Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
30 Religious Terms You Should Know
Click on the link to find the page on web
by Maeve Maddox
When I was growing up in small town America, stories about religion were generally confined to the Saturday church pages in the local newspaper. Catholics and Jews were the most exotic religious practitioners in town, and “atheist” was a strong term of disapprobation.
These days religion is front page news. People are killed or driven into hiding because someone somewhere has labeled their work “blasphemy.” School children with attitude get away with refusing to do their homework because they know that school officials are easily spooked by anything relating to religion.
Journalists and school officials shouldn’t have to tiptoe around religious topics. The topic of religion, like that of ecology, is one that concerns all human beings. Although the three Abrahamic religions get most of the news copy, the number ofreligions that matter to people number in the double digits. Whether we care about it or not, we ought to be able to read and write about religion with some understanding of the terminology.
NOTE: The list and definitions given here are not intended to be exhaustive. Some of the terms are defined differently by different religious groups. Some have applications outside of religion. For permutations of meaning, see the OED or some other authoritative dictionary.
Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. All three faiths trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham who rejected the polytheism of ancient Sumer to embrace a belief in one, invisible, deity. Sometimes referred to as “the desert religions.”
agnosticism: the philosophical position that the existence or non-existence of God or a First Cause is unknowable.
Anglican: relating to the Church of England. An ancient name for the English people was “Angles.” The Church of England traces its beginning to 597, the year in which Pope Gregory I sent St. Augustine to Canterbury. The Church of England remained under papal authority until 1534 when Henry VIII declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church because of conflicts with Pope Clement VII.
animism: the belief that every material form of reality (plants, animals, stones, thunderstorms, earthquakes) have an indwelling spirit; often includes belief in the continued existence of individual disembodied human spirits capable of helping or harming the living.
asceticism: a mode of life that excludes physical pleasures and self-indulgence. Many religions regard asceticism (fasting, abstaining from sexual activity, wearing inadequate clothing) as a means of reaching a higher spiritual state.
atheism: disbelief in any deity or supernatural power.
blasphemy: indignity offered to God, from Greek blasphemia, “a speaking ill, impious speech, slander.” Religions define blasphemy in terms of their own beliefs, often designating prophets and holy objects along with God as subjects not to be profaned. Many countries have anti-blasphemy laws.
Buddhism: the teaching that suffering is inherent to life and that the way to escape suffering and repeated existence is to limit one’s desires and expectations. There are various sects with varying beliefs.
Confucianism: a system of teachings characterized by central emphasis on the practice and cultivation of the cardinal virtues of filial piety, kindness, righteousness, propriety, intelligence, and faithfulness.
ecclesiastic: relating to a church. Greek ekklesiastikos referred to the ancient Athenian political assembly. First century Christians writers adopted the word to mean “assembly of believers,” or “church.”
episcopal: having to do with a bishop. Like “ecclesiastic,” the English word bishop derives from a Greek word, episkopos, “watcher, overseer. The Greeks used their word to refer to government officials. First century Christian writers used bishop orepiskopos to refer to church elders. In time bishop came to mean the chief administrator of a diocese (administrative district governed by a bishop) with the power to ordain. Episcopal is the adjective for bishop.
evangelical: having to do with the Christian gospel/New Testament writings. The word is also used to describe a type of Christian belief that emphasizes the inerrancy of scripture and salvation through personal conversion.
Eucharist: the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, a rite in which bread and wine are consecrated and consumed in symbolic union with Christ. The word comes from a Greek word meaning “grateful.”
ecumenical: worldwide. As applied to religion, the word’s current use to mean cooperation among religious groups began with a 20th century movement promoting the idea of an inter-confessional Christian unity. Now an “ecumenical” group cooperating on some matter of general social benefit might include representatives from non-Christian religions.
eschatology: the study of matters relating to the ultimate destiny of mankind and the world.
Gnosticism: the belief that salvation is to be obtained by means of secret knowledge and that the material world is evil. Gnostic mystery religions abounded in the Roman Empire. The early Christian church was fragmented into various sects, many of which taught a Gnostic version of the new religion.
gospel: the story of Christ’s life and teachings as told in the first four books of the Christian New Testament. The literal meaning of the word is “good news.”
heresy: a religious opinion, or adherence to such an opinion, that is contrary to an established religious teaching. The word comes from Greek hairesis, “action of taking, choice, sect.” Originally a heresy was simply a difference of opinion. It became a religious crime, often punished by death.
Hinduism: a body of social, cultural, and religious beliefs and practices found chiefly in India. It includes a belief in reincarnation and transmigration of souls.
indulgence: in Roman Catholicism, a remission of punishment, especially punishment in Purgatory (in Catholic belief, Purgatory is an intermediate place of purification for souls that departed stained with minor sins not deserving of eternal punishment in Hell). You can find the Catholic position on indulgences here.
Immaculate Conception: the Roman Catholic doctrine that the Virgin Mary was conceived without Original Sin (the sin of Adam and Eve conveyed to all human beings). This is not the same thing as the Virgin Birth, “the belief that Jesus was divinely begotten and miraculously born of a virgin mother.”
jihad: a holy war on behalf of Islam. The Christian equivalent word is crusade, “a campaign or war sanctioned by the Church against unbelievers or heretics.” Literal crusades were common in the Middle Ages and were directed against Christian heretics as well as non-Christians. Now the term is used figuratively to mean “any remedial activity pursued with zeal and enthusiasm.” The same meaning is becoming attached to jihad.
lay: not in holy orders. In a monastery there are monks who pray and do intellectual work, and those who do manual work and attend to secular affairs. The latter are called lay brothers. The term has spread to non-religious professions. Someone who lacks professional knowledge of a particular profession is called alayman. In a church setting one may speak of the clergy and the laity (non-clerical members of the church).
monotheism: the doctrine or belief that there is only one God.
nihilism: the viewpoint that all traditional beliefs are unfounded and that human life has no meaning.
orthodox: in agreement with the official doctrine of a given religion. The word is from Greek orthodoxein, “to have the right opinion.” The noun is orthodoxy. Departure from orthodoxy is called heterodoxy.
pagan – This is a term difficult to define in even such a superficial treatment as this. For the early Christians, a pagan was a believer in polytheistic religion. The word originally meant “country dweller.” The rural population was slower to adopt Christianity than the city dwellers, probably because their religion was closely bound to agricultural cycles. Nowadays there are religious groups that identify themselves as Pagans. Modern paganism is earth-centered and can include polytheistic beliefs. The word heathen is used pejoratively to mean a person without religion. Like pagan, heathen also points to the fact that non-city dwellers tended to reject religious change. Heath comes from a word meaning “field.”Heathen was originally an adjective meaning “of the heath.”
polytheism: belief in more than one god.
profane: not holy. Anything not related to religion and spirituality is profane. The word can also be used as a verb meaning “to treat something sacred with irreverence.”
secular: worldly, not sacred. Similar to profane, secular refers to anything that is not specifically religious.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
INDIA FACTS ON PROSTITUTION
(The article is published at click here to go to the site.)
13-year-old Mira of Nepal was offered a job as a domestic worker in Bombay, India. She arrived at a brothel on Bombay’s Falkland Road, where tens of thousands of young women are displayed in row after row of zoo-like animal cages. Her father had been duped into giving her to a trafficker. When she refused to have sex, she was dragged into a torture chamber in a dark alley used for ‘breaking in’ new girls. She was locked in a narrow, windowless room without food or water. On the fourth day, one of the madam’s thugs goonda wrestled her to the floor and banged her head against the concrete until she passed out. When she awoke, she was naked; a rattan cane smeared with pureed red chili peppers shoved into her vagina. Later she was raped by the goonda........
Afterwards, she complied with their demands. The madam told Mira that she had been sold to the brothel for 50,000 rupees (about US$1,700), that she had to work until she paid off her debt. Mira was sold to a client who then became her pimp. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
India, along with Thailand and the Philippines, has 1.3 million children in its sex-trade centers. The children come from relatively poorer areas and are trafficked to relatively richer ones. (Soma Wadhwa, "For sale childhood," Outlook, 1998)
India and Paksitan are the main destinations for children under 16 who are trafficked in south Asia. (Masako Iijima, "S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution," Reuters, 19 June 1998)
Districts bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, known as the "devadasi belt," have trafficking structures operating at various levels. The women here are in prostitution either because their husbands deserted them, or they are trafficked through coercion and deception. Many are devadasi dedicated into prostitution for the goddess Yellamma. In one Karnataka brothel, all 15 girls are devadasi. (Meena Menon, "The Unknown Faces")
Women and children from India are sent to nations of the Middle East daily. Girls in prostitution and domestic service in India, Pakistan and the Middle East are tortured, held in virtual imprisonment, sexually abused, and raped. (Indrani Sinha, SANLAAP India, "Paper on Globalization and Human Rights")
In Bombay, children as young as 9 are bought for up to 60,000 rupees, or US$2,000, at auctions where Arabs bid against Indian men who believe sleeping with a virgin cures gonorrhea and syphilis. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
160,000 Nepalese women are held in India's brothels. (Executive Director of SANLAAP, Indrani Sinha, Paper on Globalization and Human Rights")
About 5,000-7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked to India every day. 100,000-160,000 Nepalese girls are prostituted in brothels in India. About 45,000 Nepalese girls are in the brothels of Bombay and 40,000 in Calcutta. (Women’s groups in Nepal, ‘Trafficking in Women and Children: The Cases of Bangladesh, pp.8 & 9, UBINIG, 1995)
In 1982, 13 year old Tulasa was abducted from a village near Kathmandu in Nepal and sold to a brothel in Bombay. She was dressed in European-style clothes and taken to luxury hotels to serve mostly Arab clients until a hotel manager called the police. Hospitalized, Tulasa was found to be suffering from three types of venereal disease and tuberculosis. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
There are approximately 10 million prostitutes in India. (Human Rights Watch, Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
There are more than 100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay, Asia’s largest sex industry center. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
At least 2,000 women are in prostitution along the Baina beachfront in Goa. (Frederick Moronha, India Abroad News Service, 9 August 1997)
There are 300,000-500,000 children in prostitution in India. (Rahul Bedi, "Bid To Protect Children As Sex Tourism Spreads,"London’s Daily Telegraph, 23 August, 1997)
90% of the 100,000 women in prostitution in Bombay are indentured slaves. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
Of 1,000 red light districts all over India, cage prostitutes are mostly minors, often from Nepal and Bangladesh. (CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific)
The red light district in Bombay generates at least $400 million a year in revenue, with 100,000 prostitutes servicing men 365 days a year, averaging 6 customers a day, at $2 each. (Robert I. Freidman, "India’s Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to An AIDS Catastrophe," The Nation, 8 April 1996)
Friday, December 25, 2009
Seperate Telangana issue will burn till july 2010
- Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 10:15
- Astrology Predictions
- 4,174 views
The latest issue arised is for seperate telangana state from andhra pradesh in india.
As jupiter is about to leave its debilitation sign capricorn in less than 2 weeks, this issue caused serious disturbances in this area and people are expecting a peaceful conclusion.
But even after jupiter moves into aquarius, it will be still viewed by debilitated mars and this will cause riots in cities and this issue will continue to burn government properties and revenue for next 8 months.
In last week of may 2010, mars will move into Leo but will directly aspect jupiter then and will continue this issue for next 6 weeks from there.
Also, in Andhra Pradesh’s horoscope, saturn has entered its moon sign in september 2009 and ever since it has seen many setbacks.
The state lost its CM in a helicopter crash, then it was followed by heavy floods which killed many.
The government’s strength was questioned and now the recent telangana issue.
However saturn will be transiting in Virgo till november 2011 and no issue will be totally solved till then as saturn is slow moving planet and gives any result only in installments.
Meanwhile, the state capital, Hyderabad will become a hub for international terrorism as government and police forces will be busy handling these issues.
There is also a possibility of government collapse and mid-term elections in 2011 when jupiter moves into Pisces and directly aspects saturn in Virgo.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
2years to go…The world will come to an end.
published at: click here to view online at http://way2online.com
on December 23rd, 2009
December 21st 2012, the date which is going on our minds as it is reaching nearer and nearer. That we all know that something is going to be happening on December 21st 2012 which might takes us to the end of the world. But, is it really going to be the end of the world? If it so, what might be happen on that day? All these questions might be going in the minds of all at one time or the other.
Based on the ancient Mayan calendar which seems to be more accurate in terms of astrology was said that in the year of 2012, the Earth will experience disasters ranging from massive earthquakes and tsunamis to nuclear reactor meltdowns. Even there were great mathematicians, who claimed that they were able to point out the exact day and time that the world will end in the future, and that is on August 13th 2012, the final day of the Mayan calendar.
The Mayan Calendar is above all a prophetic calendar that may help us understand the past and foresee the future. It is a calendar of the Ages that describes how the progression of Heavens and Underworlds condition the human consciousness and thus the frames for our thoughts and actions with in a given Age.
What might be the real? Is it on December 21st 2012 or on August 13th 2012? Who ever knows but both the scientific as well as religious beliefs are prevailing in the minds of the people on this issue. The science, technology and the scientists behind this are saying that the Hyperspace that contain our Universe is also showing signs that something strange is happening in our universe. Even it was said that the global and solar polar reversal peaks are coming with in three weeks of that day, December 21, 2012.But according to some scientists it is possible that another Universe is slowly starting to claim in our physical Universe. And according to religious beliefs they believe the earth will be destroyed or cleansed by the wrong-doers and those that believe in their God will be saved or brought to heaven.
The astronomer Philip Plait has stated very clearly that the Mayan calendar does not end in 2012 at all, that is like the odometer on your car, as each section of the odometer reaches 9 and then clicks over to 0, the next number to it starts a new cycle, so that when all the numbers again reach 0 all the way across the odometer – the last number will change from 1 to 2 and the new cycle starts all over again.
University of Florida anthropologist Susan Gillespie says that the 2012 phenomenon comes “from media and from other people making use of the Maya past to fulfill agendas that are really their own.”
Psychedelic drug booster Daniel Pinchbeck, “My feeling of 2012 is that we don’t know what is going to be .So rather than looking at it as a Doomsday, we can see it as an opportunity to evolve and become more creative and more intelligent as a species on the planet and use the skills and technical capacities we have to engage in a very deep work transformation”.
Evangely Phelps said that 2012, what is all the hype about? Why is 2012 dubbed as the year of when the world and everything on it will cease to exist? I am not sure why or how it started until now. According to the Mayan Calendar the world will come to an end and why would you say? I have done some investigating to hopefully prove the Mayans wrong. I have also discovered how some people of the American society are making this bigger than it really is. Personally, I don’t think anything is going to happen and life will go on but here is what I have found.
Doing some research, I have discovered that there were many different Mayan Calendars. Some were used for social, agricultural, commercial and administrative tasks but had a heavy religious element to them although our calendars today are only for social, agricultural and economic views – the religious part is not a priority in our calendar system.
The Mayans then combined two calendars to make one, The Calendar Round. The Calendar Round was based on thirteen and twenty base units. The purpose of this calendar was to make it a long term calendar that had 365 days in one solar year and would last for only 5126 years. The reason why the Calendar Round is so significant in the year 2012 is because the 5126 years ends on the date of December 21, 2012. This is where all the hype of the world ending is coming from, this one date of the Mayan Calendar Round. Another phenomenon that is making society more conscious of the date December 21, 2012 is the movie 2012.
According to the Hyderabad Computer Model, Magnetic Pole reversal happens which is a process where the North Pole and South Pole reverse their positions. When this happens, at some point of time Earth’s magnetic field reaches zero where the Earth’s Magnetic power will be weaken and Cosmic Radiation from Sun will increase many folds making radiation hazards like cancer and so on unavoidable can cause the serious problems which include immune system of all the creatures on the earth might be going to weak; the earth’s crust will going to see the volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides. However, in a simple word it is said that by 2012 earth may not be suitable for human society to live. If this model is true, the only way for us to survive will be to take our civilization well below the Earth’s crust or move to another planet.
With the growth of conspiracy-theories, the level of suspicion and disbelief has grown too. But if there is a good probability that something could happen in your lifetime, there is nothing wrong in preparing for it. Any natural disorder can be faced with a sharp mind and able body, as long as you get the right information ahead of time. Even though many theories and interpretations said about what they find, the only thing that’s certain about the end of the world is that no one can know and are sure that what will happen in the coming future. It may come just like death which is uncertain and we don’t know the time of it. But people undoubtedly continue to think about when this world will comes to an end.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Has it to go on and on. . . . . .
Is it not enough:
It has been paining my heart witnessing the unruly agitations for Telengana for some time and then for United Andhra for some time. Chidambaram’s II statement seems to have failed to control the politicians and agitators across the different regions of the state. Is it now the turn for Telengana to show how best they could stall the government in the state. It has altogether become a game of exhibition of the capacities of the politicians in organizing dharnas, bandhs, rastha rokos, fast unto deaths, closing down the educational institutions, etc. so as to stall the usual proceedings of the government and public life. The politicians seem to have no ear listening to the statement of Chidambaram. They have no time to think whether the Central government has any other best option. As it is the responsibility of the Central government to respect the views of all the citizens of India, I think, under greater pressure it has issued the statement under inevitable conditions. The statement has not denied Separate Telengana. He said that wide-ranging consultations would now be held and that the Centre will take "steps to involve all concerned in the process". Process is there and it is not ruled out. Only addition is that it involves all the concerned to come to consensus.
In fact, Neither the people of Andhra nor the people of Rayalaseema are against to the formation of Telengana. It is evident that no one was against to the TRS or for that matter of fact against TDP who supported for Telengana or against Congress who supported for Telengana during last election. They were hurt with the kind of language and kind of slogans used by KCR. Had KCR been under control with his language, probably there would not have been such a situation in Non-Telengana regions. It is no use in postmarting the past. Whatever happened is happened. It is time for bringing the state under peace. There should be something from the Central Government to control the situation. It doesn’t mean that Telengana would not be separated. It needs to be separated if at all the people of Telengana strongly feels for it. This should be done by wide range of discussions among the people of Telengana. Then comes the question of how to divide the state. How to solve the issues between the states. There should be no doubt among the people of either regions that one region is at loss due to separation. Issues of Water, power, debt and many more such things have to be resolved through talks.
Lets be cool and come to consensus:
Of course it may take time, or as some of us feel that the government is buying time for eluding the Telengana issue. Even if it is true, there is no meaning in further going for agitations. Let us sit and find solution at the earliest. Let us ask for the time bound program for completion of the said ‘process’.
It is time for us to remember that we live in the civilized world that too in India which preaches peace and non-violence. We are all wise people. Every problem will have a solution. Let us sincerely try to find out the solution with faith on each other.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Indian Institute Of Idiots
(Published in the Times of India on 19-12-2009)
Our education system creates a society of followers rather than change-embracing leaders
Chetan Bhagat
I avoid writing columns on the Indian education system as it is not good for my health. For days, my blood continues to boil, i have insomnia and i feel like hurting someone real bad. The Indian education system is a problem that can be fixed. It affects the country’s future, impacts almost every family, everyone knows about it and it is commercially viable to fix it. Still, nothing happens because of our great Indian culture of avoiding change at all costs. And because change means sticking out your neck and that, ironically, is something we are not taught to do.
Still, with a movie coming on the education system, which came about because of a book i wrote nearly six years ago, it is important to revisit the issues. Soon, all the media will talk about is the anatomy, diet and romantic chemistry of the main actors. While that makes insightful breakfast reading, it is also important to understand the main problems with our education system that need to be fixed or, rather, should have been fixed 10 years ago.
There are two main problems: one, the supply of good college seats and, two, the actual course content and intent behind education.
The first issue is about the supply of A-grade institutions vs the number of A-grade potential students. With one crore students taking the class XII exam each year, the top 10 per cent, the high potential population by any global standard, deserves a world-class institution. That means we need 10 lakh good, A-grade, branded college seats per year. Either the government provides them, or they work with private participants to make it happen. Until that is done, the scramble for seats will be worse than a peak hour Virar fast. No amount of well-meant advice to parents to go easy on kids, telling children to not take stress, will work. I’m sorry, if i have a child who i think is bright, i will fight to make sure he has a good college. If the number of seats is well below the required number, the fight is going to be bloody and ugly. And that is what happens every year.
What makes me most curious is: why doesn’t the government fix it? Real estate and faculty are often the biggest requirements in creating a university. The government has plenty of land. And any advertisement for government teaching jobs gets phenomenal responses. After this, there could be running costs. However, most parents are happy to pay reasonable amounts for college. With coaching classes charging crazy amounts, parents are already spending so much anyway. I understand Indians send $7 billion (over Rs 30,000 crore) as outward remittance for Indian students studying abroad. Part of that money would be diverted inwards if good colleges were available here. The government can actually make money if it runs universities, and add a lot more value to the country than, say, by running the embarassing Air India which flushes crores down the drain every day.
Why can’t Delhi University replicate itself, at four times the size, in the outskirts of Gurgaon? The existing professors will get more senior responsibilities, new teachers will get jobs and the area will develop. If we can have kilometre-long malls and statues that cost hundreds of crores, why not a university that will pay for itself? This is so obvious that the young generation will say: Duh!?
The education system’s second problem: the course content itself. What do we teach in school and college? And how much do you use it in daily life later? Ask yourself, has the world changed in the last 20 years? If yes, has our course content changed at the same pace? Has it even changed at all? Who are the people changing our course materials? Do they have real life corporate exposure?
I am not saying we study only to get a job (though many, many Indians actually do it with that main intention). However, even in the ‘quest for knowledge’ goal of education, our course materials fall short. We emphasise sticking to the course, testing endlessly how well the student has revised his lessons. We treat lessons as rules to be adhered to, and the better you conform, the more likely you are to score. I hated it personally, and i am sure millions do too but they have no choice. Innovation, imagination and creativity – crucial for the country as well as more likely to bring the best out of any student – have no place in our education system. In fact, we actually ensure we kill this spirit in the child as fast as possible. Because innovation by definition means challenging the existing way, and that is just not something good Indian kids who respect elders do.
The cycle perpetuates itself, and we continue to create a secondrate society of followers rather than change-embracing leaders. I have hope that the current generation will break this norm and start questioning the great Indian way. I have hope that the current HRD minister will acknowledge this problem and do something. I have hope that Indians will start questioning any politician they meet on what they are doing about the education system at every place possible. I have hope that people will realise that making new states is less important than making new state universities. Maybe i am right, maybe my hope is justified and maybe i will live to see the change. Or maybe i’ve got it all wrong, my optimism is misplaced and i am just, as they say, one of the Idiots.
The writer is a best-selling novelist.
Red roses, college blues
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