World Religions - Hinduism

Hindus are the third largest religious body in the world with over one billion members. The vast majority of Hindus live in India but they can be found all over the world. Unlike most religions, Hinduism does not have a founder but traces its beginnings to the dawn of recorded history. It also does not, unlike many religions, seek converts. It is generally considered to be the world's oldest organized religion. So what is Hinduism?

In the Beginning

The beginnings of Hinduism can be traced back as far as 5500 BCE. The oldest surviving Hindu writings (the Rigveda) has be dated between 1700-1100 BCE. It is the oldest religious document in the world. The Rigveda is composed of a number of hymns used in religious ceremonies. It is still in use today and is revered by Hindus. The Rigveda is one of the four holy books of the Hindu faith collectively called The Vedas

The Hindu GOD

Hindus believe in one formless and all prevailing GOD. God created the universe and represents the supreme truth. They also believe in many other gods who serve to fulfill their religious needs. These gods (and goddesses) have various forms sometimes blending human and animal characteristics. They each have special powers and are worshipped to provide particular needs and desires. They are viewed as corporal representations of the one GOD. Below are four of the principal gods and what they represent.

Lord Ganesha - the Hindu deity in a human form but with the head of an elephant - represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. For this reason, Hindus worship Ganesha first before beginning any religious, spiritual or worldly activity. In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the first son of Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother Parvati. Their second son is Lord Subramanya and their daughter is Jyoti. The portrayal of Lord Ganesha as the blend of human and animal parts symbolizes the ideals of perfection as conceived by Hindu sages and illustrates some philosophical concepts of profound spiritual significance.

Lord Brahma symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality that brings forth the creation. For this very reason, Hindus call Lord Brahma the Creator of the universe. He is the first member of the Hindu Trinity that also includes Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. His divine consort is Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and knowledge. Goddess Saraswati provides Lord Brahma with knowledge that is necessary for the process of creation.Brahma is usually conceived of by Hindus as a bearded, four-faced, four-armed deity. In popular images, He carries a rosary in the upper right hand, a book in the upper left hand, a kamandalu (water pot) in the lower left hand, and bestows grace with His lower right hand. The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva), and this is the most prominent feature of any image of Brahma. The four faces, therefore, symbolize that Brahma is the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. The four arms represent the four directions and thus represent the omnipresence and omnipotence of Lord Brahma.

Lord Vishnu represents the aspect of the Supreme Reality that preserves and sustains the universe. Although there are variations in images and pictures of Lord Vishnu, He is generally symbolized by a human body with four arms. In His hands He carries a conch (shankha), a mace (gada), and discus (chakra). He wears a crown, two earrings, a garland (mala) of flowers, and a gem around the neck. He has a blue body and wears yellow clothes. The Lord is shown standing on a thousand-headed snake (named Shesha Nag), and the snake stands with its hoods open over the head of the Lord. The four arms indicate Lord's omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front arms signify the lord's activity in the physical world and the two back arms signify His activity in the spiritual world. The right side of the body represents the creative activities of the mind and the intellect. The left side symbolizes the activities of the heart; that is, love, kindness, and compassion.

Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being (Brahman of the Upanishads) that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees.

You can learn about more Hindu gods here.

Reincarnation

Hindus also believe in reincarnation. Karma (or action) during your present life determines where your soul will be reborn after death. If your karma is good you will return as a human being. If it is not good you could return in animal form. The objective is to have good karma, each time progressing to a better life and eventually the cycle ends in Moksha. At this stage the soul becomes godly and is freed from the cycle of reincarnation.

Other Aspects of Hindu Life

Yoga is an integral part of Hindu life. It has been practiced for thousands of years. The major branches of Yoga are: Bhakti, Jnana, Karma and Raja.

The Caste system is also linked to the Hindu faith. It according to the faith is necessary for order in society.
The system created the castes of Brahmins, the intellectual class, Kshatriyas, the warrior class, Vaishyas, the trader class and Shudras, the service people.

Om is the most sacred word/symbol of the Hindu faith. It is used in religious rites and represents the Trinity (the three supreme Hindu Gods: Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer).

[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3ZKdwPuF8M"]

For further information on Hinduism here are some sources:

Roots of Hinduism

Hinduism Simplified

Hindu Universe

Hindu Divinity

Hindu Philosophy

Some video clip links related to Hindu life:

Hindu Temples

Thaipusam Festival

India

Opening Prayer

Hot Sex for Christians!?

Want to see an example of an Oxymoron? Put Christianity and Hot Sex in the same sentence that doesn't involve some kind of scandal. The two concepts seem to be as far apart as good and evil.....until now!

I came across an article entitled, "One preacher's message: Have hotter sex"

The preacher in this case is one Joe Beam . He offers advice to Married Christian Couples on all aspects of sexual relations. With references to bible verses in his seminars, he uses very graphic language to describe how to better please you spouse.

“Sex is a sacred subject," he says. “The Church generally prefers not to talk about it. But that has a dual impact. It keeps it shrouded in ignorance and the implication is that since you are not talking about it, it’s bad.”

“Why can women be multiorgasmic and men not? Well, I’ve decided God just likes you better! ... What’s the difference between a woman with PMS and a Doberman? Lipstick.”

What can you do if your wife is having trouble reaching orgasm? “Try having sex doggy-style and simultaneously masturbating.”

Joe Beam is the founder and president of an organization called Family Dynamics : "We help churches and organizations take proactive steps to prevent marriages from reaching a state of distress and to revive those that are already in distress."

He is a proponent of elevating sex from the forbidden zone in Christian life and openly discussing ways that couples can fully enjoy the act and not feel guilty about crossing any imaginary taboo lines. His philosophy:

Sex is good. Good sex makes people happy. It deepens relationships. So it helps marriages last and that pleases God and makes society better.

He has no inhibitions against:

• Masturbation


• Any position in the Kama Sutra


• Phone sex (with your spouse)


• Anal sex


• Birth Control

There are however some rules:

• You have to be married


• You have to be heterosexual


• No sex with animals, no incest, no adultery, no porn etc


• No sex during menstruation

Here is a short clip of one of his seminars.

The following are some of the reactions from attendees of one of this seminars:

“What is new for me is not that kind of talk,” Wadstrom says. The church has had some sexual conversations before, but always in classes segregated by gender. “What was new is having men and women together in the same room," she says. "That was very helpful because everybody knows what’s being said to the others.”

“I was raised to think sex was bad,” 23-year-old Kym Blackburn recalls of her religious upbringing. She forced her husband, Matt, a U.S. Navy enlisted man, to attend, but now he is glad he did. He is awaiting a second deployment to Iraq, and thinks their marriage will grow stronger in the weeks before he leaves.

Jose and Marta Ochoa echo that sentiment. “My whole life I thought certain things were wrong, or not Christian,” Marta, 47, tells me as her husband, Jose, 52, nods vigorously in the background.

He’d spent years asking her for more variation but now, finally, “she understands we can share all this freely and it’s not a sin like she thought. It is gonna happen more!”

That, Marta tells me, makes her very happy.

Then they excuse themselves. They’re in a rush to get home.

Election 2006 Highlights

The Democrats have taken back control of the Congress after 12 years of Republican rule:

House: Dems 230 Rep 196

Senate: Dems 49 (+ 2 independents) Rep 49

For easy to follow state by state results check this out

George Allen, the House Republican candidate from Virginia, who made the famous "Macaca" remark lost to Jim Webb.

Claire McCaskill for whom Michael J Fox made the Stem Cell research Ad, criticized by Rush Limbaugh, also defeated her Republican opponent Jim Talent.

Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, was forced to resign in what appears to be President Bush's peace offering to the Democrats. Below is a video clip of his resignation speech.

[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=qforT35j5zA"]

:) And now for a little fun at the expense of the ex-warlord :)

[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=qNyhxsf4YRU"]

Ted Haggard goes for Counseling

[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=BKDTPHZ9gO8"]


One thing for sure is that Ted Haggard will not be returning to lead the 30 million strong National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) nor even the church that he founded, the 14,000-member New Life Church. He has, however decided to seek counseling from his peers in the ministry.

Haggard announced that he will be under the supervision of a trio of prominent church leaders:

• James Dobson - Founder, Focus on the Family Colorado Springs


• Jack Hayford - Pastor, The Church on the Way in Van Nuys Calif.


• Tommy Barnett - Pastor, First Assembly of God in Phoenix

"Those men will perform a thorough analysis of my mental, spiritual, emotional and physical life. They will guide me through a program with the goal of healing and restoration for my life, my marriage and my family," Haggard wrote.

This counseling program could take years to complete according to HB London, a VP in Dobson's ministry. Both leadership positions vacated by Haggard have been temporarily filled.

The Rev. Ross Parsley will lead the New Life Church until a permanent replacement is named by the end of the year.

The Rev. Leith Anderson of the Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie, Minn, has been named interim president of the NAE.

Ted Haggard can also be seen in the movie Jesus Camp, where he rails against homosexuality, advises an aspiring young preacher, mesmerizes his followers and leads an audience in praying for President Bush to select a Supreme Court nominee (Samuel Alito) who will support their beliefs. Here is a brief clip from that movie.
[youtube="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6rSjrBhUIA"]

And what is life without a little comedy courtesy of this clip :) :
[youtube="http://youtube.com/watch?v=SMke9PrR8Xs"]

Sources for this article include: Haggard in new movie New Church Leader Dobson for Haggard

Ted Haggard Update

Ted Haggard confessed that he was a "deceiver and a liar" who had given in to his dark side. Read this article. A number of things occurred since he was exposed by a male prostitute:

• Resigned as president of the NEA


• Stepped down from the church he founded


• Admitted some of the accusations against him were true in a letter to his congregation


• His wife will remain with him

It is unclear whether any police investigations will follow because of the drugs issue but the Overseer Board which was investigating this matter issued the following statement:

"Our investigation and Pastor Haggard's public statements have proven without a doubt that he has committed sexually immoral conduct,"

The letter of confession written by Ted Haggard was read from the pulpit of his church by another Reverent and was received sympathetically by the congregation:

"He's reaching out and asking for forgiveness" said Ryan Price, a member of the church. Even his accuser Mike Jones said:

"I am sad for him and his family. I know this is a tough day for him also," he said in a telephone interview Sunday. "I wish him well. I wish his family well. My intent was never to destroy his family. My intent was to expose a hypocrite."