Scientific Reasons to Believe in an Intelligent Universe

Artist's conception of the spiral structure of the Milky Way with two major stellar arms and a central bar. "Using infrared images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, scientists have discovered that the Milky Way's elegant spiral structure is dominated by just two arms wrapping off the ends of a central bar of stars. Previously, our galaxy was thought to possess four major arms." via Wikipedia

Author: Lee Hager

Scientists have been working toward a ‘Theory of Everything’ (TOE) for some time. Many scientists feel such a theory would not only be a triumph of human reason, it would also be a way to nullify the existence of God.  Their goal has been elusive, and in fact, much of their research points toward the existence of intelligence working within the universe.

Scientists use terms like ‘accident, coincidence’ and ‘lucky break’ when they explain why life on earth is possible. But how many of these fortuitous occurrences must take place before the evidence demands a different explanation? Let’s look at several scientific discoveries that carry the stamp of intelligent design.

The Big Bang and the Theory of Inflation

Scientists estimate the visible universe came into existence nearly 14 billion years ago during a colossal explosion known as the Big Bang. The name implies that the birth or the universe was a mishap, but let’s look at evidence that tells quite a different story.

Alan Guth first suggested the theory of inflation, which is now supported by research. Guth proposed that when the universe was less than a trillionth of a trillionth of a second old, it experienced an extremely brief, hyper-explosive growth spurt.  Steven Hawking compares it to expanding a small coin to ten times the size of the Milky Way in far less than a second! Hawking explains that if this expansion had been slower, the universe would probably still be cooling.

When an explosion takes place on earth, debris flies erratically, but the big bang caused the universe to expand in an extremely uniform manner. However, the expansion still contained just the right amount of dense irregularities needed for gravity to bring stars, planets and galaxies into existence.  Without this delicate balance of uniformity and irregularity, galaxies that support life couldn’t exist.

The combined forces in the big bang meant that our entire universe came into existence from an infinitesimally tiny amount of ‘source material.’ How small? Research demonstrates it was somewhere between one ounce and a billionth the size of a subatomic proton! Some scientists claim the universe came from nothing. But the Upanishads, written by ancient spiritual sages, said that God made the universe from Self. Evidence supports the Upanishad, but that shouldn’t surprise us. After all, life on earth is reproduced using the ‘source material’ of the parents.

The universe has been expanding ever since the big bang and scientists have calculated the expansion is speeding up.  If that’s the case, what keeps the universe from flying apart?  Although the universe appears to be filled with ‘empty space,’ it’s far from empty. Two thirds of the universe is a seething ocean of quantum energy that far outweighs matter. Scientists have been unable to explain why this impossible disparity exists, but they do feel that this ‘dark energy’ opposes gravity and is responsible for keeping the universe stable as it expands. This ‘cosmological constant’ is very finely tuned. Without it, the universe would have either imploded or been ripped apart.

Goldilocks Zone and the Anthropic Principle

In the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, Goldilocks wasn’t satisfied until she found the chair, bed and porridge that were ‘just right.’ Scientists liken the placement of the earth in the Milky Way Galaxy to this story since it’s ‘just right’ to sustain life.  If earth was in a star system with two suns, our planet would travel too close and too far from those suns to sustain life.  As it is, the orbit of planets in a one sun system varies from nearly circular to nearly oval. An oval obit causes a planet to experience huge temperature extremes.  However, the earth’s orbit is very close to circular, which allows it to remain within the ‘just right’ temperature ranges that support life.

The earth would be frozen or broiled if the sun’s mass, or the earth’s distance from the sun, weren’t in perfect balance or the earth’s axis wasn’t tilted exactly as it is. This safe zone allows water to remain liquid, and as we all know, water is essential to life. The safe zone is quite small and even minor changes could cause catastrophic problems.

Many scientists ask whether earth was made perfect for us, or are we the only possible result of the conditions we enjoy?However, scientists agree that life is possible only because of the very specific way the universe was formed and the extremely delicate ‘fine tuning’ that keeps it operating.  The ‘anthropic principle’ suggests that the entire universe was purposely prepared in advance with all the necessary elements needed to support the specific type of life that exists on earth.

Carbon is essential to life, but carbon is not among the elements that first appeared after the big bang (hydrogen, helium and lithium).  The formation of carbon demands very specific circumstances that take place within aging stars. However, this process also requires a perfect set of circumstances that will allow stars to explode, scatter their elements and then let the elements reform as new stars and planets.  Physicists estimate this process took 10 billion years to unfold.

The energy levels needed to produce the large amounts of carbon necessary for life are statistically highly improbable, yet this energy was found.Fred Hoyle, the scientist who predicted its existence said, ‘A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a superintellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.’ Hoyle had been an atheist until his calculations were proven correct.

Life depends on the fine tuning of ten critical properties such as gravity and electromagnetic, strong and weak nuclear forces.  Scientists agree that the tiniest differences in any of these factors would produce an entirely different outcome. There are also thirty or more ‘constants,’ that may also be subject to fine tuning. And remember, these forces and constants have operated harmoniously for billions of years! So far, scientists have been unable to find any laws that would account for these forces being adjusted as they are.

Evolution

It takes only a moment on the internet to find several mathematical equations demonstrating the impossibility of evolution. There are incredible odds against the universe coming into existence as the result of coincidence. The odds against life springing from a collection of chemicals are even greater. Estimates suggest the statistical odds that one single celled organism could come into existence by chance during a period of 5 billion years, is 1 x 10 to the 100 billionth power.

Evolution requires thousands of purposeful intermediate transitional forms that supposedly occur over millions of years.  But even considering the billions of years the universe has existed, it’s still not nearly long enough to accommodate the math. On top of that, scientists have no idea how information was encoded within DNA.  Again they turn to chance, but this additional problem just adds an even greater degree of mathematical impossibility.

Although scientists say the fossil record is quite complete, it contains no transitional forms between ‘kinds,’ ‘types’ or ‘Species.’ During the Cambrian period (500-550 million years ago), an explosion of highly complex life forms suddenly showed up, but they had no ancestors they could have evolved from.  This sudden arrival of complex, unrelated life forms is a pattern that has taken place again and again throughout the history of the earth.

But evolution has an even greater problem: Consciousness. Material realists believe only matter exists. They claim that consciousness is a brain function that evolved from matter and is itself a form of matter. However, quantum physics has quite a different story to tell.

Our Conscious Universe

If you could see the universe at its most elemental level, you would find no separate forms. Why? Everything in the universe is one thing.  Our universe is actually a seething field of interconnected, indivisible energy that’s permeated by consciousness. Everything in the universe, down to the smallest particle, is alive and conscious.

Consciousness also plays an extremely important role in creation. Subatomic particles exist in a state of potential with no set or stable state until they’re influenced by consciousness.  Once a conscious choice is made, all other potential possibilities collapse and the energy appears in a set state as matter. When Genesis tells us ‘And God said, ‘Let there be light.’ And there was light,’ it is quite accurate in the description of thought bringing matter into existence.

Evolutionary scientists tell us that the universe came out of nothing, by accident, and continues to exist through an incredible series of lucky breaks. Quantum physics tells us that all energy is life and life is energy. Scientists agree that energy can transform into matter and matter into energy, but nothing is lost in the process. In other words, everything that’s always been within the universe is still there, and always will be. It’s all alive and will remain alive. So, within the universe we find the consciousness, energy and life force needed to spark the big bang, keep the universe finely tuned and cover the earth with life forms.

Our Shifting Paradigm

Many scientists have turned to evolution because they find no scientific basis to believe in a creator that exists outside the universe.  But many physicists have recently come to the conclusion the quantum model solves that problem. How?  They understand the energy, matter and consciousness filled universe to be one thing; God and the universe are synonymous. This agrees with the teachings of many spiritual sages, but it also creates a problem for religionists who insist God creates and manages the universe from outside it.

Quantum physics offers the opportunity for a vital synergy between science and religion, but each will have to be willing to listen to what the universe is trying to tell them. Regardless of what scientists or religionists do, we are all free to let go of outdated concepts and step into the emerging quantum/spiritual paradigm.

Copyright ©Lee and Steven Hager

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/scientific-reasons-to-believe-in-an-intelligent-universe-4485545.html

About the Author

Lee Hager and her husband Steven are the authors of The Beginning of Fearlessness: Quantum Prodigal Son, a spiritual quest and scientific adventure based on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, quantum physics and the gnostic gospels.

For more information on the synergy of science and spirituality and a free 6 part video eCourse, ‘Obstacles to Spiritual Growth,’  visit their website and blog at: http://www.thebeginningoffearlessness.com

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Romantic Relationships: A Spiritual Perspective

Image by Millzero Photography via Flickr

Author: Micyal Bowedr

We all know this feeling of falling in love and seeing the amazing beauty in another. Couples fall in love blissfully and fall out of it with such heartache. Love does not have to be so difficult and as we all have grown to learn, you get out of something what you put into it. But there is a thin line to keep an eye on here. Our minds have grown to make us believe that we are ‘not complete’; ‘unfulfilled’ or ‘unloved’, until we meet the love of our life. This was the mind talking (also known as the Ego), not our soul.

Your soul knows that you are complete, an extraordinary being, a creations of God. A creations of God being a creation of love. Innately, inside of you, you are pure love and our Ego is here to challenge that. Only when you love like God loves, you will experience the fulfilled life that we call ‘heaven’. God loves all equally, no-one is more special than any other. Which brings us to the ‘Special Relationship’.

When two people catch a glimpse of each other’s beauty, we often get a feeling that the relationship will fulfill our emptiness and we clutch onto the other person. Initially you might have extraordinary times, but the core on which such relationships are built, is simply your ‘thought’ that you are not complete and that you NEED another to complete you. It is for this reason that when such relationships change form (traditionally known as ending the relationship), that lots of pain is experienced. Release your partner and all people in your life every moment. This is one of the principles to fulfilling relationships.

When you wish the other person their freedom and have faith that the relationship will serve both of you, for your spiritual growth, beautiful things come to fruition. Set them free every moment of the day and have the knowing that the purpose of the relationship is to create opportunities for you to ‘show up’ and be the most glorious, most amazing person you know you are. This includes forgiving, not judging, showing compassion and loving unconditionally.

Relationships have nothing to do with the other person. Knowing this puts you in a powerful place where you have control over how you feel and who you are going to be in the relationship. Initially there will be bliss and lots of joy, followed by opportunities to work on your soul. I once read that you ask for God to send you the perfect partner, but instead he sends you something much better – someone slightly less than what you expected.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/romantic-relationships-a-spiritual-perspective-4450120.html

About the Author

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God and Science – Can They Coexist?

Science and Religion are portrayed to be in harmony in the Tiffany window Education (1890) via Wikipedia

Author: Lee Hager

Einstein declared, ‘Science without religion is lame. Religion without science is blind.’ Although Einstein believed that science and religion were severely handicapped unless they cooperated. But science and religion have been locked in a death struggle since Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, threatened religious authority by pointing out the earth was not the center of the universe. Both groups have been wasting enormous amounts of energy trying to prove each other wrong.  As a result, most people think they have to pick a side. However, there’s an important question that few people ask.

Is this supposedly impossible rift between science and religion real? Or is this an artificial problem created and fueled by two groups who would rather have power over each other than real answers? If that’s the case, both groups are cheating us out of extremely important progress that could be made if they would cooperate.  Happily, there are scientists and spiritual leaders who have put their bias aside and opened their minds to the information the universe wants to give them.

A growing number of quantum physicists are following Einstein’s lead. Instead of stubbornly clinging to the unproven premise that consciousness evolved from matter, they’re discovering that consciousness permeates the very foundation of the subatomic universe. Instead of a collection of separate parts, they’ve discovered the universe is one interrelated whole. Their findings also demonstrate that a universal ground of consciousness links everything in existence. Quantum research has prompted many physicists to embrace the concept that there is a greater intelligence at work.

Throughout history, many spiritual sages have opened their minds to scientific truth. The knowledge they gained through the direct experience of God differs from most religious teachings, but these spiritual masters valued truth more than power. As they willingly let go of social conditioning and their own attachments and aversions, they were able to understand what the universe is trying to tell us. We can find their wisdom in Eastern writings such as the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the works of Rumi, Shankara and Patanjali to name a few. But surprisingly, this wisdom is also found in the words of Jesus.

Many of Jesus’ sayings and parables reflect a deep understanding of the quantum universe. We were especially astonished at the depth of scientific truth that can be found in Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son. The Gnostic Gospels, a collection of writings by some of Jesus earliest followers, was accidently found in Egypt in 1945. Many of Jesus’ sayings found in these writings also echo the new quantum understanding of the universe.

Einstein gave us the choice of remaining lame and blind, or healing these handicaps. We can cling to outdated and unscientific belief systems, or move forward into an enlightened age where science and spirituality can give our lives fresh meaning and purpose. At the beginning of the article we asked if God and science can coexist. Not only can they work together in harmony, quantum physicists and spiritual masters may soon demonstrate that science and God are the same thing. Whether or not the majority of scientists and religionists wish to continue their power struggle makes little difference. We each have the opportunity to take advantage of this new scientific/spiritual paradigm and find the joy we deserve.

Copyright ©Lee and Steven Hager

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/god-and-science-can-they-coexist-4435761.html

About the Author

Lee Hager and her husband Steven are the authors of The Beginning of Fearlessness: Quantum Prodigal Son, a spiritual quest and scientific adventure based on Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son, quantum physics and the gnostic gospels. For more information on the synergy of science and spirituality, visit their website and blog at http://www.thebeginningoffearlessness.com

<h1>God and Science – Can They Coexist?</h1>

Phoenix-area Indian lands are down-to-Earth site for UFO conference

Sonoran Desert approx. 30 miles west of Maricopa, AZ via Wikipedia

By Steve Hammons

This article originally appeared at Transcendent TV & Media

It seems to make sense that the 20th annual International UFO Congress was held on Native American Indian lands in Arizona.

The conference, Wednesday, Feb. 23, through Sunday, Feb. 27, took place at the upscale Radisson Fort McDowell Resort on the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation northeast of Scottsdale. The hotel at the resort was reportedly sold out.

A connection between UFOs and other unconventional phenomena with Native American Indians is something that researchers and average people may want to pay attention to and think about.

Many Indian people have legends of “star people” or “sky people” that visited long ago … and maybe still do today. In addition, Native American cultures often value several kinds of human perception, including dreams, visions, instincts and signs.

In today’s scientific jargon, we could call these kinds of awareness “anomalous cognition,” a term describing extrasensory perception (ESP) and related to what U.S. defense and intelligence researchers called “remote viewing.”

Some of the traits of American Indian perception could also be related to space-time anomalies and “synchronicity” – unusual coincidences that seem to have meaning. And, certain understanding we might acquire through unconventional methods could be interpreted as mysterious communication from the Great Spirit.

Indian consciousness, in many ways, looks at life and Nature as a cycle, circle or hoop. This viewpoint could also provide insight about anomalous phenomena of various kinds.

ANCIENT REALITIES

As a retired Army Special Forces colonel, John Alexander, PhD, explained on the Feb. 20 “Coast to Coast AM” radio show, UFO disclosure has essentially happened. Several U.S. presidents, high-ranking U.S. military officers and others have made this clear, Alexander pointed out.

He stated to his radio show host, award-winning investigative journalist George Knapp, it appears to be a fact that various kinds of unusual unidentified objects in the skies have been around for decades.

Other researchers note significant indications that the same kinds of phenomena may have been present for centuries.

Here in North America, it is probably reasonable to consider that Native American Indian people could have had close encounters with UFOs, unusual intelligent beings and other unconventional phenomena that modern scientists are still trying to understand.

In Arizona, original inhabitants included the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Zuni, Yaqui, Southern Paiutes, Akimel O’odham, Tohono O’odham, Mojave, Maricopa, Cocopah, Halchidhoma, Havasupai, Hualapai, Jocome and Jano tribes, as well as the Yavapai, hosts of the UFO conference.

In the Phoenix region, at the northern edge of the Sonoran Desert, there are several Indian communities whose lands nearby help form a rich cultural environment in a modern metropolitan area.

Throughout North America, Indian people have beliefs, legends and perspectives that could be very valuable to us today as we try to learn more about forward-leaning edge-science topics of interest.

ADVANCED PERCEPTION

How can we combine ancient accounts and insights with our modern research into unconventional phenomena that are not completely understood?

One way might be to develop an “integrative perception” or “complementary cognition” that merges our logical mind with intuition, gut feelings, ESP and instincts. This approach seems to be at the heart of the many successes of the U.S. Project STAR GATE remote viewing program.

Prayer, meditation, creativity and other kinds of internal exploration and communication can probably also play parts in increasing our understanding about our environment and ourselves.

Looking to Nature, as American Indians do, might provide additional understanding about realities, both conventional and unconventional – including UFOs.

Who knows? The circles and cycles of Nature might contribute to a repeat of the March 1997 phenomena when one or more large mysterious objects or craft reportedly cruised at low altitude right over the metro Phoenix area one evening.

At least that’s what hundreds or thousands of people living in Phoenix’s “Valley of the Sun” claim to have seen.

The International UFO Congress featured many credible researchers and also had sky watching sessions at night. The heavens above Arizona’s Sonoran Desert at the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation usually provide a good view.

Being on the far northeast outskirts of metro Phoenix, the urban “light pollution” of the night sky is replaced by vistas of the Milky Way Galaxy, our home neighborhood in this vast Universe.

Or maybe, unusual visitors will pick a bright, sunny Arizona day to show us they are here.

NOTE TO READERS: Please visit the Joint Recon Study Group and Transcendent TV & Media sites and have a look around.

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Meditation For Losing Weight

Image: Chi Chang Wu via Wikipedia

Author: Maria Bende

There are several studies showing that meditation for losing weight is working quite well. Weight loss in said to be helped by the power of your own mind more than any diet that you might try. The mind is really a strong healer, maybe the most powerful one that exists.

Scientists and medical practitioners have started seeing the relationship between the intent of losing weight and using meditation for accomplishing this and several doctors and psychologists are already incorporating various self-hypnosis and meditation techniques with their clients or patients.

There are many people who have been helped with weight loss meditations and in fact these meditations can be practiced at home, even without the help of a third party helper.

This is a lot of money saved in the process as well. So how can you use meditation for weight loss if you are struggling with a helpless dieting problem?

Creative visualization meditation using one of the easy meditation postures such as simply sitting in a chair or cross legged on the floor is one of the most powerful ones for dieting. Basically when you are are stressed, you are eating to compensate for your agitated state of mind. Once you start meditating, you release your stress, which means that the extra food craving is no longer there, or at least, the urge to eat is not as strong as before. And this is the first step to truly lose weight.

Creative visualization means that when you are meditating with your eyes closed, you are basically visualizing yourself slim, healthy and happy, in the way you want to become. In your mind’s eye you are passing along a store window and you are looking at your own reflection. This image shows a beautiful person, slim and without a worry in the world. The person is energetic, healthy and feeling light. You notice that there is a new vigor in your step.

This type of meditation is in direct contrast with the usual mental images we have in our mind. Let’s face it, we always imagine ourselves fat, ugly, not loved by anyone and in turn this image makes us depressed and feeling constantly in a bad mood. And in turn, this bad mood brings us doubts that we can actually do it. And these doubts bring with them stress which makes us crave food, and the negative cycle goes on and on.

The creative visualization above (or anything similar to this) cuts this catch 22, breaks this negative cycle and helps us find ourselves again. It helps us start fresh with our goal in mind, the goal that will serve use well in our quest to lose weight and get our slim waistline back.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/meditation-articles/meditation-for-losing-weight-4367492.html

About the Author

Learn more easy meditation techniques such as the alpha meditation and many more by visiting http://www.meditation-techniques-made-easy.com/.

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Features of Modern Christianity: A few Christian Misconceptions Pertaining to Modern Culture

Image via Wikipedia

Author: L.Steven Sanders

If you feel compelled to choose from serving Christ or enjoying modern culture, you aren’t alone. Nowadays more than ever, conventional Christians have trouble trying to sync cultural fun with Christian values, a battle that causes some of them to quit church. But does being a conventional Christian actually imply that you can’t enjoy contemporary culture? In some instances, the reply is yes. But in other cases, the traditional Faiths are more legalistic as compared to Bible based, meaning they aren’t necessary to live a life that respects and honors Christ. Below, we look at three legalistic beliefs that form some Christians’ view of modern culture, but that do not result in living a more righteous life.

1. You Can’t Be Warm and Friendly With Homosexual People

The Apostle Paul talks about homosexuality being a sin, and Jesus implies its sinfulness by instructing his original audience, the Jewish people, not to abandon Mosaic Law. Yet nowhere does the New Testament say that gays ought to be socially mistreated or refused civil rights. In defense of the legalistic, anti-gay position, some Christians explain that homosexuality is viewed as an ‘abomination’ from the Old Testament. Well, so is greed on the market place, and no one favors punishing greed by withdrawing civility. While you may see homosexuality as a sin, you can certainly be friendly, or even a friend, with somebody that is gay without violating scripture.

2. You Cannot Dress in the Latest Fashions

Many conventional Christians attack contemporary fashions, viewing them as immoral and indicating wantonness. But there’s a difference between being modest and being morally paranoid; and when it comes to trendy clothes, some Christians are the latter. The Bible teaches us to be of modest appearance, however it does not say that people should dress in a way that satisfies the neuroses of religious zealots. Even though it may oppose what you have been taught in church, wearing the latest fashions, so long as you do it with taste, doesn’t indicate a lack of virtue, a fact that some Christians are too small and legalistic to admit.

3. Modern Day Pop Music is Actually from the Devil

Stating that modern pop music is from the devil is much like saying that modern theology is of Christ. Some of it is, but certainly not all of it. If you want to know whether your music is detracting from your walk with Christ, there’s two ways to discover: ask whether or not the lyrics indicate anti-Christian positions, and notice the way the music makes you feel. If the lyrics are neutral and the music doesn’t cause you to feel arrogant, negative, sexually aggressive, etc., it probably isn’t standing in the way of your walk with Christ. So have fun and pump up the volume.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/christianity-articles/features-of-modern-christianity-a-few-christian-misconceptions-pertaining-to-modern-culture-4355965.html

About the Author

When writing this article I found some great information about Leo Wells Worship Blog at www.leo-wells-on-worship.com.

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Lapis Lazuli, a semi precious stone, is healing and soothing

A Mesopotamian Lapis Lazuli Pendant - circa 2900 BC via Wikipedia

Author: OURANGELS

Lapis Lazuli, a semi precious stone, is healing and soothing. Simply touching the body with this stone improves your mental, physical, spiritual, psychic and emotional condition. An uplifting, spiritual stone, its deep blue colour reflects its peaceful vibrations. It is useful for relieving depression and promoting spirituality and is a fine meditative stone. Perhaps it’s most common use today is to strengthen psychic awareness. Lapis breaks the hold of the conscious mind on the subconscious (psychic) mind and allows intuitive impulses to become known. To generally increase your psychic awareness, wear lapis every day.

A stone of protection that may be worn to guard against psychic attacks, Lapis Lazuli quickly releases stress, bringing deep peace. It brings harmony and deep inner self-knowledge. Encourages self-awareness, allows self-expression and reveals inner truth, providing qualities of honesty, compassion and morality to the personality. Stimulates objectivity, clarity and encourages creativity. Lapis Lazuli assists to confront and speak one’s truth and inspires confidence. It bonds relationships, aiding in expression of feelings and emotions.

Lapis Lazuli boosts the immune system, purifies blood, lowers blood pressure, cooling and soothing areas of inflammation. It alleviates insomnia and vertigo, and overcomes depression. Lapis Lazuli benefits the respiratory and nervous systems and the throat, vocal chords, and thyroid, cleanses organs, bone marrow and thymus.

People living in the Middle Ages believed lapis could maintain the human skeleton in a strong and vigorous state and shield the human spirit from the consuming emotions of fear and jealousy. Lapis lazuli was also believed to aid depression, insomnia, fevers and disorders of the throat and lungs. In ancient times, lapis lazuli was also considered a sacred stone, which brought forth the blue of the sky and thus the ‘light of God’ into the world. It was often the favored stone of ancient rulers, Egyptian kings.

Anyone who has seen Lapis Lazuli will recall the vibrant blue color as well as the gold veins running through it. Often times referred to as a gem, this beautiful stone is technically a rock, consisting mainly of the mineral, lazurite as well as pyrite which makes up the golden veins.

Lapis is formed by contact metamorphism which occurs deep below the earth’s surface. This natural process occurs when magma finds its way deep into cracks in the earth’s crust; the intense heat of the fluid causes chemical changes in the rock surrounding the intrusion creating such beautiful stones as Lapis Lazuli. Lapis has a long history and has been considered valuable to peoples around the world for centuries. Today Lapis remains of aesthetic value as well as metaphysical.

Lapis was originally used by the Assyrians, Babylonians and the Egyptians. The Romans also considered Lapis to be an aphrodisiac. Lapis was highly praised by Pharaohs in Egypt as a mystical stone as well as a useful rock for making sculptures, jewelry and carvings because of its excellent ability to take a polish.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/new-age-articles/lapis-lazuli-a-semi-precious-stone-is-healing-and-soothing-4355340.html

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Cambodia appeals Hindus to help safeguard landmark Preah Vihear Shiva temple

Preah Vihear temple is one of the main factors of the current Cambodia-Thai dispute via Wikipedia

Special to Earthpages.org

Cambodia has sought the help of the Hindus worldwide to help safeguard the landmark Preah Vihear Shiva temple, which was reportedly damaged recently due to Thai-Cambodia border clashes.

Ros Borath, President of Cambodia’s National Committee for the World Heritage, in a emailed letter to Rajan Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, wrote with the hope that “Hindu world will soon take notice of this place, most sacred to Shiva, and help people of Cambodia to safeguard this world heritage monument with universal spiritual value as propounded by Lord Shiva”.

“Preah Vihear is Mount Kailash of South East Asia in the Dangrek range. Bhadreshvara-Shiva arrived here from Vat Phu via India to radiate his Shiva Teja over people of South East Asia flourishing under the Angkor kingdom. Preah Vihear is the open air theatre for the cosmic dance of Shiva. The colossal dancing image of Shiva is sculpted on the door frame (Pediment) of the mandapa of the main temple”, Borath argued.

Describing the Temple, Committee President Borath further wrote: “Besides the central temple where this dancing image of Shiva is sculpted, there are four other temples at the four levels of the plateau (gopura II-IV). These gopuras are in reality mandapas where the gods of the family of Shiva (parivara devata) are depicted. Images of Brahma, Vishnu, Krishna and Shvia are all carved in bas-reliefs on the lintels and pediments over the doors of these five temples. Sanskrit and Khmer inscriptions found from Preah Vihear inform us that this temple complex was a great hermitage center for meditation, following the path of Shiva. There were a number of hermitages at the foothills of Dangrek, and the networking of these ashramas was done from Mount Preah Vihear, Kailash of mainland Southeast Asia.”

“Since the sculpture of Shiva is above the door of the mandapa of the main temple, its safety is in great danger. All the images of parivara devata of Shiva, as they are sculpted out side the structure on the doorframes, are in great danger”, he added.

From KM wikipedia at วิกิพีเดียภาษาเขมร User T-Rithy

Pictures of the Preah Vihear Shiva temple were also attached, indicating damages to Gopura (towered gateway found at the entrances to temples) I, II, III, IV, and V resulting from Thai-Cambodia border clashes.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged various Hindu organizations world over to raise public opinion about this Shiva (Bhadreshvara) Temple, claimed to be one of the world’s biggest temple complex dedicated to Shiva.

Expressing serious concern at the reported damage, Rajan Zed said that international community, UNESCO, and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) should immediately provide funding to bring back this Lord Shiva temple to its original shape as it was before Thai-Cambodia clashes began February four. These organizations should not shy away to shoulder their responsibility of saving the important heritage of the world and respecting the feelings of Hindus worldwide, Rajan Zed said and added that  besides temple repairs, some infrastructure in the area should also be provided for devotees and other visitors.

Zed stressed that this landmark age-old and revered Preah Vihear Hindu Shiva temple complex was important to Hindu heritage and must be preserved to pass it on to the future generations. Damage to 11^th century Shiva temple was shocking and hurtful to the Hindu community world over. Lord Shiva, one of the major deities in Hinduism forming great triad with Brahma and Vishnu, was focus of worship of the Hindus, and it was important for them that Preah Vihear Hindu Shiva temple be protected. It was a world heritage and it was moral duty of the world to keep it intact for the coming generations.

Known as Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Khao Phra Viharn in Thailand, this remote temple at the border between Thailand and Cambodia, which had reportedly not been clearly demarcated, had been a source of tension for generations. Preah Vihear was said to even predate Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple complex by about 100 years and its stunning setting made it finest of all the ruins left from the mighty Khmer civilization, Rajan Zed stated.

Zed pointed out that world should not let this sacred site dedicated to Lord Shiva (situated where Preah Vihear province of northern Cambodia touched Sisaket province of eastern Thailand) be further damaged to advance political agendas of some as there appeared to be a no clear solution to settle the long-standing territorial dispute surrounding the temple, which was already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and whose history could be traced to 9^th century when the hermitage was founded.

Moreover, Temple of Preah Vihear, an outstanding masterpiece of Khmer architecture mostly created by Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II, was a unique architectural complex of a series of sanctuaries and was said to be exceptional for the quality of its architecture and carved stone ornamentation. It was reportedly dedicated to the Hindu deity Shiva in his manifestations as Sikharesvara and Bhadresvara. It was also said to be marking representation of sacred Mount Meru, the abode of the gods, and showing a depiction of Churning of the Ocean, a Hindu scriptural episode, Rajan Zed said.

Cambodian Government’s Committee describes Preah Vihear as: The site serves as a sacred place worshipping to the Hindu god Shiva manifesting as Sikharesvara (the Lord of Peak) and his figures are depicted on pediments and lintels.

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“Conversation With Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski”

World chronicle in verse, scene: The Tower of Babel via Wikipedia

Author: Alan D. Busch

The following essay was made possible by the kindness and generosity of Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twerski, founder and medical director emeritus of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, prolific author of more than sixty books, weekly columnist of ‘Seeking Solutions’ in Hamodia Magazine and acclaimed expert in matters of addiction.

‘Making Arrangements’

The origins of this piece were rather humble. I had been thinking about contacting Rabbi Twerski through a mutual friend but decided against it in favor of a more direct approach. So I wrote a letter of introduction to Rabbi Twerski on Facebook, hoping for the best.

Two days passed. Though I was still hopeful he would respond via Facebook, thoughts of ‘Oh well, Rabbi Twersky is, after all, a very busy man’ began chipping away at my confidence.

It was while working at home that my phone rang, a number I did not recognize. So, as is my practice, I let it go to voice message: ‘Hello Alan, this is Dr. Twerski responding to your email. Call me at (123) 456-7890.’

Well, after I picked myself up off the floor, I hurriedly replayed the message and managed to miscopy the number Rabbi Twerski had left. I called the same wrong number twice.

‘Something is amiss here,’ I thought, worriedly. Anxious to respond promptly, I listened to his message again. ‘Oh my G-d!’ The (7) I had written was a (0). Go figure. I finally dialed the right number and left another message. He called me back later that same evening.

Rabbi Twerski’s tight schedule precluded a face to face interview as I had anticipated. Happily, I was prepared with an alternative.

‘Rabbi, may I send you a series of questions to answer around which I’d construct an essay, an ‘email interview’ if you will.’

‘Sounds fine with me.’ Then suddenly, just as we were about ready to hang up, my phone went dead. I hastened to email and call him back, leaving another voice message. (Just in case you’re wondering, I’m not always this neurotic.)

The difference between an email interview and one held face to face is obvious but nonetheless important: missing from the email interview is the richness of the interviewee’s body language, his facial expressiveness, his eyes from which one sees the reflection of the fire that fuels the passion of people who work for ‘The Ribono Shel Olam (The Master of the World).’

With all arrangements finalized, I breathed a big sigh of relief and set out to work on my questions grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

I fashioned my questions covering a wide spectrum, from the cosmological to the everyday.
I received his answers later that same day.

Well, I don’t mind telling you I was ‘pretty darn’ excited that such an acclaimed rabbi, noted psychiatrist and prolific author-who wrote in one of his responses that: ‘I write every chance I get’-should find the ‘chance’ to write to me.

‘My Format’

I have selected four of Rabbi Twerski’s seven responses on which to focus for two reasons: 1) they interest me more than the others and 2) I found his remarks helpful in clarifying my own thoughts.

As needed, I have used material from Rabbi Twerski’s website: www.abrahamtwerski.com that I encourage my readers to visit.

1. ‘The Gift of Speech’
2. ‘The Language of Bereavement’
3. ‘Origins of Life’
4. ‘On the Meaning of Happiness’

Man is a ‘medaber’, a speaking creature, who alone has been gifted with speech of a sort unlike that of any of His other creatures. Even among those species often cited for their higher native intelligence, it remains true their most capable representative cannot formulate a cooperative plan with his fellow, write a letter, read a book or for that matter, conduct an interview.

Like mathematics, speech is neither inherently good nor bad. It can be used to build a bridge or blow one up. Its effect on human action depends on the mouth from which it comes. As we’re all aware, human speech is not a force for good in every instance.

Did not G-d confound Man’s speech as a punishment for his attempt to construct the Tower of Babel (from which we derive the word ‘babble’) to lay siege to heaven? Can you imagine, the ‘chutzpah’?

Rabbi Twerski, however, takes this notion of ‘Man’ as ‘medaber’, a speaking creature, one step further.

‘The uniqueness of man is not just that he has a more sophisticated form of speech, but that he can elevate it to holiness. By using his speech properly, by not speaking foolishly, by avoiding defamatory speech and carrying tales, man can sanctify his speech. This is something that animals cannot do, and it is this ability to sanctify speech that merits the designation ‘medaber’.’

In other words, that which distinguishes human speech from other animal sounds is that Man directs his divine gift of speech in a message with which to thank his Maker.

We call this sort of speech ‘prayer’ which, by its nature, reflects the reciprocity of the ‘Creator/created’ relationship-in which G-d both hears and responds to our supplications. Were our god always unresponsive or incapable of response, we’d not be worshipping G-d but practicing ‘avodah zara’, idolatry.

Although our relationship to G-d is that of a ‘slave’ to his master made manifest through the mitzvah of tefilin, it is precisely within the sacred space Man shares with G-d that their personal relationship begins.

It is entirely unlike the relationship between master and slave which characterized chattel slavery in the United States prior to the Civil War which Rabbi Twerski characterizes as a system in which ‘slaves had no inalienable rights (a small detail that President Jefferson failed to mention in the Declaration of Independence) and are obligated to follow the master’s orders. Slaves have only duties. Slaves do not have rights.’

An important personal concern over these past ten years since the death of my son Benjamin on November 22, 2000 continues to be the delicate language of mourning and grief. So I asked Rabbi Twerski what he thought one shouldn’t say to a bereaved parent.

‘The Talmud says to be silent until the bereaved person speaks’, thereby setting the tone for the ‘shiva’, the first seven days of mourning. Adding that ‘Listening is helpful’ when many folks (who want to do the right thing) find themselves at a loss for words, Rabbi Twerski reminds us to keep in mind that: ‘Genuine caring is sharing’.

My own experience demonstrates the truthfulness of ‘caring is sharing’ although it took me some time before I realized how my withdrawal from synagogue life was not only not making me any happier but was deepening the well of grief due to my self-imposed isolation.

Had it not been for a handful of my dear friends who refused to let go and, in so doing, gave me enough space within which to come to terms with my grief at my own pace, I would surely have drowned in a sea of self-pity.

Often times words are just not enough. Many folks want to help the bereaved but are unsure about what to say; these would be consolers may instead turn to deeds of loving kindness with which to express themselves.

Anyone who has ever lost a loved one, especially a child, knows that both emotional support and physical closeness of friends and family are essential for the bereaved parent to climb out of the deep and dark well of unmanaged grief.

There are few truisms as often quoted for their wisdom as ‘one never really appreciates all that he has until he loses it irretrievably’.

Staring into the face of death, having to say ‘goodbye’ to son or daughter-no matter how many or few their days-leads some sufferers to the contemplation of ‘beginnings’ … origins, the origins of life.

The bereaved are drawn to this place because they feel they’ll discover the shadow of G-d behind the veil of ‘beginnings’.

I asked Rabbi Twerski whether he felt ‘G-d had withheld from Man the capability to fathom certain primal problems. For example, can ‘Man’ understand the mechanism whereby chemistry became biology, how inanimateness became life?

‘In ‘Faith & Fossils’, Rabbi Twerski began, ‘Prof. Aviezer cites a physicist who said that the possibility of a simple bacteria developing from inanimate material is a mathematical absurdity.’

If indeed that is true, it may lead us toward the conclusion that there is a Creator who did not ‘issue a pass’ to Man to enter this restricted area, never intending for him to be able to crack the divine code. ‘What good then,’ I wondered, ‘does it do Man by continuing to explore?’

‘The origin of life is beyond human comprehension,’ but Rabbi continued on to say that ‘we should use our intelligence to understand whatever is within our ability.’

Can you imagine the consequences for mankind were scientists to throw up their hands in frustration: ‘Oh to Hell it with it all’ and throw in the towel simply because they hadn’t yet put the entire puzzle together, and perhaps might never be able to do so?

I won’t but mention the on-going debate between those who dabble in the cosmological ether of godless cynicism and those who argue in favor of The Creator who created Man ‘on the sixth day’ but stopped short of giving him all of the keys.

We distinguish between Man’s ‘journey’ and ‘destination’ and, no matter how unreachable he may think his destination is, that alone does not excuse him from undertaking the journey.

What has any of this to do with attaining happiness?

Clarity in communication depends upon definition because we know that different people often understand the same word differently.

‘People think of happiness as being content, without worries (that befits a cow),’ Rabbi Twerski began, as if to say that-if one were sated, having been fed, milked as it were and, generally speaking, well cared for by another-this is the ideal state of happiness toward which Man should strive.

Nothing could be further from the truth, Rabbi Twerski asserts, any more than the ‘joyous experience’ induced by cocaine can correctly define ‘happiness’.

‘I believe that true happiness is self-fulfillment, when a person strives to become everything he can be,’ a notion that implies limitations Man must accept lest he come to overestimate his importance and forget that as high as he thinks the pinnacle is upon which he sits, even the most everyday of clouds floats higher than he.

When he has gone as far as the road permits without blaming the map from which he navigated his route can he only then be happy, without defining his limits as failures.

‘The wisest thing a person can do,’ which will allow him to attain happiness ‘is to build a firm bond with G-d.’

Only then will he be able to assert along with the ancient prophets of Israel: ‘Blessed is the man who trusts in HaShem so that HaShem is his security.’

Alan D. Busch
alandbusch@aol.com
03/01/11

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/judaism-articles/conversation-with-rabbi-dr-abraham-j-twerski-4336879.html

About the Author

Alan D. Busch is an independent writer in Skokie, Illinois, married to Kallah and the father of Benjamin, Z’L, Kimberly and Zac. He is currently working on the completion of his second book, a memoir about his late father and enjoys the good fortune of being published in a variety of media in both prose and poetry. His writing is centered upon though not limited to Jewish themes. Please ‘google’ his name for more details or contact him on Facebook. He is the author of Snapshots In Memory of Ben, Water Forest Press, 2007, a contributing author to Everyone’s Got A Story, edited by Ruchama King Feuerman and a community member contributing writer for the Chicago Tribune’s Triblocal.com for Skokie, IL.

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What’s the Difference Between a Cult and an Organized Religion?

Image via Wikipedia

Author: RevAmyELong

Whenever individuals explore and analyze religion, one common, but unfortunate word people use is,‘cult’. Whenever people don’t like religious or spiritual groups, it’s not uncommon to bring up the word ‘cult’, with no real comprehension of the difference those and legitimate organized religions. The reason for this is actually very simple to see.

For example, in the event you fail to follow Christian Biblical concepts strictly, the Christian Protestant Fundamentalists think you a cult. Although they perhaps originally intended that to demean only those Christian denominations that somehow ‘were misguided’, that definition now extends clearly also includes Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, … In fact, because at least 2/3 of the world’s population doesn’t identify with any sort of Christian, almost 70of all of us are therefore ‘members of a cult’.

But, the problem goes even deeper than that. The Protestant fundamentalists have continued to expand their cult list by including Roman Catholics along with all Easter Orthodox faiths, over a disagreement over the number of sacraments there are. By those standards, 93of the people on the planet are involved in cults. To take it 1 step further, they also think most other Christian Protestant groups to have fallen out of compliance with biblical fidelity. So, for these men and women, virtually the only singular group of people on the planet who aren’t in a cult is them!

Whenever different groups examine these extraordinarily strict doctrinal interpretations, they frequently believe that anyone following them has lost all individualized thought, and must therefore be a member of a cult. To much of the rest of the planet, it’s actually these biblically strict, narrow groups who are the true cults. Taken together, that includes everybody. Everyone on the planet is a member of a cult — according to somebody! The Baptists are pointing fingers at the Catholics who are pointing fingers at the Protestants – and everyone is pointing fingers at the Mormons.

Whenever you paint anything with such a broad brush, it’s pointless; as Joey on ‘Friends’ once said, ‘The point is Moo — because who cares what a cow thinks?

So, is there any way to redeem the word, so it can have some meaning of value? The main issue is that those who are creating the definitions are lacking neutrality. They’ve got an agenda. The thing we need is someone else to give us a neutral means to identify a cult — someone without a personal interest in the decision. That individual can be the ‘anthropologist of religion’.

An anthropologist of religion is someone who studies the field of religion from a scientific standpoint. Sometimes they’ve got a particular religion to which they adhere, and other times they don’t. This will make some members from the organized religions rather uncomfortable. If the anthropologist belongs to a religion — any religion — the other people scream ‘bias! bias!’, and everything the anthropologist has to say must be wrong because they’ve got this personal bias.|If it happens that the individual belongs to a particular religion, all the others shout, ‘Bias! Bias! — and ignores anything stated.

If, on the other hand, the anthropologist doesn’t take part in any specific religion, the others scream ‘atheist! atheist!’, and everything this anthropologist says has got to be biased on the fact that they’re simply opposed to all religious beliefs. Drama and accusation aside, how do these neutral parties define cults?

Usually, the majority of them define a cult by using a specific ‘five point system’. The answers to the the following questions will make it clear whether or not the group is a cult.

These are:

1. Does the group have a charismatic, strong leader (or leaders)

Two. Does the group squash individuality as well as independent thought?

3. Is there a denial of intimacy by excluding or alienating friends or relatives?

Four. Do they apply financial pressure and abuse for the welfare of the group, even at the personal expense of the adherent?

Five. Does the group keep its members separated from their surrounding community?

Even using this approach, the problem is that it still isn’t black and white. If all 5 questions are answered ‘yes’, then it easily qualifies as being a cult. Obviously, if every one of the answers is no, then it’s absolutely NOT a cult. If it were only The hard part is when, as is the case with most groups, the answer is ‘yes’ to a number of questions between those two extremes. you are unlikely to find any solid answers, so the best we can do is really a sort of sliding scale.

It’s always easy to handle to fully grasp with a real-life situation.

One Case Study of a Cult — The People’s Temple. This is the title of the church founded by the Reverend James Warren ‘Jim’ Jones — over nine hundred folks that committed suicide in Jonestown, Guyana back in 1978.

Ask yourself those aforementioned five questions:

(a). They had Jones as a leader – strong and charismatic.

(b) they thought as a group and weren’t allowed to have any ideas to call their own.

(c) they ended encouraged strongly to exclude their friends as well as relatives from every aspect of their lives and their church activities.

(d) The members more than tithed, they basically gifted all everything they owned to the church, and were in turn cared for by the church (the group was entirely communist);

(e) When their isolation from the surrounding community began to break down, they relocated to a remote spot inside the jungles of South America.

All five factors had been met, so they clearly were a cult.

A 2nd Case Study – Jehovah’s Witnesses. Founded in the late 1800s by Charles Taze Russell, these are the folks that you are likely to come across when they knock on your door.

Let’s compare them to the same five questions:

(a) They do not have a particular leader, strong or otherwise.

(b) They believe that as a result of independent bible study, everybody will eventually come to the same conclusions that they have.

(c) Witnesses ask people they don’t know as well as relatives to teach what they think they have learned;

(d) While it’s frequently true that Witnesses devote a lot of their time and effort trying to convert others, there does not appear to be any monetary pressure – not any more so than any other church encourages tithing.

(e) It’s their lack of separation from the nearby community that often has them at odds with their neighbors.

They meet none of the criteria. Jehovah’s Witnesses are definitely not a cult.

Bottom Line: determining properly whether a group is a cult is unrelated to their biblical interpretations, and needs to instead be determined by sociological criteria unrelated to the religious position of the group. Whether cults are dangerous or not depends on which cult. Just because it’s a cult, does not make it automatically dangerous, but any one or any thing that discourages independent thought, is ultimately bad for you.

This is an excerpt of 1 lesson (of 30) from the Master of Religious Philosophy course offered through the Universal Life Church Seminary. We have many courses available and each one carries with it a degree at the end of the course.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/spirituality-articles/whats-the-difference-between-a-cult-and-an-organized-religion-4327524.html

About the Author
Kevin is a student of psychology and spiritual studies and a minister at the Universal Life Church .

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