This film was created to inspire participation in a GLOBAL Awakening that has the potential to change the world. This event is the SOLAR WAVE. This event takes place at Equinox and Solstice Sunrises. WHY, You ask? Because the fate of our planet, and the quality of life for all living things is in our hands. PARADISE is in OUR HANDS! More at www.kachina.net Thanks to the contributors of this little film of the heart. This is where you can find out more about each of them. Aluna Joy Yaxkin ( thats me : ) for the sacred site travel photography & multimedia magic – www.alunajoy.com . It is my passion to inspire oneness in every soul that watches this. Great thanks to Brian Piergrossi for writing Spiritual Conspiracy. The Big Glow – Insights, Inspirations, Peace and Passion. www.thebigglow.com . It was Brian’s writing that inspired me to make this film in the first place. Great thanks to Peter Sterling for sharing his incredible music from his new CD Sands of Time. Song title “Arc of the Angels” harpmagic.com . BUT most of all and what is most important, Radiant Blessings to ALL of YOU out there. You are all members of the Conscious Army, the SPIRITUAL CONSPIRACY, and yes you do know who you are!
Pave the Way Foundation Receives Financial Support from Two Major Foundations
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 8, 2005
Pave the Way Foundation announced today that two major philanthropic foundations have recognized the value of its inter-religious work and are providing substantial unrestricted gifts to forward the goals of the organization. The financial support from the Mandel Foundation and the Fritz and Adelaide Kauffmann Foundation will be used as to fund specific projects that will enhance the relations between religions through gestures of good will.
Pave the Way Foundation was validated less than one month ago with an unrestricted $ 100,000 grant from the Russell Berrie Foundation.
Â?On behalf of the Pave the Way Foundation, I am pleased to announce these substantial gifts.Â? Said Gary Krupp, President of Pave the Way Foundation, Â?We are honored that these outstanding foundations have recognized the value of our work. Further, they have contributed to our future success, the highest form of acceptance. When Pave the Way Foundation was founded, just three short years ago, our goals seemed, to many, impossible to achieve. They might have even been unbelievable. We have succeeded with each project in historic dimensions through inter-religious action. We are very grateful to the Mandel Foundation, to the Fritz and Adelaide Kauffmann Foundation, and to the Russell Berrie Foundation for their confidence in our work and in our message.Â?
With this substantial support, in the form of unrestricted grants, the Pave the Way Foundation will be able to drastically step up their efforts toward reconciliation between the religions of the world. The recent terrorism around the world, as well as the threat of further violence in the West, has demonstrated once again that the situation is ominous. Terrorism around the world is the product of religious extremism can only be effectively addressed when religions, not the governments, address the tool being used for manipulation, violence and incitement. Religious extremism exists in every religion and must be dealt with by each religion, if we are going over come the threats we all are living with today.
Pave the Way promotes gestures of good will between the faiths, in order to remove obstacles and to ultimately create a climate where the unified voices of the world’s religions can at last come together to respond to those who will use religion as a tool for violence.
Â?We have supported the Pave the Way Foundation each year from its inception and have watched promised goals, which have seemed almost impossible to accomplish, all being brought to fruition.Â? Stated Mr. E. M. Hershberg, Trustee of the Fritz and Adelaide Kauffmann foundation, Â?We are pleased to support an organization which not only reaches for the highest goals but achieves them. This truly is an inter-religious organization, which not only talks the talk but walks the walk.Â?
About Pave the Way Foundation
Pave the Way has a simple yet monumental goal Â?to enhance the relations between the worldÂ?s religions through gestures of good will and thereby embracing their similarities and savoring their differences. In today’s world, some individuals try to achieve their agenda through violence, in the name of religion. To silently allow this to happen defames every faith. Our vision is that the unified voice of the world’s great religious leaders condemning violence and promoting trust will pave the way to peace.
About the Mandel Foundation
The Mandel Foundation believes that exceptional leaders are the critical factor in contributing significantly to community and society. Such leaders are guided by a powerful vision of the future that is illuminated by clear purposes, inspired by profound ideas and energized by imaginative resolutions to todayÂ?s problems.
About the Fritz and Adelaide Kauffmann Foundation
The Fritz and Adelaide Foundation supports diverse endeavors which enhance life. Medical, religious, technological and social projects of merit have been the overall beneficiaries of the Fritz and Adelaide Kauffmann Foundation.
Harvard Divinity School Grad Indicts Religion For World’s Ills
Vilcabamba, Ecuador (PRWEB) February 23, 2006
Harvard Divinity School graduate and author Joseph R. Simonetta has released three companion books simultaneously that are a bold indictment of the world of religion: Religion, An Obstacle to Human Progress; The Skeptic’s Book of Religious Quotes & Anecdotes; and, Seven Words Than Can Change the World.
Simonetta writes, “One would have to have his head deep in the sand and his mind intoxicated with dogma not to see the endless problems associated with these old religions. The phenomenon of religion, with all its elaborate rituals, costumes and falsehoods, is likely the world’s longest, most magnificent, and pernicious charade. Humanity must be weaned off of this dogmatic, delusional, and divisive, war-causing form of intoxication.”
In a commonsense and uniquely refreshing approach, Simonetta lays bare the inconsistencies and incredibilities of traditional religion. Not only does he demonstrate that our major world belief systems are antiquated and dysfunctional, he ties them masterfully into seemingly unsolvable political, economic and environmental problems. In the end, he points to the direction that some of humanity is heading and that all of humanity must go.
Neale Donald Walsch, New York Times best-selling author (Conversations With God), describes Seven Words That Can Change the World as “The Formula. The Answer. The Way. A powerful book. Really remarkable. A totally empowering piece of writing.”
Link to Publications: http://www.lulu.com/joesimonetta
Grand Knowledge, Globalization, & the Muslim World! – Part Four
Hasan Yahya, Ph.D
What Jihadist think that Western materialism takes Muslims from their prayers and from their Islamic cultures is not accurate assessment. A society with crimes, violence, drug abuse, alcoholism, prostitution, pornography, homosexual exploitation of people and resources is not common among Americans. In addition the perception that of reducing life to a meaningless excuse in fertility is not also common but generalized by outsiders especially Islamists. Many Muslims believe these negativity about America. While America is not unique in these negative social deviances, all nations have the same in various levels.
A great proportion of American society are good people, and trying to live normal life with no involvement in crime, violence, or drug abuse. Americans cannot be enemies and should not be enemies for Muslims, because of simple reason, they are also victims of western secular materialism.
The materialist pop-culture does not represent reality of America. America is not only the political figures, Muslims are thinking about, but social thinkers too, such as Freud, Shakespeare, Nitche, Marx, and Victor Hugo. Furthermore, Hollywood portrayal of American life in films and TV shows is simply do not represent American society at large. These perceptions have to be known by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
I think Islam has a different concept of political community, with religion going much further in shaping the state than most Christians would support. Muslims know little about real Americans and vise versa, Most Americans have a distorted view of social attitudes and beliefs of Muslims. I think there is a mutual distrust rooted in religious differences alone. Therefore, it is necessary for different religions followers to share religious worldview to assist the common grounds on issues of ethics and morality. For example, family life, elaborate rituals, holidays, and symbols associated with family very seriously, the good family ethics is highly appreciated. All Americans share the will to have a decent familial life.
It is a striking matter to find that much of Muslim communities are closely paralleled the concerns voiced by parents in traditional communities in America. The Amish farms residents suffer like Muslims from outside world culture, commitment to work, faith, family ties and values, are common between Muslims and American Conservative Christians. Americans are friendly, cherish hard work, and enjoy fun times in holidays. The wonderful habits among Americans and all residents of America regardless of race, ethnic backgrounds, or religion is “mutual respect” among human beings. In the Muslim world too, much of the traditional people have these habits. But films, stereotyping, make Arabs and Muslims take a position as with or against a person for his nationality, race, or sex. With no mutual respect, which needs, to be learned in schools, workplaces, and universities. Religion never calls for discrimination among people. Ethnicity in culturally bound with the past history and traditional norms negate principles of religion. “La Ikraha fiddin” is a rule from God, means no compulsion in religion, who wants to be disbeliever, let be, and who wanted to be believer, let be. And if God Wishes all of the people on earth to be Muslims, He will do it, but His Wish is you be different. These are Qur’an rules. But cultural practices of racism, discrimination and begotry follow tribal and national lines, take for example, Kuwatization, Saudization, and Jordan First, etc., are taken symbols seriously in many Muslim nations. The nation created these discriminative rules among the same religion followers. The Gulf states citizens act as if they are masters, different and privileged over foreigners, Arabs or non-Arabs. The topic continues. (6227 words)
Hasan Yahya, is an American Arab scholar, a professor of Sociology, a columnist at wfol.tv, Malaysia, and TINA International News Agency, Chicago, USA. www.hasanyahya.com
Lifelong Star-Ledger employee, Newark resident dies at 93
M. Kathleen Kelly/For The Star-LedgerBerenice Maxwell Cross in 2003. NEWARK — When Berenice Maxwell Cross finally decided to retire after more than six decades at The Star-Ledger, everyone knew she couldn’t make an ordinary entrance into her farewell party. So,… Read more on The Star-Ledger
“Tokyo Vice” author Jake Adelstein ponders the Japanese response to disaster
Is the Japanese response to disaster different from that of Americans? Yes and no, says author Jake Adelstein. Read more on The Christian Science Monitor
Ukrainian woman makes history as only second female rabbi in Germany
Had Alina Treiger been a man, her story would hardly cause a stir. Born in the Ukrainian city of Poltava, she became the second female rabbi in the history of Germany on March 27 and the first one ordained since the end of the World War II. Read more on KYIV Post
Cricket shouldn’t be this difficult
India won their world cup semi-final match against Pakistan, and technically I should be happy about it. For some strange reason I am not. It was a good match, well fought by both teams. Pakistan fought hard to get back into the match after the Sehwag blizzard. India fought back after scoring a what we Read more on Asian Correspondent
Shock at “duplicity” as 20-year sentence for Iran’s Baha’i leaders is reinstated
Just six months after Iran’s appeal court reduced to 10 years the jail terms handed down to seven Baha’i leaders, the prisoners have been told that their original 20-year sentences have been reinstated. The Baha’i International Community has reacted with shock and dismay at the news. -BWNS Read more on Payvand Iran News
Oce Introduces Specialty Vinyls for Display Graphics Printing
TRUMBULL, Conn., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Oce, an international leader in digital document management, today announced the availability of several new media for display graphics inkjet printers. Each media is designed for use in creating display graphics prints including indoor and outdoor signs, banners, posters and other graphics. Oce solvent media can be used in most large format … Read more on redOrbit
Jeans probably constitute the most popular attire in the entire world. Ever since Jeans were introduced way back, they gained immense popularity over the years and are now worn by everyone, from young to old. The advantage of jeans is that they are durable and can be used for informal occasions as well as something that can be worn for rough use. We cannot expect to wear normal trousers if they become worn out. However, the pedigree of jeans increases as they become more and more worn out. From normal jeans, we have now moved into the concept of designer jeans and one brand that stands out in this segment is True Religion jeans. When it comes to True Religion mens jeans, you can expect to find something unique. True Religion jeans will allow you to stand out in a crowd.
True Religion as a company was established in 2002 and is owned by Jeffrey Lubell. True Religion mens jeans from the house of True Religion jeans will make you look special with their trademark Japanese Hiragana “Hi” character stitched finely onto the pockets. Other unique features of True Religion jeans include thick stitching and twisted inseams. When discussing a brand like True Religion we must mention their offerings for kids too. The lowrise ‘Billy’ bootcut for boys come with back flap pocket. It has an appealing tonal thread combination and available in True Religion’s exclusive Nightowl wash. You get this piece for 9 and it is available in the size range of 2-8 and 10, 12, and 14. You get many designs for the young girls as well. So, keep your kid prepared to be mobbed!
Every season you will find new designs, new trends and new cuts introduced and will surely appreciate the designers for their superb creativity and craftsmanship. They have several models and designs and in one model you get many finishes. Therefore, the choice is practically unlimited! Available wash patterns in True Religion jeans are Dark, Medium, Light, Charcoal etc. With huge range of size from 24 to 44, anyone and everyone, skinny or plump, can have his choicest pick of true religion jeans. Color range is fabulous too. A few to be mentioned are Storm Rider, Medium Legend, Dark Drifter, Ghost Town Black, Body Rinse, Panhandler, Rattlesnake, Kick Ass etc. Among other various styles available are Stretched, Non-stretched, Corduroy, Worn-in etc. Which is your favorite fun type?
There are many people who frequent the True Religion jeans store to pick their favorite jeans. Those who love to visit shopping centers find great pleasure in picking up their True Religion mens jeans from their favorite stores. There are also various websites that sell True Religion jeans. It does not matter where you are located in the country. If you don’t have True Religion jeans available near your city, then you can always pick it up from one of the hundreds of websites that sell True Religion mens jeans. All you have to do is the pick the one you want, pay for it and have it delivered.
Sean Curley Aims to Help Humanist, Secular and Atheist Parents by Detailing Non-religious Parenting with New Book: ‘Humanism for Parents – Parenting without Religion’
Golden, CO (PRWEB) July 18, 2007
In his book Humanism for Parents – Parenting without Religion, Sean Curley, in conjunction with Lulu, discusses the ramifications of parenting without reliance on religion. He also details rites, rituals, and practices that can be used in a home regardless of religious affiliation.
Humanism for Parents – Parenting without Religion is a practical guide for parents, grand parents, educators and other child-care-givers who want to parent without depending on traditions, practices, and rituals of established religions.
Sean Curley wrote Humanism for Parents – Parenting without Religion because he believes in the value religion has provided to the family in the form of traditions and common practices. He is attempting to bring these same benefits to the Humanist household, regardless of religious belief. Humanism for Parents – Parenting without Religion is available for purchase at Lulu, Amazon, Borders, and Barnes & Noble.
“Parenting has always been difficult, but historically parents have had thousands of years of religious history, traditions and practices to use as a basis for their parenting. With the modern prevalence of the secular or Humanist household, this is no longer true and parents need a guide to help them understand the advantages of religion in parenting, but without reliance on religion.” said Sean Curley. “The book includes information on humanism, morality, spirituality, traditions, practices, moral issues, and has sections for teens and younger children.
Link to Publication*: http://stores.lulu.com/seancurley
ABOUT AUTHOR
Sean Curley has been studying religions and philosophy all his life. After studying world religions in college, concluding they all have value, but none are uniquely correct, he came to Humanism. When he married a like-minded woman they embarked on a program of humanistic parenting. Mr. Curley has a BS degree in Computer Science, an MS degree in Engineering Management, and an MS degree in Space Studies. He currently lives with his family in Colorado.
ABOUT LULU
Founded in 2002, Lulu is the world’s fastest-growing print-on-demand marketplace for digital do-it-yourselfers. Please see http://www.lulu.com for more information.
MEDIA CONTACT: Sean Curley, humanismforparents @ spiritualhumanist.info, http://spiritualhumanist.info
Question by isellsanctuary: Is it it possible to teach world history in a public school if you are majoring in World Religion?
I am currently enrolled as a junior at George Mason University majoring in World Religions, and have worked simultaneously as a docent and curator for a museum to George Washington.
Though I have not majored in History, but another social science – is it still possible to be hired as a History professor in a public school, particularly a school in Northern Virginia?
Best answer:
Answer by locusfire It would be difficult on two fronts. First, you wouldn’t be certified, which for that northern virginia area, would drop your salary by about $ 5,000, I think they pay around 36,000-37,000 a year for non-certified teachers.
Second, because you didn’t study the history classes, it would mean to ever be a certified teacher, you’d have to take more than just the education classes, but the actual history classes.
The problem is that none of this is ever decided on a case by case basis but as a big blanket, and you can know every little but have all the bases covered, or know a tremendous amount but your transcripts say the wrong things and it not be worth much.
Does this mean they won’t hire you? I’m not sure. You wouldn’t be on the top the list, but they need a lot of teachers though, but also consider that you’re not the only person who’s considering teaching with mixed credentials, it’s becoming more and more popular and that’s giving school more options.
The company I work for designs websites for many different types of small businesses and nonprofit groups such as houses of worship. Is there any better use of a website than for spreading the teachings of love, peace, harmony and faith in a Supreme Being throughout the modern world? Probably, not. At least, not from the point of view of anyone, who believes that we all need some love in our heart and spirituality in our lives to govern our actions among those we share the world with.
There is an interesting YouTube parody of Starbucks marketing itself like a church at http://healyourchurchwebsite.com. The video suggests that houses of worship need to think more like corporate marketers do, as they try and attract new worshippers to the fold. Reaching out to others has been changed by the Internet. Most of us now view the world through a pair of digitally trained eyes. Constant repetition of effective online messages, has groomed us to expect logically-placed calls to action on every website we visit. In fact, we mentally grade website designs by their practical layout, easy navigation and rich content.
When we are not impressed with a particular website – any website – we leave it long before we ever complete a call to action. We have little patience trying to figure out what a website owner needed to explain in a much more effective way, in the first place. As a website visitor, it is not our job to do this. There are far too many competing websites that do a better job getting their information across to us. We are more likely to follow through with them.
So what is expected from a religion website? At very least, it must answer these basic four questions in order to find and hold its target audience:
1. Who are worshippers?
2. What do they believe?
3. Where and when do they meet?
4. Will outsiders be welcome there?
Who are the Worshippers?
Most religious websites feature a photo their house of worship – their building – as their home page attention-grabber. Clergy and congregants are very proud of what they have built and expect that others will be equally impressed and moved to worship with them in the structure.
With all due respect, does a stone or wood frame building really stand for what a church, synagogue, temple or mosque is all about, spiritually? Or, is it the clergy and worshippers, who make a place of worship divine?
When a place of worship is devastated by a natural disaster, the “flock” rarely misses a beat; meeting elsewhere until the time is right to return to the building of origin. It matters little to them WHERE they meet. It only seems to matter that they are gathered together and sharing their prayers with their Supreme Being.
The Rev. Heather McCance of the Church of St. Andrew, Scarborough and regional dean of Scarborough Deanery in the Diocese of Toronto, has written a thoughtful essay on God and Social Media. In her essay, she explains that “Websites, or at least the vast majority of church websites, are of the stuff of Web 1.0; we put information on the Internet, a person goes and finds it.”
What exactly does Rev. McCance believe people looking for a religion website should find? People are simply looking to find God.
“We have learned to say that it is not that the church has a mission; it is that God has a mission, and invites the church to come alongside,” explains McCance.
So, it is the worshippers, themselves, that make a house of worship what it is. It should the worshippers, who are prominently displayed on the homepage of a religion website. Future congregants are most interested in seeing and identifying with the people they will meet, greet and celebrate their faith with.
What Do They Believe?
Rev. McCance clearly understands the role that God plays in Social Media, which includes websites. She believes that “God is on Facebook. God tweets. God posts videos on YouTube. And God most surely uses whatever tools human beings come up with to reach out to this world with love and compassion, with a prophetic call to justice, with gospel.” It is very comforting to know that God stands before the digital portal (Websites) welcoming all people to his many houses of worship. Still, each religion website must immediately inform unique visitors what is the particular brand of faith being practiced by those behind a URL. Is it a Christian denomination; some form of Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist or something else? Is it a good fit with the religious beliefs of the website visitor?
Where and when do they meet?
If God is throughout Social Media, as Rev. McCance purports, he must also be guiding us with our GPS units. Still, we all need to take some level of responsibility to find our way to his presence. We require a precise address as well as the date and time that others will also be arriving to meet him. A well designed religion website will need to include this information. The web designer must be aware that not everyone owns a GPS and may require written directions to the house of worship.
Will outsiders be welcome there?
We all know that God welcomes everyone to pray, but not all houses of worship have the same set of rules. For example, non-Jews are always welcome to attend services in a synagogue, so long as they behave as proper guests. Proselytizing and “witnessing” to the congregation are not proper guest behavior. Would anyone walk into a stranger’s home and criticize the decor? But, synagogues always welcome non-Jews who come to synagogue out of genuine curiosity, interest in the service or simply to join a friend in celebration of a Jewish event.
In Orthodox synagogues, there is a separate section where the women sit. This may be on an upper floor balcony, or in the back of the room, or on the side of the room, separated from the men’s section by a wall or curtain called a mechitzah. Men are not permitted to pray in the presence of women, because they are supposed to have their minds on their prayers, not on pretty girls.
It is important to inform all parties of any worship attendance rules they need to be aware of in the website.
What other Information is commonly found?
Most religion websites include some or all of the following features: a Photo Gallery to showcase its congregants, the particular house of worship, its prayer services and its location. There may also be the desire to present Online Store capabilities, especially if they are offering religious items for purchase.
Places of worship may also wish to engage visitors through a Guestbook, Blog, Newsletters, a Mailing List, a “share” button and – very often – a Make a Donation form.
It is very good that God is onboard with websites and Social Media, as Rev. McCance seems to believe. Therefore, it is important to make him proud of its use attracting those who may wish to worship with others just like themselves.
Marc LeVine is Director of Social Media at RiaEnjolie, Inc, a web designer specializing in professional-looking and affordable websites for small businesses. RiaEnjolie is also the developer of many innovative charitable programs that give back to the community. Learn more by visiting RiaEnjolie’s Charity Programs Page on our Corporate Website at www.RiaEnjolie.com
BBC1 23 December 2010 Professor Robert Winston presents his top ten scientific breakthroughs of the past 50 years. Tracing these momentous and wide-ranging discoveries, he meets a real-life bionic woman, one of the first couples to test the male contraceptive pill, and even some of his early IVF patients. He explores the origins of the universe, probes the inner workings of the human mind and sees the most powerful laser in the world. To finish, Professor Winston reveals the breakthrough he thinks is most significant. The 10: Stem cell research Bio-mechanics The Contraceptive Pill Decoding the Human Genome The Internet IVF The laser The microchip MRI scanning Increasing Evidence for the Big Bang Vote here: www.bbc.co.uk Video Rating: 4 / 5
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