Clipmarks | Johanna_G's 'religion' clips

Rubaiyat (quatrains) of Omar Khayyam, the astronomer-poet of Persia (1048-1122)

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 21:09:17 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Medieval Sourcebook: Omar Khayyam: The Rubaiyat, c. 1120, trans. E. H. Whinfield
Irania.eu Omar Khayyam Robaiyat
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, The Astronomer-Poet of Persia (First edition)
Biography
Philosophy of Omar Khayyam
Omar Khayyám - Wikipedia EN

Clip Source: johammonia2.blogspot.com

Some look for truth in creeds, and forms, and rules;
Some grope for doubts or dogmas in the schools;
But from behind the veil a voice proclaims,
"Your road lies neither here nor there, O fools."

Young wooer, charm all hearts with lover's art,
Glad winner, lead thy paragon apart!
A hundred Kaabas equal not one heart,
Seek not the Kaaba, rather seek a heart!

Better to make one soul rejoice with glee,
Than plant a desert with a colony;
Rather one freeman bind with chains of love,
Than set a thousand prisoned captives free!

They who by genius, and by power of brain,
The rank of man's enlighteners attain,
Not even they emerge from this dark night,
But tell their dreams, and fall asleep again.

Although the creeds number some seventy-three,
I hold with none but that of loving Thee;
What matter faith, unfaith, obedience, sin?
Thou'rt all we need, the rest is vanity.

Tags: omar khayyam, rubaiyat, quatrains, poems, persia, literature, religion, philosophy, middle ages

Mohammad Shabestari: "Muslims Can Have Democracy without Having to Leave Islam"

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 12:53:35 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Original in deutscher Sprache

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

Mohammad Shabestari has been teaching Islamic philosophy at the University of Tehran since 1985. He is noted for his comments on the essentially limited nature of religious knowledge and rules

Revolution was a problem child for us, a child with many defects, who caused us a great deal of trouble and misery in the course of its growing up.

religion can become a moral force exerting influence on politics, but when religious and political institutions, such as governments, are put on the same level, or when statements such as: our politics are our religion and our religion is our politics are used; that is not acceptable.

Those involved in politics are fallible human beings, irrespective of whether they are speaking in a religious context or not. These experiences have shown that one cannot apply the same standards to the religious discussion as to political problems, they are different and require to be dealt with as such – that means that religion and politics must be separated.

Tags: islam, politics, theopolitics

Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari: Plädoyer für säkulare Hermeneutik

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 07:40:43 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: English translation

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

Mohammad Mojtahed Shabestari zählt zu den wichtigsten zeitgenössischen schiitischen Gelehrten.

"Die Revolution war für uns ein Kind, das viele Fehler hatte und uns im Laufe seines Aufwachsens Elend gebracht hat."

Politik kritisierbar zu machen, Politik als eine menschliche Anstrengung zu betrachten, nicht als eine Sache, die von Gott kommt, oder die ihre Maßstäbe aus Koran und Sunna entwickelt. Politik darf nicht geheiligt werden. Das ist das Problem. Ein politischer Führer, egal wer er ist, darf nicht geheiligt werden. Poltische Maßnahmen dürfen nicht geheiligt werden. Aber Gott soll geheiligt werden, in der Moschee. Sie kann als Brücke fungieren, sie kann einen moralischen Impuls an die Politik geben, damit Politik keine amoralische Politik ist.

derjenige, der so denkt wie ich, kann nicht sagen, dass seine Aussage im Koran stehen muss.

Wenn ich an Gott glaube, ihn anbete, bedeutet das nicht, dass ich nicht mit einer säkularen Hermeneutik an den Koran herangehen kann.

Tags: islam, theopolitik, koran, religion, politik

Teen summonsed for calling Scientology a cult

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:18:26 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The City of London police came under fire two years ago when it emerged that more than 20 officers, ranging from constable to chief superintendent, had accepted gifts worth thousands of pounds from the Church of Scientology.
The City of London Chief Superintendent, Kevin Hurley, praised Scientology for "raising the spiritual wealth of society" during the opening
of its headquarters in 2006.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

A teenager is facing prosecution for using the word "cult" to describe the Church of Scientology.

The unnamed 15-year-old was served the summons by City of London police when he took part in a peaceful demonstration opposite the London headquarters of the controversial religion.

Officers confiscated a placard with the word "cult" on it from the youth, who is under 18, and a case file has been sent to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The incident happened during a protest against the Church of Scientology on May 10. Demonstrators from the anti-Scientology group, Anonymous, who were outside the church's £23m headquarters

were banned by police from describing Scientology as a cult by police because it was "abusive and insulting".

"Following advice from the Crown Prosecution Service some demonstrators were warned verbally and in writing that their signs breached section five of the Public Order Act.

A CPS spokesman said no specific advice was given to police regarding the boy's placard.

The Anti-Bias Classroom: Size Bias

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 09:28:16 GMT

clipped by: GeDeGe

Clip Source: www.tolerance.org

With summer break just around the corner, many students are taking a hard look at their bodies. Most won't like what they see. This edition of The Anti-Bias Classroom shows educators how to foster healthier attitudes about body size.

Clip Source: www.tolerance.org

Many conscientious parents are well aware of the importance of fostering respect for differences in race, class or religion. But size difference is often overlooked. Here are ways to help your kids un-learn size bias.

Clip Source: www.tolerance.org

Table of Contents

:: Introduction

:: Expert Q & A --Understanding Size Bias

:: Size Bias as a Social Construction

:: Lesson Plans

:: Additional Resources

Clip Source: www.tolerance.org

Beauty is Skin Deep

media literacy lesson for grades 6-10

Reshaping Body Image

upper grades activity

Kids Come in All Sizes

how to place sizism in the context of other forms of discrimination

Inner Beauty

unit for grades K-4

Prejudice and Body Image

grades 3-7

Mirror Image

grades 5-8

Culture and Obesity

high school students

Ideal Weight, Cultural Stereotypes, and Eating Disorders

high school students

Tags: bias, size bias, obesity, beauty, education, tolerance

Catholic-Shiite Dialogue - Reasonable Understanding

Tue, 27 May 2008 09:59:00 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks:

Against the background of these existing contacts between the Vatican and Muslim authorities, one can look forward with anticipation to the first meeting of the Catholic-Muslim Forum, scheduled for early November. The forum was founded following a meeting in the Vatican in March this year, which itself was the result of a letter written in October 2007 by 138 Muslim scholars from 43 countries to the pope and other representatives of the Christian churches.

The topic of the forthcoming meeting is to be "Love of God and neighbour." The Vatican-Shiite dialogue is also set to continue: another colloquium is planned for two years time in Tehran.

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

three-day colloquium led by the French cardinal Jena-Louis Tauran, current president of the Papal Council for Interreligious Dialogue, and the President of the Tehran-based Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation, Mahdi Mostafavi.

The statement was seen, unavoidably, in the context of a lecture on Faith and Reason given by Pope Benedict XVI in Regensburg last year. That lecture began with the thesis that both faith and reason are gifts given by God to humanity. That was followed by the proposition that faith and reason were not contradictory: faith might sometimes go beyond reason, but could never be directed against reason.

The joint statement at the end of the commission's most recent meeting in February in Cairo declared that all religions respect "the dignity and honour of the human person without consideration of race, colour, religion or conviction".

Both sides committed themselves to promote "true respect for religions, beliefs, religious symbols, holy Books,"

Tags: islam, vatican, roman catholic church, religion, reason

How the Bible led a Christian to Islam

Mon, 26 May 2008 04:56:40 GMT

clipped by: emudeer

Clip Source: www.daily.pk

Abdul Malik LeBlanc tells how he discovered Islam within the pages of Bible

During my Christian days there were many verses in the Bible that made me question the religion I was following (Christianity). There was one particular verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says; "pray without ceasing," that lingered heavily in my mind. I often wondered how a person (Christian) was supposed to pray (be in a state of worship) without ceasing? Without any biblical or divine guidance, the only way I thought this to be possible was to always do good deeds and keep the remembrance of God on my tongue and in my heart.

The Vatican and leading Iranian theologians on "Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam"

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:02:19 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Deutsche Fassung: Interreligiöser Dialog - Der Vatikan und der Iran auf Entspannungskurs.

See also: Catholic-Shiite Dialogue - Reasonable Understanding.

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

The Vatican and leading Iranian theologians have reached agreement on a declaration on "Faith and Reason in Christianity and Islam." The paper sends out an important signal in terms of easing religious and political tensions.

In the declaration both sides emphasized their belief that religion is "intrinsically non-violent". Neither reason nor faith, they stressed, can justify violence.

The discussions in Rome brought together representatives of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and a delegation from the Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation in Tehran.

the clear affirmation of the non-violence of faith and reason and the condemnation of attempts to justify violence in their name constituted a "courageous" act on the part of the Muslim signatories.

The religious leaders in Iran as well as those in the Vatican

are increasingly recognising that they face a common struggle against a secular Western "relativism" and the declining values.

Pope Benedict

Ali Khamenei

Tags: islam, vatican, roman catholic church, religion, reason, violence

Islam and Secularism

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:26:59 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks:

Volkhard Krech, professor for religious studies [...], has come to the conclusion that some religious traditions, such as Judaism and Protestantism, represent "secularization factors." Other faiths, such as Islam and evangelical churches [...] have a tendency to combine a strong sense of both national and religious identity, mixing politics with religion. [...]
The Berlin Islamic scholar Gudrun Krämer made clear [...] that a "massive rejection" of secularism prevails in most Muslim countries. In Islamic discourse, secularization is regarded as a "hostile takeover" of Muslim society. Instead of the notion of the separation of religion and state, the idea of "empowerment" is stressed. Islam calls for believers to actively participate in the power structures of the state.
As a mixture of nationalism and Islamism, the so-called "national Jihad" is pushing its way into the political arena and [...] has given birth to the notion of the "Islamic welfare state."

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

"Islam and the modern nation state" was the title of a conference held in Berlin, Germany. Experts and academics there discussed the significance of the concept of secularism for Muslim societies.

Lucian Hölscher, historian at Bochum University,

critically examines the concept of secularism.

Although secularism may indeed have tamed the battle between religions, secular states have always shown a preference to a particular community of faith, claims the historian. This allows for the establishment of a "basic consensus of its citizens" and provides society with orientation.

Such a concept of civic religion has not been able to develop in Germany

Instead,

a societal identity was established in Germany after 1945 that

based itself upon an avowal of secularism and a sense of responsibility arising from the Second World War and the Holocaust.

How Muslims in Germany

are to share in this identity was an issue that could not be answered at this conference.

Tags: islam, secularism, national jihad

The Enlightenment

Tue, 13 May 2008 23:11:50 GMT

clipped by: carrerinyes
clipper's remarks: and dogmatism of the mediaeval and the awakening of modernity.

Medieval philosophy combined Christian beliefs with the ideas of Plato and Aristotle. In the medieval world philosophers respected their predecessors and accepted their methods. If a new discovery about nature contradicted one of Aristotle's principles, for example, it would probably have been assumed that it was the discovery that was in error.

Enlightenment thinkers were not content to accept appeals to Aristotle's authority. It could be seen that using experimental methods science was progressing and increasing our understanding of nature, which could not have been done without rejecting some of Aristotle's assumptions.

It was not only Aristotle that was being questioned, using reason and logic philosophers criticised political and religious ideas. What rational answer is there for the justification of monarchy or that you should choose one type of religion over another?

Clip Source: www.philosopher.org.uk

The Enlightenment

The characteristics of the Enlightenment are a scepticism towards the doctrines of the church, individualism, a belief in science and the experimental method, the use of reason, that education could be a catalyst of social change and the demand for political representation. Its main social and political consequence was the French revolution.

The core period of the Enlightenment was second half of the eighteenth century. The thinkers associated with the Enlightenment include d'Holbach (1723-89) and the Encyclopedists in France, David Hume (1711-76) in Scotland and Kant in Germany. To understand the Enlightenment we have to look at what preceded it.

The battle of ideas that was to culminate in the Enlightenment began in the seventeenth century. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) advocated the use of scientific method and René Descartes (1596-1650) proposed a critical rationalism. The Enlightenment can be understood as the culmination of the move away from the authority

Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:13:22 GMT

clipped by: arifsali
clipper's remarks: In the letter, he states: "The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honourable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

"Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." So said Albert Einstein, and his famous aphorism has been the source of endless debate between believers and non-believers wanting to claim the greatest scientist of the 20th century as their own.

A little known letter written by him, however, may help to settle the argument - or at least provoke further controversy about his views.

Due to be auctioned this week in London after being in a private collection for more than 50 years, the document leaves no doubt that the theoretical physicist was no supporter of religious beliefs, which he regarded as "childish superstitions".

Einstein penned the letter on January 3 1954 to the philosopher Eric Gutkind who had sent him a copy of his book Choose Life: The Biblical Call to Revolt. The letter went on public sale a year later and has remained in private hands ever since.

Tags: einstein, religion, science

Karl-Heinz Ohlig: Muhammad as a Christological Honorific Title

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:43:38 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Deutsche Fassung: Interview mit Karl-Heinz Ohlig - Muhammad als christologischer Würdenname?

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

In his book

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

"Die dunklen Anfänge. Neue Forschungen zur Entstehung der frühen Geschichte des Islam"

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

"The Hidden Origins of Islam: New Research into Its Early History," the theologian Karl-Heinz Ohlig has come to the conclusion that Islam was not originally conceived as an independent religion.

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

All the information

on the origins of Islam is taken from later texts – "biographies" that were written in the 9th and 10th centuries.

Religious-political foundation myths are not history texts and nor were they meant to be.

Islam was not conceived as an independent religion.

a Syrian-Persian form of Christianity that rejected the decisions of the Council of Nicaea

Jesus as the messenger, the prophet, the servant of God, but not the physical son of God

There is no mention of a new, independent religion of the Arabs before the 9th century.

Clip Source: www.qantara.de

According to Karl-Heinz Ohlig, "the term muhammad was originally a Christological honorific title"

Tags: islam, muhammad

Hitchens Vs. Hitchens : Full Video Sequence

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:04:32 GMT

clipped by: Antara
clipper's remarks: Added: April 07, 2008 (Less info)
Brothers Christopher and Peter Hitchens debate the Iraq War and religion at an event organized by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies with support from the Center for Inquiry and the Interfaith Dialogue Association.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: hitchens brothers debate, religion, iraq war

Jürgen Heumann: "Islamisches Glaubensfach an Schulen nicht akzeptierbar"

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:57:45 GMT

clipped by: GeDeGe
clipper's remarks:

Religion wird in diesen Fächern [evangelischer/katholischer Religionsunterricht] nicht nur affirmativ vermittelt, sondern ebenso kritisch in ihren historischen bzw. gegenwärtigen problematischen bis gewaltsamen und terroristischen Versionen gewichtet. Diese grundsätzlich (auch) kritische Grundhaltung der eigenen wie anderen Religionen gegenüber bezieht sich auch auf das Gottesverständnis, d.h., mit der unterrichtlichen Behandlung der Theodizeeproblematik (wenn es Gott gibt, warum lässt er das Böse zu?) wird Gott selbst als 'fragwürdig' thematisiert und eben nicht als unhinterfragbar vermittelt.
Kein Entwurf für einen islamischen Religionsunterricht hat bisher gezeigt, dass er die Theodizeefrage so ernst nimmt, dass er potentiell die Sekpsis von Schülern gegenüber Allah akzeptieren würde bis dahin, die Existenz Allahs zu bestreiten. Gleiches gilt für die Entstehung des Koran bzw. seiner göttlichen Legitimierung.

Clip Source: idw-online.de

Für alle Unterrichtsfächer in der deutschen Schule gilt das Überwältigungsverbot, d. h., dass kein Schüler in Situationen gebracht werden darf, in denen er sich psychisch überwältigt fühlt bzw. aus solchem Gefühl heraus zu Handlungen, etwa Gebetshandlungen, gedrängt wird.

Eines der Probleme des islamischen Religionsunterrichts ist, dass es bei allen Diskussionen um dieses Fach hier eben keine deutliche Aussage gibt, auf eine Überwältigung während des Unterrichts zu verzichten. Ein Fach, das hier nicht klar Position bezieht, ist nicht 'schulfähig'.

Alle Unterrichtsfächer in der öffentlichen Schule stehen in der Tradition der Aufklärung und sind an wissenschaftlicher Theoriebildung und Systematisierung orientiert.

Ein Religionsunterricht, der die eigene Religion lediglich affirmativ und überzeugend vermitteln will, ohne eine Kritik der eigenen Tradition und des eigenen Gottesbildes leisten zu wollen, ist deshalb m. E. nicht schulfähig.

Tags: religionsunterricht, islamunterricht

Aufklärung: christlich? Islam: antiaufklärerisch?

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:45:50 GMT

clipped by: Johanna_G
clipper's remarks: Aus: Corrina Gomani und Dursun Tan: Die Rolle des religiösen Diskurses in der Erziehung.

Aus dem Inhalt:
Die Tragweite kultureller Differenzen
„Religion als kulturelles System“
Aufklärung versus Nichtaufklärung?
Humanisiert versus Nichthumanisiert?
Traditionalistisch versus Modernistisch?
Die Geschlechtlichkeit des Menschen
Religion als „historisches Gedächtnis“ und Diskursform

Clip Source: www.pu-aktuell.de

Viele islamische Denker, aber auch ihre westlichen Mitstreiter, halten die „Moderne“ für eine typische Erscheinung des Christentums und lehnen sie deshalb ab. Mit anderen Worten: Die islamischen Fundamentalisten sind nicht prinzipiell gegen die Moderne (z.B. sind sie von deren technischen Errungenschaften der Moderne fasziniert), sondern gegen die Dominanz des Christentums bzw. die „dekadente“ Ausrichtung des Christentums, für das sie die Moderne halten und deren Expansion sie fürchten.

Sie übersehen dabei, ähnlich wie viele westliche Intellektuelle auch, daß die moderne Kultur, die mit der Renaissance begann und in der Aufklärung mündete, und die sich nun in einer Phase der Nachaufklärung befindet, nicht die zwangsläufige Folge der christlichen Religion ist. Obgleich sie sich aus der christlichen Religion heraus entwickelt hat, hat sie sich doch im Großen und Ganzen trotz der christlichen Orthodoxie, vielerorts auch erst gegen sie, durchsetzen müssen.

Tags: interreligiöser dialog, aufklärung, islam, christentum