TEXAS FAITH 43: What gives rise to end-times predictions?

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

I had wanted to avoid the May 21st rapture debate because it seemed like so much of a chip shot. Even many who believe in one form or another of end-times theology have disagreed with the prediction of Harold Camping of the Family Radio Network. He's the fellow that predicted Judgment Day was to come Saturday. (As I understand it, Camping, a civil engineer, reached that conclusion by pegging May 21 to being exactly 7,000 years after Noah got caught in a flood.)
But his prediction has generated plenty of attention. And since Judgment Day didn't come, and we all are still here, let's deal with the underlying issue in this discussion. And that is the ongoing prediction of the world's end.
Camping is hardly the one to offer a precise date. The New York Times reports how Seventh-Day Adventist Robert Reidt long ago predicted February 6, 1925 as the day of reckoning. And the Christian Science Monitor last week catalogued five big examples of end-time dates, going back to one in 1844.
Here, then, is this week's question:
What gives rise to precise end-times predictions?

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas

It natural to expect change as we see in this world there are four seasons. Also, a lot of religious literature speak about a change in times.

For example, the Vedas speak of this age, Kali-yuga, and its end times. This end time is explained to be 427,000 years from now. But this event is cyclical, like our four seasons. Not an actual end of this world but rather a change in the spiritual direction of the populous.

Should end times be a motivation for religious renewal? According to the great saint Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, religious motivation based on fear is low-grade religion.

Why worry about end times, everyone already has their own end time to worry about. Even though America is technologically advanced, the death rate is still a steady 100%. Bhaktivinoda Thakura teaches that in general there four levels of religious motivation.

1) Bhaya -- out of fear.
2) Asha -- for satisfying material aspirations.
3) Kartavya-buddhi -- out of a sense of duty (literally, "a mentality of what should be done").
4) Rāga -- out of genuine attraction for the Lord.

Lord Krishna similarly states in the Bhagavad Gita As It Is chapter 7 that there are those who approach God because of difficulties, those who approach because of material aspirations, those who approach because of inquisitiveness and those who approach because there are sincerely seeking the Absolute Truth.

To see all the responses from the Texas Faith Panel click here

TEXAS FAITH 41: Is science leading to a new literalism?

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

British theologian and Anglican cleric Keith Ward contends that the growing role of science in the world, where countries depend upon scientists and inventors to drive their economies, has led to a growing literalism.
 
Or so reports Michelle Boorstein on the Washington Post's On Faith blog. Writes Boorstein;


"Keith Ward, a British philosopher who was for years the canon of Oxford's cathedral, argued that the rise of science has led in the Judeo-Christian world to two things: literalism, because people no longer value things they can't prove, and secularism, because critical thought can tend to shift people to look at the Bible like any other book.."


(For more about Ward's thinking, you can read the lecture he gave in 2009 about science and religion at this link.)


Let's put aside the secularism point and focus on the scientific angle. We certainly live in a world where science and technology are on the rise. Many of us benefit from that reality, whether through advances in health care, being able to say hello to friends and family around the world through new technologies or learning more about the origins of our universe.
 
But does Ward have a point?
?: Has science, with its emphasis on empiricism, led to a new literalism, where we value things we can prove more than things we cannot?

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas

The attraction to modern science is its practicality. Put some food in the microwave, turn it on, and the food comes out hot. No belief, just practical results. Similarly religion is not supposed to be based on belief but rather its ability to produce practical results. The foremost of which is happiness.
Religion without philosophy is simply sentiment or fanaticism and science and philosophy without religion is simply mental speculation. Real faith is attained with practical results.
Therefore I feel that they problem is that religious groups have moved away from practical experiences of a spiritual connection to the realm of blind faith.

To see all the responses from the Texas Faith Panel click here

Pocket Vedas for iPhone, iPod Touch, & iPad

Nope, not talking about the tiny but readable Sanskrit Bhagavad Gita that resides in my bead bag pocket

But rather the newly updated Vedabase app which is now available for not only iPhone & iPod,  but now iPhone 4 & iPad with its improved retina display.  Previously known as Pocket Vedabase, Pocket Vedas works great.  There is a night and day font and I have used it for reading in dark for hours quite comfortably while the children are sleeping. 

Here are list of the books in the app.  ● Bhagavad-gītā As It Is ● Śrīmad Bhāgavatam ● Śrī Caitanya Caritāmṛta ● Teachings of Lord Caitanya ● Nectar of Devotion (fixed missing sections from website) ● Nectar of Instruction ● Teachings of Lord Kapila ● Teachings of Queen Kuntī ● Śrī Brahma-saṃhitā ● Śrī Īśopaniṣad ● Mukunda-mālā-stotra ● Nārada Bhakti Sūtra

Retaining all the great features of it previous version such as dynamic book marks, which keeps your place in various books, this update includes a lot of other great features.  All the verse only pages are now available, so you can now read the index page that has all the verses for the each chapter. 

Also all the hyperlinks now work.  Meaning any verse that is in the purport or in the index can be clicked on to go directly to that page.

The reading format is also improved, a simple tap on the screen (instead of the previous tiny ‘+’) brings up various menus.  On the two bottom corners you have the page turn.   If you click on one of those hyperlinks you can also click on the back and forward buttons to return back to the spot in the previous book that you were reading. 











Updated for iOS 4, Pocket Vedas does not only open back to the exact spot you were reading from it also starts up with no boot time once opened.

However the main addition is the ability email booksmarks, verse links from Vedabase.net, and links that open the reader’s own Pocket Vedabase app to the desired verse. 

This opens many uses such as updating reading notes to Evernote.  Or updating Facebook or Twitter status with a favorite quote with a link.  There a little work that can be done to improve the emailing.  Currently the links appear as such,

“In time, learned philosophers or scientists might be able to count all the atoms of the earth, the particles of snow, or perhaps even the shining molecules radiating from the sun, the stars and other luminaries. But among these learned men, who could possibly count the unlimited transcendental qualities possessed by You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who have descended onto the surface of the earth for the benefit of all living entities?”

This does not allow editing of the link.   Just a Translation with with link embedded.  I have left a suggestion in a correspondence to just include the raw link, such as http://vedabase.net/sb/10/14/7 which allows the user to decide what text they want to post and also allows the link to work when updated in FB and Twitter via email. I hope to see this updated in the near future.

All in all I am very happy with the update. 

Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das

PS.   For those who are updating, if you cannot see the hyperlinks and index pages when first updating app there is a simple and one time fix.  Go to the settings make any adjustment and apply and now it will work fine.  You can go back to your original settings again and it will still work, just a one time adjustment.
for more info see Dancing Ganesh

TEXAS FAITH 40: Is Hell Dead?

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

For Christians, this is Holy Week, culminating in the Easter pageant being celebrated over the weekend.
With that as its hook, TIME has once again weighed in with one of its meaty cover stories dealing with religion. In the 1960s, TIME shook up things by posing this question: Is God Dead?
Now, the magazine is featuring a cover story by journalist and author Jon Meacham, who is exploring this question: Is Hell Dead?
Meacham's essay is spurred by the work of none other than evangelical minister Rob Bell, author of the book "Love Wins." As Meacham notes, the book is a stir because it's the work of an evangelical, whose tradition is rooted in the saved being guaranteed acceptance into heaven because of their acceptance of Jesus as their Lord and Savior. But Bell, writes Meacham, has been asking whether hell exists. Here's an excerpt from the article, which you can read in full at the above link:
"When we get to what happens when we die, we don't have any video footage," says Bell. "So let's at least be honest that we are speculating, because we are." He is quick to note, though, that his own speculation, while unconventional, is not unprecedented. "At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church," Bell writes, "have been a number who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins and all will be reconciled to God."
Of course, as Meacham notes, there are many ramifications to the answer. Writes Meacham, who also pioneered the Washington Post's On Faith blog:
"From a traditionalist perspective, though, to take away hell is to leave the church without its most powerful sanction. If heaven, however defined, is everyone's ultimate destination in any event, then what's the incentive to confess Jesus as Lord in this life? If, in other words, Gandhi is in heaven, then why bother with accepting Christ? If you say the Bible doesn't really say what a lot of people have said it says, then where does that stop? If the verses about hell and judgment aren't literal, what about the ones on adultery, say, or homosexuality?"
With that as the backdrop, here is this week's question:

Is Hell Dead?

If you think so, please explain your position. If you don't believe so, please explain that view.

 

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas

It is not just the illogical concept of eternal hell that many religions of this world struggle to validate but also the illogical circumstances of innocents (children) suffering in the presence of an omni-benevolent Lord. For both these topics, intelligence and logic only reveal their heads when another factor is present -- rebirth, also known as reincarnation.

In our society we have what is called correctional facilities because compassion dictates that not only should punishment be a source of discouragement towards future sinful acts, but also a form of reformation from our present and past acts. Therefore it is called a correctional facility. If hell were eternal, there would be no opportunity of correction.

In my own meager heart I could forgive an assaulter of my family say after millions of years of suffering. Is my compassion more full and is my justice more just than that of the Lord Krishna Himself? No.

Everyone in this world enjoys or suffers according to their past deeds of previous lives, karma. It is God's perfect law of protection, Karma, that one cannot suffer anything that is not due to oneself. Thus in this world people are born into unequal circumstances. Not due to an unequal Lord but rather under the perfect arrangement of an all-loving God.

If one has done terrible misdeeds (murder) in this life, then birth on Earth may not be terrible enough to exhaust one's sinful debts. Therefore, there are other planets in this universe that one can take birth on that have more suffering than the Earth can offer. However, such hells are never eternal, rather one is only forced to live in such circumstances as per their misdeeds. It is not that 80 years of sin equals an eternity of suffering. There is no logic and intelligence behind this.

Because time is not only relative to space and speed but also to pain and pleasure, time in a hellish life is experienced slower. Try holding on to a red hot iron rod and watch the seconds go by and you will see what I mean. So because of this, time in hell may be experienced longer than the actual time that passes on Earth. Those who lack mathematical sophistication cannot understand time periods of 10,000 years or 100,000 years. Therefore, when communicating to such persons it is most practical to use the word eternal.

To see all the responses from the Texas Faith Panel click here

Latest twitter updates–Notes, Billy Corgan of SP, & Radhanath Swami Initiation videos

Best talks R not only truthful but also beneficial.Not only beneficial but pleasing.Not only pleasing but not causing hurt to enemiesBG17.15

3 Russian Book Distributor Devotees Die in a Car Crash http://j.mp/hNx1vq please devotees drive careful & also please don't travel at night

http://twitpic.com/3lbe3z super excited about reading this book, Śārārtha Darśinī Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1st & 2nd Canto purp by Viśvanātha C. T.
http://www.vanisource.org/wiki/KB_45 read this awesome chapter :$ []

FYI His Holiness Narayan Maharaja has passed away. []

The car is Ford, but (Mr)Ford is not the car.In this way try to understand. Everything is God, but everything is not God. http://j.mp/eJPFNI []

Kṛṣṇa’s presence acted as such a vitalizing tonic that not only the younger generation but even the old (cont) http://tl.gd/7oo1k3 []

RT @cassidyhaley: my time as a hare krishna. im in the back middle. wearing white.. http://twitpic.com/3kaydn []

@SparklySnarkery I used to live with Krishna Cassidy. That's funny that I just saw this tweet []

If a person is able to care for or give protection to old parents, a chaste wife, children, the spiritual (cont) http://tl.gd/7onmmc []

"Seeing Krishna Face To Face" http://j.mp/e8Q95o Srila Prabhupada's Christmas Srimad Bhagavatam lecture LA 1973

I liked a YouTube video -- Lecture - Radhanath Swami - Remembering Tamal Krishna Goswam... http://youtu.be/RRnUmMd8QkM?a []

another human life.Is it guaranteed?You may fall down again.So my Guru used 2 say that"Finish all business in this life." http://j.mp/dUr4Da

I liked a YouTube video -- Ahimsa Milk http://youtu.be/5jscFCszZXE?a

H.H. Jayadvaita Swami speaks about offending others and stepping down and handing over responsibilities http://blip.tv/file/4497002 []

1stclass men, 2nd-class men and 3rd-class men, means the brahmana, ksatriya & vaisya, they were not interested (cont) http://tl.gd/7hn9ht []

I liked a YouTube video -- Dwarka City of Lord Krsna.flv http://youtu.be/RECjoi8Geas?a

If you do not know what is God, a vague idea, that is not religion. You must know what is God. Just like to (cont) http://tl.gd/7fqev9

From five years old, if a child is trained to call all woman as "Mother," naturally his culture is different. (cont) http://tl.gd/7fmfq2 []

read http://j.mp/dXIyTE Brighu put to tears & "One’s greatness has to be estimated by one’s ability to tolerate provoking situations" []

http://twitpic.com/nbfdx - this is just so beautiful []

System Requirements http://j.mp/eMPrzQ Something I posted last year, but still cool []

I liked a YouTube video -- Bhajan & Dance - The Mayapuris - Story of Lord Shiva - 3/4 http://youtu.be/QmrsjIagQFs?a []

@TheVujanic those books are amazing []

RT @jeffreycarr: Cows live the good life at this ranch run by the Hare Krishna: massages, sheds made of french oak, etc. http://bit.ly/e ... []

http://j.mp/fV8SAN read this beautiful chapter tonight to Viśakha and Krishna Mangala. Young Krishna's hair like crow feathers []

going to give class on the Bhagavad Gita Ch 17 verses 11-22 http://www.krishna.com/dallas [] you can text me if you have any questions

The Walking Monk: Are Your Civilized? http://j.mp/hDJmUC []

http://j.mp/gkdj4U 5000 year old India advertisement. []

Of fishes I am the Shark - Bhagavad Gita [] Scary http://twitgoo.com/1rdmqs

Great lunch w/ @Billy of #smashingpumpkins Nice & introspective guy.I can tell he ❤

Rasābhāsa http://twitpic.com/3cv4vn []

I liked a YouTube video -- RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms http://youtu.be/zDZFcDGpL4U?a []

You have dined, & however scrupulously the slaughterhouse is concealed in the graceful distance of miles, there is complicity-Ralph Waldo E. []

I liked a YouTube video -- Anti-Bullying Week: Advice http://youtu.be/gIAs7PF6MOI?a []

http://vedabase.net/sb/1/15/36/en Modern politicians should take lessons from Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira about (cont) http://tl.gd/78abvg []

"A dog is running here and there on four legs, and you are running on four wheels. Is that progress? http://yfrog.com/b9rrhuj []

Excited to see @Jessicaveronica & @Lisa_Veronica & Mr Corgan-ji from the #SmashingPumpkins at #Kalachandji's this Saturday. They're sweet :) []

Prayās- over-endeavoring.Ruins a girls chance in finding a nice relationship.Similarly prayās for the mundane ruins a relationship with God [05:55:34]
"Even if 1 can give up all material desires,desire for fame is very difficult to give up…like poop,u should avoid touching this desire" -HBV [05:48:08]
"The world is like a traveler's rest house"- Bhaktivinoda Thakura- Śrī Bhaktyāloka - lesson - don't be affected by the temporary [05:36:28]
Hare Krishna Book Distribution on #blackfriday Jai! [18:59:09]
Why is Mangala Arati supremely sweet? [11:28:02]
Kirtan @ Mother Sevananda's 1:45am for about an hr. There was a scare but the nurse who came explained to us that she was just coughing [08:52:43]
Finished watching again the 1st hr of the 100 TV series #Mahabharata. Figured our how to fix the subtitle delay with #VLC player. Jai! [04:52:57]
♫ New #trottr voice message at http://trottr.com/8mhi2b Want to reply by phone? Use code 511082 [01:43:58]
Reading "Our Srila Prabhupada - a friend to all" by Mukaprakrti Devi Dasi. [04:10:23]
I liked a YouTube video -- Govardhan Puja Celebration @ TKG Academy http://youtu.be/1T-dNONRE78?a [19:47:18]
Huge breakfast feast cooked by Mother Kunkumangi today for Divali. Yum yum vapi smaran bhavan [13:12:19]
@scottsome that is Siva, Advaita Acarya, Caitanya & Nityananda and other Vedic characters [04:49:45]
I liked a YouTube video -- Oak Lawn Halloween 2010 #7 http://youtu.be/chQFNGjcmww?a [16:03:12]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Japa Meditation at TCU Texas Christian University http://youtu.be/73Qu-BJ6gpk?a[04:44:56]
@fifthroom @square square is totally legit, it is the guys who run twitter [21:42:02]
Distributed twice as many Hare Krishna books with the brahmacaris thanks to @square @ Brookhaven College. [21:23:03]
Watching Darren Brown YouTube videos with the brahmacaris. Train one, pickpocket, paper money, stuck feet, dog race, [21:11:20]
Śrī Balarāma is the mercy incarnation of the Lord, manifested as the spiritual master, http://j.mp/czZ7WR [03:39:22]
I liked a YouTube video -- Bhajan - Sri Prahlad das - TKG Academy http://youtu.be/-2Zd5d4CgYs?a [15:12:05]
without the Lord's benediction no one is successful simply by personal labor. http://j.mp/aHkuLh [04:33:45]
I liked a YouTube video -- Pam Binder on The Journey Home http://youtu.be/e6pnNgcnfpQ?a [21:59:06]
Maya is part Ninja [15:01:20]
http://j.mp/9lD3ni Conscious VS unconscious. Informed VS. Blind faith ignorance. Success VS failure. [03:29:10]
Fried @ Fry's [01:42:43]
Giving class on Durga Puja http://Krishna.com/Dallas [00:19:36]
Happy Meal always happy! http://j.mp/a3pHCp [18:01:12]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Nityananda Prabhu's blessing of new Radhanath Swami disciplhttp://youtu.be/OqHYSp-oBfI?a [17:32:40]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Bhakti Sundar Goswami's blessings for new Radhanath Swami d http://youtu.be/0utz-RUDVcQ?a [17:12:38]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Kamini Priya Mataji http://youtu.be/wJrg51YXQLk?a[16:50:14]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Madhavi Gopi Mataji http://youtu.be/r7Zcn8hqiOs?a[06:40:15]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Kamala Gopika Mataji http://youtu.be/7jN1L9gjYOQ?a[06:31:09]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Sanatan Govinda Prabhuhttp://youtu.be/vcmmgJCv29Q?a [00:17:34]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Gopi Vallabhi Mataji http://youtu.be/nKGFPJD0q6c?a[23:47:40]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Labita Madhavi Matajihttp://youtu.be/EdOBFgWeQ48?a [22:56:17]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Acyuta Govinda Prabhu http://youtu.be/-TBMapUyWIw?a [18:05:48]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Balaram Prasad Prabhu & Sidhttp://youtu.be/AOn19ggvM80?a [17:52:14]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Sankarsan Nitai Prabhu & Suhttp://youtu.be/0ka6W9vD3qQ?a [17:04:25]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami' initiation of Madana Kishor Prabhu & Vrajahttp://youtu.be/WxqQuQ47ws8?a [16:34:36]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Damodar Kumar Prabhu & Radhhttp://youtu.be/CuuxLMWfwis?a [05:31:03]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami Jaya Radha Madhava http://youtu.be/8KDPghDPW0g?a [00:35:53]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami's initiation of Ramasundar Prabhu http://youtu.be/W74nu6bWivs?a[00:35:52]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami initiation ceremony with Bhakti Sundar Goswhttp://youtu.be/rPg9M2ou2Cg?a [00:13:01]
RT @dougfun: hasn't seen a Hare Krishna in forever. Did the Rapture take them away and no one noticed? [04:19:33]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami Kirtan http://youtu.be/QWcJNLqK0q0?a [03:03:54]
I uploaded a YouTube video -- Radhanath Swami http://youtu.be/K5yYLTlf24o?a [00:59:29]
I liked a YouTube video -- Charlie's birthday extravaganza http://youtu.be/mUBIB0Cmw6A?a [15:42:44]
Brahmacaris cooking for Radha Kalachandji tonight :) yum [22:30:36]
Jaya Kesava @ UNT http://twitpic.com/2uxckk [19:56:36]