The Answer

Well I am back once again after one more long hiatus and some boring excuse. So I will get right to the post instead of justifying my absence which in all probability went unnoticed.

So what is the answer that I am talking about? Well the answer to most questions when it is all boiled down to the core. Risking being labeled a fanatical, fundamentalistic, lunatic blowhard, I would like to categorically state that the answer is JESUS! Whether you are brown, white, red, black or yellow; whether you are pro-life or pro-choice; whether you are right-wing or left-wing; capitalist or communist; saint or sinner; theist or atheist; monotheist or polytheist; rich or poor; foward, backward, OBC, MBC, scheduled caste or scheduled tribe; jew or gentile; Hindu, Chrisitan, Muslim or Buddist.

The reasons for me to come to this conclusion are varied both from sources claiming to know HIM and abhor HIM. It is a fairly simple inference from the fact that nothing or noone else promises you the answer without expecting something else in return. Only Jesus claimed that He first loved us even when we didn't care and dared to proclaim Himself as the only way to God, making Himself exclusive. He claimed to be the Truth and truth is exclusive by definition. And the best part is that I didn't have to pay for my sins, beat that!

This post is the boiled down core of all the posts I wanted to write and wrote in my mind these past few months!

God bless!

Jesus did not come to make bad people good but He came to make dead people live!

What I have learned from Palm Sunday

This is not another religiously pompous and theologically thought provoking post on the significance of Palm Sunday, atleast not in the conventional sense. There are probably tons of them floating around. This is all about one lesson that I stumbled upon at a very epiphanic moment: Do not put your trust in people or other things temporal! Why you ask? Because one week they would be riding you triumphantly on an ass into the city waving palm branches and proclaiming you the king while the very next week they are baying for your blood and leading you out the city on foot with a freaking wooden cross on your back. To add insult to injury they kill you in the most excruciating way possible.

People's mind are as fickle as they come and I still wonder why HE took this crap from people who don't really care!

In Memorium - DGS Dhinakaran

It has been another long hiatus ... probably the longest thus far. The reason for me being back is not a joyous one though, the loss of the only person I considered as my spiritual father and idol (Yes I said Idol).

Dr. DGS Dhinakaran, or to me (and tens of thousands of others) Dhinakaran Thatha (grandfather) was not one of those fire and brimstone preachers but a person who let the power God speak for itself. He responsible for the the life changing and saving experience that I had written about sometime back. That was the not the only impact he had on my life.

It all started with my father, searching for a job, dedicating his life to Jesus at one of Thatha's meetings way back in 1987. He was probably the only person of The Word not ridiculed by my father and that is saying something. Through the years my family got to know him in a more personal way and got to see that he lived his life in accordance with what he preached.

I am not one given to fawning over people or idolizing them. One of the rare exceptions to that was Dhinakaran Thatha. He was not a God man but man of God, who was blessed with rare powers. For the pseudo secularist this may sound as hocus pocus, probably I would have been at the forefront of such thought if not for the miracle in my own life. I have seen him call out individual people from among hundreds of thousands. I have not seen a more strong proponent or knowledgeable person of the Bible. It was this biblical knowledge that made me aspire to be like him. He was not one of those "theological" or "modern" preachers, but a back to basic Bible believing evangelist. He was the most prominent Indian preacher of the last half a century and probably one of the most prominent ever. He transcended boundaries of race, creed, caste and social status.

All of it did not come easily to this did not come easily to him. It is a long way from the person who could not pass his bachelors for two consecutive years and was on the way to committing suicide at an early age of 20. His life changing moment came when his unsuspecting uncle led him to Christ on his way to the railway track. It was not all rosy after the conversion;Contrary to popular belief Christ does not offer a problem free life he offers free life through all problems of this world. The long list of sickness and troubles ranged from kidney failure, heart attacks, accidents with most bones in his body broken to the loss of his daughter. Through all this he had his family have been the beacon of God's love to Millions. There were times when I have prayed that I wanted the powers that were manifest in his life, but I scaled back on them when I understood that all of this came at a great cost. Like he used to say, the only way that you could feel compassion for your fellow beings was to walk in their shoes, that my dear friend is not easy.

The character that I really wanted to imbibe from him was his study of the bible and his time on his knees. He could quote more scriptures than any person I knew and would buttress all that he said with the Word. He would also spend more time on his knees than any person I know. On a personal note, he was probably the only preacher that had my father's full attention inspite of how tired I was which is saying a lot again for those of you who know him. There probably are more eloquent and charismatic preachers but none of the eloquence or charisma can help a person in need only the word of God could and that's what you got from him with a whole lot of singing and wit.

He had his detractors, mostly from the Christian community who couldn't couldn't stand his fame or who wanted fame by criticizing him. It only galled them even more when he didn't respond to their criticism. One incident stands out in my memory, when his daughter died a Pastor of a fundamentalist church sent him a letter stating that she was killed by God for have flowers on her hair (According to him too ostensible for a Christian).

His ministry was to the broken hearted, a ministry of Compassion. He could relate to him like few others could, just becasue of all that had happened in his life. He knew what it was like to loose a loved one, what it felt to be in constant physical pain and agony and the emotional pain of failure, poverty and ridicule. That was the cost he paid to bring hope to millions and to touch the lives of many more.

He was probably not the most famous or well known of men but to me he was somebody that I want to be like. Somebody who ran the good race and finished it with his head held high. Somebody who touched millions of life with his words of comfort and hope. Somebody who was instrumental in me having a second life.

I will always miss him!

P.S : I know this is not like my usual posts but this is personal.

License to Kill

No I am not talking about Mr. double O seven, I am talking about the fundamental right that everybody has to kill another person in Iran. All you have to do after you kill them is to claim that they had questionable morality. Even the supreme court would side with you. The best part : you don't even have to be right. So if you don't like the guy that your ex is going out with ? shoot him and claim that you saw them both walking together (two of the victims were killed for this reason).

If only rest of the civilised world would adopt this policy we wouldn't need the police, the people would police themself. Just imagine how much better this world could be if you were allowed to kill anybody you didn't like ??? wouldn't just the people you love make it a better place ? And this would reduce the population control issues that India and China are facing. Now I know why a theocracy is wonderful and why Pakistan got it right.

People the mixing of religion and state should be promoted across the globe, it should be the next great idea after communism. The concept is not bad, the wonderful people who are more closer to God than us can tell us how to live. They know becasue they are more closer to "God". So if they say kill, there should be no problem. If they say hate, no problem with that too ... because it is the will of God and we are all the devils.

Free will

Same story different "moral soldier". In a story repeated sporadically across America, a few pharmacists have taken it upon themselves to convert lost souls by refusing them legal medicine. The irony of the situation is that those perpetuating this ideology conveniently choose to forget that the person who came to convert(Jesus duh!) didn't himself force anybody.

The whole basis of Christian faith rests on the fact that it is offered free with no strings attached to those WHO WANT IT. Its not something that is to be forced down somebody's throat or something that can be bought. History has been kind enough to teach us that no real evangelism is possible by the might of a sword. If there is something that the crusades and the torturing of Galileo has thought has it has been this that Jesus never intended Him to be defended by swords or persecution. All it leads to is defeat like in the case of the crusades or utter foolish like in the case of Galileo. If He had intended human hands to defend Him, He would have done so before be crucified.

I strongly believe that those using their personal conviction as rouse to beat somebody else's are not saints but megalomaniacs wanting the world to conform to them.

To add insult to injury, these same egotists would complain about al-queda, VHP and other such entities who do the same as them only with bombs and guns and knives.

All I have to say to them is this

"Judge not that you be not judged" - Matthew 7:1

The castist Church!

I know its been some time since I have ruffled some feathers. So here I go again.

It all started out because of this issue called "marriage", and when it was determined that I like my peers had attained the marriageable age, the proposals have started pouring in putting me on the defensive.

These proposals have added a new word to my lingo, "caste" (I am a nadar if you must know) which has never been a part of the my conversational jargon, suddenly finds itself in preeminent position.

The fact of the matter is that there is a can of worms waiting to explode in the church in India, atleast the ones that the generational Christians belong to. It has always been a open secret that caste has always factored in the church inspite of no theological grounds for differentiation between people.

Some may argue that the denominational split in the Christian church gives some leeway for castism to be practiced within the church. Some other appeasers of castism use the example of the tribes of Israel, which cannot but be called asinine.

Before I get ahead of myself, for the uninformed the connection between my proposals and caste is that in India, its not just enough to have the same belief system (as in religion) but you need to be part of the same 'caste' or social system. Theoretically Christians and Muslims don't have the caste system. Which has prompted various 'lower caste' people to convert to Christianity, Islam and Buddhism.

The fun part of it is that the generational Christians have always been following the caste system specially when it comes to marriage and such. I can't speak for Islam or Buddhism but the non-castist nature of Indian Christianity is a farce.

So why this sudden outburst from your's truly? Because I just snapped, because I just want to make a stand, because I am crazy and most importantly because the God I know does not differentiate. And if he does not differentiate who am I to do so (Romans 14:4)?

I cannot stress enough the negative and demoralising effect of castism in general, but to have it as part of my creed just makes my blood boil. Those who don't learn from history are bound to repeat it ... and the Indian Christians haven't learnt anything from their western counterparts. I know it would be hard to wipe away, people being people, but looks like there is nobody ready to tackle the issue head on. What about me? me ... I am nobody, I can't even convince some of my own close relatives of the oxymoronic nature of a Christian caste system! So I do what I do best write about it and hope I can break down a few walls in the process.

I definitely have some earfuls coming my way for this post, but then again I got a thick skin and it is always funny to watch people defend something that is indefensible.

Those to whom arranged marriages seem incomprehensible, this additional castist corollary would only add to the mystery.

So here it is the gist of the whole post, castism has no place in Christianity ... for that matter no place anywhere else.

This is a call to arms against dowry and castism. Somebody has to so its gonna start with me!

“I have no color prejudices nor caste prejudices nor creed prejudices. All I care to know is that a man is a human being, and that is enough for me; he can't be any worse.” - Mark Twain

“Ideas are fatal to caste” - E.M Forster

The Passion of the Code

I know I am joining the party late, oh well better late than never. All this rhetoric about the Da Vici code has finally gotten to me. I can't remember another book generating this kinda reaction from people in a long time since the Satanic Verses by Salman Sushide.

Though there is no scope for a fatwa here, there have been book burnings, call for banning and all other sorts of melodrama by people who want to wear their religious patriotism on their sleeve. Being a person of the faith that is technically at the receiving end of this 'book/Movie', I am left scratching my head if this what Jesus would do (WWJD).

From my 'limited' knowledge of the Bible I know that He asked us to famously turn our other cheek not talk about blasphemy and call for the head of people with different views. I have heard some people even call it treason! What I don't I don't understand is how can you commit treason against something you don't belong to? Technically I can't commit treason against Uncle Sam can I? Against India, heck ya! The asininity seems to have permeated people in all walks of life including the Vatican.

The film in itself doesn't seem to have made much of an impact like the book. Though I must agree that it was good marketing tactic jus like Mel used for the Passion Of Christ. And the Catholic church just bought into it lock stock and barrel.

The vacuousness of the whole opposition is that it would erode the faith of the 'faithful' which is a whole lot of balderdash, according to me ofcourse. The bottomline is that the church has failed in its duty to educate the flock. They have spent more time trying to figure out what the wordings of the doctrine is than to attend to the simple moral and religious foundation of its existence, the divinity of Jesus Christ. And now to put all the blame for the weakening of the faith on a two bit movie is not only preposterous but also just plain irresponsible.

I think its time for the church to start on its commission and let the burning and protesting to the others.

But I(Jesus) say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Mathew 5:44-48

Demartyred

If ever there was a word like that.... there seems to be a happy ending to the beheading ... there is not going to be one. Atleast not for the moment. Also depends on how soon he is wisked out of the country! Thats not where the story ends though, for the thousands of others like him. For them the fight for survival just comes out into the open.

I just couldn't stop the temptation to upload this ...

“You can never have a revolution in order to establish a democracy. You must have a democracy in order to have a revolution.”

Checkout tamilnole.blogspot.com

Martyred!!!

I know I said that I wouldn't dissect this topic but being me I just can't refrain from doing that. As I anticipated this issue took some time to develop into a major news story ... given the sensitiveness of the issue its a hot potato for all the governments involved and a hotter human interest story for the news syndicates.

This article spoke of how his family was the one responsible for reporting him to the police. Family honour is a much bandied and misused excuse in this part of the world. Having seen it everyday of my life I can't really blame the family for what they did ... they would always look at it with the prism of prejudice that they have grown up with.

I don't think this is a religious issue as much as it is a cultural issue. I bet most families in the east would disown their offspring for breaking ties with what they think is acceptable morality, spirituality or proprietyness, in a single word "tradition". Try pushing the boundaries of 'acceptable' actions and see how fast your friends dwindle and loved ones run away. Don't get me wrong I don't have any issues ... actually I do like and understand social responsibility, but then like all things too much of a good thing is not really good ;). I have always believed that "traditions were made for men and not men for traditions". It was the same two thousand years ago too, and Jesus called them "white-washed tombstones".

Honour killings are a part of everyday life in the some parts of the greater Indian subcontinent, probably already dwelled a lot upon it here. Being a part of everyday life doesn't make them alright... 'cause the ones that do happen don't really have honour at the core of the reason but some vested reasons of the perpetrators. There is not even a standard (as if there is a reasons for these killings themselves) for these killings, it could be as small as looking at one's sister to eloping with a person from a different caste/religion. But this is the first case wherein the free land's court is going to hang a person for a moral conviction. I know there are a lot of other Muslim countries that practice the shariat, but I haven't heard of any other country prosecuting someone for conversion.

Now that the western and other governments have started putting pressure on the Karzai government about freeing the person, it has got all the more complicated with no easy solutions in sight. Especially for the Afghan government its a choice between a rock and a hard place. But then it is also a chance for them to make a strong statement about their resolve to move in a different direction than one taken by the Taliban government.

I'll be back with more ramblings on this ...

Well I have also started a new blog to just write some person musings and something that would be updated more often than this (Hopefully!!!) also CrackerJack after a short stint here has decided to start his/her own blog pretty soon!! I am looking to change the format of this website but its still on the back burner at the current moment.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you."
Matthew 5:11-12

What would you die for?

Just came across this news article on a death penalty case involving a afgan man who converted to Christianity 14 years back. The picture shows the bible that was seized from him.

apparently he could have avoided all this by just telling them that he is converting back to Islam, if only for namesake that would have saved him his skin. It is precisely this kind of moral courage in the face of insurmountable danger that baffles me. Call it faith or belief or any other thing ... it takes a lot of conviction to stand firm behind your decision. Some people may compare this to the kamakzie/suicide bombers and other "freedom fighters" who wouldn't mind killing for their belief. But there is a world of difference between them. Its easier to kill than to die for your belief ... people who kill are afraid that they could be wrong, while those that die have no such fear.

Being that I don't know, if I have his kind of moral courage yet ... I'll refrain from dissecting this issue and let you learn or be encouraged by this One Man ... Martyr to some, heretic to others.

"Give What You Can't Keep to Gain What You Can't Lose"

Pro Choice Pro Life!

I am going to be an Uncle! And yes that is the ultra sound picture of my niece/nephew. So why is this leading to a pro-choice pro-life debate?? Seeing the picture and hearing about it from my sister has made me reevaluate my stand; that and the recent spurt of bills being tabled in different states (in the US).

I am one of those crazy fellows who lean towards pro choice while at the same time being strongly rooted in their faith. As much as this being one of the biggest issues in the good ole' US of A, it is almost inconsequential in the east (read India) where female infanticide is a way of life.

I guess I have already covered what I think about this topic and the cultural differences affecting it. What sparked this revisit of the abortion issue was when my sister said how the doctor her the measurements of the baby et all. That put a doubt in my mind whether abortion is really killing a human being?

This doubt is not strong enough to convince me that a person who is a victim of rape or incest shouldn't be given the choice to abort. And when the mom's life is in danger don't even ask me! As a side note I was almost aborted because I wouldn't come out :-). But it is strong enough to make me feel that its not a trifle thing to do ... when somebody kills a pregnant woman they are held liable for both the lives ... does that mean that in one instance the baby is human and another time it is just some cells?

This picture has definitely turned me from being strongly pro-choice to shaky pro-choice (excluding rape and incest)!

Some of my past posts on this topic ;)
3/13/2005
3/19/2005
6/30/2005

"Seventy-seven percent of anti-abortion leaders are men. 100% of them will never be pregnant"
Planned Parenthood advertisement

"The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion, because if a mother can kill her own child what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between."
Mother Teresa

My first major brickbat ... ouch!!

Finally I did get under the skin of somebody, atleast somebody with the good sense to take me to task. Followed in italics is the email about a previous post Goddamned!... don't forget "If you are not outraged, you are not paying attention"

"... The Christians protest anything that goes against their definition of family values, the Muslim imams add fuel to the fire by adding pictures that were not even published and go against their own code by carrying around the picture of the prophet. The Muslims don't want anybody to make fun of their prophet but will make fun of the Jews and the holocaust. The Hindus will not let valentine's day corrupt their culture (Do you know where Kamasutra comes from?), they will send their sons and daughters to America and wear Nikes and Reaboks, but will blame the ...."

"Y do u blame others for what they are ... u blame Muslims and Hinduz for what they r but what good r u first ... I mean don't u think u r doing the same ... reading what u have written I don't find u any better to (than) the description u have given for (a) Muslim or (a) Hindu ... Touch ur heart and first tell u have not made fun of any religion or religious person or ritual which may mean nothing to u but must have meant everything to someone else ... What the heck u tell about someone when u have so much in urself ...

(I'm) Not trying to tell everyonez fine and u have said is something wrong ... Yes Muslims do make fun of .... and hindu (BJP Politicians ) for their own selfish publicity bet up the shopz and y didn't u talk about Christians(sic) ... I really wish Christians stop talking about rituals of any hindu as dumb and stupid (I have seen 90% of them doing it... and I have not seen much of hinduz or muslims talking things about other religions..)

Every religion has their own cultural values.. I think the best would be when no one pokes their nose into others and mind their own bloody business (sic)... We need to look at people like human being and not like hindu christian or muslim ... I don't know when we can see that day in India

Itz not that everyone in India wants to celebrate val day... itz just that shops and fast foodz get more of business in the name of this day... no parents would feel that their kidz go (to) celebrate val day (and) dance around in roads and night parties (heard so much of it happening here) and I really think itz different from using a nike shoe.... I have known so many who fear if their kids r fine without an affair... (that doesn't mean i'm for people hitting the shops and beating up people in parties ...) and what does val day got to do with kamasutra.. totally irrelevant.. u r not talking about sex education or sex in movies to pull ks here...

I really wish to stay in a place where we look at each other as human being... I have always wished to since my school days... Don't know how things will be.. Have not seen anything changing ... I personally have never commented about any religion or culture but yes I'm not for the idea of aping western without even knowing what it is all about ..."

I don't know how that started off, but heck I have made fun of everybody and everything that mean nothing and everything to me, starting from the Pope to the Sankaracharya! I don't know if you have read all my posts, if you had you wouldn't have made such a sweeping judgment of me (Atleast not by the views expressed in the blog). My definition was not of a Muslim or a Hindu (or for that matter a Christian) in general, but the fringe elements in each. I don't think I (of all people) would promote atheism or agnostism by attacking religions ... I might attack some of the practices of each but then that's what I do (Atleast a part of what I do). Also my aim is not to just attack but to spark a debate. If you had gone further with your quote, It would be hard to come to your conclusion, Atleast if you know about the crusade and whets been happening in the US with the topic of evolution.

While talking about my double standard, you mention BJP when you talk about the Hindus but make no such differentiation when it comes to Muslims. It is indeed a big deal to know what 90% of Christians feel and do, while I am still trying to find what atleast mille-fraction of them feel or do. Looks like you have a beef to settle with one of the communities and I don't know if I am the right scapegoat for the same.

Let me also point out, religions don't have cultural values, they have religious values. Untouchability and the caste system started off as a religious edict that entered into the cultural mainstream. No amount of sugar coating it is going to make me believe that it didn't/doesn't exist as it has.

If you had seen my next post, you would have known that I don't really care about V-day. I was talking about the hypocrites who publicly protest it as a western influence but privately don't mind doing the same. Why was kamasutra brought into it? To negate the feeling that V-day has broken India's culture by promoting promiscuity (It most definitely does), while we have the homegrown subject matter expert and one of the most well known exports of our country. The reference to nike was to show what some protectors of Indian industry and darlings of the right in India (read the RSS and Swadeshi Jagran Munch) who promote Indian products themselves use western ones and who talk about Indian ethos, send their kids westwards to follow a different path.

The thought of utopia is like the search for Atlantis ... hope you find it. But lastly you did comment about other religions in this same mail! What do you think is aping ??? Ghandi said that western culture would be a good idea so you lost me there :)

But you know what? I realise that I have pussyfooted the message I was trying to convey. I was talking about the issue in California organised mainly by the Vedic Foundation and which denied the effect of untouchability ... I didn't want anybody to think that I was attacking the Hindu religion and included something about Christianity and Islam into it to make it balanced (And thus the pussyfooting effect!). It could be called as one of those Aryan vs Dravidian thing (Which only a few could understand) I should have probably mentioned in passing that a number of South Indian associations were opposed to the interference of the Indian right, which in itself would have been enough to prove the cultural significance of this move (rather than the religious).

I did generalise it and tried to point out the various fringe elements in all religions. Just because I attach those fringe elements doesn't mean I am attacking everybody (Unless ofcourse you are part of it)

So no more pussyfooting and lots of dishing. I may not be perfect but heck I still got a blowhorn, take what you want and ...

“In order to keep anything cultural, logical, or ideological, you have to reinvent the reality of it.”

P.S: To the one who wrote this email - Hope you don't get the free time again (jus' kidding as always)

Goddamned!!!

You heard me right!!!

I am just sick'n'tired of a bunch of Jackasses hijacking my religion and my culture. Not satisfied with just hijacking it they also want to represent me!! And I am not the only one affected by it, almost all cultures and faiths seem to have been taken over by bigots!

I watched the evolution debate rage on in the American education system and didn't say anything 'cause I wasn't affected by it but when a bunch of people start messing around with my culture and history in the American education system, I got serious issues with it.

To give you a little background on this issue ... It all started with the review of the history syllabus in the California state education system. A bunch of people took it upon themselves to correct some "misconceptions" about ancient Hindu practices in India and rewrite a little bit of history according to them. There were some valid corrections to be made but they used this chance to create their own version of history.

The fact that this effort was led by a bunch of RSS (Rashtriya swayamsevak Sangh) off shoots damages their credence in my sight. Joined together by a group of organisations that we would call "communal" in my country, they decided to make merry. And to support their arguments they were supported by bogus expert indologists.

So how did this bunch outrage me? They denied the caste system as it existed/exists, denied that it was hereditary, denied that the 'untouchables' ever existed/exist in India (sic). They want the kids to learn that the untouchables were called so because day performed the dirty jobs and not vice versa.

Again they didn't just stop there ... they want the kids to learn that the Aryans were the real residents of Ancient India (sic), which negates the widely accepted theory that the Dravidians occupied most of ancient India before the 'Aryan' Indo-European race came and settled in the north of India. I should know being one of the Dravidian! Why should we(Indians) ask American kids to learn any different when we are taught the Aryan invasion theory in Indian schools(If you do a google search now, you would see that most of the top results call it a myth or question it).

To those who are not so intimately connected to this development it might not be a big deal but it did touch a raw nerve in me. The fact that they tried to use subversion to get their point of view across by setting up a pseudo website pretending to care about the welfare of the untouchables. The site looks innocent enough now but they didn't start out that way. Most of the links on their website pointed to communal groups that usually took advantage of them until a research group decided to take notice.

It takes a lot to push me over the edge, obiviously this was not the only event that singularly pushed me over the limit. The protests over the cartoons are still going on.

I wasn't really going to get into that controversy (for fear of my life ..ha ha) but CrackerJack did give it a shot. What I see in all this is just plain hypocracy. The newspapers claim that they want to prove a point about freedom of speech by printing the cartoons, while the selfsame newspaper refused to print a satiric portrayal on Christ sometime back. The west seems to be wondering what all the fuss is about but talk to them about abortion and watch the violence erupt. The mullahs issue fatwas while teleevangelist issues assassination lists (But ofcourse in the west they apologize).

The Christians protest anything that goes against their definition of family values, the Muslim imams add fuel to the fire by adding pictures that were not even published and go against their own code by carrying around the picture of the prophet. The Muslims don't want anybody to make fun of their prophet but will make fun of the Jews and the holocaust. The Hindus will not let valentine's day corrupt their culture (Do you know where Kamasutra comes from?), they will send their sons and daughters to America and wear Nikes and Reaboks, but will blame the west for its own decadence. The Jews, well they just don't care about anybody but themselves, 'cause we are all gentiles. The Christians, they can't understand jihad, but the crusades?? That's another story.

They believe that they are blessed for all that they do, some expecting 70 virgins, some hoping for a higher position in their rebirth and some hoping to get a golden mansion, but they don't relise that they are "Goddamned"

So where does it leave us all who really want to follow our creed says ?? Somewhere in between

Matthew 5:44 - But I(Jesus) say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you...

P.S: A partial list of violent reactions

Of Gods and men

Its finally time for my second post. Couldn't let Ulysses have all the fun!!!

And straightway music and singing beguile the immortals. All the Muses together, voice answering heavenly voice, Hymn the undying gifts of the gods and the sufferings of men, Who, enduring so much at the hands of the gods everlasting, Live heedless and helpless, unable to find for themselves Either a cure for death or a bulwark against old age. --Homeric Hymn to Apollo 3.188-192

This past few days one of the major news story seems to about cartoons. You wouldn't figure out how much some damage some cartoons can cause. I have seen some tasteless cartoons but this seems to have really caused a nuclear explosion. Though this doesn't seem to be an instant explosion but a slow reacting one as the timeline suggests.

For those of you who have been out of this world for the last few days, this is all about cartoons of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed that appeared in some Danish dailies. I was going to link to a different site, but apparently the guy decided to take it off 'cause of quite a number of threats he received (As a side note, if somebody needs a death treat it is this person) And for those of you who don't know, a portrait of the prophet is a sacrilege to a Muslim (I know because my friend dates one).

It would have gone below the radar(who cares about the Danes!) had not a Norwegian paper reprinted it. And from being a news article it became a fight between religious sensitivity and the freedom of expression, ultimately turning into a Arab world versus the west.

Freedom of expression, like any freedom is not absolute in its boundaries. I have been mad by a lot of things that have been done using it. Some thing that really pissed me off was the
last temptation of Christ. I was so mad at the director who decided to make it and all the people who were involved in it, and I cheered when it bombed at the box office. But one day as I was discussing with some friends about some of the difficulties faced by Christians in some communist and middle eastern countries, it just dawned on me just how one sided I had been. Sure enough I was mad at the people but then that is democracy for good or for bad.

If I were to declare war on all people who did not hold my belief (Just like the church did in the middle ages), I have no reason to live in a democracy, might as well as live in a theocracy. Being born in this culture, I am more predisposed to be take it in its stride than somebody from a totally different belief system. I am also less likely to be militant about my religious believes than somebody from the east (Most of us just worship money!), and that is when it gets out of hand.

This controversy is as much about the freedom of expression as it is about plain common sense. I am all for freedom, but isn't there something called overkill? The media is as much to blame for this as anybody else in this. The other thing that really is funny to me is how people in so many different places of the world have taken it upon themselves to show their anger even though they had more pressing and important matters at hand.

Looks like the European papers are not taking it lying down (They don't care able their circulation in the middle east) atleast for now. They maybe stoking the fire or getting their revenge for restrictions that the church put on them during the middle ages. Maybe its time that the religiously convicted lived with the fact that they can't just kill the detractors.

So what is my take on this ... just get on with life and live your own faith, without forcing somebody else to live yours!! If I wanted to issue fatwas then I have a long list in my hand, unfortunately so do the people that I want to issue those fatwas against.

I may disagree with what you have to say, but I shall defend, to the death, your right to say it. --Voltaire

Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:5-7

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
Luke 1:34-36

Its hard to answer what Christmas means to me. On the face of it, it's more like a religious festival where I come from and a entertainment industry where I am at now. December 23rd and 24th happen to be the highest grossing days in the US, a phenomenon catching up now in India.

Its funny what blatant commercialism can do to anything. Just like the phenomenon called Valentine's day ... come to think of it I guess most of the media made holidays!!

To add some spice into the proceedings, its always good to put in some left verus right politicisation of the topic at hand. Taking political correctness to a new level, the liberal left decided to replace 'merry Christmas' with 'happy holidays'. I am yet to figure out the political wrongness of 'merry Christmas'!! Would it be wrong for people to wish me happy birthday just because my neighbour doesn't celebrate my birthday?? The Christian right was not far behind, they called for a boycott of any store that followed the left's 'liberal theology'. And now we know how wars start!

What more can I say ... and now on to some fun quotes

"Christmas is a time when kids tell Santa what they want and adults pay for it. Deficits are when adults tell the government what they want and their kids pay for it." Richard Lamm

"How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, his precepts! O! 'tis easier to keep holidays than commandments." Benjamin Franklin

"From a commercial point of view, if Christmas did not exist it would be necessary to invent it."

"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukka' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukka!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!'"

Raped again

The society we live in right now is more hypocritical than ever, where the victim is punished and the criminal is given all help. This is compounded by the fact that even in this century of the common man some hypocritical Pharasiees still exist to use religion as a tool of repression instead of a tool of freedom. Religion is supposed to save a person but everywhere it is being used to trample on the rights of individuals. And the fairer sex are bearing the worst of it.

The latest in this long line of religious/traditional hypocrisy is the story of Imrana, who was raped by her father-in-law in India. The Muslim law board instead of condemning the vile act and punishing the perpetuator of the crime issued a fatwa against the mother of five to separate her from her husband and children. This is not an isolated case. The other headline generating case is going on in Pakistan where a tribal court ordered the rape of Mai to punish her because of her 13 year old brother's relationship with a women. In each of these case, the government has not stepped in as they are supposed to and have let these vile lonely old men to trample on the rights of the victims. I personally believe that in a secular society the law of the land is paramount and sovereign over any tribal/religious customs of laws.

This exploitation of victims, most of whom are women, is not confined to a particular region or religion. The above two examples were Muslims, but other religions do have their hypocritical notions. I have known of cases in rural India, where the village panchayat orders such brutal punishment like parading women naked through the streets to teach the Lower castes a lesson. The Hindu caste system is a real bane on the Indian society. And these punishments are usually for perceived slights on the upper caste by the lower caste.

The Christians don't have the caste system or the shariat, but we have in words of Jesus "White washed tomb stones", preachers with holier than though attitude and a judgmental spirit. Jesus was all about love and forgiving but a few Christians I know are all about judging and condemning. Jesus washed the disciple's feet and had the last supper with them, but the Christians of today talk about refusing to give the Eucharist to people who support abortion. We talk about pro-life issues but have no real love for the people going through it. Instead of looking at the victims of rape through a humane eye we look at them with a hypocritical eye and judge them. We offer no solution to the stigma of rape but want them to carry the sign of it for the rest of their life. All in the name of a loving God.

"Men are born free, but everywhere they are in chains"

The talented Mr. Modi ...

I had mentioned in a previous post that I would be posting a discussion that I had with my under graduate classmates about the denial of visa to Mr. Modi who is the Chief Minister of the State of Gujarat in India. I personally and almost all the people involved in this discussion have no love lost for Mr. Modi who you could say is a scaled down version of Hitler. The topic of the discussion was on the ethical issues involved in dening visa to a foreign official by the US government.

Hey mates,
Just for time pass... What do u think about the decision made by U.S in denying visa to Narendra modi. For those who don't know him he is the chief minister of gujarat.

I personally think it is a decision made against indians... i can site many reasons for this. But please i am doing this to keep mails floating... if it is not worthy of a discussion then lets talk something else...

Badri
Time is 1315 hrs GMT

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Hi badri,
I support ur argument, just for the sake of supporting an Indian Leader (in distress!)! But, personally, i dont care what happens to this person, who was (allegedly) involved in the death (MURDER!) of so many innocent ppl for just (dirty) political reasons!!

Regards,
Anitha

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Hey Guys,
Somebody has to play the devil's advocate, so I'll do it ;) and oppose your views :). Firstly, I don't know how u can call it a insult to our nation, when most of the opposition to his visit came from Indian's in the US? You mean to say that the Indian's wanted India to be insulted. Technically I think the government was right in lodging a protest, personally I would say hang that guy. He is something that the "Indian" supreme court has called the modern day Nero. I know BJP is trying to project it as a National Swaabhiman, but did day organise anything like that when Gujrat burned?? Or is this double standard. Is Narendar Modi more important that the 2000 or more people who died in the train fire and the subsequent riots?? Maybe you can claim that the US is not the one to judge it. But then if the Indians inside can't do anything, then the Indians outside will try to do something ...

Badri good idea da(Tamil slang for man/dude) ...

NoViCe
Time stamp : 9:06 AM CST

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Hey mates,
The reason given by U.S for visa denial is the findings of NHRSC(National Human rights Commision) . It is a one under govt of india. I 100% agree to the fact that he(modi) is a very ugly and a bad man of bad ideas and other stuff. But when sinn fein leader and musharaff are welcomed in U.S and the reason cited for the visa denial for a person elected by people(100 or 1000 or 100000) shows to methe way in which Uncle Sam see us. I don't say that denial to modi is a disgrace to all indians, but I wanted to point out the dual standard maintained by U.S. (no offense). But, whoever is big and talks loud people or world tends to listen to him. right so when uncle says that a visa to an indian is rejected because of the "extremism" done by a person why don't they do it for other people. This is just question arising in my head. I truely feel that they could have handled this issue differently.

Badri
Time is 1830 Hrs (GMT)

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Hey all,
I do agree with you Badri on the point that it is double standards. What it all comes down to is economics. But thats all I can agree with you about. This is a big fiasco. Do you think that the US would have reacted in the sameway if we had rejected visa to one of the US Governor's? No they would not have a pubic meeting to cry like a wimp and just bad mouth US in some distant rural area. But they would have taken some bold steps to retaliate. In India this has been turned in a fisaco, with people starting all this swabhimaan rallies et all. Do u think the US gives a damn about that? they could care less.

There is another angle to it. I don't know if you have read but the sinn fein leader has got quite a snub this time around becasue some of his own country people have been lobbying for changes. Same way as the coalition against genocide did it against modi. The website is at http://www.coalitionagainstgenocide.org/. You could just say that the sangh parivar's lobbyists were not as as persuasive as the anti-sangh group of Indians. So its basically another group of Indians who are claiming victory. what do u think about that ???

Ulysses

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Hey uly,
Being a devils advocate u seems aruging well. but the fact is if a country is not granting a visa for a top level people(political) in a country the reson should be good. The country cann't jude a person from another country. doesnt matter if modi is good or bad, but india IPC had judged the case, so if they try to prosecute him on any basis its not far on indian law.
I agree with you and i know US govt wont give a damn about this, but still there are so many eurpoean and arab nations condemed the act of invasion(iraq war). But still no one did this for bush ...

This arguement will continue for ever, but the fact is no country should judge a person other than his own country.. Granting a visa should strictly follow the immigration law. If modi has a criminal case against him or any other criminal records on can be used as evidence to cancel his visa application.

According to my knowldege there is no case filed against modi in US as well, so seems not far, US is trying to prove a point that, americans are superior than other human races.... which i strongly disagree.

Rubesh

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it s a right judgement

it s not an insult to India. it s great judgement whether he s big politician or small man like us see u guys, oneday our primeminister may also be denied VISA days have come for BJP PM, they politicize it ofcourse it s a lesson to other country and other politicians/business man/anyone in india

i welcome US judgement
Guru

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and ruby good point mate.. uly it is not that modi is good or bad it is wrong for uncle sam to say that he is bad and ugly (and citing from NHRSC as reason) and so he is denied visa into u.s. as if u.s is a very peace loving country and they haven't done anything bad in this world. i get irritated when they try to act as the salt of the earth but the fact is they are not. I know we will have a lot of disscussion, it is not about modi or BJP or sang parivar or other religius or 'extremists' group. it is the way in which the govt of u.s thinks about an indian. they want to prove their superiority which i honestly dislike. and what i read in the nhrsc findings were, modi didn't do all he can do to stop the riots. and that is wrong. and it never said he had hand in the killings. i agree that being the c.m he should have done more. but again it is an internal matter within india and indians.

Here in northern ireland there was a killing of a person and IRA men were involved in that so when normnally on 'St.Patricks day' president will invite Sinn fein leader but he didn't do it this time because of political honesty(idu oru porvai). and one more thing IRA has funding from people of united staes and that is why govt of u.s doesn't see killing of people in united kingdom as genocide. rather a religious upliftment. and what about musharaff.. is he not responsible for the wiping out of the whole kashmiri pandits in jammu and kashmir. but there are no governing body to see this because it comes under freedom of kashmir. and is he not a terrorist(he got hold of the government in a coup. ofcourse, which is wrong if it happened in india)

Badri
0915 hrs GMT

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Modi, the C.M of Gujarat was elected democratically to lead the state ....unlike Musharraf, he didn’t orchestrate a coup nor did he win with very less percentage of difference like Bush(vs Al Gore)...Pity with an IDIOT at the helm of affairs US is suffering!!!

MKarthik

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Hey guys,
I do agree with you that double standards have been used here. What it all boils down to is politics and who needs who more. They allow the saudis who are at the forefront of religious persecution to come in becasue they need their oil. They need musharraf a dictator and the head of a religious state to come in becasue of afghanistan. They allow Sinn Finn to come in because the Irish have a strong lobby in the US and they don't casuse genocide. While Modi needs the US to invest in his state!

Ruby the Americans did use the immigration laws to deny the visa, it was not a ad hoc decision. I agree that they haven't followed the same yardstick for everybody. If as you say they were judgin him, then there would have been a suit filed in a court in America. One more thing you have to remember is the Modi was democratically elected in India and not America. I believe that every country has the soverign right to decide who is welcome and who is not. If any Indian immigration law prevented George Bush form getting a visa then it can be used. Also you cannot claim that the american's think that they are superior, because it was the Indian lobby in the US that pushed the state department to not grant the visa. So it only goes to show the growing strength of the Indians here. The global Indian finally does care what happens back home!

Badri you seem to have mistake terrorism for genocide, what happened in Gujrat in 2002 was a mini genocide, the IRA didn't come even close to it. Becasue the IRA was never in power. And about musharraf, nothing like what happened in Gujrat happened in pakistan. Kashmir is part of India and its the terrorist who should be canned for it. Musharraf is responsible for it though, but its a technicality and has been overlooked.

Ulysses

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The part I liked about this discussion was that the participants were from all parts of the globe. I am here in the US, Badri is in UK, Rubesh in Australia while Kartik, Guru and Anitha are in different parts of India.

Would love to hear if anybody else has any other opinion to add ...

What about Easter?

The legal case of Terri Schiavo is over but the political and moral debate is just starting. Almost all pro-life proponent has taken this case as a personal cause. But the majority of the people have felt that the rhetoric has gone overboard more so the political establishment which went to great pains to have the feeding tube reinserted.

In all this the person Terri Schiavo has been forgotten, and she has been used by a lot of vested groups. I do agree that there are really concerned people who want the feeding tube reinserted but the fact remains that this case has become a political side show. Though after the time poll was released the government decided to stay out of the family business. Now it is the time for self appointed protectors of the Christian faith to protest strong enough so as to closed down the neighboring school.

I have been sounding like a cynic in quite a few of the lost posts beating up on some groups without offering any solution. So, I stop ranting on the Terri Schiavo case by just asking, the parents who are deeply religious and cite it as a reason for them not allowing the tube to be removed, wouldn't everlasting glory be better than this short stay on earth? I will not pretend that I feel what they feel, because I haven't lost anybody that close to me yet. So I just pray that they can find peace.

This brings me to the question about how much power the media really has? If they has given the people dying in Sudan or lots of other places as much coverage as Terri Schiavo, wouldn't it have made a difference in a thousands of people's life? Its a question we will never know an answer to till we stop just thinking about our immediate surroundings and start thinking about everybody!

I know that I mentioned that I am going to be posting a discussing I had with a few people over a Chief Minister from India being denied Visa to the US. But I was kind of tied up this weekend. Had a few friends visit me from Ohio so had to show them around St. Louis. Also I had to see the city for myself. The main accomplishment was ice skating, pictures of which I shall post here soon.

Hope everyone had a good Easter ...

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

Dead or alive .... 2

The Terri Schiavo is still dragging throught the courts. Her feeding tube has been removed for the last 5 days and according to the doctors she can only survive for a week or two after the feeding tube has been removed. There have been many dramatic twists and turns in the last few days. The US congress and the state legislature have tried all they could while the courts (both state and federal) have refused to budge from their position. It has become a very emotive issue with the parents and the pro life lobby claiming that the doctors are wrong and the Terri could recover from her brain dead state, while the husband the pro choice supporters (with the courts) claiming that she would not want to be kept artificially alive. I personally don't know which side to choose. I do believe in the sanctity of life but at the same time would I like to be kept artificially alive? Absolutely not, allow me to meet my maker. And since I do not want to take sides I would ask the reader to form his own opinion.

The only foot note I would like to add to this is if the starving deaths that are occurring be given the same amount of TV time so we could save some naturally alive people. Maybe the government that made such an exception for Terri would do something for the hundreds of Sudanese or we would have 1994 be repeated again ...

continued ...

Dead or Alive ...

That seems to be the question on everyone's mind about the Terri Schiavo case going on in Florida. This case has been generating heat for quite sometime. And for those of you not following it or those not in this continent here is the gist ...

Terri Schiavo has been brain dead for the last fifteen years, she can breath on her own but she gets food through a tube. Her husband wants this tube removed so she can die with dignity, he claims that she had mentioned to him that she would never want to be kept alive artificially. While her parents want her to be artificially kept alive hoping that someday there would be a cure for her. The courts have ordered the tubes removed thrice, the latest was last week. The government doesn't want to do that, they have brought in laws and used other tactics to reinstate the tube and keep Terri alive. The doctors meanwhile claim that she is in a "persistent vegetative state" with no hope for recovery

The politicians aren't wanting to keep the feeding out of concern for Terri but more to pander to their electorate. There have been lots of bizarre twists in this case, the Florida law that was passed last time by Jeb Bush was deemed illegal by the state's supreme court. And a few people had also offered Terri's husband upto 10 million to let go of his rights and divorce her. Right now there are candle light prayers being conducted outside the hospital and the governor's mansion. The irony of this situation is that most people who want Terri to be kept alive artificially would also support the death penalty, which is claimed by some to be state sponsored murder.

What it all ultimately comes down to between the "right to die cases", death penalty and abortion, is who decides on what is murder and what is not. It many not be all black and white, actually its grey mostly. Take for instance the death penalty, I personally think that its a good deterrence, heck as the women's organization in India want, we need to hang all rapists. And I think most of the religious right would agree with me. The Catholic church is one of the strongest opponents of the death penalty i.e they don't want anybody hanged unless they have been charged with heresy or during the process of inquisition(Joking about the later part).

Joking apart, this is a real ethical issue. You want to keep a person alive in a vegetative state and want to save the unborn embryo but at the same time hang criminals (That after keeping them alive at considerable cost to the tax payer). As this statement applies mostly to the religious right (to which I belong some of the times) in most countries, I wonder whether God has given them (I am also included in 'them') a special right to decide on when a person is fit to live. The previous statement does not apply to the catholic denomination of Christians as they oppose the death penalty. But their support needs to be taken with a pinch of salt as the church has been on of the strongest and most wide users of the death penalty during the middle ages. The politicians do not lag behind, even their stand has been dependent on the mood of the nation, pandering to the electorate. They want to keep alive a person who is in a vegetative state with their 'righteous indignation' while half of them support abortion (Killing of embryos) and the other half support the death penalty.

to be continued ...

Fish Count for the day - 12/20 - Day 7

"The death penalty can be tolerated only by extreme statist reactionaries, who demand a state that is so powerful that it has the right to kill."
Noam Chomsky