I want this… bwahaha! 🙂
Source: http://mypaper.pchome.com.tw/ohya71828/post/1310780520
Categories
Category: Our Society
Once again, Christian evangelists have abused Buddhists and Muslims, this time by the National University of Singapore (NUS) Campus Crusade for Christ (CCC):
The small text circled in red above reads:
“In a country where much of the population is M, much prayer and work is needed in this place. As our first team to be sent to this place, you will be reaching an unreached people group. This is a pioneer work where you will get to help start movement on their campuses! … …”
Please make a stand and tell the insensitive religious zealots that enough is enough. Check out and LIKE the Facebook page Say Yes to Religious Harmony.
It’s ok to discuss and compare religions but it’s a no-no to abuse others’ religion no matter how “well-intentioned” you are or how much you “love” them. How can you love someone when you don’t even respect the person in the first place?
Please stop offensive evangelism and unethical proselytism now.
Categories
惜
媽媽有的，不是飄飄然的甜言蜜語，而是那樸實的關懷、不離不棄的疼惜。
你懂得珍惜嗎？
和媽媽相處時，什么會让你感动？你渴望的是什么？
In an interview with Argentina’s La Pagina, Linux founder Linus Torvalds shares his view of Linux ideology.
Q: What ideology has Linux?
A: I don’t think there is an ideology, and I don’t think there *should* be an ideology. And the important part of that is the “an” – I think there can be *many* ideologies. I do it for my own reasons, other people do it for _their_ own reasons. I think the world is a complicated place, and people are interesting and complicated animals that do things for complex reasons. And that’s why I don’t think there should be “an ideology”. I think it’s really refreshing to see people working on Linux because they believe they can make the world a better place by spreading technology and making it available to people more widely – and they think that open source is a good way to do that. That’s _one_ ideology. I think it’s a great one. It isn’t really why I started doing Linux myself, but it warms my heart to see Linux used that way. But I _also_ think that it’s great to see all the commercial companies that use open source simply because it’s good for business. That’s a totally different ideology, and I think that’s a perfectly good ideology too. The world would be a _much_ worse place if we didn’t have companies doing things for money. So the only ideology I really despise and dislike is the kind that is about exclusion of other ones. I despise people whose ideology is about “the one true ideology”, and not following that particular set of moral guidelines is “evil” or “wrong”. That’s just small-minded and stupid, to me. So the important part about open source is not the ideology – it’s just that everybody can use it for their own needs and for their own reasons. The copyright license is there to keep that openness alive, and to make sure that the project doesn’t fragment into people who hide their improvements from each other and then have to re-implement each others changes – but it’s not there to enforce some ideology.
昭慧法師應台灣神學院莊信德教授之邀，到台灣神學院進行佛學專題演講。
以下僅引座談會中的兩則精彩對話：
Question:
鄭仰恩教授 (台灣神學院學術副院長) 回應道：
「聽了昭慧法師的演講，有一種清新的感覺。基督教也有出世與入世的傳統，也面臨出世與入世之間的相互質疑。就緣起論與創造論來對比，西方有人認為創造論講的是 being（存有），緣起論講的是 non being（非存有）；前者是講『有』的哲學，後者是論『無』的哲學。」
Answer:
昭慧法師回應道：
「佛家並不講 being 與 non being，佛家強調的是『離於有無二邊』的中道。《雜阿含》262經中，闡陀向阿難說到他畏懼「無我」與「空」的教說，阿難引《佛為迦旃延所說經》：『如是正觀世間集者，不生世間無見；如是正觀世間滅者，不生世間有見』，所以如來離於二邊，說於中道。」
「佛家的『空』不等於『無』，因為『無』見將陷於一邊，這就時闡陀原先之所以會畏懼『空』的原因——他把『空』視作『無』而生起了斷滅的恐慌。而佛陀的離於二邊，說於中道，正好破除了『無』之邊見。」
Question:
鄭教授又問：
「在一般分類中，佛家是屬於自力宗教。但這並不是一個很理想的分類法，因為基督宗教也並非完全不講自力，但是基督教的宗教經驗，一定會講到與『祂者』相遇的經驗，而且這個祂者是個『全然的祂者』（holy other），從這裡來認識自己。請問：佛教有沒有對於 holy other 這樣的宗驗？」
Answer:
昭慧法師回答：
「佛家無論解脫道還是菩薩道，都是要透過自己的力量。當然，也透過明師與善知識的教導，信眾的護持、社會的支持，這是因緣和合的因緣生法，因此成就也不純粹是來自『自力』，但還是以自力為主軸。」
「至於與『祂者』相遇的經驗，在解脫道與菩薩道的正常道，是比較沒有，但是菩薩道中的方便道──念佛法門，把心念全然地繫緣在佛陀，而不是在自己。這種心念的運作機制，與基督教與 holy other 相遇的經驗不完全相同。原因是，即使念佛念到於定中見到佛陀的影像現前，甚至聽到佛陀說話，都依然知道這是『唯心所現』、是『因緣生法』，並非真實的 holy other 現在面前。這就是所謂的『念佛三昧』，它基本上還是自力的。但為何要把佛陀當做念茲在茲的對象？其功用在於無形中的潛移默化，在專注地向佛認同的過程中，逐漸地提升自己；在敬仰佛陀，以佛陀為典範，向佛陀看齊的虔敬心中，以精進力趨向佛道。」
7 mins 22 secs into the video, Nabbi Ram Singh related his shocking observation:
“Once I was called to a village for some antenna work. When my two friends and I had finished their work, we passed a local church on our way to the car.
There were about 250 poor people waiting to go inside the church. 3 priests, in long white ropes, were ordering these people to step on pictures of different Hindu Gods, which they had placed on the steps of the church. This was to prove that they had renounced the Hindu Gods by converting into Christianity.
Later, it came to my knowledge, that they were also ordered to burn pictures of our Hindu Gods. My friends and I were very shocked, because if you stepped on pictures of Hindu Gods, it’s very difficult to return to the Hindu faith.
Poor people choose to become Christians, because the Church promised them advantages, things that would take the Indian government a long time to deliver, and they promised them healing from all diseases just by coming to the Sunday prayers in the church.”
Found via Fundamentally Wrong.
Download e-book @ http://conversion.buddhists.sg
It is important to Agree to Disagree.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong highlighted the importance of maintaining racial and religious harmony through tolerance and restraint, as well as preserving the common space that all Singaporeans share.
Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng observed that amid the increase in religious proselytisation activities, security concerns are thrown up when “overzealous and self-righteous” followers engage in aggressive and insensitive propagation of their faiths.
Find out how to support Buddhists who are facing proselytism in their workplace, school or even at home, so that they can maintain their stand with compassion and wisdom.
Say “No” compassionately to religious proselytism.
~ View e-book ~
Senior Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism blasted Buddhism and Taoism at his church sessions, recorded them on video and posted them on the Lighthouse Evangelism’s website.
These offensive video clips were subsequently removed on the church’s website but they had already made their way onto YouTube.
- Pastor Rony Tan blasts Buddhism Part 1
- Pastor Rony Tan blasts Buddhism Part 2
- Pastor Rony Tan blasts Buddhism Part 3
- Pastor Rony Tan blasts Buddhism Part 4
The Government’s Internal Security Department (ISD) hauled up the Christian church leader and told him that what he did was wrong. ISD told him that in proselytising his religion, he must not run down other faiths, and must be mindful of the sensitivities of other religions.
Pastor Tan has apologised after being called up by the ISD.
References:
Pastor’s comments on Buddhism/Taoism inappropriate & unacceptable MHA | ChannelNewsAsia
Pastor called up by ISD | Straits Times
Pastor apologises personally to Buddhist & Taoist federations | ChannelNewsAsia
Call for restraint | Straits Times
DPM Wong says glad to note Pastor Tan realised his mistake | ChannelNewsAsia
Reason pastor not arrested | TODAYonline
Pastor’s apology accepted | Straits Times
What is your reaction to the insensitive remarks made by Pastor Rony Tan? | TODAYonline
S’poreans must not run down or trivialise others’ beliefs: SM Goh | ChannelNewsAsia
Categories
Hostile takeover of AWARE
Excerpt from source @ Glass Castle: http://www.glass-castle.org/issue20editorial.html
Not Secular Feminists But Sectarian Fundamentalists: And They’ll Come For You Too
Editor Jolene addresses the takeover of AWARE by a group featuring prominent anti-gay activists.
Background
At the end of March, AWARE held an AGM attended by a large bloc of new members, many of whom had not previously been especially active in the organisation (according to the Straits Times, a large majority of them had only joined the organisation in the preceding 3 months). They proceeded to elect a new executive committee dominated by anti-gay activists. The new President (who has since, bizarrely, resigned), Claire Nazar, has publicly said that in her interpretation of her religion, Christianity, homosexuality is an ‘abomination’ and ‘the [result] of sin and flouting of God’s moral order’. The new honorary secretary, Jenica Chua, has previously criticised NMP Siew Kum Hong for his support for the legalisation of gay sex by referring to ‘the homosexual agenda’ and ‘the homosexual interest group’, language which originates from Christian fundamentalist movements in America.
Their supporters at the meeting included more individuals with clear connections to anti-gay Christian fundamentalist activism. Among these was Angela Thiang, who works in a company headed by infamous anti-gay Christian NMP Thio Li Ann, and who has publicly spoken in favour of Section 377A and in opposition to abortion rights. There was also Dr Alan Chin, who has used the language of American Christian fundamentalists by referring disapprovingly to ‘the gay lifestyle’.
Many of the members who voted for this new executive committee had only joined recently and were not well-known to active existing members of AWARE – suggesting that they were a new faction, rather than representing and reflecting the existing values of the group. In other words, the organisation appears to now be run not by secular feminists but by sectarian fundamentalists. It is likely that they will use it to push through a new agenda, promoting visions of gender, sexuality and women’s rights which are contrary to what AWARE previously stood for.
This has severe implications for women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, and civic society at large. Even if you consider yourself wholly indifferent to feminism or LGBTQ rights, please sit up and pay attention. They could come for you next.
Read the full article at http://www.glass-castle.org/issue20editorial.html