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"Lebanon was once home to a thriving Jewish community, but its estimated that there are now fewer than a hundred Jews left in the country. So it came as a surprise when the tiny Jewish community announced the rebuilding of one of Beirut's historic synagogues.read complete article : BBC News - New synagogue opens religious debate in LebanonNatalia Antelava reports . " – see Video
Regards,
Tarek Hoteit
http://tarek.hoteit.org
Labels: religion
"Despite the fragmented and incomplete historical record, experts pretty much agree that some popular beliefs about Jewish history simply don’t hold up: there was no sudden expulsion of all Jews from Jerusalem in A.D. 70, for instance. What’s more, modern Jews owe their ancestry as much to converts from the first millennium and early Middle Ages as to the Jews of antiquity."read complete article : A Book by Shlomo Sand Calls Jewish People an ‘Invention’ - NYTimes.com
Labels: religion
"A shocking report released overnight reveals that sexual abuse by Catholic Priests in Ireland was covered up for decades by both the church and police.read complete article : Priests, police hid years of child sex abuse - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)The 720-page report says the official policy from 1975 to 2004 was to protect the reputation of the church at the expense of the victims.
Maree Collins was sexually assaulted in 1960. But when she reported the abuse, the Catholic Church moved the priest to another parish.
The report says that was a common practise for dealing with abusive priests because there was a conspiracy to protect the church, not the welfare of the children in its care.
"It was a policy, it was a system, it was throughout the church and therefore wherever the Catholic Church is, that same system will have been in place," Ms Collins said.
"It's not just rogue elements who were just going their own way, this was a system of cover-up, of protecting the institution and it's going to be the same wherever the Catholic church is.""
" When the popular 46-year-old Lebanese psychic Ali Sibat went on-air and made his predictions about the future, the phone lines of the satellite television station Sheherazade used to be flooded with calls.read complete article : SAUDI ARABIA: Kingdom steps up hunt for 'witches' and 'black magicians' | Babylon & Beyond | Los Angeles TimesBut what the star psychic probably did not predict was that his claims to supernatural prowess would land him a death sentence.
"He was the most popular psychic on the channel," the Lebanese news agency Naharnet quoted Sibat’s lawyer May Khansa as saying. "The number of callers, including from all over the gulf, spiked in number when he appeared."
But while on pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia last year, Sibat was spotted by religious police in the holy city of Medina. Their job it is to battle vice and uphold virtue in the ultraconservative kingdom. So they arrested Sibat in his room at the Medina Hotel on charges of sorcery.
On Nov. 9, Sibat was given a death sentence by a Mecca court for allegedly practicing witchcraft."
Labels: middle east, religion
"Every year, millions of Muslims gather to perform the Hajj in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca, where the city's Grand Mosque overflows with pilgrims as many more clamor for space outside the mosque's walls.
It's a reality that Saudi authorities are hoping to change with an ambitious expansion and renovation project that is underway across the city.
But expanding and renovating the Grand Mosque and the citys infrastructure will be a challenge to do without disrupting what Muslims believe to be the holiest of spiritual journeys.
Ayman Mohyeldin takes a look at some of the plans."
Labels: religion, technology
"Pope Benedict has invited international artists, sculptors, architects, musicians, film directors and even a solitary Italian prima ballerina to meet him under the soaring vaulted ceiling of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel in the Vatican on Saturday to begin a new dialogue between the Catholic Church and the arts."
read complete article : BBC News - Vatican tries to woo back the art world
read complete article : Pew Forum: Modest Rise in Concern About Islamic Extremism"The public continues to express concern about the rise of Islamic extremism in the United States and abroad, but a survey taken shortly after the deadly Nov. 5 shootings at the Fort Hood Army base shows only a modest increase in these concerns since 2007.
Just more than half (52%) of Americans say they are very concerned about the possible rise of Islamic extremism in the United States. That is up from 46% in April 2007. The percentage that says they are somewhat worried dropped slightly from 32% in 2007 to 27%. There has been no significant change in the small percentages who say they are not too worried or not worried at all about the possible rise of Islamic extremism in the United States."
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3932487043163636261#
Labels: religion
" A new, comprehensive demographic study of more than 200 countries finds that there are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages living in the world today, representing 23% of an estimated 2009 world population of 6.8 billion. Released today by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, Mapping the Global Muslim Population offers the most up-to-date and fully sourced estimates of the size and distribution of the worldwide Muslim population, including sectarian identity.read complete article : Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: New Study Estimates Global Muslim Population at 1.57 BillionKey findings include:
"
- While Muslims are found on all five inhabited continents, more than 60% of the global Muslim population is in Asia and about 20% is in the Middle East and North Africa.
- The Middle East-North Africa region has the highest percentage of Muslim-majority countries. More than half of the 20 countries and territories in that region have populations that are approximately 95% Muslim or greater.
- More than 300 million Muslims, or one-fifth of the world's Muslim population, live in countries where Islam is not the majority religion. These minority Muslim populations are often quite large. India, for example, has the third-largest population of Muslims worldwide. China has more Muslims than Syria, while Russia is home to more Muslims than Jordan and Libya combined.
- Of the total Muslim population, 10-13% are Shia Muslims and 87-90% are Sunni Muslims. Most Shias (between 68% and 80%) live in just four countries: Iran, Pakistan, India and Iraq.
Labels: religion
"A Trinity College survey predicts a quarter of Americans will identify as nonreligious in 20 years (as opposed to the 15 percent who do so now). Dan Gilgoff, in his U.S. News column, predicts what that might to do American politics. Think “culture-war battles” and antireligious Democrats. (HT: Andrew Sullivan)"read complete article : The U.S. With Less God - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com
Labels: politics, religion, united states
"NEW YORK –Despite fears that Muslims in the United States may be unfairly targeted or harassed because fears about terrorism, a new survey by Public Agenda finds Muslim immigrants are less likely than other immigrant populations to say there's discrimination against immigrants in the United States, no more likely to encounter it personally, and overwhelmingly more likely to say the United States will be their permanent home."read complete article : Muslim Immigrants Least Likely to Report Discrimination Compared to Other Immigrant Groups | Public Agenda
Labels: politics, religion, united states
"A report by the Human Rights Watch pressure group has detailed what it says is systematic discrimination in Saudi Arabia against Shia Muslims… Unfavorable treatment of minority Shia extends from education and employment to the justice system, leading to a big increase in sectarian tension, it says. They comprise 10 to 15% of the Saudi population, and have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens. "read complete article : BBC NEWS | Middle East | Saudis 'must offer Shia equality'
Labels: arab, middle east, religion
"CAIRO — Writing in his weekly newspaper column, Gamal al-Banna said recently that God had created humans as fallible and therefore destined to sin. So even a scantily clad belly dancer, or for that matter a nude dancer, should not automatically be condemned as immoral, but should be judged by weighing that person’s sins against her good deeds."read complete article : Memo from Cairo - Hints of Pluralism in Egyptian Religious Debates - NYTimes.com
Labels: arab, middle east, religion
"The famous atheist views religion as absurd and pointless. He says God is not different from the tooth fairy." (TheHour – YouTube)
"Richard Dawkins answers "the most simplest question" from a Liberty U student."
"Watch as he barely gives the space or time to let Dawkins really speak. Watch as he makes a joke when there's a question he can't answer." (YouTube - ComedyJesus)
At the 'Beyond Belief' discussion, Tyson rebukes Dawkins for his rhetorical style, and Dawkins responds brilliantly." (YouTube – agillesp123)
" if you don’t agree, you can f#$# off!
"In this talk His Holiness turns to one of his favorite themes: the importance of compassion. Far from being a uniquely Buddhist concern, the Dalai Lama explains why caring for others can be the basis for a rich and rewarding life for all people. Whether one is a Buddhist or not, whether one is religious or not, a concern for the welfare of others is just good common sense. Compassion changes egotism into empathy, and transforms fear into freedom. It is the basis for both personal and communal peace. Series: Voices [9/2009] [Humanities] [Show ID: 17091]" (UCTelevision/YouTube)
"Some of the nation's leading journalists gathered in Key West, Fla., in May 2009 for the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life's Faith Angle Conference on religion, politics and public life.read debate : Can Science and Religion Co-Exist in Harmony? - Pew Research CenterFrancis S. Collins, the former director of the Human Genome Project and an evangelical Christian, discussed why he believes religion and science are compatible and why the current conflict over evolution vs. faith, particularly in the evangelical community, is unnecessary.
Barbara Bradley Hagerty, the religion correspondent for National Public Radio, discussed how the brain reacts to spiritual experiences and her belief that people can look at scientific evidence and conclude that everything is explained by material means or look at the universe and see the hand of God."
Labels: religion
“Pope Benedict XVI criticized the international economic system yesterday and called for a new global structure based on social responsibility, concern for the dignity of the worker and a respect for ethics. "Today's international economic scene, marked by grave deviations and failures, requires a profoundly new way of understanding human enterprise," Benedict wrote in his latest encyclical, which is the most authoritative document a pope can issue. "Without doubt, one of the greatest risks for business is that they are almost exclusively answerable to their investors, thereby limited in their social value." In the sweeping 144-page document, Benedict sketches a radically different world economy, in which access to food and water is a universal right, wealthy nations share with poorer ones and profit is not the ultimate goal of commerce. He advocates the creation of a "world political authority" to manage the economy."
http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/index.html
"ZEITGEIST: THE MOVIE" [ RELEASED 6/25/07
Zeitgeist: Addendum, by Peter Joseph 2008
Zeitgeist III – October 2010
The Zeitgeist Movement: Orientation Presentation - 1:37:08 - Mar 6, 2009
Labels: religion
Just finished watching 2008 documentary, Bloodline The Movie. The movie is very nice and the story is fascinating. Discoveries of a chest and a tomb with a mummy claims to support the Da Vinci Code storyline that Jesus Chris and Marie Magdalene were married and had children. The documentary features an amateur archeologist, Ben Hammott, who discovered all the clues at Rennes-le-Chateau that are believed to belong to Bérenger Saunière, a 19th century priest who is believed to have kept the secret but later murdered. I enjoyed the movie and have strong belief in what is being presented, but it remains to be proven academically and scientifically. Moreover, when goggling the discoveries mentioned in the documentary, you do not see any breaking news around the story which makes you wonder if the documentary findings are only as controversial as the UFO sights or simply just another profitable movie for those who made it or were part of it.
from YouTube:
BLOODLINE investigates the popular belief that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, who fled to southern France with their child.
In a an adventure worthy of Indiana Jones, filmmaker Bruce Burgess and team make connections between the Knights Templar, the legend of Mary Magdalene, hidden clues found at the famed church at Rennes-le-Chateau and make some stunning discoveries: a buried chest with artifacts that date to first century Jerusalem and a tomb with a mummified corpse draped in a shroud bearing a distinctive red cross.
http://www.bloodlinethemovie.com
from YouTube
Labels: religion
Author/Editor: Crowe, Christopher W.
Summary: The recent housing bust has reignited interest in psychological theories of speculative excess (Shiller, 2007). I investigate this issue by identifying a segment of the U.S. population-evangelical protestants-that may be less prone to speculative motives, and uncover a significant negative relationship between their population share and house price volatility. Evangelicals' focus on Biblical prophecy could account for this difference, since it may enable them to interpret otherwise negative events as containing positive news, dampening the response of house prices to shocks. I provide evidence for this channel using a popular internet measure of "prophetic activity" and a 9/11 event study. I also analyze survey data covering religious beliefs and asset holding, and find that 'end times' beliefs are associated with a one-third decline in net worth, consistent with these beliefs providing a form of psychic insurance (Scheve and Stasavage, 2006a and 2006b) that reduces asset demand.
http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/cat/longres.cfm?sk=22728.0
Labels: finance, religion, united states
" March is Women's History Month. A new analysis of data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.
Data: Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007, released in 2008. "
Labels: religion
" Many Religions, One Community is a nationwide grassroots dialogue project, offering the award-winning PBS film Cities of Light to organizations and groups interested in screening the film and hosting a community dialogue. Once you sign up to host a community dialogue, 20,000 Dialogues and Public Agenda will help you identify partners, plan your event program and facilitate your dialogue. After you sign up, you will be eligible to apply for financial support and technical assistance in hosting and facilitating your dialogue.
"NEW YORK, NY– At a time of rising intolerance and growing cultural and religious discord, 20,000 Dialogues, a nationwide grassroots project using films about Muslims to promote dialogue and understanding, and Public Agenda, a nonprofit opinion research and civic engagement organization, have partnered on a joint initiative called “Many Religions, One Community: Lessons from Islamic Spain for Today’s World.” The initiative will offer the documentary film, Cities of Light: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain, and an accompanying dialogue toolkit and website to help civic and religious organizations across the country host community dialogues about the past, present and future of interfaith relations.Endorsed by the World Economic Forum Top 100 Religious Leaders as a centerpiece for grassroots dialogues and recently broadcast on PBS, the film Cities of Light tells a story of vital importance for our contemporary world about the achievements and ultimate failures of a centuries-long period when Muslims, Christians, and Jews coexisted and built a society that lit the Dark Ages. The dialogue toolkit, developed using Public Agenda’s proven “Citizen Choicework” methodology for community dialogue, offers three contrasting views of the lessons that can be drawn from this historical period and its implications for religious pluralism today. "
"My understanding of religion is that it can have no justification for violence of any kind -- domestic or general. Violence is justified by priests in all religions by misinterpreting and/or misunderstanding a philosophy. Added to this is the tragedy that that we approach religion dogmatically.For instance, in the case of Hinduism, those who justify violence say the Bhagavad Gita, the Hindu sacred text, is all about a war between the forces of good and evil. According to my Grandfather, Mohandas K. Gandhi, this is a dogmatic approach. Firstly the text was written thousands of years ago and secondly it is written in the form of a poem and obviously the poet has taken literary license.
The war depicted was not meant to be taken literally but it was to be understood in the figurative sense as the war (or turmoil) that we all face everyday when we are called upon to choose between what we know at that moment to be good and evil. Similar arguments can be made about the depiction of turmoil in other religious scriptures. Grandfather said: When imperfect human beings (there is no one among us who can claim to be perfect!) translate scripture we reach an imperfect understanding of religion. God and religion is, and can only be, about love, compassion, understanding and not someone who is blood-thirsty for revenge."
Labels: religion
"When it comes to discussing suicide bombers, the controversial topic of religion is never far behind. Scholars and pundits have proposed several theories to explain why people would sacrifice their lives to take those of others, and conjectures about religious views seem easy to defend. After all, anthropologist Scott Atran estimated that since 2000, 70% of suicide attacks have been carried out by religious groups, and Islamist ones in particular."
Labels: religion
"Women are prouder than men, but men are more lustful, according to a Vatican report which states that the two sexes sin differently.A Catholic survey found that the most common sin for women was pride, while for men, the urge for food was only surpassed by the urge for sex.
The report was based on a study of confessions carried out by Fr Roberto Busa, a 95-year-old Jesuit scholar. "
Labels: religion
thanedar1 wrote “ This Qawali is written by "Naaz Khailvi" a very humble but dervaish poet of a high stature. He lives in faisalabad pakistan. As Nusrat FA khan also belonged to the same city, so NAAZ Sb wrote that qawali for him. We can't say if the poet also got something out of the fortune of fame of this poem. However, one thing is for sure that nobody can stop oneself praying for the poet and his genius after listening to it. Nusrat sb really gave a world fame to this poetic work of very humble man.”
FarhadBa wrote
“Part one:
You have painted heart which such colors
It is kind of mysterious art work u designed
What is the secret behind all this?
Which kind of game are you playing since the beginning?
Part Two:
You locked the free soul in the cage of the body
And then you created dead to limit the soul even further
You made us free like a bird, ambitious and hopeful
Even though you already recorded our limitations in our destiny
Part Three:
You said that you designed the whole universe by yourself
But you also, already planned when to destroy it by yourself
You said that you have no location, no where to be found
On the other hand you stated your location being Nahno, Aqrab (heavens I think)
You clarified that this s good and that s bad: this s paradise and that is hell
But tell me why all this, what s the mystery behind it
Part four:
The sin was committed by Adam (AS),but the offspring s suffering the consequence
Alas, what a nice justice standards you have (sarcasm)
You elected certain humans as your messengers on earth
I don't know which kind of show you are trying to put on
Source: Pew Forum U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007, released in 2008"
Labels: religion
A Christian bus driver has refused to drive a bus with an atheist slogan proclaiming "There's probably no God".
Ron Heather, from Southampton, Hampshire, responded with "shock" and "horror" at the message and walked out of his shift on Saturday in protest. "
Labels: religion
TheAmazingAthiest posts his opinion about religion on YouTube in response to the "A Challenge To Atheists (Only 3 Questions)" posted by easyonetwothree
easyonetwothree, who believes in religion, responds back to TheAmazingAthiest.
Labels: religion
Ali G talks to a group about Religion
Labels: religion
This belief system adheres to a strategic plan addressing four specific tactics:"
1. The Destruction of Israel
2. The Death and destruction of all non believers including Christians, Jews, Hindus and all others
3. The exploitation of women and children as tools of terror, from human shields to suicide bombers.
4. The manipulation of media in order to justify and brand behavior, victimization."
"At the end of the day, let us understand that Islamic religious totalitarianism is the 21st Century version of Hitler's National Socialism. What do we do with evil? Negotiate compromise, surrender or confront? The answer will determine not only the fate of Israel, but the fate of world peace for years to come."
It is really disappointing to read such a biased posting from a notable figure like Samuel Rodriguez, who either deliberately or accidentally missed some key historical facts. The first occupier to the Middle East lands is Israel. They were the first to occupy the Palestinian homeland, constantly terrorizing the Palestinian people just as they are doing today and just as they did in Lebanon as well. Why the Israelis are not considered terrorists or murderers for Mr. Rodriguez? Who wants peace, Mr Rodriguez? Is it Israel? They never accepted the offer for peace that was initiated by Saudi Arabia - not once but twice. Israel never wants peace, because it is not to their advantage as the occupier. Why would they? Then you mention poverty when you said "let us simultaneously take the lead on the war on poverty. We can be both Pro Israel and Pro the Palestinian People." Who has no food nor shelter nor schools, Mr Rodriguez? Israeli people, or is the Gazan people who are suffering one of the worst humanitarian crisis by Red Cross own reports. As for your question "What do we do with evil? Negotiate compromise, surrender or confront?" You are a man of faith, but I am not but I know one thing: you should be spreading peace and not hate; you should be spreading truth and not fabricated or biased messages. Many less educated people will believe every word you say, and that is unfortunate but true. But at least, be wise and intellectual in your writing when you post an article about good and evil in a respected newspaper such as the Washington Post.
Labels: middle east, politics, religion
Now, with religiosity increasing in Egypt overall, more women want to engage in public prayer, increase their knowledge of Islam and do volunteer work in the community. Many Egyptian women already have had to balance their traditional place in the home with public roles at universities and jobs, so they tend to ask, "Why not a place in the mosque as well?"
These women aren't Western-style feminists seeking to change the faith's teachings on women. But their presence is challenging assumptions on women's place and turning some mosques into women-friendly social hubs.
While no statistics exist on the increasing number of Egyptian women praying outside the home, several religious scholars in Cairo say there's a clear trend of more women attending mosques and playing a greater religious role.
Labels: middle east, religion, society
It's easy to criticize Israel from afar, it's easy to be drawn in by the ludicrous, political correctness, western liberalism and, in many cases, a sense of extreme embarrassment forced on and often embraced by Jews in the Diaspora. It's easy to shout and scream and criticize, worrying what your non-Jewish neighbors or colleagues may think, becoming the ultimate apologists. It's easy to scream from your comfortable pseudo-Jewish ivory towers. What seems to be harder is for you to muster some sense of loyalty and support for your own people (Jews) and your own country ( Israel). (Just a reminder.) And there aren't enough righteous gentiles to save us all.
"So now that Israel, after months and months of restraint and in the wake of thousands of rockets, has finally returned to Gaza to deal with Hamas, you say that you are 'embarrassed' by Israel's actions?
You'll tell me I am insecure in my beliefs, that I am ultra right-wing, and that I am blinded by fanaticism. You'll tell me that you know what the problem is and what should be done.
I am not ultra right-wing, just a realist who takes the facts and history into consideration. This is not a simplistic view but a carefully considered opinion. This is not based on a persecution complex but a simple historical formula. They want us out. The President of Iran wants our total destruction. Hamas, Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad, Al Qaida are all vying for the opportunity to drive us into the sea. Many other Arab countries would love to see us gone. That's a fact."
