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Alex Jones Show June 19 2011 – World War 3, Google CEO Eric Schmidt ◣◢

On this Sunday Edition of the Alex Jones Show, Alex talk about World War 3, now in implementation stage as Obama ignores the Constitution and Congress in Libya and the US steams warships toward the coast of Syria on the Mediterranean. See Alex’s video, Obama Launching World War III. Alex also covers Google-owned You Tube’s removal of Eric Schmidt at the 2011 Bilderberg Group conference. You Tube removed the “honors” associated with the Alex Jones Channel and prevented the clip from going viral. Alex covers the latest news and takes your calls. ___________________________________________________ infowars.com http prisonplanet.com ___________________________________________________ Alex jones authorizes the use and distribution of his materials for non-profit, educational purposes. Keywords Eric Schmidt World War 3 III Libya Iran Pakistan China Russia Afghanistan Iraq Egypt Syria North Korea Islam War on terror The Alex Jones Show “Alex Jones” Infowars Prison Planet “Prison Planet” PrisonPlanet “June 19” “6 19” 2011 sunday libyan invasion aircraft carriers Illuminati Conspiracy global government globalism new world order “no world order” bush obama joker endgame NWO anonymous reddit digg delicious youtube video warship Mediterranean bilderberg group conference viral censorship

Scientology Opens Record Number of New Churches Around the World in 2010

Scientology Opens Record Number of New Churches Around the World in 2010











On April 24th, the new Ideal Org of Los Angeles opened its doors


Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) January 28, 2011

In 2010, major Churches of Scientology opened across Europe, North America and Africa.

These new Churches are the realization of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard’s vision, where he prescribed the standard and model for all Churches of Scientology to aspire to in becoming what he called an Ideal Organization (Org). Ideal Orgs are built to provide all services of the Scientology religion while also serving as a home for the community at large for the cooperative advancement of the underprivileged and forsaken of every ethnic and denomination. Ideal Orgs are made possible by the contributions of Scientology parishioners dedicated to uplifting their communities and helping their fellow man.

New Church Grand Openings are attended by thousands of parishioners, guests and dignitaries from across the social spectrum.


    The first new Ideal Org opened in 2010 was the Brussels branch of the Churches of Scientology for Europe, on the 23rd of January. Thousands of guests were on hand from across Europe to cut the ribbon on an 88,000-square-foot historic structure along Boulevard de Waterloo. Among the distinguished guests was the Honorable Hugo Coveliers, Senator in the Belgian Parliament, who addressed those gathered: “This new Church in the capital city of Europe stands as a beautiful testament to your help, and you can be certain of my continued support. You care for people, and this Church is such an example of this attitude.” Since opening, dignitaries from across the European community have visited the Church and toured its massive Public Information Center, comprising hundreds of multimedia presentations illustrating Scientology beliefs (19), the life and legacy of Founder L. Ron Hubbard, and the full array of Church-sponsored social betterment and community outreach programs. (Watch the video: Churches of Scientology for Europe Grand Opening.)

    One week later, on the 30th of January, Scientologists and their guests assembled in Quebec, at the heart of the Nouvo Saint-Roch district to open a new Ideal Org for that city. Many dignitaries participated in the dedication, including the Honorable Pamela Appelt, from the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Development, who declared: “It has been my privilege to work alongside the Church of Scientology for 25 years. Whatever the issue, you have answers that are useful to anyone in public service.” (Watch the video: Church of Scientology of Quebec Grand Opening.)

    The following week, on the 6th of February, came the Grand Opening of the new Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre of Las Vegas. Thousands of Scientologists and community leaders gathered to dedicate the new Ideal Org designed to serve those who work in the entertainment capital of the world. Those taking the podium for the ceremony included United States Congresswoman Shelley Berkley and Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman, who stated: “As the Mayor of the fastest-growing city, I look forward to partnering with you, as the fastest-growing religion.” (Watch the video: Church of Scientology and Celebrity Centre of Las Vegas Grand Opening.)

    On the 26th of March, a new Scientology Life Improvement Centre opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, directly adjacent to the nation’s university. Joining Scientologists for the dedication ceremony were university students, community leaders and government officials. The welcoming address was delivered by Ms. Phumzile Zuma, daughter of the nation’s president. (Watch the video: Johannesburg Scientology Life Improvement Centre Grand Opening.)

    On April 24th, the new Ideal Org of Los Angeles opened its doors. More than 6,000 parishioners and guests celebrated the opening of this Church which stands at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and L. Ron Hubbard Way. Formally welcoming the Church were a host of local and state officials, including State Assembly Member Karen Bass and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, who spoke to the Church’s social betterment programs in his address: “Your drug education means everything to the safety of our schools and neighborhoods. That is why we trained a corps of our own deputies in the use of your unbeatable program. So I want to thank each and every one of you for everything you do in helping me do my job.” (Watch the video:Church of Scientology of Los Angeles Grand Opening.)

    On the 10th of July, the National Scientology Organization opened in Mexico City. More than 7,000 Scientologists and guests attended the dedication of this first Scientology Ideal Org in Latin America, in a fully restored cultural landmark that stands near Mexico’s National Fine Arts Palace and the Supreme Court. Here, too, officials took the opportunity to recognize the Church and its social betterment programs. Ms. Laura Chapa from the Federal Ministry of Education addressed the gathering by stating: “I believe that with the opening of this new Organization, leaders of all sectors of society will have the same realization I had: that you have the solution. And so I also believe that what will come from this new Organization is a turning point for our nation.” (Watch the video: National Scientology Organization for Mexico Grand Opening.)

    On the 17th of July, an assemblage of 4,200 parishioners and guests filled the streets to inaugurate the new Church of Scientology of Pasadena. The heritage of the 58,000-square-foot historic Victorian landmark is preserved in the fully restored structure, including the classic four-story atrium galleria, and the interior Chapel featuring Tiffany-inspired stained glass windows as a backdrop for Scientology religious services and community gatherings. Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard was among the notable guests who participated in the dedication ceremonies: “With this beautifully restored structure in Old Pasadena, the Church of Scientology represents not only a growing religion, but an important factor in the future of this city.” (Watch the video: Church of Scientology of Pasadena Grand Opening.)

    On the 24th of July, parishioners and their guests congregated just blocks from the Seattle Center and Space Needle for the opening of the new Church of Scientology of Washington State. Among those welcoming the new Church was State Supreme Court Justice Richard Sanders, with whom the Church has partnered in the field of human rights for 35 years: “There is nothing more important in life than being true to yourself and standing up for what you believe. That is freedom, and that is what makes life worth living. And that, to me, is what you represent.” (Watch the video: Church of Scientology of Washington State Grand Opening.)
____________________

In the last five years, the implementation of Mr. Hubbard’s vision for Ideal Orgs has resulted in 22 new Churches. An additional 60 buildings are currently under construction or renovation to house Ideal Orgs scheduled to open over the next two years.

____________________

The Scientology religion was founded by author and philosopher L. Ron Hubbard. The first Church of Scientology was formed in the United States in 1954 and has today expanded to more than 9,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 165 countries.

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The Indispensable Century ? The Arab Revolution: What Would Freedom Bring To The Arab World? Part Three

Every successful country whether in the West or Asia has two things going for them: they have a well educated population and strong institutions. The two major things lacking in all Arab countries. There is high youth unemployment in all Arab countries however, at the same time when you visit those same countries, they have a high influx of foreign workers. Why is that so? To put it bluntly the Arabs lack the skills to perform those tasks themselves.

They claim to have an educated population yet their leaders send their kids to the West for school because they know all too well that their school systems are crap. Who drills the oil from the ground in Saudi Arabia and other oil rich Arab states? Westerners of course.

These articles might sound to some as if I am saying that it is a wrong thing to remove the likes of Gadhafi or Assad, that is not what I am saying.  What I am saying is removing those guys alone will not solve the Arab problem. It needs to be seen as a first step towards creating a 21st century society in the Arab world. It is like a person who wants to lose weight by just dieting. For sure dieting is a good first step however, it has to be followed by exercise, stress reduction etc.

For the Arab revolution, spring-awakening, or whatever they would like to call it, to succeed revolutionary leaders have to level up with their people the fact that they have to change. The first step in that process would be the separation of religion and state. Religion and state is oil and water it is a poisonous combination. The second step is education. They must admit that their current level of education is unfit to compete in a 21st century market place. Thirdly they need to build institutions that do not depend on a single charismatic leader.

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In the film: “The Way Back” there was a very interesting scene when the escaped prisoners arrive at the border crossing out of the Soviet Union. Colin Farrel changed his mind and said he was not leaving the Soviet Union any longer. Jim Sturgess’s  asked him in an attempt to convince him “What about freedom?” “Freedom” Colin Farrel repeated and asked “What would I do with freedom?” Bear in mind this guy had just risked his life escaping from a Siberian prison, fought wild animals along the way, almost froze to death in the cold and came to the brink of starvation for freedom and now he is asking what would he do with freedom.

Maybe this is a good lesson for the Arabs as they conduct their fight for freedom. What are they going to do with this freedom that they are willing to kill themselves and destroy their countries for? Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Angola and many African countries killed thousands of their compatriots for freedom, what have they done with the freedom? Am I saying the Arabs should live under brutal dictatorship no that is not what I am saying all I am saying is think of the final destination before embarking on the journey.

Those in the West who are bankrolling the Arabs quest for freedom must ask themselves what do they think the Arabs are going to do with the freedom. Or what do they expect them to do with the freedom? Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, to justify intervention in the Balkans conflict, said “this generation must draw the line”. Have they drawn the line? Dead men walking Sarkozy and Berlusconi are using the Arab suffering to gain political capital and persuade their people that they are helping.

When the independent movement swept across Africa, Britain and France hastily granted Africans freedom without giving them the tools with which to navigate that freedom.  50 years after most African countries gained their independence, they still cannot feed themselves. The West is repeating the same mistake rushing to help the Arabs gain freedom without giving them the tools with which to navigate that freedom.

When I look into my crystal ball what I see is this: ten years after gaining the freedom there would be angry and disenchanted young men roaming the streets of the Arab world feeling hopeless and desperate. Where would they direct their anger? Pick your bet: at the West. You cannot give people freedom without the tools with which to navigate that freedom, that is tempting the gods.

“We have no history only the past that keeps repeating itself”. Ten years from now when those angry young men ask the question what would I do with freedom, I hope someone has an answer ready for them.

 

Romeo Richards is the CEO of Retail Profit Protection Experts a division of Richards International Group (RIG). Romeo is a co-author of the bestselling retail loss prevention book: 84%: The most effective strategy for retail profit protection. For more articles, whitepaper, best practices guide and ebooks written by Mr. Romeo Richards please visit: http//www.theprofitexperts.co.uk.

 

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Petition: Asylum in a secular country for Kacem El Ghazzali www.gopetition.com you can also help by donation: Paypal: secularismforeducation@gmail.com Kacem’s youtube channel www.youtube.com bahmut.blogspot.com (Arabic blog) atheistica.wordpress.com ( English blog) mentioned: Eopyk’s video: www.youtube.com Eopyk: www.youtube.com IHateAllReligions: www.youtube.com thanks for watching…

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Inside Obama’s “Orwellian World” Where Whistleblowing Has Become Espionage: The Case of Thomas Drake

DemocracyNow.org – National Security Agency whistleblower Thomas Drake faces 35 years in prison on espionage charges for allegedly leaking information to the press about the NSA’s overspending and failure to properly maintain its large trove of domestic spy data. “Espionage is the last thing my whistleblowing and first amendment activities and actions were all about,” Drake said recently in a public speech. “This has become the specter of a truly Orwellian world where whistleblowing has become espionage.” According to the New Yorker, the Obama administration has used the Espionage Act of 1917 to press criminal charges in five alleged instances of national security leaks—more such prosecutions than have occurred in all previous administrations combined. We play excerpts of Thomas Drake’s first public comments and talk to former Justice Department whistleblower, Jesselyn Radack. To download the video/audio podcast, read the transcript, or for more from Democracy Now! on this breaking story, visit: www.democracynow.org FOLLOW US: Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @democracynow Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit www.democracynow.org

Crisis in World Economy and the Proposed New Model for Sustainable Development

Crisis in World Economy and the proposed New Model for sustainable development.

The ongoing turmoil in world economy raised the doubt that present model of capitalism cannot be sustained for environmental and social reasons. Respected thinkers and scientists have pointed to this reality. Now we should look ahead to a new system that is sustainable and humane. Otherwise whatever wealth is created would be wiped out by environmental disasters and social upheavals. Whole system is complicated by lack of transparency. It is not clear where all the money gets invested. Hedge funds are cloaked in secrecy- even bailout money has disappeared with no effect to the economy. Even now nobody knows which are the real bad toxic assets, so stock market is also not recovering.

In this treatise some key issues in this crisis are discussed and a new  model is proposed that will engineer a balanced global society  globally conscious, active and sustainable.   

Regarding overpaid CEOs

Let us ponder over some news those captured the attention across the globe. Washington Mutual Chief Executive Alan Fishman could walk away with more than 18 million dollar in salary, bonuses and severance after less than three weeks on the job as golden parachute from flight WaMu in danger, according to the terms of his employment agreement. Lehman Brothers was handing out 23 million dollar to three executives just days before it collapsed. It paid 2.5 BILLION dollar bonus fund after failing. CEO of American Express saw his pay go up much more than double although shares price nosedived. Hewlett Packard CEO destroyed half the wealth of her investors and yet still earned almost 100 million dollars in total payments. Exactly same is the case with Informix Software CEO. The list goes on and on. It means what?  This isn’t a diatribe against CEO pay. Point is failure has become a recipe for financial success of CEOs especially in America by virtue of their intelligent manipulation and abuse of power.  Martin Whitman, economist and the great advocate of capitalism opined that apart from corruption another reason as to why a free market situation is probably doomed to failure is very exorbitant levels of executive compensation.

 Regarding free-market economy

I do not think free market is really free. Those who say they favor a free market are speaking in a relative term.  In an absolutely free-market economy, all capital, goods, services, and money flow are unregulated by the government. There is simply no free market yet, given the degree of state intervention in even the most capitalist of countries. For example US government took an 80% stake in AIG in return for an 85 billion dollar investment to save the company. Recent news of Citi bank is being given a bail out package of 326 billion dollars and Jaguar’s requirement of 1 billion pound for sustaining economic meltdown are significant. Under pure capitalist theory, none of these actions should’ve been taken; the government should have stood by idly while the economy tanked. So how can a free market be free if it’s regulated?  The fall out of free market economy such as black Market, underground economy, Drug trade essentially justifies government’s intervention to remedy the situation and establishes the argument against free market as an impractical ideal that engenders vested wealthy interests. Experiments in absolute adherence to free market principles evince signal failures in Military, Road, Health Care, Civic Amenities, Education, R & D etc. Free- market economy is a fantasy – outside of the bounds of reality in a complex system with opposing interests and different distributions of wealth. Time and again world is realizing this fact is a harder way. Hence I align with those critics who are in favour of a planned economy  as advocated by socialism and who associate markets with greed  as the basis of capitalism. I believe it is inherently immoral. More over one practical objection is that free market economy does not take into account the externalities i.e. effects of transactions that affect third parties, such as the negative effects of Global Warming that brought world to Apocalypse in foreseeable future. I guess that in well-run industrial economies like Japan, Singapore and China, there is marriage between government and the private sector, each benefiting from the other. Any temporary prosperity on an extremely austere free market concept can crumble like a pack of cards, like it happened in USA.

Regarding Nationalisation and regulation.

 What does the US federal government taking control of financially crumbling mortgage holders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with a bail out package of staggering 800 billion?  Why on the earth Fed and other regulators are coming into the picture particularly for some of those that got overextended with the subprime and other kind of mortgage debt? Nationalization occurs when full or partial control is taken of private financial institutions, usually to avert a crisis. Scandinavian nations successfully averted an economic meltdown through nationalization in the early 1990s, and in recent times. US government is taking similar actions. It looked at the global fallouts and how politically they will be viewed by the world powers. So they bailed out finance industries, but not agreeing so easily to the auto industry. these issues are interlinked with power, military, oil.

 Regarding mortgage financing

It was the proponents of Capitalism who supported advantage of loan facilities and low interest rates for houses to be owned by people at low income group. There was enormous marketing effort to dupe people into it.  Logic was simple. If one buys house, he will also buy complimentary household goods like furniture, Fans, AC, Cars etc. creating a demand pull in the economy. Banks also extended the moratorium on interest and principle up to 5 years to convince the borrowers. When crisis occurs, should we brand common people as “lazy bummers”? Similarly it is unfair to blame the common investors for lost speculative fortune when Stock Market is institutionalized by system as a socially and ethically valid means of income.

Regarding targeting CEOs

In our capitalist system, you’re free to earn what you can, and what the market will bear- this logic does not hold water since big companies are increasingly depending on public money for a bail out. Hence I support newest trend of shareholders in raising questions and putting pressure on boards and compensation committees to make sure compensation is fair but not excessive. The interesting News was that US Law Makers asked blunt questions to CEOs like Wagoner, Nardelli, Mulally of GM, Chrysler and Ford who came to the Capital Hill with a begging bowl for 25 Billion of Tax Payers money, when each one of them preferred to fly in their individual Private Jets, when as many as 24 non stop flights fly daily from Detroit to Washington. Lifestyle and salary should definitely be a valid question when companies are using public money. That is why companies are facing “say on pay” resolutions from shareholders. The board of directors should have taken this role, but instead they normally abdicate it. Most CEOs considers keeping board members happy as their primary duties. For example taking the board members on an all-expenses paid trip to a five-star international resort, allowing his compensation to spiral out of control, which is nothing but intelligent corruption and abuse of power.

Myth regarding the CEOs’ ‘sheer value-add’ in the corporate world.

For a company to become successful entails billions of variables, which are oftentimes beyond the ambit of human ability of one individual. Even with our full regard on Narayanmurthy’s ability, we must accept Infosis’s success was primarily on account of flattening effect of world by Internet revolution in 92.  Jerry Yang, co founder of Yahoo, considered to be a great CEO, had to step down amid mounting pressure from investors after he botched takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. and failed to broker an online advertising agreement with Google Inc. Many CEOs were rated highly for certain techno bubble, which turned out to be utterly divorced from any business purpose whatsoever. Of course there is positive effect too- it attracts lot of investment and accelerates the pace of innovation. The trophy cases of HP CEO with so many industry awards and accolades were crucified for her destructive reign of terror with “Silicon Valley greed.” Hence it is fundamentally wrong to empower one individual so much for the success and failure of an organization. In Japanese and Chinese model, system is ascribed more powerful than an individual.  Once CEOs become all-powerful, their executive staff is reluctant to challenge them. Instead, the natural tendency is for these dominant leaders to become cocooned from reality. They are told only what they want to hear and hear only what they want to be told. Sequestered from the rest of the company, they lose the pulse of the business eventually.

Regarding Capitalism vs. Socialism

By virtue of the extremely clever indoctrination, a spin-off of media advertising especially of US kind, our thought process is getting clouded driving us towards more personal interest, freedom and power than social responsibility. Do we really need large waves of money sloshing daily around the planet for benefit of only a few, waves often generated by speculation capable of dislocating economies? Do we need larger and larger corporations which concentrate economic power into fewer and fewer hands? When seen in this light, capitalism has a shadow side. Economy in its root sense means acquiring the basic material things we need to lead a human life: food, shelter, energy, etc. But this is something quite different than a quest for a so-called higher standard of living. This really is the unending quest for a higher level of consumption. Our material needs are finite. After a certain point we are simply embellishing them. Then we begin to distort them making them the carriers of our own disordered desires.  Recent news of bra and panty for men in Japan is the right example for such disorder. We need shelter but we don’t need 50,000 square feet trophy homes when billions of people can’t even afford a shanty. Now we are living in a time when we don’t even feel shame. We have become so much closeted within ourselves that even with the back up of enormous fortune, we feel unsafe with the slightest possibility of economic meltdown.  Capitalism propels us to become shameless consumers and run our lives according to the design of the contemporary social machine, which foreshadows world destruction, whereas our true nature favours a life closer to nature. If American Capitalism is a kind of religion with its own dogma, then its God is Money and its driving force is Greed.  The fall out of this ruthless system is obscenities of unemployment, homelessness and economic insecurity and hence is not sustainable in its present form. The whole system is designed to make fewer and fewer people richer and richer at the cost of resources of the multitude. It definitely operates below the level of consciousness and no longer works for us.  I understand one very simple thing – goods and services generated in an economy must be shared equitably in a population. Otherwise those who will be deprived will take resort to unethical or socially unacceptable means- theft, dacoity, terrorism, drug, killing, cheating, narrow politics and what not.   Recent examples of everyday terrorism, Piracy, Mao attacks, dark killing are the pointers to this fact.   

Even in USA people are facing dark side of capitalism when blue collar Americans have been losing jobs because of outsourcing and off shoring in the mask of progress for real intention of more profit.  What is the social damage? Skills for manufacturing a certain product developed over the years are getting lost in the society.  Capitalist countries use capitalist ideals as a matter of convenience.  When Government owns hospitals, libraries, transportation systems, utilities, army, Navy, Air Force, forests and national perks- yet, who would call these institutions examples of socialism?  Socialism means a government in which the people collectively own and democratically operate the industries and social services through an economic democracy by ending the waste, duplication and inefficiency of capitalist industries. Under capitalism the industries operate for one purpose – profit maximization. As per Capitalism profit is also a cost, cost of staying in the business. Under Socialism goods are produced for use and to satisfy the needs of all the people. Under this system everyone could live comfortably with no giant gaps between rich and poor. Is it not really humane? Just because a system is not strictly as per lower merits of human nature say greed, it should not be rejected. Socialism talks about higher sense of our human values and existence.  After Industrial resolution act 1956 in India, socialistic pattern of economy in India has produced wonderful developments in sectors till seventies. Hence we can infer that Socialistic system can produce wonderful results under certain conditions and social environment.  However I do agree classical form of Socialism may not take into account of the Individual brilliance and creative pursuit, which is probably its one of its weaknesses.

The New Model

Having said this, we should find out whether there can be a balance between the two systems and what kind of mechanism society should develop so that one can approximate the ideals of good life in his individual life and in the life of community of which he is a member. I feel it is possible to have our modern global economy while being socially, culturally & environmentally responsible at the same time. Society has go through a difficult paradigm shift in personal values, which will instill a degree of awareness in our mind as opposed to the blind, materialistic way we are living.

I have thought of one model that will engineer a balanced global society that is globally conscious, active and sustainable. Way out is to lead humanity by the collective wisdom of most talented people in a society or country- a kind of meritocracy.  Mechanism to harness collective wisdom will be -say for any policy and contentious issue, opinions of most eminent people of the country will be  collected by a network of computers and looking into the wisdom of eminent people who are most knowledgeable on the subject under consideration, decision can be made in real time. Their services can be hired at a cost; they can be selected based on the track record etc. Decisions can be taken in National forum if discussion and debate are warranted. Experiments, research and its implications can be interpreted by eminent people only and that is why collective wisdom as instrumentality for decision support system may be a model worth trying for. One may argue country does not need only dry knowledge culled from books. There must be leaders to make certain things happen. Yes leaders are required. But a leader can be chosen by collective wisdom, which should be supremely empowered. A leader will resort to collective wisdom for at least for major decision. The collective wisdom is likely to veer country to right direction. Humanity has to go though different experiments and whatever evolved as better model will be accepted and perfected in course of time. We should never be blind to state that capitalism or the socialism is the right system with dogmatic finality.

The author is a senior executive in Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and lives in Kolkata with his wife and daughter. He is a Mechanical Engineer with Masters degree in Business management and has 22 years’ of experience in cutting edge technolgies in different companies in India and abroad.

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Religious Freedom in Iraq Called For by World Compassion Petition

(PRWEB) July 20, 2005

Dr. Terry Law, founder of World Compassion, has released a petition calling for the addition a human rights declaration on religious freedom to the new Iraqi constitution.

“It is my opinion that this war in Iraq isn’t over until there is a guarantee of religious freedom and basic human rights in the new constitution being created at this very moment,” said Dr. Law.

Article 18 of the United Nations’ ratified Universal Declaration of Human Rights document states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance.” According to Dr. Law, the addition of freedom of religion to the constitution is necessary in order to uphold basic human rights.

“I believe we have a moral, political, and spiritual responsibility to demand freedom of religion for Iraqis,” said Dr. Law. “Most nations of the civilized world have accepted this UN document. The new Iraqi constitutional committee must do the same.”

Dr. Terry Law will be meeting with Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, as well as members of the Iraqi constitutional committee, during the first week of August 2005, to encourage religious freedom. This trip follows on the heels of Dr. Law’s meeting with the former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and Iraq’s Deputy National Security Advisor Georges Sada in June of 2004.

“We’re not asking that a specific religion be practiced,” said Dr. Law. “We only want to ensure that the Iraqi people have the freedom to choose for themselves.”

The new constitution is scheduled for completion by August 15. World Compassion encourages the signed petitions to be returned by July 25, 2005 so they can be shipped to the Prime Minister’s office in Baghdad in early August.

Visit www.WorldCompassion.tv to download the petition for religious freedom in Iraq and learn about other ways to get involved with World Compassion’s volunteer network.

About World Compassion

World Compassion is a non-denominational, faith-based international organization founded by Dr. Terry Law in 1969 to assist churches in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of people in their communities. For over 35 years, World Compassion has worked specifically in nations that are difficult to access with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Positive results have been achieved through the distribution of Christian literature, food, clothing, medical supplies, school supplies, and through psycho-social counseling among populations devastated by years of war and/or oppressive regimes. World Compassion conducts humanitarian-related projects in education, emergencies, health, family, and religious freedom.

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World Religions

Posted: Sep 09, 2009 |Comments: 0 |

By: Aiysha Jebali

 

World Religion

 

Ancient Hawaiian Culture and Belief Systems

The Hawaiian Islands have not been around long in comparison with the huge 4.5 billion year history of the earth. The first Hawaiian Island to emerge in fact was the island of Kauai, around six million years ago.

The ancient Hawaiians were Polynesians and had a polytheistic religion. Over a period of time the Hawaiians, like the other Polynesians, developed a rather intricate system of Gods and Goddesses of various rank and form.

This web of deities consisted of main Gods and Goddesses, demi-Gods and Goddesses and other various Gods and Goddesses.

They had Six Gods and Two Goddesses. Inclusive of the Gods was the Chief god, Keawe. He was believed to be the original spirit that was present at the birth of the world. Keawe was believed to be the ancestor of all the Gods and Goddesses. The other seven gods that make up the Sacred Eight are Kane (Lord of the West), Nâwâhine (Holy Mother of Heaven or The Moon Goddess), Lono (God of the East and Fertility), Kanaloa (God of the South Pacific Occean), Kû (The God of the North and War), Goddess Papa and God Wâkea (The rulers of Nature).

I find this religion rather fitting and I also think it has quite a few similarities with ancient Egypt’s take on the birth of the world except they just had different names for their Gods and suchlike. I’ve found that with quite a number of ancient religions, ones that would have had no contact with each other and yet they had very similar Earth History and Gods and Goddesses.

Scientology

Scientology was created by an American Author and Humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard. He worked on his life long passion of life and Human Nature to create a new way of life and a higher civilisation.
Scientologists believe that Humans are generally Good, and not evil. The religion holds that Human experiences may cause people to do evil deeds but it is not their basic Nature to be evil. In anyone. They believe, unlike the majority of Religions, that Humans can and should solve their own problems instead of looking to their religion to do so. They do this by increasing knowledge and the ability of the individual so they can improve their own lives.
Mr. Hubbard decided to make a new name for the being or spirit of the individual because there had been so many concepts over the millennia. He decided on the term “thetan” from the Greek letter theta, which was the traditional symbol for thought and life.
Scientologists believe in “Eight Dynamics of Existence”. These are: The Urge to Survive as oneself, The Urge to Survive through Family, Sex and the rearing of Children, The Urge to Survive in groups, The Urge to Survive as Mankind or Humanity as a whole and the final four dynamics are to Survive through other life forms such as Animals, Plants, the Physical Universe, the Spiritual Universe and as Infinity or a Supreme Being respectively.
This more Modern Religion has become very popular rather quickly I have to say. Particularly with such celebrities as Tom Cruise etc. I found it more philosophical than religious to be honest. Not that I’m downing it because I think they have some really intriguing philosophies on life and Humanity.

Islam

The foundation of Islamic belief is found in their doctrine The Qur’an. They believe that these scriptures are infallible and without error. The Qur’an is made up of 114 Surahs (chapters); they are arranged from the longest to the shortest. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the word of God, given to them by Muhammad. They hold that Muhammad was the last and the most perfect of Allah’s (God) messengers.
In addition to the Qur’an, there are also other documents that are referred to by Muslims. These are the Hadith (a compilation of Muhammad’s sayings), The Torat (book of Moses), Suhuf (books of the prophets), Zabur (psalms of Davis) and the Injil (gospel of Jesus). However, they are believed to have been corrupted over the years, unlike the Qur’an.
Islam is based on the Five Articles of Faith and The Five Pillars of Faith.
The Five Articles are the central Doctrines of Islam. All Muslims are expected to believe in them. The first Article of Faith is Allah: The one and only true God and Allah alone is the only creator of the Universe. Secondly, is the Angels: They believe that Angels exist and interact with Human lives. Each have different purposes or messages to bring to the Earth. Each Man or Woman has two Angels the record their actions; one records their good deeds the other records the bad ones. The Third Article is the Scriptures: The only holy book uncorrupted is the Qur’an. Fourthly, is the Prophets: God has spoken through numerous prophets through time. The six greatest are: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the greatest of all is Muhammad.
The Five Pillars are the duties that each Muslim must perform. The Pillars are as follows: Creed (to become Muslim one must state, “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah” publicly. Next is Prayer (Muslims must pray five times daily, upon rising, at noon, in mid-afternoon, after sunset and before going to sleep in the direction of Mecca), the call for Prayer is sounded by the muezzin (the Muslim Carrier). Thirdly is Almsgiving (Muslims are legally required to give one fortieth of the income to the needy. Fasting is the fourth Pillar of Islam (during the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sun up until sun down) and the final Pillar is Pilgrimage (each Muslim that is fit and able is expected to make the journey to Mecca at least once in their life time, they believe that this essential in gaining salvation).

Shamanism

Shamanism dates back as early as the beginning of the New World and Originated in Siberia and Central Asia. Shamanism is traditionally not an organised group with a charismatic leader as such. It is an individualistic religion and can be found in many different cultural settings. Shamanism has maintained it’s shape, if you will, throughout time in spite of the cultural changes. The ancestry of the Shamans is the Shamans themselves. There were Shamans before there were Gods. This is backed up by archaeology. It shows masked Shamans or Sorcerers dancing in Caves.

The Core beliefs of Shaman are: Shamanism is the intentional effort of the participant to communicate and develop relationships with spiritual beings. Secondly, that Shamanism is more of an individualistic approach to the perception of the intertwined relatedness of life, plants, animals, Gods and other deities rather than a traditional religion. Thirdly, Shamans traditionally fulfil the role of the Priest, Magician, Metaphysician or the Healer. This is dependant on the Shaman’s personal experience. The Knowledge of the other realms allows the Shaman to serve as connection point between the physical world and the spiritual world. Moreover, the relationship created with an interaction with a spirit is a mutual respectful insight for both the Spiritual and the physical participant. Although the individual’s journey is directed at self-healing and the development one’s self, the main objective is not completely about self serving. It is more to develop an interconnectedness with all life via regular practice. Through this regular practice they believe that one would be healed and would then in turn be able to heal others and help them develop and grow. Shamans are generally believed to be Healers, Herbalists, Spiritual Advisers and Dream Interpreters.

I really enjoyed researching the Shamans because of their distinct connection with other realms throughout existence and there exceedingly interesting and ancient history.

Wicca

Last but not least is the belief system Wicca or also known as The Craft. Various forms of Wicca have existed through time in itself. In fact, Wicca Predates any of the five main religions Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikh and Hinduism. There have been many branches of Wicca over the years such as, Gardnerian Wicca, Alexandrian Wicca, Dianic Wicca, Celtic Wicca (church of Wicca) and Georgian Wicca.

Wicca is based upon 13 Principles, The Wiccan Rede and The Law of Three.

The 13 Principles are: Wiccans practice rites (rituals) to attune themselves with the natural rhythm of life forces marked by the phases of the moon and the seasonal Quarters and Cross Quarter. They recognise that their intelligence them a unique responsibility towards the Environment. They seek to live in Harmony with nature, in ecological balance offering fulfilment to life and consciousness within an evolutionary concept. Thirdly, they acknowledge a depth of power far greater than that apparent to the average person. They see this knowledge and power as attainable to all but most do not tune in enough to learn. They believe in the polarity of the Creative Power. That is masculine and feminine and that this same Creative Power lies in everyone; and functions through the interaction of Men and Women. Wiccans value neither Male nor Female above the other, knowing that each is essential and is supportive to the other. Wiccans value sex as pleasure, the embodiment of life and as one of the sources of energies used in magical practice and worship to connect with the divine. They recognise both outer worlds (physical worlds) and inner worlds (spiritual Worlds). Wiccan do not have any authoritarian hierarchy, but they do respect those who teach, share their knowledge and wisdom and and acknowledge those who have given themselves in leadership. Wiccans see religion, magic and wisdom as being united in the way one views the world and lives within it. They also believe that calling ones self a witch does not make a witch– but neither does hereditary itself, nor the collecting of titles, degrees and initiations. A witch seeks to control the forces within themselves that make life possible in order to live wisely and well without harm to others and in harmony with Nature. Furthermore, they believe in the affirmation and fulfilment of life. They also hold no animosity towards any other religions except that they disagree with “the only way” approach because they believe in the freedom to choose your own life path, that there is always more than one option available in religion and that we should not repress others beliefs. What’s more, they as witches do not feel threatened by debates of the history of The Craft, it’s origins of various terms or the legitimacy of various aspects of their traditions because they are only concerned by their present and their future. As well as the above, they do not accept the concept of absolute evil, nor do they worship any entity known as “Satan” or “The Devil”. They do not seek power through the suffering of others, nor do they accept that personal benefit can be derived only by denial to another. And Finally, the 13th Principle is that they believe that they should seek within Nature that which is contributory to our health and well-being.

The Wiccan Rede and The Law of Three is the basic foundation of Wicca. The Wiccan Rede is summed up in eight words: “An Ye Harm None, Do As Ye Will”. This means that as long as you are causing harm to none, including yourself, then use your magic as feels right and most natural to you. The Law of Three is something similar to Karma if you like. It means that what ever you send out good or bad it will come back to you threefold. This is why they believe it is better to act with love and kindness rather than with hate and spitefulness .

I do believe that any faith is better than none, even if it is nameless, as long as you have something good to believe in. That’s what keeps the majority of Humans going in my opinion.

In conclusion, I find all of the above to hold truths and they are all very good ways of life, but it is up to the individual to choose which is most fitting for them if any.

I hope you enjoyed the Article and I hope that you took something from it. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

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Aiysha Jebali