Pagans to Worship at Acropolis in Defiance of Christian Precedent

Athens, Grece~A small group of pagans pledged Thrusday to hold a protest prayer among the ruined Acropolis temples, more than 1500 years after Christians stamped out worship of the ancient Greek gods.  A group spokeswoman said that the worshippers will pray Sunday to Athena, goddess of wisdom and patron of ancient Athens.

*AZ Republic 8/29/2008

This is great.  We're standing up and going public.  Hopefully, this will be the start of more (peaceful) Pagan gatherings around the world in honor of our own God/dess(s).  With the hold of Christianity beginning to slip and the (more) open-mindedness of most of the world population, this is a perfect opportunity to declare ourselves as a legitimate, viable religious group!  Rock on, Pagans!

There is an article in the AZ Republic this morning titled, Iranian Youth Embrace Self-Help.  Looks like the youth of Iran are turning away from religion and learning how to be pro-active in their own lives.  The article tells of one young man:

 When Hassan Bakhitiar couldn't find a job last year, his mother told him to pray and read the Quran.  Instead, the 25-year-old aerospace engineer dropped in on a packed appearance by Alireza Azmandian, Iran's most famous motivational speaker and self-help guru.  Now, he meditates by staring at a flickering candle and chants Azmandian's inspirational chtch phrases.  "Religion doesn't offer me answers any more"

The article goes on to say that 70% of the coun'try's 65 million people are under 30 and they are "disenchanted" by with Iran's strict theocratic regime.  It says that other countries in the Middle East with similar demographics like Egypt and Turkey, they youth are turning to their Muslim faith for comfort but in Iran, the mostly well-educated youth are more likely to seek other options like yoga, self-help books and meditation.

"The regime presumed it could mold the society into whatever shape and form it wanted, but we are seeing the opposite take place.  The younger generation is turning away from conventional religion and tradition."

I'm glad that the next generation in Iran is looking to move their country forward.  I had read somewhere that a body can't move if half of it is paralyzed.  That's exactly what's happened in some of these Middle Eastern countries.  They've "paralyzed" the women under the guise of protection.  A century ago, this may have worked and been admirable but no longer.  The youth are realizing that and are doing something about it.  What I find really heartning is that they are seeking to do it with in their own country!  They aren't moving away and protesting from afar.  That's what I like about what's happening.  The government will usually crack down on behavoir that it deems un-Islamic but so far, the government is letting this play out with little or no interference from them.  Another good sign.  I'll finish this with a final quote from Azmandian from one of his seminars:

"I have control over my life, not God and not the regime.  Think of yourself as an eagle and not as a pigeon."

There was an article in the AZ Republic this morning entitled, "A Voice Against Hatred:  Pontiff poised to visit U.S. fostering peace dialogue among religions".  I had my doubts early in the article.  Pope Benedict is not one who really understands the peace process.  He quoted a Byzintine priest in regards to the Muslims and then back-peddled faster than the speed of sound.  I DO, however, see signs of the fledgeling idea of peace that were stated in the article.  For instance:

Saudi King, Abdullah issued a call for Christian, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders to begin a dialogue about the world's suffering.  Abdullah said he has been distressed the past couple of years by a crisis that "has caused an imbalance in religion, in ethics and in all of humanity".

Riyadh government called for refresher courses for Saudi Arabia's 40,000 imams to encourage a core moderate interpretation of Islam and to discourage extremists.

In Indonesia, home to the world's largest Muslim population, Christian and Muslim leaders recently met, along with Hindu and Buddhist representatives, to discuss how the world's religions might work together.  More than 30 Islamic educators meeting in Jakarta issued an appeal to begin educating young Muslims men in more accurate ways.  That is, without justification for violence.

WELL FINALLY!

Later in the article, the columnist said that although other religious leaders want to discuss the shared love of God as is present in all [monotheistic] religions, Benedict is insisting on human rights and the "most fundamental of which is freedom of conscience."

He does have a point.  All kinds of horrible things have been done to people under the guise of "God's Love".  The real question is how to reconcile human actions and each religions' concept of what's acceptable under the "God is Love" umbrella.  Although it's nice to think that something can be worked out, I can't forget that the Catholic church and various Muslim immams have led the charge to war, torture and death becuase others called God by a different name and/or had a different divine prophecy.  Of couse, we have to start somewhere and "love" is a good place to start.

The article ends with:  "His (Benedict's) essential message, if only inferred, will be that the ultimate test of any given faith is the freedom to choose or reject it without fear or persecution."

Well said.

Invasion-of-Privacy Suit Against Chruch Goes to Trial

Baltimore~A jury trial begins today in an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed by the family of a fallen Marine whose funeral was picketed by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church.  The chruch says servicemen's deaths are God's punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality.

Source:  AZ Republic Monday October 22, 2007

I mean REALLY!!  What kind of mind comes up with this stuff?

I found this in my news paper this morning...very troubling!

Uprooting of Lime Trees For Papal Visit Assailed

Vienna, Austria~Four stately lime trees ceremoniously planted near a popular Roman Catholic shrine in 1983 for a visit to Austria by then-Pope John Paul II are being uprooted to make way for a large grandstand for next month's pilgrimage by Pope Benedict XVI.

Enviromentalists have criticized the action, but church and municipal officials are playing down the trees' significance.

"This shows the hypocrisy of the church," said Lambert Schoenleitner, a spokesman for the enviromentalist Green Party.

Source: AZ Republic 8/15/07