Judaism

Previously, I have mentioned that ancient writings were preceded by oral tradition, and predating that, was ancient symbology. The "Tree of Life" comes to mind as one of the earliest forms of this development. The import of such study is the realization that there is a great deal of the history of lore that is hidden to the naked eye in ancient literature, particularly Jewish writings. One might guess at the reasons for this, but suffice it to say that time has a way of affecting concepts that were very clearly understood at the outset.

continue reading "yhwh the origin of the tetragrammaton"

The aspect of God being omni present and omni potent is accepted by all the religions. Buddhism however refused to discuss the issue of God and it felt it was of no relevance. It neither rejected nor confirmed. Every religion has its own prescription for the God. Man has evolved on this earth over many years and originally he was a cave dweller and aboriginal. He lived by hunting animals and birds and as time passed, man learned to live in societies or tribes. From the beginning, man was fascinated by the powers of the nature such as fire, thunder, Storm and winds, stars, sun and moon, rain, earth quakes, volcanos, ocean waves, powerful wild animals, fearsome serpents, fearful monsters in sea and rivers, disease and big mountains. He had no control over them. He could not explain birth and death. Thus he believed that there was something highly powerful than him on this earth which could not be overcome. He revered all these forces of nature. Thus worship of powers of nature began. These powers were called Gods and were depicted in variety of forms as the imagination grew along with capacity to depict, paint and carve as civilization progressed (1).

continue reading "God is Omni Present, Omni Potent, and Merciful; the Religions of the World Confirm"

Each Monday you'll find a new 500 word essay on the intersection of religion and politics on the UPI web site.

Islam is a major world religion today and has entered all parts of the globe. In most of the Middle East nations, it is the State religion while in some of the other countries, the populations consist of large number of Muslims. The religion of Islam has made great impact on the world affairs right from the days of it’s founding. The great Turkish Empire and modern Arab Nations such as Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Kuwait, Emirates, Saudi Arabia, non Arab Iran, influenced world politics greatly. New nations under Muslim rule such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and many African Nations such as Sudan, Uganda and Libya emerged over a period of time and are influencing the world political situation from time to time. In a nation like India, the Muslim invaders attacked Indian provinces in 11 Th century and the regular invasions followed from Kabul in Afghanistan. By this time, Islam was already 500 years old in the world and has swept across the Middle East countries and entire populations in these nations adopted Islam as the religion either by force or voluntarily. The invasions in India resulted in overthrowing of local Hindu States and Islam got a firm foothold in India in 11 th century. Islamic rulers had a sway in India for the next 500 years till the English grabbed the power under East India Company and later by the Crown of England. The atrocities on Hindus during Islamic rule resulted in development of deep fissures between the two communities and as India was edging towards Independence from the British yoke, Muslims opted for a separate nation fearing domination by majority Hindus and finally it could not be prevented. The outcome was the partition of India.

continue reading "Islam at a Crossroads"

Tolerance towards others is a very important trait for any religion if world peace is to be maintained. All Eastern religions have been tolerant in this aspect. Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism are the pioneers in this aspect. The scriptures of Christianity and Islam have also taught universal love, compassion and brotherhood. However, the aspect of God became the point of focus and conflict.

continue reading "World Religions and Religious Tolerance"

Four years ago, a controversial exhibit was opening at the Jewish Museum in New York. The exhibit focused on young artists who used Nazi imagery in their artwork. Knowing that it would spark anger in the community, the directors asked a group of rabbis to preview the exhibit. I happened to be one of them. Most of the pieces in the exhibit were interesting conceptual pieces – a lot of sculpture of one sort or another. It did not anger me in the least bit. But one piece was deeply troubling to me. It made my stomach turn. The piece was a digitally altered photograph. The original photograph, taken by Life magazine’s Margaret Burke White, was a picture of the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp. In the picture are a few survivors, malnourished, their bones poking through their skin, lying on wooden barracks. The artists had used Photoshop software to insert himself into the picture, and he was in the barracks, and he was holding a can of Diet Coke. I did not find this funny. In fact, I found it to be profane. That photo was a photograph of a crime scene in which Jewish people were stripped of their dignity, enslaved, and de-humanized. I had the choice: Do I stage a protest outside the museum? Do I call for the museum director’s resignation? Do I write a scathing op-ed? What should I do to stop such a disgrace from occurring?

continue reading "Cartoon Mohammed: A Jewish Perspective"

In 1954, Einstein declared few months before he died “ I made mistake in my life when I signed that letter to President Roosevelt to see that atom bomb is made, but there was some justification; the danger that the Germans would make them” (1). Internationally reputed men such as Bertrand Russel, Leoszilard, Glenn Seaborg, Robert Oppenheimer, and Enrioco Fermi expressed serious concerns against the development of nuclear weapons along

continue reading "Nuclear Threat And Israel"

Ushpizin
Rabbi Daniel S. Brenner

The Zohar, the foremost book of Jewish mysticism, explains that the Sukkah generates such an intense concentration of spiritual energy, that the divine presence manifests itself in this fragile earthbound tent. During Sukkot we are told that the souls of the seven ancestral shepherds of Israel leave Gan Eden to partake in the divine light of the earthly festival (Zohar - Emor 103a). These transcendent guests are known as Ushpizin, the Aramaic word meaning "guests." And we welcome

continue reading "Ushpizin: A Meditation on Sukkot"

An excellent post from Will Humes explores A Church Without Walls. This sermon explores the propensity we humans have for building walls. Using St. Paul's words from the book of Ephesians, Robert Frost's poem Mending Walls, and illustrations from the Great Wall of China and the Iron Curtain, Humes exposes the walls that we build to keep others out and to trap ourselves within. This post is aptly titled and affirms the wisdom and insight that Reido illuminated in his online book Church Without Walls.

continue reading "Church Without Walls - The Sermon"

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