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Religions in India -
Other Religions
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Written by News Desk
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Sunday, 19 April 2009 10:04 |
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Jews around the world recite special sun blessing
On Wednesday morning, April 8, Jews gathered around the world to recite the sacred and rare blessing of the sun (birkat hachama in Hebrew), recited only once every 28 years.
The blessing is intended to celebrate the positioning of the sun, stars, and planets in the exact formation in which they were created. Although modern science seems to have disproved such a claim, the blessing is still recited and maintains much symbolic value in the Jewish faith.
The sun or the shape of the sun must be seen in order to recite the "BirkatHachamah" after sunrise but no later than noon. Areas which forecast cloudy or rainy weather were hoping for a glimpse of the sun. A contingency plan would be to raise above the clouds aboard an aircraft to sight the sun and then recite the prayer.
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Religions in India -
Religious Problems
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Written by News Desk
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Wednesday, 25 March 2009 11:36 |
Priests jailed for $8.6 million theft
Two Roman Catholic Church priests in the United States, were sentenced to prison for theft. They were convicted of stealing over US$8 million from St. Vincent Ferrer Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Florida.
Retired Monsignor John A. Skehan and Reverend Francis B. Guinan were accused in 2006 of misappropriation of funds from the church collection plates and church bequests.
Judge Jeffrey Colbath handed down the sentence on Skehan who received 14 months in prison followed by seven years on probation. He plead guilty in January 2009 to grand theft of over $100,000. The defense, prosecutors and Diocese of Palm Beach had requested probation for Skehan, who is 81 years old. Skehan has paid back $750,000.
"The court finds the defendant is not merely sorry because he got caught, but is truly shameful, embarrassed and remorseful," Judge Jeffrey Colbath said. "The crime of the defendant was pure greed unmasked. There was not a shred of moral necessity to excuse the defendant's crime."
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Religions in India -
Christianity
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Written by News Desk
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Monday, 23 March 2009 05:29 |
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Clashes in France after anti-condom speech by Pope
Far-right and far-left activists clashed Sunday, when the far-left were protesting Pope Benedict XVI's opposition to condoms, a police source in Paris, France said.
A group of about 30 activists threw condoms on the ground outside Notre-Dame cathedral, when attendants of the Sunday mass left the cathedral.
The police arrested three people after the incident. About 20 youths, some of whom were carrying signs reading "Leave my Pope alone" approached the protesters. One person was injured.
On Tuesday, after arriving in Africa, the Pope stated that "you can't resolve it [AIDS] with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, it increases the problem." He suggested that sexual behavior was the issue that should be focused on and that the solution must be found in "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer".
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