Welcome to Religious Rambles!
Here you will find articles and information that I find as I enjoy my love of learning about religions. I hope that you'll not only read what I write but also share YOUR perspective!
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Thursday, December 08, 2005
May all of you have an enlightening Bodhi Day!
On our holiday blog calendar, you will find that today is the Buddhist holiday of Bodhi day.
It celebrates the day that Prince Gautama Siddhartha achieved enlightenment, and became the original Buddha.
The basic things he learned that day were the Four Noble Truths and the Eight-Fold Path.
The Four Noble Truths are:
1. Suffering is universal. No one escapes.
2. The cause of suffering is ignorance. Ignorance of self is the greatest ignorance.
3. Ignorance can be overcome.
4. The way to overcome ignorance is the Eightfold Path
The Eightfold Path includes:
- Right Views means to keep ourselves free from prejudice, superstition and delusion... and to see aright the true nature of life.
- Right Thoughts means to turn away from the hypocrisies of this world and to direct our minds toward Truth and Positive Attitudes and Action.
- Right Speech means to refrain from pointless and harmful talk... to speak kindly and courteously to all.
- Right Conduct means to see that our deeds are peaceable, benevolent, compassionate and pure... and to live the Teachings daily.
- Right Livelihood means to earn our living in such a way as to entail no evil consequences. To seek that employment to which can give our complete enthusiasm and devotion.
- Right Effort means to direct our efforts continually to the overcoming of ignorance and craving desires.
- Right Mindfulness means to cherish good and pure thoughts, for all that we say and do arises from our thoughts.
- Right Meditation means to concentrate on the Oneness of all life and the Buddhahood that exists within all beings.
I got this information from Heronwing's Site, and The Buddhist Temple of Chicago.
I find it interesting that I can't find any blogs where people are celebrating this day. I'll keep searching though!
Posted at 11:47 am by JanaBanana
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Tuesday, December 06, 2005
This is a beside-the-point thought, but I found a NEAT post in Hatshepsut's Blog about the the celebration of Advent in Iceland. Did you know that they light advent candles that are shaped like a Jewish menorah? Check out her blog to find out the story of how this came to be.
Posted at 10:54 am by JanaBanana
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Now, this may seem like a silly question to a US Citizen, raised in a Christian home, the grandaughter of a Methodist pastor.
But no, I have no clue what advent truly is.
While roaming the internet in search of answers, here are the interesting things I've found:
Advent seems to be kinda like the Christian season of Lent... which, we never celebtrated that either, so no help there LOL
It seems that Advent is just the four weeks before Christmas, and is kind of a time of preparing yourself for the celebration of Christ's birth.
Some families seem to light a candle on an advent wreath each night of the advent season. Isn't that a fire hazard? Others have an advent calander, where you can see different things each day of the season.
So, my question to you, my devoted bloggers, is what is Advent to YOU? Do you celebrate it? If so, how?
Posted at 10:50 am by JanaBanana
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Monday, December 05, 2005
Building Bridges through Books
I read the NEATEST article today.
http://csmonitor.com/2005/1130/p14s02-lire.html
Women of three faiths (Christian, Jewish, Muslim) meet together in an interfaith bookclub called Daughters of Abraham. Not only have they learned a lot about the religions, but they have also formed friendships and even traveled together.
Talk about a way to promote peace!
I wish with all my heart that I had the knowledge, the connections, and the courage to start one of those here.
Posted at 02:50 pm by JanaBanana
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Friday, December 02, 2005
Happy Holidays everyone!
This blog began when I started a little project last year in my main blog. I decided then to spotlight different religions on my blog, learn about them, and invite bloggers of other religions to post their thoughts. It went decently but my friends were of course, more interested in hearing about my daily life. So, this blog became a seperate entity.
So, that being said...
It's the holiday season once again, so lets begin BLOGGIN THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS!!!!! Tune in each couple of days to see what religious holidays are occuring, and learn random facts about other religions. Meet bloggers of other faiths, post your opinions about different religious topics, and just generally enjoy your time here!
Posted at 01:06 pm by JanaBanana
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Saturday, November 26, 2005
Teaching about other Religions is bad?
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/localnews/ci_3234012
"SAN FRANCISCO — Christian students and parents cannot sue a school district where some seventh-graders pretended to be Muslims for three weeks during a course in world history, a federal appeals court ruled Thursday.
They reviewed the method used by one teacher in Byron, in Contra Costa County, four years ago to teach the unit on Muslim history, culture and religion that is part of the state's seventh-grade history curriculum.
Brooke Carlin encouraged her students to play at being Muslims — adopt Muslim names, recite a line from a prayer and give up candy or television to simulate fasting, for example. Students were permitted to opt out. On the final exam they were asked to critique elements of Muslim culture. "
I find this article to be very interesting, but not NEARLY as interesting as other bloggers opinions about it.
What is wrong with students actively learning about a minority religion rapidly growing in our country? Yes, I agree that having them recite prayers might be taking it a bit far, but there WAS an opt out for the prayers. There's nothing wrong with learning about Muslims names, or about what fasting is!
Evidently some disagree with me though. Want to see their opinions? Here are a couple I found, and I'll post more if I find them. In The Bullpin
Cardinal Martini
The Colossus of Rhodey
OH and I found another blog with a history of the issue... DEFINATELY check this one out!!!
The Revealer
Posted at 09:58 am by JanaBanana
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Monday, November 07, 2005
Goodness, long time no blog eh? Life's been crazy here.
I found an article on MSN today about the fashion industry's latest attempts at selling to wealthy Muslim women who choose hijab, which generally means wearing a scarf on their head and for some it includes wearing abayas (full-length gown things).
http://www.slate.com/id/2128906/?GT1=7407
I think it's pretty neat that they are coming up with cute ways for Muslim women to obey their convictions while still looking cute. (Tho with the kind of prices they charge, I could pay the adoption fees to adopt a foreign orphan!!!! LOL)
Anyone else have an opinion?
The author had a neat quote in the article... "I'm a Muslim woman, but I don't cover my hair except when I go into mosques with a hoodie over my head in a look I call "ghetto hijab.""
Ghetto hijab!!!!! Hahaha I love that!
Posted at 02:46 pm by JanaBanana
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Thursday, September 08, 2005
Is Islam Compatible with the West?
Today the BBC News ran an interesting article about the culture clash between the values of traditional Islam and the culture of western nations.
To me, it seems that the clash will either "Make or Break" the faith of Muslim youth growing up in the rest. You can see the article for yourself at:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4204820.stm
It looks like the BBC will also be airing some documentaries in the near future about this topic... it's one of the few times I actually wish I could see the broadcasting from the UK!
Posted at 11:44 am by JanaBanana
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Wednesday, September 07, 2005
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/62005a.asp
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2005/04/29/arrested_father_had_point_to_make/
http://www.article8.org/docs/news_events/parker/main.htm
Recently we've seen a movement towards educating kids about homosexuality and transgenderism in school. The question facing us now is, "Should parents be notified when this subject is discussed?"
One Lexington man said yes, and is now causing an eruption in the school district.
He brings up some valid questions though: Should schools be teaching moral values to our children? Should children be taught in a public school that homosexuals should not only be kept safe and treated with respect, but also that their lifestyle is a morally right choice? Should parents have the right to sit in on classes where this will be taught? Should parents be notified of upcoming discussions of this nature? Should parents be allowed to have their children "opt-out" of these discussions?
Give me your thoughts, and we'll watch in the next few days to see how the case progresses.
Posted at 12:13 pm by JanaBanana
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Thursday, September 01, 2005
In recent efforts to stop the spread of terrorism, many schools, universities, and even entire countries have begun to place restrictions on what types of religious symbols can be worn.
Last year France passed a law banning "signs and dress that conspicuously show the religious affiliation of students," but many believe it voilates basic human rights:
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/02/26/france7666.htm
Several French students were expelled for breaking this rule:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2004/10/muslim-girls-expelled-from-french.php
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2004/11/french-school-expels-three-sikh-boys.php
And some have come up with unique ways to adapt:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/this_world/4352171.stm
In November of last year, three boys were expelled from a Malaysian school for wearing turbans. The government doesn't allow the wearing of any religious symbols in order to have peace between their different religious groups in the country, and also to slow the spread of Conservative Islam. (Since when is stopping the spread of religion a government's responsibility?):
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2005/01/danish-court-allows-employer-to-ban.php
In January of this year, a Danish supermarket chain was allowed to prohibit their employees from wearing headscarves:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2005/01/danish-court-allows-employer-to-ban.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4196497.stm
After a region in Germany prohibited Muslim teachers from wearing headscarves, the rule backfired when a court ruled that Catholic nuns also had to remove THEIR headscarves:
http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2004/10/german-high-court-headscarf-ban.php
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4005931.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3731368.stm
Turkey for many years has prohibited headscarves in universities, despite the fact that the majority of the Turkish people disagree with the law:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4292771.stm
So what do you all think about these rulings? I think that they will only ENCOURAGE terrorism. The last thing that prospective terrorists need is legitimate reasons to cause trouble, and unfair laws to use to convince people to take drastic actions to preserve their freedoms.
Also as a pentecostal female, who does not cut her hair, and will not wear pants, I wonder how these types of decisions effect Pentecostals in countries such as France. Will I one day have to battle not only my individual school, but also the legislation of my country, in order to preserve my sons or daughters right to wear what they believe is pleasing to God?
Posted at 01:39 pm by JanaBanana
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