In Bloom Photography posted a photo: So, I can imagine you’re wondering why I posted a picture of a Polish Chocolate bar for my Picture of the day. =P Today I decided I would work on my object photography. =) It seems like a simple enough thing to do, but I would like to get better at it.
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20/365 Grzeski
Worship has sometimes been stripped of ritual rules and devices like incense, vestments and the liturgical calendar in order to focus on instruction for practicing faith in the workaday world. Of these two tendencies, many churches nowadays seek a balance within to their traditions and today’s needs.
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All religions have in common the value of worship
Paul Harvey Apparently this is religion in early/colonial America week here at the blog! Recently I had occasion to re-survey some of the literature about the California missions, especially one of my favorite recent works of scholarship, Steven Hackel’s Children of Coyote, Missionaries of Saint Francis: Indian-Spanish Relations in Colonial California, 1769-1850 , for my money the most thorough scholarly study of the subject, full of painstakingly constructed data sets from mission records — the book is reviewed at length, and quite thoughtfully, here. Religious studies scholar Quincy Newell’s new book on native life and religious practice at a California mission is now out, and it came to my attention via the Choice review reprinted below. Her work brings ethnographic and religious studies methods to bear on the subject, and zeroes in on one mission in particular.
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Constructing Lives at Mission San Francisco
A Utah judge has set a date for an extradition hearing for imprisoned polygamous church leader Warren Jeffs , who is facing multiple felony charges in Texas. The cult leader refused to sign extradition papers delivered to him last month at the Utah State Prison by Texas authorities.
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Extradition hearing set for polygamist sect leader
The New York City community board endorsed the Cordoba House, a community center and mosque planned for construction near Ground Zero. Significant opposition has emerged against the project. Sarah Palin even weighed in this weekend, tweeting, “Peace-seeking Muslims, pls understand, Ground Zero mosque is UNNECESSARY provocation; it stabs hearts.
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A mosque near ground zero?
A councillor is facing a disciplinary hearing after calling the Church of Scientology “stupid” in a post on the Twitter website. Wales’ public standards watchdog said John Dixon is likely to have breached the code of conduct for local authority members with his short message last year. Religion News Blog, whose publishers consider Scientology to be a destructive cult, often files news about the organization under the header ‘hate group’ — in light of the cult’s lengthy history of hate- and harassment activities.
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Councillor faces inquiry over ‘stupid’ Scientologists tweet
In doing this, though, the accommodationists will have to ignore the second question above: the 40% of people who admit to biblical literalism don’t need atheists in order to reject evolution. Biblical literalists think that they have …
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Christian Lies Lead to Widespread Ignorance About Evolution, Science
Today’s Chronicle of Higher Education reports on efforts launched in Germany to integrate its large, mostly-Turkish, Muslim population. A key part of the plan is to create a generation of German-trained imams. The German Council of Science and Humanities is creating a group of academic institutes at state-financed colleges to critically examine Islamic theology and teach it in a German university setting to future imams, male and female religious teachers, public intellectuals, scholars and faith-based social workers.
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Germany Plans University Level Programs To Train Muslim Religious Leaders
The Tyee this week is running a 5-part series excerpted from Marci McDonald’s The Armegeddon Factor on how the Christian right is building political power in Canada.
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Paper Carries Series On Conservative Christian Moves On Education In British Columbia
A RLUIPA lawsuit was filed last week against the Borough of Pemberton, New Jersey by the Apostolic Church of Deliverance that applied for a zoning variance over six months ago. According to a press release yesterday from Mauck & Baker, the law firm which filed the suit, Borough officials have clearly indicated that they will deny the application from the largely African-American church.
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RLUIPA Lawsuit Challenges Delay In Formal Zoning Variance Denial
I just finished reading the most recent book of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Toward a True Kinship of Faiths: How the World’s Religions Can Come Together . The Dalai Lama is someone for whom I have tremendous respect and admiration. I continue as a Christian to benefit from his writings, as I benefitted as a Buddhist listening to his oral teachings during the time I lived in Nepal and India.
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The Dalai Lama on Kinship (Not Identity) of Faiths and Peaceful Coexistence
This past weekend, my husband, our daughter and I flew to Sacramento to spend several days with my husband’s mom and dad. Also joining us at the house was my spouse’s brother, his girlfriend and my husband’s cousin, his wife and twin daughters and their grandma, who is my husband’s mother’s sister. Hunh? Are you confused yet? Double hunh? I guess it isn’t important I name all of the players, yet it is. You see, I have been praying for the salvation of many of these people for more than 18 years.
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This is Why I Am Married to an Unbeliever
When we take a biblical passage and study it in order to understand it, and then to be able to preach it, we need a variety of skills. This post (and tomorrow’s) isn’t an attempt to exhaustively define the exegetical process, but rather a selection of elements that may prompt your self-awareness in this process – perhaps you’re weaker in one area than another, perhaps you need a reminder to include something. Feel free to add thoughts too, this is brief and non-exhaustive! Whole Bible Awareness – We don’t rip out the page we are studying, but read in light of the context. We need to think consciously about how the passage fits in the progress of revelation, what the “informing theology” is that feed into the passage, as well as how the big narrative of Scripture develops after the passage. Scholarly Awareness – We aren’t the definitive measure of truth, but do well to engage with others in informed conversation as we study a passage. So we utilise commentaries and reference tools of various kinds, but we can’t rely on them (or just reproduce them – God has called you to preach to these people this Sunday, not FF Bruce, CH Spurgeon or John Calvin.) Original Language Study – Whenever possible, to the extent of our ability, we should do the serious work of passage study in reference to the original language. This doesn’t guarantee a better message. In fact, one of the most important things about original language study is that we must know our limitations. Sometimes there’s nothing worse for a sermon than someone with a year or two of serious study behind them, or even just a copy of Vine’s next to them at their desk, offering original language insights in a sermon. If you are able, or if not, then utilising the skill of others, allow original language study to inform your English sermon . . .
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Varied Skills in Passage Study
In today’s Wii-filled electronic game age, the hottest-selling summer pastimes are true throwbacks. No batteries or power cord necessary. MICHAEL ALLEN JONES mjones@sacbee.com
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Outdoor games – including safer versions of old faves – are simply good, green fun
Syria’s education minister has issued a decree banning women on university campuses from wearing veils that cover their faces. The minister’s decree follows a decision last month to dismiss 1200 Syrian school teachers who wear the face veil in class. Education officials, at the time, stressed that Syria was a “secular society,” and that extremism is “unacceptable.”
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Syrian Education Minister Bans Full Face Veils in Universities
Yossele Rosenblatt, known as the Jewish Caruso, died in 1933, but a Brooklyn devotee has made CDs of the cantor’s 78s without the crackles.
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Bit by Electronic Bit, a Great Cantor Is Restored
Editors note: This is the first in a series of dispatches sent by Seguins John Gesick who has returned to Vietnam for the first time since the war this time with his son Patrick.
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Vietnam trip starts in Hanoi
Another District #51 Extended Learning session is now one for the history books. The five-week summer session was designed to get students scores in core subjects up to or beyond proficiency.
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COOL CLASSROOMS: Putting zing into Zen
I’m cleaning out the great mass of books on my shelves in the vain hope of getting some order in my life. Of course I got stuck early on by re-reading well treasured books that have been gathering too much dust on the shelves.
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Samuel Wilberforce and the first General Convention on the Episcopal Church beginnings.
Editor’s Note: A previous reference and post on the Pilgrims provoked a flurry of emails from scholars and others quite passionate on the subject.
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Strangers and Pilgrims, Travellers and Sojourners
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar’s petition challenging a trial court’s order to frame charges against him in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. Former Outer Delhi MP Sajjan Kumar is facing prosecution in two cases in which he has been accused of inciting a mob against Sikh community in the aftermath of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination on October 31, 1984, leading to killings of several persons. In the order, Justice Vipin Sanghi questioned the motive of Delhi Police for cancelling the FIR against the politician when the matter was still being probed by the CBI
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HC dismisses Sajjan Kumar’s plea in anti-Sikh riots case
Gerald Otahal arrived at death row early on a recent Thursday morning, ready for his regular visit to counsel and pray with condemned inmate Gregory Wilson. What happened next left Otahal puzzled – guards turned him away at the door with instructions to go home as the Kentucky Department of Corrections cracks down on pastoral visits at the Kentucky State Penitentiary.
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Kentucky prison restricts pastoral visits to inmates
Suspected Muslim militants shot and killed two Christian men who were due to appear in court on charges of blasphemy against Islam in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Brothers Sajid Emmanuel, 30, and Rashid Emmanuel, 32, were assassinated by masked gun men Monday, July 19, inside a district court building in the city of Faisalabad.
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Pakistan Christians Shot Dead By Pakistan Militants
ndonesia’s top Islamic body says it may forbid followers from drinking the world’s most expensive coffee — extracted from the dung of a civet cat — over concerns it is unclean. Indonesian Muslim groups have been criticized for issuing a raft of fatwa covering the spectrum of human behavior though they have no legal standing and are often ignored by most.
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Indonesia Muslim group may ban Kopi Luwak, world’s most expensive coffee
The New York Times reported last week that the impending end of the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is creating a new group of putative conscientious objectors. The Center on Conscience & War, which counsels GI’s seeking to become conscientious objectors, has begun to receive calls from members of the military who say they consider homosexuality an abomination and want to become a conscientious objector because they cannot serve alongside gay soldiers
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GI’s Who Oppose Homosexuality Beginning To Look At CO Status As DADT To End
Yesterday’s Tulsa World reports that Oklahoma’s Nov. 2 ballot will include State Question 755 which would amend the state constitution to prohibit state courts from considering or using international law or Sharia law. ( Ballot language .) Titled by the legislature the “Save Our State Amendment” ( full text of HJR 1056), the proposed amendment reads: The courts provided for in subsection A of this section, when exercising their judicial authority, shall uphold and adhere to the law as provided in the United States Constitution, the Oklahoma Constitution, the United States Code, federal regulations promulgated pursuant thereto, established common law, the Oklahoma Statutes and rules promulgated pursuant thereto, and if necessary the law of another state of the United States provided the law of the other state does not include Sharia law, in making judicial decisions
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Oklahoma’s November Ballot Will Include Constituitonal Amendment To Bar Courts’ Use of Sharia Law
Yesterday’s Washington Times reports that a new education law enacted in Sweden last month will limit both home schooling and religious practices in “Confessional schools.” The aim of the new law is to make schools across Sweden more uniform in offering a comprehensive and objective education. Home schooling will be banned other than in exceptional circumstances such as health reasons of distance from a school
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Sweden’s New Education Law Restricts Confessional Schools and Home Schooling