#I would pray to yahweh in a hindu temple

[idylls-of-the-divine-romance]

At this point my response to “Christmas is pagan” is just about to be “I don’t care.” Not because it’s true (we all know it’s either Protestant BS or Romantic Nationalist White Supremacist Nazi Antisemitic BS) but because i genuinely do not care.

[folkandbooks]

Hi! you made a post saying that when praying to saints, you should also offer prayers to Yahweh.

I’m ex Catholic but before I fully left the faith I liked praying to the saints, and now, I’m not even sure how to anymore. Mainly because of what you said, and you’re 100% right, that I have to at least pay respects to their God.

But my hangup is that, if I were to offer prayers and acknowledgment to Yahweh or Jesus, it would not be in genuine faith, and both them and their God would know that. And there is a biblical saying that “If we deny Him, He also will deny us”.

So it’s like, are saints just something that is off limit to me now? I’ve been grappling with this for a while and it would be nice to hear someone else’s perspective.

Thank you so much for your question, and heck no!

Working with Saints is almost the same thing as working with other spirits. My great-grandma was Hindu, so to honour her spirit I gave her altar a Ganesha statue and read the Baghavad Gita. Does that make me Hindu? No.

Let’s take Brazilian syncretism as another example.

Brazil has some strong Yoruba roots, and where I come from there are many festivals for Orixás (Yoruba deities). Still, people there also have maaaaany catholic practices. Some of them go to the Terreiro on Saturday and then the church on Sunday. Terreiros (the sacred temple for Yoruba-based religions) would also call for the Saints, some even practice Saint punishment. Do they believe on Yahweh? More often than not, no! But they still use the catholic prayers and symbols, because they do a lot of spirit work, and many spirits they work with were catholics.

This is a complex subject but my answer is that: paying respect for their God is paying respect for their faith, so, even if you don’t believe in that, you’re honouring their beliefs as a way to honour them. So consider Saints to be on your table again! 🤍

[lifeistblog]

JUDAISM AND BUDDHISM

    Name

Course

Date

       JUDAISM AND BUDDHISM  

Introduction

In the history of the world, there have been many religions that are practised. A few of these world religions stand out and are widely known; most of these religions have been studied by fascinated scholars, students, philosophers and the like. A comparison between two or more religions shows many differences, just as they share some similarities. This essay will focus on a comparison of Judaism and Buddhism. These two ancient and sacred religions are different, yet they compare and contrast greatly. The religions of Judaism and Buddhism have distinct beliefs that play a big role in people's everyday lives and culture.

Judaism is an ethnic, monotheistic religion that developed among the Jewish people many years ago. Its history is roughly complicated because it encompasses the Jewish people's philosophy, religion, and way of life. The key characteristic of this religion is the belief in one transcendent God who is believed to have revealed Himself in different ways and to different people. The religious Jews consider Judaism an expression of the relationship between God and the children of Israel as established in a covenant. Abraham is considered to be the founding father of Judaism.[1] Judaism's origin is attributed to when Abraham was called by God and was told to move out of the polytheistic Mesopotamia. He entered into a personal covenant with God and was promised that his son Isaac would inherit the land of Canaan, now Israel, due to his faith in God. Other critical personalities in Judaism include Jacob and Moses. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been enslaved to fulfil God's promise to Abraham. Moses was given the Ten Commandments called the Torah, which serves as the Jewish sacred text alongside the siddur, Talmud, Midrash and Tanakh.[2] These sacred texts are significant since they guide the relationship between the Jews and their God and themselves. Case on point, Torah guides the relationship between people and God by emphasizing strict observance of the Sabbath law. The commandment that prohibits murder is an example of a law that guides the relationship amongst the Jews.

On the other hand, Buddhism was founded by the Buddha, whose name was Siddhartha Gautama, many years ago in India. The founder was born as a prince in a wealthy family and had a straightforward life in present-day Nepal.  He was deeply moved by the suffering and poverty in the world and decided to give up his wealthy lifestyle and endure poverty. It is believed that he found enlightenment while carrying out meditation under the Bodhi tree. It is believed that after the spiritual enlightenment, he spent the rest of his life teaching other people how to achieve a spiritual state. Buddhists revere Buddha's teachings and accord great respect to various sacred texts. Buddhists have many sacred scriptures and texts, but the main ones are sutras, Tipitaka, and the dead book. The teachings of Buddha are referred to as "dharma".

At the heart of his teachings are essential virtues which he taught are wisdom, kindness, compassion, generosity and patience. All Buddhists adhere to certain moral precepts that guide the relationship between themselves and the environment. Buddhists are prohibited from killing living things, lying, stealing, using drugs or alcohol and sexual misconduct. Buddha also taught about principles that explain why human beings suffer and how to overcome suffering. These principles are known as the "four noble truths", and they include dukkha, Magga, Nirhodha and Samudaya. Dukkha is the teaching about the truth of suffering, samudaya teaches on the cause of suffering, Nirhodha teaches the truths about the end of suffering. In contrast, Magga teaches on the path that frees people from suffering. He also taught about the Eightfold path, which guides ethical conduct, wisdom and mental discipline.

A similarity between Judaism and Buddhism, as mentioned above, is on precepts. Both religions have precepts that guide their conduct and morality. Jews have the Ten Commandments and thirteen precepts which are similar to the Buddhist precepts.[3] The Buddhist precepts live by rules such as do not kill, do not steal, and do not engage in sexual misconduct. Similarly, the Jews are prohibited from murder, stealing, adultery, coveting, bearing false witness, profaning God's name, and worshipping idols. Parallel to the precepts that guide these two religions is that they have sacred texts and scriptures that guide them in their daily lives. The two religion share some common customs. For instance, both Buddhists and Jews pray. Both religions have sacred places of worship which are respected. The Jews worship in synagogues, while the Buddhists worship in temples. The two religions also share a common understanding of the concept and nature of human suffering. It is notable how Jews have constantly suffered throughout their history. Their culture has to be infused with a theology of suffering; the concept of suffering formed a significant basis of the teachings of Buddha. Jews talk about suffering just as much as Buddhists do. In both religions, though different, there are religious festivals that are celebrated. For instance, the Buddhists have a festival called Wesak, Bodhi day, New Year's Day and Magha puja day. Judaism, too, has many important religious festivals such as Passover, Hanukkah, and Rosh Hashanah, among others. In both religions, some religious leaders teach the followers. The Buddhists have monks or bhikkus. In Judaism, the religious leaders are called rabbis.

However, the differences are more compared to the similarities in comparison of these two religions. The main difference is on a belief in a supreme God. Jews believe in the existence of a God whom they call Yahweh, whom they worship in various ways such as through songs, offering sacrifices. They believe that Yahweh is the creator and the source of Laws.  On the other hand, Buddhists do not worship God. This can be explained by the fact that they believe that nothing is permanent. They consider Buddha an extraordinary man but not a god. Another main difference is on the concepts of reincarnation and karma; just like Hindus, Buddhists believe in karma and reincarnation. However, Judaism believes in a different doctrine that is called the resurrection of the dead. Buddhists believe in samsara, a cycle of death and rebirth. Karma and enlightenment are viewed as the only way to escape samsara and consequently achieve an end to suffering, which they call nirvana.[4] Jews do not view themselves as sinners by nature, but they believe that they can attain salvation through repentance. Some teachings like those of Zechariah teach that when one sins, they should repent to God. Buddhists believe that salvation is achieved by those who understand the teachings of Buddha. They hold that if one can understand the Buddha's dharma, an individual becomes enlightened and achieves nirvana. For a Buddhist, salvation is attained when one achieves nirvana.

 Conclusion

Buddhism and Judaism are some of the major world religions with many followers. The two religions share some teachings and ideologies, especially on human relationships and behavior. The principles of how the human being can achieve moral perfection are comparable. They also have common religious customs such as conducting prayers and attending sacred places of worship. However, there also exist numerous differences between the two ancient religions. The main one is on the belief in a supreme deity. Buddhists do not believe in the existence of God. Judaism recognizes the existence of God, whom they believe is the creator and controller of the universe. Therefore, this essay resonates with the supposition that although Judaism and Buddhism have diverse elements, they also share similar traits.

          Bibliography  

Baeck, Leo. The essence of Judaism. Plunkett Lake Press, 2019.

Carpenter, J. Estlin. Comparative religion. Good Press, 2019.

Harvey, Peter. An introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, history and practices. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Niculescu, Mira. "I the Jew, I the Buddhist: Multi-religious belonging as inner dialogue." CrossCurrents 62, no. 3 (2012): 350-359.

 [1] Baeck, Leo. The essence of Judaism. Plunkett Lake Press, 2019.

 [2] Niculescu, Mira. "I the Jew, I the Buddhist: Multi-religious belonging as inner dialogue." CrossCurrents 62, no. 3 (2012): 350-359.

 [3] Carpenter, J. Estlin. Comparative religion. Good Press, 2019.

[4] Harvey, Peter. An introduction to Buddhism: Teachings, history and practices. Cambridge University Press, 2012.

[republicstandard]

Blackburn Cathedral is Muslim Territory after Islamic call to Prayer

The Muslim call to prayer, or Adhan, is the categorical proclamation of Islam’s supersessionism over its forebears—Judaism and Christianity. It conclusively and unambiguously asserts that God’s revelation to Muhammad has supplanted and superseded God’s prior revelations to Moses in the Old Testament and to Jesus in the New Testament. It is a triumphalist declaration of Islamic supremacy over Jews and Christians.

“Allah is the greatest. I bear witness that there is no god except Allah. I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Come to prayer. Come to salvation.” These affirmations are repeated twice. Islamic sects use slightly varied formulations of the Adhan, but the core is fixed. The Adhan was made part of the Sharia during the first year after Muhammad’s migration to Medina.

Muslims do not consider Allah to be the God of the Jews or Christians. Allah is not Yahweh, revealed in the Torah. Allah is emphatically not the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” so designated in the epistles of St Paul. On the contrary, to say Allah has a Son or that God is Triune is blasphemy in the highest (shirk), condemning Christians to hell. In 2014, Malaysia’s Supreme Court ruled that Christians could not use “Allah” for God, even though Christians used it for centuries in Malay and Arabic to refer to their God.

Former Swedish Imam Tomas Samuel explains how the Adhan is a statement of Islamic supremacy. In Islamic sources, “we discover that the prayer call states that everyone should submit to Islam, and proclaims power over the area of the ​​prayer”.[2] The Adhan is prayed for two reasons: “it will remind people of when it is time to pray, and the prayer call will proclaim Islam over a city,” he says.

Samuel quotes Omdat Al-Ahkam, a fundamental text for Islamic law: “Adhan is a very important ritual in the religious practice of Islam, one can liken it to the Muslim flag. Its proclamation shows that the people of the city are Muslims.” In Arabic, “adhan” means “information” or “enlightenment”—signifying that people previously in darkness and ignorance are now “informed” and “enlightened” about the true religion of Islam, to which they must submit. Islam means submission (from the Arabic root “al-Silm”—submission or surrender).

Consequently, when an Imam recited the Adhan in the consecrated space of Blackburn Cathedral the night before Remembrance Day, he was claiming it as Islamic territory. He was professing the abrogation of Christianity and calling upon Peter Howell-Jones, the Dean of Blackburn Cathedral and the audience to declare their faith in Allah and his prophet Muhammad (the Adhan contains the Shahada—the Islamic creed. To convert to Islam the creed has to be recited three times). It doesn’t matter if this was done in the context of a concert.

The Shahada reinforces the claim that Muhammad is the “Seal of the Prophets” (Surah 33:40) and contradicts the New Testament claim—that although “at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Islam holds to a theology of territory. Central to its mission is the sacralization of new territory. When Muslims march through Britain’s city centers and immigrant neighborhoods, they are seeking to “inscribe the name of Allah” on the spaces linking their homes and the mosques, writes Islamic scholar Pnina Werbner.

First generation Muslim migrants made sacred the private spaces of their homes. Second generation Muslims are seeking to sacralize public space—including, and especially, the sacred spaces of its chief rival, Christianity. In response, the Church of England is actively encouraging the Islamisation of its sacred spaces.

Hosting Islamic prayer, Koranic readings and Ramadan Iftar meals are no longer the exception but more and more frequent in the Church of England. Chaplaincies in British universities are rapidly taking down crosses, Bible verses and Christian symbols from prayer rooms, which results in Muslims turning them into university mosques.

When liberal churches and cathedrals open their doors in the name of hospitality or interfaith relations to Islamic sacralization, they are furthering Islamic dawa, or mission. “Dawa is to the Islamists of today what the ‘long march through the institutions’ was to twentieth-century Marxists,” notes Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

“After Islamists gain power, dawa is to them what Gleichschaltung (synchronization) of all aspects of German state, civil, and social institutions was to the National Socialists,” she adds, acknowledging that the “biggest difference is that dawa is rooted in the Islamic practice of attempting to convert non-Muslims to accept the message of Islam”.

From its very inception, Islam did not seek to build new sacred structures but constructed its sacred sites on top of existing pagan, Hindu, Jewish temples or churches. The best examples are the Ka’bah in Mecca (Muhammad purifies it of idols); the Dome of the Rock built on Israel’s Second Temple; Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia mosque—a Greek Orthodox basilica; and thousands of Hindu temples, the most famous being the Babri Masjid—said to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Rama. Islam does this because it does not see itself as a new, innovative religion, but as canceling and correcting paganism, Judaism and Christianity.

Islam achieves this conquest of sacred space through ritual prayer and jihad. After the Muslims conquered Jerusalem (636-637) the Patriarch Sophronius escorted the Muslim Caliph Umar around Jerusalem. When they reached the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which Christians said housed Christ’s tomb and was the site of his resurrection from the dead, Sophronius invited Umar to pray inside the great church. Umar magnanimously turned him down, explaining that his followers would use his prayer as a pretext to turn the church into a mosque and that he wanted to leave it for the Christians instead.

Once territory is conquered it remains Muslim property forever. Muslims have still not given their claim on Spain’s Córdoba Cathedral, once the world’s second-biggest mosque. In 2013, eight Muslims were arrested for defying a ban on Islamic prayer and staging a “prayer protest” during Holy Week in the Cathedral, the single most powerful symbol of Islamic rule in Spain.[8]

When Muslims pray, they are engaging with divine space. The central gesture of ritual prayer is facing the Ka’bah in Mecca. According to the hadith, the angels support ritual prayers by performing them in heaven. In particular, the angels recite the Adhan and the roles of muezzin and Imam are given to different angels. What the Imam was doing in Blackburn Cathedral was thus a copy of what corresponding angels were doing in heaven—claiming the Cathedral as a sacred space for Allah.

But the angels are not limited to heaven; they are present in the world to assist Muslims—in this case, to claim territory in which ritual prayer has been prayed. The performance of ritual prayer generates sacred space around the worshipper, notes Islamic scholar S. R. Burge.

The claim that the Adhan at Blackburn Cathedral and other churches is a “power play” intended to conquer and sacralize Christian territory, is further supported by the internal Islamic discussion on whether it is haram (forbidden) or makrooh (offensive) for Muslims to enter churches for prayer.

The Hanafi School of law says entering churches is forbidden in all cases (as churches are abodes of the devils). Shafi‘is limit the prohibition to churches that have images. The Reliance of the Traveller: The Classic Manual of Islamic Sacred Law Umdat Al-Salik for Shafi‘is states that it is “offensive to pray … in a church”.

Hanbalis consider it offensive, but some limit this to churches containing images. There are fatwas permitting Muslims to enter churches, as long as it is not “for the purpose of worship or receiving blessings or confessing your sins or beseeching favors from other than Allah”. “If entering the church will lead to any bad consequences such as if it means approving of the Christians’ shirk and their claim that Allah has a wife and son”, then the level of makrooh may reach the level of haram according to Al-Mughni.

“If your going to the church is just to show tolerance and lenience, then it is not permissible, but if it is done to call them to Islam and create opportunities for you to do so, and you will not be taking part in their worship and you are not afraid that you may be influenced by their beliefs or customs, then it is permissible,” declares the Fatwa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah.

In 1955, Oxford philosopher J. L. Austin delivered the William James lectures at Harvard University. The lectures were entitled ‘How to do things with words’. They resulted in one of the most significant developments in linguistics known as the speech-act theory. In some cases, ‘to say something is to do something’; to say something actually makes something happen. This is Austin’s thesis.

Can saying make it so? Yes, says Austin. A priest pronouncing a couple husband and wife is not using words describing who they are but is actually making them a married couple. Austin calls this performative speech. Words have the power to redefine and re-order reality. Prayer is performative speech.

The Adhan at Blackburn Cathedral wasn’t a demonstration of Islamic tolerance, but a speech-act proclamation of Islamic supremacy. This isn’t the first time Blackburn Cathedral has genuflected before the altar of Islam. In 2007, it appointed a Muslim woman on its staff as its Dialogue Development Officer. In 2009, Bradford Cathedral appointed another Muslim woman as Inter-faith Development Officer. Earlier this year, Blackburn Cathedral hosted a “Jihad of Jesus” seminar.

Peter Howell-Jones, Dean of Blackburn, is now a dhimmi—an Islamic subject. The bishops of Blackburn Julian Henderson, Jill Duff and Philip North—two evangelicals and one Anglo-Catholic are dhimmis.

Blackburn Cathedral is now Blackburn Mosque.

from Republic Standard | Conservative Thought & Culture Magazine https://ift.tt/2OUQUSP via IFTTT

[nijjhar]

Luke6v45-52:-Without Christ in your lifeboat, you suffer. As soon as you... Luke 6v45-52:- Without Christ in your lifeboat, you suffer. As soon as you clean your heart to welcome Christ, all your problems are solved. https://youtu.be/mgeNDKYaL-E Holy Gospel of our Supernatural Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm, etc., delivered by the First Anointed Christ, which in Punjabi we call Satguru Jesus of the highest living God Elohim that dwells within His Temple of God created by the demiurge Potter, the Lord of the Nature Yahweh, Brahma, Khudah, etc. and it is called Harmandir or “Emmanuel” according to Saint Mark 6,45-52. After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his solitary Brethren and not the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. So, they were travelling without Christ in their heart and look what did happen? And when he had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to Meditate and not pray. When it was evening (Religious Darkness as today), the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing (suffering in their lives), for the wind (the opinion of the people) was against them (Turn the other cheek). About the fourth watch of the night (Kalyug, the last of the Yugs), he came toward them walking on the sea (Son of supernatural Father Elohim, Allah, Parbrahm). He meant to pass by them. That is, you need to have a longing for the Gospel as it is not lying on a platter. But when they saw him walking on the sea, they thought it was a ghost as today, people called the Gnostics a heretic and cried out. They had all seen him and were terrified. But at once he spoke with them, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!" He got into the boat with them and the wind died down. They were (completely) astounded. That is when you know the Gospel Truth, then you are not troubled. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened. Holy spirit, common sense, shatters the fetters of the dead letters, the Holy Books. If we have One God, our Supernatural Father of our souls, then there should be one Faith and not many in which the spiritually blind people define an elephant. In Christianity, Jesus said One Fold called Church of God headed by One Shepherd, our Bridegroom Christ Jesus/Christ = Satguru Nanak Dev Ji, the Second coming of Jesus. Solid Proof; this Golden Temple is of the same size as the Holiest of Holy that used to be in Jerusalem and its Curtain holding the Secrets of the Oral Torah = His Word was rendered from Top, the Temple High Priests, to Bottom, the village Rabbis off you go – Luke 16v16; Law and Prophets were till John and thus, everyone makes a direct approach to God through His Word = Logo = SATGUR PARSAD. So, these hireling Dog-Collared Priests in the Churches, Mullahs in the Mosques, etc., they cannot give your account to God as the Rabbis used to give at Passover. So, they are "ANTICHRISTS called AL-DJMAR AL-AKSA" that has a following of the spiritually blind Super Bastard Fanatic Devils - John 8v44 -, the Hindu, Jew, Sikh, Christian, Muslim, etc. of the physical body, Outwardly, and not spiritual inwardly. These spiritual selves Hindu, Jew, Christian, Sikh, Muslim, etc., they are never born like Christ, the Title and they never die but the tribal selves Judah, Levi, Jatt, Tarkhan, etc. that were born and they will die. Thus, Jesus was born and Jesus died on the Cross and rose on the Third Day and NOT CHRIST, THE TITLE. This planet earth is for the habitation of the sons of Adam, the tribal people and that is why 144000 that would be saved are all mentioned by their tribes and not as Jews outwardly the "Tares", sons of the highest Satan Al-Djmar Al-Aksa as the Temple High Priest was who crucified Jesus, an Innocent Lamb of God that even the robbers, better than the Temple High Priests, the Brood of Vipers that create sectarian riots, proclaimed. Thus, the Second coming of Jesus was Satguru = Christ Nanak Dev Ji, who appeared among the most Satanic people of Khatri tribe, the Kings and Emperors of Darkness against the people of Judah tribe, the Princes of Darkness and the Khatris on becoming Mohammedans, Sheikh and Mullahs in the Mosques became the staunch enemies of Sikhism and the Khalsas had to use sword power to sort them up. Today, the Last Prophecy Matt 12v24-30 is being fulfilled. When the End of this Dark Age, KALYUG, comes, I will bundle up the tares, the Jews outwardly who are unfaithful to Abraham of the Semitic race outwardly, the Anti-Semitic sons of Satan..... For the rest of the description, please visit my website:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/Rest.htm I need IT Graphic help to finish my Books:- ONE GOD ONE FAITH:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/bookfin.htm and in Punjabi KAKHH OHLAE LAKHH:-  www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/pbook.htm  - Font DRChatrik Banned by Facebook Videos:- John's baptism:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/johnsig.pdf Trinity:- www.gnosticgospel.co.uk/trinity.pdf