Tuesday, November 06, 2007
GYPSIES AND ROSSLYN CHAPEL
The Rosslyn Chapel Trust offers a Rosslyn Chapel Museum Exhibition with a variety of gypsy, masonic, and Rose Croix items, including a head of St. Sara.
The story of the gypsies at Rosslyn is told by Andrew Sinclair in a book titled simply ROSSLYN, and reviewed at Scotsman.com.
SATANISM IN AMERICA
Catholic News Service reports:
Bogotá, Nov 5, 2007 / 02:47 pm (CNA).- Colombian exorcist Father Jaime Velez Correa said this week the country with the most Satanism “is the United States, the second in the world is Italy and the third is Colombia,” where the current “obsession with violence” has led to an increase in Satanic cults and rites. ...
After warning that the exorcism procedure is very dangerous, Father Velez said, “I pray to the Lord before entering,” and then you must “directly confront the devil, you enter into conversation with the devil, and you “threaten him in the name of God. In addition, you must pray the creed, some psalms and litanies and read a part of the gospel.”
Read the whole article...
PARISH CLOSINGS IN CLEVELAND
Four Catholic parishes have moved ahead with decisions to close or merge even as the rest of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese is in the early stages of a regional planning process that could result in massive downsizing.
Bishop Richard Lennon gave St. Henry and St. Catherine parishes in Cleveland permission to merge with St. Timothy in Garfield Heights to create a new parish called Holy Spirit.
The final Masses at the three parishes will be held at the end of December. The first Sunday Mass of the new Holy Spirit church will be Jan. 6. The new parish will be housed in the St. Timothy sanctuary, but a new pastor will be chosen for the parish. The Archbishop Lyke schools at St. Henry and St. Timothy will be unaffected, a spokesman for the three churches said.
Meanwhile, St. Wenceslas in Maple Heights closed its doors. Lennon presided at the final Mass Oct. 28. Members responding to a survey said they planned to disperse among at least seven parishes.
Continue reading...
ELIJAH INTERFAITH INSTITUTE AND BENEDICT XVI
The Elijah Interfaith Institute has issued a statement addressing the crisis caused by Benedict XVI's comments about a 14th century view of Islam. The statement is signed by The Most Rev. Frank T. Griswold, Presiding Bishop, Episcopal Church, USA (a very liberal bishop indeed), and by Rabbi David Rosen, among others. A few quotes will summarize the statement...
** The text quoted by Pope Benedict is drawn from a polemical work. Christianity and Islam have a rich library of polemical words...
** Polemics are ways of defending the truth-claims of one's own religion...
** Such polemical literature is also representative of historical relations between other religious traditions...
** [They] feed our view of other religions...
** religious leaders and adherents today have the responsibility to reframe our communications and relationships in accordance with our core values and contemporary global realities...
** Some of our traditions have taken stock of dark moments in their past and offered apologies...
** [Views expressed] should be upheld, rejected or reframed, in light of the broad and prevailing awareness that dignity and respect must characterize inter-group relations in the present. Citations from polemical literature must accordingly be handled with the appropriate awareness of the nature of this literature...
** While upholding the various freedoms (academic freedom, freedom of speech and the freedom of the press), we also urge religious leaders and scholars to be mindful of the change in the environment of communications...
** Careful and full listening and mutually respectful dialogue are the only way of moving forward and the only remedy to violent reactions.
I read this statement as a slap on the wrist of Benedict XVI. They seem to be saying to him, "Your predecessor understood that the Catholic Church has an ugly past that must be apologized for. You need to get with the program and watch what you say."
I also think it's noteworthy that freedom of religion is not among the freedoms listed. How long do we have before claiming that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world will be considered a fundamentalist anathema?
The Board of World Religious Leaders in their first Board Meeting have already stated that: "The topic of the religious attitude to the Other was chosen as a gateway to future conversations and research to be carried out in the framework of the Academy. The issue of xenophobia is a contemporary global problem." Presiding Bishop Frank Griswold, USA as well as Rabbi David Rosen are both listed as participants in this Board Meeting. The liberal position is one of syncretism.
THE ELIJAH INTERFAITH INSTITUTE, URI, AND DAVID ROSEN
Among the many activities of Rabbi David Rosen is the Elijah Interfaith Institute. The Institute website tells us:
The Elijah Interfaith Institute is a multinational organization dedicated to fostering peace between the world's diverse faith communities through interfaith dialogue, education, research and dissemination. Our unique programming generates interfaith dialogue at the highest levels, bringing together world religious leaders and renowned scholars the world over, through research projects, public conferences and community-based initiatives.
The Institute is housed under the UNESCO umbrella. A document titled UNESCO Chairs and Unitwin Networks website devotes a section to the Elijah School for the Study of the Wisdom of the World Religions, taking note of the fact that "The Second Meeting of the Board of World Religious Leaders" took place November 28-December 2, 2005 in Taiwan. (See pp. 289-290 at link.)
The members of the Board of World Religious Leaders are listed at the Elijah Interfaith Institute website. Rabbi David Rosen is on the list. Another page in the website gives the bios of the Board Members in pdf format, with the UNESCO logo at the top right corner. The top left corner depicts the Institute's logo--a wheel on fire that asks the question "Where is wosdom found"?
The Administrative Board webpage also lists Rosen as a member.
Funding for The Elijah Interfaith Institute comes from sponsors which include the Episcopal Church, USA and the Fetzer Institute, a major supporter of Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy.
The Institute's Related Organizations webpage tells us that these organizations "share the Elijah Interfaith Institute's goals. Their areas of work complement those of Elijah, allowing for fruitful partnerships. It is here that you will find the United Religions Initiative under the heading "Israel Interfaith Encounter." Click the link to arrive here.
Another page in the Israel Interfaith Encounter website reports on a URI meeting and links the URI website. Most of the URI Cooperation Circles in Israel include "IEA" in their name. Click the links in the URI Cooperation Circles website and you will end up in the same IEA website that is linked on The Elijah Interfaith Institute's "Related Organizations" website. They work together.
Back on The Elijah Interfaith Institute website a number of religious leaders have signed a statement entitled "The Da Vinci Code - Truth and Method, Rights and Responsibilities in Art and Society". Among the signatories is Venerable Jinwol Lee, President of United Religions Initiative of Korea. Rabbi David Rosen also signed this statement. Among the Christians listed is Cardinal Jose Maria Mejia, Former Secretary of the College of Cardinals and Vatican Chief Librarian and Archivist, Archbishop Boutros Mouallem, Galilee Archdiocese (Catholic), and Abbot Primate Notker Wolf O.S.B., Titular head and first representative of the Benedictine Order (Catholic). There are also three Orthodox representatives.
WORLD MOVERS AND SHAKERS - RABBI AWRAHAM SOETENDORP
Among the Jewish leaders listed at the Elijah Interfaith Association website is Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp. According to the bio presented there, Awraham Soetendorp is
** Rabbi of the Liberal Jewish Community in The Hague (The Netherlands)
** He presides [past tense?] over the European Region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
** Serves as Earth Charter Commissioner and
** Is a Founding Board Member of the Green Cross International
** Since 1993, Awraham Soetendorp has been co-chair of the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders
** He acts as advisor to the American Jewish World Service
** He is the Founder and Chair of the Hope Foundation for Children for Universal Education
In addition to those activities, Rabbi Soetendorp is mentioned in the URI Europe Dialogue-Letter No. 4, March/April 2005, page 5, as a participant in an event.
He was a speaker at a URI Netherlands event.
He is mentioned in the World Goodwill Newsletter 1999 No. 3 of the Lucis Trust as a participant in a World Peace - Inner Peace Conference [see p. 2]
He is pictured in attendance at the World Economic Forum European Economic Summit in Warsaw.
He was a speaker at the World Peace Forum 2003
He was an invited speaker at the first Tea for Peace, at which the subject was Fundamentalism.
PUTTING THE BLOG TO SLEEP
But just for a few days. The real world is making time demands. I'll be back to blogging mid to late week next week.
Something to think about...
George Soros has been instrumental in promoting and funding United Religions Initiative. He funded Solidarity which supposedly overthrew communism with the leadership of John Paul II. He is currently funding programs for the gypsies.
George Soros is Jewish. Do all of these facts connect in any meaningful way? I don't know the answer either, but it's something I've been thinking about.
Stay out of trouble while I'm gone.
Monday, November 05, 2007
BE NICE TO THE GYPSIES
VATICAN CITY (AP) - The Vatican said Monday that society must overcome prejudices toward Gypsies and urged that ways be found to include them in the mainstream.
The appeal was made in a document issued by the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Immigrants and Travelers. It came out of a meeting held in September, but the results
were released Monday, amid a raging debate in Italy about public safety after the killing of a woman by a Romanian immigrant who is a Gypsy.
«We recommend that ways be found to overcome the general mistrust regarding Gypsies, and urge an opening of society which offers them the possibility to be fully part of it, « the five-page document concluded.
Read the rest...
George Soros must be pleased. Meanwhile are the Gypsies willing to adhere to law and order?
CARDINAL TAURAN'S GOOD WISHES FOR DIWALI
Vatican City - The Vatican Monday urged religious tolerance in a greeting for the Hindu festival of Diwali which many of the estimated one billion followers of the world's oldest religion will celebrate on November 9. The message titled "Christians and Hindus: Determined to Walk the Path of Dialogue", was signed by the head of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran.
"Dear Hindu Friends...I sincerely hope that your search for the Divine, symbolized through the celebration of Diwali, will help you overcome darkness with light, untruth with truth and evil with goodness," Tauran wrote.
Continue reading...
WORLD MOVERS AND SHAKERS - RABBI DAVID ROSEN
** Co-President, World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP)
** President, International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations
** Director, Department of Interreligious Affairs & Director of the Heilbrunn Institute for International Interreligious Understanding of the American Jewish Committee
** Founder, Rabbis for Human Rights
** Director, Israel Office, Interfaith Relations, Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith
** Former ADL Director of Israeli Office
** Member, Executive Committee of the World Economic Forum's C-100 promoting Muslim-West relations
** Served as Co-Liaison to the Vatican for the ADL.
** Awarded Papal Knighthood by Benedict XVI
That is only a partial list. According to his biography at the Waldzell Institute, he has also been served as Chief Rabbi of Ireland and Senior Rabbi of the largest Jewish congregation in South Africa. He has been a Beth Din Rabbinic Judge. He was born and educated in Britain, and completed his rabinnic studies in Israel. He was also a military chaplain.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
WHERE TO BUILD THE MOSQUE ?
In Newham, the borough where the mosque would stand, Alan Craig, the leader of the Christian Peoples Alliance Party in the East End, started a one-man campaign against the mosque a year ago that has grown and gained national prominence.
He began by emphasizing the size of the mosque. But now he focuses on its sponsor, Tablighi Jamaat, a worldwide evangelical Islamic group based in Pakistan with millions of followers that professes to encourage Muslims to be more loyal to their faith.
American and European law enforcement officials say Tablighi Jamaat’s simple message masks a fertile recruiting ground for terrorists. Two of the suicide bombers who attacked the London transit system in July 2005 had attended Tablighi Jamaat gatherings, British security officials said.
Tablighi Jamaat “is a separatist organization,” Mr. Craig said in an interview in his living room where a picture of the crucifixion of Christ hung on a wall, a cross rested on a bookshelf, and a Bible lay on the coffee table.
“They refer to us as kafir,” a term of contempt, he added. “That’s not what we need. We don’t want this mosque in East London. It will be disastrous.”
Read the whole story...
Thanks to a reader for the link.
