Monday 30 April 2018

The Rites of the Two-edged Sword


In the Sikh tradition,

In the institution of Panj Pyare, Guru Gobind Singh had created 
the nucleus of a casteless and democratic continuing society.

The out-speakers: Larissa Minniecon, Chris Bedding, and Israel Folau. The last two are served with plenty of hot water.

Holy hot potatoes: 2 holy 2 hot

Alright everyone, preheat your ovens, pray a blessing on your spuds and break out the sour cream – it’s time for some more holy hot potatoes. This week James Carleton feasts on the spicy issues found in the news, and his dinner guests aren’t afraid of a bit of controversy. Larissa Minniecon is an Aboriginal Christian activist and Rev Chris Bedding is a pirate priest who recently avoided charges of blasphemy.

In this episode:
The Bible has been part of the fabric of Australian culture since 1788, so should it be studied in state schools?
Usury was considered a sin by Christians for over a thousand years, but today the rules are much more lenient. Today, banks are being dragged before a Royal Commission into their conduct, and the findings are not pretty.
Israel Folau’s theological assertions may have ruffled feathers, but he’s still allowed to play. That means his freedom of speech is intact, right? Right?
Further reading on Israel Folau
There’s over a million pieces of rock art on the Burrup Peninsula, but according to the Western Australian government, it’s also a great location for a petrochemical plant.

Supporting Information

Read Professor Katharine Gelber's essay on the Israel Folau controversy: "Israel Folau has failed as a role model with his Instagram comments on gay people"
Read Jeremy Sammut's essay on the Israel Folau controversy: "Mandatory diversity"
Guests:
Larissa Minniecon, former leader of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice team at the Christian advocacy group Common Grace, now studying Christian and Indigenous spirituality at the University of Western Sydney.
Rev Chris Bedding, rector at St Cuthbert's Anglican Church in Darlington, Perth. He is also an actor, activist and one half of the comedy duo, Pirate Church.
Presenter:
James Carleton
Producer:

Saturday 28 April 2018

Fundamental Differences between Religion and Spirituality



From auxx.me
By: Chamalee
When you tell a person that you are spiritual but not religious, they might often greet you with a confused face. It is a normal tendency for people to recognize spirituality as something which is strange. Most people we meet do not know how to differentiate religion from spirituality. This is basically  because people in modern-day society are highly materialistic in nature and have a lack of knowledge when it comes to non-material subjects.
The truth of the matter is that spirituality is one of the most natural things there is, and it is important for one to understand that you are more than just a body, that you are a soul with infinite potential.
The facts below about religion and spirituality will help you understand how contradicting the two subjects actually are.
Spirituality has no rules
As opposed to religion which asks you to follow an ideology and obey certain rules to avoid punishment, spirituality lets you follow your heart. Spirituality encourages you to listen to your intuition and do what is right by simply following your instinct.
There is no fear of any punishment or reward in spirituality to motivate you to enslave yourself with rules. Instead it truly sets you free to be the best person you can be and the only reward will be your true inner happiness.
Religion encourages fear and spirituality encourages positive energy
Something that is emphasized throughout religion is the fear of consequences. Religion always reminds you consequences of not maintaining your actions in a particular way. It makes you fear of what might happen after you die if you don’t live your life accordingly.
When it comes to spirituality, there is only positive energy which encourages you to focus only on the good, and to act only based on love.
Religion tells you what to believe and spirituality helps to decide it by yourself
As opposed religion which always instruct you on what to believe, Spirituality lets you discover the questions and find answers for yourself.
When religion asks you to blindly believe in a truth written in a text, spirituality empowers you to find your own truth in all things without boundaries.
Religion separates while Spirituality unites
When we look at the world around us we see most of the conflicts are religion based as all the religions preach that their story is the right story.
Spirituality does not have a set belief system and hence see certain truth in all religions. Spirituality focuses on the quality of the divine message they share and not on the differences in details of the story they speak of.
Karma instead of punishment
Religions speak of punishment for wrongdoings while spirituality speaks of a beautiful idea of karma. Karma in spirituality lets us understand that the consequences we face are a result of our past actions. Simply “we reap what we sow”
Religion walks you down a road while spirituality lets you find your own way
Religion tells you ancient stories about gods, warriors and angels while asking us to follow their footsteps. Spirituality encourages you to walk in your own path which may lead to something greater.
Jesus in his life recognized that the love is the true human nature; The Holy Prophet in Islam emphasized the importance of submission for God, Lord Buddha emphasized the importance of letting go of material possessions. They walked down their own paths, which led them to be respected all over the world. Spirituality encourages you to make your own path and create your own stories. This sets you on a journey of enlightenment.

Friday 13 April 2018

Universal Peace Federation - April 2018

 
 
Vol. 13, Issue 7
 
 
 
 
April 9, 2018
 
 
 
 

Tokyo, Japan—UPF-Japan commemorated UN World Interfaith Harmony Week 2018 by holding a forum with approximately 80 Ambassadors for Peace and representatives of Shintoism, Buddhism, Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
 
 
 
 
Abuja, Nigeria—UPF-Nigeria organized a series of activities to commemorate the 2018 United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week (WIHW).
 
 
 
 

Bergamo, Italy—Sincere brotherhood and intense spirituality marked the 2018 celebration of World Interfaith Harmony Week.
 
 
 
 

Managua, Nicaragua—In observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week 2018, UPF-Nicaragua held a forum at a local university.
 
 
 
 
 
Bratislava, Slovakia—Utilizing the general interest in Korea during the Olympic Winter Games, UPF-Slovakia organized an event titled “Korea’s Traditions from a Historical Perspective.”

 
 
 
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