GO TO SOURCE ALLAHABAD, INDIA: Periodical fairs or Melas are held by Hindus to honor of Gods or Goddesses. The most important of these is the Kumbha Mela which may have originated as a meeting place for the main religious heads who could lay down canons for the whole community as Hinduism has no supreme hierarchical head. A large number…
GO TO SOURCE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, January 14, 2001: A school-based program that discourages television and video game use makes grade-school children less aggressive, a Stanford University study suggests. While previous research has linked exposure to media violence with increased aggression, few potential solutions have been evaluated, the authors said. Their findings indicate “that the effects of televised violence in kids…
GO TO SOURCE CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS, January 9, 2001: Churchgoers are donating an increasingly smaller share of their incomes. The percentage of income Protestant Christians give fell from 3.1% in 1968 to 2.5% in 1998, according to Empty Tomb, a research group in Champaign, Illinois. That means church members gave $4 billion less in 1998 than they would have if they…
GO TO SOURCE BOMBAY, INDIA, January 8, 2001: Traditionalists of the Oriya community in Bombay who worship Lord Jagannath at the Puri temple, have vocalized their disapproval of recent ISKCON activities. Deities from the temple were paraded in chariots amidst cheering and dancing for the second time in the year 2000. Protesting that ISKCON devotees lack respect for the culture…
GO TO SOURCE TIBET, CHINA, January 8, 2001: Fleeing their homeland to preserve their religious freedom due to Chinese government repression, Tibetan Clergy, women and children are seeking peace in new lands. The oppressive environment advocated by the government includes such atrocities as illegal raids on houses to destroy religious altars, forced sterilization of women, lack of educational opportunities for…
GO TO SOURCE JAMMU, INDIA, January 7, 2001: In the year 2000, an additional 547,0000 pilgrims were able to partake in the darshan at the holy cave shrine of Vaishno Devi. The Chief Executive Officer of the Devi Shrine board attributes the increase to religious devotion as well as more amiable accommodations available for devotees.
GO TO SOURCE NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 8, 2001: Hopeful of eradicating or reducing poverty, hunger and malnutrition in India by the year 2020, the 88th Indian Science Congress has approved the production of genetically modified (GM) foods. In conjunction with protecting the environment and the rich bio-diversity of India, the technology will be tested in laboratories before reaching the…
Source: Asian Age JAMMU & KASHMIR, INDIA, January 7, 2001: 2000-year-old temples dedicated to Lord Siva are about to crumble with neglect unless the Archaeological Survey of India steps in. Due to unstable government in the state, restoration has been abandoned. The Naranag temples were built with megaliths, huge undressed stones, that were placed with precision. The result was geometrically…
GO TO SOURCE KABUL, AFGHANISTAN January 8, 2001: Hard line Taliban rulers who enforce strict Islamic law in Afghanistan have announced that the death penalty will be imposed on Muslims converting to another religion. Similarly anyone trying to convert a Muslim will experience the same fate. However, followers of other religions are allowed to practice their faith without being ostracized.…
GO TO SOURCE GOA, INDIA, January 9, 2001: Backed by the Goa Environment Federation and the Local Authorities, the Goa government has banned the use of plastics in the state starting in May 2001. Plastic can be neither burnt nor buried resulting in a problem for the product’s proper disposal. Citizens are supporting the Chief Minister’s progressive decision. An special…