Hackers group Anonymous takes down Vatican website: http://t.co/B6lbGAVp
WGN-TV calls doomsday prophecies "an illusion": http://t.co/mv8Gzyw7
RT @graceishuman: Really,? Asking people JUST LEAVING the service how they felt about it? Tacky, tacky, inappropriate
Whitney Houston's funeral service really took the world to church. Love Pastor Winans' honesty, very moving.
#teacher ? Here are appropriate responses to situations with your Jehovah's Witness student: http://t.co/A6UfqcgH
#Teachers: Want to know why your Jehovah's Witness student won't say the pledge and how to respond? http://t.co/EIdlgDwW
3 common questions teachers ask about their Jehovah's Witness students: http://t.co/kPTygb8r
3 common questions teachers ask about their Jehovah's Witness students: http://t.co/0y3R4WZV
Hey @BlackArtistNews check out this sculptor, this will blow your mind. My mind seriously can't take this in. http://t.co/I4VgB8ni
What do reporters have to say about balance in religion? Watch the video from last night's panel: http://t.co/jutu8oJ9
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Archive for April 2009
On Wednesday, Tony Blair called for renewed motivation in fighting Islamic extremism.
Read the full story by Religion Transcends writer Jackie Walker, reporting for Religion News Service.
Gay rights are constantly being debated in America. And this month, they have taken center stage in both the legislative and religious realms.
Permission via legislation
At the beginning of the month, the Iowa Supreme Court stated that gay marriage was a right, thereby allowing same-sex marriages (not just unions) in the state. A week later, the state of Vermont voted to allow gay marriage through the legislature. Now some believe U.S. President Obama will pass a similar federal law in 2009.
To top things off, Christian Evangelical pastor Rick Warren nearly took back his support of Proposition 8. Warren, after giving the prayer at Obama’s swear-in ceremony, was criticized for supporting the California amendment banning gay marriage. He didn’t take back his support. But on Larry King Live on April 7, he denied being an activist against gay marriage.
It would seem, then, that gay rights activists have won a few battles and are winning conservative converts.
Not so fast.
Denial via religion?
It’s too early to tell whether the Lutheran denomination will allow gay clergy. At the end of March, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) decided they didn’t need a two-thirds vote to allow gay clergy. Instead, they plan to allow a majority vote in August at the church’s convention. If a majority passes the motion, then individual congregations would get to decide whether to appoint gay clergy. A two-thirds vote would have made it harder to get the motion passed. But it is yet to be seen whether a majority will support openly gay clergy.
The Presbyterian Church is making similar decisions. In March, a California commission in a Presbyterian church denied lesbian deacon Lisa Larges the right to be formally ordained as a minister – the third time she’d been denied. But by the end of May, the Presbyerian Church as a whole will have reconsidered the rules. Currently, as with the Lutheran Church, gay clergy must agree to be celibate. This clause is being rethought and will require a vote.
On top of all this, former British prime minister Tonya Blair recently stated that the Vatican (the Catholic seat) should rethink its ideas about homosexuality to be more in line with current tolerance of homosexuality by most Catholics. Will the pope reconsider? For now, the Catholic Church is maintaining its opposition to gay marriage and homosexual acts.
A history of debate
Portions of both the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament, and Qur’anic Scriptures like the Hadith make mention of homosexual acts as an abomination. Thus, homosexuality has been under constant scrutiny for ages.
As to other Christian denominations not previously mentioned:
- The United Church of Christ first allowed ordination of gay and lesbian in the 1970s; openly gay clergy were ordained beginning in 1980. The church also endorses the blessing of same-sex unions.
-The Episcopalian Church has endorsed equal rights for the GLBT community since the mid-1970s, and it ordained gay minister Gene Robinson as a bishop. But it seems the topic is still up for debate.
-Homosexual individuals are welcomed into the United Methodist Church but may not become clergy. Clergy cannot hold civil union/gay marriage ceremonies either.
The following churches have historically condemned homosexuality:
-Southern Baptist
-Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
-Pentecostal
-Jehovah’s Witnesses
Reform Judaism has allowed ordination of homosexual rabbis since 1990. The Orthodox branch has been historically opposed to ordination of homosexual rabbis. And the debate continues for Conservative Jews. Watch a current discussion of GLBT rights in the Jewish community online.
In most Islamic countries, homosexuality is a crime that carries punishment (especially in Saudi Arabia and Iran). Groups like Al-Fatiha are hoping to change that.
For Buddhism, monks must remain celibate. For everyone else, sex is only permitted for procreation. So technically homosexuality would be considered wrong, but the Dalai Lama has spoken out in favor of equal rights for the GLBT community.
For Hinduism, sacred texts do not prohibit homosexuality. However, the debate continues as homosexuality is often outside the cultural teachings surrounding Hinduism.
Where do you stand on the debate of homosexuality and religion?
Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends
In 2008, four Sikh students in Chandigarh, India, applied to medical school as Sikhs. They were denied admission because they had cut their hair; the college claimed that by cutting their hair, the students were no longer Sikhs.
In response, the students sent a petition to the high courts in India.
Many young Sikhs are cutting their hair, according to the Washington Post. In fact, the number may be as many as 75%. But for traditional Sikhs, long hair wrapped up in a turban means you are Sikh. It is a visible sign of religious affiliation and belief.
In most religions, removing headgear does not remove one’s status as a follower of that religion — unless of course one removes the headgear because they no longer follow that religion. But this could all change for Sikhs depending on how the courts respond. Their decision could mean that if a Sikh cuts his hair, he is no longer Sikh.
Other types of religious headgear
Sikhism isn’t the only religion to include mandates on headgear. Here are a few examples of others:
-Buddhist monks typically shave their heads as the Buddha did, as a sign of ascetic life.
-Some Muslim women choose (or are subjected, depending on whom you ask and what country you’re in) to wear the hijab, a head covering intended as a display of modesty
-Some Jewish men wear yarmulkes, also known as kippahs or skull caps, as a sign of humility and a reminder of their relationships with God. Jews are not required to wear the skull cap at all times, and most do not. Many choose to wear the skull cap in public as a sign of religiosity, during holidays, or while visiting Israel.
-The habit is the traditional uniform of Catholic nuns, which includes a veil. Most nuns are no longer required to wear the habit, but many still choose to wear the veil and uniform. Learn more about the reasons for the habit on A Nun’s Life. Learn about other Catholic headgear in this Wiki article.
What do you think? Is hair and headgear just that? Or is it a sign of something more? Do you wear religious headgear or wear your hair a certain way to reflect your beliefs?
Recently, 58 clergy and lay leaders from Conservative Judaism demanded a strategic plan for the future of the movement, according to Religion News Service.
In response, Rabbi Steven Wernick will replace now-retired Rabbi Jerome Epstein as executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The Conservative movement lost ground under Epstein, as Jews transferred out of the movement and other Jews transferred into Reform Judaism. The synagogue hopes the movement will be see revived interest under Wernick.
What are the different branches of Judaism?
In the United States, there are three main movements: Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. (Visit this site to learn about movements in Israel and the UK.)
Orthodox Jews observe Jewish laws and practices strictly and pay special attention to their history, particularly that spelled out in the Torah. For them, all laws needed throughout life were given to Moses.
Reform Jews sought to combine Jewish law with the facts of modern life. Many see themselves as more current and relevant than Orthodox Jews. For them, laws can change and new laws can be revealed as time goes on.
Conservative Jews (including Wernick and Epstein) fall in the middle. They follow traditional Jewish law but will accept changes that jibe with that tradition.
Two other Jewish denominations
Though not as large as the aforementioned big three, two other branches of Judaism exist in the States: Humanistic and Reconstructionist.
Reconstructionist Jews may observe Jewish rituals and practices, but mostly because it’s cultural. They don’t believe in God as a personal God who chose the Jews as His people.
Humanistic Jews follow Jewish cultural practices but do not pay much attention to the Jewish religion, sometimes believing God doesn’t exist at all.
What is Kabbalah?
Kabbalah is Jewish mysticism – in other words, those who practice Kabbalah are more concerned with experiencing unity with God than becoming knowledgeable about Jewish practice, tradition, and literature. For them, the experience of meeting with the divine is key. Learn more on ReligionTranscends.com.
Copyright 2009, Religion Transcends