ISKCON News: Religion [pg. 1]

Parabhakti Das Discusses Authentic Yoga at European Academy of Religion

Parabhakti Das, President of ISKCON’s Villa Vrindavana community near Florence, Italy, presented at a panel discussion on preserving authenticity in yoga during the European Academy of Religion’s annual conference this spring.

ISKCON Members Participate in Parliament of the World’s Religions

Nearly 10,000 delegates from 80 countries attended the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions from November 1^stto 7^thin Toronto, Canada. They represented nearly 200 religious, spiritual and indigenous traditions, comprising the single largest interfaith gathering in the world.

Parliament of the World’s Religions 2018

The Parliament of the World’s Religions, the largest global interfaith gathering, will be held in Toronto from November 1 – 7 in Toronto, Canada. The gathering will welcome close to 10,000 delegates from 80 countries, representing nearly 200 religious, spiritual, and Indigenous traditions.

Vaishnava-Christian Dialogue Held in Temple for the First Time

Until now, dialogues in Washington D.C. have been held in neutral, non-religious spots such as retreat centers and community halls. But with such deep friendships and trust built up over the years, the dialogue was held last year at a Catholic monastery, and this year – for the very first time – at an ISKCON temple.

European Religious Leaders Hold Annual Conference and Visit Krishna Temple in Budapest, Hungary

The main topic and the title of the conference was “The Role of Multi-religious Cooperation in Social Cohesion and Human Security.” As part of the program, on May 7th the European religous leaders visited the Hare Krishna Temple in Budapest.

ISKCON Representatives Promote Religious Freedom and Dialogue in South Asia

Around fifty spiritual leaders, lawyers, civil society leaders, government officials and scholars attended the meeting.

Faith Counts: Video Featuring ISKCON Devotees Among Best 10

A 2-minute short film entitled “Transit Point” featuring Hungarian ISKCON devotees taking care of refugees arriving from war-torn Syria is among the best ten in the video contest run by Faith Counts, an American multi-faith organization with mission is to promote the value of faith.

How Religious Literacy Can Save Lives

Religious literacy enables doctors and nurses to better treat a diverse set of patients.

Why Religion Seems Dispensable

Nowadays, the question of ultimate meaning doesn’t occupy the minds of most people. And when religion is divorced from such questions, it degenerates into a set of rituals that are followed out of deference to culture or tradition.

US Southern Baptists Condemn White Supremacy

Southern Baptists reversed course and adopted a statement denouncing “alt-right white supremacy,” calling it “antithetical to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Official 'Well-Being' Statistics Show Religious People Are Happier Than Atheists

Of all the faiths in the UK, Hindus are the happiest, scoring well above the UK national average.

Gods In The Dust

“As if their Gods fell into the dust.” This was my first reaction seeing the videos and photos of the devastated faces after the Brazilian football team’s 1-7 loss to Germany. "What’s the big deal? Wasn’t it just a game?”

Yes, Religion Can Still Be A Force For Good In The World

Here are 100 examples of how faith-based groups are doing good in the world today. The list includes the Bhumi Project by the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies.

Study Finds Religious Apps Help User Practice Mobile Faith

A recent study of religious mobile applications from five major world religions provides insights into common types, purpose and use of religious apps.

April Fool’s Isn’t a Religious Holiday, but There Are Some Religious Roots

The day began in 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the “Gregorian calendar”, which moved New Year’s Day from the end of March to Jan 1.

Could Spreading European Anti-Semitism Drive Jews From Homelands?

Across Europe, 66% of Jewish people see anti-Semitism as a problem in their respective countries today — as high as 90% in Hungary and 85% in France.

Quebec Considers New Restrictions on Wearing Religious Symbols, Clothing

Quebec’s governing party introduced a legislation that would ban public employees from wearing “overt and conspicuous” religious garb.

Raising Mormon (Or Any Religious) Kids to Keep the Faith

It’s a painful reality for Mormon parents (and all religious parents) that sometimes, their children leave the faith.

Back to Church Day in the USA

75 percent of Americans think the USA would be a better place to live if more people were religious–even though many of those surveyed reported they don’t attend church themselves.

New Report Finds that Arab Spring Adds to Global Restrictions on Religion

A new study by the Pew Research Center finds that the already high level of restrictions on religion in the Middle East and North Africa – whether resulting from government policies or from social hostilities – continued to increase in 2011, when most of the political uprisings known as the Arab Spring occurred.

Applying God’s Law: Religious Courts and Mediation in the U.S.

For the most part, religious courts and tribunals operate without much public notice or controversy. Occasionally, however, issues involving religious law or religious courts garner media attention.

A Subversive Appeal for Religious Reform

Erasmus's book, "The Praise of Folly," published in Paris in 1512, was a masterful critique of the arrogance and pretension that characterized the religion of his day. Half a millennium later, it still speaks powerfully as an appeal for spiritual renewal.

10 Ways Religion Shaped the News in 2012 in the USA

From the nuns to the “nones,” religion dominated the headlines throughout 2012. Faith was a persistent theme in the presidential race, and moral and ethical questions surrounded budget debates, mass killings and an unexpected focus on “religious freedom.”

USA: Public Views of the Divide between Religion and Politics

While support for churches’ involvement in politics has fluctuated, there has been consistent agreement over the years that houses of worship should not directly endorse political candidates.

The Civic and Community Engagement of Religiously Active Americans

Some 40% of Americans are active in a church, religious, or spiritual organization. Compared with those who are not involved with such organizations, religiously active Americans are more trusting of others, are more optimistic about their impact on their community.

Encylopedia of Global Religion Includes Authoritative Entries on ISKCON

The new two-volume “Encyclopedia of Global Religion,” released this October by the academic publisher SAGE, features substantial and authoritative entries on ISKCON, Srila Prabhupada, and Vaishnavism.

Where Religion and Business Do Mix

Talking about religion is often seen as taboo in business. But not for some financial advisers. In fact, many of them argue that it's crucial to speak with clients about their religion or spirituality, as a way to gain a full understanding of their financial goals.

US Religion Communicators Call For Civil Discourse About 9/11

A religion communicators group is calling for responsible discussion of faith groups in news coverage of 9/11's 10th anniversary. The 17-member board called "for responsible discussion of religion and of all faith groups, seeking the understanding and acceptance of religious communities."

Rising Restrictions on Religion

More than 2.2 billion people, nearly a third (32%) of the world’s total population of 6.9 billion, live in countries where either government restrictions on religion or social hostilities involving religion rose substantially between mid-2006 and mid-2009.

Study: Education Liberalizes Religious Views

The old wisdom: The more educated you are, the less likely you will be religious. But a new study says education doesn't drive people away from God — it gives them a more liberal attitude about who's going to heaven.

Top Ten American Religious Companies

Here are well-known companies that don't make religious products - we're not talking kosher foods manufacturer Manischewitz here - but that nonetheless take their religious sides seriously.

Atheists, Agnostics Most Knowledgeable About Religion?

A survey that measured Americans' knowledge of religion found that atheists and agnostics knew more, on average, than followers of most major faiths.

Becket Fund to provide free defense for religious hospitals against government-ordered abortions

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty threatened to sue the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) if it tried to force religiously affiliated hospitals to perform abortions against the conscientious objections of their doctors and nurses.

Breaking the Cycle of Intolerance

I’m ashamed to say it’s happening right in my own backyard. Pastor Terry Jones of the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida has announced plans to burn the Islamic holy book, The Koran, on the ninth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks this Saturday.

ISKCON Devotee Bids for Brussels to Host Parliament of World Religions

The next meeting of one of the biggest interfaith gatherings in the world, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, could be hosted in Brussels, Belgium in 2014—and an ISKCON devotee is front and center in the bidding process.

Religion and Science: Finding Their Kindred Spirits

There is a science-religion divide -- these are two distinct and separate spheres of endeavor. But in the 21st century, we can't help but hear echoes passing back and forth across that divide and changing the way we understand our humanity, our relationship to each other and the natural world, the contours of the cosmos.

What Does It Mean to Believe In God?

There are three notions that are essential to the conception of God.

How Much to Donate? God Knows

Given the generous support Americans dole out to houses of worship, it seems reasonable to ask how much the various holy books would have us give.

Shroud of Turin is Real Enough

The Catholic Church's most famous (and infamous) holy relic is being exposed to the faithful for the first time since the year 2000.

Primary and Secondary Considerations of Religion

When speaking about God, religion, and spirituality, too many people put social phenomenon and the psychological and physiological effects of religious practices ahead of the spirit soul.

US Supreme Court Hears Pivotal Religious Discrimination Case

On April 19, 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, a case that will determine whether a public institution can refuse to officially recognize a religiously based organization that prevents those who do not share its religious and moral values from becoming voting members.

Icelanders Turn to God For Help in Man-Made Crisis

Three days before a referendum on how to repay Britain and the Netherlands for money lost in the collapse of an Icelandic bank, dozens gathered before the parliament in Reykjavik to pray for God to look after their country.

Concerning God, Modern Man, and Religion

Can a truly contemporary person not be an atheist? A fuller articulation of the question would go like this. Must a truly contemporary person, one who is fully acquainted with all the genuine advances in science and philosophy, who has lived under the conditions of contemporary life with its holocaust, its nuclear weapons, its moral corruption -- must not such a person be an atheist in order to be honest and clear-headed?

President Obama's Religion by Remote

The leader gets a daily devotional e-mail from one of his staff members.

Haiti Earthquake: Religion Fills the Void Left by Aid Agencies

Haiti's evangelical and voodoo priests are providing spiritual and material aid to the homeless and injured

Three in Five Adults Are Absolutely Certain There Is a God

A recent Harris Poll shows that the majority of Americans are convinced theists.

Bishop Offers Apology to Hindus over Conversion Attempts

The ultra liberal Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles J. Jon Bruno offered a formal apology to Hindus for centuries-old acts of religious discrimination including attempts by Christians to convert them. He then authorized a joint Hindu-Anglican service at St John's Cathedral in Los Angeles permitting Hindu devotees to receive the consecrated elements.

Catholic Scholar to Research Bhakti Literature

BRUSSELS: A senior professor of Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, has called for more researches into the Bhakti (devotion) movement that still inspires India.

U.S. Views on God and Life Are Turning 'Hindu'

America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). Of course, we are not a Hindu—or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan—nation, either. A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth.

Blow to Sikhs: European Court Upholds French Turban Ban

JALANDHAR: In a major blow to Sikhs in Europe, the European Court of Human Rights has upheld a French ban on turbans by dismissing the first petition filed against it. France had passed a law in 2004, prohibiting religious symbols in schools.

The Cult of Choice

Think of the zeal many Americans display toward the most inane and inconsequential aspects of their lives. Take the Macintosh, a brand name that legions of computer users believe offers superior functionality compared to your run-of-the mill PC. A product so excellent, in fact, that it causes advocates to stick the company logo on their cars, proselytize the non-believer and dismiss anyone who fails to submit to its awesomeness as a fool.

UCLA Repents of Banning Jesus from Graduation

According to news reports, the University of California in Los Angeles yielded to media pressure and agreed to allow a graduating student to thank Jesus in her personal statement. UCLA student Christina Popa claimed the school's Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology was denying her freedom of speech when a faculty advisor told her that she could not mention "Jesus" in her graduation remarks.

Obama Calls for End to Discord with Muslim World

Reporting from Cairo -- President Obama's sweeping call Thursday for a "new beginning" between the United States and the Islamic world was greeted by Muslims of many countries as a conciliatory gesture aimed at setting aside suspicion and moving ahead on problems that include terrorism and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Punjab Courts Can Decide Religious Conflicts

A Full Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today held that courts could enter into “religious thicket” in case of a conflict. Comprising Justice JS Khehar, Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Ajay Kumar Mittal, the Bench also concluded that “maintaining hair unshorn was an essential component of the Sikh religion”; and that admissions under the Sikh minority community quota could be restricted to candidates maintaining “Sikhi swarup” or keeping their hair unshorn.

Religious Home Gatherings Require Permits in San Diego

California pastor David Jones and his wife Mary Jones were questioned by San Diego County officials and threatened with fines over a weekly Bible study in their residence in Bonita, California, according to several news reports and televised interviews. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has offered to assist the couple or others facing the same situation in California or elsewhere in the U.S.

Survey Finds Many Americans Seeking Religion in the Market

A study of why people change religious affiliations, released this week by the Pew Forum for Religion & Public Life, found that more than half of Americans have changed faiths in their lifetime. Sixteen percent of the population is not affiliated with a religion, according to the study, but many respondents said they had not found the right religion.

Op-Ed: Defecting to Faith

“Most people are religious because they’re raised to be. They’re indoctrinated by their parents.” So goes the rationale of my nonreligious friends. Maybe, but a study entitled “Faith in Flux” issued this week by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life questioned nearly 3,000 people and found that most children raised unaffiliated with a religion later chose to join one.

Faith in Flux: Religious Conversion Statistics in the U.S.

Americans change religious affiliation early and often. In total, about half of American adults have changed religious affiliation at least once during their lives. Most people who change their religion leave their childhood faith before age 24, and many of those who change religion do so more than once. These are among the key findings of a new survey conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. The survey documents the fluidity of religious affiliation in the U.S. and describes in detail the patterns and reasons for change.

Organised Religion: Devil’s Work or Divine Necessity?

For thousands of years, whenever saintly people have searched for a good spot to live, they’ve chosen places of tranquility, far removed from the noise and clamor of the town. In a quiet place, undisturbed by distraction or temptation, surrounded by the beauty of nature, they’ve said their prayers, studied their scriptures, and engaged in meditation.

Secure Enough to Sin, Baghdad Revisits Old Ways

BAGHDAD — Vice is making a comeback in this city once famous for 1,001 varieties of it. Gone, for the most part, are nighttime curfews, religious extremists and prowling kidnappers. So, inevitably, some people are turning to illicit pleasures, or at least slightly dubious ones.

Always Look on the Bright Side of Life

The Catholic Church in the Philippines disapproves, calling it a misrepresentation of the faith. Still every year people flock to festivals in towns around the country where many flagellate themselves, with whips and others are crucified. One man, 46 year old Ruben Enajehas, been nailed to the cross 21 times.

Religious Groups' Views on Global Warming

Earth Day takes place on April 22 each year. One issue at the center of public discussions about the environment is global warming: whether it is occurring and what its causes might be. An analysis by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life of a 2008 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press examines views on global warming among major religious traditions in the U.S.

Minister Placed in Jail for Quoting Bible to Judge

Benton Harbor, Mich., Mar 20, 2009 - The Washington D.C.-based Becket Fund, a nonpartisan interfaith public-interest law firm dedicated to protecting the free expression of all religious traditions, announced on Tuesday that a coalition of a dozen religious and civil rights groups have joined in asking a Michigan court of appeals to release a Christian minister accused of “threatening” a judge with a Bible verse.

God Still Isn't Dead

America was famously founded by companies and churches. The woes of American capitalism are well known: Wall Street is a synonym for excess and greed around the world, and Detroit is tottering on the edge of bankruptcy. But just as its temples to Mammon are under fire, so suddenly are its churches to God.

New England Now Least Religious Part of USA

New England, where the Puritans and others sought religious freedom, has surpassed the West Coast as the least religious region in America, according to a new major national survey. The study, released last week, showed that since 1990, the percentage of Americans claiming no religion has nearly doubled, growing to 15% last year. That was the overall conclusion. But tucked inside the report are figures offering portraits of various regions.

The Stronger Sex -- Religiously Speaking

March is Women's History Month. A new analysis of data from the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life, finds that women are more religious than men on a variety of measures.

Americans Prefer To Live With Religious Diversity

Some 59% of Americans say they would rather live in a community where there are many people with different religions, while 25% say they would prefer to live mainly among people who are the same religion as they are. Some 40% of white evangelicals, 42% of Hispanic Catholics, 38% of those who attend religious services at least weekly and 41% of conservative Republicans say they would rather live in communities mainly filled with people who share their religion.

Church Asked to Ban Clergy from British National Party

The Church of England is to be asked to ban clergy from joining the British National Party (BNP). The general synod - the Church's parliament - will be urged to adopt a similar policy to other bodies which forbid BNP membership, like the police.

Obama Inaugural Strikes Inclusive Note on Matters Spiritual

The clergy were Protestant, and so was the new head of state. But the inauguration Tuesday of President Barack Obama aimed for a much broader audience: an increasingly diverse America, where people want their beliefs acknowledged in the nation's most important ceremony.

For Good Self-Control, Try Getting Religious About It

If I’m serious about keeping my New Year’s resolutions in 2009, should I add another one? Should the to-do list include, “Start going to church”? This is an awkward question for a heathen to contemplate, but I felt obliged to raise it with Michael McCullough after reading his report in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Bulletin.

Heaven for the Godless?

In June, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published a controversial survey in which 70 percent of Americans said that they believed religions other than theirs could lead to eternal life. This threw evangelicals into a tizzy. After all, the Bible makes it clear that heaven is a velvet-roped V.I.P. area reserved for Christians.

Keeping the Faith Through a Financial Crisis

Pastor Rudy Rasmus recently called the staff of St. John's Methodist Church downtown together for a meeting. The news wasn't good, and the timing couldn't be worse.

Between Christmas and New Year's Day, the staff of 40 will be reduced by 20 percent.

Most US Christians Say Other Faiths Can Lead to Eternal Life

A majority of all American Christians (52%) think that at least some non-Christian faiths can lead to eternal life. Indeed, among Christians who believe many religions can lead to eternal life, 80% name at least one non-Christian faith that can do so. These are among the key findings of a national survey conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life from July 31-Aug. 10, 2008, among 2,905 adults.

ISKCON Communication Team Attends Human Rights Conference

Last week, three members of ISKCON Communications attended the Fifth Session of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom. The conference was organized by the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, located in Washington, D.C. The ISKCON delegation met lawmakers from countries around the world.

Catholics and Muslims to Fight Terror and Defend Faith

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Catholic and Muslim leaders at unprecedented Vatican meetings vowed on Thursday to jointly combat violence committed in God's name, to defend religious freedom and to foster equal rights for minority faith groups.

Farrakhan Calls Today's Organized Religion a Failure

Calling today's organized religion a failure, the Nation of Islam's Minister Louis Farrakhan on Sunday urged a "new beginning" during the rededication ceremony for a renovated mosque on Chicago's South Side.

Are Religious People Nicer?

It took scientists more than three decades to come to a conclusion which atheists might find hard to believe -- religious people are 'nicer'. A major study, published in the Science journal, has revealed that people, who believe in God and frequently attend religious services as well as offer prayers, are more helpful, honest and generous.

Anti-Jew, Anti-Muslim Attitudes Rise in Europe: Survey

Anti-Muslim and anti-Jewish feelings are rising in several major European countries, according to a worldwide survey released overnight.

The Washington-based Pew Research Centre's global attitude survey found 46 per cent of Spanish, 36 per cent of Poles and 34 per cent of Russians viewed Jews unfavourably, while the same was true for 25 per cent of Germans, and 20 per cent of French.

Study Shows: God Makes You Happy

A belief in God could lead to a more contented life, research suggests. Religious people are better able to cope with shocks such as losing a job or divorce, claims the study presented to a Royal Economic Society conference. Data from thousands of Europeans revealed higher levels of “life satisfaction” in believers.

Ban on Political Endorsements by Pastors Targeted

CHICAGO -- Declaring that clergy have a constitutional right to endorse political candidates from their pulpits, the socially conservative Alliance Defense Fund is recruiting several dozen pastors to do just that on Sept. 28, in defiance of Internal Revenue Service rules.

Dead Sea Scrolls go Digital

Scientists in Israel are taking digital photographs of the Dead Sea Scrolls with the aim of making the 2000-year-old documents available to the public and researchers on the internet. Israel Antiquities Authority, the custodian of the scrolls that shed light on the life of Jews and early Christians at the time of Jesus, said on Wednesday it would take more than two years to complete the project.

Violence in India Fueled by Religious and Economic Divide

TIANGIA, India: Those who came to attack Christians here early last week set their trap well, residents say. First, they built makeshift barricades of trees and small boulders along the roads leading into this village, surrounded by rice fields and mango trees, apparently to stop the police from intervening.

VHP's Anti conversion Swami and Four Others Killed

Bhubaneswar, Aug 23: Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Lakshmanananda Sarawaswti and four others were killed when a group of armed men attacked his Jalespata ashram in Kandhamal district of Odisha on Saturday night. A letter with a threat to eliminate the Swami was received at the ashram at Jalespata under Tumudibanda Block of the tribal-dominated backward district on Friday.

KAZAKHSTAN: Nationwide Religious Property Seizures Continue

Almaty regional Public Prosecutor's Office seems keen to seize property from religious communities, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. Six property cases against Christian and Muslim religious organisations in the region are known to have been initiated since mid-June. Amongst them is Agafe Protestant Church, the regional Economic Court ruling – despite numerous violations of due process – that the Church's building and land should be confiscated. A defence lawyer has received anonymous death threats, and an appeal will take place on 27 August. The regions' Hare Krishna commune also continues to struggle to retain its property.

Uzbekistan Criticised for Continuing Rights Violations

Aug 15, ENGLAND, UK (RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE) — In its survey analysis of religious freedom in Uzbekistan, Forum 18 News Service has found continuing violations by the state of freedom of thought, conscience and belief. Amongst many serious violations - which breach the country's international human rights commitments - non-state registered religious activity is a criminal offence, as is the sharing of beliefs and meetings for religious purposes in private homes.

Belief in Hell Dips, But Some Say They've Already Been There

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Ernie Long believes he has been to hell. He can even narrow it down to a particular moment. His mother was dying of cancer. As she lay on her death bed, he swiped her last $5 and the car keys from her purse, went out and got high. When he returned, she was dead.

Sikh Girl Wins Bangle Law Battle

A 14-year-old Sikh girl has won her High Court discrimination claim against her school after it excluded her for breaking its "no jewellery" rule. Sarika Singh, from Cwmbach, south Wales, was excluded by Aberdare Girls' School in November 2007 for refusing to take off her religious bangle.

Survey Shows Californians Less Religious than Rest of USA

Californians, long known for their propensity to buck convention, have apparently done it again: A national survey released Monday revealed that they are less religious and less certain about the existence of God than the nation as a whole.

Residents of the Golden State do not pray as much as people in other parts of the country. They are less inclined to take scripture literally. And they are likelier to embrace "more than one true way" of interpreting their religious teachings.

Primitive Polytheism or Misunderstood Monotheism?

In today's culture war pitting secularism versus religion, Eastern religions usually get a free pass from atheist authors and other foes of faith. But that doesn't mean that Hindus can afford to rest on their laurels. Several new books from Hindu experts and advocates seek to dispel misconceptions, including negative ones, about the ancient Indian tradition.

ISKCON Scholar To Meet With The Pope

Ravi Gupta [Radhika Raman Dasa] thought someone was playing a joke on him when the Centre College religion professor received a phone call inviting him to greet Pope Benedict XVI next month during the pontiff's visit to the United States. More than 200 interfaith leaders will meet with Benedict on April 17 in Washington, but Gupta is one of a handful to have an official ceremonial role.

Study Shows Religion 'Linked to Happy Life'

A belief in God could lead to a more contented life, research suggests. Religious people are better able to cope with shocks such as losing a job or divorce, claims the study presented to a Royal Economic Society conference.

When God Goes to the Office

Rob Skinner did not expect to find a chaplain in the office when he started his sales job at Piedmont Air Conditioning in Raleigh, North Carolina. "I was a little worried because I didn't want God shoved down my throat," says Skinner, 38, a self-described liberal Christian.

Green is the New God

God and the green movement are battling for the hearts and minds of middle Australia. As record numbers desert religion, environmentalism is increasingly being used to fill the void, KPMG demographer Bernard Salt said. The green movement advocates ideas such as salvation, damnation and atonement that are similar to those of traditional faiths.

Survey: Hindus Have the Lowest Divorce Rate in USA

Not only are the Hindus and Mormons the most likely to be married (78 percent and 71 percent respectively), but also the most likely to be married to someone within their own faith (90 percent and 83 percent respectively), a landmark survey that details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the remarkable dynamism taking place in the US religious marketplace has found.

Americans Change Faiths at Rising Rate, Report Finds

WASHINGTON — More than a quarter of adult Americans have left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or no religion, according to a new survey of religious affiliation by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. The report, titled “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey,” depicts a highly fluid and diverse national religious life.

Dow Jones Indexes and Dharma Investments to Launch New Faith-based Indexes

MUMBAI, India, Jan. 15, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Dow Jones Indexes, a leading global index provider, and Dharma Investments, a leading private investment firm pioneering the development of faith-based investment, today announced the launch of the Dow Jones Dharma Indexes. The new indexes measure the performance of companies selected according to the value systems and principles of Dharmic religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism.

"One Nation Under God" on Trial

San Francisco, CA - The phrase "One Nation Under God" went on trial here today, as Kevin "Seamus" Hasson, President of the Becket Fund asked a federal appeals court to overturn a ban on saying the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. In 2005, atheist activist Michael Newdow had succeeded in convincing a Sacramento court to ban the Pledge in the lawsuit Newdow v. Carey because he found the two words "under God" offensive to his atheist beliefs.

ISKCON Joins Religious Conference in Macedonia

Ohrid, Macedonia—ISKCON’s Minister of Communications, as well as Krishna representatives from Bulgaria and Macedonia, were invited by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Macedonia, a small, yet historically significant balkan state north of Greece, to participate in the “World Conference on Dialogue Among Religions and Civilizations,” held October 26-28.

Spiritual Struggle or Power Struggle?

Religious life imparts to us the vision to see everyone as, in essence, a beloved servant of God. Yet so often the differences between religions underline a feeling of "the other" that turns those who should be friends into enemies. What often follows is behaviour that may not seem very religious at all.

When What We Don't Know About Religion Hurts Us All

What Americans don't know about religion is sometimes funny. For instance, when Jay Leno interviewed people on the street recently, someone told him that God made Eve out of an apple. Our ignorance also makes for some astonishing statistics. Twenty percent of evangelical Christians say they believe in reincarnation. Why, then, would we expect Americans to know the difference between Sunni and Shiite Muslims? In his new book, "Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know -- and Doesn't," Stephen Prothero, head of the religion department at Boston University, points out what Americans don't know and how it can hurt us.

Understanding ISKCON

Charles Brooks wrote The Hare Krishnas in India, an important study of the Hare Krishna movement in India, focusing particularly on their presence in Vrindavan. Thus he is perhaps more qualified than most to comment on the legitimacy of ISKCON, of which he is convinced. However, like many devotees, Dr. Brooks would like ISKCON to address issues that, even after thirty years, seem to have been neglected.

Scholarship and Devotion: Can They Co-Exist?

Can a scholar be a true believer? Can a believer be a good scholar? Two parts of a problem that has exercised many in the West since at least the Enlightenment. Prof. Keith Ward, Regius Professor Emeritus of Divinity at the University of Oxford, takes a fresh look at the conundrum by examining some of the main problems and outlining a few principles that may help modern-day devotee-scholars.

Supreme Court Hears`Bong Hits 4 Jesus' Case

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments Monday (March 19) in the "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" case, a free speech conflict that has caught the attention of religious litigators nationwide. Morse v. Frederick is the high court's first student speech case in nearly 20 years, and comes at a time when school administrators and students regularly battle over religious activities in public schools.

Assignment: Analysis: Choosing Religious Identity

Read the article on religious identity and write an article based on its themes (plus others that may be relevant to ISKCON), that approaches the subject from a devotee perspective and reflective of devotee concerns.

Some (of many possible )points to consider and develop:

Devotee-born teens exploring other faiths, or adopting them. What are the benefits, pitfalls, conflicts that may generate?

When a spouse chooses to distance him/herself from ISKCON.

For Many Americans, Religious Identity Is No Longer a Given

When Aurora Turk was growing up in Mexico City, being Catholic was a given. "It was taught to me by the nuns at school and my mother at home," she recalled. "My whole world was Catholic.

But Turk's adult life has been marked by religious exploration. Married to a Brooklyn-born Jew, the 38-year-old mother now follows the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian spiritual teacher; she and her husband plan to raise their infant son in the Self-Realization Fellowship, a group founded by Yogananda, at their home in Springfield, Va.

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