Religion News ServiceUNITED STATES, May 17, 2003: Leading Muslim organizations say it’s time for Americans to stop using the phrase “Judeo-Christian” when describing the values and character that define the United States. Better choices, they say, are “Judeo-Christian-Islamic” or “Abrahamic,” referring to Abraham, the patriarch held in common by the monotheistic big three religions. The new language should be used…
SourceMASSACHUSETTS, U.S.A., May 17, 2003: The Center for Indic Studies, University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, is holding a two-day conference on June 28 and 29, 2003, on the “Impact of Swami Vivekananda’s Voyage to the West” at the UMD campus. This unique event will bring together academicians, monks of the Ramakrishna order, students, and the general public to discuss Swami Vivekananda’s…
SourceOHIO, U.S.A., May 18, 2003: From July 6 to September 14, 2003, The Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA) will be the final venue of “The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India,” which first opened at the Sackler in Washington, DC. These rarely seen 9th to 13th century temple bronzes were drawn from public and private collections in…
SourceKAUAI, HAWAII, USA, May 18, 2003: Hinduism Today magazine is planning an article in its next issue on the subject, “Why I am a vegetarian.” Hindu youth (age 24 and below) are invited to send a 300- to 500-word essay on the subject. The essay should cover the reasons why you personally chose to remain a vegetarian if so raised…
Religion News ServiceOTTAWA, CANADA, May 14, 2003: May the force be with you. An astonishing 20,000 Canadians declared themselves followers of the religion of Jedi, the guardians of peace and justice in the “Star Wars” movies, Statistics Canada reported May 13 in its final installment of data culled from the 2001 census. Observers agree that declaring Jedi as a faith…
SourceNEW YORK, U.S.A.,May 13, 2003: A Lutheran pastor who was suspended by his church for praying publicly at Yankee Stadium with clergymen of other faiths, including a Hindu priest, after the September 2001 terrorist attacks has been reinstated by a church panel. In an order dated April 10 and released yesterday, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod’s dispute resolution panel cleared the…
SourceWASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., May 15, 2003: The image of the wealthy Non-Resident India (NRI) from America is poised to get a puffy boost following estimates from the investment firm Merrill Lynch that there are 200,000 millionaires of Indian origin in the United States alone. That may seem like a staggering count because out of their total population of 1.8 million,…
Blacktown Advocate (Australia)MARSDEN PARK, AUSTRALIA, May 7, 2003: The Australian Hindu Multicultural Association is planning to build a cultural center at Marsden Park for its 80 members. The plan includes an L-shaped building large enough for between 200 and 300 people and parking for up to 60 cars. It will be funded by donations from members and the community. “We…
SourceHYDERABAD, INDIA, May 8, 2003: In India, childless couples wanting to adopt are often left heartbroken after months and years of waiting. Prospective Indian parents are unlikely candidates as adoption agencies receive more money from foreign parents. Child rights activist Gita Ramaswamy says, “In March 2003, no objection certificate was given to over 100 children going abroad. Are there not…
Religion News ServiceWASHINGTON, D.C., May 8, 2003: The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a bill that allows church-run job training programs to use federal money to hire only people who share their faith. The provision, included in the US$6.6 billion Workforce Investment Act, reverses 20-year-old rules to allow religious groups to discriminate in hiring on the basis of religion.…