TEXAS FAITH: Is religious freedom under attack in America?

http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/05/texas-faith-is-religious-freedom-under.html

Indeed, every group feels that their religious liberty is under attack. Is there a time in history when a group did not feel threatened by co-religionists, other religions and the governments? Here is a short history and possible solutions.

This a weekly column at Dallas Morning News, here is Mike’s contribution on the topic.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Indeed, every group feels that their religious liberty is under attack. Is there a time in history when a group did not feel threatened by co-religionists, other religions and the governments? Here is a short history and possible solutions.

Jews have always been under attack. They felt at home in Spain, which was destroyed by butcher Ferdinand. Then, they felt at home in Germany, but the Holocaust tore them apart and their belief in humanity was shattered. Every day, they have to be on guard. Someone or another is making anti-Semitic comments.

Fred Phelps was in Dallas in July 2010 demonstrating hate against Jews. The anti-circumcision bills in San Francisco and Santa Monica in 2011 were irritants. Last month in Houston, the Jewish academy could not participate in a basketball game. It was set on Saturday, most Jews refrain from activity that day. Indeed, it is restricting their freedom to practice their religion by exclusion and being insensitive to their faith.

Hindus are an open game to evangelists. A few years ago, a Baptist convention made a declaration to harvest the "Poor Hindu souls". This year, Russians made a serious attempt to ban Bhagvad Gita, the Hindu Holy Book. In November 2011, a Kentucky state senator attacked Hinduism as an idolatrous belief. California textbooks portrayed Hinduism in negative light, so the battle is still on. There is a debate among Indians: Had Bobby Jindal of Hindu parents and Nikki Haley of Sikh parents practiced their faiths, and not converted to Christianity, would they have become governors?

Sikhs had to fight with Arizona to keep the name of a Sikh 9/11 victim on a memorial wall. Wicca had to fight for the headstone in Arlington Memorial Cemetery for those who died serving America. Of course, there are enough stories about Native Americans, atheists and others.

Muslim Americans strongly feel the noose tightening on their freedom. Most restrictions are coming out of sheer ignorance and a false understanding of what their faith is about, as they practice in America rather than Saudi Arabia or Iran. The senators and representatives who have initiated anti-Sharia bills can't even tell what they are opposing.

The irony is neither the organizations nor the Muslims are seeking Sharia to be a part of the American law. All they are asking is to have options to square personal matters between family members through a jury, mediation, court hearing or the Sharia guidelines. Indeed, it is no different than the option of Jews using Halaqa in their personal conflicts or going to a psychologist for counseling.

Most Christian denominations have been under attack by fellow Christians. Missionaries were unforgivably cruel to natives around the world, including America. Most of the groups that infringe on the freedom of others have also been a victim.

The Catholic diocese has rightly filed the law suit protesting the Government's intrusion in the practice of their faith that the employers provide workers free contraceptives. This is the right thing to do - to stand up for the freedom of religion. As a Muslim I have stood up for freedom of every religious group, in this case with the Catholic Church. Indeed, it was good to see evangelical leader Richard Land make the same pledge along with me on Sean Hannity Radio.

In summary, the issues are about whether a majority - or the government - can arrogantly push vulnerable ones into obeying.

We need to build an America where no one is apprehensive or afraid of the other. Each one of us needs to feel home, a home where everyone can drop his or her guards and lives freely.

It is our duty to safeguard the liberties endowed by our creator to practice our beliefs. It behooves for us to stand up for each other, why should anyone stand up for you, if you are not willing to do the same for them?

To see all the contributors, please visit Dallas Morning news at:
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2012/05/texas-faith-is-religious-freed.html

. . . . .

MikeGhouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. The blog www.TheGhousediary.com is updated daily.

INTERFAITH WEDDINGS

One must admire the couples that marry outside their tradition, ethnicity, faith, and race. Indeed, they are doing what the spiritual masters had done for thousands of years; to fall the barriers between people, and learn to respect the otherness of other and accept the God given uniqueness of each other.

I have seen disappointments, where couples from different faiths wishing to marry were not able to do that.  Either the parents or the guardians of the religions were not comfortable with the situation and did not want to be a part of it, which we must respect.  All that the couples wanted was a touch of their own tradition and I feel their anguish and a sense of in-completion in their marriage when the tradition is not followed.  I recall a situation where a Jewish mother disowned her daughter for marrying an “infidel” Baha’i, it happens with every religion including Atheists. 

By the way, these issues are prevalent chiefly among immigrant families; however, it is not an issue with the 2^nd and 3^rd generation down the line.

Recently I officiated a Jain-Muslim wedding, and it was a pure delight to see the parents on both sides focused on giving their kids a sense of fulfillment that I really had to give them a hug. After the ceremony the parents were literally crying with joy, it was a beautiful moment for me to witness their heartfelt joy. I was literally taken back with the admiring looks they bestowed on me.

Here is one of the many paragraphs of the sermon. The others paragraphs dealt with specifics of each faith and their commonality of values.   

The Dharmic (Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism) religions point out that it is your Karma that determines your life path in terms of continuation of the journey after the body form collapses, into possibly a new form. The same thought is echoed in the Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) traditions in a different format; a life after the death – both sides prop up the idea that there is an eternal heaven, Mukti, Moksha, Nijaat or salvation from the cycles of suffering.  The interfaith (Sikh and Baha’i) religions, the independent (Zoroastrian) religion and the native traditions as well have a similar take.  It is all there, it is our arrogance that prevents us from seeing the good in others.

I just could not believe the request to officiate the weddings since then. I am happy for them that they saw the essence of each beautiful religion as I shared with them.    A Hindu-Jain, A Muslim-Catholic, and a full Muslim wedding are in the making. And today, I had a call to do, a Hindu/Agnostic wedding.  God willing, it will be a delight to be a part of happiness of others.

I am writing an article on the topic and will be including part of the sermon I gave after the main ceremony – I will be happy to share it, if you are serious and have a need for it. Please  send an email to SpeakerMikeGhouse@gmail.com . It will not be on my blog.

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Mike Ghouse is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. He is a professional speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, civic affairs, Islam, India, Israel, peace and justice. Mike is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he writes weekly at Dallas Morning News and regularly at Huffington post,and several other periodicals. www.TheGhousediary.com is Mike's daily blog.

The essence of thanksgiving

The bigger part of thanksgiving is sharing and caring. It is a day to express friendship and kindness to those who are struggling with the difficulties of life. It ought to bring out the best in us for others.

Why should we do that?

The Native Americans believe that the world is one large family, inter-connected and inter-dependent web of life, where each one of us is a strand, what affects one, affects the other. It behooves us to care for each other for the web to remain intact. Indeed, Hinduism titles this beautifully, “Vasudaiva Kutumbukum” – the whole world is one family.

Jesus said; do unto others as you would want others to do for you, he reached out to the ones who were abandoned by the society; he embraced the whole humanity with his heart and soul. The Jewish tradition highlights Ve’ahavta la’ger; you must love the stranger for that guaranteed happiness. Prophet Muhammad said the least you can give to others is hope and a smile. The Sikh faith is indeed founded on the principle of caring for the humanity; the Jains and Baha'is believe our joy comes from taking care of others as the Wiccan believe we have to take care of what we see; mother earth and everything she nurtures. The Atheist morality is based on the logic of co-existence and they believe in thanking the unknown energy or the system that keeps us all going.

Life is a self-balancing act

Those who achieve balance in life are the happiest people.  Our happiness is directly dependent on fulfillment of our desires; lesser fulfillment yields greater discontentment. So, the enlightened Buddha says, fewer desires bring less sorrow!

It's just not you, ask Bill Gates, whom God has blessed, he would say not enough! Ask the Homeless; the answer is still the same, not enough. Who has enough then?

Walk the Middle path, said Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), just have enough desires that you can fulfill them, happiness stays with you. My mother used to say “don't stretch your feet beyond your sheet”, meaning stay within your means. Every faith and every family is enriched with such an advice.

For every good we receive, we have to offer our gratitude to the giver, absence of a simple thank you creates an imbalance in the relationship and the spiritual energy. A simple thank you will tie the loose ends and restores the balance.

For every hurt we hurl on others, an equal amount of energy is depleted from us, and until we say sorry and repent genuinely, the energy balance remains low and the transaction remains incomplete.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction; and as a spiritualist I believe that for every wrong we do, an equal amount of energy is drained down from us and for every good we do, energy is recouped.

Life is a continual act of balancing between pain and pleasure, and to lead a normal life we have to maintain that equilibrium. We are constantly receiving and giving energy, intake and output must be equal to have a healthy mindset, or else we are thrown off balance.

Thanksgiving is a day to pull ourselves together and tie the loose ends of life. Through the year we receive a lot of good from others in the form of words and actions, and many a times the transaction remains incomplete.  A mere thank you brings genuine relief and balance to the spirit.

The story of incredible gratitude

Let me share a story from my teen years. It was a Sunday ritual for me to sit and take care of the poor. A line of the needy people would pass in front of my house and being the oldest in the family, my Dad had assigned me the task of doling out the cash and food items to the individuals as they pass our door. I have seen lepers, people who cannot see, hear or talk, and certainly people with missing body parts.

I was fascinated by one such person, he did not have arms and limbs from the base of the body, and he was just the torso and the head. He wrapped his body with a Rubber tube (those days car tires were inlaid with an air tight rubber tube to hold the air) of a car tire, and would slide inch by inch on his back from door to door... his shoulder and rear part would move in tandem similar to a snake. He always made me think about life and hope. I was about 14 years old then and was hesitant to speak with him.

One day, I asked him what made him want to live. He did not have relatives, could not do anything, could not have a family, could not have a place to live, and could not wear clothes....what made him want to live?

He took a deep breath and looked at me and said, “Son, I look forward to every morning to see the blue sky or see the rain and smell the earth, I smell and taste the good food people give me, I am thankful to God for giving me these eyes to see the beauty of his creation.. He was quite poetic.

Appaiah turned around and asked me instead “Isn’t there so much to thank the lord?” I was rendered speechless. Here is a man with nothing to hope for, yet he is not complaining, that is gratitude. Just that morning, I heard my Dad’s favorite verse from Qur’aan- 55:16 “Then which of the favors of your Lord will ye deny? To this day, if I am down, I to go to the scriptures, I have found solace in opening Bhagvad Gita, Bible, Dale Carnegie’s book, the book of Mormon or Kitáb-i-Aqdas or simply read Sura Rahman, chapter 55 in Qur’aan, to uplift my spirits. We have to be grateful for whatever we have and express it to the unknown giver, a true thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving

Please carry a small piece of paper with you anywhere you go, and whenever you find a quiet moment, make a list of all the people you want to thank, you will find a sense of relief in it. Even if you don’t call everyone on the list, you have already said your thanks by thinking about the individual. The tension of the action (good done to you) is released with your re-action of thinking about them or writing their name down and possibly calling them.

Ponder over all the good things people have done to you, the good words they have said to you. Even if you don’t like some of them now, separate the good they have done and say thanks for it. Reign in on your ego and see the victory you feel within you.

I thank every soul for contributing to my positive energy.  

When you step out of your home today and run into someone who is down, be kind to him or her. Prophet Muhammad was once asked if you don’t have anything to give in charity, what can you give? He said a genuine smile is the most beautiful thing you can give.  See the difference you make in their life, and your own. That is the least amount of charity you can do

I further express my gratitude to our men and women who are doing their duty to protect our freedom.  

Happy Thanksgiving
God Bless America

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

-------- copied 3/20/12
Shamim Sadiq wrote on her fb
Be inspired, and inspire others. 

Peng Shuilin had half of his body amputated after being run over by a truck. Surgeons sewed up his torso.
Peng Shuilin, 37, spent nearly two years in hospital in Shenzhen, southern China, undergoing a series of operations to re-route nearly 
every major organ or system inside his body.

Peng kept exercising his arms, building up strength, washing his face and 
brushing his teeth.

He survived against all odds.

Now Peng Shulin has astounded doctors by learning to walk again after a decade.
But he never gave up! His recovery has amazed surgeons after almost two years undergoing a series of operations. The vice-president of the hospital where this 37-year old Chinese man has been treated said: “He is amazing and the only person in the world to survive having so much of his body amputated.” He’s doing well now and has opened his own bargain supermarket - called the Half Man-Half Price Store. That’s incredible.

We should not Give up Whatever the situations are. If he can everybody can!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=318807941512481&set=a.279616505431625.65613.279389268787682&type=1&theater picture saved in images

Story in the comments

TEXAS FAITH: Why do some religious affiliations produce more political leaders?

The world's history records endless stories of chasing minorities or the powerless out of their own dwellings and it continues today. They were driven out, annihilated, enslaved, forcibly converted or made to run, whether you are a native American, African American, Jewish, Catholic, Mormon, Palestinian, Hindu, Muslim, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Buddhist, Dalit, Pagan, Wicca, Gay, Falun Dafa, Tutsi, Bosnians, or other minority or the powerless. You know your painful story.

This is a weekly column in Dallas Morning News that I contribute to, this weeks questions was why do some religious affiliations produce more political leaders? This week 9 members of the panel responded to the question, here is mine:

This week 9 members of the panel responded to the question, here is mine:

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The world's history records endless stories of chasing minorities or the powerless out of their own dwellings and it continues today. They were driven out, annihilated, enslaved, forcibly converted or made to run, whether you are a native American, African American, Jewish, Catholic, Mormon, Palestinian, Hindu, Muslim, Baha'i, Zoroastrian, Sikh, Buddhist, Dalit, Pagan, Wicca, Gay, Falun Dafa, Tutsi, Bosnians, or other minority or the powerless. You know your painful story.

Oddly, chasing-out took several avatars in the guise of civility; creating reservations and the idea of 'paying to move' was born. In 1649 the Puritans paid a stipend to Solomon Franco, the first Jewish man to step on American soil to go back to Holland. Indeed, the Jewish people have the longest recorded history of enduring oppression; the birth of Israel gave hopes of security and peace to them. Thus, protection of Israel became their prime motivator followed by instinctive involvement in affairs of the nation, and the disproportionate representation will continue until they feel secure.

Gays, lesbians and Muslims are next in line to seek representation in governance and at the beginning it will be a disproportionate representation. I am writing a book to nurture a balanced approach for Muslims with this theme: "What is good for Muslims has got to be good for others and vice-versa to sustain a balance in a cohesive society."

It will take some time and momentum for members of Congress to be truthful about their affiliation and it is getting closer. When I came to America some thirty years ago, I was taken back by the bizarre looks when I said I was an atheist. It was not acceptable. Indeed it was demonic to be an atheist then.

America has come a long way in accepting and absorbing the non-majoritarian norms and practices into her mainstream and the strand of political representation of minorities was born out of necessity. The need for security will continue to drive groups to seek representation, and until such time we become a cohesive society and accept the otherness of other as legitimately as our own, the pendulum will swing from over-representation to under-representation.

Thank God for the vision of the founding fathers to inculcate and nurture the values of separation of state and church, the biggest contributor towards the political stability of our nation and our way of life, a value we need to worship.

 To Read 8 other response - http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/texas-faith-why-do-some-religi.html

Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism and Islam offering pluralistic solutions to the media and public on issues of the day. His blogs and sites are listed at www.MikeGhouse.net 

Bottom line prayers-wishes

Right in the middle of the devotional songs, the six year old stands up with her eyes wide open, and in an excited voice blurts out, “Gee Dad, that’s cool, God can be worshipped in so many different ways!” Indeed that sentence has become a part of my teaching in Pluralism. Pluralism is simply respecting the otherness of other and appreciating the god given uniqueness of each one of the seven billion of us.

Continued: http://wisdomofreligion.blogspot.com/2010/07/bottom-line-prayers-wishes.html

http://www.mikeghouse.net/