Everybody on earth has their view regarding the topic and the fundamental ideas behind the two have been debated since the first philosophers decided to ponder why there is good and evil. Philosophers have long argued that the sole purpose of man’s life on this earth is for self satisfaction and that the two ideas come into play in the pursuit thereof. Plato observed and reflected in his works that there are only a few possible ways and means by which man can do good deeds but indefinite ways by which to commit evil towards fellow man.
Time has had the true definitions and fundamental ideas behind the true meanings of the two bent and twisted to suit our very needs. During the time when the US loved and embraced slavery, it was not seen as an evil though today it is by no means defines as such. Societies such as the Nazi’s during the Second World War tolerated genocide as means of attaining the true identity of the Aryan race.
Is Good and Evil a universal description of truth or are they mere terms that as we say are bent and twisted to suit a societies needs and wants.
Moral Absolutism defines good and evil as concepts defined by GOD and that anything done that is against the will of GOD is to be defined and considered to be evil in all respects. Moral Relativism on the other hand offers a broader explanation of the ideals saying they are only products of local culture and that their definition can be changed to suit the needs of men who aim one goal or the other. Universalism on the other hand says that the difference between the two can only be bent so much and that the true meanings are still well defined by the teachings of past societies.

The world is divided into countries each with their own religions and sects to these religions that influence their people. The need for inter-religion cooperation is heightened by the fact the for example, the Americans who are still waging war in Iraq are now facing more of religiously motivated insurgents and not regular army combatants they started with. The UK has long accepted the fact that there was wrong in the initial assumptions that the war was for common good and the battle has been long and bloody. In Afghanistan, former Russian military officers who have served in the Russian-Afghan war are raising the red flag saying the Allies are committing the same mistakes they made during their own battles a few decades back. The Russians had to face defeat from the allied backed Afghans who fought hard and used tactics that were not even conventional.
Global trade is another motivator of the need for to allow people to work together for the same economic goals, the need for cooperation in between them is vital. Religion plays a huge part in how we work from day to day even if we do not say so. The way we were brought up in our respective faiths dictates how we deal and work in the future towards others and others from foreign lands. The Allies were hailed as liberators when the war began but are now labeled as invaders by the very people they fought and died to liberate. There might have been a lesson that was overlooked in the current crisis between the Palestinians and the Israelis who since time immemorial have been engaged in a war of religions and the right to exist. The battle rages not only in the battlefields but also in the arena of trade and many fall victims to poor policy that does not consider religious differences. Let us just hope that the leaders of today realize this as a fundamental truth and not just a fad for the sake of those left to fight the war for others which in their belief is their service for a brighter and better future for all.

Scientology has been called a cult, a religion, a pseudo-science and many other names. Scientology has fallen prey to more speculation when news of many celebrities in Hollywood, have been identified with associations to the said organization that many view with skepticism. Research reveals that Scientology is a body of practices and beliefs that are based on the works of American Speculative Fiction author L.Ron Hubbard who is the recognized father of the organization. The main regulatory organization for the previously unknown group is the Church of Scientology, a hierarchical organization founded by the author himself. Many other groups who work outside the main body use Hubbard’s works as basis for their own interpretation of the initial knowledgebase. During a time when people were deeply engrossed in a way of finding believable ideals that other religion can offer, scientology filled the gap. Their declarations as a church comes when Hubbard notices that there are many supporters who use his work in a myriad of ways, unifying them in the Church of Scientology which allowed him to standardize the interpretation of all his works. The ideals Hubbard interpreted are rooted in the works of many a famous philosophers like Bacon, Spencer, Freud and many others. His accumulated body of knowledge encompassed the whole philosophical theater from then till his time, incorporating some of the ideals of Hinduism and many other religions.
The combination of all those bodies of thought has resulted in a group that revolves around eight fundamental ideals that have to maintained and kept in balance. In Scientology, there is no absolute right or wrong but rather a body of ideals or events that lead to such. The scientology cross has eight corners, each representing eight ideals or dynamics on which they base their teachings. Self, Creativity (procreation family and Sex), Society (group and community), species Survival, life forms in general, matter, spirit and Infinity (Supreme Being) are the eight basic fundamentals areas they focus on. All decisions a practitioner of Scientology makes is said to need to impact all equally weighing them against these basic ideals.
Summing up all the information, they can be seen as an organization that has been derived from the many bodies of thought that is based on the acquired knowledge of many philosophers all combined into one body of knowledge. May you see it as a pseudo-science a religion or anything else, as long as it does not endanger the lives of their following then they should be left to do their own business.

Schools have been getting a bad rap, the recent shootings of students who fail to realize that there is more to life than success. Schools should be the place where futures are made, not destroyed and lives cut short. Students plotting to kill other students, drugs and all the other news we get to hear is not good at all for us and the so-called future of the human race. Our children should be allowed to use the bible as away of looking back at history and seeing the modern adaptations for themselves. The virtues and examples written may have been set in the time of the Romans and sometimes even older but the ideals stay the same, even in today’s computer driven world. “The Bible was Made for Man, Not Man for the Bible”, one of my high school professors once said, and I took that to heart. Truly man was around way before the bible was compiled and read as one solid literary piece. Man was given by the Supreme Being a brain with which to think and see everything around him as a situational scenario. How one acts, is purely based on his beliefs and ideals that he manifests from memories he has compiled through the life that has passed through and the teachings of those around him. If the Bible was supposed to be the supreme Manual for everyday life, why would we need big brains for? So, I do agree that the bible should be brought into our schools, they might make an impact or they might not, but being able to entice some to partake in the virtues and stories of old would be a wonderful endeavor that they might just accept it as the truth.

Some say it’s a romanticized version of life in the time of the Romans some say its the depiction of a man’s life as he was made man by the Father to walk against men to show them the ills of their ways. Many refute the validity of the documents and events that are contained within the pages of the document whom many consider to be the best guides to life as we know it.
All religions have their own god’s and supreme beings and with those beings come teachings that are written on paper by scholars and writers who were there to document their lives, to pass on their works down to the next generation. Many say that the events documented on the bible are highly fictional; some say they are historic accounts. Well, they are both, part romanticized views of daily life back then and part historical documentation of how the Romans interacted with everyone else. Scholars have even accepted the fact that the Bible was the blueprint of the Declaration of Independence, the basis for everything that makes America, All-American. From the 1760’s to 1805, all documents had direct relation to the scriptures within the bible along with the famous American Constitution. The Bible is relevant in today’s world as it was during the days when the Christians were being persecuted by the Romans. The term Christian has been twisted turned and stepped on but one thing’s sure, we’re all brothers in Christ and nobody can take that away from us.

Economics has forced the Bible out of schools for they are just another cost for the state to shoulder and they need to trim their budgets. Little do they know that they may be taking away something that has been in place since time immemorial that has managed to keep people thinking of the ways and life of the true Christians. Many sad incidents involving kids and youth have been constantly on the news; Recent school/University shootings, the involvement of kids in drugs and crime; all these because society has managed to produce a whole generation that knows no virtue of brotherhood to all mankind, replacing it with race and color (or drug preference) as the ultimate survival tool. The Bible is the ultimate survival guide for it embodies the knowledge of generations of people from the time the earliest civilizations were budding till they fell. The Bible should remain in the shelves and classrooms of schools for it may encourage people to read it and see the true vision and knowledge that is locked within.
It has long been accepted that the world has in a way or another evolved around some form of blueprint that has persisted through millennia of human existence. The Bible, the book is recognized by many a religions as the ultimate guidebook to life which might explain why the American Declaration of Independence was rooted deeply in the virtues and verses of the bible. The bible is a document that has been passed down from generation to generation and has suffered all types of attacks from all sides, left and right.

Greek and Armenian Priests slug it out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, what’s gotte into these guys? There seems to be an in-born psychological factor that tells people who belong to religious groups that the other side is always the enemy and that they should never be allowed to interrupt each other’s activities or even partake in them as a matter of fact. The site is hailed by all Christians as one of the holiest of the holiest sites in the world, where Jesus is said to have been crucifiedyet they seem to forget the significance of the place. This is the state of religions today who once sprung from the same roots as they were in their early days. They worship the same saints and religious icons yet they opt to forego the solemnity of their activity to get a chance to be first in line for a visit. There seems to be no end to the battle between all sides when it comes to religion. Us troops fight Islamic fundamentalists, most of the Western world targeting the Islamic state of Iran, Jews against the Muslims of GAZA and as in this case, Christians after Christians when will it end?
The depth of hate in religion may have become too deep for them to forego differences and just show respect for the places they may be in. Where is their respect for common man who they are fighting against, where is the sense of one earth one man? These people would rather brawl on the streets than worship their faith for these types of incidents do show the ugly side of man, plain and simplehatred.
Last year during preparations for the same festival, they got at each other with brooms and stones which could be a good time to remind them that this is the preferred method of persecution of outcasts in the Roman times when Christians were so persecuted they were treated as criminals. Treat each others as criminals and you are like Mary Magdalene and the Romans with Jesus saying, “He who has not sinned throws the first stone!” Brand each other as criminals and both end up as plain thugs after each other and not for your beliefs. With these types of events, unity on this earth may be too far off and too much to promote. Imagine, Christians after fellow Christians who should have been united as one in the blood of Christ!!!!

These old ways that forms our cultural heritage have been slowly going extinct except for the Hindu’s of India and the Chinese who stick and apply to their beliefs in all aspects of life. Too bad for I see no wrong in their beliefs for they are the embodiment of the way my ancestors have lived for millennia on the same land where their house still stands to this day. Make this face there, place this stuff over there, avoid pointed objects here, shift the door from the street with anything obstructing the free flow of energy into and out of the house, they never end. The old folk always seem to have an explanation for all the nuances of life and as I have seen and experienced it, they have served me well. Just hope the people of the world could hold onto a little of their heritage and ancestry so the world would be a better place to live in. No greed just common sense and common good. I miss those days when all things grew out of the ground and came from livestock we had in our backyard (now you get them picked, cleaned and neatly wrapped on steel shelves).
Saddening how the old ways have come and gone, forgotten by iPod wielding kids and teens who have no idea of the beauty and need for nature. People who grew up in the concrete jungle have no idea of the old ways, the do’s and don’ts, the times of harvest, the times to enjoy life as simply as the bird who soars above. Those were the days….

Many churches have gone under fire in the recent years with many anomalies associated with their financial aspects. Pastors and other leaders have been accused of embezzling their group’s money and other assets on personal spending with some even getting scrutiny from the senate and congress. Being such a potent part of society, these religious groups have established the fact that all men are humans and all fall for the same reasons, lust and greed. All human beings are gullible and all want the easy way out from time to time. May you be a priest or preacher, all people are humans and are liable to make mistakes we humans are very good at making.
In some parts of Asia, there are religious factions that are considered to be so powerful they are wooed by political leaders for support. These groups have a large majority of the population in their congregations and have members from all walks of life. And they all have one thing in common; they search for meaning in life as they go through it. The inspiring words of their helicopter-riding preachers who have million dollar houses and luxury cars seems to take them into another plane without poverty and despair. We will be sure to see more and more people turning towards religion for meaning in life, the current environmental disasters and the effects of global warming are starting to be felt causing economies to crash and the weather to go wild would get more onto the bandwagon. Whatever the country or belief, religion has the ability to take us into the realm of the supernatural as we seek meaning for daily life.

I came upon the discussion in the New Humanist where it takes on the sudden resurgence of religious beliefs even in the upper middle class who are educated and well versed in the modern virtues of daily life. As I see it, the resurgence is not only contained within the country but all over the world which has seen a lot of people going back to their roots in religious beliefs to get through life even if one is armed with all the knowledge from college and from years of accumulated experience.
In the USA, Born Again Christians are all the rage with the Austin’s Lakewood Church a good example of a religiously based society that mixes business with faith. The founder of the church says there is a direct link between the two for realistically speaking any religious faith has an arm which deals with financial wealth and management which it is sure to have and obtain. May it be through book sales, donations and other sources, all have a form of financial presence in society that members do want them to be accountable and transparent for all to see. With respect to the church in question, the founder admits that his church is a family run business with the preacher being the main spiritual leader and producer of their much watched television program. The stadium they use has been renovated to the tune of a hundred or more million dollars to enhance the experience for its members. The earnings of their gospel church goes into the theme of 40 million plus from donations, another 40 or so million from book sales and some more from other business ventures. In one of his books, a reporter once asked why there is no mention of Jesus in his main ideals. The pastor replies that they are indeed backed-up by verses from the scripture inside the book which uses plain and simple everyday language which he then reinforces with the word of God. The said book is a best seller among Born Again Christians who first and foremost are termed as “the Rebels of the” religious world. They mix the scriptures with song and drama of eloquent speeches whose aim is to entice more members as they preach the word of God.