Religion, love, death and misfits — all make top songs

The five songs competing for the 2007 Australasian Performing Right Association’s coveted song of the year gong are a sample of what good pop tunes are written about.

One is about religion, another about misfits, one inspired by a famous death and the rest are about love — discovering it, losing it and celebrating it — and none stoops to creaky old “moon in June” rhymes.

The latter celebration of lurve is Funky Tonight by John Butler Trio, who won the top APRA award three years ago with Zebra.

Butler says he wrote the single from the Trio’s No. 1 album Grand National for his partner, Danielle Caruana: “We love dancing and it’s a great way to give the relationship a reminder of the simple reasons of why we’re together. The song is about remembering to appreciate rather than taking for granted.”

Butler joins fellow WA band Eskimo Joe in the race for the peer-voted song of the year award, which will be dished out in Melbourne next Tuesday.

The Eskies are nominated for Black Fingernails, Red Wine, the title track of the Fremantle band’s third album which is still in the Australian Top 50 a year after its release.

Frontman Kavyen Temperley says the song was inspired by the various “subcultures” he noticed at inner-city music venue, the Rosemount Hotel.

“Later I was watching the 7.30 Report and all of these religious people were talking just like the subcultures were,” he says. “They were arguing about the meaning of God but they all agreed about the idea of hell.”

Likewise, the genesis for Wolfmother’s Joker and the Thief came from the diversity within our society.

Singer Andrew Stockdale recently told MTV that the rocker was about misfits, “people who don’t really fit into society. They have their eccentric personalities and are intriguing people to talk to, but they just don’t function (in society)”.

Melbourne’s one-man band Gotye reckons he is better at “moving little bits of sound around on a computer than writing lyrics”. Nonetheless, the 15,000-plus songwriters who vote for the APRA awards thought his song, Heart’s a Mess, was among the best written in the past year.

Gotye says the Triple J favourite revolves around a relationship breakdown and subsequent “rebound searching for emotional connection with something, anything”.

More Triple J listeners connected with the final nominee than any of the other potential APRA winners. One Crowded Hour by Melburnians Augie March won the broadcaster’s Hottest 100 poll and is a big favourite to take out the song of the year trophy.

While misperceived as a love song, One Crowded Hour was actually inspired by Tim Bowden’s biography of wartime correspondent Neil Davis, who was killed in Bangkok while covering a coup attempt. Augie March songwriter Glenn Richards read the book while house-sitting for singer songwriter Deborah Conway.

The song, off their Australian Music Prize-winning album Moo, You Bloody Choir, was written in San Francisco during a short break in a US tour.

“I didn’t see it doing much more than providing the label with at least one song . . . that would have, of all things, a chorus,” says Richards. The APRA song of the year, along with genre-based, songwriter of the year and most performed work awards, will be handed out at Tuesday’s event.

Malaysian court refuses to recognise convert

In a split decision, the Malaysian Federal Court has ruled that recognising the conversion of a former Muslim known as Lina Joy, who was baptised a Catholic in 1998, is beyond its jurisdiction and remains the province of the Shariah courts.

Malaysian chief justice, Ahmad Fairuz Abdul Halim, who read out his majority opinion to a packed but respectfully hushed courtroom, said the government agency responsible for identity cards had acted reasonably when it refused to change Joy's religious status, the International Herald Tribune reports.

"She cannot at her own whim simply enter or leave her religion," Justice Ahmad said. "She must follow rules."

"The civil courts cannot interfere," he concluded.

In denying Ms Joy's right to change religion, the court "confirmed the National Registration Department's right to insist on a certificate from the Sharia Court that she has apostatised, prior to registering her conversion in the identity card", AsiaNews says.

Muslims, who make up about 60 per cent of Malaysia's population, have co-existed with Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs for decades in this country, considered one of the world's most progressive and modern Muslim democracies.

But the ruling here underlined the increasing separateness of Muslims from people of other religions and reinforced the idea, widely held in many Muslim countries, that Islamic law should have primacy over secular laws in certain aspects of their lives, the Herald says.

The Federal Court was divided 2-1 in its decision, with the only non-Muslim judge, Richard Malanjum, dissenting forcefully and arguing that the Constitution must remain the supreme law of the land. The split on the court mirrored the discord in Malaysian society, where ethnic and religious tensions have increased in recent years.

Malanjum said that Joy's "fundamental constitutional right of freedom of religion" had been violated.

The ruling exhausted the last appeal of Lina Joy, who, after being baptised a Roman Catholic in May 1998, wanted to remove the word "Islam" from her identity card in order to marry her Catholic fiance.

Muslims in Malaysia are subject to separate laws on inheritance and marriage - they must marry within the faith - and are not allowed to have premarital relationships or drink alcohol, among other rules. Because separate laws apply to them, Muslims must list their religion on their identity cards.

Joy, who lost her job as a saleswoman last year because of the controversy and whose family has reportedly been harassed, is seeking political asylum in Australia, according to one of her advisers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak for her.

Outside the courthouse, located in the heart of Malaysia's gleaming administrative capital, jubilant members of an Islamic youth organisation cheered the decision, shouting "Allah Akbar," or "God is great."

But representatives of other religious communities said they were dismayed.

"Something needs to be done," said Leonard Teoh Hooi Leong, a lawyer representing the Malaysia Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Sikhism. "People like Lina Joy should not be trapped in a legal cage, not being able to come out to practice their true conscious and religion."

Religion: I am a Jehova's Witness

"My beliefs offer me a refuge when things go wrong."

Walking through the streets of East Palo Alto, Paly senior Alberto Prado breaks off from the small group he is walking with and knocks on the pale blue door of a corner house. "We are going door to door to distribute publications related to the Bible," he says with a smile when the door opens. "Do you read the Bible? This magazine helps extract lessons from the Bible and relate them to real life."

If people do take interest in Prado's message, he comes back for more visits. He begins a Bible study with the aid of publications by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the main organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, to teach about the religion. Afterwards, people decide if they want to be part of the religion and, if they do, they are baptized.

Prado is one of the few Jehovah's Witnesses at Paly. Though there are over 6 million Jehovah's Witnesses around the world, the religion is not very well known. The religion began in the early 1870's during a Bible study group led by Charles Taze Russell in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, according to http://Watchtower.org, the official Jehovah's Witness web site. Jehovah is one of God's names in ancient Hebrew scripure, according to the Watchtower organization. Though Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians, they do not believe in the Trinity. They accept God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit as separate entities.

Prado shares his religion's teachings by preaching door to door two hours a week. "The purpose of a Christian congregation is to get people to know what God's purpose is, to spread the good news," he says. He preaches mostly to Spanish-speaking families. "Because most Spanish speaking people are pretty religious, most people are generally receptive," he says. Some people see preaching as an invasion of privacy, but Prado says, "I have thought about it, and it has been explained to me that preaching is akin to speaking to one's neighbors; there's no law against it, and it's not a bad thing to do. We do try, however, to keep out of homes where we have been specifically told not to trespass, or where there is a sign."

Prado says his religion's teachings meld well with his personality. "I like to stay neutral," he says. His opinion coincides with Jehovah's Witnesses' belief of refraining from taking part in government and voting. "Government is here because of God," Prado says. "But it is best to stay neutral and not get involved." Jehovah's Witnesses are also pacificists, and do not believe in participating in war.

Another unique belief of Jehovah's Witnesses is that they do not accept blood transfusions. They believe the Bible says to abstain from blood. "We interpret part of the bible to say the blood is sacred," Prado says. However, other alternative methods can be used, such as fractions and non-blood plasma expanders. In addition, Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or holidays. "We have decided that these celebrations, being of pagan and not Christian origin, shouldn't be practiced by us," Prado says. "Although I hear all the time about presents and fun parties, I've pretty much gotten used to not doing this and it's not that much of a big deal anyway. We just like to have get-togethers whenever."

Recent Paly graduate Brittany Hampton, who is also a Jehovah's Witness, adds, "We don't have to wait around until Christmas to get presents or remember Jesus because we receive presents throughout the year. We don't have to wait around until Valentine's Day to get an occasional love card because we are able to do that throughout the year. We don't have to wait around for Thanksgiving in order to eat turkey and a big feast because we eat it throughout the year. Especially when I know what is behind these celebrations, it is something that I wouldn't want to support, knowing that I am celebrating pagan gods."

Even though he does not celebrate holidays, Prado has many opportunities to interacts with members of his congregation. The sense of community the religion brings greatly appeals to Prado. Occasionally, he attends circuit meetings with many congregations from all over California. "My favorite part of the religion is being able to make a lot of new friends and knowing that if I begin talking to someone I know they will be nice to me," he says.

However, Prado's religious beliefs do not affect his decisions in choosing friends. "Most of my friends are not Jehovah's Witnesses," he says. "They acknowledge that I have moral standards, but I would probably have those even if I was not a Jehovah's Witness. Religion is not a factor in my relationships." Prado's beliefs, though, do affect how he deals with everyday situations. He is most grateful that his faith gives him hope. "I would not be where I am now without my religion because I would not have a reason to do anything," he says. Prado says his faith also helps him deal with everyday stress. "Since I know that all will be well some day, I just never let anything get to me too much," he says. "I like to believe it [the religious teachings]. It gives me hope that we can indeed live life on Earth in a good way. God can take an active part in everyone's life."

Prado feel proud when his religion sends him apart from is peers. "I have always been seen differently because of the way I act, which I think is cool," he says. "People have actually noticed that I don't let negative things keep me down for too long, and all the times that this happens I say to myself, 'yep, this is a result of where you come from. Good job.'"

For Prado, practicing his religion entails attending five meetings a week. He belongs to the Spanish-speaking congregation located at 429 High Street. Prado attends two meetings every Wednesday and two meetings as well as a book study on weekends. At these meetings, an orator explains the week's assigned Bible reading, and various people give presentations to practice preaching. During the second meeting, the congregation reads a newsletter published by the Watchtower "which gives us a lowdown on what's going on at a national level with all Jehovah's Witnesses and comes with different kinds of advice; things like how to more tactfully present a specific magazine during preaching, or addressing an issue that comes up frequently," Prado says. Usually, 200 to 350 people attend each meeting.

Jehovah's Witnesses tend to be very closely knit; they take an extreme interest in what other Jehovah's Witnesses are doing around the world. On weekends, Prado studies a religious magazine. The most popular magazines are The Watchtower and Awake. "The Watchtower is more religiously based, and explains how to apply the religion to modern life," Prado says. "Awake is broader. Journalists go all over the world and relate their stories to the glory of God."

Even though Prado is a devout Jehovah's Witness, he believes that his views can relate to many different religions. "Anything I would say [about the religion] would apply to any other religion," Prado says. "It is important to remember the importance of family, relationships, and humility. God is love."

It bothers Prado when people make cult references about his religion. "It's just another religion, something to believe in," he says. He feels fortunate he has something so important to him. "My faith hasn't been severely tried as of yet," he says. "And I thank God for that."

Islam not religion of anarchy: Imam-e-Kaaba

LAHORE: Thousands of people on Wednesday attended sermon of Imam-e-Kaaba at the Badshahi Masjid.

Imam-e-Kaaba Sheikh Abdur Rehman Alsudais in his inspirational sermon said that Islam was not a religion of subversion and anarchy. He said it was a faith, which was based on construction, development and progress.

He said Islam was the cornerstone of Muslim brotherhood. He said it was a source of strength and prowess. Acquiring knowledge, which was pivotal for the spread and advancement of Islam, was mandatory upon all Muslims, he said. He said through equipping themselves with the latest sciences, the Muslims could revive glorious days of Islam. Imam-e-Kaaba said Pakistan was the citadel of Islam. He said its inhabitants should devote their energies, capabilities and skills to the progress of Islam as well as their country. It was their love for Islam that they left no stone unturned in making their religion among the world’s top religions.

Sheikh maintained that Islam was a faith of moderation. He said it did not promote extremism. He said Islam had discouraged factionalism, regionalism, sectarianism and any other schism. By following golden teachings of Islam, he said, the Muslims could obtain prosperity, peace and progress in the world.

He observed that strength of Muslims was in their unity. He said they were a force to be reckoned with as long as they were united. Enemies of Islam were hell-bent on creating gaps among the Muslims across the world, he said. He said the Muslims should follow the teachings of Islam. To give practical shape to their devotion to Islam, he said, the Muslims should acquire knowledge and act upon the golden principles of Islam.

At the end of his address, he raised slogans of Pakistan Zindabad and Pak-Saudi Friendship Zindabad.

Elahi thanks Saudi Arabia for support: Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi said on Tuesday that Saudi Arabia had always supported the Islamic world throughout history. He told people gathered to hear the Imam of Kaaba’s speech at Badhashi Mosque that Saudi Arabia and Pakistan could play an important role in meeting the challenges faced by the Islamic world. He also praised the imam for educating Muslims about the evils of terrorism, violence and intolerance. Later, he told a dinner hosted by the Punjab government for the imam at Lahore Fort that Saudi Arabia had stood by Pakistan since the latter’s creation and supported it during tough times. He also said the Punjab government would be honoured to prepare the Ghilaf-e-Kaaba if the Saudi government gave it an opportunity.

Losing Religion/Keeping the Faith

A couple of weeks ago, Connell O’Donovan e-mailed my husband an invitation to the 30th anniversary celebration of Affirmation, a worldwide support group for gay and lesbian Mormons. We accepted the offer—partly out of curiosity, but mostly due to the uniquely human need for reconciliation.

Almost 20 years to the day earlier, on June 1, 1987, my husband had sat in judgment of O’Donovan, then age 23 and openly gay, with two other LDS priesthood holders on a “bishop’s court.” Several months before, O’Donovan had publicly come out to the Emigration 2nd Ward, an LDS singles congregation in Salt Lake’s Avenues neighborhood. In keeping with Mormon teachings, it wasn’t O’Donovan’s admitted homosexuality that was the problem. It was the fact that he moved beyond the church’s required celibacy of gays and had sex with another man. And when the bishopric—of which my husband was the first counselor—learned of O’Donovan’s transgression, the “court of love,” as the church calls it, was thus engaged.

O’Donovan offers a beautiful rendition of the court’s decision to place him on probation, and of his eventual church excommunication in a 2005 essay titled “Losing My Religion—Or, How I Baked a Custard Pudding and Lost My Belief in Mormonism.” O’Donovan—now a writer and historian who teaches summer classes at University of California Santa Cruz—notes how the bishop’s court that day actually saved him from languishing as a half-human in the church and from eventually committing suicide. He was clinging to his religion, his battered self-image, his very life just that tenuously.

His account of the leniency afforded by my husband and the others is stunning. And also very funny. Go here and see for yourself.

So here we are, a few days out from the 2007 Utah Pride celebration. Utah’s gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community has, besides simply sponsoring a screaming good time, always used the combination parties/parade/interfaith service/film festival as a teaching tool for the mainstream community. As in: “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it.”

But there are miles to go. Thoughts of that distance between the gay and straight populations bring me, again, to the Holladay United Church of Christ, a pro-gay congregation that offered its building for the Affirmation event.

It was an evening of song, biographical sketches, reminiscing around poignant moments of deciding to embrace or to quit Mormonism. Utah artist Trevor Southey, who recently filled lengthy screen time in the PBS documentary The Mormons, described his split with the faith after years of trying to “de-queer” himself as a younger man through grueling sessions of church-supported aversion therapy. For Southey, who served an LDS Church mission, married and fathered children, much of his life has been a battle between “defying nature and trying to accommodate nurture.”

Because what the successful painter wanted—what everyone who attended the celebration that night wanted—was to be seen as complex, conflicted and worthy as any other human being. Southey, for instance, has spent his adult life juxtaposing the labels “father” and “gay.”

“I have concerned myself with how do I bring [those two labels] together,” Southey said. “Because, you see, it is an ongoing battle to maintain the truth of ourselves.”

I suppose that reaching for truth of self was another reason we found ourselves driving to the Affirmation celebration. In 1987, the year my husband helped take that “loving action” against Connell O’Donovan, he was the Democratic candidate for Utah governor. He also was a devout Mormon. It was no small conflict, then, for him to reconcile his liberal soul with a religion that denies gay people and women full equality and recognition of their humanity. It is no longer a central conflict, though he keeps hoping—hasn’t given up on the prospect—that the church hierarchy will someday be moved to accept everyone, for exactly who they are.

In a perfect 21st century moment, it was the Internet that reintroduced O’Donovan and my husband. Earlier this year, a friend e-mailed him O’Donovan’s essay. My husband immediately sat down and wrote his former congregant a long electronic letter, part of which included an explanation of how time and experience had changed his heart forever. The fight for gay rights is centered in the understanding that all people are equal and deserve fair and humane treatment, he wrote. “I am sorry for the pain my action caused you.”

I walked into that Affirmation celebration wondering why anyone would devote so much time and energy to what seemed a lost cause. Why turn such organized effort toward being “affirmed” by this religion? I, for one, would never seek membership in a club that wouldn’t be proud to have me (apologies to Groucho Marx for roughing up his joke). But then I’ve never stood on the outside looking in. Not really. Not in any fundamental way.

So then, Utah Pride still matters. Happy humanity.

Religion drawing us away from God

The topic that I hate to talk about more than anything is religion. It is such a controversial, touchy, tends-to-start-arguments topic, that I just avoid it. There is, however, a first for everything, so here I go:

I personally do not believe in "religion." I never quite understood why there were so many religions to begin with. I also can't comprehend the "one true religion" concept. How do you know if you are following the right one? Will you really face the burning flames if you follow the wrong one?

For instance, can you honestly say that Ghandi will be found in the lair of the devil, because he practiced Hinduism? Will Protestants be stuck in hell for eternity because they aren't Catholic, Jewish or Buddhist?

Man made religion, not God. I don't think there is anything wrong with following traditions and having a belief system. I do feel that we are missing the point, though. Today, the focus in church has strayed from God. Instead, the focus has shifted to attendance and money.

I have always felt that being a good person, striving to help others and believing in a higher power is how we reach salvation. Too many people hide behind their religion. It becomes okay that they are a closet child abuser because they go to church every Sunday. So many people, attend service weekly, confess their sins, promise to change, and then repeat exactly what they did the prior week. Doesn't the Bible preach against hypocrites?

Albert Einstein once said, "True religion is real living; living with all one's soul, with all one's goodness and righteousness."

I'm not telling you to give up your beliefs or leave your practices. Just think about what your beliefs mean to you. Are you a hypocrite? Do you only believe what you believe because it's what you were told to do?

I read somewhere that, "the salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness, and in human responsibility."

Showing compassion and love for someone, trying to change your bad habits, etc. are keys to salvation. The next time you go to church or any type of religious service, just think of your motives for going. Are you going to improve yourself or are you going just to be seen?

Harris' and Hitchens' World: No Justice, No Peace

A few years ago Sam Harris burst onto the bestseller lists with his sophomoric screed, The End of Faith (2004). Because some people commit atrocities in the name of their supposed "god," Harris rants against religion and argues that we must abandon faith itself as a method of orienting our lives' journeys. Harris' book, filled with ethnocentric diatribes against all things Islamic, got a lot of attention. Later, Richard Dawkins weighed in with The God Delusion (2006), and Daniel Dennett (2006) got into the act with Breaking the Spell (2006), both presenting their perceptions of religions' shortcomings. Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation (2006) was added, and now we have Christopher Hitchens spewing forth with God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007). Comics like George Carlin and HBO's denunciator at large, Bill Maher, constantly berate believers. It seems these guys can't find anything at all good in religion.

Those who decry religion for supposedly religious persons' and religious organizations' failures, even atrocities, do not deal with other sectors of society in the same manner. Just because there are bad governments, we don't call for the abolition of politics. Just because there are some unethical pharmaceutical corporations and unscrupulous doctors, we do not call for the demolition of the practice of medicine. Just because some cops and judges are bad, we don't call for the dismantling of the criminal justice system. And just because a large number of U.S. soldiers mistreated Iraqis (See Tom Ricks' description of the grotesque treatment of innocent civilians in his book Fiasco), we do not call for the end to the military.

The antidote for bad religion, or the illegitimate ideological co-optation of religion's energies and prophetic power, is not the abandonment of faith and the outlawing of the practices of religion. The antidote to bad religion is good religion, religion that leads to life and love, faith and freedom, hope and healing, joy and justice, peace and prosperity. Individualistic spiritualities may succor personal life quests, but do much less than vibrant, authentic, organized religious institutions, working with other sectors of society, to fashion a just and lasting social order. Without such institutional religious powers, we, our families, and our communities are left at the mercies of the ever more globalized market economy, and the whims of various State manufactured "Jihads" and State sanctioned corporate "McWorlds." The response to the controversial religious dynamics of our time is the practice of good religion and reasonable faith, religion that labors for peace and justice, faith that complements and works with reason (cf. John Paul II, Fides et Ratio). We need faith that ushers forth in institutions dedicated to religions' true task, i.e, caring for God's people and God's earth.

These recent arguments decrying religion, and faith itself, remind me of those who use sledgehammers to swat flies. Every reasonable and truly faithful person knows that it is unreasonable and unfaithful (add immoral, insane, and hopefully illegal) to kill someone in the name of God, especially the God who is revealed and experienced as love (I John 4:16). No God worthy of worship demands we kill one another, be it on the battlefield, in the gas chamber, or at the abortion clinic. Religions have learned over the centuries to interpret and reassess their texts, as their cultures and congregations have evolved and matured. One hopes nation's can also evolve and mature. I hope we can see the day when it will be deemed unreasonable (add again immoral, insane, and hopefully illegal) to kill in the name of one's nation, especially when the leaders of a nation lie ('weapons of mass destruction") about the reasons why we must kill hundreds of thousands, and see thousands of our own service men and women perish. I hope we will hear the voices of reason raised against those who make war in flagrant violation of international law. Harris and Hitchens both have great faith in the moral acceptability of murdering supposed terrorists, while arguing that we should forget Jesus' command that we love one another.

Why are the shrill voices vilifying religion gaining such a hearing at the present moment? What religion's adversaries refuse to admit is that religions and the religious traditions, especially those born in the Middle East (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) all preach that love must be made effective and structured in society. According to believers, economic justice is the will of the creator of all. Those loudly arguing for the abolition of religion seem deaf to the call of religious leaders (from Pope John Paul II to Rick Warren to even Bono) to address and ameliorate the growing gap between rich and poor. 2.7 billion people on planet earth live on less than $2.00 a day (cf. World Bank website). Some 40 million Americans live below, or very near, the government's poverty line of $19,971 a year for a family of four.

In The New York Times on May 22, Bob Herbert writes, "The elite of the Roaring Twenties would be stunned by the wealth of the current era." Of New York City's 8 million inhabitants, some 700,000 are millionaires. Herbert goes on to describe the underside of Broadway. "One of the city's five counties, the Bronx, is the poorest urban county in the nation. The number of families in the city's homeless shelters is the highest it has been in a quarter of a century. Twenty-five percent of all families with children in New York City ­ that's 1.5 million New Yorkers ­ are trying to make it on incomes that are below the poverty threshold established by the federal government."

Jesus said "Blessed are you poor" and "Woe to you that are rich." He also taught "Blessed are the Peacemakers" and "All who take the sword will perish by the sword." No wonder so many want to shut up his contemporary disciples, like John Paul II and the U.S. Catholic Bishops, who opposed the Iraq war from the start. No wonder some want religious leaders calling for economic justice silenced and put out of business. If we listened to Jesus, much would change.

Harris and Hitchens and Haliburton are all making money off the ongoing debacle in Iraq. Religions and religious voices call for an end to the conflict. Faithful and rational people want peace, but Harris and Hitchens demonize Muslims, which in turn justifies killing people who follow Islam. Sounds like the Crusades to me. We believers know how atrocious that time in Church history was. Reasonable people and authentic people of faith agree that destructive crusades and murderous jihads are not the will of God. Harris and Hitchens admit they are not people of faith. Problem is, on the question of Iraq, they aren't very reasonable either.

Is God a Religion?

The 20th century seemed to be defined by an explosion of various religions, all of which espoused their beliefs to be the one true religion that worships the one true God. The traditional religions had lost sight of the needs of their flocks and people needed daily guidance and relevance.



It is my belief that religion is simply a great divider amongst men. A tool used by people to instill fear and control over the simple minded folk and those who are incapable of understanding the true meaning of God in our daily lives. I therefore concur with Charles Hutchens and his work in his published book entitled "God Is Not Great: Hoe Religions Poisons Everything". Religion spoils everything. But, I strongly disagree about his views about God. In my opinion God is great.



Religion no longer a spiritual journey in these modern times. It has simply become a tool for certain unscrupulous organizations to take money from those who are simple minded enough to believe that religion has something to do with God. I am not an Agnostic person for I believe that there is a Supreme Being who created all of these wonderful things in our lives. I am a Gnostic who believes that there is good in mankind, because he is God's creation and God, simply put, is a good being.



In my own published book “Echoes of Heaven: God’s Love Is Better Than Life Itself", I defined the true religion as the relationship between God and Man. Religion is not something that can be measured in terms of people packed into the churches, auditoriums, temples, and the like on days of worship. Neither is it something that can be dictated by political scenarios of any country in turmoil.



The greatness of God does not rely on the strength or size of a congregation and religion is not a lifestyle dictated by the church. Instead, both can be considered as a personal experience that is unique for each person. The realization of the greatness of God depends upon how we view him to be. The God based upon religion is a mass consumption God that nobody will really understand because it is in the confusion where the poison of religion lies. That is the God who has been manipulated by religion and greedy needs of the religious folk. But a personal God, the God untainted by politics and war-torn religious beliefs because he is based upon our own personal ideal, he is the great God.



A relationship with God has nothing to do with religion because, as I explained in my book, it is " an experience of faith, a personal revelation through visions and dreams that come across with great feeling and beauty. It will help you to understand the role of the spiritual in your life and make you feel a little closer to God."



When we realize that God is great because of what we believe him to be in our daily lives, without being influenced by religion or politics, we will realize that religion is a poison that exists not to unite us all in a belief pertaining to God. Rather, it allows a group of people to control our belief in all that makes this world good and great. God does not choose his relationships with his followers based upon politics and financial capability. God is a personal choice, a belief that his greatness is built upon that special relationship each individual creates in private prayer and contemplation with him.

Charles Elephant has written a truly magnificent piece. Full of wonder and a depth of religious inquest lacking in many other novels, Echoes of Heaven is a truly masterful work. Whether you are a true believer, an agnostic, or an atheist, Echoes of Heaven has something very valid and beautiful with which it will touch your life.

Should teachers judge students on clothes or religion?

“In answering this question, I’d like to respond directly to the 12-year-old girl that sent it in. Of course not, teachers should never judge people based on their beliefs or their clothes.

Sadly, teachers are people, and people have a nasty tendency to do things that they shouldn’t. Bias is a way to make us as people feel more secure with ourselves and our beliefs. We then make judgments based on those biases.

In the 1950s, our own government encouraged Communist hatred simply because they were different.

Today, in this very paper, people often submit letters to the editor that use the words of a religion of overwhelming love in order to encourage blind and antithetical hatred. Our only hope is that people like you will continue to dress and believe differently, in spite of those poor people who hate what they cannot understand.

Dr. Seuss (an author who is criminally underestimated) once wrote, ‘Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.’”

Drew Terhune, senior
Roseburg High School



“As long as the student doesn’t cause any problems, then the teacher should not be judging their students at all. It doesn’t matter if they worship Satan, or hate freedom. So long as their clothes are in the bounds of the school dress code and they don’t try to make everyone terrorists during class, there’s no breach of rules that would warrant teacher judgment.

If they’re, for example, slitting their wrists in class, or interrupting a lecture for praises to the dark gods, then the teacher should do something about it, seeing as it might qualify as a disruption, and maybe a little judgment as to avoid future circumstances of a similar sort would be in order.

Teachers are human however, and will not be able to help themselves making judgments. This is all right, so long as they don’t let their predispositions of certain students affect their teaching or willingness to help them.”

Nick Kintop, freshman
Roseburg High School



“One of the most important things about being a teacher is fairness and not judging students because of those things. Judging students based on their dress or religion is called discrimination and is an act that is not allowed by school districts.

It is important that in a classroom or other school environment all the students feel comfortable and having teachers who make judgments about students for these reasons defeats this goal.

If a student feels their teacher is making these type of judgments based on those things the student needs to tell a parent who can then talk to the school and make sure the problem is resolved.

Even if students are not the ones being judged by the teacher, it is important they are willing to speak up and let someone know so that other students are not hurt because of the judgments. Teachers need to be aware of their behavior towards students may be affecting them and make sure they treat all students with respect and equality, no matter how they dress or what religion they practice.”

Dalicia Fennell, senior
Sutherlin High School



“Absolutely not! Having experienced teachers judging me based on religious beliefs before, it hurts. It is really hard to have people judge you for the way you dress or for what you believe in. You walk through your school knowing that people look at you different. All you want is to be treated like other students at your school.

For a teacher to judge you based on religion or the way you dress is wrong. Yes, everyone has their own opinions, but everyone should also be treated equally. So, teachers shouldn’t play favorites either.

A person may dress the way they do because they can't afford other clothes to wear. So, if a student is being judged based on this, it can really hurt them. It is the same thing with religion. Everyone has a right to believe what they want, so for a teacher to hinder that it is wrong.”

My boyfriend has changed

My Muslim boyfriend has changed since we discussed marriage. He says that as I will become a wife, my yoga, late nights and tight T-shirts have to stop. Is he out of line?'

I am a 28-year-old woman, reasonably successful and currently living in the Middle East. I have been dating a Muslim man for the past two years and recently we began to discuss getting married. Subsequently he has changed dramatically. He now has a problem with my coming home late, staying at my friends' houses and drinking (which has never been excessive). He has also said that I am vain and only do yoga and the gym because I want to be noticed by people for my physical appearance. He says that it was fine when I was his girlfriend, but now that I will be a wife and a mother one day these kinds of things have to stop. Now he does not like me wearing tight T-shirts, as they show too much flesh, but my everyday attire is jeans and a top, nothing too sexy, ever. I am in turmoil; I cannot believe that this has happened so suddenly. My partner tells me I only think of myself and am extremely stubborn. None of this moderation has ever bothered me before, because it was always my choice, but these extra requests are tipping me over the edge. Is it my stubbornness, or is it that I have found an idiotic man who is out of line?

Cult leaders, in religion and politics, demand fealty

I watched a documentary the other night on Jonestown, the cult enclave in Guyana led by Jim Jones, who fled San Francisco 30 years ago along with more than 1,000 of his followers in order to build a "new life" in the jungle. The documentary struck me because my new book, "Beyond Belief," is about cults, healers, mystics and gurus -- and why we believe in them.

It seems that nearly all cults follow a predictable program: There is the charismatic leader, who is dynamic and promises love and paradise for his adepts. He has a mission that he inveigles the followers to embrace; it doesn't matter if there are casualties because the mission is all and because he, too, is caught in the rhetoric of paradise, of a place where all is love and, for him, all is power.

Soon, however, the mission falters -- because there are the enemies (you're either for us or against us) who stand in the way and won't let the mission be accomplished. Paranoia sets in; the infidels must be destroyed because they are out to destroy us. What exacerbates the paranoia are the depths of suspicion that the leader becomes mired in. He must build up defenses -- against his fears. He sees enemies everywhere, and he imagines it is a coherent plot among them. Even a benign move by them becomes interpreted as a threat. There is no talking to them anymore because they are the enemy. This ultimately leads to a confrontation and finally combat.

It is not hard to imagine the big leap to some government leaders who run cults writ large (Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Kim Jong Il). In these "cults," the casualties matter little and there is hardly any emotion wasted on the suffering of the followers, nor the enemy for that matter, nor the bystanders (collateral damage), for they must accomplish the mission that exists in the collective head of the "guru."

Whether the leader of a cult or the leader of a government, what better position for that leader than to convince the followers that they need protection? The evidence is all around them. What better position than to order arms at will, no matter what the cost? Cost never enters the equation. Defeating the enemy is all. If no enemy exists, one will be created. What is amazing is how little it takes to bring people along for the ride.

Cults appear in many guises and disguises. But the dynamics never change. The leader wants your money and possessions, your body (the army), and then your mind.

The military is an organization that tells you how to dress, when to get up, when to eat and what, when you can go out on liberty. It attracts the obedient ones, in the same way that cults attract them. Military intelligence then becomes an oxymoron because those uncreative, unfree types are in the saddle running the show. The focus is always on the enemy, not on our suffering soldiers. The mission: uber allies. Those who would wish to end the war are accused of aiding the enemy -- except that the worst enemy is inside, not outside.

That logic operated in Nazi Germany, where to utter the word "defeat" was a crime and was punished by death. First the leader must start a war, even with no evidence of a threat. Then he castigates those who don't agree as enemies. This is particularly true of those who find other truths; Valerie Plame comes to mind. It doesn't matter that she was a highly secretive employee dedicated to protecting our country. What mattered was to stifle dissent; democracy took a backseat. Hitler managed to get tens of millions to invade other countries and go to war on the flimsiest pretext -- the need for more breathing space.

When we defer to external regulation of our own lives and minimize the value of personal efforts in affecting problems, the result is rule by the cognoscenti, rule by a knowing elite who knows what is best for us. It applies to politics. When people feel powerless, they prefer government by experts over government by the people.

It is not the content of a belief system that matters, but what draws us toward ideas and beliefs, and what makes beliefs so important to us. The brain does not care if it is, say, the Republican Party, est or the Branch Davidians, just as the brain does not care what brand of whiskey the alcoholic uses.

The leader has inculcated an ideational net inside the follower, which is the most effective possible means of control. Control is in place, and the follower does the dictates of the ideological net. The net is enveloped by the need. Fulfilling his own archaic needs, the leader becomes more dictatorial, and the followers become more and more needy for guidance. They lose all perspective as to right and wrong, moral and immoral. They simply follow their leader, who assures them that they are doing the right thing and that everything is for their own good. Obey me if you want a better life. I will bestow upon you justice, protection, caring, understanding, love. "You have the chance to learn my salvation." We get it.

A Hindu's love for an ancient Sufi shrine

By Gunjana Roy, Bhagalpur (Bihar), May 27: For eight long years, a 65-year-old Hindu man has been managing with care and devotion a Sufi shrine after Muslims hit hard by the 1989 communal violence gave it up.

Suresh Bhagat, who has virtually deserted his family in the process, says he enjoys every minute he spends at the 300-year-old shrine of Bazid Dargah Pahalwan, a revered Muslim preacher, in Amapur village some 20 km away.

The last of the Muslim families left the village in 1999, a decade after Bihar's worst communal riots killed hundreds and marked the end of Congress dominance over Bihar.

Bhagat sleeps on an elevated platform supported by bamboo poles near the shrine, close to a cremation site on the bank of the Ganga, a river of great religious significance for Hindus.

"No sense of fear has crossed my dreams even once," Bhagat told IANS.

The villagers decided to take care of the historical shrine after Kamo Miyan, the last Muslim caretaker of the dargah, shifted to Bhagalpur town in 1999.

Bhagat was ready to take up the task. There was initial resistance from his wife and their three sons but the man had his way.

Amapur village had 12 Muslim families, of which seven perished in the 1989 riots.

The surviving families moved to Bhagalpur and Kahalgoan town over the years. "They left the village because of a high sense of insecurity among them," said Ram Prasad, a villager.

Bhagat does not know how to follow Muslim rituals. He knows how to put the ceremonial 'chadar' on the 'mazaar'.

He offers the remains of burnt incense sticks to Hindu and Muslim devotees who throng the shrine from Ekchari, Bhagalpur and Ghogha areas and from even Kolkata and Lucknow.

Illiterate Bhagat wishes he could offer prayers but he prefers to internalize his respect for Islam. "Though I do not know the nitty-gritty of any religion, every religion talks of love and peace," he says.

Every evening, Anil, the rickshaw puller son of Bhagat, comes to see his father at the shrine and hands over a lunch box to him.

Bhagat has one dream: "I wish there is such love among Hindus and Muslims that when Hindus fast, Ramzan should fall on the very day."

Says Wasi Alam, a Muslim resident of Bhagalpur town: "What Bhagat does is a great example of communal harmony. God loves all and accepts everybody's offer and prayer."

Love, not hate-I

Whatever the situation, life goes on. No matter what happens we have to continue to live. But it is important to learn from our mistakes in order to make this world a better place to live in.
In 2002 Gujarat witnessed an unprecedented violence carried out by Muslims and Hindus against each other and seeing such a sight even God would have felt sorry for creating human beings of diverse religious faiths.
Even after more than half a century since independence, communal problems still haunts India in its violent forms. This is in spite of the fact that we are a secular nation. At social level there are Human Right groups, peace builders, educationist, social workers, and policy makers attending to the serious challenges of violent communalism. But, we can never remove the black stain of Gujarat riots from the history of one of the largest democratic country of the world.
Official Indian estimates, given to Parliament on May 11, 2005 by the UPA-Congress government of Dr. Manmohan Singh based on Gujarat government statistics that 790 Muslims and 254 Hindus dead, 223 missing and 2548 injured. The report placed the number of riot widows at 919 and 606 children were declared orphaned. Human rights groups believe that the death tolls were higher. The Congress Research Service (CRS) under the U.S. House of Congress, also places the figure at “up to 2000, mostly Muslim”. These figures are however uncorroborated by the Indian government. Tens of thousands were displaced from their homes because of the violence.
The ruling BJP party at that time maintained that this was in retaliation for the burning to death, on February 27, 2002 of 58 Hindu pilgrims, mostly women and children, by a Muslim mob. This attack also resulted in the injury of 43 Hindus. It then started the most brutal phase of independent India and within 24 hours 100,000 citizens storm into Ahmedabad and slaughter Muslims making the day one of the largest acts of communal violence.
Whatever happened is a thing of past but it gives a vivid description of how human beings can transform completely into monsters and the shocking part of this is that it was just because the people believed in different religions. As if the concept of Humanism does not exist anywhere? Hence the main goal of every educational institute, every parent, and every preacher should be to teach people humanism because this is what forms the basis of every religious faith. No religion teaches hatred and discrimination for the people of other religious faiths.
But as a matter of fact there were many people who proved that communal battle can be won by letting human values prevail. This shows that love has the power to build bridges between hearts and only love and humanity can defeat persecution and hatred.
The lasting harmonious relationship among various religious, cultural and social units of our nation can come through social initiatives for trust building and through cultivating a sense of common national purpose and ideals. Every citizen aspires to be a functional and honorable part of the larger nation. He/she aspires to see an authentic reflection of his/her identity in the totality of the national identity. Our problems of violence largely arise from the need to hold on to identity, negotiate identity, and /or resolve conflicts among varied and competing claims of identities.
Dialogue and reconciliation will not be possible until our people re-discover nationalism that does not provoke exclusion, bigotry, and violence. Mahatma Gandhi stood for that culture of nationalism in his struggle for Swaraj and continues to be a symbol of national unity. We as a nation cannot stand so long, as our communities do not share all-inclusive perspectives on citizenship and nationhood.

Religion Notes

Myers Park United Methodist Church will host a free performance of the musical, "Children of Eden," at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday in Jubilee Hall in the parish life building. The touring 47-person youth choir from First United Methodist Church of Winter Park, Fla., will perform the musical that is based on Genesis.The program will follow an optional 5:30 p.m. dinner. Details: 704-376-8584 or www.mpumc.org. The church is at 1501 Queens Road.

Program for kids will begin today

St. Paul United Methodist Church will hold a children's church program entitled "Experience the Love of God for and with Children," 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. the fourth Sunday of each month, beginning today. There will be music, Bible stories, arts and crafts, playtime, and snacks.

Details: 704-523-0077

The church is at 2830 Dorchester Place.

`Women of Victory' conference coming

The Woman's Auxiliary to the Mount Peace Missionary Baptist Association will hold its "Women of Victory" Conference, 7 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. Saturday at the Greater Galilee Baptist Church.Registration fee is $10. The church is at 501 West Park Ave.

Christian Coffeehouse today

St. Matthew Catholic Church, 8015 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, will hold a Christian Coffeehouse for adults 7 to 9 p.m. today. The event will feature Christian contemporary music, snacks, desserts, drinks and coffee. Free; donations accepted. To register: 704-400-2213.

Marriage, family training meeting

Carmel Baptist Church is holding its Marriage and Family Ministry Conference, Saturday through June 8. The conference includes 90 workshops, several training and resource areas, and more than 50 marriage and family experts. Registration required. The church is at 1145 Pineville-Matthews Road, Matthews.Details: 704-847-8575 or www.amfmconference.com/east.

Event: Connecting to community

Crown Point Covenant Church presents its inaugural Community Connection 3 to 8 p.m. Saturday in its parking lot, 3628 Margaret Wallace Road.

Former NFL player J.D. Hill will be keynote speaker. Activities will include appearances by celebrity athletes, football and basketball clinics, free food, giveaways, medical checks, live music, drama, skits and clowns. For kids, there will be puppet shows, games, face-painting and balloon sculpting.

The event also will feature a Ministry Fair Expo that will offer information on how to get involved in the community. Details: 704-567-7737.

SonFest '07 at Carowinds June 2

Carowinds will host SonFest 2007 on Saturday for a day of fellowship and live Christian music. The festival will include performances by contemporary Christian artists, an autograph tent for fans to meet the bands, and Christian retail vendors.Featured artists include:

• Newsboys returns as the headliner. The band has five gold albums, more than 20 No. 1 radio hits and several Gospel Music Association Dove Awards and Grammy nominations.

• Jeremy Camp is a two-time GMA Dove Award male vocalist of the year winner. Camp won the 2006 Dove Award for Special Event Album of the Year ("Music Inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.")

• Jars of Clay recently received a 2007 Dove Award for Rock/Contemporary Album for "Good Monsters" and another in the Short Form Music Video of the Year category for the video of its hit song, "Work." The band has three Grammy Awards, an American Music Award and several radio hits.

• Also featured will be Kutless, Family Force 5, Mainstay and 7 Miles.

Performances begin at 3 p.m. in the Paladium Amphitheatre, 14523 Carowinds Blvd.

Advance tickets: $41.95, adult; $39.95, adult group rate; $19.95 for season pass holders. Price includes full-day park admission. For tickets: Ticketmaster, 704-522-6500; www.ticketmaster.com; Carowinds, 800-888-4386.

Schedule: www.carowinds.com.

Send Us Your Church News

Contact Laura Noethiger at neighbors@charlotteobserver. com; fax: 704-358-5036; or mail: P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308. Deadline is two weeks before the event.

If Jehovah's Witnesses Follow a God of Love; Why Do They Shun Family Members?

Mr. Prado said: "It is important to remember the importance of family, relationships, and humility. God is love."

As a former Jehovah's Witness, I couldn't agree with his statement more. A loving God would not expect a mother to shun her daughter for 25 years simply because she didn't want to be a Jehovah's Witness. I committed no sin and yet I have paid the price to have the same freedom that my mother was afforded (to change her religion from Methodist to Jehovah's Witness) the day Jehovah's Witnesses knocked on her door.

This Watchtower-imposed shunning has transcended and adversely affected more than one generation. Not only has my family shunned me, they don't know my 17 yr old son, and I have never met my sister's three kids (because she and my brother shun me as well). Mine is not an isolated incident. There are literally hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people being shunned because of their brief association with and exodus from the Watchtower/Jehovah Witness cult.

The Watchtower organization is responsible for family genocide. Buyer beware!

A Hindu's love for an ancient Sufi shrine

Bhagalpur (Bihar), May 27 (IANS) For eight long years, a 65-year-old Hindu man has been managing with care and devotion a Sufi shrine after Muslims hit hard by the 1989 communal violence gave it up.

Suresh Bhagat, who has virtually deserted his family in the process, says he enjoys every minute he spends at the 300-year-old shrine of Bazid Dargah Pahalwan, a revered Muslim preacher, in Amapur village some 20 km away.

The last of the Muslim families left the village in 1999, a decade after Bihar's worst communal riots killed hundreds and marked the end of Congress dominance over Bihar.

Bhagat sleeps on an elevated platform supported by bamboo poles near the shrine, close to a cremation site on the bank of the Ganga, a river of great religious significance for Hindus.

'No sense of fear has crossed my dreams even once,' Bhagat told IANS.

The villagers decided to take care of the historical shrine after Kamo Miyan, the last Muslim caretaker of the dargah, shifted to Bhagalpur town in 1999.

Bhagat was ready to take up the task. There was initial resistance from his wife and their three sons but the man had his way.

Amapur village had 12 Muslim families, of which seven perished in the 1989 riots.

The surviving families moved to Bhagalpur and Kahalgoan town over the years. 'They left the village because of a high sense of insecurity among them,' said Ram Prasad, a villager.

Bhagat does not know how to follow Muslim rituals. He knows how to put the ceremonial 'chadar' on the 'mazaar'.

He offers the remains of burnt incense sticks to Hindu and Muslim devotees who throng the shrine from Ekchari, Bhagalpur and Ghogha areas and from even Kolkata and Lucknow.

Illiterate Bhagat wishes he could offer prayers but he prefers to internalize his respect for Islam. 'Though I do not know the nitty-gritty of any religion, every religion talks of love and peace,' he says.

Every evening, Anil, the rickshaw puller son of Bhagat, comes to see his father at the shrine and hands over a lunch box to him.

Bhagat has one dream: 'I wish there is such love among Hindus and Muslims that when Hindus fast, Ramzan should fall on the very day.'

Says Wasi Alam, a Muslim resident of Bhagalpur town: 'What Bhagat does is a great example of communal harmony. God loves all and accepts everybody's offer and prayer.'

Ruled by the religion of love

About 23 children from diverse backgrounds have found a home in Lovedale. With love and compassion for one another, these children live as a family under one roof, leaving behind the traumas of their past and hoping for a new life.

Away in the outskirts of Bangalore is a shelter for the poor and deprived children of our society in the form of Lovedale Foundation. Giving shape to his vision of serving the destitutes, Late Dr J Godfred started it in the year 2001. Shortly after establishing this haven, Dr J Godfred passed away, leaving his philanthropic mission to be carried forward by his daughter Jayani. Lovedale Home functions from a rented premises on Horamavu main road near Banaswadi.

At present, Lovedale is home to 23 children in the age group of 4 to 14, from diverse backgrounds and cultures across the nation. Though most kids are picked up from the streets, there are also children of underprivileged parents, those abandoned by parents, children of HIV positive parents and sex workers, and those subjected to abuse and violence. Lovedale provides them all with foster care, nutritious food, health care, counselling, education, love and support. Bangalore City Commissioner’s Office recognises Lovedale Foundation and places children they rescue from undesirable situations in this safe home.

Priorities
Lovedale prioritises education as the basic necessity. To this extent, they aim at providing quality education to these children so that they will be on par with children from privileged backgrounds.

“We give them quality education. All our children are sent to St George’s English Medium Convent run by the Orthodox Missionary Church. They are educated under the ICSE syllabus,” says Jayani.
Apart from this, volunteers from Microsoft visit Lovedale every Sunday and teach these children English and other foreign languages like French and German. “They bring their own study material for the children,” she says.

Any visitor to this home will be surprised at the ease with which these children speak various languages. Four-year-old Sweety, who was brought here from Kolkata, can speak almost all South Indian languages, apart from Hindi and English.

Lovedale also supports 117 children in the villages of Rampura, Angalpura, Channasandra and Gubbi, as also seven poor families in the nearby areas with food and medication.

The Foundation has an enthusiastic set of volunteers who conduct research in the rural as well as urban areas of the State to identify deprived children. They even organise awareness sessions for the parents of such children to convince them of the need to educate their children.

“Education is the only means by which children can hope to improve their standard of living as well as contribute their part to the greater mission of nation building,” says Jayani.
Lovedale also has professional counsellors serving as volunteers to counsel children who have undergone abuse and torture in the hands of anti-social elements.

“We also support Ashraya Charitable Trust,” says Jayani, who is a part of I Care, a non-profit organisation that aims at finding sustainable solutions to the varied problems of street children. Lovedale presently has two foreigner nationals from Canada and the US working as volunteers, recruited through I Care. “They will be here for about six months, helping children in various activities,” says Jayani.

Literacy plan
Their literacy plan includes 100 per cent education coverage for the children in Bangalore, spreading awareness about the need for education, fund raising, identifying and reviewing programmes for street children, playing a consultative role in reviewing these programmes, setting up of a vast resource centre of learning, introducing innovative methods of learning, networking with governmental departments and other institutions in the field of education, women and children, and community development. Further, they also plan to build a committed group of volunteers to help Lovedale carry its mission forward.

Running a home with 23 children is no mean task. With no proper flow of funds, Jayani pulls through each month with the support of her family and friends. “We are trying to get corporates to helps us with funds,” she says. But, according to Jayani, most corporate houses are only interested in contributing to organisations that are well known. The reason for this, she says, is that corporates are looking at such charity work as part of their image building.

Projects
Lovedale has certain projects through which they get people who want to help such children involved. Some of these include ‘Sponsor a child’, ‘Sponsor a meal’, ‘Sponsor their education’ and ‘Become a volunteer with Lovedale’.

Lovedale’s latest project is Mission 365, launched officially on March 4, 2007. “There are many people in our society wanting to do charitable work. But most often they don’t know how to go about it. Moreover, an average individual may find it really expensive to sponsor a child or their education for one full year. So we have come up with this idea of giving such people an opportunity to help us by shelling out one rupee a day for a child for a year. That’s Mission 365,” says Jayani.

Mission 365 is also a way of building up a community of people who believe in the betterment of underprivileged children. Lovedale dreams of providing 100 per cent literacy to all the children in Bangalore through this initiative. Hence they plan to set up education centres across Karnataka.

“To start with, we are planning to open a centre in Bangalore. These children will also be given health support,” she said. This centre will be a bridge school that will give these children basic education. “It will be functional from June this year from the premises of St George’s Convent,” she says.

Religion, Gays, Suicide

Lights come up. A cemetery. An unfilled grave. A Mormon mother who is relieved that her gay son who killed himself is now free from sin and safe with God. A father who realizes that he never knew his son and insists on conducting another funeral, “here, where there are trees, random, struggling, maybe some imperfection—not in a cookie cutter brick chapel.” The partner of their son, whom they chose not to meet and who unexpectedly shows up at the gravesite.

What would they say to each other? Would there be any surprises, any insights into this awful event—for them?—for us? As a playwright and a person deeply committed to these issues, I wanted to know. I listened. Soon the three characters began to speak to me. And before long they had a story in “Facing East.”

The story consumed me. I had a unique platform from which to speak. My Mormon temple marriage to a gay man, and the many experiences that came from publishing a book on our life together and his death from AIDS (“Goodbye, I Love You”), had filled me with a realization of how badly we—society and especially religious communities such as mine—deal with homosexuality, and how condemnation and hopelessness too often drive gay people to suicide.

The suicide attempt of a gay man who had become a dear friend still haunted me. And I knew that Utah’s statistics on suicide—now placing the state first in the nation for suicides of men 15–24 (probably close to a third of those gay men)—was itself a cry for help. I knew too that all conservative religions share the same guilt, doing incredible violence to our gay people and their families when we speak so glibly of how God views homosexuals.

WHAT IS BETTER EQUIPPED to examine our guilt and point to a better way than drama? Nothing else I know of has the immediate magic that invites one person into the heart of another, the magic to shine that much-needed light through the darkness. Surprisingly, Brigham Young, soon after arriving with his pioneers in the Utah territory, said, “If I were placed on a cannibal island and given the task of educating that people, I would straightway build a theater for the purpose.” That the theater can educate, as well as entertain is, I think, why I love it. The lights on a stage—illuminating story, character, idea, failure, tragedy, triumph—can brighten the darker corners of our own minds and hearts.

“Facing East” premiered in November of 2006 in Salt Lake City with Plan-B Theatre and ran for three weeks to sold-out audiences. The Church-owned Deseret Morning News gave the play its award for the year’s “best drama.” It is scheduled now for an off-Broadway run in May/June of ’07 and a San Francisco run in August (see planbtheatre.org).

Toward the end of the play we see that the characters have learned something.

ALEX: We stand guilty, Ruth. I was the priest and you were the Levite, and we came upon the Jewish man who had been beaten and left by the side of the road. Our son.

RUTH: No!

ALEX: We were the thieves too, that stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead…The only binder of wounds I see standing here...is this despicable....outcast....unclean.... homosexual Samaritan....friend, who saw nothing but God in our son! We crossed the road and let him suffer. And the awful thing....the truly awful thing is....we are better than that!

I love that line. “We are better than that!” In the darkness of a theater that ray of light enters our minds and invites us to behave better—Mormons, Catholics, Evangelicals, Jews, people of all religions and of no religion. The conflict many families face over religion and homosexuality makes great stuff for drama. And hopefully drama can help solve those conflicts for the individuals and the families whose suffering is all too real.

Sublime love story

Sandhya
For love’s sake
Debutant director Gana Murali recently filmed a song at a specially created set at Sarathi Studios, Hyderabad for Thrimurthy Celluloid’s Sandhya, produced by Bhairayya. Choreographer Vidya was seen rehearsing the dance movements to hero Baladitya and dancers who were in the guise of his friends before the take.
The heroine hails from a poor family. Her sole aim is to become a doctor. She searches for a sincere and dedicated young man who can help her achieve her goal. She finds such person in Baladitya, an auto driver. Love blossoms between them that leads to the altar. The hero’s life ambition now is to see his wife become a doctor. How he achieves this crossing many twists and turns forms the story.
The director had earlier worked as an assistant with filmmaker G Nageswara Reddy. The producer says besides entertaining, the film focuses on the importance of education.
Kovai Sarala, Babu Mohan, Sangeetha, Chandramohan, MS Narayana and Kondavalasa are also in the cast. Subramaniam is the executive producer. The film is slated for a June release.

Paata
Sing a song
V.T. Creations Paata (song), directed by Siva Ganapathy, is nearing completion. Set in rural backdrop, it is the story of two cousins played by debutant Madhusudan and Jyothi Krishna. Their love, their emotions, the lighter moments their romance all these travel like a melodious song. Most of the film’s shoot took place in Razole in East Godavari district and in Vizag. “The characters and the treatment offer variety. We took the central point from a novel written by Chandrashekhar Azad and made many changes. The six songs, all with a melody base, convey the story. The comedy too travels with the story and is not a separate track. Poonam Singar plays the second heroine and Ravi Babu, the villain. Sunil and Krishna Bhagwan provide ribtickling humour along with a battery of comedians.
“Like a song, life is a gift. Everybody should live in peace and happiness is the concept for this variety love story,” says producer Sri Hari Raju. Passion towards filmmaking brought him to this field. “With the help of like-minded friends, I realised my dream. We have made a sincere attempt. Now it is for the audience to give their judgement when the film hits the marquee in June,” he concludes.

Teamed for the first time
With two consecutive hits Samanyudu and Pellaina Kothalo…, Jagapathi Babu is riding on a success wave once again. On May 13, Sri Vijaya Krishna Creations launched an untitled film with him in the lead. To be directed by Dasarath, it features Bhumika and Anushka as the two heroines. The director says, “Though it has two heroines, it is not a triangle love story. It is a family story for the modern generation.’
Jagapathi said that he was so overwhelmed watching the director’s earlier work Santhosham that he requested Dasarath to come up with a similar subject for him too and it culminated today, thanks to producer Vijayakumar Athaluri. Major portions of the film will be shot abroad. RP Patnaik composes the music. Senior film journalist Bhageeratha is the project co-ordinator.

Shantanu’s Telugu debut
Veteran writer-director-actor K Bhagyaraj’s son Shantanu is making his debut as a hero in a Telugu film produced and directed by Chandra Mahesh. Made under the banner of Bhalchandra Movie Makers, the film was launched recently at the temple complex in Film Nagar, Hyderabad.
Says Chandra Mahesh who shot into fame with D Ramanaidu’s Preyasi Raave, “Sometime ago I met Bhagyaraj and showed him my films. He liked them and narrated a story that he had written to introduce his son as a hero. I said I will make the film if he agrees to part with the story. It is to my fortune that he wrote not only the story, but the screenplay and the dialogue as well. I hope I will be able to live up to his expectations.” Bhagyaraj complimented the director calling him a good technician and hoped the Telugu audiences would bestow the same kind of affection on his son as they have showered on him. Chakri composes the music. Kota Srinivasa Rao, Sayaji Shinde, Brahmanandam, Rajan P Dev, MS Narayana and Kovai Sarala are also in the cast. The heroine has yet to be finalised.

Local woman’s novel tells of love gone wrong

Women have a lot to say when love goes bad; but sometimes, it takes a long time to get those words onto paper.

That’s the odyssey Marsha Jenkins-Sanders, an Inkster-born author and songwriter whose contemporary romance, The Other Side of Through (Strebor Books/Simon & Schuster, $14), took when she divorced R & B crooner Keith Washington several years ago.

Her book, she explained at a launch party in Inkster Saturday, was finally completed after 10 years, and seven re-writes. Jenkins-Sanders stops short of saying the book is based on the circumstances of her divorce, but said much of what she felt during that time in her life is tucked neatly into the 222 pages.

“I really lost myself in the process (of the marriage and divorce),” said Jenkins-Sanders, who graduated from Inkster High School as a salutatorian in 1972. “I stayed in the relationship way too long; it took some time for me to leave. I realized it years later that it was a book.”

The book follows Katlyn Kincaid, who has been married to Justin, who has found success as an entertainer. Two years into the couple’s marriage, cracks begin to emerge – in the form of a former exotic dancer named Nikki – and Katlyn finds herself going through all of the emotions involved in severing the relationship.

“Through” is Jenkins-Sanders first novel, but she has been writing for many years. Mostly, her writing has been in the music industry – she penned Washington’s biggest hit, “Kissing You,” from his 1991 album, “Make Time for Love.” She has received honors for her musical talents, including recognition from ASCAP for publishing many successful R & B hits.

Jenkins-Sanders said writing a book is the outflow of writing songs.

“It’s a natural extension,” she said. “Writing a novel came natural to me.”

The author was signed to Strebor, a special imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 2005.

The contemporary romance genre was created by publishers to introduce that specific form of fiction to younger readers. In the past, romances novels have taken place in far away places, and often in another time (think Barbara Taylor-Bradford). But contemporary novels stick with real-life situations.

Jenkins-Sanders said the genre is evolving to include a sub-genre that targets African American readers.

“(Publishers) are looking for young, African American writers,” she said. “They’re looking for our perspective.”

With a day job as a recruitment specialist for an alternative school, Jenkins-Sanders is remarried with two young sons and lives in Westland.

She is working on another novel, tentatively entitled, “Jealousy: A Strange Company Keeper.”

Now that the book is officially launched, Jenkins-Sanders wants other women with a desire to write to get busy.

“My book collected dust for a long time,” she said. “I literally had to dust off the manuscript. I would tell people they should dust off their dreams, too.”

Titanic love gem goes on display

pendant
The sapphire pendant is going display
The sapphire pendant which is believed to have inspired the love story in the film Titanic is to go on display in Belfast.

In the movie, actress Kate Winslett is presented with a necklace.

The real-life pendant was given by an English businessman to his lover.

He drowned, but the woman survived and passed the jewel on to her daughter.

The pendant, along with a purse and trunk keys, will now go on display aboard the Nomadic, the ship which ferried passengers out to the Titanic.

David Scott-Beddard of the Nomadic Trust said the artefacts would be kept in a secure cabinet but, from Monday, would be exhibited on the Nomadic which is berthed near Belfast's Odyssey complex.

The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage to New York
The Titanic sank on its maiden voyage to New York

"The pendant that we have just acquired and is going to go on display on Nomadic, isn't actually the fictitious Heart of the Ocean from James Cameron's film," he said.

"This pendant is from the Titanic and was the inspiration for James Cameron to write the love story that he included in his film with Kate Winslett."

Mr Scott-Beddard described the pendant as being "quite small, only about an inch long," with an "oblong sapphire surrounded by diamonds and attached to a very simple thin chain".

"The true story is that a businessman from the English Midlands, who owned three or four confectionary stores, left his wife and children, for a young lady called Kate Florence Philips who worked in one of his stores."

He said the man drowned when the Titanic sank, but the woman survived, managing to hang on to the pendant, her purse and the keys to her trunk.

"She also found out four weeks later that she was pregnant," he said.

"A friend of mine has had the necklace for quite some time. He bought it from Kate Philips's daughter, a lady called Ellen Mary Walker, who lived in Worchester.

nomadic
The Nomadic as she looked early in the 20th century

"She died last year and her ashes were scattered on the site of the wreck site of the Titanic."

He said a friend bought the necklace, purse and keys "quite a few years ago".

A pocket-watch recovered from the wreck of the Titanic was also bought by Mr Scott-Beddard and will go on display along with the other items.

"We are pretty sure that, because of the fictitious story and the fascination with Kate Winslett's Heart of the Ocean necklace, a lot of people will want to come and see the real necklace," he said.

Built in 1911, the Nomadic was bought by the government to be restored and taken from France to Belfast last July.

Thousands of people have visited the Nomadic since it was berthed beside the Odyssey at Easter.

It is hoped the vessel will become a major tourist attraction and be fully restored for its 100th anniversary in four years time.



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Show your love for county

ARE you proud to live or work in Bedford-shire?

The county council wants everyone to have pride in their county and has launched its We Love Bedfordshire campaign.

Residents are being asked why they love Bedfordshire via the county council's website.

It wants to hear the best stories, anecdotes, and receive pictures and other contributions to be used in a book entitled We Love Bedfordshire, edited by the council's resident author John Pilgrim.

Cllr Madeline Russell, leader of the council, explained: "I have lived most of my life in Bedfordshire and am immensely proud of my home county.

"That is what motivates me in my role leading the community, and what drives me to run the very best, efficient services for the people of Bedfordshire.

"Pollsters Ipsos-MORI has said that Bedfordshire has been guilty of underselling itself in the past. Well, now the secret is out.

"We want to shout about things that make our county great and we want people to live here to shout about why they love Bedfordshire too.

"The county council is proud of Bedfordshire and we want everybody that lives, works or visits the county to feel the same.

"Our vision for Bedfordshire is to make Bedfordshire thrive and we want to take every opportunity to tell you how we are delivering that vision and making a difference in each of Bedfordshire's communities."

Council chief executive Andrea Hill said: "This campaign is all about raising Bedfordshire's identity, to put it on the map as a great place to lives, work and visit.

"We are ambitious for Bedfordshire and all our communities and want to shout about the pride we have in our county.

"In the past Bedfordshire has suffered from a lack of recognition and so people have rated other counties more favourably. That's changing and this campaign will help raise the county's profile."

The campaign will be advertised on the sides of buses and on bus shelters, and there will be an array of roadshows around the county.

If you want to contribute to the book, log on to the council's website on www.bedfordshire.gov.uk and click into We Love Bedfordshire and file your contribution.