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Over the last 150 years the average height of people in industrialised nations increased by 10 cm (4 in). |
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Pagan festival mixes magic and pride
Reads: 41 |
Posted by Thoth on Thursday, August 28, 2008 (CDT)
 The Rev. Kirk White sat Sunday under a huge tree on Legislative Mall, warning scores who sat in a circle on the ground around him that these are significant times for their faith. By caring for the earth and each other, promoting interfaith cooperation, giving individual service for others and championing the freedom of faith for all, he said, "We are changing the world, but we are tiny."
They are pagans, dictionary-defined as those who are not Christian, Muslim or Jew, often recognizing multiple gods. That includes Wiccans, from a variety of nature-based traditions, which often use the pentagram, a star in a circle, as their symbol.
Estimates of the faith's numbers range from about 200,000 nationwide to three times more than that, although there is no accurate state-by-state count, said White, a Vermont resident. And while many refuse to acknowledge their faith, he said, it has been recognized by the American Academy of Religion.
(Read More... Religion & Spirituality | Word Count: 1218 | comments? | Score: 0) |
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Poster nuns to vie for 'Miss Sister Italy' title
Reads: 71 |
Posted by Thoth on Monday, August 25, 2008 (CDT)
 The first beauty pageant for nuns debuts next month with the advent of "Miss Sister Italy," aimed at erasing a stereotype of nuns as being old and sad, a newspaper reported Sunday. "Nuns are above all women and beauty is a gift from God," priest Antonio Rungi of the southern Italian diocese of Modragone told the daily Corriere della Sera.
"This contest will be a way to show there isn't just the beauty we see on television but also a more discrete charm," he added. Nuns wishing to participate in the contest should send their picture to Rungi, who will publish it on his blog. Internet surfers can then vote for their favorite nun online.
"You really think all nuns are old, stunted and sad? This isn't the case any more, thanks to the arrival in our country of young and vital nuns," notably from Africa and Latin America, Father Rungi added.
(Read More... Religion & Spirituality | Word Count: 295 | comments? | Score: 0) |
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Shroud of Turin stirs new controversy
Reads: 234 |
Posted by Thoth on Sunday, August 24, 2008 (CDT)
 The tie that binds John and Rebecca Jackson is about 4 feet by 14 feet, woven of herringbone twill linen. It once led to their romance; years later, it still dominates their thoughts and fills their conversations. It brought Rebecca, an Orthodox Jew, to the Catholic Church; it led John to suspend himself from an 8-foot-tall cross to study how blood might have stained the cloth. Together, the two have committed to memory every crease, scorch mark and unexplained stain in their years-long pursuit of the mystery:
Is the Shroud of Turin -- which allegedly bears the image of a crucifixion victim -- the burial cloth of Jesus? In 1988, science seemed to put that question to rest.
Radiocarbon dating by three separate laboratories showed that the shroud originated in the Middle Ages, leaving the "shroud crowd" reeling. Shroud skeptics responded, "We told you so." The Catholic Church admitted that it could not be authentic. Many scientists backed away.
(Read More... Religion & Spirituality | Word Count: 1550 | comments? | Score: 2) |
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China's Olympic Challenge: The mythology of Eight
Reads: 164 |
Posted by Thoth on Sunday, August 10, 2008 (CDT)
 The significance of the date of the Beijing Olympic premiere on 8/8/08 cannot be overestimated. The mythology of these numbers symbolizes not only future prosperity but also a confidence that is self-fulfilling to a nation of people who have sacrificed for centuries for the concept of self-worth and national pride.
Whatever happens at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, it is safe to say that the date is a turning point in this 5,000-plus-year-old culture. Despite all of the challenges, predictions of environmental failure and potential political unrest, the future is positive.
The young people of China are the beginning of a dynasty of their own, with confidence that they will help to change the world on their terms. Fueled by the Internet and a firsthand exposure to the West, they realize that the world of creative ideas is a playground that they are very familiar with. Like sports, they can and will play with the best: They are honing their skills on the field of international competition.
(Read More... Religion & Spirituality | Word Count: 328 | comments? | Score: 0) |
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Knights Templar heirs in legal battle with the Pope
Reads: 206 |
Posted by Thoth on Tuesday, August 05, 2008 (CDT)
 The Association of the Sovereign Order of the Temple of Christ, whose members claim to be descended from the legendary crusaders, have filed a lawsuit against Benedict XVI calling for him to recognise the seizure of assets worth 100 billion euros (£79 billion).
They claim that when the order was dissolved by his predecessor Pope Clement V in 1307, more than 9,000 properties as well as countless pastures, mills and other commercial ventures belonging to the knights were appropriated by the church. But their motive is not to reclaim damages only to restore the "good name" of the Knights Templar.
"We are not trying to cause the economic collapse of the Roman Catholic Church, but to illustrate to the court the magnitude of the plot against our Order," said a statement issued by the self-proclaimed modern day knights. The Templars was a powerful secretive group of warrior monks founded by French knight Hugues de Payens after the First Crusade of 1099 to protect pilgrims en route to Jerusalem.
(Read More... Religion & Spirituality | Word Count: 546 | comments? | Score: 0) |
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