Archive
Reuters blog archive
from The Great Debate UK:
Interfaith centre at New York 9/11 site sparks controversy
- Mark Kobayashi-Hillary is the author of several books, including ‘Who Moved my Job?’ and ‘Global Services: Moving to a Level Playing Field’. The opinions expressed are his own. -
Not every Muslim is a terrorist, but every terrorist who attacked the U.S. on 9/11 was a Muslim.
That’s the kind of aphorism being bounced around the Internet because of the news that a nineteenth-century building located close to Ground Zero in New York may be demolished to make way for a community and cultural centre aimed at improving relations between Islam and the West.
Naturally the new building will include a mosque and there is outrage on the blogs and social networks after a three-hour hearing of New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission this week.
from Oddly Enough Blog:
What the Hell is that sound?
Blog Guy, can you answer a theological question for me?
I don't see why not.
Do you think there's music in Hell?
I know for certain there is, and I have a very clear vision of what the big orchestra there sounds like. It's not like anything you'd find on earth.
Oh! Tell me, tell me!
Well, let's see. Looking at the stage, over on the left I see a huge accordion section, and on the right it's bagpipes. Hundreds of them.
from FaithWorld:
Afghan Hindus and Sikhs grapple with uncertain future
(Photo: Kabul, December 30, 2009/Marko Djurica)
They thrived long before the arrival of Islam in the seventh century and for a long time dominated the country's economy, but Sikh and Hindu Afghans now find themselves struggling for survival.
"We have no shelter, no land and no authority," says Awtar Singh, a senator and the only non-Muslim voice in Afghanistan's parliament. "No one in the government listens to us, but we have to be patient, because we have no other options," says the 47-year-old Sikh.
from FaithWorld:
Report from Tibet: “We believe in Buddhism, Chinese believe in nothing”
Tibet is richer and more developed than it has ever been, its people healthier, more literate, and better dressed and fed. But the bulging supermarkets, snappy new airports and gleaming restored temples of this remote and mountainous region cannot hide broad contradictions and a deep sense of unhappiness among many Tibetans that China is sweeping away their culture.
(Photo: A Tibetan woman spins her praying wheel as she walks around the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, March 10, 2010/China Daily)
Beijing has spent freely to bring development to restless Tibet, part of a grand strategy to win over the proudly Buddhist people by improving their standard of living. Lhasa is starting to look like any other middle-tier Chinese city, with the same fast food outlets and mobile phone stores, and the same unimaginative architecture.
from FaithWorld:
Austrian priests critical of Rome, want marriage allowed
The Catholic Church is stuck in the past and has handled the recent sexual abuse scandal poorly, according to a rare survey of 500 priests in Austria, which also showed a majority in favour of allowing them to marry and for women to become priests.
Vienna’s Cardinal Christoph Schönborn was rebuked by the Vatican on Monday for accusing a top official of covering up sexual abuse, but it appears he is not the only Austrian to question how Rome has handled the issue.
from AxisMundi Jerusalem:
Giving no quarter, Jerusalem’s Armenians keep flame alive
The rare sense of space and calm that marks out the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City is both its blessing and its curse. The acquisition of the land, and construction of the beautiful St. James Cathedral at its heart, speaks volumes for the abilities of this small ethnic diaspora from the Caucasus to secure favour from the Ottoman sultans who partitioned the walled holy city in the hope of a bit of peace from religious rivalries.
But the limited, and shrinking population of the Armenians has made their Quarter an object of envy and desire for other groups, not least the fast-expanding Jewish Quarter next door, which has been massively rebuilt during 43 years of Israeli control after being ravaged during the period of Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967.
from Fan Fare:
Hollywood and religion. Double standards, or fair game for satire?
Should all religions be taboo when it comes to comedy and satire?
Comedy Central -- the same TV network that managed to both anger and bow to Muslim sensibilities in April by airing and later censoring a "South Park" episode portraying the Prophet Mohammad -- is now at the center of a pre-e
mptive storm over plans to develop a comedy show about Jesus.
A new coalition of family and religious groups Citizens Against Religious Bigotry has called on Comedy Central not to air the animated series "JC" and asked advertisers to refuse to sponsor it.
from FaithWorld:
Western aid groups deny religious agenda in Afghanistan
Two Western aid organisations have denied allegations they were engaged in Christian proselytising in Afghanistan after the government suspended their activities following a television report. Church World Service and Norwegian Church Aid said they had been operating in Afghanistan for decades and their work was entirely humanitarian.
"Norwegian Church Aid has no mandate to influence people's religious beliefs in any part of the world -- neither in Afghanistan," the organisation said on its website.
from Good, Bad, and Ugly:
Not a new idea?
Visitors banned from Kashmir's "Jesus" shrine
The idea that Jesus survived crucifixion and visited Kashmir was first raised in the 1973 book "Christ in Kashmir," by local journalist Aziz Kashmiri. Several other books followed it.
First raised in a 1973 book? Mirza Ghulam Ahmad wrote about how Jesus survived crucifixion, migrated to Kashmir, died and was buried at the Shrine at Rozabal, in his book "Jesus in India" in 1896.
from India Insight:
Of sex swamis, lies and videotape
The recent scandals over two spiritual gurus have shaken the collective faith of their followers in India.
The sanctity of religions or the people's faith is not being questioned but these controversies put the spotlight on the uniquely Indian phenomenon of mortals given the status of gods.
