TEXAS FAITH: Why should we be thankful?

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Thanksgiving is a day to pull ourselves together and tie up the loose ends of life. Through the year we receive a lot of good from others in the form of words and actions, and many a times it is a one way transaction and remains incomplete.

http://nabsites.net/demo/texas-faith-why-should-we-be-thankfu/

TEXAS FAITH: Why should we be thankful?
Bill McKenzie of Dallas Morning News asks, “why should we be thankful? And what should we be thankful for, either personally or at the larger national/global level?” 13 Texas Faith Panelists respond.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Why should we be thankful?

Whether it is life or the matter, every aspect of creation is programmed to find its own balance for sustainability.

Those individuals who achieve balance in life are the happiest ones. Indeed, our happiness is directly dependent on fulfillment of our desires; lesser fulfillment yields discontentment.

So, the Buddha says, fewer the desires, lesser the sorrow!

Thanksgiving is a day to pull ourselves together and tie up the loose ends of life. Through the year we receive a lot of good from others in the form of words and actions, and many a times it is a one way transaction and remains incomplete.

For every good we receive, we have to offer our gratitude to the giver. Absence of a simple thank you creates an imbalance in the relationship and the spiritual energy. A mere thank you will tie the loose ends and restores the balance.

For every hurt we hurl on others, an equal amount of energy is depleted from us, and until we say sorry and repent genuinely, the energy balance remains low and the transaction remains incomplete.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. As a spiritualist, I believe that for every wrong we do, an equal amount of energy is drained down from us and for every good we do, energy is recouped.

Life is a continual act of balancing between pain and pleasure. To lead a normal life, we have to maintain that equilibrium.

We are constantly receiving and giving energy, intake and output must be equal to have a healthy mindset. Otherwise, we are thrown off balance.

Ask Bill Gates whom God has blessed; he probably would say not enough! Ask the homeless, the answer would still be the same; not enough. Who has enough then?

Walk the Middle path, said Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), just have enough desires that you can fulfill them, happiness sticks with you. My mother used to say “don’t stretch your feet beyond your sheet.” In other words, stay within your means. Every faith and every family is enriched with such an advice.

More than any other holiday Thanksgiving brings Americans together despite their religion, culture or ethnicity. Everyone from an atheist to a Zoroastrian finds the time to be with family.

This particular tradition generates a sense of family cohesion. It’s about catching up with each other, eating and watching the football game together. Indeed, it keeps the whole family together for most part of the day.

The bigger part of Thanksgiving is caring. It is a day to feel kindness towards those who are struggling with difficulties of life. It’s a catalyst in uplifting our spirits and ought to bring out the best in us to relate with others.

Please carry a small piece of paper with you and whenever you find a quiet moment, make a list of all the people you want to thank. You will find a sense of relief in it.

Even if you don’t call everyone on the list, you have already said your thanks by thinking about them. The tension of the action (good done to you) is released with your re-action of thinking about them or writing their name down and possibly calling them.

I thank every soul for contributing to my positive energy.

Thirteen more opinions including the above can be read at :
http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/texas-faith-why-should-we-be-t.html

 Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day to the media and the public. He is a speaker thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, Politics, Islam, interfaith, India and Peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on the topics and two of his books are poised to be released on Pluralism and Islam. Mike’s work is reflected in 4 website’s and 27 Blogs indexed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/ and you can find all of his current articles at www.TheGhousediary.com

Standing Up for Jews, Gays and Mexicans: Why Should You?

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I have stood up at the Holocaust Musuem, Texas Jewish Post, Akiba Academy and other placed. Gathered the Holocaust survivors in the Museum and prayed for the well being of America and every one of its inhabitants. Pictures are at Flickr.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/standing-up-for-jews-gays_b_650167.html

Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas boasts of having held 43,660 peaceful demonstrations. This weekend he is staging a protest against Jews, gays, lesbians and Mexicans. We need to be unselfish to serve our selfish interests. Here is an opportunity for you to stand up for the rights of others and perhaps find a purpose in life to stand up for the rights of others.
Why should you stand up for others?
You may find answers in the following lines inspired by Martin Niemoller’s eternal poem about co-existence:

First they expressed their hate for Jews,
it did not bother me because I am not a Jew;

Then they condemn Gays & Lesbians,
it did not bother me because I am not a Gay;

Then they deny the divinity of Catholicism,
it did not bother me because I am not a Catholic;

Then they want to look down upon Mexicans,
it did not bother me because I am not a Mexican;

Finally, they want to harass me the new immigrant,
It does bother me, that there is no one left to speak for me.

One of the most beautiful things that religions teach us is living for the sake of others. Seriously, when we are concerned about ourselves, and when we become utterly selfish and care about ourselves in the moments of our strength, then what happens to us in our vulnerable moments?
Religions help us sustain peace and balance in society in the times of our spiritual, physical and societal ups and downs. Living for the sake of others is not a charity or even a noble thing to brag about; it is indeed the pragmatic thing to do.
Jesus taught us how to co-exist in peace by removing prejudices and embracing every person that God has created — not just the ones who act, eat and look like us, but those whom society has neglected. He embraced the then-socially-rejected prostitutes and lepers. Was that the limit of his compassion?
We hope the ministries of Westboro Baptist Church will seriously consider the role of Jesus in creating a world of love and peace. I request that they ponder the following questions:

  1. What would Jesus do if he ran into a HIV-infected person? Would he condemn him or bless him?
  2. What would Jesus do if he had a line-up of prostitutes, lepers, pious pastors, ordinary people, gays and lesbians, Mexicans and immigrants? Would he hug them or curse them?
  3. Should we reduce Jesus to a partisan fellow who takes sides?
  4. Would Jesus agree if God were to sign a deal behind others’ backs?

One of the gifts of Jesus was his helping us create the kingdom of heaven on earth, where every one of God’s creations lives in peace and love, without fear, and in unison with the cosmic universe. Can we follow Jesus and remove the fears and bring peace to all? Didn’t he say, “A new commandment I give you — Love one another as I have loved you so that all men may know you are my disciples” (John 13:34-35)? Are we to be known for our love and compassion, or for our hostility?
Didn’t Jesus have the power to change the world by merely saying the word? Why did he not? Did he want to test us to see if we will follow him? Are we going to follow the path of compassion and forgiveness that he chose, or are we going to act out of fear and hatred for others?
Please show your solidarity by standing with the ones who need it now. Let there not be any hate for the men, women and children of the Westboro Baptist Church. We can always overcome ignorance with love and kindness, just as Jesus did.
As a Muslim, I am standing up for the rights of every human being; it is not against the individuals but against the ignorance. As a Muslim I have stood up for atheists, Baha’is, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jains, Jews, Natives, Sikhs, Zoroastrians and many others in between.
I hope to meet the Jewish man whom I met at the Gaza Rally in downtown Dallas in December 2008. I was with the banner of the Dallas Peace Center and saw a Jewish teen taking pictures before getting into a heated discussion with a Palestinian. A police officer stepped in and told the teen to get out of there; I walked up to the officer and defended his right to be there as anyone else. The officer told me not to interfere, while I asserted that I would stand up with the teen. Then he told me that he would arrest me, and I was ready for it, but the Jewish teen went to the other side, and I followed him with my camera until he left behind the screen wall.
Unless we learn to stand up for the rights of others, we cannot claim to be just, and we have no right to expect others to stand up for us.
The folks form the Westboro Baptist Church are holding demonstrations at various places in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. A few of them are the Dallas Holocaust Museum, the Cathedral of Guadalupe, the Jewish Community Center, the Chabad of Dallas and several other places including Arlington. The complete list can be viewed here. I will be there at the Holocaust Museum and hopefully other places. Please join me for a prayer of peace and a prayer of co-existence. We have to live together; we might as well live with harmony and cohesion.

Mike Ghouse is committed to a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

TEXAS FAITH: Does faith in God differ from dogma and morality?

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Is there a distinction between faith in God and dogma and morality? As an example, he pointed to how dogma can become an idol of its own. People worship the tenets of their faith, not the God who is behind it.

Eight panelists respond to the question at Dallas Morning News including mine: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/texas-faith-does-faith-in-god.html

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The first few thoughts that jumped out at me were the story of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the destruction of abortion clinics and denigrating other religions as cults.

Faith in God is personal; it’s been around from the inception of religion.  There never was a singular belief in God, even while Judaism flourished, there was the Zoroastrian religion in their neighborhood and other native traditions in Egypt and Africa, and farther out in China, India, and the Americas they had their own perceptions of God.

Today in America, we have more beliefs than one could imagine.   We have different thumb prints, eye prints, DNA and taste buds; if we can learn to accept the uniqueness of each one’s “religion bud” be it theist or atheist, and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

Dogma is born out of arrogance and insecurities. We seek the short cuts to false satisfaction and believe that our rightness hinges on others’ wrongness. Dogma does not bring joy to anyone, including the believer; we are in eternal tension of righting others rather than living our own lives.  It is the religious, cultural and social Dogma that has created frictions and a generator of conflicts. Humans are born to be free, Dogma wants to chain and humans will resist it.   

Morality is a product of co-existence and survivability; it is the prism that can be laid out on all societies to find their own balance. Religion has added substantially to the morality as a mass media, but it is not the sole source, Morality was alive when the first men had to fight for limited resources and develop a system of trust for them to live in peace and leave their children and women behind when they went hunting.   

My understanding of Prophet Muhammad’s story goes something like this. He found out that some of his associates and disciples were planning on painting his portraits out of reverence for him. Prophet asked them to stop it immediately, and cautioned them neither to paint his pictures nor make his busts and place it on the street corners. The wisdom behind the idea was that someday, the picture will become the object of worship and he will become the idol.  He said, God alone is worthy of worship, I am a mortal being like you and do not worship me, worship the God, the one and only creator.

Thank God Muslims did not make a God out of the Prophet, nor do they worship him.

However his sane advice to keep people focused on God has become the dogma for a few.  A handful of Muslims took to the streets, murdered Van Gogh the cartoonist, burned the Belgium Embassy in Syria, and set cars to fire in Pakistan.  This violence goes completely against the teachings of the prophet and Muslims around the globe have condemned it. Indeed, it is the protests that challenged the cartoonist to draw more aggravating cartoons.  This is a classic example of advice becoming a dogma.

In our own backyard, the advice of God to save a life becomes a violent dogma to the point of murdering Doctors who perform abortions, passing laws against fellow Citizens and declaring others to be cults. Dictating who can and cannot marry each other.

Exchanges and discussions like this will bring awareness and freedom, true salvation to those who are entrenched in dogma. As a society it is our individual and collective responsibility to share the wisdom and learn to live and let live.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, his work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

The article is also available at: http://nabsites.net/demo/texas-faith-does-faith-in-god-differ/

Who is a progressive Muslim?

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(note: this blog www.theghousediary.com is exclusively for my writings, however, from time to time, I have included my commentary with an article as my appreciation to the writer of the original article. this is in a letter format)


Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer, I thank you for writing this piece. Your writings have been an inspiration to me since I have known and met you in Dallas some 17 years ago. Several of us have attempted to define the word progressive in so many ways including my friend Mirza Beg and me, who have written similar pieces, but this is a master piece and I am pleased to share this treasure with the Muslims who carry the banner Progressive Muslims. 

A few, just a few traditional Muslim scholars hate the word progressive, they are stuck, kind of stick in the muds (Urdu: lakeer kay faqeers). Progressive means stepping out of the religion to them. Religion to them is their own private club, where they determine who qualifies to be a member and who is not, they are too eager to opine and too quick to deny the Mussalmanity (Muslimness) of others, if the others do not comply with the prescribed length of their pants or the inches of hair covering for women.

The title Progressive could also mean conservatives sticking to the Quraan, a paradoxical way of defining it. Indeed, Prophet Muhammad was also a progressive reformer who changed the world, who changed the ways people lived their lives and who helped them step out of the little fiefdoms in conflicts with each other into a large Aalameen where they all can co-exist with their own cultural uniquenesses.

Each one of us is indeed a part of the big pie, just like the other parts with all the imaginable labels from Wahabbi, Sunni, Sufi, Shia, Ismaili, Bohra, WD Muhammad, Ahmadiyya, WAhle-Hadith, Ahle-Sunnat, Deobandi, Salafi and every possible label. You will find a similar distribution amongst Jews, Christians, Hindus, Buddhist and even among religions with a fewer numbers like Sikhs, Jains, and others as well. A majority of Muslims are moderates and shy away from titles like progressive. We need to understand the word progressive and you have done a fabulous job, it is not a separator! Thank you.

When I chose to label myself as Muslim, I chose the label “Muslim” and nothing but Muslim. After 9/11, we fought hard about the prefixes like Terrorist and other uncouth and reckless words.

I had resisted all temptations to be labeled with a pre-fix. However, when I was attacked by a few among us while defending another label, I yielded to add Sunni to my label to let them know that I am not an Ahmadiyya-Muslim, but I am right in defending their right to believe and practice their tradition.

All of us are one of the 73 tribes that Prophet Muhammad had rightfully predicted based on human fitra (nature). We need to respect that and honor the Prophet, he could not be wrong. The arrogant ones among us believe that they are the righteous ones and the other 72 are not. What was said was that all the 73 have to compete in doing good, only one will be the first rank and the other 72 will pass the exam in the school at varying grades. How many times you have been surprised that in your school, the one you thought will not make it did make it with “flying colors”. Let Allah be the judge and remember we have to be free from Prejudice that is what makes us Muslims and this was one of the many driving reasons for me to be a Muslim.

As an activist, I humbly request fellow Muslims to resist the temptation to label yourselves or label other Muslims when you talk about them. Can you do that? Don’t worry what others do, do your duty and let God be the judge. We need to come together to create a better world for the entire humanity, lets us become Mukhlookhul Aalameen. Amen!

Jazak Allah Khair
Mike Ghouse
Muslims together committed to building cohesive societies.
www.Islamtogetherfoundation.com

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Who is a Progressive Muslim
By Asghar Ali Engineer
AT the Asian Muslim Action Network (Aman) assembly which took place in Pattani, Thailand in February this year, a discussion took place as to the prerequisites of being a progressive Muslim. I was asked to speak on the subject, and the following is what I had to say.
A progressive Muslim is one whose actions are firmly grounded in the Quranic values of truth (haq), justice (adl), compassion (rahmah), wisdom (hikmah), and he or she does service to others rather than being served by others. A progressive Muslim does not believe in sectarian Islam (Sunni, Shia or Ismaili, Deobandi or Barelvi, Ahl-i-Hadith or Salafi streak), but rises above all these sects and gives importance to the Quran above everything else.
Adhering to progressive Islam one does not adopt a sectarian approach, but is respectful of entire humanity, and of human dignity as per the Quran: “We have honoured the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favours, above a great part of our creation” (17:70).
Thus, one leaves ideological and theological differences to Allah alone and does not condemn anyone who differs with oneself as kafir, as often many sectarian-minded Muslims do. Such an approach widens the differences and intensifies conflict. A progressive Muslim uses, as per the Quran, wisdom (hikmah) and goodly words (mawizat al-hasanah) in discussions. He does not try to be judgmental.
A progressive Muslim is least influenced by personal prejudices and always gives more importance to knowledge than his own opinion. The Quran condemns prejudiced opinion (zan) and promotes knowledge (ilm). Also, openness of mind is a seminal quality which helps avoid arrogance born more out of ignorance than knowledge. Those who have little knowledge are more arrogant and those who have a greater degree of knowledge know the limitations of their own knowledge and hence tend to be humble.
A progressive Muslim first of all studies his/her own religion in depth and tries to understand as objectively as possible the causes of differences between different religions while showing full respect to the beliefs of others. It is those who do not know their own religion, much less that of others, who condemn the religion of others. The Quran says, “And abuse not those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest, exceeding the limits they abuse Allah through ignorance” (6:109).
Further in the same verse, Allah says, “Thus to everyone people have We made their deeds fair-seeming; then to their Lord is their return so He will inform them of what they did.” Thus ultimately it is Allah who will judge. We human beings, when we judge, we judge more out of ignorance and arrogance of our own ego than based on knowledge and selflessness.
The key words in this verse are that for ‘every people’ ‘We made their deeds fair-seeming’ to ‘them’. Then who are we human beings to condemn the beliefs and deeds of others? Let Allah alone be the judge of who is right and who is wrong in their beliefs.
A progressive Muslim celebrates pluralism, as diversity is the creation of Allah. If Allah had desired He could have made entire humanity one community. (5:48). The Quran also says, “And of His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth and the diversity of your tongues and colours. Surely there are signs in this for the learned.” Thus, a progressive Muslim will never have any prejudice against the speakers of any language or the people of any colour or creed, for they are all creations of Allah.
Likewise, both men and women are the creation of Allah and both need to be treated with the same degree of dignity. Allah has created all species in couples and it is necessary for survival of all species. No species will survive unless it is created in couples. Thus the feminine of the couple is as important as the masculine, and in human beings both genders must be treated equally. Gender relations reflect social and cultural constructs while equality and fair play are Islamic values.
A progressive Muslim knows this and treats both men and women with equal dignity, ensuring equal rights to both. In today’s context, gender equality becomes a crucial test for a progressive Muslim. Female servitude was purely a feudal cultural creation; Islam opposes it and pronounces the doctrine of gender equality in clear terms (2:228). A progressive Muslim knows that certain Sharia provisions establishing male superiority were in response to the cultural needs of a patriarchal society rather than based on the Quran and Sunnah.
Thus, a progressive Muslim will give importance to Quranic pronouncements in gender-related matters and not condone the feudal female servitude, considering such provisions of existing Sharia laws as eternal and unalterable. A progressive Muslim, therefore, would strive to reconstruct Sharia laws today in order to accord rights to women which the Quran gives them. One believer cannot be superior to another believer. Male superiority is a human construct and human construct cannot override divine injunctions. Also, physical differences, i.e. bearing children, etc. should not result in determining who is superior or inferior.
A progressive Muslim would also accord seeking knowledge priority, as knowledge has been equated with light, and ignorance with darkness (zulmat). Allah brings out believers from darkness to light. The Prophet (PBUH) has said that a moment’s reflection is more important than a whole night’s worship (ibadat). Thus knowledge has priority even over worship.
These are some of the characteristics of being a progressive Muslim. Those who imbibe these characteristics will survive the challenges of time and not face difficulty in keeping pace with changing reality.
Source: The Dawn

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Embarassing Presidential debate on 11.12.11

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EMBARASSING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE TONITE

Rather than who has plans to bring lasting peace and prosperity to the World, Security to Israel and
Justice to the Palestinians, the candidates will be vying for kissing Israel; who does the most. Who is
bent on destruction and bombing others? Ultimately it amounts to screwing both Israelis and Americans. How long can they dupe the Israeli and Americans?

Has this policy been good to any one so far?

Please join me at facebook as a friend at http://ww.facebook.com/speakermikeghouse when the page opens just click the word “LIKE” next to the words “Speaker Mike Ghouse” and we become friends. This page is created to make friendships with new friends as my curent page has reached the limit of 5000 friends. Thank you.

———————

A FEW NOTES MADE RIGHT AFTER THE DEBATE
Romney is the tortoise in the equation
Hunstsman is viable, may be the best candidate
Perry will survive for another bout
Perry dared Israel, AIPAC will get him

Paul was sidelined, shame on them
Santorum was good on Iran and that was about it
Bachman should not be there and use up the time
Cain had too generic a conversation that any one can do
Perry resorted to rhetoric.. unti I die words
I am a republican and do not relate with Bachman, Santorum, Perry, Cain, and I forgot, Gingrich too. They beleive in torture, bombing and bullying and seem to be sadistic. That is not a Republican value, but a right wing phenomenon.  

Israel needs genuine security and not the duplicity of these candidates. Their policies have not brought security, and if followed, it will push Israel further deep into isolation and insecurities. to be friends is to find the path and not appeasement that is a pediment. 

I am at this time leaning towards Romney, but would like to see Huntsman there.

Mike Ghouse
Committed to a cohesive America

www.MikeGhouse.net

Sikhs and Muslims need to put behind an old wound on Gurpurab

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Courtesy of Huffington Post:Sikhs and Muslims Can Come Together for Guru Nanak’s Birthday

It’s the 542nd birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev, founder of Sikhism. Let’s pray this Gurpurab nurture goodwill and remove ill-will between Muslims and Sikhs.

Guru Nanakji’s birthday has a special significance to me, indeed, the religion we called Sikhism, started out as an interfaith movement, where he primarily brought people from different religions together and taught common sense goodness; serving humanity and caring for the neighbors.

I selected this picture, as my Mother’s great uncle looked just like him with the same Turban and we called him Sikh Nana. On this auspicious day of Guru Nanak Devji’s birthday, on behalf of World Muslim Congress and the foundation for Pluralism, we wish peace and blessing to the world.

Guru Nanak Jayanthi is the birth celebration of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, and one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism.

The festivities in the Sikh religion revolve around the anniversaries of the 10 Sikh Gurus. These Gurus were responsible for shaping the beliefs of the Sikhs. Their birthdays, known as Gurpurabs, are occasions for celebration and prayer among the Sikhs.

The Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of Sikhs is a stories and guidance in poetry composed by Hindu and Muslim spiritual teachers. Indeed, the land for the Golden Temple was a grant by King Akbar and the first brick for the Golden Temple was laid out by a Muslim fakir.

Happy Gurpurab to all the Sikhs and to everyone who is a well-wisher of the ideals of Sikhism….
I hope on this auspicious occasion of Gurpurab, the Muslims and Sikhs make a genuine effort to pay tribute to the spirit of Guru Nanak Devji and remove the misunderstandings that erupted from a wrong translation of Quraan that happened 350 years ago and has rightfully etched in the psyche of Sikhs.

In an article in Huffington post about Kentucky Senator David William’s bigotry I wrote, “No one has a right to belittle other’s faiths. If Senator Williams has a problem let it be his problem and one should malign Christianity for his bigotry.” Likewise, King Aurangzeb’s bigotry should not be slapped on Muslims. I have nothing to do with it, nor does any Muslim anything to do with him.

Sadly there was a lot of bloodshed during the partition of India that has deepened the ill-will among a few Muslims and a few Sikhs. It is time to forgive for our own sake, as it will release the tension and apprehension within us and free us to deal with each other as free individuals.

May the Noor (divine light) of Guru Nanankji brighten the world. Amen! Sikhism was one of the first formal religions that began as a reconciliatory goodwill nurturing faith and let’s give the full value to it.

MUSLIMS AND SIKHS NEED TO WORK ON RECONCILING THE ILL-WILL.

I just want to share a great misunderstanding that occurred in the 17th century and has lasted till this day. I was a speaker on “reading the scriptures” at the Parliament of world’s religions in Melbourne, Australia.

During the conference, one of the Sikh scholars was presenting a verse from Quraan that has been difficult for Sikhs for over three hundred fifty years. When Dr. Avtar Dhaliwal started his presentation with the obviously wrong translation of a verse from Quraan, a fellow Muslim was outraged and walked out and was looking at me for a response. Later, I invited him back into the hall and responded to the mistranslation during my presentation and not during Dr. Dhaliwal’s presentation. That is a whole another story but for now, I will share the email that followed the conversation.

Continued at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/sikhs-and-muslims-on-542n_b_1087327.html

Mike Ghouse is committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Interfaith film in the making and Carrollton interfaith meeting

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Wednesday, November 09, 2011.
Monthly Interfaith meeting Sponsored by Horizon Unitarian Universalist Church, Carrollton
Hosted by Rev. Dennis Hamilton & Mike Ghouse

The Cities of Carrollton, Farmers Branch and Coppell have an interfaith group that meets on 2nd Wednesday of the month, and each month one of the organizations hosts the luncheon and shares about their place of worship and what they do.  I am blessed to a part of this esteemed group for nearly five years.

Rev. Hamilton talked about diversity in language from Genesis and it was amazing how diversity is built into that chapter and indeed, in all holy books.

Interfaith gatherings are viewed with suspicion by less than 1% of people from any group, they rumor that it is for conversion and for some gain. There may be a case or two here and there, but they are  very rare, I am humbled to say that, I am blessed to have been a part of most interfaith gatherings than most people. Like everything else in life, about 1% of of any group tends to be suspicious, arrogant and gripped in phobias, you will find them in every religious denomination, religion, race, ethnicity and other groupings.   Interfaith is no exception, a few have commented on my forums and blogs that interfaith is a scheme to convert people or find out what is going on with the other ; a fodder for gossip.  I don’t know where it is true, but certainly not in the interfaith gatherings in Dallas/ Fort Worth area. The Carrollton group is very sensitive and have developed a great system and humorously we add, no conversion and no one has done that inthe last five years, I have been a part of it.

I have also been a part of a number of groups around the world,  including the Rev. Moon’s Unificationist Church, I have never been asked to convert, instead they ask each religious group to express their own belief, as they believe and respectfully listen to the otherness of other. I have spoken in a number of their conventions and world wide gatherings, but never have I had the inkling of conversion.

Richardson has a Faith group that meets on first Sunday of every month; they do have a clear policy; listen to others and share yours. We had two gentlemen that came in and wanted to prove to others that their belief was right, which was ok with ever one, but when they say others are wrong, it messes with the cohesion of the group. In the matters of faith, no one is wrong if the belief works for them let it.  Fortunately, they did not come back, they need more time to cushion and understand that there is another point of view.

On my turn,  I talked about the essence of teaching of all the great teachers; to bring society to functioning again, where people can trust each other and go on about their ways. Religion brings a balance in a society where every one learns to respect other’s space, nourishment and nurturance.  Jesus, Moses, Krishna, Muhammad, Buddha, Nanak and all others were reformers who restored the trust and righteousness for the society to function well with the given differences.

Americans together is a documentary about Americans working towards building that cohesive society. Indeed, it is the vision of all the great teachers including Jesus, Muhammad, Krishna, Moses and others. Our Mission is to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live in anxieties, discomfort or fear of the other. Our founding fathers laid the ground work for such a society, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Martin Luther King Jr. expressed that in his speech, “I have a dream that our little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.”

The questions we face are;

1. What are you and I doing to preserve that web?
2. What are our initiatives?
3. What are the divisive issues?
4. How would we allay the prevalent phobias and fears?
5. What is your vision for America?

John F Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country”. We hope to capture your responses in a moving story about America. The occupy movement is a reflection of doing something about it. We need to channel that.

I salute the gentleman from the group, who was kind enough to mention that he did not agree with the idea, most probably about placing all religions on the same footing. I love that spirit. If all of us can disagree with civility and express it, instead of repressing it or agressing it out, life becomes so much better. This is what I mean by accepting the otherness of other, without having to agree and respecting the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.  

I shared the incident I had with Pastor Robert Jeffress who probably read the wrong translation of Quraan and said the things he said.  I thought he had backed off, but he repeated the denigration when he introduced Presidential Candidate Rick Perry. 

Here is an abstract from Dallas Morning News
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/columnists/steve-blow/20100919-In-defense-of-Islam-pursuing-9397.ece

Ghouse said he can understand fear and criticism of Islam because he went through a time of similar feelings. As a teen, he was troubled by passages of the Quran. He called himself an atheist for a while.

But he said deeper study led him to realize the Quran had been purposely mistranslated down through history. In the middle Ages, European leaders commissioned a hostile Quran translation to foster warfare against Muslim invaders. Later, Muslim leaders produced another translation to inflame Muslims against Christians and Jews.
“It was all for politics,” he said. Ghouse said he hopes to present Jeffress with a modern, faithful translation and challenge him to find evil verses.

“If he can, I will convert. I will join his church,” Ghouse said. “If he can’t, I will call on him to retract his statements and become a peacemaker.”

I was delighted to know that some of our members wanted to know the good translation of Quraan. By far the best available translation is by Muhammad Asad, even in this translation, there are two items that needs to be updated. The one you don’t want to see is the one by Hilali Khan fraught with deliberate insertions in the translations to create ill-will between the people, most of the non-Muslims Islamic scholars based their knowledge on that false foundation.  Hilali Khan was a right wing Muslim like the right wingers in all Religions.    

I am looking for ideas and stories where people have done all they can to make America a beautiful nation, the heaven on the earth where no American is apprehensive of the other. We are one nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

 Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net
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TEXAS FAITH: Should Herman Cain's accusers step forward?

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Herman Cain and Sharon Bialek

Even though we are a culturally advanced society, we are still not there in feeling, acting and believing that women and men are equal. Women still have to prove that their word is as good as the man’s word and the fallacy that they are supposed to endure the harassment rather than mess up things – Mike Ghouse

As you know, Herman Cain faces allegations that he sexually harassed female employees during his time at the National Restaurant Association. The Republican fervently denies the charges, although there are reports that settlements have been made in these cases. Cain’s story about those settlements continues to evolve.

As this story unfolds, I would like to hear you talk about the obligation of the women in this episode. It is natural that they would want to avoid a media firestorm. But don’t they have a moral obligation to step forward and tell their side of the story, like former NRA employee Sharon Bialek did on Monday?

Twelve of us wrote about it in Dallas Morning News, mine is here under,  for all the twelve takes, please visit: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/11/as-you-know-herman-cain.html  and share your comment at the link.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

The women who were alleged to be harassed by presidential candidate Herman Cain do have the moral obligation to tell their side of the story, just as the candidate tells his version. By not telling the story they would be perpetuating the very thing they loathe; sexual harassment.

What does it take for the other women to fulfill their moral obligation? First, a conducive social environment is needed. Second,  a lot of guts on the part of a woman to withstand brutal scrutiny.

Even though we are a culturally advanced society, we are still not there in feeling, acting and believing that women and men are equal. Women still have to prove that their word is as good as the man’s word and the fallacy that they are supposed to endure the harassment rather than mess up things.

Here is some of the real elevator conversation on Monday evening in reference to the questions Sharon Bialek was thrown at the press conference. Was she on welfare? Is she trying to make money out of it? Is she looking for a book contract? One of them said that she will give an exclusive interview to one of those competitive (bad words) media outlets; another one declared that she is a gold digger.

As an activist I spoke up, “Ok, how does that wash away the character of Candidate Cain? Except me, all the men were Caucasians and one of them looked at me condescendingly and said, “You don’t understand, she is white trash and so was her attorney.”

I retorted back, “do you want a president who may be lying to you and me today? No one talked and the elevator opened and we silently walked out.”

Sharon Bialek must be admired for gathering the guts to speak up; it takes an inordinate amount of courage given the still primitive social environment we live in. We must hail her for sharing her version of the story. Bialek was clear, “I was not paid to come forward, nor was I promised any employment.” Attorney Gloria Allred indeed paved the way for a positive change by labeling sexual harassment of a potential job giver as stimulus package.

As a society, we have come a long way. Sharon Bialek and her attorney have given a boost to women’s emancipation. Despite the motivations and accusations, Bialek fulfilled her moral obligation to tell her version of the story. The media was indeed crude. I hope they would remain brutal to the candidates as well to find the truth for us, the people.

We should expect the presidential candidates to be as truthful and honest as one can be, so we can expect that he or she will stick to the same principles and carry on the business of governance with integrity. However, we have had presidents as well as candidates who were not entirely truthful.

The right to elect a candidate comes with the responsibility to scrutinize the candidate. This is where our media plays a crucial role in preserving our system of checks and balances for us, the people.

The responsibility of a society evolves out of necessity to create an environment where the victims don’t get further victimized for telling the truth. We still have ways to go to give full meaning to the words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a write committed to a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. All his work is indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Senator Williams' Remarks Offended Hindus

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse/senator-williams-offend-hindus_b_1075392.html

It is not only a Hindu issue, it is indeed an American issue. The speaking out shouldn’t be just from Hindus, but Christians, Jews, Muslims, Atheists, Pagans, Wiccans, Zoroastrians and others as well. Why should anyone stand up for you, if you are not willing to do the same for others?

As people of faith, we condemn the statement made by Kentucky State Senator David Williams, “Williams charged that the actions of Beshear were tantamount to “idolatry.” He stated that as a Christian, he would not participate in Jewish, Muslim or Hindu prayers, and hoped Hindus would open their eyes and “receive Jesus Christ as their personal saviour.” Williams made this comment about the ground breaking ceremony of a manufacturing plant in Elizabeth Town in Kentucky that Governor Steve Beshear attended.

As a moderate Republican I am embarrassed that almost all of the bigotry in our nation is flowing out of fellow Republicans. It is time for the good Republicans to speak up and stop this flow and at least lose gracefully in 2012. If the economy turns around a little bit even a useless Democrat will win against a Republican. It is time to wake up and speak out against the bigotry of Williams and all others including the Presidential candidates.

Williams also criticized the Governor for sitting cross-legged with a “dot on his forehead,” and described the ceremony as “polytheistic.”

I have condemned and talked about similar pronouncements from Pat Robertson, Robert Jeffress and a few Muslims and Jewish clerics for their take on idolatry with a primitive understanding. Idols or icons are representations of God for the Hindus, just as the holy books are God’s words for the Jews, Christians, Muslims and others.

No one has a right to belittle other’s faiths. If Senator Williams has a problem let it be his problem and one should not malign Christianity for his bigotry. Each faith is dear to the believer and no faith is superior to the other. Faith is about humility and not arrogance. All faiths are designed to bring solace to its followers. Religion is a mechanism that gives hopes and restores one’s balance with what surrounds one; people and the environment,.

Indeed, we are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. We are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. Americans together are committed to preserve this pluralistic heritage of America.

No one should have a problem with other’s belief, but it should become our problem when someone denigrates it. We must stand up for each one of the 312 Million Americans.

Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer committed to build a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. His work is fully indexed at www.MikeGhouse.net

Americans Together, a documentary

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What the majority of Americans want is a just society where everyone feels safe, secure and without the fear of other. What exactly do we want? How will we make the change?  How do we convince those cashing in on hate and fear mongering? Can we find a way to make peace lucrative and redirect energy towards creating a cohesive America? 

Our Founding Fathers laid the ground work for such a society, “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Martin Luther King Jr. expressed that in his speech, “ I have a dream that my four little  children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

Chief Seattle, a Native American said this perfectly, “All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the webs, he does it to himself.”

The questions we face are;

1. What are we doing to preserve that delicate web?
2. What are our initiatives?
3. What are the issues that divide us?
4. How would we allay the prevalent phobias and fears?
5. What is your vision for America?

John F Kennedy, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what yourcountry can do for you – ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” We hope to capture your responses in a moving story about America. The “Occupy Movement” is a reflection of doing something. We need to channel that energy and passion in building a cohesive America.

Americans Together is a documentary about Americans working toward building that cohesive society. Our Mission is to build a cohesive America, where no American has to live with anxiety, discomfort or fear. We will highlight the role of the Muslims in this documentary.

It is time we bring fruition to the change we want, here is the first step in working towards building a cohesive America that is good for every one of the 312 Million Americans. Our focus will be overall prosperity rather than pitting one against the other.

Every American must feel a sense of security, safety and freedom. If we can learn to accept the otherness of others and respect the God given uniqueness of each one of us, then conflicts fade and solutions emerge.

“…We are one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.” We are represented by every race, nationality, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. We see God as one, none and many and in every form; male, female, genderless and non-existent, being and non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. America Together Foundation is committed to preserve this pluralistic heritage of America.

Indeed, we are not connected enough with each other for a vast majority of Americans to stand up for each other,  empathize with each other, or even understand the truth about each other that we are no different in our endeavors and aspirations in life.

The Prophets, Messengers of God, Spiritual masters, Wise Men and Women and the Peace Makers believed in peaceful co-existence of humanity and consistently solved differences and encouraging kindness among us all. Their effort was to bring about a positive change and create a cohesive society where no one was to be apprehensive of the other. 

Prophet Muhammad, the peace maker, believed in peaceful co-existence and consistently mitigated conflicts and nurtured goodwill amongst various groups. He wanted to bring about a change and create a cohesive society where no one lived in fear.

We have begun on our plan to interview and present different perspectives representing the full spectrum of America from extreme right to the extreme left and most certainly the moderate majority. We started with the heads of major Muslim organizations and will be reaching out to every representation of America. It’s my commitment to work towards building a unified America.

We hope to document the efforts that go towards building a just America that every one desires and is doing something about it. This documentary, Americans Together,  will be released this year at a conference to be attended by political candidates, elected representatives, religious, civil, business and community leaders.

We are looking for stories;

  • where people have stood up for each other, did everything they can towards creating a better America. 
  • compelling story to tell,
  •  has got to make people think, ponder and want to take an action. 

We are  looking for partners:

  • to fund and participate in our conference and documentary,
  • find and research stories
  • to write script

If you know someone who has a story or who wants to help us, please let us know.

The purpose of “Americans Together” is to remove myths in open discussion forum. In that we will restore the cohesiveness of our society, working towards building a safe and secure America for every one of the 312 Million of us.

We have come a long way to embrace and accept our differences. However, this year has given rise to yet another temptation; to blame Islam, calling it an,”evil, evil religion” and calling its Prophet, ” a false prophet. No American has to live in fear of the other, nor live with  anxiety or discomfort.

Some have been misused and abused in the name of religion. As Americans, are we going to let that happen? No, we can pull ourselves together and not fall for the temptation to divide us.

Goodness will come to our rescue, if we make an effort. Mike Ghouse adds, “As members of diverse family of faiths, we seek to demystify the myths, malice and falsification of our respective faiths. It is time for all of us to gather and understand each other and purge ourselves from ill-will towards fellow Americans.”

Americans Together is an educational and pragmatic initiative to weed out myths from reality, which is hurting the social cohesiveness of America. The myths are vigorously propagated by a few to disrupt the delicate balance in our society by pitting one American against the other for their own perceived gains.

Ever since we declared our independence, we have been tested time and again by various political, economic and religious forces to divide us, however, at the end we have come out strong as one nation. Let’s take that first step in bringing a positive change through dialogue.

As a society, it is our individual and collective responsibility to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of every citizen. Hate, prejudice and stereotyping are some of the many root causes of disrupting peace in a society. It is our duty to track down the source of such ill-will and work on mitigating it.

Mike Ghouse is committed to building a cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day, to the media and the public. He is a speaker, thinker and a writer on the topics of pluralism, cohesive societies, politics, Islam, interfaith, India and peace. Over a thousand articles have been published on these topics and two of his books on Pluralism and Islam are poised to be released.

Mike’s work is reflected in 4 website’s and 27 Blogs indexed atwww.mikeghouse.net,  and you can find all of his current articles atwww.TheGhousediary.com