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Animal Sacrifice by Hindus at Gadhimai Fair in Nepal – Thoughts and Reactions
Interesting opinion piece on the Ghadamai (Nepal) sacrifice, going on now. The author rejects animal sacrifice as a false interpretation of Hindu teaching, but blames middle-class, educated Indian Hindus for failing to spread true teachings among rural communities, often seen as backward, primitive, and embarrassing.
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It is easy to blame the animal sacrificing Hindu as uneducated, superstitious believing in witchcraft and tantrics. Educated Hindus impatiently tries to distance from such events and talk loftily about Yoga, Upanishads and the scientific achievements of ancient Hindus.
The real culprits here are educated Hindus, modern day Hindu Gurus and Saints, Hindu leaders, Hindu organizations and the government. Majority of the Gurus and Saints are only interested in working among the middle class and the rich. The Gurus go all the way to talk about Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita in
Only a few Hindu organizations work in rural
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You can never blame a Hindu who goes to sacrifice an animal for personal wish fulfillment or as a thanksgiving for his/her prayers heard. Because he/she comes from areas in
Robert Jensen, "How I Stopped Hating Thanksgiving and Learned to Be Afraid," CommonDreams.org (Nov. 15, 2009)
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I realize now that "hate" is the wrong word to
describe my emotional reaction to the holiday. I am afraid of Thanksgiving.
More accurately, I am afraid of what Thanksgiving tells us about both the
dominant culture and much of the alleged counterculture. -
Here's what I think it tells us: As
a society, the United States
is intellectually dishonest, politically irresponsible, and morally bankrupt.
This is a society in which even progressive people routinely allow national and
family traditions to trump fundamental human decency. It's a society in
which, in the privileged sectors, getting along and not causing trouble are
often valued above honesty and accountability.
Kimberly Daniels, "The Danger of Celebrating Halloween: Spiritual Life in God," Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN.com), undated (Oct. 2009?)
There was a press release from Americans United on this (http://j.mp/rC2Dya ). Originally published in Charisma magazine.
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During this period demons are assigned against those who participate in the rituals and festivities. These demons are automatically drawn to the fetishes that open doors for them to come into the lives of human beings. For example, most of the candy sold during this season has been dedicated and prayed over by witches.
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Mother earth is highly celebrated during the fall demonic harvest. Witches praise mother earth by bringing her fruits, nuts and herbs. Demons are loosed during these acts of worship. When nice church folk lay out their pumpkins on the church lawn, fill their baskets with nuts and herbs, and fire up their bonfires, the demons get busy. They have no respect for the church grounds. They respect only the sacrifice and do not care if it comes from believers or non-believers.
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Sharon Begley, "Ignoring the Evidence: Why Do Psychologists Reject Science?," Newsweek.com (Oct. 2, 2009)
Begley doesn't exactly answer the question, but I have some theories, and I suspect it has to do with people's convictions about why human experience is meaningful. I think the disconnect here comes from neglecting what many people, for lack of a better term, might think of as the "spiritual" dimension of their lives. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, as powerful as it has been proven to be, does not satisfy people's desire (both client and therapist) to find narrative resolution, emotional depth, and a sense of meaningful purpose in their suffering. Of course, the same could be said about drugs, and they're obviously very popular, so my gut may be totally wrong on this.
RELIGION IN AMERICAN HISTORY: In Guns We Trust
A great piece by historian Jon Pahl reflecting on the murder of Meleanie Hain, the Lebanon, PA mother who became a gun rights cause celebre when she open-carried her loaded pistol at her five-year-old's soccer game. (The local sheriff subsequently revoked her permit for showing "poor judgment; a judge reinstated it.) Hain was recently killed in her home by her husband, who was also a gun enthusiast.
Monica Yant Kinney: Firearms the problem, not answer | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/11/2009
Meleanie Hain, an unusual character (she was a Hare Krishna) who became famous for bringing a loaded pistol to her five-year-old daughter's soccer game about a year ago, was shot and killed by her husband, also a gun enthusiast, in their home last Friday (Oct. 9, 2009). The children reportedly ran from the house shouting, "Daddy shot mommy!" The husband then committed suicide with a shotgun. So much for guns keeping you safe.
Project to eliminate liberal language from the Bible - thestar.com
The Toronto Star actually interviewed Andrew Schlafly for this piece.
Under God: God's Liberal (or Conservative) Bias - David Waters
David Waters (a blogger for the WaPo's On Faith) mocks the Conservative Bible Project.
Frank Rich, "Even Glenn Beck Is Right Twice a Day," The New York Times (Sept. 19, 2009)
Frank Rich on why Democrats should be paying attention to Glenn Beck. This is actually a really good opinion piece.
Working Class Zero - Timothy Egan Blog - NYTimes.com
From the article: "For average Americans, the last 10 years were a lost decade. At the end of President George W. Bush’s eight years in office, American households had less money and less economic security, and fewer of them were covered by health care than 10 years earlier, the Census Bureau reported in its annual survey.... [T]he decline started before the collapse in the housing and financial sectors — and it was calculated, in the eyes of some. Harvard economist Lawrence Katz called it “a plutocratic boom.” If anything comes close to defining the era, that would be my nomination. President Bush cut $1.3 trillion in taxes — and the biggest beneficiaries by far were the top 1 percent of earners. At the same time, Wall Street was inflated by the helium of a regulation-free economy that eventually gave us Bernie Madoff and banks begging for bailouts."
A Virtual Revolution Is Brewing for Colleges - washingtonpost.com
Traditional higher education's days are numbered, according to this article. My response is, basically, "says you." I don't see a lot of evidence here.
Maureen Dowd, "Boy, Oh, Boy" (op-ed on Obama and race), NYTimes.com (Sept. 13, 2009)
Jim Clyburn, a Democratic House member from South Carolina, talking about the attacks on Obama: "A lot of these outbursts have to do with delegitimizing him as a president... In South Carolina politics, I learned that the olive branch works very seldom... You have to come at these things from a position of strength. My father used to say, 'Son, always remember that silence gives consent.'"
Gerald Graff's advice to new college students
From the piece: "1. Recognize that knowing a lot of stuff won't do you much good unless you can do something with what you know by turning it into an argument. 2. Pay close attention to what others are saying and writing and then summarize their arguments and assumptions in a recognizable way. Work especially on summarizing the views that go most against your own. 3. As you summarize, look not only for the thesis of an argument, but for who or what provoked it -- the points of controversy. 4. Use these summaries to motivate what you say and to indicate why it needs saying. Don't be afraid to give your own opinion, especially if you can back it up with reasons and evidence, but don't disagree with anything without carefully summarizing it first... [T]he better you get at entering the conversation by summarizing it and putting in your own oar, the more you'll get out of your college education."
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