indian holiday

Now that I am back in America, I am back to celebrating the holidays in familiar territory, land of the Indians (or as some people consider "Native Americans"). When I was in Israel last year, not many people knew what Thanksgiving was, let alone celebrated it. Fortunately I knew a few other Americans, one of whom invited me to a monthly potluck, which happened to fall on Thanksgiving thus designating it as a celebration of the holiday. At the shared communal meal, the Americans did their best to explain to the other guests what Thanksgiving was all about, and how the tradition for the sharing of a big meal started with the British pilgrims befriending the Indians. They taught them how to grow corn, hunt, and live off the land - the land they knew as home.

On my way to my hometown in Arizona to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, I was driving through an Indian reservation, and suddenly got the urge to see an Indian movie - from India. A good friend of mine works as a promoter for Hindi films, and usually lets me in for free. I was interested in seeing him and of course to satisfy my urge for all things Indian. I had also been listening to Anoushka Shankar and Karsh Kale's amazing new album for the past several weeks straight and this reflected my readiness to embrace the culture. Upon arriving into Phoenix, I emailed an Indian friend of mine, a former co-worker who has been living in the Phoenix area, to see if he wanted to join me for the Hindi movie. I had just heard that Bangladesh got hit by a devastating cyclone. To my surprise my friend was actually in his hometown of Calcutta India for a visit, and he sent an email the next morning notifying everyone that he was indeed safe despite his proximity to Bangladesh.

While the cyclone threatened the easternmost part of India's coast, 3 terror attacks threatened India's north just yesterday. A series of explosions blasted through courthouses in heavily populated cities of Uttar Pradesh. The area is a popular Hindu pilgrimage center, certainly a target for Islamist terrorists (as are any non-Islamic civilizations). As long as our world's cultures remain in conflict, they are also linked more than we may realize. The other day, my dad called for service on one of his electronic devices, only to find that the help desk calls were handled by a call center in India. The woman on the phone told him she knew it was Thanksgiving, and asked him to explain the holiday to her. He told her about the pilgrims sharing a meal with the indians, and now our families get together for a special time and to share a traditional meal. She thought this sounded like the standard family meals shared by Indian people on a regular basis, and wondered why we only did it once a year, but praised us for celebrating our freedoms. From Maricopa to Masala, themes of Indian culture filled my Thanksgiving holiday.

freelance monotheism

The other day a friend of mine told me he had just recently read a few books by Karen Armstrong, and asked me if I had heard of her. I had not, so I looked her up online. While I'd love to check out some of her actual writings, I learned a bit about her background and ideologies. She is a fellow Scorpio (as is my favorite author Edward Said), has a degree in literature, was a former Nun, then turned Atheist as a result of bad experiences with the convent lifestyle and expectations - then changed some of her views after visiting Jerusalem. She has written about Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, and now calls herself a "freelance monotheist." She purports the theory that fundamentalist religion is a response to and product of modern culture. I would say that the "structure" aspect of organized religions certainly contributes to their disenchantment, but the notion of "freelance" would suggest the inability or decision to not commit to any of the above due to personal fears, or otherwise internal spiritual limitations.

Upon visiting Jerusalem, a person could not argue against the existence of God, and His presence in some form becomes absolutely apparent to anyone with a pulse. Atheism is not even an option once exposed to this region of the world (perhaps arguably conceivable by those separated by distance with no means to travel and no access to history books), as the history of humankind is traced back to Israel and Mesopotamia/Babylon, present-day Iraq. The notion of "freelance monotheism" is engaging in and of itself, yet offers merely a quaint literary perspective void of tactile interaction. Has she spent the night in a Bedouin village as I have, and coexisted among the hijab-sporting virgins eager to spread what they believe to be the only true way, the way of the sword?

I once thought Islam provided a legitimate religious lifestyle/belief system (seemed peaceful enough) until I witnessed first-hand the oppression of its adherents, both in societal restriction and political elitism. Islam was created out of reaction to Christianity and Judaism, because they did not approve of the way their followers behaved - and sought to create a new religion in which they could do better than these hypocrites. Yet the quest for best has forced them into a narrow mindset embracing the notion of religion, but discarding the intended focus (a personal relationship with God), resulting a socio-political battle and cultural upheaval, even against other Muslims.

If we as humans possess free will (which indeed we are born with), to freely choose Islam is to subscribe to a twisted ideology in which all other religions (Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Atheism, etc) are inferior, deemed in the Quran as "infidels", who must be destroyed. Their doctrine contradicts itself as it also labels Christians and Jews as respectable, "dhimmis" or "people of the Book", yet does not discriminate among the various categories of infidels (if you are not a Muslim, you must be killed). A religion which contradicts itself could not possibly prove valid, or even loving/accepting of others. Thus a mere literary assessment can not provide a first-hand interaction with the people, who often mask their true intentions (in deceit and blatant insincerity) in projecting a "false" sense of peace or holiness. "Death to America, Death to Israel, Death to the West" is their mantra - can you subscribe to this while concurrently validating the Western religions? How then would it be possible to simultaneously embrace the three monotheistic religions as a type of new-age religious tolerance, as though hatred/killing in the name of God could also be legitimized?

To excavate some level of wisdom from the Quran is merely a recognition of that which was borrowed from the Bible and Torah. This in fact is the reason the monotheistic religions are so similar and could lend to any number of comparative studies - obviously the Torah is the Old Testament, half the Bible, and the Quran is an excessively edited version of these. Far Eastern religions appear the least controversial in comparison, as they do not attempt to negate HISTORY (which cannot be changed by any person or religious institution despite societal or political upheaval) and thus can provide an outlet for humans merely seeking inner peace and tranquility... the true "essence" of religion or spirituality.

If we can embrace the value in each religion and adopt it as our own (in terms of "freelance monotheism"), we can begin to live our lives the way in which God intended of us. The peace of Buddhism, the compassion and grace of Jesus, the modesty of the Muslims, the devotion of the Jews, and the resistance to ego, desire, and suffering in the quest for selflessness and transcendence - we may attain a greater understanding of God as Omnipotent Creator of the Universe, complete with its inherently diverse levels of human consciousness and realization of the Divine. God is peace, not war, and created us to have a relationship with Him, in order that we may transcend this earthly paradigm wrought with dissension and suffering - and to experience Him fully.

middle east peace

aah diplomacy... is it wishful thinking to politically purport "peace in the Middle East"? Is the "peace process" a means to an end, or a necessary step towards a complete global democracy? Can land be given away to an angry race to aid in peaceful coexistence in a particular region? Can borders be expanded to further a pseudo-humanitarian cause, reveling in poverty but rooted in heresy? Are wars waged on the basis of religious beliefs or fueled by societies with the lack thereof? I must be either a pessimist or an absolutist, as what I'm about to say may not register on your God-o-meter if you are an unbeliever in the Ultimate Truth.

The United States, originally founded as a God-fearing nation, has become a nation of humanists, promoting democracy, diplomacy, and faith in oneself rather than a faith in the Divine. Yet We the People are Western allies with our founding British brothers, and our Biblically-based Holy enterprise, the State of Israel. Although we still have a handful of Christians and Jews in the US, many Biblical truths have long since been forgotten as our societies have evolved beyond the need for God in our daily lives. However, the Bible was written for today just as much as for the Jews of 3,000 years ago, it is the Word of Life for all the ages. One important characteristic of the Bible is its focus on Israel, not on America or Australia or even the whole of Africa. Most people in the world have been exposed to the Bible to some degree, yet many choose to ignore it or refute its claims, as though it does not apply to them directly.

Growing up a Christian, I'll admit the Bible is a bit difficult to read and digest in parts. Much of the language and terminology used is outdated or seemingly irrelevant, and parts of the book are even cryptic. You have to WANT to understand it, and even then you may become lost unless someone explains it to you. Furthermore, the Bible has been tossed aside as a mere historical literary work, unless you are some sort of religious zealot or theology expert. Hence the need arises for spurious scholars and attentive historians to excavate the hidden truths for today - especially as related to the modern global political arena. If you have not heard of him, I would like to recommend New York Times Best-Selling Author Joel C. Rosenberg, and his book entitled "Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future". While many of his other books are written as fiction (based on Biblical prophecies), Joel's claims in Epicenter are based on world history, current politics, and the Old Testament prophecies of Ezekiel 36-39. Here you will see the role of Russia and Iran revealed in their quest for global domination and intended destruction of Israel, exactly how it will unfold, and why.

I can't imagine my life without God, especially after visiting the Middle East and Israel, where religion and differing beliefs in monotheism is the core of their civilization. Nothing grieves me more than after having come back to America, seeing the ways in which our more "modern" society has progressed to a point of negating and even completely erasing God from the pages of time. Western society has evolved with so many outlets for success, prosperity, freedom of lifestyle and choice, none of which have anything to do with the God of Israel, He who created all species including we humans, and the very world we live in. Thus God's Holy Land of Israel, deemed as the official and timeless home for the Jewish people, God's chosen race, is continually being sliced and diced into a region which some believe to be politically sound.

I used to think the West Bank and Gaza "division of land" to form a Palestinian "state" was a legitimate solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - before I understood fully what the conflict was. I studied the region, its history, politics, language and culture full-time for one year. Even then, its just a bunch of facts without considering the religious foundations and cultural diversity of the indigenous people. According to the Bible, the lands of Judea and Samaria (presently called the West Bank) ultimately belong to the Jews, and must return to FULL JEWISH control before the War of Gog and Magog (see Ezekiel and above reference to Rosenberg's book Epicenter). As I am not currently an international policymaker (and most likely you are not either), we can only watch and see what the present-day politicians do to allow or disallow this division of land for "peace" in the Middle East.

pure diversion

This weekend I spent time with family and friends in Arizona, many of whom have small children. Generally, a trip out of town provides a suitable outlet for escape, or diversion from one's own life. When children are involved, I am quickly reminded about the beauty of development, stages of life, and purity of heart. In addition, the choices a person makes will determine their particular life situation, such as the decision to have children, a house with mortgage and maintenance, fixed or variable interest rates, and a small tragedy when the hot water heater goes out or someone throws a toy at someone else.

While every lifestyle has its own responsibilities and parameters, it is important not to lose sight of what is going on in the rest of the world. After dinner with a few life-long friends whom I hadn't seen in a while, we somehow got into a discussion on morality, religion, and political affairs. For me, these are standard topics of relevance, regardless of company. For a few of the others present, it was a bit unfamiliar and somewhat uncomfortable. Our discussion revealed the stark realization that we did not all meet eye-to-eye politically, but furthermore that a few of the people present simply DID NOT CARE about what was going on with some of these issues - because they DID NOT KNOW anything about it. I mentioned something about Putin, and one of my friends turned to another one and asked "do you even care what she is talking about?" she replied "no". Its not easy for some of my people when I express my views against gay marriage (and biologically why that lifestyle is not even logical), but when I say anything about a unified currency or one-world religion, people usually react like I am speaking complete nonsense. I mention Camerico (inevitable merger between Canada, America and Mexico) or the Amero (continental currency which will be in place within the next year) and I am stared down like I have 2 heads.

Our world is not far from the prophecies of Ezekiel and Revelation coming to fruition. In the end times, there will be 10 nations total, a one-world government and religion (surprise: it will be Islam)! Russia's prominence on the Global stage as international arms distributor, now in close alliance with Iran, will soon bring about significant change for life as we know it. War with Iran is inevitable for the US, and no amount of immersing oneself in children's soccer games, trips to the mall, and debt consolidation will change that. Whether your diversion is your home improvement projects, hollywood entertainment, or the bar/club scene, anything that keeps you from awareness of the big picture or imminent global paradigm is a pure form of disengagement. Pakistan in a state of emergency, whose government is near to being overthrown by terrorist groups like Al-Qaeda, Turkey involved in border clashes with its own internal terrorist regime the PKK, and Israel being repeatedly threatened by several radical Islamist factions... all the while America sleeps. Today's headline: "Colts dominate the Patriots" - tomorrow's headline: "Kremlin dominates the Arab World".