religion

92 posts

10 days ago

The ancient empire of Ahasuerus "who reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia" was a polygot with multiple religions. Before Haman achieved promotion the evidence of Biblical silence indicates that rule was not uneven, and politics, if not separated from religion, was tolerant.

But the peaceful separation of politics and religion ended due to Haman's presumption. Haman presumed arrogantly that he was special and all other people had to do as he wanted. Haman had no tolerance for other customs based on religion. Mordecai made a relevant defence for his actions of not prostrating himself before Haman, based on ideals that would be acceptable a tolerant regime. But Haman took a personal political issue of pride and made it a national religious issue.

But it seemed contemptible in his eyes to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai; wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. (Esther 3:6)

It is clear the fact that Jews didn't prostrate themselves to officials due to religion, became a political issue. It hadn't been an issue before Haman came along. Notice how Haman expresses it,

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An Antipodean Middle East

Law and Society Middle EastBy Dabar

7 weeks ago

Segments of the Australian Media are quick to notice events overseas.

Australians are from nearly everywhere, and some retain interest in the old homeland. Over the years due to their situation in Egypt there has been a small but steady arrival of Copts to Australia. On the government funded ABC news on the 8th of January (the very next day) it was noted that in Egypt Coptic Christians had protested the Christmas killing on the 7th of January, and also this detail of the subsequent protest,

In the hours after the shooting, police clashed with more than 1,000 Christians protesting outside the church.
The protesters smashed the windows of shops owned by Muslims before police intervened, using tear gas and firing into the air to disperse the crowd. www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/08/2787892.htm

An editorial in the Sydney Morning Herald commented,

The fundamentalist voices of some Copts living in the West, especially the US and Canada, pressuring Western governments to interfere in Egyptian domestic politics, leads to a scenario where Copts in Egypt are seen as Western colluders and in turn bear the brunt of disgruntled local elements as well as blatant institutional discrimination.

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Lunatics say Haiti "deserved" the Earthquake

World Affairs Politics & OpinionsBy mattwion

7 weeks ago

Pat Robertson has now said that Haiti was punished by God for making a pack with the devil. Limbaugh and others have said equally abominable things.

This is clearly lunacy, seething hatred, and flagrant irrationality. It's time for the far Right Cranks to stop!

These men worship so vile a deity and are so disgusting, inhumane, and contemptible ... I'll stop there, the following video speaks for itself.

VILLIANS!!!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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That Mystery - Cricket?

Entertainment HumorBy DerekHaines

8 weeks ago

For those of you not born into the religion of cricket, which I imagine may be most of you, I would like to take a moment to introduce you to my passion. Cricket.

Now for a start, you need to understand that a single game of international test cricket takes five full days of 6 hours each to complete. That’s right, thirty hours! Then at the end there can be a winner and loser, but very often just a shake of hands and the game is declared a draw. And a series is normally five matches. Yes, good work. 25 days! Are you still awake?

It takes this long because it is necessary to take all ten wickets of the opposing team, twice, before you can win. Oh, and of course you need more runs than your opposition, but this is really a bit secondary to taking the twenty wickets. In between all this, there are breaks for lunch of course, and a wonderful little break in the afternoon called tea. What other game stops for tea? English breakfast is a favourite.

The bowling team of eleven plays against the batting team. There are two batsmen at a time, so that is eleven against two. Not counting the umpires. There is always a debate about which team they are on. Then when ten wickets have been taken they swap around. So far pretty easy.

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FAQ on VEDAS

Counseling Self ManagementBy agniveer

2 months ago

An essential FAQ to understand the VEDAS. Must read for everyone seeking answers to various questions of life. Related posts:

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The Silent Partner

Counseling Self ManagementBy Irene Watson

2 months ago

A few days after Christmas, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Family.

Don’t worry. I’m not going to preach religion here. But I do want to take a minute to focus on that family. Especially, I want to talk about Joseph.

Jesus gets all the glory. Mary gets her fair share too.

But what about Joseph? We hardly know anything about him. And yet, from the few details, what a remarkable man he must have been. He gets betrothed to Mary, only later to find out she’s pregnant, and not with his child. You can’t blame him for wanting to get rid of her then, but once he realizes it’s God’s baby, he stays silent and sticks by her.

For the rest of his life, Joseph is on the sidelines. He doesn’t get to preach or change the world. He doesn’t get to ascend into Heaven like Jesus or Mary. He just plays the silent partner in the relationship. He takes them to Egypt to protect them. When it’s safe to come home, he provides for them, working in his carpentry shop.

Joseph “manned” up to his role. It wasn’t his child. He could have easily dumped Mary. Instead, he patiently does what is required of him by God and for his family. He doesn’t argue. He doesn’t object. He just does what needs to be done. He doesn’t ask for anything in return. If we believe the Catholic Church that Mary was ever-virgin, then Joseph gave up some other things besides recognition as well.

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