www.nytimes.com ALUVA, KERALA, INDIA, December 30, 2008: Catholics represent a tiny proportion of the population in India. But among them, young men willing to join the Catholic priesthood are plentiful, unlike in the United States and Europe. As a result, bishops trek here from the United States, Europe, Latin America and Australia looking for spare priests to fill their empty…
www.hinduismtoday.com The body of Ben Franklin, like the cover of an old book, its contents torn out and stripped of its lettering and gilding, lies here food for worms, but the Work shall not be lost, for it will, as he believed, appear once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and corrected by the Author. Epitaph of…
news.bbc.co.uk KATHMANDU, NEPAL, December 29, 2008: Beginning in January, breaking a 300 year tradition, Nepalese priests will conduct the worship ceremonies at Nepal’s famous Pashupatinath Temple. One of the most famous sites in Hinduism, the temple has experienced a significant break with tradition. Its prayers always used to be led by priests recruited from south India. But now they have…
Religion News Service WASHINGTON (RNS) The economic recession has not led to an increase in attendance at U.S. houses of worship, according to Gallup pollsters. Despite anecdotal evidence cited in high-profile media outlets, Americans’ worship patterns have held steady in 2008, the Gallup Poll reports. Since mid-February, Gallup said, it has asked 1,000 adults a day how often they attend…
www.telegraphindia.com BHUBANESHWAR, INDIA, December, 28: The Orissa crime branch is planning to map the brains of four men suspected to be involved in the murder of Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his associates. The government has granted approval for the tests and two crime branch officers have left for Bangalore to make arrangements for the tests. The men —†Bijoy…
timesofindia.indiatimes.com MADURAI, INDIA, December 25, 2008: After a decade-long struggle, Dalits have legally cast down a ban imposed on them and entered the Kannanallur Mariamman temple in Panthapuli village, Terunelveli district. District collector G.Prakash and Superintendent of Police Asra Garg led the Dalits into the temple, meeting no resistance, although some caste Hindus resented the entry. The temple, which was…
Instructor Karen Nourizadeh is offering yoga lessons to a group of homless at an East Side shelter to help them center their topsy-turvy lives. “I want to do yoga for people who really need it. I really want them to take all that pressure and stress and throw it out the window.” Participants arrive wearing tattered clothes and tired expressions,…
www.hinduismtoday.com The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, not to anticipate troubles, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly. Siddhartha Gautama (ca 566-486 bce)
www.indianexpress.com BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, December 27, 2008: The BJD-BJP Government in Orissa is closing in on Congress Rajya Sabha member and former civil servant Radhakanta Nayak for his “alleged role in the conspiracy to kill Lakshmanananda Saraswati.” Sources say that Nayak, the most high-profile Christian political leader in the State, may be arrested shortly. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has alleged…
adhopia@hotmail.com TORONTO, CANADA, December 23, 2008: A group of devotees are launching a new quarterly journal, Canadian Hindu Link, in January, 2009. According to founder Ajit Adhopia, “Our entire focus will be on educating our new generation about their cultural and spiritual heritage; it will also offer a forum to our youths to discuss issues that interest them.” Adhopia explains…