There are other points of view - Tolerance's Blog - Bakersfield.com

In memory of C.H.P. Officer Eric S. Manny R.I.P.

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 20:26:19 PST

December 21, 2005

CSUB's Budget Woes

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:37:46 PDT

I just got word the other day that CSUB is laying off a large number of its part-time lecturers due to budget constraints. In addition they will be increasing the work loads of professors, increasing class size, and initiating a hiring freeze. In the end it will be the students who suffer the most. This news comes in light of the expectation that CSUB will have one of the largest incoming freshman classes ever.

Parents and students who will be coming to CSUB: you will be spending alot of money on your education. Demand excellence from this institution and hold president Mitchell accountable for this threat to your education. Ask him why he pays more attention to the shift to Division I athletics and not education. Contact him at (661) 654-2241 or electronically at:
http://president.csub.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=contact

Hold him accountable and demand answers.

Post script: Why hasn't the Bakersfield Californian reported this?

The Liberalization of the Jesuits?

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:13:34 PDT

This is a story about the Librorum Prohibitorum, the Catholic Church's list of banned books.

Link to original article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/custom/religion/chi-relig_index_27apr27,1,1450202.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

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History's forbidden books

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Loyola showcases works by Copernicus, Galileo and others that once appeared on the Catholic Church's now-defunct index of banned texts

By Ron Grossman

Tribune staff reporter

April 27, 2007

Those wearied by the current feuding between partisans of science and devotees of religion can take heart from an exhibit at the Loyola University Museum of Art. It shows there is a happy ending for some stories - or at least, for some chapters of some stories.

The exhibit showcases books that were once on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum, the Roman Catholic Church's list of works forbidden to the faithful lest they lead readers down the road of heresy.

Yet here they are, displayed in glass cases by Loyola, which is not just a Catholic institution. It is operated by the Jesuits, a religious order that served as papal enforcers for orthodoxy in an age when spiritual dissent carried the death penalty.

"It might seem odd that a Catholic university would highlight an infamous piece of the history of the Catholic Church," said Pamela Ambrose, the museum director. "But there is also a good chance that Catholics under the age of 50 have never heard of the Index."

In 1557, when Pope Paul IV created the Index, the church was in a defensive mood, said Jonathan Canning, a curator for the exhibit. Martin Luther's criticism of Catholic practices was splitting Western Christendom in two. The church had its hands full answering Protestant arguments and wasn't happy about having to fight a second front with science which was just then emerging from centuries of stagnation.

Church doctrine had been built in accordance with Aristotle and other ancient Greek philosophers whose findings were under challenge by Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo and others. Rather than argue with those new theories, the church tried to put them beyond the pale.

Famed scientists on the list

Virtually all the giants of early modern science wound up on the Index, as is represented in the Loyola exhibit. The show includes several volumes of the works of Copernicus, the Polish astronomer who held that the Earth revolves around the Sun. The church taught that the reverse was true, a theory seemingly backed by the biblical account.

Once the precedent was established, the list grew over the centuries into something like a who's who of Western thought. Catholics were forbidden to even peek into books of philosophers like Rene Descartes and novelists like Emile Zola and Daniel Defoe. Local bishops made their own supplements to the papal Index.

The growth of the printed book would eventually doom religious censorship. Before Gutenberg introduced publishing via movable type - roughly a century before the Index - ideas were spread, and suppressed, largely by word of mouth. Manuscript books were expensive; literacy wasn't widespread.

"When Abelard was censured by the church, it was for his teaching, not his books," Canning said, referring to the 12th Century theologian now chiefly remembered for his fated love affair with his student Heloise. "But once printed books are introduced, their arguments are countered by other books. The argument can't be suppressed."

Luther's ideas, for example, had been anticipated by previous would-be reformers, such as the Englishman John Wycliffe and the Czech John Huss. But while they and their disciples were easily repressed, Luther's ideas couldn't be contained. Spread in book form, they marked the first victory of the printed word.

From that point, the suppressing of ideas in the name of religion was doomed - though it took the church many centuries to recognize the inevitable.

"One of our docents, volunteer museum guides, was reminded that, in the 1950s, she had to get her parish priest's permission to read Upton Sinclair's novel 'The Jungle' for an English class," Canning said.

The last edition of the Index was published in 1948, and the practice was abolished by Vatican II in the 1960s, Canning noted.

The new exhibit, titled "Science and Faith Between Observance and Censorship," features 138 books lent by a consortium of libraries in Campania, in southern Italy. The works are in Latin, the long-ago international language of scholarship, and are handsomely leather-bound.

An order transformed

For Loyola, the exhibit demonstrates that the institution of religion is not immutable.

The Jesuits, like the Index, were born in the 16th Century and pledged to unswervingly uphold the papal side of the argument in the conflict between Catholics and Protestants. "I will believe that the white that I see is black if the hierarchical Church so defines it," observed St. Ignatius Loyola, their founder.

But the order now has become one of the most liberal-minded wings of the church.

When she got the idea for "Science and Faith," Ambrose checked it out with her superiors at Loyola. "They said, 'Great. We're a university. That's just the kind of thing we should be doing,' " she said.

From the beginning, the Jesuits - whose order is formally known as the Society of Jesus - have been devoted to educational enterprises, founding numerous schools and universities. Four centuries ago, teaching was a form of intellectual coercion: Students were expected to accept the church doctrine unquestioningly. For today's Jesuits, that view has passed into history.

"The exhibit," Ambrose said, "is intended to show that the contemporary battle over creationism versus evolution had its antecedents. Our present squabbles over who is right, science or religion, may look quaint from the perspective of future generations."

A place of honor is reserved in the exhibit for two early Protestant writers, Philipp Melanchthon and Ulrich Zwingli.

Once they were considered the church's deadliest enemies, Canning noted. Now they enjoy a wall of their own in a Catholic university run by the Jesuits.

rgrossman@tribune.com

Aztec Religion and the Rape of Tenochtitlan

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:41:07 PDT

By the year 1 Reed the Aztec Nation had reached the apex of empire. The Aztecs had a very large and sophisticated empire and their economic and political systems rivaled many European systems. The capital city, Tenochtitlan, had an elaborate infrastructue complete with paved roads, fresh water, markets, religious doctrines, and a sewer system. The problem, however, was the the year 1 Reed was also the Christian year 1519 and was the year of the arrival of Hernan Cortes.

The Spanish had two primary goals. As Cortes once reflected, "we suffer from a disease that only gold can cure," and, to his pleasure, Tenochtitlan had ample deposits of gold. The second goal was to spread Christianity. The Aztecs practice a religion, the Spanish believed, was evil. These goals were to the detriment of the Aztec Empire; the gold was taken and the people were forced to convert or face death. This disregard and disrespect for culture spread like a disease and eventually led to the near extinction of native culture in the western hemisphere.

The following is from http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encyclopedia/latam/aztec.html and explains the doctrines, history, and symbols of the Aztec religion.

Aztec Religion

Doctrines		Aztecs beliefs were based in their perception of nature, its time space, and cycles. They were particularly concerned with the destructive aspect of nature, and most of their rituals are means of avoiding the destructive and chaotic forces of nature, and finding harmony within nature. The need to control nature is evident in their calendar systems. They had two calendars which when combined formed a third one. The first calendar, the "Xihuitl", or natural year calendar, was used to measure the agricultural year and provided the basis upon which they performed their ritual to their various gods. The second calendar, the "Tonalpohualli", was a specific religious calendar. The structure of the calendar was based on a combination of number and sign system that determied the fate of everyone depending on the date of their birth. Certain deities were associated with certain days. The Xihuitl and the Tonalpohualli were combined forming a third calendar that was named Xiuhmolpilli (a bundle of years). The Xiuhmopilli or the calendar round had a cycle of fifty two solar years, the time needed for the two previous calendars to have a coincident beginning. Each period of fifty two years was considered an era at the end of which destruction might take place if sacrifices were not performed. The Aztec world was divided into time and space. Concerning time, they believed that the world was divided into five eras, or suns. Each previous era had been governed by one deity and it had ended with the destruction of the elements or phenomena after which it had been named. The Aztec believed themselves to be living in the fifth and last era. This era which they called era of movement would be brought to an end destroyed by earthquakes. after which the world and time would come to an end. The world was conceived as a flat surface divided into five directions (norht, south, east, west and the center where their capital Tenochtitlán was located). Departing from Tenochtitlán, there was a vertical line with thirteen ascending layers or heavens, and nine layers of underworld all of them ocupied by different deities. The Aztec pantheon was quite large and varied. There were gods related to the creation of the cosmos, to fertility, regeneration, death, war, and the sacrificial nourishment of the sun. The gods had different roles and were also represented in different ways. The two gods to whom the two most important temples in the Aztec world were dedicated were Huitzlopochtli (the supreme deity of the Aztecs associated with sun and fire) and Tatloc, the rain god, that among other things was associated with fertility. The Aztec pantheon was organized hierarchically with gods occupying the various vertical levels mentioned above. The highest layer was occupied by "Ometeotl" that was both male and female, representing therefore the principle of duality. The male aspect of Ometeotl, called our lord of subsistence had yet two aspects named Ometicuhtli and Tonacatecuhtli. The female aspect, called "our lady of subsistence" had also two aspects named Omecihuatl and Tonacacihuatl. This couple generated four children (God Red Tezcatlipoca -Smoking mirror-, God Black Tezcatlipoca, god Quetzalcoatl -plumed serpent-, God Huitzi Lopochthi -humming bird) that created the universe and its laws. Despite their importance, these gods were not worshiped as much as the gods related to the celestial bodies and to fertility. Of particular importance was the sun god without whom there would be no world. According to the one Aztec myth, one god sacrificed himself into a fire so that he could become the sun; however once he had become the sun, he did not reappear until he was nourished with the blood of all the other gods. The myth of the birth of the sun god provids the baisis of the practice of sacrifical death, including human sacrificial death. The religious rites and ceremonies where related to the various aspects and needs of Aztec life. Worship was done through offerings, prayers, performing symbolic acts, games, sacrifices. Daily rituals were associated with food, and thanksgiving. The ceremonies were performed in the temples that could be round or pyramidal. Attached to the temples there were courts for the ball game (tlachtli), sacrificial stones (techcatl) and other special areas for the different kinds of rituals and ceremonies. Though the rituals differed from place to place they followed a basic structure that consisted of preparation- fasting, purification and offerings- after which came blood sacrifice that was an act of major importance for the Aztec. For them there could be no new life without death.
History		The Aztec empire and therefore their religion as such arose around the fourteenth and fifteenth century. With the disintegration of the Toltec civilization, after the fall of Tulla in 1168, the Mexican plateau became a field of battle where the various groups fought for power. Among these groups a Chichimec group who called themselves Méxica and spoke a language called nahuatl, entered the valley of Mexico, and found their capital (Mexico-Tenochtitlán or Tenochtitlán) in 1345. Through alliances, trade and war conquered many other groups, and formed what it is called now a days the Aztec empire. Although the méxica had their religion prior to the conquest of Tenochitlán, in the process of empowering they absorbed the gods, myths and rites of the groups conquered by them. Many of their traditions were inherited from the Toltecs.The Aztec empire lasted until 1519 when they were conquered by the Spaniards.
Symbols		The deities are generally represented in human forms, even when the face happens to be of an animal, the body tends to keep the structure of a human body. Many times it is possible to find various representations of the same deity.
Adherents		At the time of the concquest it is estimated that the Aztec population was between twenty and twenty five million people.
Headquarters/ Main Centre		Tenochtitlán

Code of Hammurabi c. 1787 B.C.E.

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 09:14:27 PDT

The Code of Hammurabi was found in 1901 in Persia. Although scholars suspect there are others that preceed it, the tablet that was found is the earliest written code known (cite). There are two hundred and eighty two codes of law and many argue they resemble some of the concepts presented in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Presented here is the prologue to the Code. The full-text including the prologue, the two hundred and eighty two laws, and the epilogue can be read here. So are there similiarities? If so, what are they?

Code of Hammurabi

When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi, they called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an everlasting kingdom in it, whose foundations are laid so solidly as those of heaven and earth; then Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land, to destroy the wicked and the evil-doers; so that the strong should not harm the weak; so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash, and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind.

Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, sublime patron of E-kur; who reestablished Eridu and purified the worship of E-apsu; who conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the name of Babylon, rejoiced the heart of Marduk, his lord who daily pays his devotions in Saggil; the royal scion whom Sin made; who enriched Ur; the humble, the reverent, who brings wealth to Gish-shir-gal; the white king, heard of Shamash, the mighty, who again laid the foundations of Sippara; who clothed the gravestones of Malkat with green; who made E-babbar great, which is like the heavens, the warrior who guarded Larsa and renewed E-babbar, with Shamash as his helper; the lord who granted new life to Uruk, who brought plenteous water to its inhabitants, raised the head of E-anna, and perfected the beauty of Anu and Nana; shield of the land, who reunited the scattered inhabitants of Isin; who richly endowed E-gal-mach; the protecting king of the city, brother of the god Zamama; who firmly founded the farms of Kish, crowned E-me-te-ursag with glory, redoubled the great holy treasures of Nana, managed the temple of Harsag-kalama; the grave of the enemy, whose help brought about the victory; who increased the power of Cuthah; made all glorious in E-shidlam, the black steer, who gored the enemy; beloved of the god Nebo, who rejoiced the inhabitants of Borsippa, the Sublime; who is indefatigable for E-zida; the divine king of the city; the White, Wise; who broadened the fields of Dilbat, who heaped up the harvests for Urash; the Mighty, the lord to whom come scepter and crown, with which he clothes himself; the Elect of Ma-ma; who fixed the temple bounds of Kesh, who made rich the holy feasts of Nin-tu; the provident, solicitous, who provided food and drink for Lagash and Girsu, who provided large sacrificial offerings for the temple of Ningirsu; who captured the enemy, the Elect of the oracle who fulfilled the prediction of Hallab, who rejoiced the heart of Anunit; the pure prince, whose prayer is accepted by Adad; who satisfied the heart of Adad, the warrior, in Karkar, who restored the vessels for worship in E-ud-gal-gal; the king who granted life to the city of Adab; the guide of E-mach; the princely king of the city, the irresistible warrior, who granted life to the inhabitants of Mashkanshabri, and brought abundance to the temple of Shidlam; the White, Potent, who penetrated the secret cave of the bandits, saved the inhabitants of Malka from misfortune, and fixed their home fast in wealth; who established pure sacrificial gifts for Ea and Dam-gal-nun-na, who made his kingdom everlastingly great; the princely king of the city, who subjected the districts on the Ud-kib-nun-na Canal to the sway of Dagon, his Creator; who spared the inhabitants of Mera and Tutul; the sublime prince, who makes the face of Ninni shine; who presents holy meals to the divinity of Nin-a-zu, who cared for its inhabitants in their need, provided a portion for them in Babylon in peace; the shepherd of the oppressed and of the slaves; whose deeds find favor before Anunit, who provided for Anunit in the temple of Dumash in the suburb of Agade; who recognizes the right, who rules by law; who gave back to the city of Ashur its protecting god; who let the name of Ishtar of Nineveh remain in E-mish-mish; the Sublime, who humbles himself before the great gods; successor of Sumula-il; the mighty son of Sin-muballit; the royal scion of Eternity; the mighty monarch, the sun of Babylon, whose rays shed light over the land of Sumer and Akkad; the king, obeyed by the four quarters of the world; Beloved of Ninni, am I.

When Marduk sent me to rule over men, to give the protection of right to the land, I did right and righteousness in . . . , and brought about the well-being of the oppressed.

Tecumseh-Native American Words of Wisdom

Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:23:27 PDT

So live your life that the fear of death can never enter your heart.
Trouble no one about their religion;
respect others in their view, and demand that they respect yours.
Love your life, perfect your life, beautify all things in your life.

Seek to make your life long and its purpose in the service of your people.
Prepare a noble death song for the day when you go over the great divide.
Always give a word or a sign of salute when meeting or passing a friend,
even a stranger, when in a lonely place.
Show respect to all people and grovel to none.

When you arise in the morning give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies only in yourself.

Abuse no one and no thing, for abuse turns the wise ones to fools
and robs the spirit of its vision.

When it comes your time to die, be not like those whose hearts are filled
with the fear of death, so that when their time comes they weep
and pray for a little more time to live their lives over again in a different way.
Sing your death song and die like a hero going home.

Chief Tecumseh (Crouching Tiger) Shawnee Nation 1768-1813

Shinto

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 08:43:29 PDT

Approximately 4 million people practice Shinto and It ranks just below Jainism. Shinto is practiced primarily in Japan.

A SHINTO PRAYER

O Most High, help to bring thy Light into the darkened conditions of the world! Be gracious to us thy humble servants and bless us with illumination as to that which is Divinely relevant to the fulfilment of thy will!

O Most High, inspire thy servants throughout the world to further efforts towards leading back thy children who are led astray to the right way, and to live and act on the faith of what has been taught by the great founders of the religions!

Bless all spiritual leaders with thy power and enable them to give help, joy, comfort and reassurance to those suffering, to whom they minister!

Link: http://www.dlshq.org/religions/shintoism.htm

Shintoism

Sri Swami Sivananda

Introduction
Shinto Theology
Shinto Ethics
Ten Precepts Of Shinto
Shinto Sayings
Common Shinto Prayer
Conclusion

Introduction

Shinto is an all-pervading indefinable way which is quite universal. Shinto or Kaminomichi or the way of the Kami or the Gods is the name of the religion observed by the Japanese from time immemorial. ‘Kami’ means God or deity, or sometimes soul. Shinto implies spontaneous following of the ‘Way of the Gods’. Shinto is not really an ‘ism’. It is only a teaching. It is not a set of verbal theories or concepts. It is the all-pervading way.

It is very difficult to translate ‘Shinto’ into English. ‘Shinto’ means ‘The way of the Gods’ or the ‘God-like way’ or ‘The way from the Gods’. There is no proper equivalent for the term ‘Shinto’ in English. Shinto is an all-pervading, indefinable way which is quite universal.

Shinto is divided into two classes, viz., the Sectarian Shinto, which is sub-divided into 13 sects; and the Shinto of the national faith of the Japanese, or the State Shinto Religion.

A perfect understanding of Shinto will enable one to have proper understanding of the Japanese nation and their culture. There is neither much grand philosophy nor complicated ritual in Shintoism. Shinto is not a religion adopted by the State. It is a religion of the heart. Shinto is a natural and real spiritual force which pervades the life of the Japanese. Shinto is a creative or formative principle of life. The Shinto principle is the background of Japanese culture, code of ethics, fine arts, family and national structure.

Shinto is the chief agent which has rejuvenated, vitalised and reinforced the social and religious life of Japan.

The system of Shinto resembles more the system of Hinduism than that of Confucianism or Buddhism. It is a kind of personal religion. It ascribes divine attributes to every being. It is a kind of pantheism.

For the Japanese, nation means a harmonious complex of individuals, Kuni-hito. Salvation, for the Japanese, means the Salvation of the whole nation instead of salvation of a few individuals.

Shinto Theology

According to Shinto theology, Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi is the Absolute Universal Self. This corresponds to Hiranyagarbha or the thread-Soul (Sutratman) of the Hindus. The visible universe (Ken Kai) and the invisible world (Yu Kai) have come into being from Ame-no-mi-naka-nushi through the activities of the three deities of Musubi, Principle of Creation, Completion and the Controlling Bond between the spiritual and the material, the invisible and the visible, the real and the ideal. These contradictory attributes are functional only. The Absolute Universal Self is not affected by these contradictory attributes. It is beyond these attributes. It-corresponds to the Nirguna Brahman (Attributeless Absolute) of Hinduism. The idea of time has come into existence from the attributes.

Absolute loyalty to the Sovereign Emperor, who is regarded as a direct descendant and representative of the highest God, respect for ancestors, profound feeling of piety towards the parents and love for children form the fundamental structure of the Great Universal Way.

The mirror, the sword and the jewel have a figurative meaning in the course of the development of Shinto. They symbolise wisdom, courage and benevolence or intelligence, will and love in Shinto theology. These three are the holy ensigns of royalty of the Sovereign Emperor. They are supposed to symbolise the dynamic working of the Great Way and so they are found in the forefront of every Shinto shrine, popularly known as Mistu-tomo-e or the three big commas.

There are many Gods in Shinto, but the ancestral Sun-God, Anaterasu-omi Kami, stands supreme above them.

Susano-o-no-Mikoto is the impetuous divine brother of the Sun-God. He is the God of rainstorm. Tsukiyomi-no-Mikoto is the Moon-God. These three constitute a divine triad. They preside, respectively, over the plane of High Heaven, the vast ocean, and the realm of Night.

Shinto Ethics

Purity is one of the fundamental virtues of Shinto ethics. There are two significations of purity. One is outer purity or bodily purity and the other inner purity or purity of heart. If a man is endowed with true inner purity of heart, he will surely attain God-realisation or communion with the Divine. Sincerity is also the guiding ethical principle of Shinto.

Ten Precepts Of Shinto

i) Do not transgress the will of the gods.

ii) Do not forget your obligations to ancestors.

iii) Do not offend by violating the decrees of the State.

iv) Do not forget the profound goodness of the, gods, through which calamity and misfortunes are averted and sickness is healed.

v) Do not forget that the world is one great family.

vi) Do not forget the limitations of your own person.

vii) Do not become angry even though others become angry.

viii) Do not be sluggish in your work.

ix) Do not bring blame to the teaching.

x) Do not be carried away by foreign teachings.

Shinto Sayings

The heart of the person before you is a mirror. See there your own form.

Even the wishes of an ant reach to heaven.

Leave the things of this world and come to me daily with pure bodies and pure hearts.

A single sincere prayer moves heaven. You will surely realise the divine presence through sincere prayer.

Where you have sincerity, there also is virtue. Sincerity is a witness to truth. Sincerity is the mother of knowledge. Sincerity is a single virtue that binds Divinity and man in one.

Retribution for good or ill is as sure as the shadow after substance.

To do good is to be pure. To commit evil is to be impure.

To admit a fault is the beginning of righteousness.

The first and surest means to enter into communion with the Divine is sincerity. If you pray to a deity with sincerity, you will surely feel the divine presence.

Common Shinto Prayer

Our eyes may see some uncleanliness, but let not our mind see things that are not clean. Our ears may hear some uncleanliness, but let not our mind hear things that are not clean.

Conclusion

Shinto is the ‘Way to God’. ‘Tao’ of Lao-Tze is also the ‘Way to God’. Lord Jesus says: "I am the Truth, Way and the Life." Lord Krishna says: "Howsoever men approach Me, even so, do I welcome them, for the path men take from every side is Mine, O Partha!"

The Way to God is as much important as the end or destination or God itself. The Way to God is righteousness or Dharma. He who shows the Way is the Guru or the spiritual preceptor. Guru and God are one. If you stick to the Way, you soon reach God. If you stick to your Guru, you will surely attain God-realisation. Way, Truth, Life-everlasting are one.

Glory to the Way, Shinto or Tao! Glory to Guru! Glory, glory to God, the Destination or Goal of all religions. May Shinto or Tao guide you, rejuvenate, vitalise and reinforce you all! Be true to Shinto or Tao.

Jainism

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 11:01:15 PDT

It is estimated that approximately 4.2 million people practice Jainism. Its practice is primarily limited to India. For an explanation of the accompanying symbol please click here.

A JAIN (UNIVERSAL) PRAYER FOR PEACE

Lead me from Death to Life, from Falsehood to Truth. Lead me from Despair to Hope, From Fear to Trust. Lead me from Hate to Love, from War to Peace. Let Peace fill our Heart, our World, Our Universe. -- SATISH KUMAR

What Jains Believe

From: http://www.beliefnet.com/story/80/story_8048_1.html

Belief in Deity
Humans who have destroyed their karmas achieve Infinite Knowledge, Infinite Perception, Infinite Power, and Infinite Bliss. They become gods, or Jina, and as such will never suffer rebirth again. There is no Creator God, and Jinas do not manage the universe or humankind, which operates under its own laws (cosmic and karmic). The souls of Jinas retain their individual identities. Twenty-four Jinas are worshipped as inspirational bridges for others to achieve liberation, the latest being the founder of the religion. Any living being may become a God once enlightened. As more people become enlightened, the number of gods becomes innumerable.

Incarnations
No incarnations. Gods are humans who attain enlightenment and are liberated from rebirth.

Origin of Universe and Life
There is no creator; the universe is eternal and infinite and operates under its own cosmic law--consists of three sections: earth, heaven, and hell.

After Death
Through laws of karma, one's soul is reborn until enlightened and liberated. One may be reborn into hell or heaven or as a lower life form, depending on one's karma. Once fully liberated, you become a god with omniscience and omnipotence.

Why Evil?
People have free will to commit wrongs. Evil results as cravings, attachments, and ignorance accumulate through perpetual rebirths, resulting in greed, hatred, violence.

Salvation
Ridding oneself of all karmas (good or bad) and extinguishing all attachments enables one to become enlightened/liberated from cycles of rebirth and become a God with limitless perception, knowledge, power, and happiness. One must follow the “Three Jewels” of right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct. This includes no violence to any life form, even vegetables (eaten if the plant is not killed by doing so). To hasten liberation, one must confess/repent regularly and often and live ascetically, especially in the fourth and final stage of life.

Undeserved Suffering
Suffering is a result of past-life greed, hatred, and ignorance, which returns as suffering (karma). Suffering is also seen as illusory, in that it results from attachment to bodily pleasure and pain, while only the Absolute truly exists. Suffering is one way of actively ridding oneself of bad karma.

Contemporary Issues
Homosexuality would result in negative karma, as sexuality is only to occur between a husband and wife; celibacy is required on the path to spiritual liberation.

Zoroastrianism

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 09:16:57 PDT

A ZOROASTRIAN PRAYER

With bended knees, with hands outstretched, do I yearn for the effective expression of the holy spirit working within me: For this love and understanding, truth and justice; for wisdom to know the apparent from the real that I might alleviate the sufferings of men on earth. . . .

God is love, understanding, wisdom and virtue. Let us love one another, let us practice mercy and forgiveness, let us have peace, born of fellow-feeling. . . .

Let my joy be of altruistic living, of doing good to others. Happiness is unto him from who happiness proceeds to any other human being.

RESPONSE: We will practice what we profess.

Taoism

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 09:02:56 PDT

A TAOIST TEACHING

I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which keeps me from putting myself before others.

Be gentle, and you can be bold; be frugal, and you can be liberal; avoid putting yourself before others, and you can become a leader of men.

Gentleness brings victory to him who attacks, and safety to him who defends.

Those whom Heaven would save, it fences round with gentleness. The greatest conquerors are those who overcome their enemies without strife.

-- LAO TSE

Mourner's Kaddish

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 09:06:26 PDT

Link: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/kaddish.html

Mourner's Kaddish

By Shira Schoenberg

The Kaddish is a prayer that praises God and expresses a yearning for the establishment of God's kingdom on earth. The emotional reactions inspired by the Kaddish come from the circumstances in which it is said: it is recited at funerals and by mourners, and sons are required to say Kaddish for eleven months after the death of a parent.

The word Kaddish means sanctification, and the prayer is a sanctification of God's name. Kaddish is only said with a minyan (prayer quorum of ten men), following a psalm or prayer that has been said in the presence of a minyan, since the essence of the Kaddish is public sanctification. The one who says Kaddish always stands. Whether other worshippers sit or stand depends on the congregation. It is customary for all the mourners in the congregation to recite Kaddish in unison. A child under the age of thirteen may say the Mourner's Kaddish if he has lost one of his parents. Most religious authorities allow a daughter to say Kaddish, although she is under no religious obligation to do so. The Mourner's Kaddish is recited for eleven months from the day of the death and also on the yahrzeit (anniversary of a death). A person may say Kaddish not only for parents, but also for a child, brother, or in-law. An adopted son should say it for adoptive parents who raised him. The Rabbinical Kaddish, Half Kaddish, and Whole Kaddish may be said by a chazzan (cantor - prayer leader) who is not a mourner and has both parents living.

The first mention of mourners saying Kaddish at the end of the service is in a thirteenth century halakhic writing called the Or Zarua. The Kaddish at the end of the service became designated as Kaddish Yatom or Mourner's Kaddish (literally, "Orphan's Kaddish"). It is customary for Kaddish Yatom to also be said before Psukei d'Zimra of shacharit. Although Kaddish contains no reference to death, it has become the prayer for mourners to say. One explanation is that it is an expression of acceptance of Divine judgment and righteousness at a time when a person may easily become bitter and reject God. Another explanation is that by sanctifying God's name in public, the mourners increase the merit of the deceased person. Kaddish is a way in which children can continue to show respect and concern for their parents even after they have died.

The opening words, yitgadal t'yitkadash, were inspired by Ezekiel 38:23 when the prophet envisions a time when God will become great in the eyes of all the nations. The response of the listeners to the first lines of the mourners is a public declaration of the belief that God is great and holy: Yehei Shmei rabba mevorakh l'olam ul'almei almaya (May His great Name be blessed forever and ever). This response is central to the Kaddish and should be said out loud.

Yisgadal v'yiskadash sh'mei rabbaw (Cong. Amein).
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified (Cong. Amen.)

B'allmaw dee v'raw chir'usei
in the world that He created as He willed.

v'yamlich malchusei,b'chayeichon, uv'yomeichon,
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days,

uv'chayei d'chol beis yisroel,
and in the lifetimes of the entire Family of Israel,

ba'agawlaw u'vizman kawriv, v'imru: Amein.
swiftly and soon. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong: Amein. Y'hei sh'mei rabbaw m'vawrach l'allam u'l'allmei allmayaw)
(Cong Amen. May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.)

Y'hei sh'mei rabbaw m'vawrach l'allam u'l'allmei allmayaw.
May His great Name be blessed forever and ever.

Yis'bawrach, v'yishtabach, v'yispaw'ar, v'yisromam, v'yis'nasei,
Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled,

v'yis'hadar, v'yis'aleh, v'yis'halawl sh'mei d'kudshaw b'rich hu
mighty, upraised, and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, Blessed is He

(Cong. b'rich hu).
(Cong. Blessed is He)

L'aylaw min kol birchawsaw v'shirawsaw,
beyond any blessing and song,

tush'b'chawsaw v'nechemawsaw, da'ami'rawn b'all'maw, v'imru: Amein
praise and consolation that are uttered in the world. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).
(Cong. Amen).

Y'hei shlawmaw rabbaw min sh'mayaw,v'chayim
May there be abundant peace from Heaven, and life

awleinu v'al kol yisroel, v'imru: Amein
upon us and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).
(Cong. Amen).

Oseh shawlom bim'ro'mawv, hu ya'aseh shawlom,
He Who makes peace in His heights, may He make peace,

awleinu v'al kol yisroel v'imru: Amein
upon us and upon all Israel. Now respond: Amen.

(Cong. Amein).
(Cong. Amen).

Different Versions of Kaddish

The earliest version of Kaddish dates back to the time of the Second Temple. This Kaddish is called the "Half Kaddish." Over time, the custom developed for the chazzan to say the Half Kaddish following Pesukei d'Zimra of the morning service, after the Amidah or the Tahanun and after Torah reading. He also says it before the Amidah at mincha, maariv, and musaf.

Kaddish was not originally said by mourners, but rather by the rabbis when they finished giving sermons on Sabbath afternoons and later, when they finished studying a section of midrash or aggada. This practice developed in Babylonia where most people understood only Aramaic and sermons were given in Aramaic so Kaddish was said in the vernacular. This is why it is currently said in Aramaic. This "Rabbinical Kaddish" (Kaddish d'Rabbanan) is still said after studying midrash or aggada or after reading them as part of the service. It differs from the regular Kaddish because of its inclusion of a prayer for rabbis, scholars and their disciples. While anyone may say this Kaddish, it has become the custom for mourners to say the Rabbinical Kaddish in addition to the Mourner's Kaddish.

By Talmudic times, it became customary to conclude the prayer service with the Kaddish. A sentence was added (the line beginning titkabel, "let be accepted") that replaces the passage for the rabbis and disciples and asks God to accept all prayers that were recited. This Kaddish is called Kaddish Shalem (Whole or Full Kaddish) and is still said by the chazzan at the end of the service. The full Kaddish includes two sentences, added to the Half Kaddish around the eighth century, that reflect the traditional yearning for peace (Yehei shlomo rabba and Oseh shalom).

A last form of the Kaddish, known as "The Great Kaddish" is said at a siyum, when a tractate of the Talmud is completed. The first passage of this Kaddish contains a prayer for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple and refers to a world-to-come where the dead will be raised to eternal life. This Kaddish is also said at a graveside at a time of burial, although it is not recited if the burial takes place on a day in which Tahanun is omitted from the daily service.

Source: Judaism 101
Donin, Rabbi Hayim Halevy. To Pray as a Jew. New York: Basic Books Inc, 1980.
Kolatch, Alfred. The Jewish Book of Why. Middle Village, New York: Jonathan David
Publishers, 1981.
Schermon, Rabbi Nosson, Ed. The Complete Artscroll Siddur. New York: Mesorah
Publications Ltd., 1984.

Support the First Amendment

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 14:20:54 PDT

This is from iFaction an email newsletter I receive regarding various issues including intellectual freedom, government secrecy, and First Amendment issues.

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FYI

America's founders understood the First Amendment would be worth little without a postal system that encouraged broad public participation in America's "marketplace of ideas." Thomas Jefferson called for a postal service that allowed ideas to "penetrate the whole mass of the people." Along with James Madison, he paved the way for a system that gave low-cost mailing incentives to small publications.

The postal policies that resulted have helped spur a vibrant political culture in the United States by easing the entry of diverse political viewpoints into a national discourse often dominated by the largest media organizations.

Now, this is all about to change, putting the future of The Nation, along with many other publications, at risk.

Postal regulators have decided to extend special favors to the nation's largest publishers, like Time Warner and Hearst, while unfairly burdening smaller and independent magazines with much higher postal rates--The Nation is being saddled with an unexpected increase of $500,000 in annual postal costs and many smaller publications could be forced to the brink of bankruptcy.

The only way to reverse the decision is if you - and many others - take a minute to sign a letter demanding that the rules are changed. This is not a right/left issue, which is why The Nation and William Buckley's National Review are teaming up in this instance to demand that the Postal Board of Governors reverse its decision.

Please join us in urging postal regulators and Congress to convene public hearings, determine how these rate increases were decided, and reverse the ruling. We only have until April 23--the end of the public comment period--to respond, so please take action today:

Write the Postal Rate Commission and Congress.

Learn more about the issue.

Help promote the campaign.

The Post Office should not use its monopoly power to favor the largest publishers and undermine the ability of smaller publishers to compete. With your help we can reverse this decision and salvage the postal system that has served free speech in America so well for so long.

Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,
Peter Rothberg,
The Nation

Buddhism--Daily Affirmation Prayer

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 08:51:02 PDT

The Link to this prayer and others can be found at: http://buddhistfaith.tripod.com/buddhistprayer/id4.html

Daily Affirmation Prayer

Entrusting in the Primal Vow of Buddha,

Calling out the Buddha-name,

I shall pass through the journey of life with strength and joy.

Revering the Light of Buddha,

Reflecting upon my imperfect self,

I shall proceed to live a life of gratitude.

Following the Teachings of Buddha,

Listening to the Right Path,

I shall share the True Dharma with all.

Rejoicing in the compassion of Buddha,

Respecting and aiding all sentient beings,

I shall work towards the welfare of society and the world.

Namu Amida Buddha.

Islam

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 09:50:44 PDT

Some bloggers here on bako.com have seen fit to bombard us with a single point of view. There are other points of view out there. I will be adding, as needed, differing viewpoints, prayers, etc. about religion.

The Link to the following can be found here: http://www.submission.org/islam/introduction.html

This is God's final message to humanity. All of God's prophets have come to this world, and all the scriptures have been delivered. The time has come to purify and consolidate all the messages delivered by God's prophets into one message, and to proclaim that henceforth, there is only one religion acceptable to God, "Submission" (3:19,85). "Submission" is the religion whereby we recognize God's absolute authority, and reach an unshakeable conviction that God ALONE possesses all power; no other entity possesses any power that is independent of Him. The natural result of such a realization is to devote our lives and our worship absolutely to God ALONE. This is the First Commandment in all the scriptures, including the Old Testament, the New Testament, and this Final Testament.

Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is One God!
Therefore you shall adore the Lord your God
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
with all your mind,
and with all your strength.
[Deuteronomy 6:4-5, Mark 12:29 and Luke 10:27, Quran 3:18]

Let us meditate on God, His glorious attributes,
who is the basis of everything in this universe
as its Creator,
who is fit to be worshiped as Omnipresent,
Omnipotent, Omniscient
and self existent concious being,
who removes all ignorance and impurities
from the mind
and purifies and sharpens the intellect.
[Gayatri Mantra, Yajur Veda]

While every religion has been corrupted by innovations, traditions, and false, idolatrous doctrines, there may be "Submitters" within every religion. There may be Submitters who are Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or anything else. These Submitters, collectively, constitute the only religion acceptable to God. As emphasized by the theme on the front page of this book, all Submitters who are devoted to God ALONE, and do not set up any idols beside God, are redeemed into God's eternal kingdom (2:62). A criterion of the true submitters is that they will find nothing objectionable in the Quran.

With the advent of this Testament, God's message to the world is now complete. We have now received the long awaited answers to our most urgent questions - who we are, the purpose of our lives, how we came into this world, where do we go from here, which religion is the right one, was it evolution or creation, etc.

Some may wonder: "Why did God wait all this time to perfect and consolidate His message? What about all the people since Adam who did not receive the complete scripture?" Bearing in mind that the Quran answers this question in 20:52, it is a matter of simple statistics that the world's population from the beginning until now did not exceed 7,000,000,000. From now to the end of the world, 2280 A.D., it is estimated that the total world population will exceed 75,000,000,000. Thus, the vast majority of people are destined to receive God's purified and consolidated message (see table).


	World population from now (1990) to the end of the world (2280).

[The dark area represents the worlds population from Adam]

Before Genesis

It all began a few billion years ago when one of God's high-ranking creatures, Satan, developed a supercilious idea that he could run a dominion as an independent god besides God. This challenge to God's absolute authority was not only blasphemous, it was also erroneous. Satan was ignorant of the fact that God alone possesses the ability to be a god, and that there is much more to godhood than he realized. It was the ego - arrogance augmented by ignorance - that led Satan to believe that he could take care of a dominion, as a god, and run it without disease, misery, war, accidents, and chaos. The vast majority of God's creatures disagreed with Satan. Yet, the minute egoistic minority that agreed with him in various extents were in the billions. Thus, a profound dispute erupted within the Heavenly Community (38:69). The rebels' unjustifiable challenge to God's absolute authority was met and resolved in the most efficient manner. After giving the rebels sufficient chances to denounce their crime and submit to Him, God decided to exile the hard core rebels on a space ship called Earth, and give them yet another chance to redeem themselves.

If you claim that you can fly a plane, the best way to test your claim is to give you a plane and ask you to fly it. This is precisely what God decided to do in response to Satan's claim that he could be a god; God appointed him a temporary god on the tiny speck Earth (2:30, 36:60). As for those who agreed with Satan, they were given a chance to kill their egos and submit to God's absolute authority. While the vast majority of the guilty creatures took advantage of this opportunity, a miniscule minority consisting of about 150 billion creatures failed to take advantage of this offer (33:72).

This area represents the vast majority that did not agree with Satan.

[The light area represents the vast majority that repented and submitted]

The dispute in the Heavenly Community led to the classification of God's creatures into different categories:

(1) The Angels

Creatures who never questioned God's absolute authority were classified as angels; they knew that God alone possesses the ability and qualifications to be a god. The vast majority of God's creatures - countless numbers - belong in this category. The number of angels is so enormous, even the angels do not know how many of them there are; only God knows their number (74:31).

(2) The Animals

Although the angels suggested that the rebels and their leader should be exiled from God's kingdom (2:30), the Most Merciful willed to give the rebels a chance to denounce their crime, repent, and submit to His absolute authority (33:72). As represented in the diagram above, the vast majority of the rebels took advantage of God's gracious offer to re-enter His kingdom. They agreed to kill their egos, come to this world to perform a submissive role, as an expiation for their blasphemy. In return for their submissive role in this world, these creatures are redeemed back to God's eternal kingdom (6:38). The horse, the dog, the tree, the sun, the moon, the stars, as well as deformed and retarded children are among the intelligent creatures who denounced their crime and repented:

Do you not realize that
to God prostrates everything
in the heavens and the earth;
the sun, the moon, the stars,
the mountains, the trees, the
animals, as well as many people?
Many people, however, are
destined for retribution. (22:18)

The stars and the trees prostrate. (55:6)

The horse has no ego. The horse's owner can be rich or poor, tall or short, fat or thin, young or old, and the horse will serve them all. The dog has no ego; it will wag its tail to its owner, no matter how rich or poor the owner might be. The sun rises and sets every day at precisely the times prescribed by God. The moon follows its synchronized orbit around the earth, without the slightest deviation. The human body - a temporary garment - belongs to the Earth; as such, it is a submitter. The heart, lungs, kidneys, and other organs, perform their functions without our control.

(3) The Humans

The hard-core rebels - humans and jinns - refused to denounce their crime, and opted for witnessing a demonstration of Satan's claim. These egotistic creatures who failed to submit to God's absolute authority, even when offered a chance to do so, were divided in half. The half that were less convinced of Satan's point of view became classified as humans. Although they harbored doubts about Satan's claim, they failed to make a firm stand regarding God's absolute authority. It is the ego that prevented these creatures from appreciating God's omnipotence, it is the ego that prevented them from submitting when such an opportunity was offered to them (33:72), and it is the ego that stands between most of us and redemption to God's kingdom (25:43). This is why "Kill your ego" is one of the first commandments in the Quran (2:54).

(4) The Jinns

The other half of the guilty creatures, those who leaned closer to Satan's point of view and exhibited the biggest egos, became classified as jinns. It was God's plan to assign one jinn to every human being from birth to death. The jinn companion represents Satan and constantly promotes his point of view (50:23, 27). Both the jinns and the humans are given a precious chance in this world to re-educate themselves, denounce their egoism, and redeem themselves by submitting to God's absolute authority. Whenever a human being is born, a jinn is born and is assigned to the new human. We learn from the Quran that the jinns are Satan's descendants (7:27, 18:50). When a jinn being is born and assigned to a human being, the jinn remains a constant companion of the human until the human dies. The jinn is then freed, and lives on for a few centuries. Both humans and jinns are required to worship God alone (51:56).

God Does Not Want Robots

The dispute in the Heavenly Community as stated in 38:69 and described proves that God's creatures possess the freedom of choice; they have minds of their own. The rebellion of a miniscule minority among God's creatures has served to emphasize the wonderful fact that God's creatures serve Him because they appreciate His infinite magnificence. Without the rebellion, we would have never known that freedom is God's gift to His creatures.

Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Even in our worldly dimension, any enterprise expects its employees to be loyal and devoted to the welfare of the enterprise. If an employee is not totally dedicated to the enterprise, or is shown to have divided loyalties, he is immediately dismissed. Since the humans and the jinns sided with Satan, then turned down God's offer to reconsider their rebellious acts, the angels expected Satan and his allies to be banished from God's kingdom (2:30). It was immense mercy from God that He granted us this additional chance to denounce our crime and redeem ourselves.

To carry out this extremely merciful plan of redemption, God "created death" (67:1-2). The divine plan called for bringing the rebels into another existence, where they have no recollection of the heavenly feud. Under the circumstances of this life, the humans and the jinns receive both God's messages and Satan's messages, then freely choose either side. Based on their freewill decision, they are either redeemed into God's kingdom, or become permanently exiled with Satan.

Satan's Temporary Dominion

To emphasize the utter insignificance of Satan's projected dominion, God created a billion galaxies, a billion trillion stars, within a vast universe that spans billions of light years. If we travel towards the Sun (93,000,000 miles) at the speed of light, we will reach it in eight minutes. If we keep going, we will reach the border of our Milky Way Galaxy after 50-70,000 years at the speed of light. To reach the nearest galaxy, it will take us 2,000,000 years at the speed of light, and there are at least 2,000,000,000 galaxies in "our universe." With the most powerful telescopes, the earth is utterly invisible from the edge of our own galaxy, let alone from the edge of our universe. As if our universe were not vast enough, God created six more, even larger universes surrounding our universe (2:29, 67:3). God then informed Satan that a tiny mote within the smallest and innermost universe, the planet Earth, shall be his dominion. God's plan called for placing the humans and jinns in a universe that cannot stand His physical presence (7:143). Thus, Satan rules his minute kingdom far from the physical presence of God, though with God's full knowledge and control. It should also be noted that the number of rebels who repented was so vast, that the planet earth could not possibly accommodate all of them. As it is, the animals vastly outnumber the humans on this planet. It would take an unmanageable earth to accommodate all the repentant rebels. Hence the placement of uncountable decillions of creatures in outer space.

Adam and Eve

The body of the first human being was shaped on earth by God's angels, in accordance with God's instructions (7:11). God then assigned the first person, Adam, to that body. When God informed the angels that they will be serving the humans throughout the test period - guarding them, driving the winds, distributing the rain and provisions, etc. - Satan was the only one who refused to "fall prostrate" (2:34, 15:31, 38:74). Adam's mate was cloned, with feminine features, from Adam, and God assigned the second human being to her body. While the empty (soulless) bodies of Adam and Eve remained here on earth, their souls, the real persons, resided in Heaven. Adam and Eve remained in Heaven for as long as they upheld God's commandments. Once they listened to Satan instead, they reflected a flawed human nature in all of us, and they immediately belonged to Satan's dominion down on Earth - "their bodies became visible to them" (7:22, 20:121). The rest is history.

Satan: Father of All the Jinns

Putting the jinns and the humans to the test stipulated that Satan shall reproduce whenever a human being is born. As mentioned above, every time a human being is born, a jinn being is born to serve as a constant companion of the human person. Every human being is subjected to the incessant persuasions of Satan's representative who lives in the same body from birth to death. Satan's representative tries to convince the human companion of Satan's point of view: that God alone is not enough. On the Day of Judgment, the jinn companion serves as a witness against the human counterpart (43:38; 50:23, 27). Many jinn companions are converted to God's point of view by the human companions.

God did not leave the human being without preparation. To help the humans in their final chance to reconsider their blasphemy, every person is born with instinctive knowledge that God ALONE, and no one else, is our Lord and Master (7:172-173). The jinns were not given this instinctive knowledge, but they are given a much longer life span and greater abilities to study God's signs throughout the innermost universe. Since they represent Satan's point of view, their instinctive nature leans strongly in favor of polytheism. In addition to our built-in instinct to worship God alone, God sent messengers to help us redeem ourselves. With all these elements in view, we can appreciate the fact that the only unforgivable offense (if maintained until death) is idol worship: believing that anyone besides God possesses any power.

Forty Years Grace Period

The human being is given forty years to study, look around, reflect, and examine all points of view before making this most important decision - to uphold Satan's point of view, or God's absolute authority. Anyone who dies before the age of forty is chosen by God for redemption due to circumstances known only to God. Anyone who dies before the age of 40 goes to Heaven (46:15, Appendix 32). God's immense mercy is evident from the fact that even those who believe in the Quran find it difficult to accept such a compassionate divine law.

God's messengers delivered the good news of our God-given chance to redeem ourselves, and they were supported by formidable signs. When Moses went to Pharaoh, he was supported by such miracles as the turning of his staff into a serpent. Jesus created live birds from clay by God's leave, healed the leprous and the blind by God's leave, and revived the dead by God's leave. The prophet Muhammad, God's messenger who delivered this Final Testament, did not exhibit such miracles (10:20). The Quran itself was the miracle supporting Muhammad's mission (29:50-51). It was divine wisdom that separated the Miracle of the Quran from Muhammad by 14 centuries. Now that we understand the momentous dimensions of the Quran's mathematical miracle (Appendix 1), we realize that millions of people would have worshiped Muhammad as God incarnate if this Miracle were revealed through him.

Proof of Authenticity:

Physical, Tangible, Irrefutable.

With the advent of the computer age, we discover that the Quran's mathematical code is "One of the great miracles" as stated in 74:30-35. While the miracles given to previous messengers were limited in time and place, the Quran's miracle is perpetual. Only a few people witnessed the miracles of Moses and Jesus, but the Quran's miracle can be witnessed by anyone at any time. Furthermore, the Quran's miracle documents and proves all the previous miracles (5:48).

As detailed in Appendix 1, the Quran's mathematical miracle is based on the number "19." To share this awesome miracle with the reader, the word "GOD" is printed throughout the English text in bold capital letters, and the cumulative number of occurrences is shown at the lower left corner of every page. The total occurrence of this most important word is shown at the end of the Quran to be 2698. This total is a multiple of 19. Additionally, when we add the numbers assigned to every verse where the word "God" occurs, the total comes to 118123, also a multiple of 19 (19x6217). The cumulative sum of verse numbers where the word "God" occurs is shown on the lower right corner of every page. These simple physical facts are easily verifiable by the reader, and they suffice to prove the super-human nature of the Quran's mathematical composition.

Proof of Authenticity to be Verified by the Reader

In addition to the Quran's extraordinary mathematical composition, we find a large number of Quranic facts which are proven or theorized by modern science. Here are a few examples of such advance scientific information:

1. The earth is egg-shaped (39:5, 79:30).
2. The earth is not standing still; it moves constantly (27:88).
3. The sun is a source of light, while the moon reflects it (10:5, 25:61, 71:16). 4. The proportion of oxygen diminishes as we climb towards the sky (6:125). 5. The "Big Bang Theory" is confirmed (21:30).
6. The "Expansion of the Universe Theory" is confirmed (51:47).
7. The universe started out as a gaseous mass (41:11).
8. Evolution is a fact; within a given species, evolution is a divinely guided process (21:30, 24:45, 32:7-9, 18:37, 15:28-29, 7:11, 71:13-14, Appendix 31). 9. The man's seminal fluid decides the baby's gender (53:45-46).

No Nonsense

Equally miraculous is the absence of any nonsense in the Quran. This is particularly significant in view of the dominance of ignorance and superstition at the time of revelation of the Quran. For example, the most respected exegesis among the traditional Muslims is that of Ibn Kathir. In this famous reference, written centuries after the Prophet, we read that the earth is carried on 40,000 horns of a giant bull, who stands on top of a giant whale (see Ibn Kathir's interpretation of Verse 68:1).

As recently as 1975, and in the same location where the Quran was revealed, the president of the Islamic University of Medina, Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Ben Baz, declared that the earth is flat and standing still!!

Translation from Ben Baz' book, Page 23: "If the earth is rotating as they claim, the countries, the mountains, the trees, the rivers, and the oceans will have no bottom and the people will see the eastern countries move to the west and the western countries move to the east."

Perfect Happiness: Now and Forever

One of the most elusive objectives of every human being is "Happiness." The Quran reveals the secret of attaining perfect happiness in this life and forever. We learn from the Quran that happiness is an exclusive quality of the soul. Thus, a body that attains all the material successes it longs for - money, power, fame, etc. - often belongs to an unhappy person. Happiness depends totally on the degree of growth and development attained by the soul, the real person. The Quran provides a detailed map towards perfect happiness for both body and soul, both in this world and in the eternal Hereafter (Appendix 15).

In the numerous verses throughout this proven Testament, God personally guarantees the believers' happiness, now and forever:

Absolutely, GOD's allies have nothing to fear, nor
will they grieve. They are those who believe and lead
a righteous life. For them happiness in this
life and in the Hereafter. This is GOD's
inviolable law. This is the true truimph [10:62-64]

All Believers Constitute the One Acceptable Religion

As expected from the Creator's final message, one of the prominent themes in the Quran is the call for unity among all believers, and the repeated prohibition of making any distinction among God's messengers. If the object of worship is one and the same, there will be absolute unity among all believers. It is the human factor, i.e., devotion and prejudice to such powerless humans as Jesus, Muhammad, and the saints that causes division, hatred, and bitter wars among the misguided believers. A guided believer is devoted to God ALONE, and rejoices in seeing any other believer who is devoted to God ALONE, regardless of the name such a believer calls his or her religion.

Surely, those who believe,
those who are Jewish,
the Christians,
and the converts;
anyone who
(1) believes in God,
(2) believes in the Last Day, and
(3) leads a righteous life,
will receive their recompense from
their Lord; they have nothing to fear,
nor will they grieve. [2:62, 5:69]

God's Messenger of the Covenant

As detailed in Appendix 2, the publication of this book marks the advent of a new era - the era where God's messages, delivered by all His prophets, are consolidated into one. God's one and only religion, "Submission," shall dominate all other religions (9:33, 48:28, and 61:9). Today's corrupted religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, will simply die out, and "Submission" will prevail. This is not the wishful thinking of a human being or a collection of humans; this is God's inviolable law (3:19, 9:33, 41:53, 48:28, 61:9, 110:1).

Rashad Khalifa
Tucson
Ramadan 26, 1409*

*[The final draft of the first printing was completed on the Night of Destiny 1409. If we add the day, month, and year of this date, we get 1444, or 19x19x4 [Ramadan 26, 1409: 9+26+1409 = 1444.]

********

The above is reproduced from "Introduction" form Quran the Final Testament - Authorized English Version by Dr Rashad Khalifa