Before the advent of the British, the Protestant Movement had gained ground in Europe with the ex-communication of Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk after he published about ninety one thesis against the Pope on the church door at Wittenburg in Germany. The pope being considered the almighty and infallible personality then could not take this affront lightly.
With the advent of the liberal Protestant movement, more importance was given to the Bible and direct communion with God through prayers than on the worship, traditions and customs which had crept in church worship over thousand five hunderd years. The Orthodox Christians, ie. the Oriental Orthodox who had separated in 471 AD after the synod at Ephesus, the Eastern Orthodox Christians who had objected to the increasing importance of the Bishop at Rome and his interference with the churches at Jerusalem and Constantinople and had separated out around 1100 AD, and the Catholic Church at Rome continued with their traditional worship and customs. .
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Church History in Kerala,, post 1500 AD - part I
Kerala is the cradle of Christianity right from the days of the arrival of St. Thomas in 52 AD on the Cranganore coast of kerala ( as recorded in the travels of west Asian travellers and religious books in Iraq). Act of St. Thoma which did not get into the final set of compilation of the Holy Bible also points to the travel and the preaching of St. Thomas in Kerala. St. Thomas the apostle came to Kerala with followers of Christ from Nazareth, called Nazaranes). The first Prime Minister of India Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru in his book, Discovery of India talks of the Syrian Christian faith in Kerala being older than other forms of Christianity elsewhere in the world. Indian Christianity preceded other forms of Christianity by more than two hundred and fifty years.
It was only after 1500 years that Portuguese came to Kappad, near Calicut, Kerala with their brand of aggressive Christianity, the Roman Catholic faith, under the garb of maritime trade. They were driven out by the ruler of Calicut. They went to Goa and did some forcible conversions to Catholic faith which is even to this day resented by the people of Goa. That is history and we should not try to right a wrong which was done four hunderd years back.
With the help of Bishop Menezes from Goa a meeting between the heads of the indigenous brand of Christianity, called the Toma Christians and the Roman Catholic brand was arranged at a place called Udayam peroor in Ernakulam district ( the famous church is now under Catholic control and is on the Ernakulam Vaikkom highway). The Roman Catholics acted with deceit in the famous church at Udayam peroor by putting all historical records of one thousand five hundred years under the matchstick. All ancient Bibles, some belobing to 300 AD also got burnt in the process. History got destroyed for ever.
It was the greatest damage the Roman Catholic brand of senseless fanaticism imported from Portugal could inflict on a strong and thriving indigenous Christian community in Kerala who were insulated from the power mongering western brand of Christianity thriving in the western hemisphere. This same people have also been accused of trying to anglicise an essentially coloured Christ of Nazareth.
The papal overlordship from 1599 to 1653 was essentially the golden period for the Catholics from Portugal in Kerala ( the darkest period for the indigenous Christians) who managed to convert lot of Thoma Christians to the Roman Catholic brand of faith. In 1653 at the famous Koonen Kurissu in Mattancherry, the Thoma Christians asserted themselves and shrugged themselves off from papal control. Being robbed of their original liturgy by the Catholics, the Thoma Christians had to turn to Syria, the Church at Antioch, who were more than happy and helpful in sharing their liturgy with the hapless Thoma Christians from Kerala. The trouble was only in the brewing in accepting what looked to be a helping hand in times of dire need for establishing an identity.
The second affront on the Thoma Christians (now called the Syrian Christians) came with the British traders.
( to be contd in Part II)
It was only after 1500 years that Portuguese came to Kappad, near Calicut, Kerala with their brand of aggressive Christianity, the Roman Catholic faith, under the garb of maritime trade. They were driven out by the ruler of Calicut. They went to Goa and did some forcible conversions to Catholic faith which is even to this day resented by the people of Goa. That is history and we should not try to right a wrong which was done four hunderd years back.
With the help of Bishop Menezes from Goa a meeting between the heads of the indigenous brand of Christianity, called the Toma Christians and the Roman Catholic brand was arranged at a place called Udayam peroor in Ernakulam district ( the famous church is now under Catholic control and is on the Ernakulam Vaikkom highway). The Roman Catholics acted with deceit in the famous church at Udayam peroor by putting all historical records of one thousand five hundred years under the matchstick. All ancient Bibles, some belobing to 300 AD also got burnt in the process. History got destroyed for ever.
It was the greatest damage the Roman Catholic brand of senseless fanaticism imported from Portugal could inflict on a strong and thriving indigenous Christian community in Kerala who were insulated from the power mongering western brand of Christianity thriving in the western hemisphere. This same people have also been accused of trying to anglicise an essentially coloured Christ of Nazareth.
The papal overlordship from 1599 to 1653 was essentially the golden period for the Catholics from Portugal in Kerala ( the darkest period for the indigenous Christians) who managed to convert lot of Thoma Christians to the Roman Catholic brand of faith. In 1653 at the famous Koonen Kurissu in Mattancherry, the Thoma Christians asserted themselves and shrugged themselves off from papal control. Being robbed of their original liturgy by the Catholics, the Thoma Christians had to turn to Syria, the Church at Antioch, who were more than happy and helpful in sharing their liturgy with the hapless Thoma Christians from Kerala. The trouble was only in the brewing in accepting what looked to be a helping hand in times of dire need for establishing an identity.
The second affront on the Thoma Christians (now called the Syrian Christians) came with the British traders.
( to be contd in Part II)
Withdraw/amend Hyde or risk 123 !!
BJP's tough stand on the 123 Act
This stand of the BJP is very plain headed and they deserve kudos for it. Yashwant Sinha's tough stand sends enough signal to US that the 123 Act can be accepted by India if only the Hyde Act, the legislation passed by US Congress to act bully with India in Dec 2006 is withdrawn or amended. US claims that the Hyde Act (wiki on Hyde act..) was the US Congressional approval for the 123 deal. The 123 act requires only Indian cabinet approval and not the Indian Parliament approval ( but US Congress approval.. How skewed is it ??).
Or let Indian Parliament pass another legislation bypassing / overruling the US legislation. I am sure the US Congress is not foolish enough to think that it can bulldoze it's way through anything. Being partners in an agreement there is nothing like big partner or small partner. Any agreement can only be accepted on equal terms..
The US initially itself did not play in a fair way. It played foul by agreeing to the 123 Act and then silently got the Hyde Act passed in the Congress which overcomes all earlier legislation. Good that our politicians acted smart at the right time. Henry Kissinger who was siding with Pakistan during 1971 with Nixon now comes abegging to the Left leaders asking their support to sign the deal. That itself shows that there is something fishy in the whole deal and the whole deal is skewed totally in favour of US private businesses...
The Left and BJP need to be praised for upholding national interests over temporary short lived benefits. ( and they succeeded in scoring over the Congress this time, for sure !!)
The people of India are also seeing thru this smart US game plan. We can sign the deal only after the Hyde Act is withdrawn or amended or India passes similar legislation to protect it's interests..
george..
This stand of the BJP is very plain headed and they deserve kudos for it. Yashwant Sinha's tough stand sends enough signal to US that the 123 Act can be accepted by India if only the Hyde Act, the legislation passed by US Congress to act bully with India in Dec 2006 is withdrawn or amended. US claims that the Hyde Act (wiki on Hyde act..) was the US Congressional approval for the 123 deal. The 123 act requires only Indian cabinet approval and not the Indian Parliament approval ( but US Congress approval.. How skewed is it ??).
Or let Indian Parliament pass another legislation bypassing / overruling the US legislation. I am sure the US Congress is not foolish enough to think that it can bulldoze it's way through anything. Being partners in an agreement there is nothing like big partner or small partner. Any agreement can only be accepted on equal terms..
The US initially itself did not play in a fair way. It played foul by agreeing to the 123 Act and then silently got the Hyde Act passed in the Congress which overcomes all earlier legislation. Good that our politicians acted smart at the right time. Henry Kissinger who was siding with Pakistan during 1971 with Nixon now comes abegging to the Left leaders asking their support to sign the deal. That itself shows that there is something fishy in the whole deal and the whole deal is skewed totally in favour of US private businesses...
The Left and BJP need to be praised for upholding national interests over temporary short lived benefits. ( and they succeeded in scoring over the Congress this time, for sure !!)
The people of India are also seeing thru this smart US game plan. We can sign the deal only after the Hyde Act is withdrawn or amended or India passes similar legislation to protect it's interests..
george..
Friday, November 02, 2007
Art of Living in Vidharbha..
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living is doing great service for the farming community of Maharashtra in Vidharbha.
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/01aol.htm
Farming is the backbone of the country and this service is the greatest any community can do to the people.
Long live Art of Living and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar..
george..
http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/nov/01aol.htm
Farming is the backbone of the country and this service is the greatest any community can do to the people.
Long live Art of Living and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar..
george..
How unethical can American sportsmen/women be ..
The retirement from professional tennis by Martina Hingis, when she got caught of cocaine use is a shocking news to tennis lovers world over and a shameful affair to the tennis fraternity. http://www.rediff.com/sports/2007/nov/02hingis.htm
The admission by American athlete Marion Jones of steroid use some moths back was tragic for the whole athletic community who felt betrayed by her. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21138883/
Do these people know the gravity of the crime they have committed against the sporting communities of the world, against their own fraternity ??
Why only Americans are getting caught ? Are they the cheaters of the world ?? And the "greatness" lies that they confess only after getting cornered..else walk free and to fame.. So mad after athletic fame that they are ready even to compromise on values and care least for the years of hard work put in by their colleagues from different countries and use unfair shortcuts ..
This is not a general statement, but conveys a lot of scepticism and puts a question of integrity on Americans as a whole, their achievements over the years and their carefree attitude to life.
The general feeling is that it is a natural reaction arising from the fear of being overtaken by the Chinese and Russians.
Better they refine themselves soon else get thrown in the dustbin of history as a community of cheaters and liars ..
george..
The admission by American athlete Marion Jones of steroid use some moths back was tragic for the whole athletic community who felt betrayed by her. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21138883/
Do these people know the gravity of the crime they have committed against the sporting communities of the world, against their own fraternity ??
Why only Americans are getting caught ? Are they the cheaters of the world ?? And the "greatness" lies that they confess only after getting cornered..else walk free and to fame.. So mad after athletic fame that they are ready even to compromise on values and care least for the years of hard work put in by their colleagues from different countries and use unfair shortcuts ..
This is not a general statement, but conveys a lot of scepticism and puts a question of integrity on Americans as a whole, their achievements over the years and their carefree attitude to life.
The general feeling is that it is a natural reaction arising from the fear of being overtaken by the Chinese and Russians.
Better they refine themselves soon else get thrown in the dustbin of history as a community of cheaters and liars ..
george..
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Majority Communalism - more dangerous..
"Majority communalism is more dangerous than minority communalism as it often acquired the garb of nationalism .."
Prof Ram Puniyani ( retd from Dept of Biotechnology, IIT Bombay ) while accepting this years' India Gandhi Award of National Integration from the PM Dr Manmohan Singh yesterday 31 Oct 2007 in N Delhi..
george..
Prof Ram Puniyani ( retd from Dept of Biotechnology, IIT Bombay ) while accepting this years' India Gandhi Award of National Integration from the PM Dr Manmohan Singh yesterday 31 Oct 2007 in N Delhi..
george..
US, patiently waiting with the trap ..
US is patiently waiting with the 'hidden' trap as to when our scientists and politicians get dumb enough to pressure our political leadership to sign on the dotted lines of the Indo US 123 treaty and submit ourselves, our country's sovereignty and our promising R&D group with it's superior Thorium cycle for nuclear power generation to the US.
US is blushed as it never thought Indian democratic processes would be so vibrant and kicking even to the extent of sacrificing temporary benefits to India ( energy surplus oiling economic growth) and US ( businesses worth 40 billion dollars to American industry) for national interests of protecting our sovereignty and promoting Indian R & D in nuclear tech . Even Henry Kissinger ( the special envoy of private US businesses) cut a sorry figure with L K Advani and had to return red faced and empty handed !!
Democracy in US has always been inward looking. Our people have outsmarted them and have looked into the future and planned for the next 100 years, should say. The Indian people have decided that they will be under no obligation or commitment with any country of the world, how large it be, which will decide and be an impedimant on our independence, sovereignty and march to development.
The tenacity of our indigenous research community to bounce back and strike back with greater power and venom ( with better results and when the situation demands) has never lost the opportunity to hit back at sanctions and isolation in the international scientific and research community. The growth in indigenous nuclear technology, supercomputing, space technology, missile technology etc are glaring examples of our superiority. Our scientists and researchers have shown that we like it better when cornered and pushed to the wall. Once pushed to the wall, we shall live by it and see how we can leverage that pushing and cornering for our benefit.
Establishing our superiority in the thorium cycle of nuclear energy generation, where we are almost twenty years ahead of US research ( with about 40-60 % of Thorium reserves in the world on the Kerala coast - part of the Gondwana coast, the rest being shared with Australia..!) is a big threat to the US' deceptive, covert plans to establish it's intellectual,moral and physical superiority over the rest of the world.
The sky is not going to fall down by not signing the 123 deal, totally skewed and favouring US, with the passage of the Hyde Act. Maybe Bush will lose his credibility, as also Rice and others in the administration, but that is not our headache.
The month or two long debate in the country has finally resulted in opinions getting crystallised and formed with the national interests topmost. Let it be so for the time being. There is always time to watch and wait. Maybe we will be slow to reach our developmental goals but we shall reach there with lot of conviction and self respect than ride piggyback on somebody else.
george..
US is blushed as it never thought Indian democratic processes would be so vibrant and kicking even to the extent of sacrificing temporary benefits to India ( energy surplus oiling economic growth) and US ( businesses worth 40 billion dollars to American industry) for national interests of protecting our sovereignty and promoting Indian R & D in nuclear tech . Even Henry Kissinger ( the special envoy of private US businesses) cut a sorry figure with L K Advani and had to return red faced and empty handed !!
Democracy in US has always been inward looking. Our people have outsmarted them and have looked into the future and planned for the next 100 years, should say. The Indian people have decided that they will be under no obligation or commitment with any country of the world, how large it be, which will decide and be an impedimant on our independence, sovereignty and march to development.
The tenacity of our indigenous research community to bounce back and strike back with greater power and venom ( with better results and when the situation demands) has never lost the opportunity to hit back at sanctions and isolation in the international scientific and research community. The growth in indigenous nuclear technology, supercomputing, space technology, missile technology etc are glaring examples of our superiority. Our scientists and researchers have shown that we like it better when cornered and pushed to the wall. Once pushed to the wall, we shall live by it and see how we can leverage that pushing and cornering for our benefit.
Establishing our superiority in the thorium cycle of nuclear energy generation, where we are almost twenty years ahead of US research ( with about 40-60 % of Thorium reserves in the world on the Kerala coast - part of the Gondwana coast, the rest being shared with Australia..!) is a big threat to the US' deceptive, covert plans to establish it's intellectual,moral and physical superiority over the rest of the world.
The sky is not going to fall down by not signing the 123 deal, totally skewed and favouring US, with the passage of the Hyde Act. Maybe Bush will lose his credibility, as also Rice and others in the administration, but that is not our headache.
The month or two long debate in the country has finally resulted in opinions getting crystallised and formed with the national interests topmost. Let it be so for the time being. There is always time to watch and wait. Maybe we will be slow to reach our developmental goals but we shall reach there with lot of conviction and self respect than ride piggyback on somebody else.
george..
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