new age spirituality

Author: abracad

  • Who Out There Has The Truth? 

    By Rabbi Allen S. Maller

    Twelve years ago the U.N. General Assembly proclaimed the first week of February as Interfaith Harmony Week for all religions; with a resolution that recognized “the imperative need for dialogue among faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony, and cooperation among people.”

    So this Reform Rabbi offers to the religious public this article about religious TRUTH in the Qur’an.

    All wise religions praise modesty; and modesty requires that religious believers do not claim that they or their religious beliefs are the one and only TRUTH. This is why the Qur’an states: “To each of you We (God) proscribed a law and a method. Had Allah so willed, He would have made you a single people, but (God’s plan is) to test you in what He has given you: so compete in all virtues as in a race. The goal of you all is to (please) Allah who will show you (on judgment day) the truth of the matters in which you dispute.” (Qur’an 5:48)

    “O Children of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed upon you from on high [knowledge of making] garments to cover your nakedness, and [clothing] as a thing of beauty; but the garment of God-consciousness [modesty] is the best of all. Herein lies a message from God, so that man might take it to heart. (Qur’an 7:26) (more…)

  • Spirituality and Hope In A Time Of Oppression

    by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
    The Gospel of John reports that Jesus came to Jerusalem for the Festival of Dedication — Hanukah: “The Festival of Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in Solomon’s portico” (John 10:22-23). What was Jesus celebrating during that eight day period that Jews world wide still celebrate?

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  • King David’s Psalm For False News And Hate-filled Words On Twitter

    by Rabbi Allen S. Maller
    Prophet David (whose name is mentioned 16 times in the Qur’an) is one of the few Islamic Prophets who received Kingship as well as Prophethood. While other prophets preached during the reign of kings, Prophet David was also the king of the Land of Israel. Thus, Prophet David received an extremely major task of making sure that the People of Israel were not only observing the rules of the Torah morally and spiritually, but also that the country itself remained strong as well.
    Prophet David’s place as both leader and prophet (like both Moses and Muhammad) is revered by all Muslims as one of extremely high rank. The figure of King David, together with his prophetic son, Prophet King Solomon, are iconic of people who ruled justly over their land.
    God frequently mentions David’s high rank as a prophet and messenger in the Quran. He is often mentioned alongside other prophets to emphasize how great he was. For example, God says:
    And We gave him Isaac and Jacob and guided them, as We had guided Noah before them, and of his descendants, David and Solomon and Job and Joseph and Moses and Aaron. Thus We reward those who are upright and do good.” (Quran 6:84)

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  • Patriarchy in India is beginning to crumble

    By William T. Hathaway

    In the Vedic tradition of India the feminine side of creation is given equal importance to the masculine. The Divine Mother, Mahashakti, is revered as the primal creative energy who manifests the deities and the physical universe and then sustains all dynamic activity. When portrayed together, the deity pairs – Brahma and Sarasvati, Vishnu and Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati – are often androgynous and almost identical to show they are fundamentally beyond gender.

    Unfortunately, centuries of colonial domination have made Indian society as male dominated as the West is. Fortunately, women in India are now developing a strong feminist movement to change this. (more…)

  • Pioneer Jews of the West

    By William T. Hathaway

    Amazing but true: The first European settlers in what is now the USA weren’t English Puritans or French fur trappers but Sephardic Jews. Before the Mayflower sailed to America, Jews had fled the Spanish Inquisition and settled in what is now Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Although they were eventually absorbed into the mainstream culture, they built a real Jewish life here.

    Who were these first pioneers? What happened that forced them to flee? What did they encounter in this far land? These questions fascinate me, and as I read what little we know about them and imagine their lives, a story emerges: (more…)

  • The Guru – Live in Your Living Room!

    By William T. Hathaway

    You can learn to meditate from one of the great spiritual teachers of India, then meditate with him live online and ask him questions – all for free. The first step is to learn his easy technique of Vedic meditation, Jangama Dhyana: https://www.jangama.org/. Then join him Saturdays for a meditation and question-and-answer session: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en. He transmits a powerful force-field that you access by tuning in with devotion to his voice and picture. Connecting to him will supercharge your spiritual growth and improve your daily life. (more…)

  • Meditation: a lifeline to sanity in a world gone crazy

    By William T. Hathaway

    Humanity is in crisis. Our social structures are crumbling. Institutions that had seemed secure are now breaking apart. Politicians are figures of contempt. Once-respected news sources are distrusted. Schools have devolved into internment camps. A dozen war flags rally us into battle. Our punch-drunk planet is staggering on the ropes. People are dropping dead from the virus and from the vaccine that’s supposed to prevent it. Political polarization is destroying friendships. The economy is lurching around, torn by contradictory pressures. Explanations for the chaos abound, but attempts at solutions are stalemated.

    However we react to this crisis – by revolutionary action to overthrow the established order, or by conservative action to defend it, or by a simple desire to survive in peace – to be effective we need to maintain inner calm and stability. Otherwise we’ll be swept up in the chaos and become its victim.

    Transcendental Meditation is a good way to achieve this inner calm and stability. It’s the most scientifically researched method, and millions of people practice it worldwide. It uses a special technique of effortless, non-concentrative thinking that makes it fundamentally different from other forms of meditation. (more…)

  • When The End Time Starts Will It End Positively?

    Rabbi Allen S. Maller
    A decade ago (May 2, 2012) a Reuters Poll reported that “nearly 15 percent of people worldwide believe the world will end during their lifetime. “Whether they think it will come to an end through the hands of God, or a natural disaster or a political event, whatever the reason, one in seven thinks the end of the world is coming,” said Keren Gottfried, research manager at Ipsos Global Public Affairs which conducted the poll for Reuters. Among Evangelical Christians three out of four felt we are living in the End Times of Gog and Magog; Ya’juj and Ma’juj End Times (AKHIR AL-ZAMAN) for Muslims.

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  • Escaping the Military: Healing the Virus of Violence

    From the book RADICAL PEACE: People Refusing War

    By William T. Hathaway

    RADICAL PEACE presents the experiences of war resisters, deserters, and peace activists who are working to change our warrior culture. A young Buddhist novice contributed this account, which we then revised together. To protect the people who have protected him, he prefers to be nameless.

    Back in high school I’d been good at languages but couldn’t afford to go to college, so I joined the navy for the language training. They have a program where if you pass an aptitude test, they’ll send you to the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, for an intensive course that’s worth almost a year of college credit. Plus they have an active-duty education program that offers college courses. I figured after my discharge I could finish my education on the GI Bill, and with my language skills, I could get a job in international business.

    The other military branches offer programs like this too, but the navy seemed the best way to stay out of the fighting. I was hoping for a major language like Chinese, Russian, or Spanish, but they assigned me to Pashto, which is spoken in Afghanistan and Pakistan. After training, I’d be stationed on a ship in the Arabian Sea monitoring phone calls and radio broadcasts, listening for key words that might give a clue about where the Taliban were, so the planes from the aircraft carriers could bomb them. I didn’t think about this last part, though. I was focused on my future. (more…)

  • Coming Home

    From the book RADICAL PEACE: People Refusing War

    By William T. Hathaway

    RADICAL PEACE is a collection of reports from antiwar activists, the true stories of their efforts to change our warrior culture. In this chapter a mother tells of her son’s return from combat.

    My son spent a year fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq in Delta Force. It was the worst year of his life … and of mine. As he told me later, there were times he thought he’d never come home. That was also my constant fear. For 365 days, every time the phone rang I thought it would be a voice from the Pentagon telling me with well-practiced condolence that my son had died a hero. (more…)