The Faith Column
Every week a different believer gives the inside track on their religion or philosophy.
Judaism and the meltdown
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- Posted by Shraga Zaltzman
- 20 November 2008
Rabbis are a great resource during this economic crisis, providing both support and networking opportunities.
A menorah in the Plymouth Synagogue.
In any period of difficulty, it is essential that communities pull together to share their expertise to support those in need. During this period of economic uncertainty, it is certain that there will be no sector, faith, nor community that will be unaffected by redundancy and financial turmoil. It is clear that the leaders of those communities will be looked to for guidance during such a testing period.
I [...]
Compassion during the crisis
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- Posted by Matthew Jee
- 19 November 2008
Compassion for all - including bankers and politicians - will help society weather the economic crisis and learn to prize equality and sustainability, says Buddhist Matthew Jee.
Buddhist monks outside a Scottish monastery.
The Buddha was an ordinary human being who lived a remarkable life. An Indian prince, he gave up everything in search of the truth. The truths he discovered speak to us across all cultures and ages. He discovered and taught that human dissatisfaction is caused by three “root poisons” of the mind: greed, ignorance and anger. The Buddha also taught that we can move beyond these poisons and wake up [...]
The church in the crunch
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- Posted by Simon Barrow
- 18 November 2008
Following huge losses during the financial crisis, the Church of England should return to the Christian principles of using material wealth for the common good
No-one is immune from the global economic crunch. That includes the Church of England, which has £5 billion tied up in assets, pensions and buildings. When the archbishops of Canterbury and York started to sermonise on short-term greed and the failures of market, they were embarrassed to discover that the Church had been playing the system in pretty much the same way as everyone else.
Initially, things looked good. Due [...]
White Poppies
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- Posted by Symon Hill
- 07 November 2008
Symon Hill explains why the Quaker belief in pacifism leads him to wear a white poppy.
To be Quaker is to choose a religion fundamentally at odds with the dominant values around us. For me, this is both exciting and challenging.
Quakers often enjoy publicity at this time of year, because – like other pacifists - we wear white poppies. Like most Quaker commitments, this is often misunderstood. White poppies are not about insulting the dead, but about honouring them by working for an end [...]
Quakers and the UN
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- Posted by Chris Walker
- 06 November 2008
Held in the Quaker tradition of dialogue and mutual respect, the Quaker United Nation Office promote informal discussion and understanding among UN delegates.
Central to Quakerism is the peace testimony. This derives from the conviction that there is the light, whether that be of God [...]
Walking the talk
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- Posted by Eoin McCarthy
- 05 November 2008
Eoin McCarthy works to encourage others to apply Quaker principles to their lives and businesses.
The anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss noticed that “It is in each other’s gaze that we come into being”. I walk alongside men and women who accept me as I am, and who quietly show me what a great life can look like. Amongst them I have learned to nurture my inner resilience, to practice life-sustaining connection with my body, my partner, my environment, and the underlying unity of all things. [...]
Quakers for prison reform
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- Posted by Helen Drewery
- 04 November 2008
Their belief in equality and justice, and a history of being jailed for their faith, have inspired Quakers to campaign for prison reform.
Quakers (members of the Religious Society of Friends) are usually more concerned with living out their faith in their lives than with defining their faith. Our simple style of worship, based in silence, often provides the spiritual grounding for our efforts to make the world a better place, which in turn enriches our worship.
We have what we call Testimonies – I think of them as signposts or touchstones – [...]
Seeking, not finding
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- Posted by Ben Dandelion
- 03 November 2008
Ben Dandelion explains how modern day Quakers celebrate their faith through silence and seeking
No longer a group wearing ‘Quaker grey’ bonnets and broad rimmed hats, Quakers in Britain today embrace a vibrant faith of spiritual exploration. Whilst the very first Quakers of the seventeenth century believed they were the ‘true church’, God’s chosen vanguard at the time of an unfolding second coming, today’s Friends (as Quakers are also called) are far less dogmatic.
Indeed, in terms of beliefs, they are one of [...]
Diwali Greetings
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- Posted by Manjula Sood
- 29 October 2008
Councillor Manjula Sood is the Lord Mayor of Leicester, where the largest Diwali celebration outside of India is held - complete with music and lights
The Right Worshipful, the Lord Mayor of Leicester Councillor Manjula Sood.
Diwali - from Deepavali, meaning row of lights - is one of the most popular and widely celebrated Hindu Festivals. Diwali marks the end of the Hindu year. Above all, Diwali is about the concept of light: divas (traditional Indian lamps) were lit at Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhaya after 14 years of exile. The holiday is the celebration of good over evil where light is the symbol of knowledge.
[...]Celebrating Diwali
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- Posted by Divyang Patel
- 28 October 2008
After Diwali on Sunday, student Divyang Patel reflects on what the Hindu festival of lights means to him.
Diwali fireworks above the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden.
The clocks are turned back the last Sunday in October as winter begins to grip London. And as I contemplate the depressing reality of afternoons in darkness, I find something to keep my spirits high - the Indian ‘Festival of Light’, Diwali, brings with it a tremendous sense of enthusiasm and occasion.
This is one of the few days of the year - besides my birthday - when [...]
Reincarnation and Karma in CaoDai
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- Posted by Hum D Bui
- 10 October 2008
Hum D Bui concludes the series on CaoDai with a look at what it says about how past deeds set the course for the next life in comparison to other religions.
Most religions conceive human beings as consisting of three parts: the physical body, the soul, and the spirit.
Hinduism calls the spirit, "Brahman," "Atman" or the absolute (metaphysical) self and the soul "jiva," or the miniature self. Buddhism calls the spirit the true heart, or Buddha-heart, and the soul the earthly heart, or the illusory heart. Taoism calls the spirit god's heart (which is absolute), and the soul the [...]
CaoDai shows the path to harmony
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- Posted by Hum D Bui
- 09 October 2008
CaoDai serves to remind humanity that all religions are of the same origin and principle, only that they are different manifestations of the same truth, writes Hum D Bui.
Along with materialism, differences in religions have brought conflicts to people resulting in many wars all over the world. CaoDai, a new faith founded in Vietnam in 1926 by the Supreme Being via spiritism, with the principle that all religions are of one same origin (which is God, although called by various names or no name), having the same teachings based on Love and Justice, and are just diverse manifestations [...]
The truth behind CaoDai cosmology
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- Posted by Hum D Bui
- 08 October 2008
Hum D. Bui explains what CaoDi tells us about Yin and Yang and the formation of the universe.
Before the creation of the heavens and the universe, the cosmic ether was still, quiet, and void; and at the same time a kind of primordial chaos, indistinct and shadowy with mixtures of density (which we call "the Tao" or pre-creation ether).
In this cosmic ether appeared a great source of Divine Light called "Thai Cuc" (Monad) or the Supreme Being. The Monad then divided itself into Yin and [...]
CaoDai, a faith of unity
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- Posted by Hum D Bui
- 07 October 2008
This week, the Faith Column explores CaoDai. Hum D. Bui starts the series with a look at its history and leadership hierarchies.
In order to relieve humankind’s religious crisis, in 1926, via spiritism, the Supreme Being founded an innovative faith called CaoDai in Vietnam, with the principle that all religions are one, have the same origin and principle, and are just different manifestations of the same truth.
Because of human conflict, God has come to offer a way to bring people and religions together in harmony. CaoDai the Supreme Being said: [...]
Mary's passage into Heaven
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- Posted by Dr Harry Hagopian
- 03 October 2008
Dr Harry Hagopian discusses the importance of St Mary to the Armenian Church.
On the 15th of August every year, or on the Sunday closest to this date, the Armenian Church world-wide celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God. It is called Verapokhoum, denoting that Jesus came down to earth and ascended again to heaven with his mother, or else Nentchoum, to highlight the belief that St Mary was not dead, but only in an eternal slumber, until [...]
