My new Twitter handle is now live - check me out at @jackiewgibson!
CNN has posted a history of bias against Sikhs - more reason for people to learn about religions before they attack anyone:...
Sikh temple shooting unfolding, learn about Sikhism here: http://t.co/A0ltLLIm
Sikh temple shooting unfolding, learn about Sikhism here: http://t.co/l3KrAJZf
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
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Law & Religion
On July 5, two British tourists met at a champagne-filled brunch in Dubai. Hours later, they were arrested for having sex on a Dubai beach.
Their charges?
Sex outside of marriage, public indecency, and drunkenness. Why? Because it’s Dubai.
Though Dubai welcomes tourists from all over the world, the country itself is ruled by Islamic law (sharia). Dubai authorities worried that prosecuting the tourists would dissuade new tourists from visiting the country, for fear of further arrests. But today, the Britons were pronounced guilty and charged the equivalent of $350 US. They must also serve a three-month prison sentence, after which they will be deported from Dubai.
What is sharia?
Sharia (Islamic law) is derived from the sacred texts of Islam, including the Qur’an and the Sunnah (which details the actions and sayings of Muhammad). Like western courts, sharia still allows for trials, and you’re still innocent until proven guilty. But the laws themselves may be different at times:
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.
Schools in Quebec are now required to hold a course on ethics and religious culture.
The course is part of the government’s efforts to deal with the realities of mass immigration, according to Globe and Mail. It is requiring all schools, public and private, to hold the course in order to help students understand the diversity of beliefs. It will introduce them to holidays like Hanukkah and figures like the Sikh Guru Nanak.
Quebec’s educational system has been dominated by Catholic and Protestant education, and many private schools aren’t happy. Some Catholic schools say children should be receiving Catholic education at their schools – and they should not be forced into confusion over choices.
Over 600 schools have requested exemption from teaching the course, and the government has refused every one of them. They will still be required to provide the education.
According to Globe and Mail:
“This is historic,” said Jean-Pierre Proulx, a University of Montreal education professor who advised the government on the new course. “We’re not aiming to form good Catholics or good Protestants or good Jews. We want to form good cultivated citizens, who are tolerant and able to enter into dialogue with others…Because ignorance often leads to intolerance.”
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago launched a counseling initiative yesterday for loved ones of those abused by Catholic priests.
The Chicago Tribune ran the report, stating that victims’ families are often overlooked in the healing process and need treatment to overcome feelings of guilt, anger, and shame. Now, those loved ones will have the chance to receive counseling via four sessions led by a licensed clinical social worker.
According to the article,
Barbara Blaine, president of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, offered faint praise, reiterating a call for measures that will guard against future abuse, such as publicizing offenders’ current whereabouts and the names of religious order priests accused of abuse.”Any help for those wounded by pedophile priests and complicit bishops is welcome,” Blaine said. “At the same time, however, victims and their loved ones can heal even without the church’s help.”But Matthew Hunnicutt, director of the archdiocese’s office of assistance ministry, said that although many agencies offer support groups and therapy, the church has an obligation to reach out to victims and their family members. Many professional therapists leave spirituality out of the recovery process. This initiative puts emphasis on it, he said.
What do you think? Is the Church doing a good thing? Is it enough? Is it necessary?