Religion and me

Sunday, December 24, 2006 Religion and me! I am a Hindu but people should see me as a person. 12:54:41 PM Posted By Suresh Gupta Comments (2) Society Comments well said Sunday, December 24, 2006 3:35:58 PM well said sir K.Venugopal Tuesday, December 26, 2006 9:17:44 AM What is important is not how others see you but how you see yourself.

Divide between Islam and Christianity

Friday, December 22, 2006 the Divide between Islam and Christianity Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." This sentence from Pope Benedict XVI's speech ignited a firestorm of protest across Muslim lands last September. As the Western press noted, the pope was quoting Manuel II Palaiologos, a fifteenth-century Orthodox Byzantine emperor. Critics deemed the pope's speech insensitive and irresponsible given current tensions, and many denounced the quote itself.Yet if you consider the situation at the time of Palaiologos, the reason for this emperor's vehement words against Muhammad becomes clear. Palaiologos was ruler of a proud but beleaguered empire facing near extinction at the hands of an army of Muslim Turks. He died in 1425, only 28 years before Constantinople (for centuries a bulwark of Christian power) fell to the Ottoman sultan. Is it any wonder, then, that at that moment in time a Christian would bemoan the militancy of Islam? Quotes like these—and the damage they do to Christians' relationships with Muslims—make Hugh Goddard's A History of Christian-Muslim Relations timely and essential reading. Western Christians aren't necessarily aware of their predecessors' interactions with Muslims, but the past still powerfully affects many Muslims' perceptions of Christianity. Goddard hopes his survey will "help both Christians and Muslims to understand how the two communities have reached the situation in which they find themselves today."Goddard, a professor of Christian-Muslim relations at the University of Nottingham, is well qualified to write this book. He writes for fellow scholars and students, but his fluid and accessible style shows he also has the general reader in mind. He avoids academic jargon and follows events chronologically, working his way from Muhammad's earliest encounters with Christians to Muslim-Christian relations today. Arguably the most important chapter is the second, which examines the Qur'an's portrayal of Christians. While Qur'an 2:62, 3:55, 3:199, 5:66, 28:52–55, and 57:27 all make positive statements about Christians (or "People of the Book"), Qur'an 5:72–73 and chapter 9 place Christians in the same category as kufr, or unbelievers deserving damnation. This ambiguity has enormous implications for the history of Christian-Muslim relations because Muslims' treatment of Christians have depended upon which passages in the Qur'an they have emphasized.Thus Goddard describes some of the horrors that Muslims have committed against Christians. For instance, in 850 the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil demanded that Christians wear clothing identifying their religion, destroyed newly-built churches, and ordered that wooden devils be nailed to Christians' doors. But then the author tempers this portrayal by noting that Christians hadn't always lived with these restrictions, and that Muslims often treated Christians kindly. He quotes the caliph al-Ma'mun, who protected a Christian debater from his angry Muslim opponent in 829: "This is a court of justice and equity: none shall be wronged therein. So advance your arguments and answer without fear, for there is none here who will not speak well of you … Let everyone speak who has the wisdom to demonstrate the truth of his religion." This balanced portrayal of Muslim treatment of Christians sets Goddard's work apart from a book like Bat Yeor's The Decline of Eastern Christianity Under Islam. In her book, Yeor meticulously documents Muslim wrongs against Eastern Christians, but critics have argued that she covers only the worst examples without considering more positive encounters. In the course of his survey, Goddard makes some interesting claims about the history of Christian-Muslim relations. For example, he argues that Westerners initiated the Crusades in the Holy Land partly out of anger over the "Cordoban martyrs," a group of 48 Christians who were executed by Muslim rulers in Islamic Spain from 850 to 859 for desecrating Muhammad's name. Goddard does not deny other accepted reasons for the Crusades, such as the Western church's response to Islamic aggression against Byzantine Christians. But linking the Crusades to the Cordoban martyrs is definitely a novel approach. Goddard also outlines conflicting Protestant responses to Islam and suggests that American evangelicals in particular have opted for the confrontational approach of the American missionary Samuel Zwemer over the more irenic approach of English missionary Temple Gairdner (both of whom worked in Egypt in the late 19th and early 20th centuries). Gairdner believed that Christians could use Islamic thought as a bridge whereby missionaries could present Christianity as the fulfillment of Islam. In contrast, Zwemer believed that Islam was antithetical to Christianity and that missionaries should just stick to presenting the gospel to Muslims. If Goddard is right, the September 11 attacks have only deepened American evangelicals' antipathy toward Islam. Like any historian, Goddard writes from a particular perspective—but he is very clear about his own bias. "What is the best model for the future of the relationship between Christians and Muslims?" he asks. "In my view, it is the one described by Kenneth Cracknell that sees them as 'fellow-pilgrims to the truth that none of us has yet grasped in its immensity.' … Christians and Muslims are therefore, along with others, fellow-pilgrims on the route towards the perception of the truth, rather than either of them being, as some Christians and Muslims seem to like to think, already the proud possessors of the truth." That's not a theological position that evangelicals can embrace. But kudos to Goddard for giving us a book that appreciates nuance and portrays the complicated history of Christian-Muslim relations that so many of us might easily (and wrongly) simplify 10:58:19 AM Posted By citizen i Comments (3) News Comments wah-wah Friday, December 22, 2006 11:52:36 AM Citizen ji, yeh bhi aap ko maloom hona chahiye ki science ne kiya latest izaad kiya hai.suniye jara ARSHAD HUSSEIN ji ko:-This is a discovery of science: "We are very worried about that. We went to great lengths to make it clear to the men in the trial 'even if they are circumcised' that the protection is only partial. They are still going to have to practice safe sex.If men become complacent and believe that circumcision is highly protective and don't use safe sex, they will be in trouble. Safe sex will still be the mantra." Kya kehna hai iske baare men. Aap apni "DIVIDE" ki KAHANI kisi aur ko sunayo. Yahan 'war' lagi hai ki konsa mazhab supreme hai. ghodsawar Friday, December 22, 2006 6:10:04 PM lamba lawda choos! K.Venugopal Friday, December 22, 2006 9:06:50 PM Dear Citizen i, It is good of you to present a review of Gooddard's book. "Christians and Muslims are therefore, along with others, fellow-pilgrims on the route towards the perception of the truth, rather than either of them being, as some Christians and Muslims seem to like to think, already the proud possessors of the truth." This is a great quote of Kenneth Cracknell and I must say it encapsulates the vision of Vedanta. Kenneth Cracknell is truly a man of Christ.

Repeat of East India Co.?

Friday, December 22, 2006 Do you want repeat of East India Company 16th century fiasco ? Like you , I also received Happy X-mas Greetings. Hindus have always revered Jesus Christ in great esteem but Church is communal :-- http://www.ndtvblogs.com/views/viewcomments.asp?gl_guid=&q_blogid=6541&blogname=proudindia That is , all Missionaries are not good --some of them use only Money power to convert Hindus to Christians. So yesterday on 21st Dec ,2006 Himachal Govt also passed anti-conversion Bill . Hope this time Congressmen shall make no hue & cry as Virbhadra Singh is their CM ! Earlier , when Modi passed same in Gujrat , they tried to give it non-secular colour. All India parties should play no politics just for few alien votes but rather kick out Missionaries if they interfere with our Indian culture & traditions,. We don't want repeat of East India Company 16th century fiasco. http://www.ndtvblogs.com/views/viewblogs.asp?gl_guid=&ways=Y&blogname=Popesorry&q_userid=5778 At that time , they entered India in name of " missionary " and enslaved us ! 5:58:42 PM Posted By t reddy Comments (2) Politics Comments manishraj2 Friday, December 22, 2006 6:20:16 PM What is it that is wrong with conversion by money power? God is One - all of them say this. If missionaries can pay everyone following Hinduism and have them converted to Christianity - Let it be so. Half of us are dying of hunger...cannot read or write...what kind of life are they living anyway..If given a chance, I will be the first one to convert..But, I must get the right amount....Please reply to this comment if you have an answer...I will love to read your point of view. K.Venugopal Friday, December 22, 2006 8:50:41 PM Religious conversion is a phenomenon introduced by Christianity and ardently followed on by Islam. It is based on the premise, you are wrong and I am right and I alone am right. This is a pernicious theory. For Truth is nobody's monopoly. In Hinduism, the culture of conversion does not exist because it is a culture of acceptance - accepting that there are many ways to God and God appears in many ways. The rise of Christianity and Islam converted large areas of the world into regions of religions intolerance and the spectre is spreading. Now the time has come for the Hindus to broadcast its vision of religious freedom so that the “my-God-the-only-true-God” religions of Christianity and Islam do not turn the world into warring camps of Missionaries and Jehadis and ghettoize religions in the process. Let the Hindus intervene!

Make a difference

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 make a difference I have been working with street children for many years. I know funds are not a problem. There are many generous people who are willing to donate money, clothes, books etc. The problem is your time and physical presence with these children. They ask for not what u have but what u are. We can be of immense help to these direction-less children if we make little changes in our lifestyle. Spend your birthday, your friend’s birthday or your child’s birthday with these street children. You don’t have spend a lot of money on them. Just share whatever u have with them. You will bring a smile on their faces. Spend 2-3 hours in one whole week with these children. Just doing whatever u r good at doing. If u r a singer teach them songs, if u love painting encourage them to paint. Make them feel respected and wanted. Just sitting with them and sharing food with them makes lot of difference to them. Shaking hands to greet them and showing genuine interest in their talk makes them feel accepted. Indians ! please stop donating to Religious places. They have enough donations. The kind of funds a religious place like tirupati gets we all know. God has enough money he doesn’t need ours. Instead whenever we feel like donating let us buy some basic needs for these children . It is as good as donating at the temple. Let us make a difference. Small may be but a difference. 5:44:06 PM Posted By ujjwala pasla Comments (2) Society Comments Good work sir Wednesday, December 20, 2006 8:17:03 PM at some stage in my life, I will donate one million pounds for the upliftment of the children living on street. Keep on noble ork sir. I pray that you achieve all the sucess in your noble work. you will know me. I wish you all the best Sir K.Venugopal Thursday, December 21, 2006 9:20:00 PM Ujjwala, your suggestions are perfect. That's all that is required - take an interest in street children. You will then get involved and seek their upliftment. I am hardly an activist - I am simply an armchair philosopher. But I am inspired by Ujjwala. Let me see if I can move myself a bit.

Bombay calling - why do people blog?

Thursday, December 21, 2006 bombay calling - why do people blog? rasheeda called from delhi yesterday afternoon to tell me that somebody had put up a who is your favourite blogger question on ndtv and that i should read that. was pleasantly surprised to discover that some very kind words had been said by one of the respondents about my blog. thank you whoever you are - i owe you a dinner at a good restraunt. that made me think - why do people blog? after much thought, i have come up with three reasons which motivate people to experss themselves in cyberspace to an unknown audience dispersed in time and space. first, if you have something to sell, what better way to get free publicity by talking about your product via a blog? you are assured of a literate readership which may get sufficiently interested in your product to actually make a purchase. second, if you are obsessed with a cause, something which means a lot to you, blogging provides an excellent medium to put across your point of view. the social do gooders - the corruption fighters, the jessica lal supporters, etc. would fall in this category. finally, there are those who are lonely and need to share their thoughts with someone, anyone. the need to communicate, after all, is a fundamentally human need. i believe most bloggers, including yours truly, fall in this category. there is a satisfaction in sharing your thoughts with others in the hope thaat they will understand you. have a good day the middle manager 10:02:45 AM Posted By himanshu saxena Comments (2) Lifestyle Comments krishna Thursday, December 21, 2006 10:35:27 AM By krsna Khandelwal - A Stock Market Vedic Theory proponentDear Friends,The following scrips are analysed under Panch Tattva Teknik out of NIFTY-50 for your guidance and use :SymbolCMP(15/12)PT PointsStrategyTATASTEEL459.151186Buy moderately,book profit on surges and wait for next quarterly resultsIPCL280.51255Buy moderately,book profit on surges and wait for next quarterly resultsRCOM466.251109Buy on declines for long termSAIL82.751230Buy moderately,book profit on surges on half quantity and wait for next quarterly resultsHINDALC0177.951095Buy regularly,book profit on surges and wait for next quarterly resultsHEROHONDA737888Sell and wait for next quarterly resultsSBIN1264.45948Buy regularly,book profit on half quantity on surgesVSNL404.75832Wait for next quarterly resultsACC1060.41006Buy on declines regularly and wait for next quarterlyNATIONALUM 209.31234Buy regularly,book profit on surges and wait for next quarterly resultsITC174.651008Buy regularly and wait for next quarterly resultsSUZLON1303.7724AvoidCIPLA245.75819Wait for time beingABB3649.35780Wait for time beingWIPRO566.65925Sell and wait for next quarterly resultsRELIANCE1253.7919Buy on declines and book profit on surges and wait for next quarterly for long termHCLTECH622.2981Hold and wait for next quarterly resultsHari OmSTOCKBIRD - A Vedic Prescription for stock marketLabels: Panch Tattva: Recent K.Venugopal Thursday, December 21, 2006 9:09:30 PM Dear Himanshu, I think you've got it right.

Meditation

Thursday, December 21, 2006 meditation Hi everybody my name is Keshava rajneesh. i am very happy to join in this Blogs and spaces. i want to share something with u well from my childhood i am interested in meditation and i am reading books. In the way i have read vivekananda,Ramana maharshi, swami paramahamsa yogananda. But none of them gave me satisfaction or u can say my thirst didnt end i am reading everything and atlast i have found Osho (acharya rajneesh) oooh god he is amazing and damn extra ordinary. Wat a charming personality he is superb. I saw his face and fell in love with him. His eyes speaks, his words mesmarises and wat a beauty to read his books. i myself lost in those books. The way he speaks is very natural and practical. The methods of meditation he introduced is very helpful. once u do it u get the taste of wat meditation is. He speaks from sex to superconscious and every aspect. The way he see the things is amazing. wat i want to tell is get a book of OSHO atleast read a page for one day and ur life changes. And u will never be the same person. I want everybody to read his books and enjoy the freedom u get. Thanks for reading and i want urs feedback u can send ur mails to zen_theme@yahoo.com bye for now 1:14:19 PM Posted By keshava rajneesh Comments (1) Personals Comments K.Venugopal Thursday, December 21, 2006 4:12:06 PM Osho's writings take us to the heart of spirituality. Many others' books too do that. Preferences differ, of course - and freedom is all about perusing our preferences. The goal is to realize that we are free and enjoy our living (and dying).

Why is there so much tension in life today?

Thursday, December 21, 2006 Why there is so much tension in life today? Inspite of having every worldly goods still people are tense.They are better off than their parents were. Imagine the typical Indian middle class life about thirty /forty years back.Most were working in Government offices.So the working hours were from ten to five,saturday half day.The schools used to be from ten to four.There was enough time in the morning available to iron out the differences in the family.The minds used to be fresh after a good night's sleep and there was clarity of thinking because the morning hours. Switch to todays middle class society.There is no fixed working hours.The whole family is fighting with time.The mother gets up early in the morning for preparing breakfast and tiffin for the school going kid,he or she has to catch the 7 am school bus,the classes are from 8 am.The daughter is still sleeping as she works in a call centre.The man of the house is in a rush for his early hour meeting and may return after 7 pm.Now where is the time with this family to sit together and address the problems.The father gives advise on the fly without going into the depth of the problem.The mother can not be weaned out from watching her favourite soap opera in the TV or may be she also goes to the office.When the problem becomes real grave and some outsider points out so,then this family may sit together late in the night to discuss the problem.The nerves of every one is already frayed by the ordeal of the daily routine.Are they in their right frame of mind to take a decision on any crisis? According to me any decision taken in the night can not be balanced one and decisions taken under stress brings grief mostly. Can we have our mornings back? 1:21:25 PM Posted By s n roy Comments (4) Personals Comments Happy Thursday, December 21, 2006 3:13:53 PM EXCELLENT!!! It feels good to know that I am not the only one who feels this. Yes we need to have TIME. We AND THE CORPORATE sector needs to realize that a balance has to be struck in each individual's life. If there is imbalance in one's personal life the same will be reflected in one's work. cooldude Thursday, December 21, 2006 3:16:33 PM now some cell providers are advising the youth to talk in the night, cutting down on sleep as the night time rates are low...bus ho gaya..we are becoming zombie CS Thursday, December 21, 2006 4:28:45 PM some are night persons. some are not K.Venugopal Thursday, December 21, 2006 9:06:44 PM Zombies. That's a good one. Seriously, we have to find the peace within so that external conditions do not matter. Life is fulfiling under all circumstances. We always complain and wait for the right conditions which never seem to come.