The Value Proposition
Friday, November 17, 2006
Elton's Appeal to Ban Religion
"Can you imagine the outcry there would be if a religious leader demanded a ban on homosexual practice? "Every so-called liberal thinker and human rights activist would be baying for the blood of that religious leader. "They would in all likelihood be hounded out of their leadership position.
"And yet Elton John can suggest a ban on religion and those same liberal and rights activists are deafening in their silence," George Dawson, an East Antrim MLA said.
"It seems that there is no section of the community more illiberal, or more intolerant, than those who would proclaim themselves as socially liberal."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
"Can you imagine the outcry there would be if a religious leader demanded a ban on homosexual practice? "Every so-called liberal thinker and human rights activist would be baying for the blood of that religious leader. "They would in all likelihood be hounded out of their leadership position.
"And yet Elton John can suggest a ban on religion and those same liberal and rights activists are deafening in their silence," George Dawson, an East Antrim MLA said.
"It seems that there is no section of the community more illiberal, or more intolerant, than those who would proclaim themselves as socially liberal."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Monday, October 09, 2006
When Values Collide
Few Americans dispute the value of protecting religious liberty. The framers of the Constitution opened the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights with language preserving religious freedom with two clear goals in mind, constitutional scholars agree.
First, they wanted to assure that everyone, even members of small and possibly unpopular sects, could practice their faith without fearing the kind of persecution that many had experienced in their home countries, where a dominant religion was allied with the state. Just as important, the framers wanted to prevent the government from ever being captive to a particular religion or set of beliefs at the expense of people of other faiths.
Over the last two centuries, many scholars say, this tradition of religious freedom and tolerance, a radical concept in the 18th century, has helped this country avoid the spasms of sectarian violence that have erupted in countries from Ireland to India and attracted immigrants bringing talents from across the world.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Few Americans dispute the value of protecting religious liberty. The framers of the Constitution opened the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights with language preserving religious freedom with two clear goals in mind, constitutional scholars agree.
First, they wanted to assure that everyone, even members of small and possibly unpopular sects, could practice their faith without fearing the kind of persecution that many had experienced in their home countries, where a dominant religion was allied with the state. Just as important, the framers wanted to prevent the government from ever being captive to a particular religion or set of beliefs at the expense of people of other faiths.
Over the last two centuries, many scholars say, this tradition of religious freedom and tolerance, a radical concept in the 18th century, has helped this country avoid the spasms of sectarian violence that have erupted in countries from Ireland to India and attracted immigrants bringing talents from across the world.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
“The problem is … it is fact that has no value to it. We teach fact so you can pass a test. We teach fact so you can go on to the next level.”
The postmodern education movement would be beneficial to people and society, according to Brian Howard, principal and CEO of Covenant Christian High School. He gave an hour-long presentation, “Tolerating Men Without Chests: Education in a Postmodern World. The name of his presentation was a reference to an essay from “Abolition of Man,” written by C.S. Lewis, who wrote much about education.
“When we’re talking about postmodern education, C.S. Lewis is kind of prophetic,” Howard said in his presentation. “(“Abolition of Man”) is the best short work … on postmodern education I’ve ever read.”
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The postmodern education movement would be beneficial to people and society, according to Brian Howard, principal and CEO of Covenant Christian High School. He gave an hour-long presentation, “Tolerating Men Without Chests: Education in a Postmodern World. The name of his presentation was a reference to an essay from “Abolition of Man,” written by C.S. Lewis, who wrote much about education.
“When we’re talking about postmodern education, C.S. Lewis is kind of prophetic,” Howard said in his presentation. “(“Abolition of Man”) is the best short work … on postmodern education I’ve ever read.”
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Media Values
When I think of values in the media I like to refer to the words of St. Paul: “We are called to be in this world, not of this world.” What St. Paul is getting at is that we must put our values in front of what we do and not look for them after we have done something. We can find our values in the world only if we are willing to put them there in the first place. In order to accomplish a values-based society, we must look for the definition of our values and actually see them when they are modeled for us. We need to make our children aware of values, how to define them, how to see them in our society, model them, and provide opportunities for them to practice those values.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
When I think of values in the media I like to refer to the words of St. Paul: “We are called to be in this world, not of this world.” What St. Paul is getting at is that we must put our values in front of what we do and not look for them after we have done something. We can find our values in the world only if we are willing to put them there in the first place. In order to accomplish a values-based society, we must look for the definition of our values and actually see them when they are modeled for us. We need to make our children aware of values, how to define them, how to see them in our society, model them, and provide opportunities for them to practice those values.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Righting the image of Islam
The true nature of Islam needs to be more effectively espoused, in order to counter the false dogma of terrorists. From Thailand’s Muslim-majority South to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, Muslims across the globe are trying hard to come to terms with ongoing violence carried out in the name of Islam. Many are horrified at the fact that their religion is being used to justify terrorism.
The good news is that some leaders have taken it upon themselves to take back Islam from the fanatics and terrorists who have not only hijacked the religion that is embraced by more than one billion of the world people, but portrayed themselves as freedom fighters working to liberate the world’s Muslims from various predicaments.
This grab-bag theology is nothing more than a morally bankrupt political view of some fringe groups that misinterpret the religion so that it appears to match their wicked political agendas.
Among the leaders who have been working hard to put an end to this assault on Islam is King Abdullah II of Jordan, the man behind the Amman Message, which is one of the most important initiatives to come out of the world’s greater Muslim community in some time.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The true nature of Islam needs to be more effectively espoused, in order to counter the false dogma of terrorists. From Thailand’s Muslim-majority South to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, Muslims across the globe are trying hard to come to terms with ongoing violence carried out in the name of Islam. Many are horrified at the fact that their religion is being used to justify terrorism.
The good news is that some leaders have taken it upon themselves to take back Islam from the fanatics and terrorists who have not only hijacked the religion that is embraced by more than one billion of the world people, but portrayed themselves as freedom fighters working to liberate the world’s Muslims from various predicaments.
This grab-bag theology is nothing more than a morally bankrupt political view of some fringe groups that misinterpret the religion so that it appears to match their wicked political agendas.
Among the leaders who have been working hard to put an end to this assault on Islam is King Abdullah II of Jordan, the man behind the Amman Message, which is one of the most important initiatives to come out of the world’s greater Muslim community in some time.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Religion Makes Inroads in the Corporate Arena
DULLES, Va. - In an auditorium on America Online's rolling campus, a glorious expanse of the heavens is projected on a big screen. Reggie Evans, a former Redskins running back turned emissary of Christ, has come to spread the Holy Word in the secular corridors of one of the biggest, richest Internet companies in the world. He has brought along some football cards and a stack of Bibles.
Pushed primarily by evangelical Christians, faith is finding a growing presence in corporations that for years have been resistant to religious expression, including such giants as AOL Inc., Intel Corp., American Express Co., American Airlines Inc. and Ford Motor Co.
But it is an uneasy, risk-prone experiment. Companies are allowing employees to sing the Lord's praises only according to strict rules - at lunch and on breaks, and only to those who want to listen - to minimize the threat to workplace harmony. Proselytizing, which can be seen as intrusive and a possible violation of harassment laws, is not permitted.
In return, some companies let workers share Bible verses on the company listserv, advertise religious events on the company intranet and invite inspirational speakers like Evans to read Scripture in the corporate auditorium. In that case, AOL went so far as to provide sandwiches and pizza.
"There is a spectrum ranging from proactive corporate leaders who are saying we need to think about this and find appropriate ways to embrace it, and others who say this is a complete hornet's nest," said David W. Miller, executive director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. "We are watching corporate America in the throes of this. It's the great laboratory."
Similarly, federal workers have broad rights to religious expression under guidelines issued by President Clinton, as long as it does not affect workplace efficiency or could be seen as government endorsement of religion. That means federal workers may wear religious head coverings, keep a Bible or Koran on their desk or talk about religion if co-workers do not object.
There are no across-the-board rules saying private employers must forbid or allow religious affinity groups, Anders said. The result has been a patchwork of policies that sometimes appears to defy logic.
Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta, and General Motors of Detroit say they do not recognize groups that promote a "particular religion or political belief," saying the groups foster divisiveness. But Ford allows eight different faith-based groups, believing that they foster cohesiveness.
At the automaker Ford, workers say the interfaith religious group has helped them forge a new unity. Dan Dunnigan, 46, the network's chairman, said that after a rough start, employees of different faiths have come to understand one another - so much so that when the group received a piece of hate mail about Islam, Dunnigan took care of it himself, writing back a thoughtful defense without ever showing it to his Muslim colleague. "I thought it would have hurt him deeply, and I didn't want that," he said. "Before this, I didn't know about Islam, and now I know a little bit. You find out that people value family, integrity, high morals, and you say, 'Wow, I believe that, too.' "
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
DULLES, Va. - In an auditorium on America Online's rolling campus, a glorious expanse of the heavens is projected on a big screen. Reggie Evans, a former Redskins running back turned emissary of Christ, has come to spread the Holy Word in the secular corridors of one of the biggest, richest Internet companies in the world. He has brought along some football cards and a stack of Bibles.
Pushed primarily by evangelical Christians, faith is finding a growing presence in corporations that for years have been resistant to religious expression, including such giants as AOL Inc., Intel Corp., American Express Co., American Airlines Inc. and Ford Motor Co.
But it is an uneasy, risk-prone experiment. Companies are allowing employees to sing the Lord's praises only according to strict rules - at lunch and on breaks, and only to those who want to listen - to minimize the threat to workplace harmony. Proselytizing, which can be seen as intrusive and a possible violation of harassment laws, is not permitted.
In return, some companies let workers share Bible verses on the company listserv, advertise religious events on the company intranet and invite inspirational speakers like Evans to read Scripture in the corporate auditorium. In that case, AOL went so far as to provide sandwiches and pizza.
"There is a spectrum ranging from proactive corporate leaders who are saying we need to think about this and find appropriate ways to embrace it, and others who say this is a complete hornet's nest," said David W. Miller, executive director of the Yale Center for Faith & Culture. "We are watching corporate America in the throes of this. It's the great laboratory."
Similarly, federal workers have broad rights to religious expression under guidelines issued by President Clinton, as long as it does not affect workplace efficiency or could be seen as government endorsement of religion. That means federal workers may wear religious head coverings, keep a Bible or Koran on their desk or talk about religion if co-workers do not object.
There are no across-the-board rules saying private employers must forbid or allow religious affinity groups, Anders said. The result has been a patchwork of policies that sometimes appears to defy logic.
Coca-Cola, based in Atlanta, and General Motors of Detroit say they do not recognize groups that promote a "particular religion or political belief," saying the groups foster divisiveness. But Ford allows eight different faith-based groups, believing that they foster cohesiveness.
At the automaker Ford, workers say the interfaith religious group has helped them forge a new unity. Dan Dunnigan, 46, the network's chairman, said that after a rough start, employees of different faiths have come to understand one another - so much so that when the group received a piece of hate mail about Islam, Dunnigan took care of it himself, writing back a thoughtful defense without ever showing it to his Muslim colleague. "I thought it would have hurt him deeply, and I didn't want that," he said. "Before this, I didn't know about Islam, and now I know a little bit. You find out that people value family, integrity, high morals, and you say, 'Wow, I believe that, too.' "
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Saturday, May 14, 2005
Bible study takes a few pages from 'Star Wars'
As Pastor of Covenant-First Presbyterian Church in downtown Cincinatti, Russell Smith was an easy sell when asked whether his church would host a Bible study entitled "Gospel According to Star Wars."
"This is our language. We grew up with this," said Smith, 33, pastor at the church for four years. "With this study, we're saying there are hints of truth, beauty and goodness in the story that can bring us back to the biblical story." It doesn't hurt that the May 19 opening of the final installment of the "Star Wars" series coincides with the 12-week study, which focuses on the original trilogy, Episodes IV (1977), V (1980) and VI (1983), and concludes June 29. It is believed to be the only Bible study of its kind in the region.
Beliefnet.com, a religion information Web site, devotes an entire section to "Star Wars" and connections people have drawn between the world's religions and the films. Several Web sites focus on the study of Jediism, including www.forceacademy.com. The April 26, 1999, edition of Time, with the cover story "Star Wars: The Complete Guide to the Phantom Menace," included an article called, "George Lucas talks to Bill Moyers about the spiritual side of the Force."
Francis Ford Coppola once joked that Lucas should organize the Jedi faith as a religion. Lucas told the British Broadcasting Corp., "I remember (Coppola) saying: 'With religion, you really have power.' I told him: 'Forget it. I don't have any interest in power.' The Journal of Religion and Film (unomaha.edu/jrf) has more than 10 archived articles that cite "Star Wars." In 2001, an e-mail campaign urged people in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Great Britain to mark Jedi as their religion on the census. About 70,000 people in Australia did so, 0.37 percent of the country's population.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
As Pastor of Covenant-First Presbyterian Church in downtown Cincinatti, Russell Smith was an easy sell when asked whether his church would host a Bible study entitled "Gospel According to Star Wars."
"This is our language. We grew up with this," said Smith, 33, pastor at the church for four years. "With this study, we're saying there are hints of truth, beauty and goodness in the story that can bring us back to the biblical story." It doesn't hurt that the May 19 opening of the final installment of the "Star Wars" series coincides with the 12-week study, which focuses on the original trilogy, Episodes IV (1977), V (1980) and VI (1983), and concludes June 29. It is believed to be the only Bible study of its kind in the region.
Beliefnet.com, a religion information Web site, devotes an entire section to "Star Wars" and connections people have drawn between the world's religions and the films. Several Web sites focus on the study of Jediism, including www.forceacademy.com. The April 26, 1999, edition of Time, with the cover story "Star Wars: The Complete Guide to the Phantom Menace," included an article called, "George Lucas talks to Bill Moyers about the spiritual side of the Force."
Francis Ford Coppola once joked that Lucas should organize the Jedi faith as a religion. Lucas told the British Broadcasting Corp., "I remember (Coppola) saying: 'With religion, you really have power.' I told him: 'Forget it. I don't have any interest in power.' The Journal of Religion and Film (unomaha.edu/jrf) has more than 10 archived articles that cite "Star Wars." In 2001, an e-mail campaign urged people in New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Great Britain to mark Jedi as their religion on the census. About 70,000 people in Australia did so, 0.37 percent of the country's population.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Five history lessons not well learned
Consider Edward Gibbon's great historical novel, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's quite interesting to note that the first of three volumes was published in 1776, the same year that began the American Revolution. It's even more fascinating that Gibbon's work seems to describe our circumstances today.
Gibbon assigns Rome's decline in part to its increasing vulnerability to barbarians who gained power by infiltrating the country and terrorizing the people, eventually decimating traditions, authority and the military. Gibbon faults divisive beliefs; melting the spiritual glue that had held the empire together and separating Rome into two polarized political and social camps. Rome eventually became so divisive and bureaucratically paralyzed that it was unable to defend itself from its enemies.
Gibbon's historical work is massive and the causes for demise of the empire are way too complex for any brief summary. However, he lists five primary reasons for the fall of Rome. They sound eerily familiar.
--Rapid increase of divorce, with the undermining of the sanctity of the home, which is the basis of society.
--Higher and higher taxes; the spending of money for bread and celebrations.
--The mad craze for pleasure, sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
--The building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy was within; the decadence of the people.
--The decay of religion, faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, and becoming impotent to guide it.
We may disagree with one or more of Gibbon's reasons but it's difficult to deny how well they apply to modern America. The structure of the family has radically changed. Marriage is being re-defined to mean anything anyone wants it to mean. Children are no longer the primary responsibility or purpose for marriage. Government taxation divides our nation so that one half of our citizens pay little or nothing while the other half shoulders the majority of the burden. Decadence has now become cool. Pleasure and entertainment dominate our lives, corrupting the morals of our young. Terrorist barbarians build nuclear armaments while the spiritual glue holding America together gives way to relativism and value-free tolerance for things antithetical to our survival.
America's freedom and democracy have depended upon the transfer of traditions and values to our children. That role is changing. Gibbon's work is an alarming description of a how the most powerful society in the world discarded religion, values and tradition until all that was left were barbarians.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Consider Edward Gibbon's great historical novel, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's quite interesting to note that the first of three volumes was published in 1776, the same year that began the American Revolution. It's even more fascinating that Gibbon's work seems to describe our circumstances today.
Gibbon assigns Rome's decline in part to its increasing vulnerability to barbarians who gained power by infiltrating the country and terrorizing the people, eventually decimating traditions, authority and the military. Gibbon faults divisive beliefs; melting the spiritual glue that had held the empire together and separating Rome into two polarized political and social camps. Rome eventually became so divisive and bureaucratically paralyzed that it was unable to defend itself from its enemies.
Gibbon's historical work is massive and the causes for demise of the empire are way too complex for any brief summary. However, he lists five primary reasons for the fall of Rome. They sound eerily familiar.
--Rapid increase of divorce, with the undermining of the sanctity of the home, which is the basis of society.
--Higher and higher taxes; the spending of money for bread and celebrations.
--The mad craze for pleasure, sports becoming every year more exciting and more brutal.
--The building of gigantic armaments, when the real enemy was within; the decadence of the people.
--The decay of religion, faith fading into mere form, losing touch with life, and becoming impotent to guide it.
We may disagree with one or more of Gibbon's reasons but it's difficult to deny how well they apply to modern America. The structure of the family has radically changed. Marriage is being re-defined to mean anything anyone wants it to mean. Children are no longer the primary responsibility or purpose for marriage. Government taxation divides our nation so that one half of our citizens pay little or nothing while the other half shoulders the majority of the burden. Decadence has now become cool. Pleasure and entertainment dominate our lives, corrupting the morals of our young. Terrorist barbarians build nuclear armaments while the spiritual glue holding America together gives way to relativism and value-free tolerance for things antithetical to our survival.
America's freedom and democracy have depended upon the transfer of traditions and values to our children. That role is changing. Gibbon's work is an alarming description of a how the most powerful society in the world discarded religion, values and tradition until all that was left were barbarians.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
Gay Activists Promise Court Challenges
In nearly a dozen states yesterday, voters sent the loud, clear message that they think marriage should be reserved for unions between a man and a woman.
Reacting to recent court rulings allowing same-sex marriages, voters from Oregon to Georgia passed state constitutional amendments banning such unions – often by sweeping margins.
"The people are responding to the courts, which are increasingly trying to change the definition of marriage," said Carrie Gordon Earll, a spokeswoman for Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group. "Marriage is not some kind of social play dough that the courts can reconstruct."
Gay rights activists vowed to challenge some of the amendments in court. "Basic human rights should not be put up for a popular vote," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "We're confident that the Bill of Rights is going to secure the freedom to marry for gay Americans."
Gay rights advocates claim the GOP used the measures to rally social conservatives and boost turnout for Bush. Four of the measures were in presidential battleground states. "(Republicans) will pay a long-term price for this kind of intolerance," Foreman said. "Young people and swing voters are going to reject the Republican Party." Said Gordon Earll, of Focus on the Family: "These measures would have been on ballots regardless of who was running for president."
The measures were on ballots in 11 states – Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah – and they were placed before voters at a volatile time. Ohio's measure is considered the broadest because it bars any legal status that "intends to approximate marriage." The measures won easily in the 10 other states – by ratios as high as 3-to-1 in Kentucky and Georgia, and 6-to-1 in Mississippi.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
In nearly a dozen states yesterday, voters sent the loud, clear message that they think marriage should be reserved for unions between a man and a woman.
Reacting to recent court rulings allowing same-sex marriages, voters from Oregon to Georgia passed state constitutional amendments banning such unions – often by sweeping margins.
"The people are responding to the courts, which are increasingly trying to change the definition of marriage," said Carrie Gordon Earll, a spokeswoman for Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian group. "Marriage is not some kind of social play dough that the courts can reconstruct."
Gay rights activists vowed to challenge some of the amendments in court. "Basic human rights should not be put up for a popular vote," said Matt Foreman, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "We're confident that the Bill of Rights is going to secure the freedom to marry for gay Americans."
Gay rights advocates claim the GOP used the measures to rally social conservatives and boost turnout for Bush. Four of the measures were in presidential battleground states. "(Republicans) will pay a long-term price for this kind of intolerance," Foreman said. "Young people and swing voters are going to reject the Republican Party." Said Gordon Earll, of Focus on the Family: "These measures would have been on ballots regardless of who was running for president."
The measures were on ballots in 11 states – Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon and Utah – and they were placed before voters at a volatile time. Ohio's measure is considered the broadest because it bars any legal status that "intends to approximate marriage." The measures won easily in the 10 other states – by ratios as high as 3-to-1 in Kentucky and Georgia, and 6-to-1 in Mississippi.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Monday, August 09, 2004
LETTER TO THE BISHOPS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ON THE COLLABORATION OF MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CHURCH AND IN THE WORLD
The Church, expert in humanity, has a perennial interest in whatever concerns men and women. In recent times, much reflection has been given to the question of the dignity of women and to women's rights and duties in the different areas of civil society and the Church. Having contributed to a deeper understanding of this fundamental question, in particular through the teaching of John Paul II,1 the Church is called today to address certain currents of thought which are often at variance with the authentic advancement of women.
After a brief presentation and critical evaluation of some current conceptions of human nature, this document will offer reflections inspired by the doctrinal elements of the biblical vision of the human person that are indispensable for safeguarding his or her identity on some of the essentials of a correct understanding of active collaboration, in recognition of the difference between men and women in the Church and in the world. These reflections are meant as a starting point for further examination in the Church, as well as an impetus for dialogue with all men and women of good will, in a sincere search for the truth and in a common commitment to the development of ever more authentic relationships.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The Church, expert in humanity, has a perennial interest in whatever concerns men and women. In recent times, much reflection has been given to the question of the dignity of women and to women's rights and duties in the different areas of civil society and the Church. Having contributed to a deeper understanding of this fundamental question, in particular through the teaching of John Paul II,1 the Church is called today to address certain currents of thought which are often at variance with the authentic advancement of women.
After a brief presentation and critical evaluation of some current conceptions of human nature, this document will offer reflections inspired by the doctrinal elements of the biblical vision of the human person that are indispensable for safeguarding his or her identity on some of the essentials of a correct understanding of active collaboration, in recognition of the difference between men and women in the Church and in the world. These reflections are meant as a starting point for further examination in the Church, as well as an impetus for dialogue with all men and women of good will, in a sincere search for the truth and in a common commitment to the development of ever more authentic relationships.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Sunday, July 25, 2004
THE DISPUTATION: The Devaluation of Values
Sociologists point out how comprehensively religious ideas shape the way a culture develops. So it is, too, with the belief structures, such as "values," that substitute for religion.
Judaism recognized this long ago when it showed the interrelationship between the first five and second five of the Ten Commandments. The first five deal with how society does, or doesn't, relate to the ultimate truth — God. The second five deal with how people relate to each other.
According to Jewish interpreters going back almost 2,000 years, the two groupings of commandments together make a prediction: When society has faulty ideas about ultimate truths, or no ideas at all, its members will tend not to treat each other with the appropriate dignity.
Would such a society countenance killing partially born children, while at the same time touting its commitment to "deep faith"? Sure, why not? And that would just be for starters.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Sociologists point out how comprehensively religious ideas shape the way a culture develops. So it is, too, with the belief structures, such as "values," that substitute for religion.
Judaism recognized this long ago when it showed the interrelationship between the first five and second five of the Ten Commandments. The first five deal with how society does, or doesn't, relate to the ultimate truth — God. The second five deal with how people relate to each other.
According to Jewish interpreters going back almost 2,000 years, the two groupings of commandments together make a prediction: When society has faulty ideas about ultimate truths, or no ideas at all, its members will tend not to treat each other with the appropriate dignity.
Would such a society countenance killing partially born children, while at the same time touting its commitment to "deep faith"? Sure, why not? And that would just be for starters.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Researchers find link between religion and romantic life within marriages
Surveys reveal that praying together and agreeing on religious values are among the most powerful ingredients of a happy marriage. And there's a payoff: 90 percent of married couples who frequently pray together report "very great" sexual satisfaction.
Researchers report marriage to be cyclical. At any one time only 17 percent of American couples are in the falling-in-love phase, while 55 percent report themselves "settling down" into wedlock. More intriguing is that one-fourth of married couples young and old report that they are "beginning again" — reviving the romance of their earliest years together.
Nearly half of newlyweds regard their partner as "godlike" — that is, worthy of adoration. But at any stage in marriage, fully half of all husbands and wives who regard their spouse as godlike and who make love frequently report that they have never stopped falling in love with each other.
About one-sixth of couples sustain this high level of romantic intimacy throughout their marriages. These are lifelong love affairs, filled with wonder because husband and wife persist in finding each other to be wonderful.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Surveys reveal that praying together and agreeing on religious values are among the most powerful ingredients of a happy marriage. And there's a payoff: 90 percent of married couples who frequently pray together report "very great" sexual satisfaction.
Researchers report marriage to be cyclical. At any one time only 17 percent of American couples are in the falling-in-love phase, while 55 percent report themselves "settling down" into wedlock. More intriguing is that one-fourth of married couples young and old report that they are "beginning again" — reviving the romance of their earliest years together.
Nearly half of newlyweds regard their partner as "godlike" — that is, worthy of adoration. But at any stage in marriage, fully half of all husbands and wives who regard their spouse as godlike and who make love frequently report that they have never stopped falling in love with each other.
About one-sixth of couples sustain this high level of romantic intimacy throughout their marriages. These are lifelong love affairs, filled with wonder because husband and wife persist in finding each other to be wonderful.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
What havoc has been and is being wrought by forces of retrogression, vested interest, fundamentalists, obscurants and religious extremists in the name of Islam
There is no denying the fact that whenever and wherever religion was used for purposes opposed to its inherent spirit of peace, brotherhood, and justice, it not only lost its relevance in the process of social development but its image was also tarnished in the minds and hearts of those who were subjected to it. History is replete with events in which the name of religion was used to glorify the deeds and persons of the tyrant rulers. There was a time when State decrees were accompanied by religious decrees (fatwa) to silence the subjects and justify obedience.
It would not be fair to comment on Islamic Shariah without mentioning the two main current schools of thought in the Muslim world and high lighting the Quranic message in its historical perspective. Islam addresses the people of the world through the revealed Book Quran. (Sura Naas 114 /1to 6). Quran says that the God of Islam is the God of the Universe and not God of Muslims only. (Rub-ul-al'meen) Muhammad the Prophet of Islam is the Blessing for the Universe. (Rehmatul'almin) It forbids compulsion in religion. (Chapter2 / 256) It lays stress on personal accountability as it says no one will be burden on other. (Chapter 2 / 139) It extends invitation to non-Muslims for a dialogue. (Chapter 3 / 64) It says that if God wanted that there be all 'Momins' (Muslims) He could do so. (Chapter 10 / 99) Therefore the concept of diversity is found in the teachings of Quran. It further says, " Your Deen (faith) is for you and my Deen (faith) is for me." (Chapter 109 / 6) It says, " Do not abuse the idols of the idolaters." (Chapter 6 / 109) Muhammad the Prophet is the Messenger to convey the message and is not appointed as the Keeper over others and certainly not an arbiter. (Chapter 6 / 108) The Book says that after conveying message, " leave them alone and turn away from them. (Chapter 32 / 30) The Quran instructs protection of all places of worship. (Chapter 22 / 40)
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
There is no denying the fact that whenever and wherever religion was used for purposes opposed to its inherent spirit of peace, brotherhood, and justice, it not only lost its relevance in the process of social development but its image was also tarnished in the minds and hearts of those who were subjected to it. History is replete with events in which the name of religion was used to glorify the deeds and persons of the tyrant rulers. There was a time when State decrees were accompanied by religious decrees (fatwa) to silence the subjects and justify obedience.
It would not be fair to comment on Islamic Shariah without mentioning the two main current schools of thought in the Muslim world and high lighting the Quranic message in its historical perspective. Islam addresses the people of the world through the revealed Book Quran. (Sura Naas 114 /1to 6). Quran says that the God of Islam is the God of the Universe and not God of Muslims only. (Rub-ul-al'meen) Muhammad the Prophet of Islam is the Blessing for the Universe. (Rehmatul'almin) It forbids compulsion in religion. (Chapter2 / 256) It lays stress on personal accountability as it says no one will be burden on other. (Chapter 2 / 139) It extends invitation to non-Muslims for a dialogue. (Chapter 3 / 64) It says that if God wanted that there be all 'Momins' (Muslims) He could do so. (Chapter 10 / 99) Therefore the concept of diversity is found in the teachings of Quran. It further says, " Your Deen (faith) is for you and my Deen (faith) is for me." (Chapter 109 / 6) It says, " Do not abuse the idols of the idolaters." (Chapter 6 / 109) Muhammad the Prophet is the Messenger to convey the message and is not appointed as the Keeper over others and certainly not an arbiter. (Chapter 6 / 108) The Book says that after conveying message, " leave them alone and turn away from them. (Chapter 32 / 30) The Quran instructs protection of all places of worship. (Chapter 22 / 40)
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Democrats plan to speak out more on religion and values to counter perceived GOP advantage
The Bible is full of stories of squabbling sons fighting to be declared their father's rightful heirs: Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael, the prodigal son and his jealous brother.
The same might be said for Republicans and Democrats this election season as they compete for God's blessing - or at least the votes of his followers.
"I think the Democrats are going to have to affirm that we all need to talk to God and ask, 'Are we your children too, or are you only claiming the right wing?'" said the Rev. James Forbes, the pastor of New York's Riverside Church.
As Democrats gather in Boston for their convention, progressives are planning a serious effort to reclaim religion. They also want to narrow the "God gap" that puts frequent church-goers in the GOP column and paints Democrats as snidely secular.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The Bible is full of stories of squabbling sons fighting to be declared their father's rightful heirs: Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Ishmael, the prodigal son and his jealous brother.
The same might be said for Republicans and Democrats this election season as they compete for God's blessing - or at least the votes of his followers.
"I think the Democrats are going to have to affirm that we all need to talk to God and ask, 'Are we your children too, or are you only claiming the right wing?'" said the Rev. James Forbes, the pastor of New York's Riverside Church.
As Democrats gather in Boston for their convention, progressives are planning a serious effort to reclaim religion. They also want to narrow the "God gap" that puts frequent church-goers in the GOP column and paints Democrats as snidely secular.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Lawsuit tests religious speech in class
A professor spoke of his religious views in class and says the college then took action against him. Does a teacher have the right to share such beliefs in class?
By Randy Dotinga | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
In a lawsuit that's shining a spotlight on the role of religion in higher education, an Ohio community college philosophy professor says administrators punished him because he made a point of disclosing his Catholic beliefs in the classroom.
While the college hasn't presented its side of the story yet, it appears that the case will pit the professor's freedom of speech against the school's right to control its staff. There's a larger question too, one that will be debated outside the court system: Even if it's legal, should educators ever tell students about their faith?
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
A professor spoke of his religious views in class and says the college then took action against him. Does a teacher have the right to share such beliefs in class?
By Randy Dotinga | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
In a lawsuit that's shining a spotlight on the role of religion in higher education, an Ohio community college philosophy professor says administrators punished him because he made a point of disclosing his Catholic beliefs in the classroom.
While the college hasn't presented its side of the story yet, it appears that the case will pit the professor's freedom of speech against the school's right to control its staff. There's a larger question too, one that will be debated outside the court system: Even if it's legal, should educators ever tell students about their faith?
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
"If the Buddha Came to Dinner"
Imagine that you've been asked to be the personal chef to Jesus, the Buddha, Allah or God, Hale Sofia Schatz writes. What would you prepare? She contends that most people would not serve the foods they put in their bodies on a daily basis, from french fries to KFC.
She argues that true spiritual nourishment includes diet as well as meditation, prayer and exercise. "We are hungry for the nourishing foods and activities that feed our bodies, hearts, minds and spirits as one integrated being," she writes.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Imagine that you've been asked to be the personal chef to Jesus, the Buddha, Allah or God, Hale Sofia Schatz writes. What would you prepare? She contends that most people would not serve the foods they put in their bodies on a daily basis, from french fries to KFC.
She argues that true spiritual nourishment includes diet as well as meditation, prayer and exercise. "We are hungry for the nourishing foods and activities that feed our bodies, hearts, minds and spirits as one integrated being," she writes.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Costello sees value in faith
FAITH and values were not old fashioned concepts, Treasurer Peter Costello said today.
Mr Costello last week told a gathering of 20,000 Christians in Sydney that a return to faith and the values of the Ten Commandments would be a good thing. Today, he said such faith and values remained relevant. "I don't think these are necessarily old fashioned. I think they're very relevant and very contemporary," he said on ABC television.
"And I think in a society where young people are looking for direction and values - the values of the faith are very important.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
FAITH and values were not old fashioned concepts, Treasurer Peter Costello said today.
Mr Costello last week told a gathering of 20,000 Christians in Sydney that a return to faith and the values of the Ten Commandments would be a good thing. Today, he said such faith and values remained relevant. "I don't think these are necessarily old fashioned. I think they're very relevant and very contemporary," he said on ABC television.
"And I think in a society where young people are looking for direction and values - the values of the faith are very important.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Truth and fiction
A Christian publishing company aims to restore a great literary heritage: high-quality, general-market fiction written by Christians and from a biblical worldview
Christian fiction has become a genre unto itself, filled with clichés, conventions, and pop-culture imitations. And yet, Christian authors were once the giants of literature, writing about all of life from a Christian worldview and using their art to influence the imagination of the whole civilization.
What writers, publishers, and readers need today is not just Christian fiction but fiction informed by a Christian worldview, with the potential to break through once again into the wider culture. Toward that end, WORLD is working with WestBow Press, Thomas Nelson’s new fiction division, to sponsor a fiction-writing contest to discover a new wave of Christian writers.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
A Christian publishing company aims to restore a great literary heritage: high-quality, general-market fiction written by Christians and from a biblical worldview
Christian fiction has become a genre unto itself, filled with clichés, conventions, and pop-culture imitations. And yet, Christian authors were once the giants of literature, writing about all of life from a Christian worldview and using their art to influence the imagination of the whole civilization.
What writers, publishers, and readers need today is not just Christian fiction but fiction informed by a Christian worldview, with the potential to break through once again into the wider culture. Toward that end, WORLD is working with WestBow Press, Thomas Nelson’s new fiction division, to sponsor a fiction-writing contest to discover a new wave of Christian writers.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Sunday, July 04, 2004
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “RELIGION AND DEMOCRACY: THEORY AND HISTORICAL EXPERIENCE”
The International conference “Religion and Democracy: Theory and Historical Experience” was held at the Rashid Behbudiv State Theatre of Song.
Addressing the meeting were Chairman of the State Committee on Working with Religious Structures, Prof. Rafig Aliyev, Deputy Chief of the Department of Humanitarian Policy of the President’s Administration Tariel Hasanov, Ambassador of the Arabic Republic of Egypt to Azerbaijan Mrs. Jihan Amin Mohammad Ali, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Sudchu Imam University Turkey Kamal Atyg, ustad of Scientific Madrasah GUM of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mehdi Khadevi, Turkish professor Jelal Erbey, first Deputy mufti of Kirghizstan Haji Neymatulla. The speakers noted that the United Nations Organization declared June 21 World Peace and Prayer Day, and that exactly on this day three years ago, nationawide leader of Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev initiated founding of the State Committee on Working With Religious Structures.
The conference participants also debated over religious values, democratic institutions, state-religion relationship, religious communities in Azerbaijan, religion and terrorism, and Islam and democracy.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The International conference “Religion and Democracy: Theory and Historical Experience” was held at the Rashid Behbudiv State Theatre of Song.
Addressing the meeting were Chairman of the State Committee on Working with Religious Structures, Prof. Rafig Aliyev, Deputy Chief of the Department of Humanitarian Policy of the President’s Administration Tariel Hasanov, Ambassador of the Arabic Republic of Egypt to Azerbaijan Mrs. Jihan Amin Mohammad Ali, Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Sudchu Imam University Turkey Kamal Atyg, ustad of Scientific Madrasah GUM of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mehdi Khadevi, Turkish professor Jelal Erbey, first Deputy mufti of Kirghizstan Haji Neymatulla. The speakers noted that the United Nations Organization declared June 21 World Peace and Prayer Day, and that exactly on this day three years ago, nationawide leader of Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev initiated founding of the State Committee on Working With Religious Structures.
The conference participants also debated over religious values, democratic institutions, state-religion relationship, religious communities in Azerbaijan, religion and terrorism, and Islam and democracy.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Many anchor their lives to the rock of religion
Faith runs deep in nearly every Hoosier, with nine out of 10 adults considering themselves religious, spiritual or both, according to an Indianapolis Star religion poll.
About six out of 10 attend worship services at least weekly, and half say their faith has grown in the past 10 years, the poll found.
Most religious adults in the state are Protestant, but no one denomination dominates.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Faith runs deep in nearly every Hoosier, with nine out of 10 adults considering themselves religious, spiritual or both, according to an Indianapolis Star religion poll.
About six out of 10 attend worship services at least weekly, and half say their faith has grown in the past 10 years, the poll found.
Most religious adults in the state are Protestant, but no one denomination dominates.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Religion's Influence on American Politics
A major pollster says the U.S. is the most religious developed democracy in the world. That's why you hear one presidential candidate criticized for too often mixing his religious beliefs with his governance, while the other major candidate is criticized for not considering God often enough. NPR's Tavis Smiley speaks with Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and Joe Laconte, a fellow in religion and a free society at the Heritage Foundation.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
A major pollster says the U.S. is the most religious developed democracy in the world. That's why you hear one presidential candidate criticized for too often mixing his religious beliefs with his governance, while the other major candidate is criticized for not considering God often enough. NPR's Tavis Smiley speaks with Rev. Barry Lynn of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, and Joe Laconte, a fellow in religion and a free society at the Heritage Foundation.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Religion’s role in the nation’s birth
The American Civil Liberties Union is waging an aggressive campaign to expunge the American public square from all things religious, and specifically all things Christian. The most recent casualty in the group’s crusade is a cross displayed on the official seal of Los Angeles County.
A tiny cross is one of several symbols displayed on the southern California county’s seal. Its inclusion is intended to commemorate the role Christianity played in the founding of the area. But the most prominent figure on the seal is the goddess Pomona -- the Roman goddess of gardens and fruit trees –- which apparently is not offensive to the ACLU.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The American Civil Liberties Union is waging an aggressive campaign to expunge the American public square from all things religious, and specifically all things Christian. The most recent casualty in the group’s crusade is a cross displayed on the official seal of Los Angeles County.
A tiny cross is one of several symbols displayed on the southern California county’s seal. Its inclusion is intended to commemorate the role Christianity played in the founding of the area. But the most prominent figure on the seal is the goddess Pomona -- the Roman goddess of gardens and fruit trees –- which apparently is not offensive to the ACLU.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Thursday, June 03, 2004
Religion is good for this
Religion can bring hope, respect, salvation. Dave Belden, a non-believer, makes the case.
I am not a believer. But I am surprised when my fellow agnostics dismiss religion as so much hooey. Dangerous hooey, of course, these days.
I understand that religion can be dangerous, a set of rationales for cruelty, dominance, violence. But do my religion-bashing friends understand how it can inspire and save? I don’t mean save as in going to heaven. I mean save as in providing the faith to survive hell on earth. And not just survive, but give to others.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Religion can bring hope, respect, salvation. Dave Belden, a non-believer, makes the case.
I am not a believer. But I am surprised when my fellow agnostics dismiss religion as so much hooey. Dangerous hooey, of course, these days.
I understand that religion can be dangerous, a set of rationales for cruelty, dominance, violence. But do my religion-bashing friends understand how it can inspire and save? I don’t mean save as in going to heaven. I mean save as in providing the faith to survive hell on earth. And not just survive, but give to others.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Carleton study highlights changing values in the workplace
The definition of a "good" job has changed over the past 60 years, keeping step with the changing values of each new generation, according to a study unveiled at Carleton University. Professor Sean Lyons, of Carleton's Sprott School of Business, surveyed almost 1,200 workers aged 17 to 69 and found distinct differences between the generations.
He divided his survey group into four broad categories—the "Silent" Generation, born prior to 1945; the Boomers, born between 1945 and 1964; the Generation-Xers, born between 1965 and 1979; and the Millennials, born after 1979.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The definition of a "good" job has changed over the past 60 years, keeping step with the changing values of each new generation, according to a study unveiled at Carleton University. Professor Sean Lyons, of Carleton's Sprott School of Business, surveyed almost 1,200 workers aged 17 to 69 and found distinct differences between the generations.
He divided his survey group into four broad categories—the "Silent" Generation, born prior to 1945; the Boomers, born between 1945 and 1964; the Generation-Xers, born between 1965 and 1979; and the Millennials, born after 1979.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Ronstadt: Industry values sex appeal over talent
Linda Ronstadt says today's music industry values sex appeal more than talent. "It puts a huge amount of pressure on kids" who are aspiring performers, said Ronstadt, 57, whose singing career began in the 1960s. "If you are someone like Beyonce who happens to be gorgeous and talented, well, great. But there are a lot of people who are not paid attention to because they don't look like a fashion model."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Linda Ronstadt says today's music industry values sex appeal more than talent. "It puts a huge amount of pressure on kids" who are aspiring performers, said Ronstadt, 57, whose singing career began in the 1960s. "If you are someone like Beyonce who happens to be gorgeous and talented, well, great. But there are a lot of people who are not paid attention to because they don't look like a fashion model."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
'Da Radical Truth'
Video show uses music for lesson in values
"Da Radical Truth" is a half-hour urban music video show, with inspirational messages following each video. The show is hosted by a refreshing and energetic duo, Tina Tilton and Mr. Del, who play the most popular music videos that viewers are familiar with and use them as a tool to teach viewers about the Bible, it's history and basic Christian principles in order to promote and instill spiritual and moral values.
For example, we may air a video clipping of an artist by the name of Musiq called "Love" and we will explain to the youths and young adults that God instructs us to "love" one another and we will back it up using scriptures from the Bible.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Video show uses music for lesson in values
"Da Radical Truth" is a half-hour urban music video show, with inspirational messages following each video. The show is hosted by a refreshing and energetic duo, Tina Tilton and Mr. Del, who play the most popular music videos that viewers are familiar with and use them as a tool to teach viewers about the Bible, it's history and basic Christian principles in order to promote and instill spiritual and moral values.
For example, we may air a video clipping of an artist by the name of Musiq called "Love" and we will explain to the youths and young adults that God instructs us to "love" one another and we will back it up using scriptures from the Bible.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Heart attack survivors half as likely to suffer further attacks if they have love and friends
A new study shows that if you had a heart attack and survived it, your chances of having another attack within a year are halved if you have close friends and/or relatives who love you (in comparison to patients who do not have close friends and loving relatives). The study monitored about 600 patients for one year (after their heart attack).
The study mentioned that patients with a close confidant had only half the risk of a further cardiac event of those without a confidant. According to the report, they made adjustments for many other heart disease risk factors.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
A new study shows that if you had a heart attack and survived it, your chances of having another attack within a year are halved if you have close friends and/or relatives who love you (in comparison to patients who do not have close friends and loving relatives). The study monitored about 600 patients for one year (after their heart attack).
The study mentioned that patients with a close confidant had only half the risk of a further cardiac event of those without a confidant. According to the report, they made adjustments for many other heart disease risk factors.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Tuesday, April 06, 2004
Revealing beauty
EDUCATION:A renowned watercolor artist teaches elementary students colorful life lessons.
If passion is a primary color, then compassion is its color-wheel complement. Merging them through art creates peace. That was the lesson watercolor artist Cheng-Khee Chee taught Lester Park Elementary School fifth-graders. The artist is teaching a free lesson at every elementary school in the Duluth school district this month. It's part of a special project in conjunction with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Ballet's production of "Old Turtle." Chee illustrated the classic children's book, which was written by Douglas Wood.
Chee maintained a steady stream of dialogue throughout the hourlong lesson, in which he collaborated with students to create a shimmering painting of three angelfish. The students and teachers were captivated by every word. The story is about an array of creatures and their different beliefs in God, which nearly collide in catastrophe if it wasn't for Old Turtle.
"If you want to be an artist, you should have an open mind," Students helped Chee create a swirling backdrop of mostly blue and purple. Teacher Nancy Dallum's jaw dropped and students watched in fidgety amazement as the artist used a paintbrush to strip back some of the wet paint to create a sketchy white outline of an angelfish. "Did you know that's what you painted, guys?" Dallum asked her class. "I didn't even know there was a fish in there." Chee then told the Lester Park students. "Art has to have a mission. What is important is the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
EDUCATION:A renowned watercolor artist teaches elementary students colorful life lessons.
If passion is a primary color, then compassion is its color-wheel complement. Merging them through art creates peace. That was the lesson watercolor artist Cheng-Khee Chee taught Lester Park Elementary School fifth-graders. The artist is teaching a free lesson at every elementary school in the Duluth school district this month. It's part of a special project in conjunction with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Ballet's production of "Old Turtle." Chee illustrated the classic children's book, which was written by Douglas Wood.
Chee maintained a steady stream of dialogue throughout the hourlong lesson, in which he collaborated with students to create a shimmering painting of three angelfish. The students and teachers were captivated by every word. The story is about an array of creatures and their different beliefs in God, which nearly collide in catastrophe if it wasn't for Old Turtle.
"If you want to be an artist, you should have an open mind," Students helped Chee create a swirling backdrop of mostly blue and purple. Teacher Nancy Dallum's jaw dropped and students watched in fidgety amazement as the artist used a paintbrush to strip back some of the wet paint to create a sketchy white outline of an angelfish. "Did you know that's what you painted, guys?" Dallum asked her class. "I didn't even know there was a fish in there." Chee then told the Lester Park students. "Art has to have a mission. What is important is the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
India: Jains demand minority status
The Tamilnadu Minorities Commission will recommend to the Central and State governments to accord minority status to Jains and declare government holiday on Mahaveer Jayanthi in the State, Annamma Phillip, chairperson of the commission has said. Speaking at the 2603rd Janm Kalyanak celebrations of Bhagwan Mahaveer in Chennai recently, Phillip said Mahaveer advocated peace and harmony which was important for the present generation. Jainism had been recognised as the universal religion which preached Ahimsa, she said while lauding the community for taking up various social activities for the uplift of the underprivileged.
Justice S Jagadeesan, chairman, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, said the teachings of Mahaveer should be practised for peace in society. S P Thyagarajan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Madras, said the nation had been respected worldwide because of its rich values and Mahaveer was a standing model who emulated such values and thoughts.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The Tamilnadu Minorities Commission will recommend to the Central and State governments to accord minority status to Jains and declare government holiday on Mahaveer Jayanthi in the State, Annamma Phillip, chairperson of the commission has said. Speaking at the 2603rd Janm Kalyanak celebrations of Bhagwan Mahaveer in Chennai recently, Phillip said Mahaveer advocated peace and harmony which was important for the present generation. Jainism had been recognised as the universal religion which preached Ahimsa, she said while lauding the community for taking up various social activities for the uplift of the underprivileged.
Justice S Jagadeesan, chairman, Intellectual Property Appellate Board, said the teachings of Mahaveer should be practised for peace in society. S P Thyagarajan, Vice-Chancellor, University of Madras, said the nation had been respected worldwide because of its rich values and Mahaveer was a standing model who emulated such values and thoughts.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Evolution Group Uses Federal Tax Money to Promote Religion, According to Discovery Institute
The federal government has spent nearly a half-million dollars on a website that encourages science teachers to use religion to promote evolution, sparking objections that the website violates the separation of church and state.
Unveiled earlier this year, the Understanding Evolution website was jointly developed by the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a private group whose self-described mission is "Defending the Teaching of Evolution in the Public School," and the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The avowed purpose of the website is to help teachers teach evolution better. Much of the website was funded by a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
One part of the website explicitly uses religion to promote evolution. In that section, teachers are told that nearly all religious people, theologians, and scientists who hold religious beliefs endorse modern evolutionary theory, and that indeed such a view "actually enriches their faith." Teachers are also directed to a page on the NCSE's own website containing statements by religious groups endorsing evolution. For example, teachers can read a statement from the United Church of Christ that "modern evolutionary theory . . . is in no way at odds with our belief in a Creator God, or in the revelation and presence of that God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
The federal government has spent nearly a half-million dollars on a website that encourages science teachers to use religion to promote evolution, sparking objections that the website violates the separation of church and state.
Unveiled earlier this year, the Understanding Evolution website was jointly developed by the National Center for Science Education (NCSE), a private group whose self-described mission is "Defending the Teaching of Evolution in the Public School," and the University of California Museum of Paleontology. The avowed purpose of the website is to help teachers teach evolution better. Much of the website was funded by a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
One part of the website explicitly uses religion to promote evolution. In that section, teachers are told that nearly all religious people, theologians, and scientists who hold religious beliefs endorse modern evolutionary theory, and that indeed such a view "actually enriches their faith." Teachers are also directed to a page on the NCSE's own website containing statements by religious groups endorsing evolution. For example, teachers can read a statement from the United Church of Christ that "modern evolutionary theory . . . is in no way at odds with our belief in a Creator God, or in the revelation and presence of that God in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit."
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Rock climbers: Ban at Tahoe promotes religion
A U.S. Forest Service climbing ban on a Lake Tahoe landmark is unconstitutional because it promotes religion, a rock climbing group contends. In papers filed Thursday in support of its federal lawsuit against the agency, The Access Fund claims the ban at Cave Rock gives control over public property to the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. The Boulder, Colo.-based group maintains the tribe has always said Cave Rock is a religious, sacred site.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
A U.S. Forest Service climbing ban on a Lake Tahoe landmark is unconstitutional because it promotes religion, a rock climbing group contends. In papers filed Thursday in support of its federal lawsuit against the agency, The Access Fund claims the ban at Cave Rock gives control over public property to the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. The Boulder, Colo.-based group maintains the tribe has always said Cave Rock is a religious, sacred site.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Study: Marked increase in television news coverage of religion
Television coverage of religious issues is up sharply compared to a year ago according to a study from the Media Research Center.
A study released today finds the A-B-C, C-B-S and N-B-C evening newscasts did 303 stories on religion during the 12 months that ended March first, compared with 121 stories during a one-year period in 1993. The report cites several reasons for the increase -- including the movie "The Passion of the Christ" -- the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's reign -- sexual abuse within the Catholic Church -- the struggle over an Alabama Ten Commandments monument -- and controversies over gay ministers. Still, study author Tim Graham contends the networks are often hostile to orthodox faiths and use mostly liberal religious scholars.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Television coverage of religious issues is up sharply compared to a year ago according to a study from the Media Research Center.
A study released today finds the A-B-C, C-B-S and N-B-C evening newscasts did 303 stories on religion during the 12 months that ended March first, compared with 121 stories during a one-year period in 1993. The report cites several reasons for the increase -- including the movie "The Passion of the Christ" -- the 25th anniversary of Pope John Paul II's reign -- sexual abuse within the Catholic Church -- the struggle over an Alabama Ten Commandments monument -- and controversies over gay ministers. Still, study author Tim Graham contends the networks are often hostile to orthodox faiths and use mostly liberal religious scholars.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
Students carve out niche for religion in public schools
State says groups allowed to meet and pray before and after classes
There's a box in Gwen Fountain's classroom at Milford High School where students may drop in requests for prayers. On most mornings, a group of about eight students hold hands and pray near a doorway in the cafeteria at Laurel High School while their classmates eat breakfast. After school on Wednesdays, eight students hold a discussion at Christiana High School's Bible Club, on subjects including the meaning of Bible passages and the end of the world.
Contrary to popular belief that religion has been excised from the public schools, numerous high schools throughout the state allow student-initiated religion clubs and prayer services before and after school. Each club has a "sponsor," usually a teacher, to watch over the students while they meet. And it's perfectly legal. Since the passage of an "equal access" law in 1984 that allows student-initiated religious activity outside of school hours, religious activity in the public schools has increased steadily, experts and school officials said.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
State says groups allowed to meet and pray before and after classes
There's a box in Gwen Fountain's classroom at Milford High School where students may drop in requests for prayers. On most mornings, a group of about eight students hold hands and pray near a doorway in the cafeteria at Laurel High School while their classmates eat breakfast. After school on Wednesdays, eight students hold a discussion at Christiana High School's Bible Club, on subjects including the meaning of Bible passages and the end of the world.
Contrary to popular belief that religion has been excised from the public schools, numerous high schools throughout the state allow student-initiated religion clubs and prayer services before and after school. Each club has a "sponsor," usually a teacher, to watch over the students while they meet. And it's perfectly legal. Since the passage of an "equal access" law in 1984 that allows student-initiated religious activity outside of school hours, religious activity in the public schools has increased steadily, experts and school officials said.
More of Value as InteractiveMediaForum.Com Reveals the Source!
Discuss these things, meanings and values in light of the Jesus Parables!
