Prayers from several religions will now find a place at the Ontario legislature’s opening each day, according to Religion News Service.

Making a compromise

The municipal councils used to begin their daily meetings by reciting the Lord’s Prayer, associated with the Christian religion. But in early 2008, Secular Ontario threatened to take them to court if they continued the ritual. The organization of atheist Canadians felt such an act implied that the legislature was for Christians only.

The government of Ontario has held several debates about religion and politics over the last few months. Finally they came up with a compromise in June that would keep them out of hot water with Secular Ontario.

The compromise? Keep the Lord’s Prayer, but add in prayers from eight other religions and a moment of silence for the non-religious. Among those religions whose prayers will be incorporated are Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’i, and Sikhism.

Inclusion for diversity

This change is a good example of a move toward inclusion. Inclusion is a method of showing that all religions have merit and truth in some way and/or that all deserve representation and respect. It’s the idea of religious diversity — a cornucopia of religions tha twould all be placed on the same level, in the same arena. Exclusion, obviously, is the opposite. A religion is sometimes called “exclusive” when its followers claim their religion is the only true religion or that their beliefs must be followed in order to attain the goal of religion (whether that’s eternal life, cessation of suffering, or something else).

Wondering about the Lord’s Prayer?

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer prayed by Jesus, and it can be found in the New Testament of The Bible (Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4). In those verses, Jesus teaches his followers to pray a prayer he teaches them to pray. Many Christian churches pray that Lord’s Prayer at each worship gathering, including Catholics who sometimes call this prayer the “Our Father.”

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Every so often, the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life conducts surveys to gather data about the religious practices and beliefs of Americans. Recently, they released part II of their 2008 survey, which included a sampling of 35,000 Americans.

Part II found that both politics and religion are important to most Americans: About 75% of Americans associate themselves with Christian churches, with evangelical Protestant churches representing over 26% of Americans. Only 16% of Americans do not affiliate with a religious tradition. The survey also revealed that political beliefs are often linked to religious beliefs and practices.

Other interesting facts:

·         It seems our religious traditions are divided as to whether the United States should involve itself in the affairs of other countries.

·         A majority of people responded that “many religions can lead to eternal life,” not just the one they follow. (Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only faith groups to respond that their religion is the only religion to lead to eternal life.)

·         A majority of people from all faiths (with the exception of Jews and Buddhists) claimed to pray daily. Even 22% of non-affiliated Americans claimed to pray daily.

·         Religion seems to play a greater role in the lives of Christians and Muslims than Jews and Buddhists.

·         95% of Americans are at least somewhat certain there is a God.

To draw more conclusions and see more data, visit the survey page on the Pew Forum’s Web site. The page offers visuals in the form of maps and charts and a stunning array of data collected from survey participants.

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What’s all the buzz about? Today, it’s about Mike Myers’ new film, Love Guru, set to open in theaters on June 20. The comedy features Myers as Guru Pitka who wears saffron robes, is raised in an ashram in India, carries prayer beads, and discusses karma and (obviously) love. Though some (like Deepak Chopra) have claimed the film is meant to be purely satirical, others are now speaking out against it — some calling for a pre-screening by Hindus and others calling for a complete ban. The issue is, according to Hindus interviewed by BBC News today, that all the religious symbols used by Myers in the film do not point to some made-up religion, as Myers claims. No, it points straight to Hinduism, they say. And it’s just portraying stereotypes that will hurt the religion’s image in the States. Are these symbols really Hindu though? Let’s define some of the words and symbols used in this film.

Guru:  While “guru” has come to mean any sort of master teacher in either the religious or secular realm, it got its start in the religious or spiritual worlds of Hinduism and Buddhism; thus, a guru is a spiritual teacher. Often in Hinduism, that spiritual guru guides his students to be liberated (or to achieve moksha) out of the cycle of death and rebirth (reincarnation) by understanding that he is one with God/the universe (Brahman).

Mark on forehead: The mark (or “tilaka”) often found on the foreheads of Hindus is usually made up of something like soot or clay; the way it is applied (e.g., a u-shape, one dot, etc.) shows which Hindu religious tradition is followed. The mark is sometimes also used by married women to designate their marriage status.

Prayer beads: As with most other religions, prayer is an integral part of Hinduism. When Hindus pray, they often repeat prayers found in their sacred scriptures. This repetition creates a need for a system of tracking and counting the number of prayers that have been said; prayer beads meet that need.

Saffron cloths: Saffron is the color that symbolizes Brahman and the giving up of the material world. Hinduism is not the only religion that uses saffron as a symbol (e.g., Buddhists wore saffron robes after the death of the Buddha), but the color is sometimes viewed as one of the main symbols of Hinduism.

Sari: the female clothing typically worn by women in India and surrounding nations; it consists of one cloth draped around the body

What do you think? When Myers portrayed a “love guru,” was he unknowingly (or knowingly?) offending followers of Hinduism and perpetuating religious stereotypes? Do you plan to see the film? Has the negative press changed your opinion about the film? Leave your comments.

Filed under: Hinduism, Religion and Ethics | 1 Comment »

On Friday, famed host of NBC’s “Meet the Press” Tim Russert died of a heart attack. Russert was known for his background in law and politics and, of course, his excellence in journalism. But Russert was also known for something else – his Catholic background and Jesuit education.

Russert was born in Buffalo, New York, in 1950 to Irish Catholic parents. He went to a Jesuit high school, Canisius High School in Buffalo, and later attended John Carroll University, a Jesuit college outside of Cleveland, Ohio. On the university’s Web site, University President the Reverend Robert L. Neihoff said, “The entire John Carroll University community is deeply saddened by the loss of this distinguished alumnus. Tim exemplified the Jesuit Catholic mission. He lived by a simple philosophy – and that is, there is a world beyond yourself.  Tim truly was a man for others.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

And Catholic News Service reported that Russert had been scheduled to give the Catholic Common Ground Iniative’s Philip J. Murnion Lecture in just a couple of weeks at Catholic University. Certainly, Russert identified strongly with his Catholic faith and his Jesuit background.

So just what is a Jesuit?

Before we get to that, let’s define a few terms:

Catholic: the largest Christian denomination; all other denominations fall under the umbrella term “Protestant”

Christianity: the largest world religion; followers believe in God and Jesus Christ

Religious Orders: groups of people set aside from society by following certain religious practices, like Catholic nuns or Buddhist monks

Jesuits are members of the Society of Jesus, a religious order founded by a Catholic named Saint Ignatius Loyola around 1540. Loyola and six students took a vow that they would do whatever missionary work the pope asked of them, going wherever they were needed without question. Eventually, followers of the Society of Jesus were nicknamed “Jesuits,” a term they eventually accepted for themselves (in the same way Latter-Day Saints took on the term “Mormons”). But the idea of their name was to show that they were always focused on imitating Jesus Christ and in devoting themselves to acting as Christ would in the world. Unlike other religious orders who separate themselves from society, Jesuits are meant to live in society, spreading the Catholic faith and strengthening others with their service. They are not a secret society; rather, they seek to be seen and heard in order to bring glory to God and Catholicism.

To become a Jesuit, laypersons (or non-priests) must do ten actions set forth in the Constitutions (or codex legum) produced by Loyola. Among these are admission to the society, scholastic training, vows to serve, and professions or missions in the world. Some Jesuits may become priests, others may remain laypersons, but all are involved in going wherever the pope sends them. Many are also involved in preaching, teaching, and/or writing.

For more articles about Catholicism, click here.

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Religion book sales are down, according to a Christian Retailing report of Association of American Publishers (AAP) figures. AAP saw religion book sales decline by 25.5% in March – that’s a $47.6 million decrease. That’s just one month, but the year-long prospect isn’t so sunny either: so far religion book sales are down 12.1% for the year.

An initial reaction may be to attribute the decline to a general decrease in the purchasing of entertainment, as a result of a groaning economy. But don’t be so quick to judge. AAP reports a 23.1% sales increase for the year in adult paperback sales and a 58.9% increase for the month in e-book sales.

Perhaps religion book publishers just need to start putting their books online? After all, you’re getting your religion news here.

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Once again, Turkish women can no longer wear headscarves at their universities, after a new ruling from Turkish courts yesterday.

In the 1990s, the judicial elites in Turkey banned women from wearing their traditional headscarves on Turkish campuses. The idea was that the veil was too far outside the lines of secularism (or outside the lines of a government where religion was kept separate from government). Then Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who won the election and subsequent popularity last year, tried to implement a legal rule that would allow women to make their own individual choices about whether to wear a headscarf in public. According to The New York Times, Erdogan is a Muslim himself and wanted women attending colleges to be able to decide for themselves what to wear and what to believe.

But today, the court ruled his legal change unconstitutional. And once again, Muslim women in Turkey will not be allowed to wear headscarves on campus. It will be illegal.

The headscarf, called a hijrab in Arabic, is a veil typically worn by Muslim women. It covers the head, hair, and/or face and serves as a sign of modesty.

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According to an article in the New York Times, Lord’s Gym is expanding across the country as a franchise. These Christian-focused fitness centers are meant to provide a space for Christians to work out — for purposes of staying healthy, not for vanity or for looking at members of the opposite sex.

As the article put it, “the gym offers classes including’Yogod,’ its take on yoga, and ‘Chariots of Fire,’ a spinning class. Spaghetti-strap tank tops and short shorts are not allowed, and women’s tops must cover their bottoms.”

The concept brings to mind another religion and gyms incident in which Muslim women at Harvard University asked school officials to let them have gym time and not allow men in. Seeking to remain modest, the women did not want to exercise in front of the opposite sex. Plus, they wanted to be able to work out without wearing clothing that fits the dress code (covering the hair and skin), and removing such clothing requires removing the men from the sightline. Officials agreed. But many on campus have voiced complaints, women claiming it’s sexist, men claiming it’s unnecessary.

What do you think? Is there enough temptation at the gym to warrant separate times for religious folk who wish to remain modest? Is creating a separate time or separate gym the answer?

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If you ask God to lower gas prices, will we start paying $3 instead of $4? I guess we’ll see.

Rocky Twyman, a community organizer from the D.C. area, recently held a prayer meeting at the gas pumps, asking God to lower gas prices. The idea itself, fueled by the National Day of Prayer on May 1, led Twyman’s movement to pull in loads of press, from Fox News to the Washington Post. People seem to be fascinated with the idea that groups would petition God for help with gas money. Bloggers have run wild with it. Some say Christians should certainly give all concerns to God, including money and gas prices. Others suggest God is trying to tell us something: In other words, gas prices have been raised so we’ll stop using gas. Still others are saying we should be more focused on those who don’t have food to eat than on filling up our SUVs.

While Jesus did say, “Knock and the door shall be opened unto you” (Luke 11:9), he also urged followers to store their treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). So what do you think? Will the prayers work? Should Christians be praying for lower gas prices at all? Leave your comments.

Filed under: Christianity, Religion and Ethics | 1 Comment »