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religion

The media are the one true global religion

by Dominus

All-knowing, all-encompassing and ever-expanding, the media has managed to infiltrate in every aspect of our lives over the last 15 years or so. What started as a recreational and informational activity that hard-working people used for unwinding after a long day of work, has gradually transformed into an unconscious consuming obsession that eats away countless hours of our lives and offers little in return, except the occasional “like,” “poke,” “thumbs up,” or the number of virtual friends or followers, to show for our efforts.      The radio, newspaper, and television started it, as mediums for spreading important information. With the advance of communication technology, stories were quickly transmitted from one place to far away locations and so, the population was kept in the loop about the pressing events of the time. With the dawn of the internet, a new means for almost instantly conveying information in a visual and auditory form, practically into every home with internet access…
Score: 1.24

The Freedom of Religion and Kirishitan (Christian) Faith in Japan

by Makio

The Persecution of the Kirishitan (Christian) Faith in Japan  In Japan, for 250 years, there were people who hid their Christian faith for more than seven, eight, or nine generations, without being noticed even by their neighbors or the local government.Those who used to be called as Kakure (Hidden) Kirishitan (Christian in old Japanese), are now called Senpuku Kirishitan (潜伏キリシタン), Underground Christian.  I first heard the name during a junior high history class about 30 years ago. At that time, I did not have any impression on them and only acknowledged their past existence. However, as the time passed, I found that the story of these underground Christian is not about the past but rather a dynamic drama that continues to live even now.      There is a statement that shakes the thought lurking under unconsciousness:  “Priests from Portuguese and Spain continue to preach against the government order, speaking ill of Shinto, blaming Buddhism, and lacking righteousness and goodness. Kirishitans…
Score: 1.72

Wall between Church and Individual, and the Freedom of Religion

by Makio

Strict controls of religion in England and Japan, and the Freedom of religion the US constitution guarantees   The histories of both England and Japan tell us that their national securities and independence had conflicted with the religious freedom of their people.  The history of US tells us that deciding and acting political issues independently from organized Church or religious institutions is essential to protect the religious freedom.   Declaration of Independence (1819), by John Trumbull from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia     Gain Political Independence from Religious Authority in England  As a Japanese living in the US, I view that the development of congressional politics in England as the political elites gradually limited the royal and religious authorities and gained own economic and political freedom while sacrificing the religious freedom and many lives of Catholics in their kingdom.  Let me explain in details.  In medieval Europe, Pope claimed the Papal supremacy and exercised…
Score: 1.31

The Catholic Horror Legacy - We're All Demon-Possessed Nun

  Let me fill in some personal background as quickly as possible:  When it comes to faith, you could define me pretty close to agnostic. My wife of 25+ years is a lapsed Catholic. There's no real conflict here, but our respective cultural backgrounds give us a different attitude towards religion in general.   Christmas is a secular affair for us; when the kids lived with us, it was all Santa and presents.  Since we joined the empty nest club, Christmas is an excuse to goof off and relax for me, actually I smirkingly pretend to celebrate Christmas while inwardly considering it "Yule," since Western society has seen fit to rip off the Pagan holiday and rebrand it as Jesus's birthday with the serial numbers filed off.  For Mrs. Penguin, it's pretty much the same, but she adds in the ritual of staying up til midnight to watch the Vatican's Midnight Mass. I watch along with her, but for me, it's something to marvel and gawk at.  Occasionally I'll look up from my eggnog and laptop gaming session to…
Score: 1.4

Best Devotional Items For Alternative Religions

    > "Man is certainly crazy. He could not make a mite, and he makes gods by the dozen." -- Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, Lord of Montaigne  What a strange topic for a product recommendation list, and yet what strange creatures we are. We do indeed invent gods by the dozen, so let's pour one out for Montaigne, arguably history's first "blogger." Not only do we invent gods and ways to worship them, we even do it for a goof, just to be silly. Even the joke deities tend to get taken seriously over time, which provokes the question: How do religions get rolling, anyway? Apparently, all we need are rumors which become legend, legends which become myths, and then the myth gets a church and a 501(c)(3) tax status.  The pantheon of parody religions is a fascinating one. The Hacker's Dictionary makes reference to "Ha ha only serious," a characteristic of geeks taking an ironic joke and applying it with a grain of truth within. That applies to parody religions: Even the joke ones have a point, which is…
Score: 1.25