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In many ways, 29-year-old Rishi Bhutada is a traditional Hindu, not so different from his Indian-born parents. An officer at his dad’s pipefitting company, Texas-born Bhutada had an arranged marriage in India three years ago and then brought his wife back to his hometown, where they recently welcomed a son. Bhutada is a strict vegetarian and avoids alcohol, as do many observant Hindus. And the dashboard of his Toyota Prius is adorned with a small metal statue of Ganesh, an elephant-headed Hindu god known as the remover of obstacles. Bhutada prays to it each morning before leaving his driveway. And...

A former Capuchin seminary in New York State is now the site of the Garrison Institute, a retreat house where leading Buddhists from across the United States recently gathered. “Crosses still adorn one wall of this former Roman Catholic monastery, but a six-foot golden Buddha now anchors the main room,” the Associated Press reported. One of the institute’s three spiritual advisers is a priest: Father Thomas Keating, the 88-year-old Trappist and leader of the centering-prayer movement. American Buddhism Facing Generational Shift Garrison Institute

As a follow-up to my “Orthodox in Communion with Rome” post and the so-called Ratzinger proposal and the later clarification I present a different angle to this question. Thank you to Eastern Catholic Spiritual Renewal for sending me this link. It is the speech of Patriarch Gregorios III of Antioch (the Melkite Patriarch) at last years middle eastern Synod in Rome. It touches on the Melkite Greek Catholics Churches idea of Ecclesiology and Ecumenism and it is a bold statement. Of particular note is the comment by the Patriarch We are an Eastern Church in communion with Rome and faithfully...

A BETHESDA woman claims to have spotted an apparition of Jesus Christ on, of all things, her boyfriend’s garden shovel! Andrea Jones was having a cigarette in her garden when she noticed this ‘image’ in the shovel which was leaning against a rabbit hutch. “I was deep in thought at the time, miles away,” she said. “Then I saw the shovel and what looked like a face on it, but I’ve seen this shovel so many times before and hadn’t noticed a thing. “I thought it looked a bit like Jesus and pointed it out to my boyfriend Neil and...

There's "things you have missed " and things you will never see , That is why I send My prophecy , So do not despise for what you think is wrong ?! Is My Kingdom's tapestry singing it's song , Each thread I create and ~ needle through ~ , Your tapestry of Me in you , So pay attention when I come to call , Or you 'll be wearing rags and not Me at all ! For as you reject the ones I send ,(Exodus 23:20-21) You wear what you 've created every bitter end , But My...

Journalist Simcha Jacobovici believes that the nails discovered in a Jerusalem cave are revolutionary in their implications regarding the birth of Christianity. The Peace Forest is a small grove of pines sandwiched between the Abu Tor neighborhood and main promenade in Jerusalem. Anyone walking along the road that snakes through the grove can see a green pipe rising from the ground and reaching a height of several meters. This pipe, if journalist Simcha Jacobovici is to be believed, this is the physical tip of an archaeological detective story in the style of the Da Vinci Code. And this pipe is...

"Nostra Aetate" is enough by itself; but if you are anti-Vatican II, have a look at "Quanto conficiamur moerore"Last week, I wrote a piece explaining my view that, as I put it in my headline “To call the Pope’s meeting at Assisi a betrayal of the faith is an utter absurdity”. This elicited the following response (there were many thousand more words from the same writer, but this was the general gist of it all: “if you really believe that God is pleased with these pagan shindigs, where two popes in succession have emphasised that they are not interested in...

HYDERABAD, India (AFP) – One of India's best-known spiritual leaders, famous for his apparent miracles and long list of influential followers, is on life support in a southern hospital, officials said on Tuesday. Satya Sai Baba, 85, who has devotees in more than 100 countries, was admitted to a hospital funded by his organisation in the town of Puttaparthi with lung and chest congestion on March 28.

The Russian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church should accept each other not as rivals, but first and foremost as allies, working to protect the rights of Christians, said Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, head of the ROC’s Department for External Church Relations in a speech at an international meeting of Christians in Wurzburg, Germany. "The future of Christianity in the third millennium depends on the joint efforts of the Orthodox believers and Catholics,’’ Hilarion said. Bishop Hilarion later expanded on his statement: “The idea of a strategic alliance with the Catholics is an old idea of mine. It came...

Orissa: For Christians, the Terror Returns New wave of anti-Christian violence in India -- no trace of police reaction in the most recent incidents. Bhubaneshwar, India (kath.net/Fidesdienst) A new wave of violence sparked a renewal of fear and terror in Christian Communities in India: as on the scenes observers of Fidesdienst report since last December in the last year in the district of Malkangiri in the State of Orissa, renewed attacks have been made against Christians by the local tribal people of the region. In the last month the attacks have become more serious: there have been a total of...

As some of you know, we've both been having some health issues. My leg is frequently infected from diabetic wounds on my feet. I can't afford to lose my leg because there's no one else who can help my wife who had a stroke last year. Now my ancient car's brakes are giving out, which will make it almost impossible for us to get to the doctor, pharmacy, hospital and store. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes and don't forget JimRob as well. Thanks in advance.

Rush Limbaugh accuses Obama of 'character assassination' The president is trying to trick Rush Limbaugh into talking about himself and would rather engage in "character assassination" than debate conservatives in the "Arena of Ideas," the conservative talker charges in an e-mail to POLITICO. Two days after President Barack Obama labeled Limbaugh and conservative television host Glenn Beck "troublesome" in a CBS interview, Limbaugh says Obama is trying to get him off his game. "I think the president is trying to distract me, to get me talking about ME on my show instead of talking about him and the regime's agenda....

18 Bishops [13 Catholic] participated in a silent hunger strike on the property of St. Mark-University of Bangalore, among them the Archbishop of Bangalore, Msgr Bernard Moras. At the protest and the hunger strike the Bishops present, the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) and the Christians of Karnatakas have forged a counter-report with the title: "1000 Day Government, 236 Attacks, 1000 traumatized people". The official report of the Somsekhar-Investigative Commission exonerated the radical Hindu organizations Bajrang Dal and Sangh Parivar. The Bishops called a press conference to make note of this, that this exoneration is "politically motivated". At the...

(VIDEO AT LINK) Here is a video of Oprah spreading her New Age Eastern religion, or at least attempting unsuccessfully to indoctrinate these Christian ladies. Oprah says she doesn't want to get into a religious argument with these women because she knows she'll lose the debate at that point.

Nevada, Jan 24 (IBNS) Famous Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago (USA) is now offering ‘Catholic Yoga’ classes. Website of this Cathedral, which is both a parish and the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago, says: “Join us as we explore the multiple spiritual and physical benefits of yoga practice while explicitly integrating prayers and spiritual themes of our Catholic faith.” “Typical sessions will include an opening prayer, inspired movement & strengthening, and contemplative prayer to close. The program will be focused around various themes to coincide with the liturgical calendar and progression of our faith life across the seasons”,...

The topic of New Age movements, once a budding campus phenomenon, is now mainstream and as close to us as our local bookstore or DVD movie. New Age refers to forms of spirituality that draw from old systems of knowledge such as Zen, Gnosticism (secret knowledge) and Eastern meditation. New Age concepts and ideals are even becoming part of our vocabulary. I know this terminology well, as I had a former involvement with Eastern meditation practices before my reconversion to my Catholic roots. I have been steeped in both traditions. So, I may have some insights for Catholics who are...

The largest Buddhist denomination in South Korea is clamoring for a Protestant lawmaker to immediately resign for what they say is his anti-Buddhist bias. The Buddhist Jogye Order’s Committee for Religion and Peace said in its Jan. 17 statement that Hwang Woo-yeo’s recent remark that the number of Protestant Supreme Court judges was decreasing shows the government’s and ruling party’s religious bias. Local Buddhist groups have been protesting against the government’s alleged preference for Protestantism and bias against Buddhism since President Lee Myung-bak, a Methodist, assumed office in 2008. A spokesperson of Hwang’s office told ucanews.com today that the lawmaker’s...

The map is a representation of the 2010 Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual list drawn up by Transparency International. [snip] The remarkable fact is the clean line dividing Protestant nations and Catholic ones. The Protestants are all on top of the list. [snip] Catholic nations across the world tend to be more corrupt than Protestant nations. [snip] Every other Catholic nation is more corrupt than its Protestant neighbour. How can we explain this difference between two streams of Christianity? [snip] The sociologist Max Weber (died 1920) noticed the difference in prosperity levels between Protestant states (the US, UK and Germany)...

ELCA Presiding Bishop Addresses Coptic Church Bombing In Egypt 11-002-JB CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Mark S. Hanson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), assured the bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles of the ELCA's "heartfelt desire" to stand in solidarity with Coptic Christians in the United States and the world in the wake of the New Year's Day bombing in a Coptic congregation in Egypt. At least 22 people were killed and 79 injured as a result of the car bombing that occurred as worshipers were leaving a Mass at the Church...

Official announcement follows day of unrest in Alexandria neighbourhood where car-bomb attack claimed 21 lives Sunday's announcement came as congregants were back praying in al-Qiddissine [The Saints] church, targeted the day before by a car bomb that also wounded 97 people. Dozens of worshippers attended Sunday Mass at the church, located in the Sidi Bechr district of the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, while riot police backed by armoured vehicles were deployed outside. The service was marked by the grief and anger felt by a congregation devastated by the attack, which took place on Saturday outside the church's door about...