by Nate
Out of all the work about Abrahamic religions I wrote on, I never got any opinions of the religions from anyone who has turned the religion into a profession. To gain another perspective, I went to St. Jude to interview my grandmother’s priest Tom Belleque. The questions I asked Tom were mainly about the Abrahamic religions as whole and his personal experiences with Christianity.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Islamophobia?
by Gloria
You’ve probably heard about the mosque being built at Ground Zero, but you might not know the details surrounding it. The plan was originally to build a 13-story building, complete with a swimming pool, as a cultural center for Muslims. The idea was Feisal Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan’s idea, they are both American Muslims. The plan was approved by the city council, but now due to protests and tension they may overturn their previous decision.
Many of the people opposing the mosque seriously think it will offend the families of those 3000 people that died in the 9/11 attacks, but some are just plain against Islam. They assume that their Muslim neighbors or co-workers are just like the terrorists involved in 9/11, or just like the independent terrorist bombers. This is an unfair and judgmental. Generalizing or stereotyping people is never okay, just like you don’t say “oh just because you’re black you’re a criminal”, you don’t say “oh you’re muslim, you must be a terrorist!”.
On the other hand, some protesters say that building a mosque at Ground Zero is like building a Japanese memorial on Pearl Harbor. It probably is offensive to people who’s loved ones died in the attacks. They say “build it anywhere, just not here”. But recently there have been protests against five different mosques being built, all around the country. This isn’t just about offending families of victims, it’s about people generalizing against Muslims and Islam. Islamophobia. Franklin Graham says Islam is “a religion of hatred. It’s a religion of war.” Protesters hold up signs that say things like “NO MEMORIAL TO TERRORISTS”. Others take passages of the Koran out of context and use them as proof this is true. They argue that Islam is not really a religion, so it should not be granted rights. Everybody’s read about neighbors suddenly becoming suspicious of their Muslim neighbors. All people should be able to express their opinion, just don’t harm others when you do.
Works Cited
Ghosh, Bobby. "Islamophobia." TIME 30 Aug. 2010: 20-26. Print.
Peyser, Andrea. "Mosque Madness at Ground Zero - NYPOST.com." New York News Gossip Sports Entertainment Photos - New York Post. 13 May 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mosque_madness_at_ground_zero_OQ34EB0MWS0lXuAnQau5uL/0
You’ve probably heard about the mosque being built at Ground Zero, but you might not know the details surrounding it. The plan was originally to build a 13-story building, complete with a swimming pool, as a cultural center for Muslims. The idea was Feisal Rauf and his wife Daisy Khan’s idea, they are both American Muslims. The plan was approved by the city council, but now due to protests and tension they may overturn their previous decision.
Many of the people opposing the mosque seriously think it will offend the families of those 3000 people that died in the 9/11 attacks, but some are just plain against Islam. They assume that their Muslim neighbors or co-workers are just like the terrorists involved in 9/11, or just like the independent terrorist bombers. This is an unfair and judgmental. Generalizing or stereotyping people is never okay, just like you don’t say “oh just because you’re black you’re a criminal”, you don’t say “oh you’re muslim, you must be a terrorist!”.
On the other hand, some protesters say that building a mosque at Ground Zero is like building a Japanese memorial on Pearl Harbor. It probably is offensive to people who’s loved ones died in the attacks. They say “build it anywhere, just not here”. But recently there have been protests against five different mosques being built, all around the country. This isn’t just about offending families of victims, it’s about people generalizing against Muslims and Islam. Islamophobia. Franklin Graham says Islam is “a religion of hatred. It’s a religion of war.” Protesters hold up signs that say things like “NO MEMORIAL TO TERRORISTS”. Others take passages of the Koran out of context and use them as proof this is true. They argue that Islam is not really a religion, so it should not be granted rights. Everybody’s read about neighbors suddenly becoming suspicious of their Muslim neighbors. All people should be able to express their opinion, just don’t harm others when you do.
Works Cited
Ghosh, Bobby. "Islamophobia." TIME 30 Aug. 2010: 20-26. Print.
Peyser, Andrea. "Mosque Madness at Ground Zero - NYPOST.com." New York News Gossip Sports Entertainment Photos - New York Post. 13 May 2010. Web. 06 Jan. 2011. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/mosque_madness_at_ground_zero_OQ34EB0MWS0lXuAnQau5uL/0
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Bahá'í Faith
by Stella
Have you ever heard of Bahá’í Faith? Chances are you know somebody who has. With over 5 million adherents in all parts of the world, people from all different religions are becoming Bahá’í.
The Bahá’í Faith started in the second half of the 1800s, with the birth of Baha’u’llah in what is now Iran. He realized he was a Messenger of God when he was thrown in a dungeon for giving up a royal life and following Bábism, the predecessor to Bahá’í Faith. He was exiled to Iraq, where he announced that he was the Messenger predicted by the Báb, the founder of Bábism. He was then exiled a second time from Iraq to Istanbul, and in the following years authored many scriptures describing his teachings. In 1892 Baha’u’llah died, leaving the religion to his son Abdu’l-Baha. Between then and now, Bahá’í Faith has gained many followers and created a local, national, and global democratic governing system.
The main theme of the Bahá’í Faith is unity. This includes unity between different races, classes, nations and any other traditional barrier. Other principles are that Baha’is must take part in daily prayer, refrain from partisan politics, have a profession or craft, and participate in a period of fasting. The Bahá’í faith considers males and females equal, and also prohibits non-medical drugs, gambling, and backbiting. A Baha’i’s lifetime is to be spent striving for all of these principles. Any form of community service or education is considered worship, and many Baha’is tutor, mentor or perform other types of service.
One interesting fact about the Bahá’í Faith is they have their own calendar. It starts on the 21st of March and each of the 19 months has 19 days, with 4 intercalary days (February 26th-March 1st) to make it line up with the solar calendar. On the first of each month there is a feast, and in the last month, (March 2nd –March 20th) all Baha’is aged 15-70 take part in a fast.
I really think this is an interesting religion. Its themes of unity and fairness are a breath of fresh air amidst all of the wars and murders that surround many other religions and their conflicts.
Works Cited
Baha'i Faith United States Official Website. Web. 03 Jan. 2011. http://www.bahai.us/
The Baha'i Faith- The International Website of the Baha'is of the World. Web. 03 Jan. 2011. http://www.bahai.org/
Have you ever heard of Bahá’í Faith? Chances are you know somebody who has. With over 5 million adherents in all parts of the world, people from all different religions are becoming Bahá’í.
The Bahá’í Faith started in the second half of the 1800s, with the birth of Baha’u’llah in what is now Iran. He realized he was a Messenger of God when he was thrown in a dungeon for giving up a royal life and following Bábism, the predecessor to Bahá’í Faith. He was exiled to Iraq, where he announced that he was the Messenger predicted by the Báb, the founder of Bábism. He was then exiled a second time from Iraq to Istanbul, and in the following years authored many scriptures describing his teachings. In 1892 Baha’u’llah died, leaving the religion to his son Abdu’l-Baha. Between then and now, Bahá’í Faith has gained many followers and created a local, national, and global democratic governing system.
The main theme of the Bahá’í Faith is unity. This includes unity between different races, classes, nations and any other traditional barrier. Other principles are that Baha’is must take part in daily prayer, refrain from partisan politics, have a profession or craft, and participate in a period of fasting. The Bahá’í faith considers males and females equal, and also prohibits non-medical drugs, gambling, and backbiting. A Baha’i’s lifetime is to be spent striving for all of these principles. Any form of community service or education is considered worship, and many Baha’is tutor, mentor or perform other types of service.
One interesting fact about the Bahá’í Faith is they have their own calendar. It starts on the 21st of March and each of the 19 months has 19 days, with 4 intercalary days (February 26th-March 1st) to make it line up with the solar calendar. On the first of each month there is a feast, and in the last month, (March 2nd –March 20th) all Baha’is aged 15-70 take part in a fast.
I really think this is an interesting religion. Its themes of unity and fairness are a breath of fresh air amidst all of the wars and murders that surround many other religions and their conflicts.
Works Cited
Baha'i Faith United States Official Website. Web. 03 Jan. 2011. http://www.bahai.us/
The Baha'i Faith- The International Website of the Baha'is of the World. Web. 03 Jan. 2011. http://www.bahai.org/
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Inside the Sant Nirankari Mission
by Gabbie
Our current research is focused on finding different perspectives inside and outside of our community. We started this off by interviewing a fellow student who is a member of the Sant Nirankari Mission, which seeks to unify people of all backgrounds and beliefs in the knowledge of God. I found the insight that she offered both informative and interesting, and am excited to share it with you.
First I asked her to explain some of the fundamentals of the Sant Nirankari Mission, and found out that she also had something to say about religious conflict:
“A paper is a piece of paper. You can call it papel, or cameo, or paper, or anything else in any different language. It's still paper. Similarly, everyone in the world worships the same God, just in different ways, in different forms, and under different names. Allah is the same as God is the same as Nirankar, etc. So why in the world are we fighting about it? This is the base ideal to the SNM. The SNM is trying to unify people under this belief. God is goodness, and love, and happiness, etc. God is not man or woman.
“Our satguru (kind of like our pope) is Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh Ji (say Baba Ji or Nirankari Baba Ji). He travels endlessly, not sleeping for days in order to help people come together and share their thoughts. He is a very good man. Satguru means someone who gives you the knowledge of truth, truth meaning the divine knowledge, or knowing where God is.
“One last thing: SNM isn't a religion. It's not a cult either. It's a mission to unite people from different cultures. The main theme is knowing God – know thyself and be one with God. Knowing God means you know that you are part of a higher spiritual presence. When you know God, you feel like you are part of the same God everyone else is part of.”
I also asked her a few more specific questions:
Q: Do you identify with a specific belief system?
”Being Nirankari doesn't mean you have to give up another religion. In fact, most Nirankaris identify with a specific religion. My mom is still a Hindu, and my dad is Secular Jewish. The SNM is still fairly new, so people from other religions are mainly the ones who join, as well as a new generation being born into the SNM. However, lots of Nirankari parents raise their kids into different religions, too. My sister and I can be classified as people who do not identify with specific religions. We do, however enjoy learning from many different practices.”
Q: Has religion affected other aspects of your life?
“Being a Nirankari is like waking from a dream – I know it sounds cliché, but it's really how I feel. At the satsungs (gatherings) we don't really talk about specific things that happened long in the past, like how in churches they might talk about the story of Moses. It's mainly stuff like morality, such as Miracles, Tolerance, The Effects of Our Actions, etc. Every time I see people uniting like that to just be humans, and not Hindus or Christians or Muslims or Jews, etc, I am able to picture the world as I know and love it. Being a Nirankari helps me to work towards the peace that I know can happen someday, and see the world as a beautiful miracle – that needs some tweaking, but then, what are we here for?”
Q: How do you feel about freedom of religion/religious equality here or anywhere else you have lived? Have you ever been treated differently because of religion or witnessed people you know being treated differently because of religion?
“The Midwest is a very nice place, but at least in South-Eastern Wisconsin, people are either Italian or German, Catholic or Lutheran, etc. People are all pretty much the same, and my family stuck out like a sore thumb. It was so amazing when I came here, with so many different types of people, of all races and religions. I really couldn't believe how varied society is here compared to over there, and consequently, I feel I fit in much better here – in Wisconsin, I was kind of shunned by a lot of people. My next-door neighbors were the kind of people who would send their kids to a Lutheran school an hour away from home, instead of the Blue Ribbon -- Lighthouse School that was literally 30 seconds away. Their kids, once discovering that we weren't Christians, tried to scare us into converting, and for a while, I was so scared that I believed them. They were so closed-minded, and they didn't even know what we did religiously! They weren't bad people, but in their minds, good=Christianity x 100. It really was pretty hard to play with them after that, especially when they started to turn our play dates into Sunday school.”
Works Cited
"About Us." Sant Nirankari Mission. Sant Nirankari Mandal, 2009. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. http://www.nirankari.com/
"The Sant Nirankari Mission." E-mail interview. 17 Dec. 2010.
Our current research is focused on finding different perspectives inside and outside of our community. We started this off by interviewing a fellow student who is a member of the Sant Nirankari Mission, which seeks to unify people of all backgrounds and beliefs in the knowledge of God. I found the insight that she offered both informative and interesting, and am excited to share it with you.
First I asked her to explain some of the fundamentals of the Sant Nirankari Mission, and found out that she also had something to say about religious conflict:
“A paper is a piece of paper. You can call it papel, or cameo, or paper, or anything else in any different language. It's still paper. Similarly, everyone in the world worships the same God, just in different ways, in different forms, and under different names. Allah is the same as God is the same as Nirankar, etc. So why in the world are we fighting about it? This is the base ideal to the SNM. The SNM is trying to unify people under this belief. God is goodness, and love, and happiness, etc. God is not man or woman.
“Our satguru (kind of like our pope) is Nirankari Baba Hardev Singh Ji (say Baba Ji or Nirankari Baba Ji). He travels endlessly, not sleeping for days in order to help people come together and share their thoughts. He is a very good man. Satguru means someone who gives you the knowledge of truth, truth meaning the divine knowledge, or knowing where God is.
“One last thing: SNM isn't a religion. It's not a cult either. It's a mission to unite people from different cultures. The main theme is knowing God – know thyself and be one with God. Knowing God means you know that you are part of a higher spiritual presence. When you know God, you feel like you are part of the same God everyone else is part of.”
I also asked her a few more specific questions:
Q: Do you identify with a specific belief system?
”Being Nirankari doesn't mean you have to give up another religion. In fact, most Nirankaris identify with a specific religion. My mom is still a Hindu, and my dad is Secular Jewish. The SNM is still fairly new, so people from other religions are mainly the ones who join, as well as a new generation being born into the SNM. However, lots of Nirankari parents raise their kids into different religions, too. My sister and I can be classified as people who do not identify with specific religions. We do, however enjoy learning from many different practices.”
Q: Has religion affected other aspects of your life?
“Being a Nirankari is like waking from a dream – I know it sounds cliché, but it's really how I feel. At the satsungs (gatherings) we don't really talk about specific things that happened long in the past, like how in churches they might talk about the story of Moses. It's mainly stuff like morality, such as Miracles, Tolerance, The Effects of Our Actions, etc. Every time I see people uniting like that to just be humans, and not Hindus or Christians or Muslims or Jews, etc, I am able to picture the world as I know and love it. Being a Nirankari helps me to work towards the peace that I know can happen someday, and see the world as a beautiful miracle – that needs some tweaking, but then, what are we here for?”
Q: How do you feel about freedom of religion/religious equality here or anywhere else you have lived? Have you ever been treated differently because of religion or witnessed people you know being treated differently because of religion?
“The Midwest is a very nice place, but at least in South-Eastern Wisconsin, people are either Italian or German, Catholic or Lutheran, etc. People are all pretty much the same, and my family stuck out like a sore thumb. It was so amazing when I came here, with so many different types of people, of all races and religions. I really couldn't believe how varied society is here compared to over there, and consequently, I feel I fit in much better here – in Wisconsin, I was kind of shunned by a lot of people. My next-door neighbors were the kind of people who would send their kids to a Lutheran school an hour away from home, instead of the Blue Ribbon -- Lighthouse School that was literally 30 seconds away. Their kids, once discovering that we weren't Christians, tried to scare us into converting, and for a while, I was so scared that I believed them. They were so closed-minded, and they didn't even know what we did religiously! They weren't bad people, but in their minds, good=Christianity x 100. It really was pretty hard to play with them after that, especially when they started to turn our play dates into Sunday school.”
Works Cited
"About Us." Sant Nirankari Mission. Sant Nirankari Mandal, 2009. Web. 17 Dec. 2011. http://www.nirankari.com/
"The Sant Nirankari Mission." E-mail interview. 17 Dec. 2010.
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