With the advent of the world emerging as one, people are exposed to other cultures easily and are able to understand, interact with those cultures more freely and hence are able to find the answer to some problems in those cultures/religions more satisfactory and less dogmatic.
For instance when people are exposed to Non dualism and at the same time polytheism and find that both can coexist in one system they lean towards it:it is surprising to them atheism is also considered a part of religious thought in Hinduism.Dogmatic inflexibility by the Church takes a beating.on this score.
The more the lay man becomes literate in Christianity with out Dogmatic interpretations, which are subjective, he/ she questions Christianity.Without answering them satisfactorily the Church insists on blind following of the clergy which literate Christians abhor.. Unfortunately while the populace is becoming literate, the Church is mired in traditional interpretations with a siege mentality.
Yes, the moral absolutes have ceased to an effective force because of materialism and lack of application by the Church to carry the message of Christ to people correctly.
Those who are supposed to set examples of virtue and good moral behavior have been found to moral debauchees ..Yes, this existed even before.But now with advent of internet and swift communications, the peccadilloes draw immediate attention.People will judge a religion by the behavior of the followers more than by books they preach.Christ’s life is His message.
Regrettably the Church is being run as a MNC and not a creed propagated by a Simple Soul who preached Love and High thinking.
The out reach of Christianity-The statement is true.Like olden times Christianity believes and performs conversions with more vigour than before , allocating budget for conversions when it is not warranted. Now that the society has changed and people are literate they have choice in analyzing and accepting new thoughts which are more rational and acceptable and they find other Religions like Hinduism is intensely personal and not institutionalist..This is abhorrent a freethinking Christian.
True, the Americans look for practical solutions for day-to-day life; they are in abundance in the Bible.It is not being propagated properly to people.
Non provision of complete information is Church’s mistake.
Unless the Church spreads the true message of Christ, sans conversion, dogmas, Christianity shall undergo travails till such time a true preacher comes along.
Again social action is discharged more by individuals/community rather than by the Church which is trapped in administration and pomps of office, grandeur and mega budgets which does not reach for whom it is intended for but mainly to charlatans.
Christians are becoming more ingrown and less outreach-oriented.
Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life.
Among Christians, interest in participating in community action is escalating.
The postmodern insistence on tolerance is winning over the Christian Church.
The influence of Christianity on culture and individual lives is largely invisible.
Here are a couple of observations from the study (that are troubling if they are indeed accurate):
Our biblical illiteracy and lack of spiritual confidence has caused Americans to avoid making discerning choices for fear of being labeled judgmental. The result is a Church that has become tolerant of a vast array of morally and spiritually dubious behaviors and philosophies. This increased leniency is made possible by the very limited accountability that occurs within the body of Christ. There are fewer and fewer issues that Christians believe churches should be dogmatic about. The idea of love has been redefined to mean the absence of conflict and confrontation, as if there are no moral absolutes that are worth fighting for. That may not be surprising in a Church in which a minority believes there are moral absolutes dictated by the scriptures.
Practical to a fault, Americans consider survival in the present to be much more significant than eternal security and spiritual possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial approach to faith has become a central means of optimizing our life experience.
American culture is driven by the snap judgments and decisions that people make amidst busy schedules and incomplete information. With little time or energy available for or devoted to research and reflection, it is people’s observations of the integration of a believer’s faith into how he/she responds to life’s opportunities and challenges that most substantially shape people’s impressions of and interest in Christianity.
If this is all true, then we really need to pray for the American church. Gimmicks won’t fix this; only God can.
The scrolls were found in 11 caves, ranging in distance of 125m (Cave 4) to about 1000m (Cave 1) from the settlement at Qumran, located 1km off the northwest shore of the Dead Sea. None of them were found at the actual settlement. It is generally accepted that a Bedouin goat- or sheep-herder by the name of Mohammed Ahmed el-Hamed (nicknamed edh-Dhib, “the wolf”) made the first discovery toward the beginning of 1947.
In the most commonly told story the shepherd threw a rock into a cave in an attempt to drive out a missing animal under his care. The shattering sound of pottery drew him into the cave, where he found several ancient jars containing scrolls wrapped in linen. Another theory was that two young boys were looking for a lost goat and came upon some of them.
Dr. John C. Trever carried out a number of interviews with several men going by the name of Muhammed edh-Dhib, each relating a variation on this tale.
The scrolls were first brought to a Bethlehem antiquities dealer named Ibrahim ‘Ijha, who returned them after being warned that they may have been stolen from a synagogue. The scrolls then fell into the hands of Khalil Eskander Shahin, “Kando”, a cobbler and antiques dealer. By most accounts the Bedouin removed only three scrolls following their initial find, later revisiting the site to gather more, possibly encouraged by Kando. Alternatively, it is postulated that Kando engaged in his own illegal excavation: Kando himself possessed at least four scrolls.
Arrangements with the Bedouins left the scrolls in the hands of a third party until a sale of them could be negotiated. That third party, George Isha’ya, was a member of the Syrian Orthodox Church, who soon contacted St. Mark’s Monastery in the hope of getting an appraisal of the nature of the texts. News of the find then reached Metropolitan Athanasius Yeshue Samuel, more often referred to as Mar Samuel.
The term “Hebrew Bible” is an attempt to provide specificity with respect to contents, while avoiding allusion to any particular interpretative tradition or theological school of thought. It is widely used in academic writing and interfaith discussion in relatively neutral contexts meant to include dialogue amongst all religious traditions, but not widely in the inner discourse of the religions which use its text. The term closely corresponds to contents of the Jewish Tanakh and the Protestant Old Testament (see also Judeo-Christian) and does not include the deuterocanonical portions of the Roman Catholic or the Anagignoskomena portions of the Eastern Orthodox Old Testaments. The term does not imply naming, numbering or ordering of books, which varies with Biblical canon.
Top Five Recipients of NGO Funds in IndiaPlease check the link as well.
If a Religion is strong in its fundamentals , it does not need money to propagate it.
One of my reader friends in a comment stated that God’s words needs to be propagated
I disagree.God , if He needs propagation, He is no God.
Religion’s strength lies not in numbers but in the solace offered to Man.
Fixing targets for conversion and calling ‘Age of Asia’ is anathema to Religion.
While some religions resort to sword some resort to bribing.
Story:
This report is released by the Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI, & gives details
of Contribution received by the NGO’s under the Foreign Contribution
Regulation Act 1976:-
1 crore (100,00,000) = 10 million (10,000,000)
1. Highest receivers of Foreign Contribution state-wise:
TAMIL NADU — Rs 2244 crores
DELHI — Rs 2186 crores
ANDHRA PRADESH — Rs 1,211 crores
2. Highest receivers of Foreign Contribution city-wise:
CHENNAI — Rs 928 crores
MUMBAI — Rs 891 crores
RANCHI — Rs 653 crores
3. Largest Donors: USA — Rs 2971 crores
GERMANY — Rs 1650 crores
UK — Rs 1425 crores
4. List of foreign Donors topped by:
MISEREOR POSTFECH, GERMANY — Rs 1243 crores WORLD VISION INTERNATIONAL, USA — Rs 469 crores
FUNDACION VICENTE FERRER, SPAIN — Rs 399 crores
5. The Highest Contribution received by:
RANCHI JESUITS RANCHI JHARKHAND — Rs 621 crores
SONTHOME TRUST OF KALYAN NEAR MUMBAI — Rs 333 crores
SOVERGEIN ORDER OF MALTA DELHI — Rs 301 crores
To know more about the amounts received by the NGOs for Evangelisation
in India, read the FCRA Report 2006-07, Ministry of Home Affairs, GOI: http://www.mha.gov.in/fcra/annual/ar2006-07.pdf
Note:-
1. We are not talking of the money that comes from the Arab world which I presume
comes mostly through the Hawala route.
2. Hindus need to donate a lot more to worthwhile organizations. A friend recommended this
site: http://www.bharatheritagefoundation.org as an example of a samstha doing good work.
3. Amongst many others who are doing good work and need to be supported:
i) The Ramakrishna Mission,
ii) Friends of Tribal Society,
iii) Vivekananda Kendra,
iv) Chinmaya Mission,
v) Arya Samaj …
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
( Annual Report for 2006-07 )
*****
Introduction
Foreign Contribution is regulated under the provisions of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 1976 and the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Rules, 1976. This Act came into force from 05th August 1976, to regulate the acceptance and utilization of foreign contribution with a view to ensure that institutions, associations and other voluntary organizations as well as individuals working in important areas of national life receive foreign contribution and foreign hospitality, respectively, in a manner consistent with India’s values as a sovereign, democratic republic.
Salient Features
Data pertaining to receipt of foreign contribution for 2006-07 has inter alia the following salient features:
I. As on 31-03-2007, 33937 associations were registered and 522 were granted prior permission during the year 2006-07.
II. For the year 2006-07, 18996, associations reported receipt of foreign contribution (including those which received NIL amount) amounting to Rs. 11336.97 crore.
III. Among the States and Union Territories, Delhi (Rs.2183.03 crore) reported the highest receipt of foreign contribution followed by Tamil Nadu (Rs 2117.71 crore) and Andhra Pradesh (Rs 1,210.82 crore).
IV. Among the districts in different States, Chennai (Rs. 908.09 crore) reported the highest receipt of foreign contribution, followed by Mumbai (Rs. 891.26 crore) and Bangalore (Rs. 628.48 crore).
V. The list of donor countries is headed by the USA (Rs.2,949.35 crore) followed by UK (Rs. 1427.50 crore) and the Germany (Rs. 1035.40 crore).
VI. The list of foreign donors is topped by World Vision International, USA (Rs. 703.75 crore) followed by Gospel for Asia, USA (Rs. 453.58 crore) and Fundacion Vicente Ferrer, Spain (Rs. 399.45 crore).
VII. Among the associations which reported receipt of foreign contribution, Sonthome Trust of Kalyan, Mumbai, Maharashtra (Rs. 332.86 crore) received the highest amount of foreign contribution followed by Sovereign Order of Malta, Delhi (Rs.300.79 crore) and World Vision of India, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (Rs. 256.06 crore).
VIII Among the purposes for which foreign contribution was utilised, the highest amount of foreign contribution was utilised for Establishment Expenses (Rs.3058.48 crore), followed by Relief/Rehabilitation of victims of natural calamities (Rs.2534.23 crore), Rural Development (Rs.1956.63 crore), Construction and maintenance of schools/colleges (Rs.1208.92 crore), and Welfare of Children (Rs.1184.38 crore).
(ii)
”
Nature of Use of Funds:
Significant portion of the received funds are used for ‘Establishment Expenses” which is against the basic cannon of charity work. It is expected that Charity involves lesser fixed assets creation particularly of the flamboyant nature. Also the jet setting aspect of the NGO’s provide clues to the nature of expenditure. Whether it is New York or Geneva we find members of Indian NGO community lobbying for some cause mostly of human rights. This creates a closed loop wherein they receive money to further some agenda and for that they receive more money…
Large amount of funds go to Christian organizations whose purpose is conversion. This act of “soul harvesting” or “planting of the Church” is an anachronistic practice of nineteenth century which is totally incongruous in the twenty first century where faith based political movements like the Church movements are disappearing from Europe their cradle of growth. Europe which has given up on the Church is trying to overcome its guilt by exporting Christianity to India. The recipient organizations may argue that they are serving poor but do they need European money to serve Indian poor.
Also some organizations like World Vision appear to be secular or non-denominational in India. But the fact of the matter is that is Christian in origin and membership. This has been affirmed by the Supreme Court of USA. We can take them as a representative example wherein they do not mention much about their exclusive Christian identity when campaigning for funds within India
World Vision was founded 60 years ago as a Christian humanitarian organization. Motivated by our faith in Jesus Christ, World Vision’s work with the poor and oppressed is a demonstration of God’s unconditional love for all people.
As a Christian organization, World Vision has virtually the same Statement of Faith included in its September 1950 articles of incorporation. While about 20 percent of our worldwide staff are of other faiths, all prospective staff at World Vision U.S. are required to sign that Statement of Faith or, as an alternative, the Apostles’ Creed.
Far from being narrow in scope, the Apostles’ Creed and World Vision’s Statement of Faith reflect the basic theological beliefs shared for millennia by the vast majority of orthodox Christian traditions — Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, evangelical, or Orthodox.
Issues of the current court case
The issues at the center of the Spencer case — the plaintiffs’ denial of the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ — are central to Christianity. By definition, a Christian believes that Jesus Christ is the only son of God. World Vision believes one can be a good person, a moral person — even a religious person — without believing this. But World Vision believes that one cannot be a Christian unless one can confess, as the Apostle Peter did in Matthew 16:16 (NIV), “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
To be clear, we hire Christians, imperfect and flawed, not because we think they are superior, but because we believe that any real success will come only through the presence of Christ in each employee’s heart and His power through prayer in each staff member’s mind and hands.
The plaintiffs in this case signed the Statement of Faith when they were hired, but later changed their core beliefs. It was only when these staff members stopped attending World Vision’s weekly chapel services and instead began alternative worship and study sessions at work that the change in their beliefs became obvious. We regret the departure of our former colleagues, and we pray they have been able to find areas of humanitarian service that are compatible with their new beliefs.
Hiring people of shared beliefs
World Vision believes that staff commitment to core Christian beliefs as we understand them from the Bible is essential for maintaining our Christian identity. Organizationally, our humanitarian work is done as a reflection of — and an extension of — our Christian faith. We represent Christ in our work.
Hiring people of shared belief is a common practice among charitable institutions, many of whom receive federal funding. A non-profit that advocates for animal rights, for example, would be unlikely to hire a hunter or a non-vegetarian. An environmental organization is unlikely to hire a global warming skeptic. Non-profit organizations are defined by their core mission and motivation. To hire those uncommitted to that mission would be to undermine the organization
Who we are and how we serve
World Vision has worked hard to be clear with our donors in our communication and transparent about our Christian identity. We do not want to take donations under false pretences.
Similarly, World Vision always identifies itself as a Christian organization in the communities where we serve, including many where there are few, if any, Christians. World Vision works in many countries where the majority of people follow another religion, including some areas where Christian teaching is not welcome. In all cases, we respect the local culture and abide by local laws.
World Vision is a signatory to the Red Cross Code of Conduct and does not proselytize. That is, we never require aid recipients to listen to a religious message as a condition of our help, nor do we use aid as an inducement for recipients to change religion. We also never discriminate on the basis of religion in giving aid; we serve every child in need that we possibly can, of any faith …..
The fundamental principle of a religion should be that one has the Right to practice what he believes in.Just as any other stream of thought, Atheism is a thought.They have a Right to their opinions.
None can deny them that.
Let us look at History.
Christianity since the day of its birth went after people to convert,calling those who do not believe in Christ to be heathens.
We know of Crusades, also of the treatment of Protestants in the hands of Catholics ( and vice versa),also of Bloody Mary and the ways of the Popes.Not only that- Christians went about proselytization on a grand scale ,by Britain through out the world.
Freedom of Thought is something of an anathema to Christianity,be it religion,or science(Galileo was forced to recant while being kept in custody).
Now Christians moan the assault of Atheism
Truth does not need the cruthces of propaganda.
Extend the courtesy of Freedom of Thought to others.
Story:
For a country that prides itself on religious tolerance, this has been a shaming week.
Thanks to the BBC and a noisy cabal of self-important atheists and Catholic-haters, we have been subjected to wall-to-wall attacks on the Pope and his Church.
Leading this vicious anti-Christian charge were Stephen Fry – who seems to get smugger by the day – and Richard Dawkins, who described Pope Benedict XVI as a ‘leering old villain in a frock . . . whose preaching is responsible for the deaths of countless Aids victims in Africa.’
“Even in our own lifetime, we can recall how Britain and her leaders stood against a Nazi tyranny that wished to eradicate God from society and denied our common humanity to many, especially the Jews, who were thought unfit to live. I also recall the regime’s attitude to Christian pastors and religious who spoke the truth in love, opposed the Nazis and paid for that opposition with their lives. As we reflect on the sobering lessons of the atheist extremism of the twentieth century, let us never forget how the exclusion of God, religion and virtue from public life leads ultimately to a truncated vision of man and of society and thus to a “reductive vision of the person and his destiny” (Caritas in Veritate, 29).”
Even if Hitler had been an atheist, his political philosophy was not based upon atheism and had no connection with atheism. Hitler was arguably (and by his own account) a Roman Catholic. In any case he enjoyed the open support of many of the most senior catholic clergy in Germany and the less demonstrative support of Pope Pius XII. Even if Hitler had been an atheist (he certainly was not), the rank and file Germans who carried out the attempted extermination of the Jews were Christians, almost to a man: either Catholic or Lutheran, primed to their anti-Semitism by centuries of Catholic propaganda about ‘Christ-killers’ and by Martin Luther’s own seething hatred of the Jews. To mention Ratzinger’s membership of the Hitler Youth might be thought to be fighting dirty, but my feeling is that the gloves are off after this disgraceful paragraph by the pope.
Catholic League president Bill Donohue reacts to the way British atheists are handling Pope Benedict XVI’s trip to their homeland:
The pope cited Hitler today, asking everyone to “reflect on the sobering lessons of atheist extremism of the 20th century.” Immediately, the British Humanist Association got its back up, accusing the pope of “a terrible libel against those who do not believe in God.”
The pope did not go far enough. Radical atheists like the British Humanist Association should apologize for Hitler. But they should not stop there. They also need to issue an apology for the 67 million innocent men, women and children murdered under Stalin, and the 77 million innocent Chinese killed by Mao. Hitler, Stalin and Mao were all driven by a radical atheism, a militant and fundamentally dogmatic brand of secular extremism. It was this anti-religious impulse that allowed them to become mass murderers. By contrast, a grand total of 1,394 were killed during the 250 years of the Inquisition, most all of whom were murdered by secular authorities.
Why should atheists today apologize for the crimes of others? At one level, it makes no sense: apologies should only be given by the guilty. But on the other hand, since the fanatically anti-Catholic secularists in Britain, and elsewhere, demand that the pope—who is entirely innocent of any misconduct—apologize for the sins of others, let the atheists take some of their own medicine and start apologizing for all the crimes committed in their name. It might prove alembic.
By the way.did not the Catholic Church( read Pope) keep quiet during Holocaust, on the mistaken notion that it was alright that Jews were gotten rid by Hitler?
What was the relationship of the Papacy with Mussolini?
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