Free Republic

NEW DELHI -- Recent mass conversions to Buddhism by Indian Dalits have underscored anew the fears and frustrations of a community of about 200 million people considered to be at the bottom of the traditional Hindu caste system. "We refuse to be punished any longer," said Ramji Lal, 34, who attended a conversion event in New Delhi on Oct. 5. He was one of a crowd of around 8,000, according to organizers, who made a point of leaving Hinduism. Such conversions are seen as a protest by people commonly known as "untouchables" due to their descent, leading to a life...

Burial site of devout Catholic artist Peter Paul Rubens is shrine to yoga ANTWERP, Belgium (ChurchMilitant.com) - The historic church of St. James in Antwerp is now home to yoga enthusiasts chanting Hindu mantras below the main crucifix, with the altar and pews removed to cater to the new initiative. With the approval of Fr. Bruno Aerts, the parish priest and vicar general, the organizers promote Hinduism under the guise of weekly "yoga classes," teaching participants to sing Hindu kirtans (a call-and-response style devotional song) during the sessions. Promoting PaganismFather Aerts has posted an advertisement for the yoga classes just...

Vatican City, Jun 17, 2022 / 08:38 am Pope Francis spoke about the teachings of Jesus and the Buddha during a meeting with a Buddhist delegation from Thailand on Friday. “Sadly, on all sides, we hear the cry of a wounded humanity and a broken earth. The Buddha and Jesus understood the need to overcome the egoism that gives rise to conflict and violence,” the pope said at the Vatican on June 17. He added: “The Dhammapada sums up the Buddha’s teachings thus: 'To avoid evil, to cultivate good, and to cleanse one’s mind — this is the teaching of...

According to Mattel: “This meditation-themed doll celebrates one of her favorite ways to recharge using lights and sound — mindfulness meditation. The set comes with a Barbie doll, a puppy and four cloud emojis. Kids simply press the button in Barbie doll’s necklace to activate one of five guided meditation exercises that use light and sound effects to inspire their own practice. “Her puppy helps her visualize — insert one of the cloud emojis into its head to represent a meditative thought bubble, then switch it up for new meditation inspiration. The puppy helps Barbie doll focus with visualization: place...

Lawmakers approve two bills that would allow same-sex marriages and two others that would permit civil partnerships Thailand has taken a step toward marriage equality as lawmakers gave initial approval to legalizing same-sex unions, prompting celebrations outside the parliament building. It is a significant landmark in a Buddhist-majority country with a highly visible LGBTQ community but whose members still face major barriers and discrimination. The legislation approved on June 15 must clear several more hurdles before becoming law. If it succeeds, Thailand would be the first country in Southeast Asia to recognize same sex unions. The lower house approved two...

America’s faithful are bracing — some with cautionary joy and others with looming dread — for the Supreme Court to potentially overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision and end the nationwide right to legal abortion. A reversal of the 49-year-old ruling has never felt more possible since a draft opinion suggesting justices may do so was leaked this week. While religious believers at the heart of the decades-old fight over abortion are shocked at the breach of high court protocol, they are still as deeply divided and their beliefs on the contentious issue as entrenched as ever. National...

Link: http://tun.in/seRmM

Under a so-called "freedom of religion" ordinance, individuals leaving the Hindu faith in yet another state in India will lead to persecution of Christians. Nine out of 28 states in India have adopted anti-conversion laws, the latest Madhya Pradesh, which is located in the central part of the country and has a population of more than 75 million residents – the fifth largest in India. Approximately 90% of the state's population is Hindu; less than 0.3% are Christian. William Stark of International Christian Concern explains that the recently enacted anti-conversion law in Madhya Pradesh requires people who convert to Christianity,...

The former St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church in Niagara Falls has been sold for $165,000 to a Buffalo Buddhist temple. The closed church at 5604 Lindbergh Ave. sold for $165,000 to Wat Buddhakunaram Buddhist Temple, according to papers filed this week in State Supreme Court. A judge must sign off on the sale of church property, according to New York State law. The sale contract was signed Sept. 18, according to the court filing, although the deed has not yet been filed. St. Charles Borromeo Church, incorporated in 1944, closed after the Diocese of Buffalo consolidated numerous parishes in 2008....

Hindu groups say donated hilltop land is their god's abode and Christians cannot use itOpposition from Hindu groups has forced the Archdiocese of Bangalore to halt a project to erect what is billed as India’s tallest statue of Jesus Christ on a hilltop in Karnataka state. The southern state's government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked for work to be suspended until a government probe establishes the ownership of the land, church officials told ucanews on Jan. 7. The problem began after Hindu groups challenged the archdiocese’s ownership of the 10-acre land plot on the Kapalabetta...

I explain why the liberal media never misses an opportunity to defend a fundamentally illiberal dogma, and how it coincides with their hatred of national sovereignty.

Teens discover 1500-year-old church that redefines Israeli history The church was discovered near Israel’s Ramat Beit Shemesh neighbourhood. An excavation, largely completed by teens, unearthed the church which dated back to 543 AD during the time of Emperor Justinian. After three years of detailed digging, archaeologists came across mosaics, pillars, still-intact crypts, and frescoes that at one time came together to form a beautiful church. An inscription indicated the building was complete thanks to the financial support of the Emperor. Excavation director Benjamin Storchan, on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority, told CBN News: “Numerous written sources attest to imperial...

Some thoughts on the political future of Sri Lanka, and how it can confront the threat of Islamic jihad.

Some thoughts on the Easter Sunday massacre of Christians in Sri Lanka, and the distorted lens through which the media covers attacks on Christians globally.

An historical analysis of the conflict in Burma.

Shivering and blue-lipped but smiling, Niraj Shukla emerged from the Ganges River this week, flanked by his parents and millions of other people, feeling renewed. "The water is very cold, but once you have a bath – it's sort of a miracle, you know?" said Shukla, a 32-year-old engineer who lives in India's capital New Delhi. The Shukla family were among the first of what's expected to be 150 million pilgrims all taking a dip in India's holy river through March 4 as part of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu religious festival billed as the world's largest gathering of human...

And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed. (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. And so it was, that, while...

An incident between police and Coptic clerics that occurred outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre has drawn accusations of police violence against the monks, after officers tried to break up the group of protesters who would not let Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) maintenance workers into the church... Police said they initially spoke with protesters and warned them that if they did not leave the area and allow the workers to enter, they would have to be evacuated. According to police, the protesters ignored these warnings, leading one who refused to move to be arrested... Anba Angaelos, the Coptic Orthodox...

A high-ranking Chinese monk has denied accusations he sexually harassed nuns and coerced them into sex by "controlling their minds". Abbot Xuecheng's alleged actions were detailed in a report sent to government officials by two monks from Longquan temple where he is based. The temple, in Beijing, has accused the monks of "distorting facts". Xuecheng is the latest public figure to be accused of sexual misconduct as part of a growing #MeToo movement in China. He is the head of the Buddhist Association of China, the youngest person to ever hold the position, and a political adviser to the government....

New clashes between Buddhist extremists and Muslims occurred in two different towns in Sri Lanka, in 2018. Triggered in part by hate-filled posts spread by nationalistic Sinhala Buddhist Facebook groups, these riots resulted in the death of one Muslim and the destruction of many buildings.... The movement known as Buddhism revivalism or Protestantism in Sri Lanka started with Anagarika Dharmapala (1864-1933). Known as the father of Buddhist Protestantism in Sri Lanka, Dharmapala had an anti-imperialist and nationalist agenda. Besides fighting the British, who ruled Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) at the time, Dharmapala focused on founding Buddhist schools and strengthening the...