Beginning at sundown tonight, Jews around the world will commemorate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Work is not allowed on this high holiday.

Scripture in the Torah called for observance of this day:

On the first day of the seventh month hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. It is a day for you to sound the trumpets. – Numbers 29:1

Jews also believe that God renders a judgment on Rosh Hashanah, looking out their good and bad deeds from the last year and determining their fate over the course of the coming year. That fate is then sealed on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

In other words, Jews get a chance between the two holidays to right their wrongs. Then on Yom Kippur, it’s time to repent for sins and commit to doing right from now on.

Did you say New Year?

Yes. The Jewish calendar is different from the typical Gregorian calendar. It is based on the lunar cycle with months like Nissan, Iyar, Sivan, and so on. Learn more about the Jewish calendar online.

When is Yom Kippur?
Typically, Yom Kippur falls 10 days after Rosh Hashanah. This year, Jews will observe Yom Kippur on October 9.

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Two Jewish congregations are publishing new editions of their prayer books that keep gay and lesbian Jews in mind.

The congregations (Beth Simchat Torah in New York and Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco) modified the traditional liturgy for the worship service, along with prayers for life moments.

More on the changes…

Of the changes to the Sha’ar Zahav prayer book (or siddur) are changes to make things less male heterosexual. JTA.org gives this example: Instead of God rejoicing with a bride and groom, God rejoices with two people in love. Their new siddur also includes prayers for life moments including a first kiss, coming out, gender transitions, and even anonymous sex (or “unexpected intimacy” as it is called).

Why the changes?

Prayer books have already been changed in several congregations to take women into account. Now some congregations are seeking to take other forms of diversity into account.

According to the straight editors, the books “were created to appeal to a range of contemporary Jewish experiences that traditional prayers have overlooked.”

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Views about Jews and Muslims are unfavorable in Europe, according to a recent survey from the Pew Research Center’s Pew Global Attitudes Project.

 The results showed that:

-46% of the Spanish rate Jews unfavorably, and 52% viewed Muslims unfavorably.

-34% of Russians rate Jews unfavorably.

-36% of Poles rate Jews unfavorably, and 46% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-25% of Germans rate Jews unfavorably, and 50% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-20% of French rate Jews unfavorably, and 38% rate Muslims unfavorably.

-9% of the British rate Jews unfavorably (Great Britain had the least anti-Semitic views), and 25% view Muslims unfavorably.

Researchers thus concluded there is some kind of relationship between anti-Jewish and anti-Muslim attitudes.

What about Christians?

Anti-Christian views are on the rise in Spain, but otherwise sentiments remain the same with little negativity toward Christians.

The survey also displays differences in religiosity among age groups as well as feelings toward terrorist activities. See the full survey results on the Pew Forum site. 

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This. Is. Fascinating.

In this video, a Christian church in Indonesia is providing meals for Muslims observing Ramadan. 

Watch and decide: Real bridge building? Thoughtful? Corny? Wrong? Unnecessary? 

Learn more about Ramadan in this post on Religion Transcends.

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If you haven’t seen a preview, you soon will.

Bill Maher, former host of Comedy Central’s Politically Incorrect, has a new movie out: Religulous.

In theaters October 3, the documentary is more of a satire of religious belief. Maher is known for satire and going after right-wingers. And the director is Larry Charles who worked on Borat. So it’s bound to be…um…not so serious. 

The Huffington Post published this interesting comment from Maher:

It has been my pleasure over the last decade and a half to make organized religion one of my favorite targets. I often explained to people, “I don’t need to make fun of religion, it makes fun of itself.” And, then I go ahead and make fun of it too, just for laughs.

With religious fanatics like George Bush and Osama bin Laden now taking over the world, it seemed to me in recent years that this issue — this cause of debunking the man behind the curtain — needed to have a larger, more insistent and focused forum than late night television. I wanted to make a documentary, and I wanted it to be funny. In fact, since there is nothing more ridiculous than the ancient mythological stories that live on as today’s religions, this movie would try to be a real knee slapper. Unless, of course, you’re religious, then you might not like it.

If you visit the movie’s Web site, you’ll find Disbeliefnet.com. The tagline for the Web site? You won’t believe what people believe. The site contains articles about strange religious beliefs as well as obviously-fake advertisements (or are they?) for “hermetically sealed sacrament” and “singlemuslim.com.”

Watch the trailer and decide for yourself. Will you see Religulous? Do you expect it to be a “knee slapper” satire or an offensive documentary? Is this kind of dialogue necessary or hurtful?

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Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska and vice presidential candidate, has made no secret of her religious background. She grew up with and has maintained an affiliation with the Assemblies of God, a Pentecostal Christian denomination.

Want to know more about the Assemblies of God?

Check out this article on the Pew Forum, which contains demographics, beliefs, and so forth.

Or try this article from Christianity Today (fewer charts, more narrative style).

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The California Department of Education (CDE) has been sued for misrepresenting Hinduism in its textbooks.

According to Hinduism Today, the California Association of Parents for the Equalization of Educational Materials (CAPEEM) sued CDE and members of the State Board of Education for adopting textbooks that:

1.   included gross inaccuracies in sixth-grade textbooks;

2.   taught religious concepts from Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, while slighting Hinduism and eastern religious concepts; and

3.   were illegally adopted, since CDE held secret meetings to discriminate against Hindus and avoid opposition while adopting the textbooks.

Secret meetings? Yes. According to CAPEEM, they have e-mail proof that CDE held secret meetings with anti-Hindu groups while upholding church ideals.

Learn more at www.capeem.org.

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Are more women than men leaving the church? If so, are they leaving for Wicca?

According to a report from Dr. Kristin Aune, a University of Derby sociologist, women are leaving the church in drones, due primarily to the masculine hierarchies and traditionalist ideologies.

Wicca for women

Instead, women are turning to Wicca, the pagan witchcraft tradition. In Wicca, emphasis is placed on both the god and the goddess, often giving more prominence to goddesses and female witches (practitioners of the religion). Wicca, Aune told reporters, offers working women a solution to religions that no longer fit into their busy lives. And they offer more opportunities for leadership than churches: for example, the Catholic Church will not ordain female bishops (though female priests are allowed).

In other words, Wicca has given women a sense of relevance when other religions have not. And Aune believes when religions offer women greater roles, those women will return to those religions.

What about men?

But according to one reporter, men are the ones leaving the church – not women. And why would they leave? Because the church is actually too feminine.

UK Telegraph reporter Jonathan Wynne-Jones says as many women as men are now being ordained as church leaders (i.e., beginning to take over the leadership ranks). Churches are stressing balance, trying to use “he or she” in phrasing and sometimes calling God a woman or referring to “our mother Jesus.” Not to mention, by taking traditionalism out of worship services, church-goers are left with emotions only, something “soft,” as he puts it.

Men, he thinks, will return when church services are bold, structured, and, well, masculine.

What do you think?

Do you  notice more men or women leaving religion? Why do you think they’re really leaving? Is it really a power struggle?

Filed under: Paganism | 1 Comment »

Today is the anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Take a moment to read a blog post by a Muslim who claims his religion was hijacked on September 11. Here’s an excerpt:

Do not worry, ladies and gentlemen, a billion Muslim pacifist sisters and brothers continue to challenge those who hijacked Islam and we will spend our lives serenely hijacking it back; by any peaceful means necessary.

Even though some Americans may mistakenly think that Muslims only know recipes for Molotov cocktails; here are some other societal contributions of Muslims to modern civilization:

For example, it was Muslims who invented algebra.

Most people would also probably be surprised to learn that it was a Muslim who designed the Sears Tower in my sweet home of Chicago.

Even more surprising is the fact that 4 out of 57 Muslim nations on earth have already elected female heads-of-state; something that we as Americans have been unable to do thus far in history.

Additionally, the greatest American boxer ever, Muhammad Ali; and the funniest dude in America, Dave Chappelle, are both Muslims.

Most importantly, 3 out of the last 5 Nobel Peace Prize winners have been Muslims; one for fighting poverty in Bangladesh, one for disarming nuclear weapons and Shrin Ebadi, the Iranian Muslim human rights lawyer valiantly fighting for the rights of women worldwide.

But more important than Nobel Peace Prizes, Muslim culture has brought crunchy falafel, henna tattoos and yummy hummus to our American shores.

But all because of one terrorist cave-dweller, 1400 years of Pan-Islamic cultural and societal progress goes down the drain.

Thanks a lot, Osama…

Read the full article on CNN.com.

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If you’ve missed the news in the past year about the violence between Christians and Hindus in India, ReligionTranscends will bring you up to speed.

Last year, violence escalated in Orissa, a state in east India, between Christians and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The VHP is an organization that believes India is a Hindu Nation – always has been, always will be. Its leader was Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

Saraswati was upset about Christians who were constantly trying to convert the poor and tribe members. The swami made efforts to bring those people back into Hinduism. And the two sides have been fighting about conversion ever since.

The death of Saraswati

Then this year on August 23, the swami was murdered along with four others at the swami’s ashram.

Some government officials claimed it was an act of the Communist Party of India (CPI, or Maoists). But when Hindu groups began blaming the Christians, the government kept mum. This has led some Hindu groups to believe the government is blaming Maoists to cover for the Christians.

The aftermath

As a result of all the finger pointing, violence has continued to escalate, particularly against Christians. VHPs are retaliating against what they view as an attack on their leader.

Schools have closed across India to protest the violence. Around 20 Christians are dead; 4,000 are homeless; and thousands are reporting rapes, murders, and arsons.

The Prime Minister has sought to intervene, sending in units of the Central Reserve Police Force. But the violence continues.

Check out this news video from Reuters:

Want more?

Read Wikipedia’s bio of the swami.

Check out an interesting article from the VHP point of view.

Filed under: Christianity, Hinduism | 1 Comment »