Religion News ServiceSURFSIDE, FLORIDA, April 21, 2004: An appeals court has ruled that the town of Surfside, Fla., violated a religious land-use law when it excluded churches and synagogues from zoning areas where it permitted private clubs. The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled April 21 that Surfside violated the equal-terms provision of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized…
SourceSANUR, BALI, April 22, 2004: Keeping the “make money” motto in front of every thing is destroying the world’s beautiful cultural heritages. International chain hotels in Bali are one of many examples of such wave. Gongers (traditional Gamelan musicians) are treated in their own country as worthless, underpaid and not much respected. They are being discriminated in their own country…
Agence France PressJHABUA, INDIA, April 18, 2004: Elections have intensified conflict between Christians and Hindus in this remote tribal area, according to the article by Agence France Press wire service. In one notable section, it says, “Some Hindu nationalists openly campaign against Christian missionaries, who they argue are altering the historic religious makeup of India through conversions. ‘In five years,…
Rajiv MalikUJJAIN, INDIA, April 22, 2004: Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik reported by phone yesterday to the Hinduism Today office in Hawaii that the April 22 bathing day had gone on smoothly with upwards of two million devotees taking a sacred bath in the river. He said this was a lower number than April 19th bathing day, which was considered…
SourceGUYANA, April 21, 2004: The University of Guyana Hindu Society (UGHS) is scheduled to hold a symposium on April 29 and 30 on the theme “The Message of Hinduism: Its Relevance in Conflict Ridden Times.” A release from the society said that prominent Hindu leaders would make presentations on various sub-themes and social issues of contention at the symposium which…
Crosswalk.comU.S.A., April 19, 2004: A recent study by Duke University and the Foundation for Child Development found that the emotional and spiritual well-being of children in the U.S. has not improved since the 1980s. The study found that children today, although safer than they were nearly 30 years ago, are more likely to be obese, impoverished, suicidal and living in…
Religion News ServiceApril 20, 2004: Religious differences fuel many of the world’s violent conflicts, detractors and supporters of organized faith often lament in unison, says this article. Author Jonathan Kirsch narrows this charge. He blames the leading monotheistic religions–Judaism, Christianity and Islam–for much of history’s bloodshed. The reason, he maintains, is their brand of monotheism with its traditional claim to…
SourceUJJAIN, INDIA, April 19, 2004: Starting from midnight, some 3.5 million devotees took their holy dip at the Kshipra river on the banks of Mahakaleshwar temple here today on the occasion of the Amavaysa in the ongoing Simhastha Mahakumbh mela. The crowds have arrived here in trains and buses, landing at the satellite towns some four-five kilometers away from the…
HPIUJJAIN, INDIA, April 21, 2004: Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik and photographer Thomas Kelly reported by phone from the Kumbha Mela grounds yesterday to the Hinduism Today office in Kauai, Hawaii. Rajiv said the 3.5 million devotees for the bath on the 19th was by far the largest crowd ever in Ujjain. “There were so many people,” he said, “the…
SourceCAMBODIA, April 21, 2004: Swiss architects and students are braving the heat and dust to help restore an ancient Khmer temple in the heart of Cambodia. The aim of the project is to preserve the crumbling Banteay Srei temple, which is part of a Unesco World Heritage site. “It all started by accident when the former cabinet minister, Jean-Pascal Delamuraz,…