Category Archives: Religion
On the Golu Festival
While most of the Hindu world is observing the nine-day Navaratri festival, in many South Indian homes there is also another joyous celebration going on. Known as kolu (pronounced as golu), in this festival the family constructs a seven, nine, or eleven tier step-structure and covers it with a nice cloth. Then on the steps …
Blasphemy Beynd Borders
While upholding the individual right of citizens in all countries to express their views on any religion or on any aspect of any religion as they wish, I have only the utmost contempt for any speech or writing or supposed work of art that springs from hate and whose goal is to denigrate and desecrate …
On Patterns in Religions
In every religious tradition, the rebels (unorthodox/progressive thinkers) define their own version of the original doctrines, selectively accepting what they feel are nice and good and appropriate, and rejecting whatever they feel are inconvenient, irrelevant, or plain wrong. They are like people who want to eat the cake and still have it: they want to …
On the Positive Sides of Religions
We are multi-dimensional creatures, biological entities with several levels of existence: physical, intellectual, psychological, emotional, and yes, spiritual too. By the last I mean an inner longing to be connected with the cosmos. This longing expresses itself in a variety of ways, in most instances as a religious call. Evolutionary biologists and cultural psychologists may …
Can one be a Christian and an atheist, as William Hamilton claimed to be?
I believe it is, if we use the word Christian as an adjective, and not as a noun. It is possible to adhere to the enlightened moral teachings of Christ (and in this sense describe oneself as one with Christian qualities), be respectful of the name and spiritual stature of Christ, and celebrate the meaningful …
William Hamilton Dies at 87; Known for ‘Death of God’
The statement “God is Dead” is, by itself, incomplete in that the word God is not defined or remains ill-defined. Moreover, we need to differentiate between “God,” “God of Religions,” “Concept of God,” and “Belief in God.” With these clarifications it is fair to say that: 1. Whether God per se is dead or not, …
Religion’s Nature: Depends on Your Emphasis
In January 2010 Sam Harris and Karen Armstrong had a debate on Religion. Here are my comments on it: As often happens when two intelligent people debate both are right from their respective understandings/convictions/definitions of the issue they are debating, each impervious to the other’s perspective. To Sam Harris the word religion evokes witchcraft, cannibalism, …
From Daodejing
Laozi, known by a dozen like-sounding names, is said to have lived in the sixth century BCE. He is remembered by the classic Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) which is a treasury of capsule wisdom. There are jolting insights in this work. Tao is the Way. Here we read (in rough translation) yjr following: Way that …
Sivapuránam (Civapuránam)
Caiva-ciddántam is a metaphysical-philosophical-spiritual school which takes the Civa (Shiva) Principle as the fundamental substratum in the world. It is very ancient and has a North Indian version as well as a South Indian. In both systems Civa is transcendent as well as immanent, but it also has a personal form, helpful in the worship …
Divinity in the essence of things
TénukkuL inbam civappó karuppó vánukkuL ícanai-tédi madiyilír ténukkuL inbam cerin-dirundár-pól únukkuL ícan-oLit-tirundáné Is the joy in the honey black or reddish? Searching God in the sky is as foolish. As abundant the joy that honey brings, God is shining in the essence of things. This verse is attributed to the Tirumúlar (7th century C.E.?), the …
