Page 33 - Religion Belief
Do you support SC's judgment or have a different approach: Chilkuri Balaji temple's head priest questions Rahul Gandhi over Sabarimala
Welcoming Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad in Kerala, head priest CS Rangarajan at the popular Chilkur Balaji temple here said he was curious to know the opinion of the Congress chief on the Supreme Court judgement to allow women into the Sabarimala temple."We will welcome Rahul Gandhi to south India as he is contesting from Wayanad, Kerala. On behalf of Hindu priest community, we have a few questions for him as he is showing lot of interest towards temple system. On the issue of Sabrimala Temple, Supreme Court gave judgment.. So, are you supporting the judgment or do you have any different approach," Rangarajan told ANI.Ragarajan added, "On the issue of eve teasing of girls in Pollachi, DMK party leader Viramani made a comment which hurt Hindu sentiments. As you have aligned with the DMK party in Tamil Nadu, are you going to support him or are you going to make him apologise for his statements?"The Sabarimala temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests .
Congress seeks Modi's apology for remarks on Rahul
The Congress party has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's apology for his remarks over party chief Rahul Gandhi choosing to contest also from Wayanad in Kerala as his second seat apparently because the Congress is "scared" that Hindus will punish them for "Hindu terror" remarks and therefore running away to minority-dominated seat.
LS polls: Congress declares nine more candidates
The Congress on Monday night declared nine more candidates for the coming Lok Sabha polls, taking the total number of names announced so far to 325.
DMK is not anti-Hindu, says DMK chief M K Stalin
DMK president M K Stalin Monday asserted that his party was not against any religion and deprecated what he called a disinformation campaign that his outfit was an "enemy of Hindus." The Dravidian party chief, addressing a poll rally near here described his party nominee for the Arakkonam Lok Sabha constituency, S Jagathrakshakan as a deeply spiritual man who spent his money during his previous tenure as MP to renovate hundreds of temples in Arakkonam, besides developing infrastructure and undertaking other welfare initiatives. "Jagathrakshakan has another specialty. He is a deeply spiritual person. Some are even today criticising DMK as an enemy of the Hindus. Are you saying this even after seeing him (Jagathrakshakan)..?" The DMK chief blamed sections of the media for deliberately creating a false impression that his party was against the Hindus. Citing the popular dialogue "we are not against temples, our principle is that it should not become a camp of the wicked," .
DSGMC plans 'Nagar Kirtan' from Delhi to Nankana Sahib in Pak on Guru Nanak's 550th birth anniv
Delhi's Gurudwara management body DSGMC has planned to take out a grand 'Nagar Kirtan' procession from the city to Nankana Sahib (in Pakistan), the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev, on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of the Sikhism founder. The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) has written to the Pakistan High Commissioner in New Delhi to facilitate a meeting between the organising committee of Pakistan for 550th 'Prakash Parab' of Guru Nanak Dev so that all preparations and mandatory clearances can be obtained timely, DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa said. The committee has planned to make the historic 'Prakash Parab' a memorable event by holding various programmes. Sirsa said a 'Kirtan Darbar' will be organised on September 21 at IP stadium here in which 1100 children from DSGMC schools will recite 'Shabads' and perform 'Kirtan'. A special laser show on the life of Guru Nanak Dev will also be held on this occasion. A second grand 'Kirtan Darbar' has ...
Pakistan's senior Muslim clerics denounce forced conversion of Hindus
Pakistan's senior Muslim clerics and representatives from different religions have condemned forceful conversions, saying Islam doesn't allow such acts and Muslims must provide better environment to minorities in their areas, according to a media report. The remarks made during a joint meeting of the Mutahida Ulema Board (Punjab) and Pakistan Ulema Council on Sunday came amid the nationwide outrage over the alleged forced conversions of Hindu girls in Sindh province. "Islam doesn't allow forceful conversion of non-Muslims," the religious leaders said. They agreed that the issue of alleged forced conversion and marriages of two teenage Hindu girls in Sindh province and other subsequent matters should be settled in accordance with the law and justice, the News reported. The meeting - presided over by Chairman Mutahida Ulema Board and Pakistan Ulema Council Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi - underlined that Islam is a religion of peace, harmony, stability and its teachings have ...
Catholic priests burn Harry Potter books in Poland
Catholic priests in the northern Polish city of Koszalin burned books they say are sacrilegious this weekend, including tomes from British author J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series of fantasy novels. "We obey the Word," priests said in a Facebook post showing photographs of the public book burning and quoting Biblical passages from the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament. One passage exhorting believers to destroy the enemies of God includes the passage "burn their idols in the fire". The post shows three priests carrying a basket of books and other items including an African-styled face mask through a church to an outside fire pit. Photographs show priests saying prayers over the fire pit, where other items including a 'Hello Kitty' umbrella and a Hindu religious figurine, are also burning. The Facebook page belongs to the "SMS from Heaven" Catholic evangelical foundation set up to spread Christian message via mobile phone text messages. "I'd like to believe this is a joke... ...
Pope promises 'healing' of Church amid sex abuse scandal
Pope Francis said a process of "healing" had started within the Catholic Church in the wake of a paedophilia summit, but acknowledged guilty priests had not been punished. The Argentine pontiff last week issued stringent child abuse legislation for Vatican City employees as part of the Church's bid to address a wave of sex abuse allegations against priests. In an interview broadcast on Sunday with Spanish TV channel La Sexta, he said he understood that many were disappointed at the lack of concrete results of the landmark Vatican summit in February, but insisted progress was being made. "If I hanged 100 priests in Saint Peter's Square (people would have said) that's good, something concrete," he said in Spanish. "I would been seen to have taken action. But what interests me is not being seen to take action, but starting a healing process and that takes time." Abuse scandals have hit countries around the world, with lives devastated from Australia to Chile, Germany and the ...
TDP MLA faints during campaigning in Penamaluru Assembly constituency
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MLA Bode Prasad fainted during the election campaigning in Penamaluru Assembly constituency in Krishna district.Prasad was immediately taken to a private hospital at Poranki town.After an examination, doctors said that he lost consciousness on account of a dip in his Blood Pressure and that his health condition is currently stable.Election to the 175-member Andhra Pradesh Assembly is scheduled to be held on April 11 simultaneously with the Lok Sabha polls for 25 parliamentary seats. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.
Anglicans pray for unity in Brexit chaos
With Britain's political world in chaos over Brexit, Christians across the country this weekend took part in special prayer sessions hoping for some divine help in healing bitter Brexit divisions. "It doesn't matter whether you voted leave or remain, we're still one humanity, one nation," Stephen Cottrell, Bishop of Chelmsford, told AFP after imploring his congregation to heal the rift. The Church of England has promoted the initiative as "tea and prayer drop-ins" -- combining two of its most well-known sources of comfort. Despite a sharp decline in church attendance, Cottrell believes faith still has the power to unite the country after Brexit. "It's no good the church standing on the sidelines, waving our hands saying 'why doesn't everybody just love each other', what we've got to do is show what that love looks like in action," he said. Worshipper Angela Sadler, 65, said the church needed to play a larger role in helping resolve the broader issues surrounding the crisis. "It's ...
Pope, Morocco king say Jerusalem 'common patrimony' of 3 religions
Pope Francis and Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Saturday declared Jerusalem the "common patrimony of humanity and especially the followers of the three monotheistic religions," during the pontiff's visit to Rabat. "The specific multi-religious character, the spiritual dimension and the particular cultural identity of Jerusalem... must be protected and promoted," they said in a joint statement released by the Vatican.
Heavy exchange of fire at LoC in Poonch district
Heavy firing exchanges started between Indian and Pakistani armies at the Line of Control (LoC) on Saturday in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.
BJP objects to Digvijaya giving money to beggars at temple
The BJP filed a complaint with the Election Commission Saturday against Digvijaya Singh, Congress candidate from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, after a video purportedly showing him giving money to beggars went viral. The video, shot outside the famous Chintaman Ganesha temple in Sehore, showed the Congress veteran handing out Rs 20 notes to a couple of women beggars. Madhya Pradesh BJP vice president Vijesh Lunawat alleged that Singh and other Congress leaders were flouting the Model Code of Conduct. "A party delegation filed a complaint against Singh ...he distributed money to voters to influence them, as seen in a video," Lunawat said. Distribution of money outside a temple by a candidate is violation of the Representation of the People Act, he claimed. Congress spokesperson Narendra Saluja pooh-poohed the complaint. "BJP made a complaint against Digvijaya Singh for doing charity outside a temple. Only those who do not believe in charity and religious work can do this. It ...
HPSC bans Sikhs from wearing symbols of faith in exams; SAD seeks withdrawal of order
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Saturday requested Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to ask the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC) to "immediately rescind a notification banning Sikh candidates from wearing the symbol of their faith while giving the State civil services examination."Badal said that the Haryana Public Service Commission has allegedly come out with an order that no candidate will be allowed to carry religious symbols in the examination centre. The examination is slated to be held on Sunday.Badal said that religious symbols including the 'Kada, Kangha, and Sri Sahib' were an 'inalienable' part of the Sikh religion and no Sikh should be asked to part with the same during any examination."The Haryana Public Service Commission is expected to be aware of this considering the large population of Sikhs in Haryana. It should be directed not to disrespect the Sikh community and hurt its sentiments by passing such arbitrary and uncalled for orders," said ...
SGPC passes annual budget of Rs 1,205 crore
Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), a religious body which manages the functioning of Sikh shrines and educational institutes under it, Saturday passed an annual budget of Rs 1,205 crore for the financial year 2019-2020. The annual budget was passed under the supervision of SGPC president Gobind Singh Longowal, said the committee's general secretary Gurbachan Singh Karmuwala. He said the budget has provisioned Rs 700 crore for Gurudwara management, Rs 37.40 crore for education institutions and Rs 84 crore for religious promotion.
Those who didn't bow before Ram Lalla won't get Ram bhakts' votes: Irani
Union minister Smriti Irani said Saturday those who do not have the courage to bow before Ram Lalla in Ayodhya would not be able get the votes of the devout followers of Lord Ram. Irani's comments come a day after Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra prayed at the popular Hanuman Garhi temple in Ayodhya, but kept away from the makeshift Ram Lalla shrine at the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site. "See the politics of these people. They went to Ayodhya, but did not bow before Ram Lalla (infant Ram).... Those who do not have the courage to pay obeisance to Ram Lalla for fear of vote-bank (politics) will not be able to get the votes of the Ram 'bhakts' (devout followers)," Irani said at a rally in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district. "On polling day, Ram 'bhakts' will go to the polling booths and cast their votes for development," the textiles minister said. In an apparent attack on Vadra's recent boat rides on the Ganga, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader said those who ...
Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna "illegal" as per Sharia: Islamic jurists
A section of Islamic jurists (muftis) have passed a resolution saying the government's Sukanya Samriddhi Yojna (SSY) is "illegal" under Sharia as interest is accrued as part of the scheme. The resolution on the small savings scheme for girl child was passed in a three-day conference organised by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind earlier this week, said Azeemullah Siddiqi, the media-incharge of the organisation. Siddiqi said that the SSY is based on interest and therefore, it is illegal according to Islamic Sharia. According to the resolution, under the scheme, a bank account is opened in the name of a girl, who is less than ten years of age, by her parents who deposit money in it. "The bank annually increases the amount by aiding annual interest up to nine percent . It is because that this scheme involves interest, it is clearly un-Islamic," the resolution read. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 as a part of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' campaign, to enable parents of
Royalty? My family ended princely privileges: Priyanka
Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has slammed the BJP for equating the Gandhi family with royalty and pointed out that it was her grandmother Indira Gandhi who abolished the privileges of princely families.
'Staines' on the human heart (Review)
Film: 'The Least Of These: The Graham Staines Story'; Starring: Sharman Joshi, Stephen Baldwin; Director: Aneesh Daniels; Rating: ****(4 stars)
China city offers cash for information in religion crackdown
A southern Chinese city is offering cash rewards for information about "illegal religious groups" as the ruling Communist Party continues to tighten its grip over faith communities. A notice posted on the official website of the Guangzhou Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs said up to 10,000 yuan (USD 15,000) would be paid for verified information and assistance in hunting down key members and leaders of illegal foreign religious groups and revealing their structures. The department said smaller rewards would be offered for reports about religious venues set up without permission and behaviour encouraging "religious extremism." "The meaning of this document is to protect the lawful, prevent the illegal, contain extremism, resist infiltration and crack down on crimes," the department said in commentary on the incentives. Under President Xi Jinping, the officially atheistic ruling party has sought to eliminate all religious expression not under its direct control, especially by ..