TEXAS FAITH: What does feminism mean to you?

   

That question is the subject of a growing discussion given that Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann both claim to be feminists. Except their feminism differs from the days of Gloria Steinem. Lisa Miller, a religion writer for Washington Post.com and On Faith, describes Bachmann's feminism this way.

There are about 12 panelists in Dallas Morning News’ Texas Faith’s weekly column and all opinions including mine are at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/08/texas-faith-what-does-feminism.html

MIKE GHOUSE, PRESIDENT, FOUNDATION FOR PLURALISM

The Palin-Bachman feminism is a new phenomenon; indeed they are setting a new assertive standard for feminism, where the deferential role for a woman in public square may become extinct like the dinosaurs. Palin-Bachman may not be the right role models, but they are the first most visible ones.

Way back in the movie Disclosure, Demi Moore played a challenging role of an aggressive female boss which at that time was labeled as manly woman’s role, it went to the other end of the spectrum of feminism. During the last Presidential election campaign Hilary Clinton was firm and assertive but not an aggressive, gun-toting attacking tigress like the Palin-Bachman duo, she applied logic and reason and rightfully the media was not deferential to her because she was a female.

In case of Palin-Bachman the media is at a loss in handling their aggressiveness and not sure if they would cross the line of feminism and get attacked for seeking substantiated answers. They need to treat the duo like they would any candidate male or female, and on their part the duo needs to substantiate their responses to set the new standards of feminism and not chase the media out with incomplete brash answers as it will be injustice to the emerging healthy feminism. NPR had a great story on Bachman on Tuesday which addresses the media shyness.

Yet, the three candidates accepted the traditional role of a deferential female to the husband within the family setting believing it to be a religious duty. This is the new public standard for the role of a woman until the deference gets replaced with equal partnership, yet maintains the family harmony and cohesion; there is room for us to grow up. 

We may have to modify the Virginia slims slogan to “You have come a long way woman (baby no more)” in establishing and defining the new feminism; genderless in the public square where no one dares to have an upper hand in any endeavor of life and yet and play feminine traditional role in the family setting. Helen Reddy’s song “I am woman” is playing in my ears now.

It has a lot of winning appeal to women; it authenticates their own vision of womanhood and offers a role model for them to emulate. Be yourselves, do what is right irrespective of the opinions out there, eventually that will become the standard and the norm of the society where you are viewed as an individual contributor for the wellbeing of the family and the society. I welcome this new benchmark, it was long overdue.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker committed to a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day – all his work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

TEXAS FAITH: Should churches be able to hold services in a public school?

10 PANELISTS RESPOND

William McKenzie/ Editorial Columnist  Tue., Jun. 21, 2011 | Permalink

This week's question comes courtesy of Texas Faith panelist Cindy Rigby, after she read this New York Times article.

The story deals with an evangelical church using a New York public school for its services. According to the article, the church does not pay rent. It instead pays the fee for the custodians.

As the story indicates, this is not the only church to use a New York public school for its services. Churches, mostly evangelical ones, use at least 60 of them.

The Supreme Court, as well as various equal access laws, have held that schools must give religious groups the same access to their facilities that they do all other clubs. But then, as this story indicates, an appellate court ruled in June that New York City could prohibit churches from holding worship services at a public school. As author Katherine Stewart put it, "Using the school system to subsidize houses of worship...risks violating the constitutional ban on the establishment of religion."

But does it? Does the holding of a church service in a public school imply an endorsement of a particular religion?

As you consider this week's question, I would ask you to think about how you would feel if a church group that you support or like wanted to do the same. How would that affect your views? And what separates a church from holding a service there versus, say, an AA group?

We have not dealt with a church/state question, so thanks to Cindy for bringing up the issue.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Katherine Stewart's comment in the op-ed piece at the NY Times is wise. As she writes, "In a city blessed with an uncountable number of faiths, it's foolish to get schools tangled up in religion."

Indeed, holding of a church service in a public school implies a tacit endorsement of a particular religion. The group may or may not be affixing their version of the religion on the school building, but it will eventually monopolize zoning and steer (chase) others away.

A conservative value would be what is good for the goose has got to be good for the gander. To build cohesive societies where trust is the norm, and where commitment to the idea of a society where no one is apprehensive of the other becomes customary, we have to treat everyone justly. Fairness ought to be valued by all including the conservatives.

When I and my interest become subservient to the interest of the society at large, no one will lose. In business, one has to be aggressive and selfish to succeed. However, when it is at the cost of other, both will lose at the end.

As a pluralist and a Muslim, I have no problem with "a church that runs a Gender Affirming Ministry Endeavor associated with the movement to "cure" gay men and lesbians," or if the, "movement that instructs its members to pray for a Christian "reformation" of American education and for the election of like-minded political leaders," or a religious group that teaches evolution. All of them should have the access and freedom to preach what they want.

The real problem is why would I want to subsidize a group to use taxpayer's funding?
Muslims have great examples to offer. The mosque in Richardson does not lend its cultural hall to any activity that is ascribable to a particular denomination, including a few groups who celebrate the birth of Prophet Muhammad. A few years ago, Turkey, a Muslim majority democracy, had banned reciting verses from Quran in a city event where people of other faiths were participants.

Indeed, I would urge the ministries using the school for church to hang on to the conservative values of peace and safety for every American, and volunteer to ease out of the situation and not create an entanglement for the school. Let this not be an entitlement.

Even if the school has one child who is an Atheist, Zoroastrian, Native American or a Wicca, he or his parents must have equal access to the facilities to preach his take on the issues. We are a leading civilization of the free world, and we ought to be worth emulating by other nations to create a better world for the benefit of all of God's creation. The best thing for the school is to untangle itself from any religious affiliation.

 Ten Panelists have responded to the question and continue for the other 9 at -http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/06/this-weeks-question-comes-cour.html

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a speaker, thinker, writer and a frequent guest on Hannity show and nationally syndicated Radio shows and Dallas TV, Radio and Print Media. Over 1000 articles have been published on Pluralism, Interfaith, Islam, India and cohesive societies. Two of his books are poised to be released this fall on Pluralism and Islam. His work is encapsulated in 27 blogs, four websites and several forums indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/.

TEXAS FAITH: Why are so many losing their religion?

A new study concludes that religion is becoming extinct in nine countries: Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Finland, Ireland, New Zealand, the Netherlands and Switzerland. What the authors see in their mathematical modeling is a trend in which people in some modern secular democracies are increasingly identifying themselves as non-affiliated with any religion.

Bill McKenzie of Dallas News asks, What's happening here? What is it that's missing in communities of faith? And is there anything that can be done about it? 

Every week Dallas Morning News poses a question and the people of faith respond at http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/05/texas-faith-why-are-so-many-lo.html and here is my response;

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The first confession from folks who attend interfaith meetings and workshops on Pluralism is, "I don't believe Mahatma Gandhi is going to hell even though my pastor says he will if he does not take Jesus as a savior." The second one says, "We were told that they are not Christians, they are Catholics and the hell is waiting for them."

Whenever a Rabbi gives a sermon about oneness of humanity or talks about the rights of Palestinians, some one will proudly share the pluralistic nature of the sermon. Likewise Muslims do not want to hear anything negative about their Christian, Hindu or Jewish friends. Many people are reluctantly putting up with sermons about 'others' going to hell.

Not only is "unaffiliated" a fastest-growing religious group, but those who do not believe in the dished out versions of God are growing even faster. While checking for trends in atheism, the results in the search were mind boggling. In North America, it has risen from 0.04% in 1980 to 1.7% in 2001 to 4% in the latest survey (Pew 2007). Authors Norris and Inglehart (2004) write, "Social health seems to cause widespread Atheism, and societal insecurity seems to cause widespread belief in God.

What's happening here?

Just about every major city in America reflects the full diversity of God's creation in terms of religion, race and ethnicity. The kids and adults simply refuse to believe that their good friend is going to hell. It is repulsive to them. Instead of sharing that with the clergy and possibly receiving a perceived rebuke they choose to stay away from a place that bombards those conflicts.

The image of hell is emphasized in Christian and Islamic places of worship, completely sidelining the dominant grace and mercifulness aspect of God. Ironically both the groups believe in the Day of Judgment but pre-empt God in eagerly sending every one to hell. If they want to keep the flock together, they need to emphasize the dominant aspect of God in creating a society (Kingdom of heaven) where no one is apprehensive of the other

What is it that’s missing in communities of faith? 

It is the deviation from the inclusive teachings of Jesus, Zoroaster, Moses, Krishna, Buddha, Muhammad, Nanak and other traditions that is missing in communities of faith. Many of the people equate it to religious racism, when others are denigrated to hell.

And is there anything that can be done about it?

Indeed, it is inviting and listening to the congregants in a heart to heart as no one will open up in larger group discussions, it can start with reviewing the sermons.

Our sermons will become attractive when a Mosque, Church, Synagogue, Temple or other places of worship talk respectfully of other forms of worshipping the divine and respecting the otherness of other.  People light up when there is harmony, go figure your sermons.

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Mike Ghouse is committed to a cohesive America; he is a speaker, thinker, writer and an activist of Pluralism, peace, interfaith, Islam and India. His work is indexed in 4 websites and 27 blogs listed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Is Hell Dead?

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2011/04/is-hell-dead.html

Hell is not dead, nor will it die but dying it is.

Texas Faith is a weekly column at Dallas Morning News where a dozen religious panelists opine on issues facing the nation. I am blessed to be one sharing a pluralistic perspective on issues of the day. No group has a monopoly on good, bad and ugly things of life, we are equally responsible for creating a cohesive society where you and I can live without apprehension of the other and live the life and let others live theirs.  This weeks question is responded by 14 Panelists in the following link: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/04/texas-faith-is-hell-dead.html

Here is my take

Hell is not dead, nor will it die but dying it is.

Hell is different things to different people; to some it is a real thing where one burns on renewable embers for eternity. At the other end of the spectrum it is pure anguish to some, and yet to some it ain’t there.

But one thing is certain, an increasing number of people believe hell is a thing of the past used as a deterrent to prevent wrong doing.  The latest research from Barna Associates shows that only 32 percent of adults see hell as, "an actual place of torment and suffering where people's souls go after death.”

"I don't think fear, as a tactic, really moves people toward faith these days," Pastor Bill Hybels said. "So, tactically, I think there are better ways to interest the uninterested in the claims of Jesus Christ."  Pope Benedict reiterates, "Jesus came to tell us everyone is wanted in paradise, and that hell, about which little gets said today, exists and is eternal for those who shut their hearts to His love."

People simply don't want to hear about Hell any more, they have enough of it in their own lives to listen to another one.

They are searching for a door to escape momentarily and prefer attending a Church, Mosque, Synagogue, Temple or other place of worship to hear about peace and hope, where no one is apprehensive of the other under the big tent. This phenomenon is part of the people regardless of their religion, some Muslims go to a Mosque at the tail end of a sermon to catch up with the prayers and avoid hearing about hell.

Author Theologian RC Sproul writes, "Many evangelical pastors have bristled at the thought of being labeled a "fire and brimstone" preacher and turned to a kinder, gentler approach.

Joel Osteen has captured that market well; he understands their needs and consistently delivers a message of hope to over 30,000 a week including me.  People are also turning to silent mediation centers to get away from the hell pounding in the sanctuaries.

An empirical research is warranted to determine a correlation between decline in church attendance and the sermons of hell, hate and fear.

The hell is indeed dying, and the individuals are discovering the myths of Santa Claus and the myths of Hell.

Bottom Line:

Here is a possibility you may want to ponder. Every item of the universe, life or matter is created to seek its own balance for survival. Matter is programmed to seek its own balance, where as humans are not, they have the free will to find that elusive balance through a variety of religious, psychological, social or common sense guidance.

In life when someone wrongs you, you cry out loud seeking justice in a variety of formats; it is indeed a balance seeking mechanism. Religions offer the scenario of hell or reincarnations in lower forms as a punishment; it gives hope to the victims of oppression that no one will go scot free and yet God offers an alternative plan; forgiveness. It is Central to the teachings of Jesus and found in every religious and spiritual tradition. In Islam, Quraan Guides one with this thought; the one God loves most is the one who forgives.

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Mike Ghouse, President of America Together foundation is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is available to speak at your place of worship, campus, work, seminars and conferences. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Mike's work is reflected in 4 websites and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

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Profiles :http://pluralismspeaker.blogspot.com/ 

A challenge to Muslims, are we fit to be Americans?

The answer is obvious most of us are,  and those who are not need to catch up, it is your home, your nation and your permanent address, most likely you will be buried here, you can be rest assured that you grave will remain untouched for centuries.

We need to protect and defend the very culture that allowed us to be who we are and who we want to be. Other than democracies only the privileged achieve their dreams. America has welcomed us, embraced us and we need to do our part; to be active participants and contributors towards the peace, security and prosperity of our nation.

A decade ago, I had challenged the 'excuse producers' among us that the Jews control the media. I said baloney to that and took upon the challenge to prove it otherwise. Thank God a bunch of us formed MRRP Muslim Rapid Response Team in February 2005 and fired off letters to the media and received the coverage, and at least the public got to hear a different point of view when accusations were leveled against the Mosque in Richardson including Imam Zia Kavakci.

I was told that an Indian Muslim can never be the Prime Minister of India, I said baloney to that and experimented forming Dallas Indians group with 1700 Members in it, literally every  “who is who” among Indians is a part of the group,  with about 25 Muslims in the group.  As long as we are fair and represent all Indians, any Indian can be the Prime Minister of India; the blood of democracy runs through our veins and we are inherently democractic by nature., ofcourse, I am talking about a majority of the Indians of all hues.

We assume that we will not be given a space in the conservative media, I said baloney to that and wrote articles in conservative magazines including the front page, where in I have called Spencer “misinformed” and he has published it under the title “One Islam”. Been on Sean Hannity, a tough battlefield where we will not be given the space. Over a period of one year and 20 appearance on his show and 16 on his nationally syndicated radio show, I have moved from being slaughtered (a few Muslims actually liked it) to being assertive to get my words as the last words.  I have told Hannity that he was wrong and have been aggressive with Brigitte Gabrielle, Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller and have called on them to tell the truth to the American People. Hannity and I seldom agree but we value our right to have that opinion. 

Why am I writing this?

It is to encourage a few among us to spend the time in getting in to the media and changing the false perceptions about Islam and Muslims. We can do it, if we quit wasting time on things that don’t matter in the discussion groups. We spend too much time on debating the rituals.

I am writing this particularly to those who aggressively call this note “self glorification”. I am challenging your capabilities to get out and do something, what holds you?  I know you can do it better than most of us, but you have to quit back biting and focus on producing something substantial. 

Thank God, I have authored over 1000  published articles on Islam and Pluralism in papers such as Tehran Times, Arab News, Jakarta post and even a paper in Somalia… and of course several ones in the United States including Washington post, Huffington and few other including my home town paper, Dallas Morning News.  It has been translated into Arabic and now some in Indonesian.

I have introduced a few aspects of Islam in most of the generic pieces I write; the articles are not about Islam, but about the society in general and have added the Islamic take on issues. I was told that non-Muslims have come to appreciate the little knowledge here and little there about Islam and aborbing the positive values of Islam one at at time, while a few Muslims have appreciated learning about the wisdom of other religions.  We are all part of the large familiy of religions and we must know each other (Q 49:13).

Here is a list of 25 ( of the 33) articles I have written along with others in Dallas Morning news in the last six months, please log in and respond to the notes, have your presence in every aspect of the society.   

1. TEXAS FAITH: Did the King James Version of the Bible change the world?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-did-the-king-james.html

2. Texas Faith: Should women be required to have a sonogram before undergoing an abortion?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-do-you-approve-of.html

3. TEXAS FAITH: What to make of Rep. Peter King's hearings into Muslim American radicalization?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-what-to-make-of-re.html

4. TEXAS FAITH: How do we keep the debt from limiting the future of younger Americans?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/post-94.html

5. TEXAS FAITH: Will Facebook kill the church?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-will-facebook-kill.html

6. TEXAS FAITH: The Blessings and Burdens of Life Online
   http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/post-93.html

7. TEXAS FAITH: Religious institutions and assimilating immigrants
   http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-religious-institut.html

8. TEXAS FAITH: How would you advise President Obama on dealing with leaders like Hosni Mubarak?

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-how-would-you-advi.html

9. TEXAS FAITH: What's the role of religious faith when there are no good choices?
   http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-whats-the-role-of-2.html

10. TEXAS FAITH: What can religious groups do to help along the Mexican border?
     http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-what-can-religious.html

11. TEXAS FAITH: Why do some religious affiliations produce more political leaders?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-why-do-some-religi.html

12. TEXAS FAITH: What do you do when you see someone showing signs of mental deterioration?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-what-do-you-do-whe.html

13. TEXAS FAITH: Which religion stories merited more and better coverage?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-which-religion-sto.html

14. Texas Faith: Why not worry about your theology?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/texas-faith-why-not-worry-abou.html

15. TEXAS FAITH: How should chaplains deal with Don't Ask, Don't Tell repeal?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/texas-faith-how-should-chaplai.html

16. TEXAS FAITH: Was Oklahoma out of line with Sharia amendment?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-was-oklahoma-out-o.html

17. TEXAS FAITH: How do you view God?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-how-do-you-view-go.html

18. TEXAS FAITH: Why does fear sell on the campaign trail?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/texas-faith-why-does-fear-sell.html

19. TEXAS FAITH: Does firing Juan Williams improve our understanding of religious diversity?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/does-the-firing-of-juan-willia.html

20. TEXAS FAITH: Should Christians (and other non-Hindus) beware of yoga?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-should-non-hindus.html

21. TEXAS FAITH: Why do our faiths shape some political views, but not others?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-why-do-our-faiths.html

22. TEXAS FAITH: Why is there such a lack of religious knowledge?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/texas-faith-pew-forum-study-on.html

23. TEXAS FAITH: Why do we pray for Christopher Hitchens?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-why-do-we-pray-for.html

24. TEXAS FAITH: Should faithful focus on charity or justice?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-should-faithful-fo.html

25. Texas Faith: What religion stories should the media focus on?
    http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/09/texas-faith-the-media-and-reli.html

Mike Ghouse, President of America Together foundation is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, and is available to speak at your place of worship, work or in seminars and conferences.

Through the Foundation for Pluralism, Mike champions the idea of co-existence through respecting and accepting the otherness of other, and is committed to nurturing the pluralistic ideals embedded in Islam through the World Muslim Congress.  He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. His work is reflected in 4 website's and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Texas Faith: Should women be required to have a sonogram before undergoing an abortion?

In Texas, state legislators are wrangling over legislation that would require doctors to perform a sonogram on a woman seeking an abortion. There are various technical differences between the House and Senate versions of this legislation, but neither bill would explicitly require a woman to look at the sonogram.

Naturally, this proposal has sparked considerable debate. Some say that we should take extra steps to protect life, even if it means requiring a sonogram, which reports in this newspaper suggest are done by abortion providers in nearly all cases. Others see this as an infringement on the liberties of the woman in question. They also argue that the bill is aimed at humiliating women.

 William McKenzie of Dallas Morning News poses the questions. "Is requiring a woman to have a sonogram before having an abortion the correct move or an incorrect one? Please explain your reasons " How do you see this?

This is a weekly column from Dallas Morning News, 12 opinions are presented at this link  http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-do-you-approve-of.html

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

 Life is about choices; you bear the emotional, physical and spiritual burden for the wrong choices you make or enjoy the life with least conflicts. Humans are the only species equipped with a device called conscience that monitors the mechanism of releasing pain or pleasure to the individual based on the choices he or she makes.

Conscience is a dynamic term constantly expanding its range of acceptability from what the societies set up as a benchmark to the free choices one wants to exercise.

Women have come a long way in regaining their freedom to choose from the patriarchal societies where men had set their boundaries on the issue of abortion. Even today in pockets of China, India and several societies, female infanticide is carried on without apparent remorse, whereas aborting a child in religious societies particularly among Muslims, Catholics and other denominations is strictly forbidden.

There is a revolutionary as well as an evolutionary process of benchmarking the conscience. Some 1400 years ago female infanticide was a common place in the Middle East and Prophet Muhammad turned that around in his life time, calling the female child as God's blessing, the Catholic Church had pioneered that position and Mahatma Gandhi used a similar approach in terming the hitherto 'untouchables' as God's chosen people, those were revolutionary changes.

As Americans we have set ourselves on the evolutionary path of consensus building, and benchmarking the conscience has been a struggle for us and the issue of abortion remains in the domain of civil societies. We value life regardless of where we stand on abortion and sonogram is one more effort to ask the carrier of fetus to reconsider her choice to be absolutely certain that she is not aborting a life consciously; the pains of carrying through may outweigh the pain of aborting.

Although we are a religiously dominated society, our governance is not. We need to guard ourselves in making decisions based on the needs of today over the burdens of temptations of imposing majority views on those who differ. We need to do a fresh study on abortion remorse and not rush through this, let's evolve and let's not lose our basic human value; choice.

This is a weekly column from Dallas Morning News, 12 opinions are presented at http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-do-you-approve-of.html

Texas Faith: What to make of Rep. Peter King's hearings

Texas Faith - What to make of Rep. Peter King's hearings into Muslim American radicalization?
Sam Hodges, Dallas Morning News

Rep. Peter King, R-New York, last week held the first of a series of hearings into what he describes as Muslim American radicalization. He says he wants to do everything he can to prevent a recurrence of the 9-11 attacks. He has faced criticism from Muslims and others for singling out Islam. But at least one Muslim commentator welcomed the hearings as a chance for educating about the faith and addressing head on the fears many Americans have about it.

We asked our Texas Faith panelists for their reaction to the whole idea of King's hearings. Then we asked: Whether or not you support them, what advice would you give to make such hearings as responsible and constructive as possible?

Here's what they said
Ten panelists have shared their opinion, here is mine and all of them are at:

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-what-to-make-of-re.html#

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

We should be concerned about the hearings and pray that Mr. King would be honest, sincere and fair. We hope he will not destroy the fabric of our nation and pit one American against the other.

King's hearings are reflective of sheer political desperation. The right-wing Republicans rode in with a thumping majority in mid-term elections, and now their goal is to win the Senate and the White House. These hearing are to augment that process.

They do not have an honest reason to win in 2012, so they manufacture "Sharia", "Caliphate" and other devils. They frighten the crap out of constipated men and women and guarantee them that they will defend their rights and keep the bogeymen out. In reality nothing really will change; no one gets hired or sees the prosperity. We hope that Americans will not be duped into believing there has been a win against the imaginary enemy.

I trust our systems and the moral goodness of our nation. If Mr. King takes the wrong step, the American people will not put up with it. They have turned around Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq wars; supported Roe V. Wade, civil rights, gender equality and laws against discrimination, including anti-Semitism. We will continue to guard America from anyone tearing its fabric.

Acknowledging that "some of our own" are a security threat to our nation is the right thing to do. Muslims have nothing to fear and nothing to worry about; let the man fall flat on his face if he resorts to untruths. What if he turns out to be honest and finds guys like Shehzad? Then we owe him gratitude - not just Muslims, but the whole nation.

Rightfully, Muslims do not want to legitimize this kind of singling out; neither should anyone. But given the ride the right wingers are cherishing in Oklahoma, Tennessee and elsewhere, Muslim must welcome this and take this as a God-sent opportunity for America in general and Muslims in particular to clear the mine fields.

It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting peace in a society, and it is our responsibility to seek the source of such hate and work to mitigate and find lasting solutions.

If nothing else comes from the hearings, one thing is for sure. Muslims are not a monolithic lot. Four Muslims in America have welcomed the hearings: Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, Dr. Akbar Ahmed, Ms. Asra Nomani and me. It is not an easy thing, but thank God Muslims have made it easy for us. The American values of democracy flow through their veins; they appreciate the freedom and value the differences, and have learned to respect the otherness of others. We thank God for this opportunity to put the doubts and nagging behind for good so we can continue to participate in and contribute towards the well-being of America, our homeland.

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Mike Ghouse is president of Americans Together and Muslims Together Foundations and is committed to building cohesive societies offering pluralistic solution on issues of the day. He will speak at your work place, place of worship or seminars and conferences on the subjects of pluralism, cohesive societies, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace; he is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics.  His work is indexed in 4 websites and 27 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Muslims welcome hearings by Congressman Peter R. King

Mike Ghouse, president of the World Muslim Congress welcomes the initiative by Congressman Peter King, chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security to hold the hearings on Islamic radicalism.

It is our duty to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate is one of the many sources of disrupting the peace in a society and it is our responsibility to seek the source of such hate and work to mitigate it.

 

Indeed, the last few attempts to mess with our nation’s security has come from men flaunting the Muslim label, and as Muslim Americans, it becomes our individual and collective responsibility to participate in ensuring the safety of every American, and we welcome the hearings. We hope it will lead us to find the sources and causes of such erratic behavior, and perhaps point out areas of concerns to be addressed and find lasting solutions.

We have to identify the criminals who are individually accountable for their actions, and need to punish them expediently according to the law.  As a civil society, we must also resist the temptation to blame their family, nation and religion, and not fall for and legitimize their attempts to hide under a religious label for their evil acts. The use of phrases such as Islamic Radicalism is oxymoronic and must be avoided to uphold our civility.

As Americans together and Muslims together, we are planning to organize conferences and workshops on terrorism, anti-Semitism, Sharia, Quran, GLBT, racial profiling, Islamophobia and other issues which pit one American against another. We hope to separate realities from myths to help find solutions.

Mike Ghouse is the founder of America Together foundation, committed to building cohesive societies offering pluralistic solution on the issues of the day.  His work is indexed in 4 websites and 21 Blogs at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

TEXAS FAITH: Will Facebook kill the church?

In a new book, How Facebook Killed the Church, author Richard Beck argues that our new connectivity online is not necessarily a good thing for organized religion - at least in one respect. He says it offers a replacement for the important social function that houses of worship have long provided. One reason that millennials are leaving, he says, is because the digital world is providing a sense of community that has been an aspect of churches and other communities of faith.

Wayne Slater of Dallas Morning News asks “.. is the broader digital world is providing something our places of faith once did - a center of social networking? Is that a problem? And if so, what do we do about it? Here is one of the five responses:

 

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Substitution plays a key role in the social game of demand and supply of satisfaction. Indeed, the satisfaction is measured in terms of a sense of community and coherence offered by the religion to draw the congregants to its sanctuaries, when there is an alternate source of satisfaction that is easy to be had, people will switch.

Historically Religion had the monopoly in offering a sense of community, where people gathered to hear stories of the prophets and God, of evil and good as that was an affordable communal entertainment in those days. Perhaps that was the only dominating topic of humanity some 2000 years ago, subsequently topics like Astronomy, Mathematics and Medicine started chipping into that monopoly.

Fast forward to 21st century; Religion gets relegated to the weekend activity and as Richard Beck argues in "How Facebook Killed the Church," religion further loses its traditional share in capturing the congregants to an alternate source of satisfaction; the facebook. There is an element in all of us that seeks freedom through alternatives.

To millions out there, facebook is home! Where one feels completely at ease, you can browse through it at your leisure with no tension, you don't have to answer to any one and you will always find some one whom you can chat with any time of the day un-intrusively. What cave was to the saints in the past, facebook is to the people today; a safe haven.

Questions about Religion that people were afraid to ask, and expression of dissension cannot be easier than at facebook, indeed no one will be called on the carpet. It is also increasing one's ability to interact with each other and a new language of refinement is emerging and new communities are forming based on shared interests.

However, facebook will never be a full blown competition to the sense of community one finds in a Church. All systems will have their share of the communities but there is nothing like being with people and with the family, Church will continue to be a major player in our lives and will maintain its own, but dwindling market share. 

For all the five responses, please visit:  http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/03/texas-faith-will-facebook-kill.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the Media and the public. http://www.mikeghouse.net/  

TEXAS FAITH: The Blessings and Burdens of Life Online

http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/post-93.html

"Digital distraction" is one term for the problem they see when people are instantly, but often shallowly, communicating and multi-tasking. What do you see as the blessings and burdens of social networking and the general ease with which people stay in touch these days? Would you, through your religious tradition, advocate periods of withdrawal?

Sam Hodges of Dallas Morning News posed the questions by email, and got answers back - in a matter of minutes, with one panelist - by email. So there's some irony in this week's Texas Faith.

Here's what the ten panelists said:

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Most certainly, I would advocate periods of withdrawal for reflection, family time, prayers or meditation. Call it a "tech Sabbath." There is a time for everything and whatever you do in life, you should do it wholeheartedly as it brings a sense of composure, integrity and commitment to the task at hand and fulfillment to one's being.

The unstated purpose of prayers is to re-compose oneself from an overload of activities and freshen up. The Aztecs, Zoroastrians and everyone in between follows a comparable formula. It is like re-booting your computer when it slows down running multiple programs. You can struggle with its sluggishness and become aggravated or simply re-boot and have it function well.

The technology has indeed made us more productive than ever. While it has been beneficial in helping us communicate precisely and on a timely basis in a short few tweets, the side effect is addiction.

On Valentine's Day, a man was texting from under the table while his girl friend was admiring him. She later took the phone away and eventually they had a peaceful dinner. We are still editing the video from Dallas Qur'aan conference to avoid showing the panelists texting and twitting under the table. The extremity of this addiction is texting while driving.

I hope all the religious and meditative traditions seek to restore integrity in us, so when we are in the place of worship, we are at full peace and free from tensions. We hope to walk out completely re-booted and geared to function well. Let's not mess with our solitude or time with our lord.

FOR THE OTHER 9

: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/post-93.html

Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer, speaker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace and Islam. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is reflected at three websites and 21 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

Religious institutions and assimilating immigrants

TEXAS FAITH: Religious institutions and assimilating immigrants Question posed by William McKenzie/ Editorial Columnist

Do religious organizations have a moral responsibility to help assimilate so many Latino families into American society, particularly those who are recent immigrants? If not, why not? If so, in what ways should churches help families assimilate? I am one of the ten individuals to have responded the question. It is a weekly colum that AI have been writing for a while now: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/02/texas-faith-religious-institut.html

Here is my response:

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

It's ironic that the key phrase of the topic "assimilation of Latinos" is derived from Latin word assimilatio; to make it similar, whereas the word integration implies accommodation of various strands in a larger society.

Each community, nation or a faith is like a beautiful bus; when you plan on going places, you check the air in tires to ensure a smooth, safe and a certain journey. Together as Americans, we need to ensure that every one is on par to ride the road of progress, if the pressure is inadequate; we need to fill the tire instead of asking the tire to fill itself.

Whose loss is it if the tire does not fill itself? We have to help the communities that are at a disadvantage. We need to bring them on a level playing field and let them compete from that point forward; ignoring one tire or a community is an irresponsible thing for the bus journey.

Religion is an equilibriumizer of the society, it guides one from an utterly selfish "me, me and me" to "we, we and us" mode. It's an insurance coverage for one's susceptible moments of life against the invincible times.

One of the phobias gripping the American society with the increasing Latino population is the possible change in our life styles, the way we keep our neighborhoods, and our inability to communicate with "them". The stereotyping is the first thing to be rid of in a change for the better.

Integration of Latinos is one of the critical issues facing our nation and the churches have the power to inculcate the values of cohesive societies through a variety of programs including Language courses, course in understanding each other's cultures and family values.

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Mike Ghouse is a thinker, writer, speaker, futurist and an activist of Pluralism, Interfaith, Co-existence, Peace, Islam and India. He is a frequent guest at the TV, radio and print media offering pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is reflected at three websites and 21 Blogs listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/