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Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Star of David - Magen David in the Foundation for Pluralism Logo

The Story of Pluralism LogoURL -http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-star-of-david-magen-david-in.html



If you look at the logo of the Foundation for Pluralism, you will see the star of David a.k.a Magen David on the top. What do you make of it? 



Guess what happened?
I shared the draft with a few friends - My Hindu friends said, the Hindu symbol should be on the top, as it is the oldest religion and my Zoroastrians friends claimed the same, then my Muslim friends were not happy that Islamic symbol is not on the top. At least my Jewish friends were way too happy to write about in the Texas Jewish post. Harriett Gross wrote that, and it is not there anymore.
I told them all, that it was a random placement and I will not change it, if I do that, then I would be giving a deliberate priority to one over the other, and I wouldn't do that. It amounted to sheer bias, a few still gripe about it, but it is history now. To me all faiths are beautiful, none is superior or deficient. As they say, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I say, faith is in the heart of the believer. "I don't see any conflict worshipping God in different ways," he said. "I'm comfortable in a church or a temple or a mosque."

In 2002,
some one in Belgium responded to my call on the social media (pre-facebook years) to create a logo and I gave him a sketch of what I wanted.  He drew the logo and it was a delight for me, it reflected precisely what I had on my mind to be representative of all faiths. Of course, there are 250 religious traditions in the world and I was able to add at least 30 religious symbols in the running band on the website - www.FoundationForPluralism.com



History of the Symbol:
Courtesy Judaism Wiki



The Star of David or Magen David (Hebrew ; literally, "David's Shield") is a six pointed shape, formed by two equilateral triangles; one flipped on top of the other symmetrically. According to tradition, the symbol covered King David's battle shield and appeared on King Solomon's ring ("the Seal of Solomon").
The symbol has been used extensively in Judaism, Christianity and Islam during the first millenium CE. During some periods, it was associated with Christianity or Islam more than with Judaism.
Today it is the primary symbol of Judaism and is recognized by all Gentiles as a Jewish symbol. This shift occurred in the beginning of the 20th century, when it was extensively used in antisemitic propaganda. To this day, despite its overall positive associations, the symbol is heavily associated in people's minds with the street writings during the Nazi regime. Central to the symbol's spread among Jewish circles was its adoption by Zionist organizations, in sort of defiance against the scorn expressed by antisemitic organizations. Until that time, the Menorah was still the accepted symbol of the Jewish people, and some Ultra-Orthodox sects (such as Neturei Karta) hold that this tradition should be maintained, while rejecting the Star of David.
It has more of a cultural symbolism than a religious one. It is used on the Israeli flag and the shape is often used in jewelry, such as a pendant on a necklace, and worn by Jews similarly to the wearing of a cross by Christians. However, the symbol does not have the religious significance for Jews that the cross has for Christians (representing the martyrdom of Jesus a central event of the faith). From a religious point of view, the Star of David does not represent a specific holiday, ritual, event or have a specific religious meaning. Culturally however, it is a frequently used symbol - often used on interfaith sets of symbols, websites and other places where a "logo" or simple symbol is desired to represent the Jews or Judaism. So, while it may be emotionally meaningful to many, there are no religious rites requiring it or specifying how the star may or should not be used.

Dallas Morning News: http://www.foundationforpluralism.com/Articles/Religious-tolerance-in-action-DallasNews-December2004.asp


Thank youmike
Mike Ghouse, President
Foundation for Pluralism

Studies in Religious Pluralism and Pluralistic societies
2665 Villa Creek Dr, suite 206, Dallas, TX 75234
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If we can learn to respect the otherness of others, and accept the God-given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge. Pluralism is respecting the otherness of others. www.FoundationforPluralism.com

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