're going to have to cut out everything I say," Page said. "If they really want to know, as evangelical believers, who... Charlotte Observer http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1940632/posts#comment Mon, 17 Dec 2007 15:03:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1936602/posts PATNA , India (UPI) -- A judge in India has put out a call for two Hindu gods to "appear before the court personally" to help find an answer to a property dispute. Judge Sunil Kumar Singh has taken out advertisements in newspapers ordering the gods Ram and Hanuman to testify before the court, the BBC reported Friday. The 20-year-old dispute revolves around 1.4 acres of land that host two temples, one dedicated to each of the two gods referred to by Singh. Temple priest Manmohan Pathak claims to own the land that houses the holy buildings, but locals claim... United Press International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1936602/posts#comment Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:20:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1920141/posts Vedic Recitations in a Christian Church on Thanksgiving http://newsblaze.com/story/20071101085222tsop.nb/newsblaze/TOPSTORY/Top-Stories.html http://tinyurl.com/2kmxfe Nov 1, 2007 Judyth Piazza, News Blaze Recitations from ancient Sanskrit scriptures will reverberate in a Christian church in Nevada on the occasion of coming Thanksgiving eve service. Rajan Zed, the prominent Hindu chaplain, will read from Rig-Veda (oldest existing scripture of the world dated from around 1,500 BCE), Upanishads (Hindu scriptures containing mystical teachings), and Bhagavad-Gita (famous philosophical and spiritual poem) in Trinity Episcopal Church in Reno (Nevada) during Twenty-second Annual Thanksgiving Service of Northwestern Nevada to be held on November 21 evening. Despite conflicts around the world, various... News Blaze http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1920141/posts#comment Fri, 2 Nov 2007 17:54:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1918971/posts Not too long ago, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel featured a story on the completed renovation of All Saints church in Milwaukee. Stories of church renovation are nothing new to Milwaukee Catholics. The city offered a high-profile case several years back with the controversial renovation of Saint John’s Cathedral downtown. The renovation at All Saints opens the door once again to a much-needed dialogue regarding the interplay of architecture, design and theology in Catholic churches. I am one of many Catholics who believe that “renovation” is more often than not a euphemism for the evisceration of tradition. Unfortunately, over the past... The Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1918971/posts#comment Wed, 31 Oct 2007 15:58:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1917104/posts A traditional Chinese dinner of rice, meat, seafood, vegetables and a small pig was laid out on the ground at Laurel Grove Cemetery. Nearby, gray smoke curled out of a trash can, in which members of the New York-based Fukien American Association burned fake money, part of a Chinese burial ritual meant to provide for the dead in the afterlife. The event -- which started on the sidewalks of New York's Chinatown amid pounding drums and a colorful, traditional dragon dance -- consecrated the cemetery's new Chinese American Memorial Gardens section, which will be the future final resting place for... northjersey.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1917104/posts#comment Sat, 27 Oct 2007 05:09:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1888313/posts As of September 1, China is tightening control over Tibetan Buddhism with a new law requiring government permission for the reincarnation of lamas. Tibetan activists say this is another attempt by communist Chinese leaders to undermine Tibetan culture and even absurdly to control the religious afterlife. VOA's Heda Bayron has more on the story from our Asia News Center in Hong Kong. The new law bans Tibetan lamas, or monks, from reincarnating without Chinese government approval. China, which has ruled Tibet for more than half a century, says anyone outside China cannot influence the reincarnation process and only monasteries in... VOA News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1888313/posts#comment Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:58:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1875563/posts A Catholic school run by the Franciscan Sisters of Our Lady of Graces in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand (or Uttaranchal), was devastated by a gang of radical Hindu militants, members of the extremist organisation Sangh Parivar. The civil authorities and human rights groups, the local Catholic Church and other Christians have said they are deeply shocked at this totally unprovoked attack which sowed panic among the pupils and teachers and left the school building completely devastated. The school was in the village of Vikas Nagar near the town of Dehra Dun. The local Church is outraged and has... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1875563/posts#comment Fri, 3 Aug 2007 02:12:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1873171/posts Every Sunday, Jun Kwon drives his mother to a Polish-Catholic neighborhood in Garfield, to a modest, red brick house. A Korean flag flutters outside of this house turned church turned Buddhist meditation center. Taking his mom to Sunday morning services at the Santisukha Meditation Center boosts Kwon's good karma. "She's pretty old," he explains. She's 43. Korean-American Buddhists, who in the United States represent just 5 percent of their ethnic community, have a double minority status, according to Sharon A. Suh, professor of theology and religious studies at Seattle University, and author of "Being Buddhist in a Christian World: Gender... North Jersey.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1873171/posts#comment Sun, 29 Jul 2007 05:07:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1868139/posts When 16th century European priests arrived in southern India to introduce Christianity, they were told that a more famed Christian missionary had been there first. In the districts of Travancore and Cochin, there was already a community of Indian Christians with a tradition of loose communion with the Roman Catholic Church. The man who first converted them, the Indians said, was none other than St. Thomas the Apostle (the "Doubting Thomas"), who reputedly arrived in India aboard a Roman trading vessel in 52 A.D. Whether St. Thomas actually preached under the palm trees of Travancore and Cochin is a point... Time http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1868139/posts#comment Thu, 19 Jul 2007 01:47:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1848137/posts The Last Mass of Father Ragheed, a Martyr of the Chaldean Church They killed him in Mosul, together with three of his subdeacons. In a tormented Iraq, he was a man and a Christian of limpid and courageous faith. Here is a portrait of him, written by someone who knew him well by Sandro MagisterROMA, June 5, 2007 – They killed him on the Sunday after Pentecost, after he had celebrated Mass in his parish church, dedicated to the Holy Spirit, in Mosul. They killed Father Ragheed Ganni, a Chaldean Catholic priest, together with three subdeacons who were with him... www.chiesa http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1848137/posts#comment Mon, 11 Jun 2007 02:32:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1845796/posts JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A priest professor at a New Jersey Catholic university is also a “Zen master.” Father Kevin Hunt, a monk in Spencer, Mass., is a Buddhist “sensei.” A chapel on a Catholic campus in California holds a weekly “Mindfulness and Zen Meditation” session. Anthony Clark, an assistant professor of Chinese history at the University of Alabama and a noted Catholic expert on Buddhism, cites more examples: a Benedictine convent that sells the Dalai Lama’s books and practices Chan Buddhist meditation; a Dominican priory with a Zen-style prayer room. In March, Bishop Frank Dewane said enough is enough.... National Catholic Register http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1845796/posts#comment Wed, 6 Jun 2007 14:28:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1845060/posts Pentecost Sunday May 27, 2007 Dear Friends and Benefactors, Christ Jesus be praised! This letter is urgent. We find ourselves fighting for our survival. In a moment, I will outline the steps that have brought us to this point, but straight away, I want to give you an overview of what is happening now and why we need your help. Due to a coordinated attack against our apostolate locally, and the effects of a national smear campaign, our already shaky finances have turned into a bleak fiscal situation. As I write, we are $50,000 in debt. Moreover, we are facing... St. Benedict's Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1845060/posts#comment Tue, 5 Jun 2007 11:08:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1826977/posts Bishop's yoga ban is a stretch, parishioners say, Complaints end classes at south Fort Myers parish http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1826977/posts#comment Wed, 2 May 2007 04:24:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1825720/posts On the occasion of Vesak, Cardianl Poupard in a letter addressed to Buddhists in all Asian countries mentioned below tells them that “We, Catholics and Buddhists, enjoy a good relationship and our contacts, collaboration and implementation of diverse programmes have helped to deepen our understanding of each other. Dialogue is the surepath to fruitful inter religious relations. It deepens respect and nurtures the desire to live in harmony with others. The Second Vatican Council teaches that the entire human race shares a common origin and a common destiny: God, our Creator and the goal of our earthly pilgrimage”. There is... LankaWeb http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1825720/posts#comment Mon, 30 Apr 2007 01:42:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1825272/posts Fr. Maximilian N. Ranatunga tells AsiaNews the story of his conversion from Buddhism: from his initial condemnation of Christianity, through the newfound “wonder” of praying to the Virgin, to his search for God and the priestly vocation to “place himself at the service of the sick”. Rome (AsiaNews) – He was to have become a Buddhist monk, but today he is Sri Lanka’s first Camillian priest.  Father Maximilian N. Ranatunga, 45 years old, synthesizes his life: “ I was no stranger to sufferance, but then at a certain point, without my knowing why or how I found the joy and... Asia News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1825272/posts#comment Sat, 28 Apr 2007 21:58:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1821640/posts SOC SON, Vietnam (AFP) - A prominent Vietnamese Zen master living in exile on Friday took his message of post-war reconciliation to thousands of Buddhist faithful at a hillside pagoda near Hanoi. Thich Nhat Hanh, an 81-year-old monk, led prayers for the millions of war dead from both sides of the conflict, during his second return visit since he was exiled four decades ago by the then US-backed Saigon regime. "Our country and nation suffered so much in the years of fighting for independence and freedom, and you were the ones who suffered the most," Hanh said in a prayer... AFP via Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1821640/posts#comment Sun, 22 Apr 2007 17:25:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1821012/posts The Lighthouse Trails and Research Project, a religious watchdog organization founded in 2000 by David and Deborah Dombrowski, call eastern spiritual practices “New Age Spirituality” and list it as “a sweeping phenomenon.” The Lighthouse Trials and Research Project goes on to further say, “Christian leaders are embracing practices and a new spirituality that borrows from Eastern mysticism and New Age philosophy… and involve many of the most popular evangelical leaders including Rick Warren, Brian McLaren, Richard Foster, Tony Campolo, and Eugene Peterson.” In Warren's Purpose-Driven Life, he does encourages people to practice "breath prayers" by repeating words and phrases over... Washingtonpost.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1821012/posts#comment Sat, 21 Apr 2007 01:49:58 GMT