Posted on 08/12/2010 1:19:22 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Her parents were Baptist and Catholic and she was born in Georgia, part of the US Bible Belt. But Hollywood superstar Julia Roberts says she is now a practising Hindu. Speaking to the September issue of Elle magazine, Roberts said she goes to the temple to "chant, pray and celebrate."
The 42-year-old actress, who won a million hearts with Pretty Woman and an Oscar with Erin Brockowich, took to Hinduism during the shooting of her upcoming film, `Eat, Pray and Love' last year. In the movie, she plays a divorced woman who travels to Italy for food, India for spirituality and Bali, where she finds love. In the interview, Robert also spoke of reincarnation. "I've been so spoiled with my friends and family in this life. Next time I want to be just something quiet and supporting," she said.
Swami Dharamdev of Hari Mandir, Pataudi, where `Eat, Pray and Love' was shot for three weeks in September-October last year, said it is good news if someone accepts Hinduism from the heart. During the film's shooting, he said, a makeshift temple had been constructed nearby where unit members would light lamps and burn incense sticks. "Julia too would pray there, run her hands over the lamp and her hair as we all do," he recalled. "She also got her three kids here. I tied the sacred red thread on their wrists and applied the tilak on their foreheads," he said.
Swami Dharamdev recalled the actress also requested him, through her private assistant, to pray for her mother who was ill. "Before she left I told her, `you may choose not to eat or love. But don't forget to pray. Make that a part of your life, not just acting in this film'. She smiled and nodded affirmatively," he said.
In a statement, Rajan Zed, president of the Universal Society of Hinduism in the US, also said he and his fellow practitioners welcome Roberts into the fold.
Julia's move to Hinduism has sparked off a torrent of online response. Some are highly critical of her; others the opposite. "Another confused celebrity trying on the religion "flavour" of the month. Hindu? Does she even know what that means? How can you convert to another religion after making a film? Next thing you know she'll be wearing a Kabbalah bracelet after going to a Madonna concert!," was a comment posted on The Daily Mail's website. However, Anne, Leicester, wrote, "I like Julie Roberts, admire her work on screen and her commitment to her beliefs. If she's living her life to the ideals of Hinduism, that's all to the good. I look forward to seeing her latest film.
OK, back to #127...what religion do skeptics belong to?
NPR's Market Place did a piece on this.
Oh, and there are the products: travel packages, clothing, prayer beads. Stacey Vanek-Smith reports on how a book about one woman's quest to de-clutter her life has spawned a mega-marketing blitz.
How do you "belong to" a "religion"? Sounds like you're talking about some sort of institution there.
I'm not.
The problem with being and empty vessel, like Robert’s, is that you can fill it up with just about anything. Even liquified poo.
What did you mean by...’everyone has one, and only one’?
Everybody has got something that they "know" is true, meaning that they expect it to be true even if they themselves don't believe it. The usual practice is for this to be concealed under a smokescreen of obfuscating rhetoric, and the same thing that generated the smoke will respond with fire to any attempt to strip away the cover.
That's what I meant.
There have been thousands of books and essays written on all of your pet questions. They can be found at any good philosophy and apologetics website. I’m sure you know that.
You could get four tennis balls in that mouth.
OK, but since you used it a couple times and bolded the word religion, that’s why I thought you were talking about religion, my mistake.
You don’t think people can change their core?
Yes, but I prefer to ask my questions directly to people here.
Think about what that would mean.
No, they can't.
And I normally don't use the word "religion" since it has been royally obfuscated for >100 years. I think of it more in terms of its Latin roots.
I didn’t know hinduism (the real thing, anyway) even accepted converts.
God can change people’s hearts though, can’t He?
Is this core something one is born with, or they learn at a certain age?
"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."
I’ll take that as a yes.
So is this core something one is born with?
You shouldn't have to ask that. What do you think a person is?
If they are not grounded in some type of faith, ethics, morals or self-restraint they look for new thrills, excitements, dangerous adventures, taboo or forbidden sexual aberations, drug addiction......or they delve into cults or the exotic.....many times getting all giddy over Eastern, ancient "religions" or pagan beliefs.
It's always interesting to read in American cultural history from the late 1800's to today the stories of wealthy and noted stars of stage and screen, wealthy heirs and heiresses, fabulously rich tycoons, playboys of the western world, rich literary icons and the like who used their riches to satisfy off-beat appetites or to find the magic thrill or philosophy to keep tormented or restless minds occupied. Often their search for "fulfillment" and "finding their inner selves" leads them down paths to great unhappiness or outright tragedy.
Every so often a middle-aged celebrity announces a conversion to some eastern religion and.....if it gives fifteen minutes of publicity to the individual and it makes her or him happy.....who really gives a shiite?
Julie, give me that good old-time religion....it's good enough for me.
Leni
Funny stuff:
http://www.bettyconfidential.com/ar/ld/a/10-things-you-should-know-about-javier-bardem.html
Why shouldn’t I? Since you brought it up, I was asking you.
Last week I went to La Scarola (famous Italian restaurant here, pictures of celebs all over the walls, including Bill Clinton with 2 Chinese guys). The waiter said that later that evening Shia LaBeouf and Micheal Bay would dining there. They are filming Transformers 3 here. Too bad Megan Fox was fired from/quit from the project or else I would have stuck around.
LaBeouf is a rare case of a Disney child actor that actually has a successful film career. The show was called “Even Stevens”. I watched it sometimes cause I liked LaBeouf’s sister on the show. Never would I have guessed he’d be a movie star.
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