If you’re a student at Massena High School in New York, you can take yoga in school.

Just don’t call it yoga.

The school recently sought to introduce a yoga program, citing the benefits relaxation can have on students’ stress levels. But parents complained that a yoga program would promote Hinduism, the religion that introduced the practice, thereby conflicting with the separation of church and state.

The solution?

Let’s have yoga and not call it yoga. Officials are now calling the program “Raider Relaxation” instead and are offering it as part of an after-school club. (Their school mascot is the raider.)

According to the International Herald Tribune, 100 schools in 26 states use yoga to relieve stress.

Filed under: Hinduism, Religion and Ethics | No Comments »

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?

Filed under: Atheism, Religion and Ethics | No Comments »

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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You probably remember the controversy surrounding Mike Myers’ The Love Guru a few months ago. No doubt due in large part to Hindus’ protests and distaste for the film, it tanked at the box office.

So what will happen with Hollywood’s upcoming comedy Hamlet 2?

The film, set to release on August 27, is about a drama teacher who tries to save the high school drama program by producing Hamlet 2. But this Hamlet isn’t really a sequel to Shakespeare’s masterpiece. Instead, it contains a “Sexy Jesus” and a song surrounding the figure (”Rock Me Sexy Jesus”). Aside from obvious issues with the title of the song, the lyrics, and so forth, many Christians are upset about the film’s depiction of Jesus. We’d describe it, but you can see for yourself in this YouTube video.

So what do you think? Should Christians be upset at the depiction of their religion, its founder, and their God? Or is this just satire? Should Christians react the way Hindus reacted to Love Guru? Or is this an entirely different situation?

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Chad Hardy created a calendar featuring shirtless Mormon missionaries.

On July 13, he was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the LDS church of Mormons), according to Religion News Service.

Hardy had sought to show people that there were many sides to Mormons by showing actual shirtless Mormon missionaries. He himself was once a missionary. But the church felt his actions needed the severest reprimand in order to bring about his repentance.

Though Hardy could appeal the decision, he doesn’t plan to.

Visit Hardy’s Web site to find the calendar that sold 10,000 copies in one year and for news about the upcoming 2009 calendar.

Then find out more about excommunication in the Mormon church.

Knowing what you now know about excommunication and Hardy, do you think the local church’s decision was a good one?

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

A church in Oklahoma was planning to give away a gun to encourage teens to attend their weekend youth conference. That plan has now been cancelled.

A spokesman for Windsor Hills Baptist told Oklahoma’s Channel 5 News that it was planning to give away a semiautomatic assault rifle, just as they did at last year’s conference (which also included a shooting competition). The idea initially was for teens to get together and enjoy a good time, then to subsequently find the Christian faith.

But the church’s head pastor will not be able to attend the event this year. So the youth pastor removed it from the church Web site.

They’ll give the gun away at next year’s conference.

What do you think? Is a gun giveaway appropriate at a youth conference? Is it appropriate for a religious event? Is it different for any specific cultures, regions, or religions?

Filed under: Christianity, Protestantism, Religion and Ethics | No Comments »

WOMEN NOT ALLOWED.

Or at least they might not be allowed in the ranks of the bishops of the Church of England.

On Friday, July 4, the governing body of the Church of England will meet to decide whether to pass legislation that would allow female priests to become bishops. But today, the UK Times reported that “more than 1,300 clergy, including 11 serving bishops, have written to the archbishops of Canterbury and York to say that they will defect from the Church of England if women are consecrated bishops.”

What’s the big deal?

That body of clergy represents 10% of all active and retired priests and bishops in the Church of England. If all 10% actually left the church, the governing body would be left with a huge priest shortage. The priests themselves may be able to find new positions within the Roman Catholic Church, according to the Times.

The Church of England began ordaining women as priests in 1944, though the practice didn’t really take off until the late 20th century. So why such a backlash against female ordination?

Traditionalists (those who stick to the tradition of not allowing women to be ordained) often point to verses in The Bible like 1 Corinthians 14 or the entire book of 1 Timothy. Those who are for female ordination say God created man and woman in his image – equally – and that both can play an equal role in His church. For more arguments, click here.

GLOSSARY

Church of England: The official Christian church of England; followers are called Anglicans

Clergy: Church leaders

Priests: Leader of one church (parish), typically; they oversee rituals and teaching for that group

Bishops: Oversee multiple parishes; appoint priests; take care of administrative tasks that cross parishes

Ordain/Consecrate: To set someone apart as a church leader who can perform certain rituals/sacraments after they have performed the necessary actions to reach ordination (schooling, training, etc.).

Filed under: Catholicism, Christianity, Protestantism, Religion and Ethics | No Comments »

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 »

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.

Filed under: Islam, Religion and Ethics, Religion and Law, Religion and Politics | No Comments »

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 »