About 200,000 people attended a rally in downtown Seoul, South Korea, yesterday — right in front of its City Hall.

They were protesting the religious bias they accuse the government of holding against Buddhists. Read my original article about the Jogye Order, the denomination leading the protest.

Among the 200,000 people, police estimated 60,000 of them were Buddhists (including 7,000 monks).

They issued a resolution asking the president (Lee Myung-bak) to take notice of religious bias, to stop religious discrimination, and to unify the nation.

Read more about the South Korean Buddhist protest on BuddhistChannel.tv.

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The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life has released the results of two of its recent surveys.

Do you believe in hell?

According to this survey, only 59% of 35,000 respondents said they believe in the type of hell “where people who have led bad lives, and die without being sorry, are eternally punished.”

That number is down, says Religion News Service.  In a 2001 Gallup survey, 71% said they believe in hell as a physical place.

Do you think churches should be involved in politics?

According to the Pew Forum’s (based on their recent survey):

A slim majority of the public (52%) says that churches and other houses of worship should keep out of politics, an eight point increase compared with 2004. Fewer (45%) take the view that churches should express their views on day-to-day social and political questions. This marks the first time since the Pew Research Center began asking the question in 1996 that those who say churches should keep out of politics outnumber those who say churches should express their political views.

Perhaps more surprising, 50% of conservatives say churches should stay out of politics — up from 30% in 2004.

Find more survey data about churches and politics on the Pew Forum Web site. 

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PETA is asking for a New York state investigation into kapparot, a ritual performed by some Jews before Yom Kippur.

It involves swinging a live chicken over one’s head, then slaughtering it.

The idea is that, since the Hebrew word “gever” means both “man” and “bird,” a bird can substitute for a man. Thus, during the ceremony, some Jews believe they can transfer their sins to the bird, which is then slaughtered. The meat is then given to the poor.

Some Jews oppose the ritual, claiming there would be no need for a Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) if a bird could take your sins away.

But animal rights group PETA is opposed for another reason.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) charges that thousands of chickens were thrown away in the trash last year following the ritual in Brooklyn. Such dumping is a violation of Jewish law and animal rights, and puts a burden on sanitation workers, PETA says.

Learn more about PETA’s letter and the rabbis response.

Do you practice kapparot? What do you think of PETA’s response? Leave your comments.

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The letters represented in a tetragrammaton, YHWH, are the four consonants of the ancient Hebrew name for God Himself.

It is Jewish practice to never pronounce the four-letter name of God. And according to the Vatican, early Christians did not pronounce the four-letter name either.

But as time went on, Christians adopted various names for God. Large groups of Christians made something of the four letters – the name “Yahweh.” Others refrained from translating the letters and used translations of “Lord” (Adonai, Kyrios, and so on).

In June, the Vatican announced it will return to tradition and stop pronouncing the name of God. The change is now in effect. While this change won’t affect official liturgy, it will mean several songs and texts will need to remove the name – perhaps replacing it with Adonai.

Refraining from pronouncing God’s name is, according to the Vatican, an “expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God.”

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On Monday, we reported that religious authorities in Nepal are searching for the next Kumari.

Today, we bring you an update from Afp.google.com:

A Nepali tradition of locking a young virgin girl in a palace and worshipping her as a “living Goddess” has been dealt a blow with the country’s Supreme Court ruling she has the right to go to school. The court said there was no justification for the specially chosen pre-pubescent girl, known as the Kumari, to be subjected to a practice that dates back centuries.

The ruling comes barely three months after Nepali lawmakers abolished the country’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy, who received annual blessings from the Kumari in a ceremony designed to underpin the legitimacy of the royals. The court’s verdict was prompted by a complaint from local lawyers that keeping a young girl cooped up in an ornate but decrepit palace in Kathmandu’s medieval quarter was a violation of her rights.

But it was not immediately clear whether the court’s decision would herald the end of the tradition, given that the Kumari’s aura is to a large part dependent on her total separation from the outside world.

“This is not good news. In any case, she is a Goddess so how can court rulings apply?” asserted Rajan Maharajan, the vice president of the committee that looks after the Kumari and her palace. He also said the girl’s rights were not being violated because “her teacher comes to the Kumari Palace every day, and she has three hours a day when she can meet people.” “We do not keep her prisoner,” he said of the current Kumari. “We will ask the Goddess if she wants to go outside more, and if she wants, she can go, but I don’t think she feels comfortable leaving the palace.”

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Ramadan begins on September 1 (September 2 for those in North America).

As Muslims around the world gear up for the annual observance, they are making some tough decisions before the fasting begins.

Indonesia:  Three Islamic militants (Islamists) are on death row for bombing night clubs in Bali in 2002. It was the worst terrorist attack on Indonesia, with 202 people killed and another 209 injured. The Indonesian government was hoping to execute the men by firing squad before the start of Ramadan. But yesterday, the Indonesian Attorney General announced they will not execute the men during the holy month of Ramadan, fearing backlash by Muslims.

Israel: Israel will release 200 Palestinian prisoners (of the total 9,000) during Ramadan. The release is a gesture from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Olmert is hoping such goodwill can fuel peace talks.

Malawi and Morocco: In preparation for the fast, Muslims often stockpile food for the month. But with rising food costs, residents of Malawi and Morocco are fearful of having enough to eat. Some items are simply unaffordable; other items are being hoarded by those who can easily afford them. The demand created after such hoarding only makes the items more unaffordable.

Pakistan: With the announcement of President Musharraf’s resignation on Monday, the new coalition government (the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, the same coalition that talked about impeaching Musharraf prior to his resignation) has only a month to pick a new president. But with Ramadan beginning in just over one week, and with an Islamic majority in the government, it seems likely they will have to wait until after the fasting month to make any decisions.

Learn more about the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

And watch Religion Transcends for more on this religious observance.

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Korean Buddhists are protesting what they believe to be religious discrimination (and Christian favoritism) by the South Korean government.

South Korea has about 10 million Buddhists and 13.7 million Christians. Furthermore, 4 out of the country’s 10 past presidents have been Christians. The largest denomination of Buddhism is the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism – the group leading the protest against the government.

The map that started it all

On June 24, the Jogye Order issued a statement claiming the government had intentionally left Buddhist temples off of the government transportation map. According to BuddhistChannel.tv, “in 2003, when the previous government built the online information system, the Buddhist temples were marked on the map. But a version updated on June 9 dropped them.” The map did, however, show Protestant churches.

The ministry had previously apologized (calling the error an oversight) in a press conference on June 23 and corrected the map after two top presidential aides and senior ruling party legislators visited the temple. But it was too little too late for Korean Buddhists. Buddhist monks went on to accuse the president, Lee Myung-bak, of favoring Christians for his Cabinet (10 of the 15 ministers are Protestant, 2 are Catholic). They also noted that the Protestant deputy head of presidential security had told a newspaper he had a dream “to evangelize all government ministries.”

The beef that made things worse

Then in July, a group of activists led violent anti-beef protests. The police sought them, and the activists found refuge at a Jogye temple.

Things became tense when weeks later, police searched the car of the Jogye’s head monk. Protesters claim he was treated like a criminal.

Visit BuddhistChannel.tv for more of the Jogye Order’s accusations against the government.

Taking action against the government

On August 12, the Ecumenical Youth Council in Korea, the Korean Youth Buddhist Association, and 7 other youth groups called for the enactment of a nondiscrimination law (i.e., a law against religious discrimination).

27 Buddhist sects and organizations are taking the call a step further.  Next Wednesday they will hold a rally in protest of “Mr. Lee’s Christian-friendly policy” and in favor of a ban on religious discrimination and an apology from President Lee.

Watch Religion Transcends for information next week about the rally.

Learn more about the Jogye Order on their official Web site. 

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In case you missed it, Rick Warren hosted a forum for presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain Saturday night.

Who is Rick Warren? Aside from the author of the bestselling book The Purpose Driven Life, Warren is also the pastor of a Christian megachurch in California (and by mega, we mean Joel Osteen megachurch huge). Learn more about Rick Warren here.

As you might expect, with Warren hosting the debate, the discussions were all related to religious, spiritual, or moral/ethical matters. Did you miss it? No worries.

Transcripts of the Saddleback Civil Forum can be found here.

Video clips of the Saddleback Civil Forum can be found on CNN.com.

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Isaac Hayes died last week. He was an R&B singer/composer, the famous voice of “Chef” on South Park, an actor – and a Scientologist.

According to his friend Roger Friedman (Fox News), his passing leaves many unanswered questions.

Hayes’s apparent downward spiral began in November 2005 when South Park aired an episode spoofing Tom Cruise and Scientology. Matt Stone, the show’s creator, apparently came to Friedman and said that Scientology leaders had pressured Hayes after the episode aired. He told Stone that they would have to stop making fun of Scientology – or Hayes would have to quit.

Months later in January 2006, Hayes had a severe stroke. Scientology monitors “portrayed it as a minor health issue,” said Friedman, and played it off as a simple case of exhaustion. But Hayes could no longer control his speech or motor skills. He resigned from South Park in March 2006.

To maintain his household income and pay required fees to the Church of Scientology, Hayes toured and performed, speech impairment and all.

Then last week, he was found dead by his treadmill. Friedman asked these questions in his article:

Why, for example, was a stroke survivor on a treadmill by himself? What was his condition? What kind of treatment had he had since the stroke? Members of Scientology are required to sign a form promising they will never seek psychiatric or mental assistance. But stroke rehabilitation involves the help of neurologists and often psychiatrists, not to mention psychotropic drugs — exactly the kind Scientology proselytizes against.

Please do consider the source (no offense, Fox News). What do you think? Could Hayes’s involvement with Scientology have affected his health or the way he behaved and was cared for following the 2006 stroke?

Find another article about Scientology on Religion Transcends here.

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The search is on in Nepal for the next Kumari, the virginal “living goddess.”

Religious authorities and astrologers are consulting candidates’ horoscopes to find out who should succeed the current Kumari, according to Reuters. They are looking for a Buddhist who has perfect eyes, teeth, and hair; who has no scratches on her skin; and who could be as young as 3.

Who is the Kumari?

The Kumari is a girl selected from an ethnic family of Buddhists in Nepal (see below).

She becomes the “living goddess,” and many Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal believe she is the reincarnation of the famous Hindu goddess Kali.

The Kumari lives in a wooden temple in Kathmandu where she is revered and sought after (for her blessing)  until she menstruates. At that time, a new Kumari is chosen.

The current Kumari is 11 years old, and authorities in Nepal seek to replace her before she menstruates. She is set to retire at the Daisan Hindu festival in October.

Who is Kali?

In Hinduism, there are many gods. However, they are all seen as manifestations of the One, the Ultimate Brahman. Kali is one of the most followed Hindu gods. She is the goddess who encompasses both good and evil, life and death, creation and destruction.

At times, Kali is worshipped as a sweet mother. At other times, she is worshipped as an angry feminist — bloodthirsty and enraged at masculine power.

Who are the Shakyas?

The Kumari will be chosen from a Buddhist Newar family. Newar Buddhists are an ethnic group of Buddhists from Nepal.

The Kumari will specifically be chosen from the Buddhist Shakya, the highest caste of Newar Buddhists found mostly in Kathmandu. The Buddha (Shakyamuni or Guatama Buddha) is originally from this line. Thus, the chosen Kumari should be in the line of the Buddha.

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