Who is a Christian?
There are *moral* and *moralistic* responses to the question of suicide,
assisted or not. The "moralistic" response is that suicide is wrong (so
says the moralist) and therefore should be prohibited. The moral response
is that suicide is often the choice of someone whose judgment is impaired by
circumstances, and that it is moral to require a legal process to be
followed to insure that suicide is the rational choice of the person seeking
it. A waiting period, as for gun ownership in many states (to inhibit
persons from buying guns while in a hot rage), and perhaps a sanity hearing,
might resolve the moral question concerning suicide.
This distinction between "moral" and "moralistic" approaches might be
applied to the question of "Who is a Christian?" If a Christian is defined
as someone who is a follower (a "disciple") of teachings attributed to
Jesus, then a person who, without particular attention to Jesus's teachings,
follows the teachings and dogmas of churches or persons *about* Jesus, or
about various emanations and penumbras from their *idea* of Jesus, might be
called a "Christianist". Consider how few (if any) of the dogmas of the RCC
actually state or explain any actual teaching of Jesus. Name one, just one,
if you can.
Yet, many laws and policies implementing social, political, economic, or
class prejudices are justified in the name of "Christian" teachings. Thus,
as with "moralists" who cluck about affronts to their personal prejudices
while ignoring real substantive moral questions, the "Christianist" (at
least in the US) fusses about same sex marriage and abstinence only sex
education while voting for persons and policies which oppose feeding the
hungry, clothing the naked, and other social justice issues that Jesus
talked about. What would a "Christian" be more concerned about, "welfare
reform" to make it harder for poor people to eat, or feeding the hungry?
To the extent that scripture is a useful guide, it appears that Jesus did
not spend much time talking about theology, but did spend a lot of time 1)
talking about how we should behave toward each other and 2) behaving that
way. As far as I can tell, he didn't talk about a single dogma of the RCC,
and not a single dogma of the RCC explains a single teaching of Jesus. And
the other Christian (Christianist?) flavors are not noticeably different.
Jim Burt to GoddeWords
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
My New Year Message by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
From The Times
December 27, 2008
(Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty)
According to Hugo Rifkind
Greetings!
In the name of the Humblest, the Most Merciful, the Boss, the Top, the Tip, the Indisputable Leader of the Gang, Top Cat, I am His Most Excellentness Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the democratically elected dictator of Iran!
And, in order to give your Acclaimed Christmas Channel 4 Massage, have I been learning the full grasp of the humorous English idiom? Fan-dabby-dosey! Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun’n’games! Oh yes! For I am only the second Middle Eastern Gentleman to be entrusted with this task, I learn, following in footsteps of one by the name of Ali Gee. But.
With the Acclaimed Christmas Channel 4 Massage, it turns out my bosses are most displeased. “Mahmoud, baby,” said the one with the goatee, “this is not what we wanted, at all. Too moderate. Too restrained. Where was the fire? Where was the thunder? Where was the hate?” “Reuben is right,” agreed the other, a She-man. “There was barely anything offensive in there at all. The Daily Mail probably wasn’t even watching. We’ll never be controversially appointed anywhere, at this rate. You’ll have to do another one for new year. Otherwise the deal is off.” “You mean . . .?” said I. “Yes,” declared goatee producer. “You will never be invited on to Countdown.” Woe! Woe and fie! And so, in spirit of getting a consonant a consonant a vowel a consonant a consonant, even without Carol Vorderman, I have agreed to make second Massage, putting in all the bits that goatee boss and the Hairy Lady were so annoyed that the last one left out. more
December 27, 2008
(Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty)
According to Hugo Rifkind
Greetings!
In the name of the Humblest, the Most Merciful, the Boss, the Top, the Tip, the Indisputable Leader of the Gang, Top Cat, I am His Most Excellentness Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the democratically elected dictator of Iran!
And, in order to give your Acclaimed Christmas Channel 4 Massage, have I been learning the full grasp of the humorous English idiom? Fan-dabby-dosey! Welcome to the jungle, we’ve got fun’n’games! Oh yes! For I am only the second Middle Eastern Gentleman to be entrusted with this task, I learn, following in footsteps of one by the name of Ali Gee. But.
With the Acclaimed Christmas Channel 4 Massage, it turns out my bosses are most displeased. “Mahmoud, baby,” said the one with the goatee, “this is not what we wanted, at all. Too moderate. Too restrained. Where was the fire? Where was the thunder? Where was the hate?” “Reuben is right,” agreed the other, a She-man. “There was barely anything offensive in there at all. The Daily Mail probably wasn’t even watching. We’ll never be controversially appointed anywhere, at this rate. You’ll have to do another one for new year. Otherwise the deal is off.” “You mean . . .?” said I. “Yes,” declared goatee producer. “You will never be invited on to Countdown.” Woe! Woe and fie! And so, in spirit of getting a consonant a consonant a vowel a consonant a consonant, even without Carol Vorderman, I have agreed to make second Massage, putting in all the bits that goatee boss and the Hairy Lady were so annoyed that the last one left out. more
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Krishna Iyer on Christmas:Remembering a glorious rebel
V.R. Krishna Iyer
...............
For all of humankind, Jesus’ magnificent, yet militant, teaching was a lofty testament of egalitarian liberation from obscurantist faith, authoritarian politics, theological orthodoxy and big business freebooting. Similarly, the ring of his message constituted a de facto revolt against Roman imperialism, absolutist injustice and priest-proud godism. He stood for a higher culture marked by a sacred, sublime, compassionate ethos, and a divinity of humanity that is free from crass, class-mired materialism and gross, greedy, grabbing riches. This rare man of Nazareth resisted Jewish ecclesiastical domination, opposed discrimination among brothers and demanded, in God’s name, socio-economic justice. This is the essence of the Jesus jurisprudence of human dignity, inner divinity and fraternal obligation to help every brother in distress.
..........................
Rare daring
Jesus, the glorious rebel, proclaimed the reality of a universal moral order. He called it the kingdom of heaven and told the people that the kingdom of god was indeed within them. He outraged the hypocrites who did their commerce inside the temples and the shrines. He drove them out with rare daring. Now, right before our eyes, our temples and churches are again centres of big business.
Jesus, to the anger of the proprietariat, resisted the commercialisation of god and the commoditisation of man. Big temples, great churches, god-men, bishops, mullahs and acharyas are a mundane part of the capitalist establishment and are anti-Jesus in spirit. India’s Constitution mandates equality, secularism and economic democracy. What a marvel it was that Jesus preached ages ago — that God was equal in granting his favours to all, as was the sun. Jesus was a raging egalitarian, an invisible socialist, an economic democrat. Proof of this lies in his parables and preaching.
.................
Barabbas jurisprudence
The abolition of poverty is a socialist feature of the societal structure. In order to wipe every tear of grief from every eye, you need a social transformation and an economic regeneration, a special concern for women and children, and a rage against those who rob the people’s resources. This is the majesty and humanity of true spirituality that was absent during the era of Emperor Tiberius. It was his administration and justice delivery system, presided over in the region by Pontius Pilate, which decreed, with perverse judicial power and under pressure from the priestly class and in exercise of state authority that Jesus, who argued for the kingdom of heaven, be put to the cross. When treason was the charge and the priestly order was exposed by the accused, there was terrific pressure on the Governor-judge to sentence him. The same judge set free Barabbas. Even today innocence suffers state punishment and robbery rides state power. Barabbas jurisprudence is in currency even today.
....................
To my mind, this glorious dimension of the kingdom of god is the forerunner to socialism, social justice, secularism and democracy. The life of Jesus was absolute simplicity, matchless humility, compassionate humanity, gender reverence and pro-poor egalite. He washed the feet of his disciples, he defined godist superstition. To share and care for your neighbour, even your enemy, were the fundamentals he taught. He was thus a pioneer of world brotherhood, who advocated freedom from dogmas and obscurantist cults. Such a universalism is the testament of Jesus. This is the Christianity to be practised daily — not the Christianity for a Sunday ritual, or for an alibi to hold the world under imperial might and big business power. Not showy charity coupled with mighty rapacity. The Buddha was a predecessor of Jesus. The Mahatma whom Churchill called “the half-naked fakir” was his successor.
Yet, Jesus if born today will meet Pilate’s justice yet again. Barabbas is in power everywhere again. Judas the pretentious disciple and arch-betrayer is a subtle and slight presence practising diplomacy — the Cross in one hand and nuke bomb in the other. The terrorist incarnation today masquerades as the ruler of the earth.
................
Structural splendour
Resurrection, not in the lexical or biblical sense, but in the grand moral dimension of the term conveying the spirit of trans-material mutation, is the structural splendour of the world order. Peace, not war; stability, not subservience; high morality, not any grab-based acquisitive success, is the new ethic. Exploitation has become the rule of law, and equity and justice have become the vanishing point of international jurisprudence.
The hidden agenda after a unipolar world is the malignant methodology of insatiable accumulation of wealth. This terrible trend must be trampled under the foot by a triumphant and dynamic generation. This should be done with socialist convictions and a profound prognosis — of work, wealth and happiness for every human being. This should be the ‘developmental drama’ of the New World Order.
read it all
...............
For all of humankind, Jesus’ magnificent, yet militant, teaching was a lofty testament of egalitarian liberation from obscurantist faith, authoritarian politics, theological orthodoxy and big business freebooting. Similarly, the ring of his message constituted a de facto revolt against Roman imperialism, absolutist injustice and priest-proud godism. He stood for a higher culture marked by a sacred, sublime, compassionate ethos, and a divinity of humanity that is free from crass, class-mired materialism and gross, greedy, grabbing riches. This rare man of Nazareth resisted Jewish ecclesiastical domination, opposed discrimination among brothers and demanded, in God’s name, socio-economic justice. This is the essence of the Jesus jurisprudence of human dignity, inner divinity and fraternal obligation to help every brother in distress.
..........................
Rare daring
Jesus, the glorious rebel, proclaimed the reality of a universal moral order. He called it the kingdom of heaven and told the people that the kingdom of god was indeed within them. He outraged the hypocrites who did their commerce inside the temples and the shrines. He drove them out with rare daring. Now, right before our eyes, our temples and churches are again centres of big business.
Jesus, to the anger of the proprietariat, resisted the commercialisation of god and the commoditisation of man. Big temples, great churches, god-men, bishops, mullahs and acharyas are a mundane part of the capitalist establishment and are anti-Jesus in spirit. India’s Constitution mandates equality, secularism and economic democracy. What a marvel it was that Jesus preached ages ago — that God was equal in granting his favours to all, as was the sun. Jesus was a raging egalitarian, an invisible socialist, an economic democrat. Proof of this lies in his parables and preaching.
.................
Barabbas jurisprudence
The abolition of poverty is a socialist feature of the societal structure. In order to wipe every tear of grief from every eye, you need a social transformation and an economic regeneration, a special concern for women and children, and a rage against those who rob the people’s resources. This is the majesty and humanity of true spirituality that was absent during the era of Emperor Tiberius. It was his administration and justice delivery system, presided over in the region by Pontius Pilate, which decreed, with perverse judicial power and under pressure from the priestly class and in exercise of state authority that Jesus, who argued for the kingdom of heaven, be put to the cross. When treason was the charge and the priestly order was exposed by the accused, there was terrific pressure on the Governor-judge to sentence him. The same judge set free Barabbas. Even today innocence suffers state punishment and robbery rides state power. Barabbas jurisprudence is in currency even today.
....................
To my mind, this glorious dimension of the kingdom of god is the forerunner to socialism, social justice, secularism and democracy. The life of Jesus was absolute simplicity, matchless humility, compassionate humanity, gender reverence and pro-poor egalite. He washed the feet of his disciples, he defined godist superstition. To share and care for your neighbour, even your enemy, were the fundamentals he taught. He was thus a pioneer of world brotherhood, who advocated freedom from dogmas and obscurantist cults. Such a universalism is the testament of Jesus. This is the Christianity to be practised daily — not the Christianity for a Sunday ritual, or for an alibi to hold the world under imperial might and big business power. Not showy charity coupled with mighty rapacity. The Buddha was a predecessor of Jesus. The Mahatma whom Churchill called “the half-naked fakir” was his successor.
Yet, Jesus if born today will meet Pilate’s justice yet again. Barabbas is in power everywhere again. Judas the pretentious disciple and arch-betrayer is a subtle and slight presence practising diplomacy — the Cross in one hand and nuke bomb in the other. The terrorist incarnation today masquerades as the ruler of the earth.
................
Structural splendour
Resurrection, not in the lexical or biblical sense, but in the grand moral dimension of the term conveying the spirit of trans-material mutation, is the structural splendour of the world order. Peace, not war; stability, not subservience; high morality, not any grab-based acquisitive success, is the new ethic. Exploitation has become the rule of law, and equity and justice have become the vanishing point of international jurisprudence.
The hidden agenda after a unipolar world is the malignant methodology of insatiable accumulation of wealth. This terrible trend must be trampled under the foot by a triumphant and dynamic generation. This should be done with socialist convictions and a profound prognosis — of work, wealth and happiness for every human being. This should be the ‘developmental drama’ of the New World Order.
read it all
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
The Annunciation in the Quran
The Annunciation in the Quran
The Annunciation of Mary is also cited in the Quran, in Suras 3 (Aal 'Imran - The family of Imran) verses 45-51 and 19 (Maryam - Mary) verses 16-26. In the Quran there is never any mention or insinuation that Jesus is the son of God but is portrayed as a highly respected prophet.
From chapter 3
[45] (Remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allâh gives you the glad tidings of a Word ("Be!" - and he was! i.e. 'Isâ (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)) from Him, his name will be the Messiah 'Isâ (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allâh."
[46] "He will speak to the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous."
[47] She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me." He said: "So (it will be) for Allâh creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: "Be!" - and it is.
[48] And He (Allâh) will teach him ('Isâ (Jesus)) the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).
[49] And will make him ('Isâ (Jesus)) a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, a figure like that of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allâh's Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allâh's Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe.
[50] And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Taurât (Torah), and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allâh and obey me.
[51] Truly! Allâh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path.
From chapter 19
[16] And mention in the Book (the Qur'ân, O Muhammad (peace be upon him) the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion to a place facing east.[17] She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh (angel Jibrîl (Gabriel)) and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.
[18] She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (Allâh) from you, if you do fear Allâh."
[19] (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son."
[20] She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?"
[21] He said: "So (it will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (Allâh): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allâh), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by Allâh).' "
[22] So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
[23] And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!"
[24] Then (the babe 'Iesa (Jesus) or Jibrîl (Gabriel)) cried unto her from below her, saying: "Grieve not: your Lord has provided a water stream under you.
[25] "And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you."
[26] "So eat and drink and be glad. And if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allâh) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'" from: https://mail.google.com/mail/?zx=13eoytm0ku5m2&shva=1
The Annunciation of Mary is also cited in the Quran, in Suras 3 (Aal 'Imran - The family of Imran) verses 45-51 and 19 (Maryam - Mary) verses 16-26. In the Quran there is never any mention or insinuation that Jesus is the son of God but is portrayed as a highly respected prophet.
From chapter 3
[45] (Remember) when the angels said: "O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allâh gives you the glad tidings of a Word ("Be!" - and he was! i.e. 'Isâ (Jesus) the son of Maryam (Mary)) from Him, his name will be the Messiah 'Isâ (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary), held in honor in this world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allâh."
[46] "He will speak to the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous."
[47] She said: "O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me." He said: "So (it will be) for Allâh creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: "Be!" - and it is.
[48] And He (Allâh) will teach him ('Isâ (Jesus)) the Book and Al-Hikmah (i.e. the Sunnah, the faultless speech of the Prophets, wisdom), (and) the Taurât (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel).
[49] And will make him ('Isâ (Jesus)) a Messenger to the Children of Israel (saying): "I have come to you with a sign from your Lord, that I design for you out of clay, a figure like that of a bird, and breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by Allâh's Leave; and I heal him who was born blind, and the leper, and I bring the dead to life by Allâh's Leave. And I inform you of what you eat, and what you store in your houses. Surely, therein is a sign for you, if you believe.
[50] And I have come confirming that which was before me of the Taurât (Torah), and to make lawful to you part of what was forbidden to you, and I have come to you with a proof from your Lord. So fear Allâh and obey me.
[51] Truly! Allâh is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (Alone). This is the Straight Path.
From chapter 19
[16] And mention in the Book (the Qur'ân, O Muhammad (peace be upon him) the story of) Maryam (Mary), when she withdrew in seclusion to a place facing east.[17] She placed a screen (to screen herself) from them; then We sent to her Our Ruh (angel Jibrîl (Gabriel)) and he appeared before her in the form of a man in all respects.
[18] She said: "Verily! I seek refuge with the Most Gracious (Allâh) from you, if you do fear Allâh."
[19] (The angel) said: "I am only a Messenger from your Lord, (to announce) to you the gift of a righteous son."
[20] She said: "How can I have a son, when no man has touched me, nor am I unchaste?"
[21] He said: "So (it will be), your Lord said: 'That is easy for Me (Allâh): And (We wish) to appoint him as a sign to mankind and a mercy from Us (Allâh), and it is a matter (already) decreed, (by Allâh).' "
[22] So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a far place.
[23] And the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date-palm. She said: "Would that I had died before this, and had been forgotten and out of sight!"
[24] Then (the babe 'Iesa (Jesus) or Jibrîl (Gabriel)) cried unto her from below her, saying: "Grieve not: your Lord has provided a water stream under you.
[25] "And shake the trunk of date-palm towards you, it will let fall fresh ripe-dates upon you."
[26] "So eat and drink and be glad. And if you see any human being, say: 'Verily! I have vowed a fast unto the Most Gracious (Allâh) so I shall not speak to any human being this day.'" from: https://mail.google.com/mail/?zx=13eoytm0ku5m2&shva=1
Friday, December 19, 2008
The Purpose-Driven Life of Rick Warren reviewed by Ronald J. Rychlak and Kyle Duncan
Wrong Turn
The Purpose-Given Life Gives Bad Directions
By Ronald J. Rychlak and Kyle Duncan
The Purpose-Driven Life has sold over 7 million copies and was named Christian "Book of the Year" in 2003. "Purpose-Driven" is now a registered trademark, and "Purpose-Driven" programs have been offered everywhere from schools and prisons to corporate headquarters, including Coca Cola, Sparrow Records, NASCAR, the LPGA, and the Oakland Raiders.
The book’s promise for those who follow its forty-day journey is that "you will know God’s purpose for your life." The book is being promoted and studied in some Catholic parishes, especially as a Lenten exercise, so it is worth examining whether it can deliver on its exaggerated promise.
The book’s author, Rick Warren, was labeled as "America’s most influential pastor" by Christianity Today. He is the pastor of Saddleback Church, which is situated on a 120-acre campus in southern California that was designed by theme park experts. Every weekend nearly 20,000 people attend services at one of nine "venues," including a 3,000-seat main sanctuary, a religious coffee bar, and a "beach hut" for high school students. Sculpted into the landscape are settings for forty Bible reenactments, including a stream that can part like the Red Sea.
The Purpose-Given Life Gives Bad Directions
By Ronald J. Rychlak and Kyle Duncan
The Purpose-Driven Life has sold over 7 million copies and was named Christian "Book of the Year" in 2003. "Purpose-Driven" is now a registered trademark, and "Purpose-Driven" programs have been offered everywhere from schools and prisons to corporate headquarters, including Coca Cola, Sparrow Records, NASCAR, the LPGA, and the Oakland Raiders.
The book’s promise for those who follow its forty-day journey is that "you will know God’s purpose for your life." The book is being promoted and studied in some Catholic parishes, especially as a Lenten exercise, so it is worth examining whether it can deliver on its exaggerated promise.
The book’s author, Rick Warren, was labeled as "America’s most influential pastor" by Christianity Today. He is the pastor of Saddleback Church, which is situated on a 120-acre campus in southern California that was designed by theme park experts. Every weekend nearly 20,000 people attend services at one of nine "venues," including a 3,000-seat main sanctuary, a religious coffee bar, and a "beach hut" for high school students. Sculpted into the landscape are settings for forty Bible reenactments, including a stream that can part like the Red Sea.
.........
Warren is also doing praiseworthy work in Rwanda. After he and his wife observed the poverty and AIDS epidemic ravaging that nation, they set up foundations to distribute 90 percent of the proceeds from Warren’s book to alleviate poverty and combat AIDS in that country. Unlike so many other programs, Warren’s seems to be focused on abstinence and monogamy rather than simple condom distribution. Of course, because of this morality-based approach, Warren has already been severely criticized in the secular press. It also means, though, that his program might have a real impact.
.....................
Purpose-Driven Salvation
Warren assures his readers that "God won’t ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?" For salvation, "all you need to do is receive and believe." He encourages his audiences to join God’s family as follows: "I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity, ‘Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you.’" Then, "if you sincerely meant that prayer congratulations! Welcome to the family of God!"
Entry into eternal life? "If you learn to love and trust God’s Son, Jesus, you will be invited to spend the rest of eternity with him. On the other hand, if you reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you will spend eternity apart from God forever."
All of this can sound plausible to a Catholic who doesn’t have a firm grasp of the faith. Surely God doesn’t care about "religious background or doctrinal views"! But Warren’s assertions are themselves "doctrinal views," unstated and undefended. More urgently, is Warren talking about the same "eternal life" as Jesus did, the Jesus who taught that "the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:14)?
Warren is right that we must love and trust Jesus, but Jesus himself told us what that really meant. For starters, Jesus said: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). He also said, "Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). And to those who say "Lord, Lord," Jesus warned that God may reply, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). But Warren makes little if any mention of sin, damnation, repentance, or the cross. read it all
Warren assures his readers that "God won’t ask about your religious background or doctrinal views. The only thing that will matter is, did you accept what Jesus did for you and did you learn to love and trust him?" For salvation, "all you need to do is receive and believe." He encourages his audiences to join God’s family as follows: "I invite you to bow your head and quietly whisper the prayer that will change your eternity, ‘Jesus, I believe in you and I receive you.’" Then, "if you sincerely meant that prayer congratulations! Welcome to the family of God!"
Entry into eternal life? "If you learn to love and trust God’s Son, Jesus, you will be invited to spend the rest of eternity with him. On the other hand, if you reject his love, forgiveness, and salvation, you will spend eternity apart from God forever."
All of this can sound plausible to a Catholic who doesn’t have a firm grasp of the faith. Surely God doesn’t care about "religious background or doctrinal views"! But Warren’s assertions are themselves "doctrinal views," unstated and undefended. More urgently, is Warren talking about the same "eternal life" as Jesus did, the Jesus who taught that "the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few" (Matt. 7:14)?
Warren is right that we must love and trust Jesus, but Jesus himself told us what that really meant. For starters, Jesus said: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). He also said, "Not every one who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). And to those who say "Lord, Lord," Jesus warned that God may reply, "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41). But Warren makes little if any mention of sin, damnation, repentance, or the cross. read it all
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Beyond Tolerance
I am currently reading a highly acclaimed recent book by Gustav
Niebuhr (great nephew of Reinhold Niebuhr and grandson of Richard
Niebuhr-two eminent Christian theologians of America)titled "Beyond
Tolerance" (published by Viking) which cites Swami Vivekanananda's
brilliant talk before the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago
(1893 CE) about the insanity of religions fighting each other in the
name of God and then quotes a New York paper's coverage of the
Swamiji's speech thus, "After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to
send missionaries to this learned nation" (meaning India).
However, India and other developing nations continue to attract
proselytizers of both Christianity and Islam which in recent years
have triggered the aping of their tactics by Hindu fundamentalists as
well, who are indulging in reverse "conversions". Net result,is
communal disharmony which often provokes physical violence, arson,
rape and even murder. All in the name of God, the very embodiment of
love and compassion!
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in going beyond the
notion of "religious tolerance". The author's message is that mere
religious tolerance is no substitute for the respect that we as
Christians must develop for the faith traditions of non-Christians, by
going deep into the study of them. As long as we remain superficially
educated about our own faith as well as the faiths of others, we will
always remain far apart, and we will never develop the much-needed
respect for the faiths of others.
Until the monotheistic faiths embrace at least modestly the humility
that eastern faiths such as Sanatana Dharma, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism
etc have within their tenets, Christianity and Islam will remain at
odds with other faiths and the clashes of civilizations will become a
reality in our life time.
C. Alex Alexander to Gregorian Study Circle
Niebuhr (great nephew of Reinhold Niebuhr and grandson of Richard
Niebuhr-two eminent Christian theologians of America)titled "Beyond
Tolerance" (published by Viking) which cites Swami Vivekanananda's
brilliant talk before the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago
(1893 CE) about the insanity of religions fighting each other in the
name of God and then quotes a New York paper's coverage of the
Swamiji's speech thus, "After hearing him we feel how foolish it is to
send missionaries to this learned nation" (meaning India).
However, India and other developing nations continue to attract
proselytizers of both Christianity and Islam which in recent years
have triggered the aping of their tactics by Hindu fundamentalists as
well, who are indulging in reverse "conversions". Net result,is
communal disharmony which often provokes physical violence, arson,
rape and even murder. All in the name of God, the very embodiment of
love and compassion!
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in going beyond the
notion of "religious tolerance". The author's message is that mere
religious tolerance is no substitute for the respect that we as
Christians must develop for the faith traditions of non-Christians, by
going deep into the study of them. As long as we remain superficially
educated about our own faith as well as the faiths of others, we will
always remain far apart, and we will never develop the much-needed
respect for the faiths of others.
Until the monotheistic faiths embrace at least modestly the humility
that eastern faiths such as Sanatana Dharma, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism
etc have within their tenets, Christianity and Islam will remain at
odds with other faiths and the clashes of civilizations will become a
reality in our life time.
C. Alex Alexander to Gregorian Study Circle
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Prohibition of yoga to Muslims
Top Malaysian Islamic body prohibits yoga to Muslims
Sun, Nov 23 03:05 PM
Kuala Lumpur, Nov 23 (ANI): A top Malaysian Islamic body has reportedly issued an edict prohibiting the Muslims from practising yoga, with the view that elements of Hinduism in the ancient Indian exercise could "corrupt them".
National Fatwa Council (NFC) Chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said that many Muslims fail to understand that yoga's ultimate aim was to be one with a God of a different religion. He said that yoga, which originated in India, involves not just physical exercise but also includes spiritual elements, including chanting and worshipping, reported the Daily Times.
News of the yoga ban prompted activist Marina Mahathir to wonder what the council will ban next: "What next? Gyms? Most gyms have men and women together. Will that not be allowed any more?" she said.
Recently, the Council said that girls who act like boys violate Islamic tenets.
The government has also occasionally made similar conservative moves, banning the use of the word 'Allah' by non-Muslims earlier this year, saying it would confuse Muslims. (ANI) source
Saturday, November 22, 2008
The soul lives a thousand lives
EDITS | Saturday, November 22, 2008 | Email | Print |  The PioneerThe soul lives a thousand lives Mandakini Sankhdher Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi janani jathare shayanam... Here the Shankaracharya has stated the pathetic process of incarnation and reincarnation of the universe. To take birth is very painful, to live in the womb of mother in dirt and darkness, and to leave this samsara, to leave all near and dear ones is too sorrowful. That is why he says “Bhaj govindam … bhaj govindam mudhamate…” How is a man reborn? It was first published in the 1970 July and August volumes of Prabuddha Bharata. The author, Swami Satprkashananda, was a senior monk of the Ramkrishna Order and the founder-head of the Vedanta Society of St Louis, USA. Reincarnation is not just a belief system but a definite science explaining our past and future lives. It even occurs regularly within our bodies during our own lifetime. Every seven years one’s body is rejuvenated completely. Right from the cells to the shape and size. Do we not grow from infancy to youth to middle age and then to old age? Yet the person I, the self within the body, remains the same. It never really grows old. The Gita provides a beautiful and complete explanation of reincarnation. Not only Hinduism but all major religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam believe in the theory of reincarnation, expressing their ideas from time to time through their teachings. The idea of continued rebirth had first been taught in the west by Pythagoras who learned it from the ancient sages of India. The world’s greatest thinkers have studied and expressed their convictions about this topic in very interesting ways. “I am confident that there truly is such a thing as living again, and that the living spring from the dead, and that the souls of the dead are in existence”, said Socrates. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “The soul comes from within the human body, a temporary abode, and it goes out of it anew… it passes into other habitations for the soul is immortal and the body is perishable.” Well known philosopher Leo Tolstoy thought that one’s present life was made up of thousands of dreams and that such a life was one of many such thousands of lives which one entered from the other more real life and then returned after death. And so life goes on endlessly, until one merges into the the last real life — the life of god. source |
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Paul Mccain on Pope's remarks about Luther's understanding of fatih
The Bishop of Rome has stated, in the remarks reproduced below,
that "Luther's expression 'sola fide' [faith alone] is true." But please note how carefully nuanced the Pope's remarks are. He says Luther's statement is true "if." If what? If faith is understood to be our activity, as well as as the receiving instrument by which we are given salvation. This is the nothing other than the classic Roman Catholic error in regard to salvation by grace alone, through faith alone.
While I appreciate some aspects of the Pope's remarks, we still have, at the end of his remarks, a view of faith that is not the Biblical understanding of faith as "trust" but rather faith defined as woks of love, yes, works of love made possible only by God's grace, but nonetheless this is the view of faith Rome has always held since its formal dogmatization at the Council of Trent after the Reformation in the sixteenth century. Hence, the Pope concludes: "by love of God and neighbor, we can be truly just in the eyes of God." Read that carefully...by love of God and neighbor, we can be truly just in the eyes of God. Whose love? Our love, which is a fruit of faith, a good work. But Paul is clear: faith alone justifies. Forgiveness is given before we do works of love, for without forgiveness, there is no life, there is no salvation, there is no response from us. Salvation is entirely a result of God's love, not our love.
The Lutheran Confessions explicitly, clearly and specifically reject
the Pope's view of faith, as for example:
"The adversaries are in no way moved by so many passages of Scripture, which clearly credit justification to faith. Indeed, Scripture denies this ability to works. Do they think that the same point is repeated often for no purpose? Do they think that these words fell thoughtlessly from the Holy Spirit? . . . They say that these passages of Scripture (that speak of faith) ought to be received as referring to faith that has been formed (fides formata). This means they do not credit justification to faith in any way, but only to love. . . if faith receives forgiveness because of love, forgiveness of sins will always be uncertain, because we never love as much as we ought to. Indeed, we do not love unless our hearts are firmly convinced that forgiveness of sisn has been granted to us. . . We also say that love ought to follow faith . . . yet, we must not think that by confidence in this love, or because of this love, we receive forgiveness of sins and reconciliation, just as we do not receive forgiveness of sins because of other works that follow. But forgiveness is received by faith alone." (Apology of the Augsburg Confession IV. 110ff; Concordia, p. 100).
Pope Benedict explains St. Paul’s teaching on justification to thousands
Vatican City, Nov 19, 2008 / 11:10 am (CNA).- On Wednesday morning,
Pope Benedict XVI continued his weekly teachings on St. Paul while
speaking to the thousands of pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The Pontiff further explained the apostle's teaching that believers
are justified by faith in Christ and by the acts that flow out of love for him.
When Paul met the Risen One on the road to Damascus, the Pope began,
"he was a successful man: blameless as to righteousness under the
Law." Yet "the conversion of Damascus radically changed his life, and he began to consider all the gains of his honest religious career as 'rubbish' in the face of the sublimity of his knowledge of Jesus
Christ."
Turning to St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians, Pope Benedict found
that "Paul understood that until then, what seemed to him a gain, in
reality, in front of God was a loss. He decided, therefore, to bet all his being on Jesus Christ." In other words, "The Risen Lord became the beginning and end of Paul's existence," the Pope taught.
With this understanding of Christ’s resurrection in mind, Pope
Benedict turned to the two possible ways of being made new in Christ.
"The Letter to the Philippians," the Pope said, "provides moving
testimony of Paul's shift from a justice founded on the Law and
achieved by observing certain prescribed actions, to a justice based
upon faith in Jesus Christ. ... It is because of this personal
experience of the relationship with Jesus Christ that Paul focuses his Gospel on a steadfast contrast between two alternative paths to
justice: one based on the works of the Law, the other founded on the
grace of faith in Christ."
In his Letter to the Galatians, Paul further explains that even Jews
who have believed in Christ Jesus have done so because it is through
faith in Christ and not by works of the law that they can be justified. As St. Paul states, “by works of the law no one will be
justified."
Pope Benedict then addressed the interpretation of this passage by
Martin Luther, who translated it as “justified by faith alone.”
“Before returning to this point it is necessary to clarify which is
the 'Law' from which we have been freed and what are the works that do not justify us,” Benedict XVI said.
“In the community of Corinth,” the Holy Father explained, “there
already existed an opinion, that crops up again throughout history, to the effect that it is the moral law, and that hence Christian freedom means freedom from ethics. ... Obviously this is an incorrect interpretation. Christian freedom is not debauchery, ... it is not
freedom from doing good."
"For St. Paul, as for his contemporaries, the word Law meant the Torah in its entirety, ... which imposed ... a series of actions ranging from an ethical core to ritual observances ... and substantially defined the identity of the just man, ... such as circumcision, dietary laws, etc. ... All these precepts - expressive of a social, cultural and religious identity - were very important" in the Hellenistic age when polytheism was rife and Israel felt threatened in its identity and feared "the loss of faith in the One God and in His promises."
At the moment of his encounter with the Risen Lord, Paul understood
that "with Christ, the God of Israel, the one true God, became the God of all nations. The wall -so he says in the Letter to the Ephesians-between Israel and the pagans was no longer necessary: it is Christ who protects us against polytheism and all its deviations; it is Christ who unites us with and in the one God; it is Christ who
guarantees our true identity in the diversity of cultures. The wall is no longer necessary, our common identity in the diversity of cultures is Christ, and it is he who makes us just,” the Pope said.
Pope Benedict then offered the interesting insight that “Being just
simply means being with Christ, being in Christ, that is all. The
other precepts are no longer necessary. Luther's expression 'sola
fide' is true, if faith is not against charity, against love. To
believe is to see Christ, to trust in Christ, to become attached to
Christ, to conform to Christ, to his life."
"Paul knows that in the twofold love of God and neighbor the Law is
present and fulfilled. So in communion with Christ, in faith, which
creates charity, the Law is realized. We become just by entering into communion with Christ, who is love. We will see the same thing in the Gospel of next Sunday, the Solemnity of Christ the King. Love is the only criteria of the Gospel of the judge," the Pope explained.
In closing, the Pope invited the faithful to "ask the Lord to help us believe, to truly believe, so belief becomes life, unity with Christ, a transformation of our lives. And so, transformed by his love, by
love of God and neighbor, we can be truly just in the eyes of God." courtesy
Obama's Spirtuality
Obama has spoken frequently about the importance of his Christian faith. In his 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope," he wrote that "the historically black church offered me a second insight: that faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts, or that you relinquish your hold on this world. ... You needed to come to church precisely because you were of this world, not apart from it."
Despite those words, Obama has attended church sparingly in the past several months. Since winning the election, he has spent Sunday mornings at the gym. Many Washington-area churches hope that will change after he is inaugurated.
At Metropolitan AME Church, a historic, predominantly black congregation six blocks from the White House, senior pastor Ronald Braxton says parishioners have been buzzing about the possibility that the incoming president, his wife, Michelle, and their daughters, — 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha — might attend services with them.
Braxton said it would be good if Obama resumed worshipping at a congregation rooted in the black community.
"He's familiar with African-American worship traditions," Braxton said, referring to Obama's membership at Wright's church in Chicago. "Metropolitan AME would be a wise a choice and a safe haven in which to worship."
Metropolitan AME has about 2,000 members, including former Clinton administration insider Vernon Jordan and former Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, Braxton said. The church has a long history as well — Frederick Douglass worshipped and was eulogized there. Bill Clinton attended inaugural prayer services there in 1993 and 1997.
Braxton said the AME denominational leadership is interested in where the Obamas will worship, and is developing plans to extend a formal invitation.
Church member Michael Horton said the congregation could provide the Obamas a base of moral support.
"Our current congregation is full of 'agents-for-change,'" he said, playing on one of Obama's campaign themes. "I believe there is no better place for the Obamas to worship and feel comfortable." more
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Archbishop Rowan Williams visits Balaji temple in Birmingham
November 18, 2008
London (PTI): The top bishop in Britain has visited Europe's largest Hindu temple in the country to celebrate the growing "friendship" between the Hindus and Christian communities in the UK.
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who visited the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) temple in Tividale in the suburbs of Birmingham in west central England, said he accepted the invitation by the trustees of the temple as "a sign of the celebration of friendship and the facing of challenges with hope."
India's High Commissioner to the UK Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, leading NRI entrepreneurs S P Hinduja and G P Hinduja, Chairman and President respectively of the Hinduja Group, leading NRI Hotelier Joginder Sangar were among the select gathering present on the occasion.
Underscoring the temple's multi-religious approach, Archbishop Williams inaugurated a "Christian Hill" - to praise Jesus and to pray to Christian God.
A plaque on the hill read: "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself." Williams also planted an olive sapling - a symbol of peace - on the hill.
The Balaji temple was built in the traditional Indian Dravidian style. The overall plan for the temple complex includes a number of shrines and a community centre with vaulted horse-shoe form of roof reflecting the Buddhist style of architecture.
The temple complex includes the creation of seven hills as a respect for major faiths and in friendship to faith communities in the United Kingdom. courtesy
The Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who visited the Shri Venkateswara (Balaji) temple in Tividale in the suburbs of Birmingham in west central England, said he accepted the invitation by the trustees of the temple as "a sign of the celebration of friendship and the facing of challenges with hope."
India's High Commissioner to the UK Shiv Shankar Mukherjee, leading NRI entrepreneurs S P Hinduja and G P Hinduja, Chairman and President respectively of the Hinduja Group, leading NRI Hotelier Joginder Sangar were among the select gathering present on the occasion.
Underscoring the temple's multi-religious approach, Archbishop Williams inaugurated a "Christian Hill" - to praise Jesus and to pray to Christian God.
A plaque on the hill read: "Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart and love your neighbour as yourself." Williams also planted an olive sapling - a symbol of peace - on the hill.
The Balaji temple was built in the traditional Indian Dravidian style. The overall plan for the temple complex includes a number of shrines and a community centre with vaulted horse-shoe form of roof reflecting the Buddhist style of architecture.
The temple complex includes the creation of seven hills as a respect for major faiths and in friendship to faith communities in the United Kingdom. courtesy
Saturday, November 15, 2008
I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I Have a Dream
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.. For other uses, see I Have a Dream (disambiguation).
"I Have A Dream" is the popular name given to the historic public speech by Martin Luther King, Jr., when he spoke of his desire for a future where blacks and whites among others would coexist harmoniously as equals. King's delivery of the speech on August 28, 1963, from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters, the speech is often considered to be one of the greatest and most notable speeches in history and was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century by a 1999 poll of scholars of public address.[1] According to U.S. Representative John Lewis, who also spoke that day as the President of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee, "Dr. King had the power, the ability and the capacity to transform those steps on the Lincoln Memorial into a modern day pulpit. By speaking the way he did, he educated, he inspired, he informed not just the people there, but people throughout America and unborn generations."[2]
At the end of the speech, King departed from his prepared text for a partly improvised peroration on the theme of "I have a dream", possibly prompted by Mahalia Jackson's cry, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!".[3] He had delivered a speech incorporating some of the same sections in Detroit in June 1963, when he marched on Woodward Avenue with Walter Reuther and the Reverend C. L. Franklin, and had rehearsed other parts.[4] more
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Something good is happening in the Muslim world.
Something good is happening in the Muslim world. A man with a half-Muslim parentage will soon take oath as the American President. The Malegaon blasts are being fairly investigated. Recently, Muslim scholars, activists and clerics got together and issued fatwas delinking Islam with terror. An 18-coach Sheikh-ul-Hind Express from Deoband carrying 2,000 clerics set out on a journey with a message of peace and integration. Some 6,000 clerics from 21 states met in Hyderabad to issue more fatwas against terror activities. From shock and denial modes, the Indian Muslim community has begun to introspect and take positive steps.
Now, a collective body of Muslim clerics has taken another commendable step by denouncing televangelist Zakir Naik’s speeches and demanding a ban on them. Popular Muslim resentment against Naik became evident last December when he used the phrase, “May God be pleased with him”, for Yezid, the debauch ruler and murderer of Imam Hussain; the Prophet Mohammed’s grandson who was martyred at the battle of Kerbala. Throughout Islamic history, these particular words have been used only for the Prophet’s trusted companions. Anger has now peaked with Naik declaring that praying to Prophet Mohammed and seeking his intercession with God is heresy.
I have been particularly disturbed by the growing popularity of Naik, founder of Peace TV and president of the Islamic Research Foundation. Naik is not an Islamic scholar or a cleric and can best be described as a preacher famous for his computer-like memory of almost all religious scriptures like the Bible, the Vedas and the Quran.
A doctor by training and inspired by the late India-born South African evangelist Sheikh Ahmed Deedat, Naik loves to debate with Hindus on the Vedas, with Jains about vegetarianism and atheists on religion and science. In the garb of inter-faith dialogues, he not only runs down all major religions, but also rubbishes as haraam (sinful) all Muslim devotional aspects that differ from his viewpoint.
In the subcontinent, Islam is the legacy of the Sufis who gave us traditions of syncretism and communal harmony. By condemning Sufi followers as “grave worshippers”, Salafi and Wahabi ideology-inspired speakers such as Naik reject an entire historical body of Islamic scholarship, jurisprudence and almost 80 per cent of Islamic literature. Naik is on record saying, “If Osama bin Laden is terrorising America or the enemies of Islam, every Muslim should become a terrorist.” Excerpts of this video are circulating on the internet, damaging the already wounded perception of Islam and its followers. read it all
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Contours of Spirituality Today
Emerging Spirituality
Outline
Spirit - ruach, pneuma, spiritus, wind, breath, that which gives life, that which moves life
ataman - that which is not darkness - thama (a-tma ), True self that is not bound by ignorance
naturalist spirituality, creation spirituality, evolutionsit spirituality, creationist spirituality - pantheism, panethism, deism
Dualist Sprituality, Platonist, neoplatonist, Gnostic Spirituality, graded spirituality, clergy and laity, redeemed and unredeemed., natural and spiritual
Demonic and false Spirituality Luke 9:54-56, 1 John 4:1-3 Spirit of anti-Christ
Incarnational spirituality - Johnannie, I and the father are one, You are in me Ima in you , Tattvamaisi, Aham brahmam asi
Monastic spirituality, eremitic (hermit), desert, separation from the world
Mystic Spirituality contemplative spirituality
Sacramental spirituality
Other worldy spirituality :heaven and earth, rupture
Charismatic, liberation spirituality
Indian Christian Spirituality
Self-sacrifice - KC Sen
Combat/resistance spirituality, people's movement (Solidarity) - MM Thomas
rainbow spirituality, pluralistic, inclusive spirituality
Ashram Spirituality - P. Chenchia
Postplutralist, postfoundationalist spirituality
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Martin Luther King’s method of Cutting off the chain of hate
Cutting off the chain of hate
By Mihir Shah
profound inversion of Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity is a beacon of light for all those who still dream of making a change in the world. more
By Mihir Shah
profound inversion of Nietzsche’s critique of Christianity is a beacon of light for all those who still dream of making a change in the world. more
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Hindus praise Jamaat Islami for flood relief in Bihar
Submitted by mumtaz on 20 October 2008 - 6:29am. Indian Muslim
By Andalib Akhter, IANS
Araria (Bihar): Hardev Dom and Chandara Bishnor had to literally rummage for food to stay alive after this district was hit by floods in the Kosi River. But thanks to the yeoman service rendered by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organisation, they were not only given relief but also participated in Dussehra festivities.
"Forget Dussehra, we did not have enough food to eat. We can never forget the work Jamaat did in our village," says Chandara Bishnor.
At a time when distrust and suspicion among communities is running high, many Hindus in Bihar have only words of love and praise for the Jamaat that has been working to bring succour to those rendered homeless by the floods that began in August and went on till September.
Even Misri Lal, the village head, fondly recounts the Jamaat's help. Thousands of gift packets were distributed among the flood victims which included new clothes, sweets and 'tuhari' (a small amount given to children during festivals). And most of these were distributed in Purnea, Araria, Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura districts.
"While Hindus were celebrating the Dussehra festival across the country, thousands here suffered as their houses were destroyed or they had lost all their belongings. We distributed these kits to over 1,000 Hindu families so that they could celebrate the festival with happiness," said Ejaz Ahmad Aslam, secretary of the Jamaat.
A central team of the Jamaat headed by its vice-president, Siddique Hassan, and Aslam along with doctors and relief workers conducted an extensive tour of the flood-devastated districts.
A relief team headed by Qamarul Hoda, Bihar Jamaat president and Haji Nayaruzaman, his assistant, was set up and was specifically told not to discriminate among people on religious or caste lines while distributing relief.
"During Eid we also distributed kits among Muslim families that contained new clothes and food items just like we gave these packets to Hindus for Dussehra, particularly children staying in relief camps," says Hoda.
The Jamaat began its relief work on the second day after the Kosi wrought havoc on the state. It set up a dozen relief camps with facilities for food, medical help and clothing. Around 3,000 flood victims are still living in these camps.
(Andalib Akhter can be reached at andalib2001@yahoo.com) source
By Andalib Akhter, IANS
Araria (Bihar): Hardev Dom and Chandara Bishnor had to literally rummage for food to stay alive after this district was hit by floods in the Kosi River. But thanks to the yeoman service rendered by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, a Muslim organisation, they were not only given relief but also participated in Dussehra festivities.
"Forget Dussehra, we did not have enough food to eat. We can never forget the work Jamaat did in our village," says Chandara Bishnor.
At a time when distrust and suspicion among communities is running high, many Hindus in Bihar have only words of love and praise for the Jamaat that has been working to bring succour to those rendered homeless by the floods that began in August and went on till September.
Even Misri Lal, the village head, fondly recounts the Jamaat's help. Thousands of gift packets were distributed among the flood victims which included new clothes, sweets and 'tuhari' (a small amount given to children during festivals). And most of these were distributed in Purnea, Araria, Saharsa, Supaul and Madhepura districts.
"While Hindus were celebrating the Dussehra festival across the country, thousands here suffered as their houses were destroyed or they had lost all their belongings. We distributed these kits to over 1,000 Hindu families so that they could celebrate the festival with happiness," said Ejaz Ahmad Aslam, secretary of the Jamaat.
A central team of the Jamaat headed by its vice-president, Siddique Hassan, and Aslam along with doctors and relief workers conducted an extensive tour of the flood-devastated districts.
A relief team headed by Qamarul Hoda, Bihar Jamaat president and Haji Nayaruzaman, his assistant, was set up and was specifically told not to discriminate among people on religious or caste lines while distributing relief.
"During Eid we also distributed kits among Muslim families that contained new clothes and food items just like we gave these packets to Hindus for Dussehra, particularly children staying in relief camps," says Hoda.
The Jamaat began its relief work on the second day after the Kosi wrought havoc on the state. It set up a dozen relief camps with facilities for food, medical help and clothing. Around 3,000 flood victims are still living in these camps.
(Andalib Akhter can be reached at andalib2001@yahoo.com) source
Friday, October 17, 2008
Shashi Tharoor: Stop the Politics of Division
Nehru had warned that the communalism of the majority was especially dangerous because it could present itself as nationalist. Yet, Hindu nationalism is not Indian nationalism. And it has nothing to do with genuine Hinduism either. A reader bearing a Christian name wrote to tell me that when his brother was getting married to a Hindu girl, the Hindu priest made a point of saying to him before the ceremony words to the effect of: "When I say God, I don't mean a particular God." As this reader commented: "It's at moments like that that I can't help but feel proud to be Indian and to be moved by its religiosity -- even though I'm an atheist."
As a Hindu, I relish pointing out that i belong to the only major religion in the world that does not claim to be the only true religion. Hinduism asserts that all ways of belief are equally valid, and Hindus readily venerate the saints, and the sacred objects, of other faiths. Hinduism is a civilisation, not a dogma. There is no such thing as a Hindu heresy. If a Hindu decides he wishes to be a Christian, how does it matter that he has found a different way of stretching his hands out towards God? Truth is one, Vivekananda reminded all Hindus, but there are many ways of attaining it. read it all
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Today (October 15) is Valmiki Jayanti.
How to respond to crises
14 Oct 2008, 0027 hrs IST, MARTIN BUCKLEY
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
The Ramayana is an epic story of love and loss. Its characters are, in some ways, heroic ideals but the story also tries to show us how we should respond to crises that destabilise us and bring out the worst in us.
Even the evil characters in the Ramayana are touched by redemptive qualities. Even the good characters make mistakes sometimes tragic ones that bring heartbreaking consequences in their wake. more
14 Oct 2008, 0027 hrs IST, MARTIN BUCKLEY
Print Email Discuss Share Save Comment Text:
The Ramayana is an epic story of love and loss. Its characters are, in some ways, heroic ideals but the story also tries to show us how we should respond to crises that destabilise us and bring out the worst in us.
Even the evil characters in the Ramayana are touched by redemptive qualities. Even the good characters make mistakes sometimes tragic ones that bring heartbreaking consequences in their wake. more
Monday, October 13, 2008
Mallika Sarabhai: The louder the drums of religion and ritual, the farther the sight of the spiritual
Nature is spiritual and feminine, she is shakti
The Asian Age Ocober 13, 2008 Op-Ed
The louder the drums of religion and ritual, the farther the sight of the spiritual.
My first experience came at the end of a personal crisis. I had been going for healings for a suspected brain tumour to a Phillippine physicist-turned-faith healer. The sessions made me cry — old hurts, unknown angst, whatever. After one of the sessions, I was walking in my garden and the sky was so beautiful that I raised my arms, opening them to the world. And I became an open vessel through which I could see light and energy channelling through and going into the earth — I was an upturned wine glass-shaped receptacle. Some years later I danced with my mother for the first time, both of us playing Meera, she the inner face, and I the outer. And I felt myself floating above the stage, looking down at two bodies, convinced we were one being.
Nature is spiritual to me, and nature is feminine. She is shakti, my personal shakti. I light a lamp every morning and try to bring a stillness to my world and my thoughts, feelings and concerns, to get back in touch with the stillness from where all my frenetic energies flow. It is that shunya that is my trigger and my space to take a deep breath.
I find myself turning to that inner me/shakti/space at strange times; in times of great gratitude for being alive, and the realisation of being a channel through which others can be helped, given a hand; when I experience great beauty as in music; when I am losing my resolve to fight for what to me is the truth; when my dog comes and lays her head on my lap and looks at me with such trust that my breath catches; and of course when I need all my faculties to be concentrated to find solutions to difficult or painful situations.
Places of religion, in general, revulse me, as does the behaviour of people there, devotees and God-dalals alike.
The closest I have been to finding beauty and serenity in a place of worship is in some old churches and cathedrals in Europe, filled with haunting music.
But I cherish my few seconds of inwarding every day.
— Mallika Sarabhai is a well-known classical dancer
source
The Asian Age Ocober 13, 2008 Op-Ed
The louder the drums of religion and ritual, the farther the sight of the spiritual.
My first experience came at the end of a personal crisis. I had been going for healings for a suspected brain tumour to a Phillippine physicist-turned-faith healer. The sessions made me cry — old hurts, unknown angst, whatever. After one of the sessions, I was walking in my garden and the sky was so beautiful that I raised my arms, opening them to the world. And I became an open vessel through which I could see light and energy channelling through and going into the earth — I was an upturned wine glass-shaped receptacle. Some years later I danced with my mother for the first time, both of us playing Meera, she the inner face, and I the outer. And I felt myself floating above the stage, looking down at two bodies, convinced we were one being.
Nature is spiritual to me, and nature is feminine. She is shakti, my personal shakti. I light a lamp every morning and try to bring a stillness to my world and my thoughts, feelings and concerns, to get back in touch with the stillness from where all my frenetic energies flow. It is that shunya that is my trigger and my space to take a deep breath.
I find myself turning to that inner me/shakti/space at strange times; in times of great gratitude for being alive, and the realisation of being a channel through which others can be helped, given a hand; when I experience great beauty as in music; when I am losing my resolve to fight for what to me is the truth; when my dog comes and lays her head on my lap and looks at me with such trust that my breath catches; and of course when I need all my faculties to be concentrated to find solutions to difficult or painful situations.
Places of religion, in general, revulse me, as does the behaviour of people there, devotees and God-dalals alike.
The closest I have been to finding beauty and serenity in a place of worship is in some old churches and cathedrals in Europe, filled with haunting music.
But I cherish my few seconds of inwarding every day.
— Mallika Sarabhai is a well-known classical dancer
source
Fourth World War against terrorism by pursuing truth and justice
The Reign of Evil: A Spiritual Perspective
The American Muslim, Oct 11, 2008
These ideologies have been the most virulent ones in an age dominated by closed ideologies. One can argue that Neo-Conservatism is a perversion of every major religion known to humankind since our emergence a few million years ago and that its very attractiveness qualifies it therefore as the most dangerous threat to global civilization. Whether this is true or not, we must recognize that ideas are power and that countering ideologues and their resort to terrorism and terroristic counter-terrorism cannot be countered by waging a war against evil.
We can win the Fourth World War against terrorism only by pursuing the open search for truth and justice, by perfecting the institutions of society to facilitate both economic and political justice through broadening access to individual property ownership, and by relying on the spiritual power of love as the most powerful motivating force in pursuing the fruits of compassionate justice, which are peace, prosperity, and freedom. Read it all
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Hatred Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (HIDS):A serious pandemic
The Hindu October 08, 2008 Open Page
A serious pandemic
Vaidya Shankar
Hatred Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (HIDS) is probably the most serious pandemic in our world today, potentially deadlier than even AIDS. The disease may be ‘active’ or in remission, but it is extremely difficult to cleanse oneself of this affliction completely. Once infected, all the immunity mechanisms built in the human mind over the years can be rendered useless. Learning, education, value system, etc., are all laid to waste by this malady. The ceaseless ch urning of the infected mind and the burning of the heart weakens the noble human spirit and demonises it. HIDS has claimed more lives than any other calamity known to man. Though man has been battling with reasonable success all kinds of adversities including diseases and natural calamities, he has not even begun the battle with this deadliest of all afflictions, which can exterminate mankind, nay, all life on this planet. Hatred can spread very fast indeed. Thanks to modern communication systems, an incident miles away can provoke hatred reactions and genocide within hours, if not minutes at several other localities. And even after it subsides, it leaves behind so much hatred, bitterness and such terrible scarring. It is imperative for the educated people from all faiths, regions and communities to wake up, or be prepared to face the catastrophe. Expansive thinking, unity of purpose, integrated and harmonious co-existence are to be propagated instead of divisive theories. The nobility of non-violence and the sacredness of mutual respect have to be drilled again into the vulnerable human minds.
The sacrifices of Abraham Lincoln, Gandhiji, Mother Teresa and Father Damien, and the teachings of Lord Krishna, Jesus Christ, the Buddha and Prophet Muhammad have to be indoctrinated again to resurrect the nobility in man. read
A serious pandemic
Vaidya Shankar
Hatred Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (HIDS) is probably the most serious pandemic in our world today, potentially deadlier than even AIDS. The disease may be ‘active’ or in remission, but it is extremely difficult to cleanse oneself of this affliction completely. Once infected, all the immunity mechanisms built in the human mind over the years can be rendered useless. Learning, education, value system, etc., are all laid to waste by this malady. The ceaseless ch urning of the infected mind and the burning of the heart weakens the noble human spirit and demonises it. HIDS has claimed more lives than any other calamity known to man. Though man has been battling with reasonable success all kinds of adversities including diseases and natural calamities, he has not even begun the battle with this deadliest of all afflictions, which can exterminate mankind, nay, all life on this planet. Hatred can spread very fast indeed. Thanks to modern communication systems, an incident miles away can provoke hatred reactions and genocide within hours, if not minutes at several other localities. And even after it subsides, it leaves behind so much hatred, bitterness and such terrible scarring. It is imperative for the educated people from all faiths, regions and communities to wake up, or be prepared to face the catastrophe. Expansive thinking, unity of purpose, integrated and harmonious co-existence are to be propagated instead of divisive theories. The nobility of non-violence and the sacredness of mutual respect have to be drilled again into the vulnerable human minds.
The sacrifices of Abraham Lincoln, Gandhiji, Mother Teresa and Father Damien, and the teachings of Lord Krishna, Jesus Christ, the Buddha and Prophet Muhammad have to be indoctrinated again to resurrect the nobility in man. read
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Goa village sets example of communal harmony
Youths belonging to Hindu and Christian communities in village Loliem came together to clean a century-old Hindu crematorium which was a picture of neglect and careless use over the years. The village is just four kilometres from the Goa-Karnataka border and 90 kms from Panaji. more
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Actress Nagma threatened by radicals for joining the Church
BJP legal cell had sent out a lawyer's notice to popular actress Nagma for allegedly hurting the sentiments of other religion ---Christian Meenger
Nagma was born Namratha Sadhana in an ordinary Muslim family in Punjab. She debuted in a Hindi film titled 'Baaghi' in which she acted along with Salman Khan. She shot to fame in south India when she was paired with Tamil superstar Rajnikant in 'Basha'. 'Kadhalan', where she acted along with Prabhu Deva, was another blockbuster film. Some of her major hits in Telugu were 'Gharana Mogudu' with Chiranjeevi in 1993, 'Allari Alludu' with Nagarjuna and 'Major Chandrakanth' with N T Rama Rao and Mohan Babu. | GoogleSearch for actress Nagma on The Christian Messenger |
For a brief while, Nagma was part of 'Art of living' course. The actress is currently a major star in Bhojpuri movies where she found success as a leading lady. She was successful when paired against "Big boss" reality show participant Ravi Kishen. read
Nagma is a citizen of a democratic country so a party like the BJP has no right to dictate terms like which religion she should follow, what dress she should wear or what food she should eat--Prabhu Das Thapa.
(ANTS) Matigara, Siliguri, West Bengal..............................................................
God’s hand was on me all along: Nagma
October 01, 2008 | 23:07:47
POPULAR actress Nagma opened up about her faith and mission in her life for the first time to the media in an exclusive interview with The Christian Messenger.
This newspaper’s founding editor Robin Samspoke to her for close to five hours in an exhaustive interview concerning her faith, the recent issue over her testimony at Nalumavadi in Tamil Nadu, the rising violence against Christians, her personal life and plans for the future. Excerpts:
This newspaper’s founding editor Robin Samspoke to her for close to five hours in an exhaustive interview concerning her faith, the recent issue over her testimony at Nalumavadi in Tamil Nadu, the rising violence against Christians, her personal life and plans for the future. Excerpts:
When did you come to realize the saving power of Jesus Christ?
I was born on Christmas to a Muslim mother and a Hindu father. I went to a convent school from childhood. I was exposed to Christianity from a young age. I went to Mount Mary Convent School
.......................
While reading the New Testament, I realized the importance of baptism and also of joining a church. Therefore, I immediately joined Pastor Shekhar Kalyanpur’s New Life Fellowship in Juhu, Mumbai. I took baptism on Jan 4. Since 2007 was a year of rest I decided to take a break from films and continued my Bible study fervently.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Barack Obama's religion: Intellectual search of faith
In 1981 Barack Obama was 20 years old, a Columbia University student in search of the meaning of life. He was torn a million different ways: between youth and maturity, black and white, coasts and continents, wonder and tragedy. He enrolled at Columbia in part to get far away from his past; he'd gone to high school in Hawaii and had just spent two years "enjoying myself," as he puts it, at Occidental College in Los Angeles. In New York City, "I lived an ascetic existence," Obama told NEWSWEEK in an interview on his campaign plane last week. "I did a lot of spiritual exploration. I withdrew from the world in a fairly deliberate way." He fasted. Often, he'd go days without speaking to another person.
For company, he had books. There was Saint Augustine, the fourth-century North African bishop who wrote the West's first spiritual memoir and built the theological foundations of the Christian Church. There was Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th-century German philosopher and father of existentialism. There was Graham Greene, the Roman Catholic Englishman whose short novels are full of compromise, ambivalence and pain. Obama meditated on these men and argued with them in his mind.
more from Lisa Miller and Richard Wolffe | NEWSWEEK
For company, he had books. There was Saint Augustine, the fourth-century North African bishop who wrote the West's first spiritual memoir and built the theological foundations of the Christian Church. There was Friedrich Nietzsche, the 19th-century German philosopher and father of existentialism. There was Graham Greene, the Roman Catholic Englishman whose short novels are full of compromise, ambivalence and pain. Obama meditated on these men and argued with them in his mind.
more from Lisa Miller and Richard Wolffe | NEWSWEEK
Published Jul 12, 2008
From the magazine issue dated Jul 21, 2008
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The new face of Islam
The new face of Islam By Nick Compton At first she tried to resist. She did not want this to happen. She was not that sort of person. After all, there were no gaps in her life, no spiritual ache, she did not need support or direction. But she kept reading and it kept making sense. 'I had absolutely no expectation or desire to end up where I am,' she says. 'It was almost with trepidation that I kept turning the pages and the trepidation just increased. I kept thinking: "OK, where's the flaw? Where's the bit that doesn't make sense?" But it never came. And then it was like: "Oh no, I can see where this is leading. This is disastrous. I don't want to be a Muslim!"  Caroline Bate is 30 years old, blonde, blue-eyed and pretty, with a soft Home Counties accent. She has a degree from Cambridge. She studied Russian and German before switching to management studies. She is Middle England's dream daughter or daughter-in-law. And though she has yet to make her formal declaration of faith in Allah and Prophet Mohammad (Sall Allaho alaihe wasallam) -- a two-line pledge called the Shahadah or testimony of faith -- she considers herself a Muslim [but in order to actually embrace Islam, one must recite out aloud the Shahadah or the testimony of faith whose meaning is 'there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet and messenger of Allah]. It felt good, she says. Caroline is not alone. Though data is hard to come by, several London mosques have been reporting an increase in the number of converts to Islam, especially since 11 September. Like Caroline, many of these converts are from solid middle-class backgrounds, have successful careers, enjoy active social lives and are fundamentally happy with their lot. This is not a new trend, however. Matthew Wilkinson, a former head boy of Eton, became Tariq, when he converted to Islam in 1993. Jonathan Birt, son of Lord Birt, late of the BBC and now the government's transport guru, converted in 1997. The son and daughter of Lord Justice Scott also converted and Joe Ahmed Dobson, the 26-year-old son of the former Health Secretary Frank Dobson, has recently and, somewhat reluctantly, emerged as the voice of new Muslim converts in Britain. But it is a trend that has been pushed along by recent events. So far, it has gone largely unnoticed, as the press concentrates on some of the more colourful characters that 11 September has thrown up. A compelling melodrama played out beyond the fringes of Islamic culture in this country. And while it might be stretching a point - and answering caricature with caricature - to insist that a demure English rose is the exemplar of the modern British convert to Islam, Caroline Bate is certainly more representative than anyone else. Talking to recent Muslim converts, it is striking how similar the descriptions of their embrace of Islam are. Most were introduced to Islam, Islamic history and teachings by their friends. And given that Islam is not generally a missionary faith, these were gentle introductions. For most conversion was born of curiosity, an attempt to better understand the people around them. Caroline first started reading about Islam last April. A school friend she has known since she was 11 was marrying a Tunisian, a Muslim. 'My best friend was marrying into a different culture, so, I wanted to know more about it,' she explains. 'I came at it from more of a cultural perspective than a religious one. But the literature that I picked up just stimulated me. And Islamic teaching made perfect logical sense. You can approach it intellectually and there are no gaps, no great leaps of faith that you have to make.' Roger (not his real name) is a doctor in his mid-thirties. About a year and a half ago, he started talking about Islam to Muslim colleagues at work. 'All I had ever heard about Islam in the media was Hezbollah and guerrillas and all of that. And here were these really decent people whom I was beginning to get to know. So, I started to ask a few questions and I was amazed at my own ignorance.' He became a Muslim a couple of months ago. For these new converts, embracing Islam is usually a covert operation. They quietly read, talk, listen and learn. The hard part is coming out, declaring your newly acquired faith to friends and family, and, in some cases at least, facing up to fear, scepticism and even loathing. Caroline insists that the coming-out process has not been too painful. 'The reaction has been pretty much what I expected. I've had everything from "Do you know how they treat women?" to "Wow, great timing!" But your friends are your friends and I expect them to deal with it. Others have had a harder time. Eleanor Martin, now Asya Ali (or some other combination of these names, depending on the circumstance), was a 24-year-old TV actress when she met Mo Sesay. She had a regular role as WPC Georgie Cudworth in BBC's Dangerfield during the mid-Nineties and Sesay, who later starred in Bhaji on the Beach, was also a Dangerfield regular. Sesay is a Muslim. 'Mo was such a kind man, just a good person. He wanted to know me as a person, there was nothing else going on. And I thought, well, here is this really decent guy and he is a Muslim. And the image I had of Islam was of men beating up women and going round in tanks killing people. 'The thing is we both had regular parts on the show, but they weren't very big parts, so we had a lot of time to sit in the caravan and talk. He really opened my eyes.' Eleanor finally converted in 1996. 'I wasn't sure I was going to until the last minute and then it just felt as if everything had fallen into place and there was no other option.' At first she kept her conversion secret. 'I was afraid of an adverse reaction from friends and family. I was really worried about what my father would say.' Her father was a devout Christian. A former radiotherapist, he had taken early retirement to go into the priesthood. But circumstances forced Eleanor's hand. A few months after she converted, she met a Muslim African-American actor, Luqman Ali, and they decided to get married. 'I went home and said: "I've got some news. I'm getting married and I'm a Muslim." My mum was great. My dad said: "I think I'm going to get a drink now." 'It took Dad time. He went to see his spiritual adviser, a nun, whose brother happened to be a convert to Islam, and that helped. And he's great now, too. He's just happy that I'm following a path to God.' Roger, meanwhile, has yet to tell family or work colleagues of his conversion. 'I worry it will affect my career prospects,' he admits. 'I know first-hand how little people understand Islam. I know there is prejudice based on ignorance. A couple of years ago, if someone had told me they had converted, I would have thought they were odd. I don't want people to think I am an oddity or a curiosity because I don't think of myself like that.' Most converts acknowledge that living in an ethnically diverse city has made conversion easier than it might have been elsewhere. Stefania Marchetti was born and raised in Milan but came to London to study in 1997. She converted to Islam from Catholicism in April last year. 'It would have been far more difficult for me to convert in Italy,' she admits. 'The Italian media is very anti-Islam and generally Italians think that Muslim men are all terrorists and all Muslim women are slaves.' Certainly Karen Allen, a 28-year-old scheduler for Sky TV from Stoke Newington, has enjoyed a relatively smooth transition period. She converted to Islam last June and soon started wearing the traditional headscarf or hijab. 'When I first started wearing the hijab to work, there were a few jibes about Afghanistan and stuff, but people are fine now. They say things like: "That's a nice one you're wearing today." 'I think it might be more difficult outside London, but here there are a lot weirder things to look at than me.' What is especially striking about this stream of converts to Islam is that the majority seem to be women. Some suggest that twice as many women as men are turning to Islam. Batool Al Toma, who heads the New Muslim Project at the Leicester-based Islamic Foundation, which offers advice and support to recent converts, suggests this might be exaggeration, but admits that female converts are in the majority. 'A lot of people seem to think that women are more susceptible to Islam. I think it's largely because a lot of people are obsessed with the idea of an educated, liberated British woman converting to Islam, which they feel subjugates and represses them in some way. We just get a lot more attention I suppose and that sparks people's interest.' The lure of Islam for women is surprising, given that the conversion process may be even more problematic for them than for men. There is the commonly held belief that Islam represses women and female converts often have to deal with recrimination from female friends who view their adoption of Islam as some sort of betrayal. Certainly, all the women I spoke to were quick to refute the idea that Islam imposes a women-know-thy-place ideology. 'The perception of how women are treated is completely incorrect,' insists Caroline. 'Women have a fantastic position in Islamic society.' Indeed, many women converts talk about the adoption of the Islamic dress code as a liberation. They see it not as a denial of sex and sexuality but rather as an acknowledgement that these are treasures to be shared with a loved one and them alone. They are not hidden but rather freed from objectification. Asya insists that the trick is to turn preconceptions on their head. She wears a scarf to show she is a Muslim and a smile to prove she is happy being one. One problem for converts is that they are caught between two cultures. 'Young Muslims are very accepting,' says Caroline. 'They are really happy that you have chosen to become Muslim. The older generation are not so accepting. For them, Islam is part of their cultural background, it's about the country they came from and it's what binds their communities together.' One step towards greater acceptance came last October when Reedah Nijabat opened ArRum, an Islamic restaurant/members' bar/ cultural centre/social club in Clerkenwell. Nijabat, a 31-year-old former barrister and management consultant from Walthamstow, originally conceived ArRum as a meeting place and networking venue for professional first- and second-generation London Muslims. But it has also become a focal point for many of London's Muslim converts. It is easy to see why. On any work evening, a mixed bag of middle-aged Pakistani men, young couples (some Muslim, some curious non-Muslim), kids and white British converts chat and tuck into halal 'fusion' food. While the club promotes Islamic culture, the vibe is a Hempel temple of inner calm. Sufi wailing calms the nerves, while the bar specialises in healthy juices. For the new converts I spoke to, ArRum is a place to meet other Muslims and somewhere to bring non-Muslim friends and introduce them to Islam in a way that doesn't scare them. ArRum accents Islam's USP among the major faiths: its openness and lack of hierarchy. And Nijabat has realised that if there is an endemic suspicion of stuffy organised religion among the British (and increasingly, one suspects, second-generation British Muslims) there is great interest in 'spirituality', whatever that might mean. 'I think that the problem has not been with the substance of the major faiths, whatever they are, but a marketing defect,' argues Nijabat. 'Everything we do here is about remembrance of God and Islam, but you can get that across in a cool way. I'm not saying anything that isn't in the Koran (Qur'aan), but you have to talk to people on their level.' 'I'm beginning to see that there is a huge misunderstanding and a bridge that needs to be crossed between ethnic communities, host communities and spiritual communities, and I think we are making a contribution to that. You can get so hung up on the divisions and how different we are, but it is the same God for all of us. And we still feel that loss whether it is an American life or a Palestinian life. A lot of people are going through a period of soul-searching and that can only be a good thing.' For many, that soul-searching has led them to Islam. And, as Dobson points out, ArRum and its new converts do not represent some kind of liberal IslamLite, a media-friendly dilution of the real thing. --The Evening Standard |
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