Ingredients for 8 servings
2 medium sized onions
3 tbsp Hungarian paprika
2 oz vegetable oil
1 tsp caraway seed
3 lbs stewing beef cut in 1” pieces
1 tsp marjoram
1 garlic clove
1 tsp table salt
1 medium sized green pepper
1 tsp dill
2 medium sized tomatoes
1 tsp ground pepper
Warm oil in a pot on medium heat. Put in chopped up onions and sauté until light brown. Put in Hungarian paprika and stir. Gradually put in chopped up beef and stir (put in water if needed to avoid burning). Put in garlic and water to cover the meat. Cook for 45 minutes on medium heat, add water as needed to keep the meat covered. Season by putting in salt, marjoram, caraway seed, ground pepper and dill. Put in tomatoes (cut in cubes) and green pepper (sliced). Cook on medium heat for 45 minutes or until meat is tender, make sure water is up to the top of the meat. Cook until meat is tender, season further if needed. Serve with rice or (nokedli)
Monday, October 4, 2010
The importance of religious pilgrimage.
On September 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI visited Lourdes in France, the shrine where a 14-year old peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, claimed that she had seen a "lady" on February 11, 1858 in the cave. Initially nobody believed her and she was even prohibited by her parents to visit the place again. But, under the protection of darkness at night time, she went there again on March 25, when she was told by the ”lady”: “I am the Immaculate Conception”. The shrine at Lourdes is now one of the most important pilgrimage places for Christians; 4-6 million visit there annually and the head of the Roman Catholic church celebrated on September 2008 with thousands of believers the 150th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes.
Pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. For example, Buddhism offers four sites of pilgrimage: the Buddha's birthplace at Kapilavastu, the site where he attained Enlightenment Bodh Gaya, where he first preached at Benares, and where he achieved Parinirvana at Kusinagara. In Islamic religion, Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, it is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. The Holy Land acts as a focal point for the pilgrimages of many religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith. In addition, there are many lesser known pilgrimage sites where miracles claimed to have been witnessed.
When I was growing up in Central Europe and served regularly as altar boy in the Roman Catholic Church, I participated in annual pilgrimages where village people walked in procession for 20 km to the Holly Well Chapel of the Queen of Rosary in Vasvar. The valley of Holy Well (Szentkút) is a famous place of pilgrimage in Hungary. The simple Classical chapel was built at the Well in 1863. The story goes that a hussar soldier regained his sight after washing his eyes in the spring water. He built the chapel to show his gratitude to God and the Virgin Mary.
Our processions to the Holly Well Chapel usually consisted of about 200 people, 5 by 40 persons in an orderly column, with the priest and 2 altar boys in the middle. The priest and about 5 parishioners would chant one-liner prayers after which all would respond “Maria help us” or “Lord hear our prayer”. Most people participated in this pilgrimage to be closer to God, asking for God’s blessing, asking for God’s forgiveness, and the sick came (usually on a horse drawn carriage following the procession) hoping for a miracle cure. When after the 1956 revolution I ended up in refugee camps, my mother continued this pilgrimage, praying to the Virgin Mary to protect me in foreign lands. Every year I got a new picture from her of the Holy Well Chapel, blessed by our parish priest or the Bishop, and she asked me to carry it with me for protection. I believe that the pilgrimage helped during my lifetime, at least the picture was a symbol of my mother’s love, I wasn’t alone especially in those early years when I struggled to re-build a shattered life. At the same time it helped my mother, she was comforted in her belief that she was still able to protect her son. Now that I am a grandfather, I appreciate the importance of this a lot more than I did at the time it was occurring.
I believe that religious pilgrimages helps millions of people around the world in attaining inner peace with their creator and getting comforted when facing difficulties in everyday life.
Pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs. Members of many major religions participate in pilgrimages. For example, Buddhism offers four sites of pilgrimage: the Buddha's birthplace at Kapilavastu, the site where he attained Enlightenment Bodh Gaya, where he first preached at Benares, and where he achieved Parinirvana at Kusinagara. In Islamic religion, Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, it is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. It is the fifth pillar of Islam, an obligation that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so. It is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people, and their submission to Allah. The Holy Land acts as a focal point for the pilgrimages of many religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith. In addition, there are many lesser known pilgrimage sites where miracles claimed to have been witnessed.
When I was growing up in Central Europe and served regularly as altar boy in the Roman Catholic Church, I participated in annual pilgrimages where village people walked in procession for 20 km to the Holly Well Chapel of the Queen of Rosary in Vasvar. The valley of Holy Well (Szentkút) is a famous place of pilgrimage in Hungary. The simple Classical chapel was built at the Well in 1863. The story goes that a hussar soldier regained his sight after washing his eyes in the spring water. He built the chapel to show his gratitude to God and the Virgin Mary.
Our processions to the Holly Well Chapel usually consisted of about 200 people, 5 by 40 persons in an orderly column, with the priest and 2 altar boys in the middle. The priest and about 5 parishioners would chant one-liner prayers after which all would respond “Maria help us” or “Lord hear our prayer”. Most people participated in this pilgrimage to be closer to God, asking for God’s blessing, asking for God’s forgiveness, and the sick came (usually on a horse drawn carriage following the procession) hoping for a miracle cure. When after the 1956 revolution I ended up in refugee camps, my mother continued this pilgrimage, praying to the Virgin Mary to protect me in foreign lands. Every year I got a new picture from her of the Holy Well Chapel, blessed by our parish priest or the Bishop, and she asked me to carry it with me for protection. I believe that the pilgrimage helped during my lifetime, at least the picture was a symbol of my mother’s love, I wasn’t alone especially in those early years when I struggled to re-build a shattered life. At the same time it helped my mother, she was comforted in her belief that she was still able to protect her son. Now that I am a grandfather, I appreciate the importance of this a lot more than I did at the time it was occurring.
I believe that religious pilgrimages helps millions of people around the world in attaining inner peace with their creator and getting comforted when facing difficulties in everyday life.
“There’s Probably No God” What triggered these ads on the buses?
OC Transpo officials previously decided not to allow the ads, which read: "There's probably no God, now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. But on March 11th 2009 Ottawa city council, after seeking legal advice, has approved a motion that will allow billboard ads to appear on the city's buses that question the existence of God.
Apparently, the campaign was triggered on June 19th 2008 when a Guardian reporter/comedy writer, Ariane Sherine was walking to work and saw ads on two buses "When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) followed by the web address: http://www.jesussaid.org/ . Ariane was particularly offended by a message on the web site which warned anyone who doesn't accept the word of Jesus: "You will be condemned to everlasting separation from God and then you spend all eternity in torment in hell (Matthew 25:41). She then called the Advertising Standards Authority to complain and was told that the quotations used are clearly from the Bible and there's nothing in the advertising standards code to prohibit advertising a religious message. Then she questioned another unrelated ad by Carlsberg that said that their lager was "probably the best lager in the world”. Further investigation revealed that Carlsberg used the word “probably” to prevent jealous rivals calling in the lawyers and adds a touch of modesty to what is otherwise a simple, big, untrue – and effective – boast.
Ariane was supported in her campaign by leading secularists who jumped on board to help raise the money and after a six-week fundraising effort in which nearly 1,000 people pledged money to counter what they said was an unfair pro-religion bias in the advertising world. The initial goal was to raise £11,000 to fund two sets of atheist adverts on 30 London buses for four weeks. However, with the help of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins, the campaign raised £135,000 Given this unexpected amount, Ariane announced on January 6, 2009 that “800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen”. This campaign has now moved to the international arena and its effectiveness seems to be linked to the word “probably” which makes people think!
The Toronto Transit Commission approved the advertisements on the commission's buses, trams, and metro and rapid transit trains. Following a request by the Association humaniste du Québec, the Société des transports de Montréal, Canada, accepted the proposed message "Dieu n'existe probablement pas, alors cessez de vous inquiéter et profitez de la vie" (a translation of the original UK advert) and the bus should take the road during March 2009. Secular Humanists and Free Thinkers in Halifax and London and have had their adverts refused, while religious group have previously advertised in those cities. In British Columbia, Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna adverts were barred on the ground that no religious advertisement is allowed on buses.
The ads are likely to offend many believers, especially some of the elderly as they are preparing for their final journey, as well as will confuse some young people about this delicate topic. For this reason it would make sense to bar these ads on the buses.
Apparently, the campaign was triggered on June 19th 2008 when a Guardian reporter/comedy writer, Ariane Sherine was walking to work and saw ads on two buses "When the son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) followed by the web address: http://www.jesussaid.org/ . Ariane was particularly offended by a message on the web site which warned anyone who doesn't accept the word of Jesus: "You will be condemned to everlasting separation from God and then you spend all eternity in torment in hell (Matthew 25:41). She then called the Advertising Standards Authority to complain and was told that the quotations used are clearly from the Bible and there's nothing in the advertising standards code to prohibit advertising a religious message. Then she questioned another unrelated ad by Carlsberg that said that their lager was "probably the best lager in the world”. Further investigation revealed that Carlsberg used the word “probably” to prevent jealous rivals calling in the lawyers and adds a touch of modesty to what is otherwise a simple, big, untrue – and effective – boast.
Ariane was supported in her campaign by leading secularists who jumped on board to help raise the money and after a six-week fundraising effort in which nearly 1,000 people pledged money to counter what they said was an unfair pro-religion bias in the advertising world. The initial goal was to raise £11,000 to fund two sets of atheist adverts on 30 London buses for four weeks. However, with the help of the British Humanist Association (BHA) and the prominent atheist Professor Richard Dawkins, the campaign raised £135,000 Given this unexpected amount, Ariane announced on January 6, 2009 that “800 buses – instead of the 30 we were initially aiming for – are now rolling out across the UK with the slogan, "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life", in locations all over England, Scotland and Wales, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, York, Cardiff, Devon, Leeds, Bristol and Aberdeen”. This campaign has now moved to the international arena and its effectiveness seems to be linked to the word “probably” which makes people think!
The Toronto Transit Commission approved the advertisements on the commission's buses, trams, and metro and rapid transit trains. Following a request by the Association humaniste du Québec, the Société des transports de Montréal, Canada, accepted the proposed message "Dieu n'existe probablement pas, alors cessez de vous inquiéter et profitez de la vie" (a translation of the original UK advert) and the bus should take the road during March 2009. Secular Humanists and Free Thinkers in Halifax and London and have had their adverts refused, while religious group have previously advertised in those cities. In British Columbia, Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna adverts were barred on the ground that no religious advertisement is allowed on buses.
The ads are likely to offend many believers, especially some of the elderly as they are preparing for their final journey, as well as will confuse some young people about this delicate topic. For this reason it would make sense to bar these ads on the buses.
Journalism: Challenges Facing New Graduates
On Saturday, May 16th 2009 I attended the graduation ceremony at the School of Journalism in Missoula, Montana. It was most impressive as graduates and Professors talked about the challenges facing new graduates. It was a very proud occasion for me because my grandson Nat Hegyi was one of the graduates and attending his graduation was on the top of my bucket list that I put together during radiation treatment for Prostate Cancer. What a proud moment it was when he received his degree. It was 48 years ago that I was wearing the black gown and hat when I graduated with a science degree. I was full of hope when I entered a new era in my professional career. Now, it was my grandson’s turn.
As I was looking at the faces of the new graduates, my mind started to wonder what will they think when they reach the end of their journey? How will they be facing the challenges in a profession that is expected to play a key role in the shaping of the future of the next generation during these harsh economic times? Will they be able to report the truth without being used by special interest groups to promote an agenda that does not necessarily serve the interest of the population at large? Will they become infatuated with left wing ideas or trade in their ideals for economic gains and align themselves with the group focused on making money? Or will they be able to serve their audience in an unbiased manner by reporting the truth in a realistic perspective?
Before going to the graduation ceremonies, I was watching TV in my hotel room. There were two programs that caught my attention. The first one involved a reporter interviewing a Roman Catholic Cardinal from Nigeria. It was a perfect interview from the Cardinal’s point of view. The interviewer expressed her admiration for the good work and ultra conservative views of the Cardinal, what a great honour it was for her to be granted an interview by a priest who moved up to one of the highest ranks in the church. All the questions were presented as a great lead to promote the status quo in the church. There were no questions about the church’s position on why women are denied opportunity to enter the priesthood. Abuses of young children by priest was conspicuously ignored and the Cardinal tried to leave the impression that there are no shortages of priests, in fact in some countries such as Nigeria, the church had absolutely no problem recruiting priests. The interviewer missed an opportunity of quoting well known statistics that show the complete opposite of what the Cardinal was stating. Hence viewers who are not aware of the truth were misled by this biased reporting. Of course, the Cardinal was beaming…and the interviewer will get another interview at any time. After all, such great publicity, free of charge, is priceless for the church but will it serve the interest of those Catholics who want changes in their beloved church?
The second interview, on the other hand, used more the approach that I hope the new graduates will adopt. The interview dealt with the controversy that the pro-life groups are promoting around the visit of President Barack Obama to the University of Notre Dame. The interviewer covered this delicate topic with skill and diplomacy, presenting the position of both sides in an unbiased manner. The extremist views were put in realistic perspectives with regard to the numbers they represented within the context of the entire population. The interviewer did his homework and provided information for his viewers that was informative and truthfully reported the current situation.
I was impressed with the speeches the representatives of the new graduates delivered during the graduation ceremony. They gave the impression that they were taught well about responsible reporting, they showed dedication to their chosen profession and are aware of the immense responsibility and challenges they are facing as they enter their professional life. More than ever in our history responsible reporting is needed as we are trying to recover from tough economic times and the terrorist attacks.
As I was looking at the faces of the new graduates, my mind started to wonder what will they think when they reach the end of their journey? How will they be facing the challenges in a profession that is expected to play a key role in the shaping of the future of the next generation during these harsh economic times? Will they be able to report the truth without being used by special interest groups to promote an agenda that does not necessarily serve the interest of the population at large? Will they become infatuated with left wing ideas or trade in their ideals for economic gains and align themselves with the group focused on making money? Or will they be able to serve their audience in an unbiased manner by reporting the truth in a realistic perspective?
Before going to the graduation ceremonies, I was watching TV in my hotel room. There were two programs that caught my attention. The first one involved a reporter interviewing a Roman Catholic Cardinal from Nigeria. It was a perfect interview from the Cardinal’s point of view. The interviewer expressed her admiration for the good work and ultra conservative views of the Cardinal, what a great honour it was for her to be granted an interview by a priest who moved up to one of the highest ranks in the church. All the questions were presented as a great lead to promote the status quo in the church. There were no questions about the church’s position on why women are denied opportunity to enter the priesthood. Abuses of young children by priest was conspicuously ignored and the Cardinal tried to leave the impression that there are no shortages of priests, in fact in some countries such as Nigeria, the church had absolutely no problem recruiting priests. The interviewer missed an opportunity of quoting well known statistics that show the complete opposite of what the Cardinal was stating. Hence viewers who are not aware of the truth were misled by this biased reporting. Of course, the Cardinal was beaming…and the interviewer will get another interview at any time. After all, such great publicity, free of charge, is priceless for the church but will it serve the interest of those Catholics who want changes in their beloved church?
The second interview, on the other hand, used more the approach that I hope the new graduates will adopt. The interview dealt with the controversy that the pro-life groups are promoting around the visit of President Barack Obama to the University of Notre Dame. The interviewer covered this delicate topic with skill and diplomacy, presenting the position of both sides in an unbiased manner. The extremist views were put in realistic perspectives with regard to the numbers they represented within the context of the entire population. The interviewer did his homework and provided information for his viewers that was informative and truthfully reported the current situation.
I was impressed with the speeches the representatives of the new graduates delivered during the graduation ceremony. They gave the impression that they were taught well about responsible reporting, they showed dedication to their chosen profession and are aware of the immense responsibility and challenges they are facing as they enter their professional life. More than ever in our history responsible reporting is needed as we are trying to recover from tough economic times and the terrorist attacks.
We cherish the memories of two of the contributors to Death Can Wait
We cherish the memories of two of our Contributors who fought courageous battles with the big C.
Since “Death Can Wait – Stories from Cancer Survivors” was published in 2008, I received e-mails from many of the contributors. Two of the contributors shared with me their brave and courageous battles with cancer. When reading those e-mails while wiping off the tears, I came to realize just how courageous and strong human beings can be; courageous in their fight for survival and strong in accepting the inevitable with grace and dignity.
Dona Fitzpatrick (nee Vallieres) wrote in our book in early 2008: “I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) 3-1/2 years ago. IBC is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and the prognosis was really not good several years ago. It still isn’t wonderful, but there have been tremendous developments in the past 10 years or so. I feel quite impassioned about helping raise awareness about IBC and have given many public talks. Early diagnosis is crucial. I can’t say I’m a breast cancer survivor yet - but I can say that I’m surviving happily and able to look at each day as a new beginning. Although the cancer keeps progressing and my doctor has diagnosed it as “incurable”, I’m still optimistic that we’ll manage to get the cancer completely under control or we’ll find a cure somehow. There’s wonderful research being done and new cancer cures being discovered every day. It’s what keeps me hopeful.”
On August 4th 2008 Donna sent me this e-mail: I have good news - my doctor yesterday saw encouraging signs that the Avastin is working. I just came back from chemo where he increased the dosage. Now my bill was $3300; my last treatment 3 weeks ago cost $2200. I have to seriously consider selling my house just to pay for my treatment - a treatment that Ontario covers for colorectal cancer. I think it's shameful that the government of Ontario is not funding this”.
Sadly, Donna lost her battle at the end of April 2009 and was laid to rest on April 29th; her life was celebrated with a special service that was attended by over 200 of her friends, including a group called “Donna’s Divas” which is dedicated to raise funds for cancer research. She motivated all of us to continue raising awareness and funds for cancer research.
Another contributor to our book who recently last his courageous fight to cancer is Bryan Tyrer. In early 2008 Bryan wrote in our book: “Apparently, I am a very rare case indeed. I had what they call «collision» tumours: two different types of cancer in the same spot. There have been only 32 cases reported, world-wide, since the early 70’s, of this anomaly occurring”. Bryan had a great sense of humour during his fight with cancer. He concluded his contribution by saying: “You really have to wonder sometimes; they really want me to gain some weight but I have to fast for 8 to 12 hours each day of the trial. The pill is the size of a football (maybe not quite) but one of the side effects is difficulty in swallowing. The test drug causes diahrrea but the anti-nausea medication is constipating; maybe I’ll get lucky and just break even. Anyway, that’s where I’m at right now; pretty tired and not feeling great but, hanging in”. In his last e-mail Bryan wrote: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. Life is about learning how to dance in the rain" while at the same time he talked about the items he completed from his bucket list, including going gliding and visiting Tombstone, Arizona on a spur of the moment with his brother. His bucket list would certainly qualify for another movie that would surprise even Jack Nicholson. Bryan rode into the sunset, peacefully, surrounded by family at the Hospice at May Court, Friday July 31, 2009.
Donna and Bryan, we will continue our efforts to raise money for cancer research and will cherish your brave and courageous battles as inspiration to get a cure for cancer.
Since “Death Can Wait – Stories from Cancer Survivors” was published in 2008, I received e-mails from many of the contributors. Two of the contributors shared with me their brave and courageous battles with cancer. When reading those e-mails while wiping off the tears, I came to realize just how courageous and strong human beings can be; courageous in their fight for survival and strong in accepting the inevitable with grace and dignity.
Dona Fitzpatrick (nee Vallieres) wrote in our book in early 2008: “I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) 3-1/2 years ago. IBC is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and the prognosis was really not good several years ago. It still isn’t wonderful, but there have been tremendous developments in the past 10 years or so. I feel quite impassioned about helping raise awareness about IBC and have given many public talks. Early diagnosis is crucial. I can’t say I’m a breast cancer survivor yet - but I can say that I’m surviving happily and able to look at each day as a new beginning. Although the cancer keeps progressing and my doctor has diagnosed it as “incurable”, I’m still optimistic that we’ll manage to get the cancer completely under control or we’ll find a cure somehow. There’s wonderful research being done and new cancer cures being discovered every day. It’s what keeps me hopeful.”
On August 4th 2008 Donna sent me this e-mail: I have good news - my doctor yesterday saw encouraging signs that the Avastin is working. I just came back from chemo where he increased the dosage. Now my bill was $3300; my last treatment 3 weeks ago cost $2200. I have to seriously consider selling my house just to pay for my treatment - a treatment that Ontario covers for colorectal cancer. I think it's shameful that the government of Ontario is not funding this”.
Sadly, Donna lost her battle at the end of April 2009 and was laid to rest on April 29th; her life was celebrated with a special service that was attended by over 200 of her friends, including a group called “Donna’s Divas” which is dedicated to raise funds for cancer research. She motivated all of us to continue raising awareness and funds for cancer research.
Another contributor to our book who recently last his courageous fight to cancer is Bryan Tyrer. In early 2008 Bryan wrote in our book: “Apparently, I am a very rare case indeed. I had what they call «collision» tumours: two different types of cancer in the same spot. There have been only 32 cases reported, world-wide, since the early 70’s, of this anomaly occurring”. Bryan had a great sense of humour during his fight with cancer. He concluded his contribution by saying: “You really have to wonder sometimes; they really want me to gain some weight but I have to fast for 8 to 12 hours each day of the trial. The pill is the size of a football (maybe not quite) but one of the side effects is difficulty in swallowing. The test drug causes diahrrea but the anti-nausea medication is constipating; maybe I’ll get lucky and just break even. Anyway, that’s where I’m at right now; pretty tired and not feeling great but, hanging in”. In his last e-mail Bryan wrote: "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass. Life is about learning how to dance in the rain" while at the same time he talked about the items he completed from his bucket list, including going gliding and visiting Tombstone, Arizona on a spur of the moment with his brother. His bucket list would certainly qualify for another movie that would surprise even Jack Nicholson. Bryan rode into the sunset, peacefully, surrounded by family at the Hospice at May Court, Friday July 31, 2009.
Donna and Bryan, we will continue our efforts to raise money for cancer research and will cherish your brave and courageous battles as inspiration to get a cure for cancer.
Roadmap to Heaven? Will GPS help?
Some religious leaders claim that they have the best roadmap to Heaven. But, is their GPS working?
Some people live a highly disciplined religious life, believing that through such existence they will go to Heaven, while others have not even been able to come to terms with the definition of Heaven.
While there are different definitions of Heaven documented in various religions and spiritual philosophies, the common denominator appears to equate to the holiest place accessible by people who practice high standards of dignity, goodness, piety and faith. The specific definition of Heaven appears to depend largely on religious traditions. Some religions conceptualize Heaven as some type of peaceful life after death defined in terms of immortality of soul, a place of eternal happiness. There are significant differences among the various religions on the physical location of Heaven, ranging from the sky or high above to a place that has no locational relationship to any planet. Further readings on this topic can be found on http://www.afterlifedata.com/afterlife_sources.php?status=used. In particular, it is interesting to note Michael Newton’s research documented in “Destiny of Souls” that upon death we go directly from one astral plane around earth through the gateway into the spirit world, which is an ethereal space without zones or barriers around it.
Religious leaders seemed to have focused their power of influencing the faithful on the ways they can enter Heaven. One of the fundamental roadmap to Heaven is based on the condition that we must live a “good life” within the terms of a particular spiritual system. Here again, religions differ from strict adherence to the terms documented by spiritual leaders to sola fide (by faith alone) doctrine that asserts that God’s pardon to guilty sinners granted to and received through faith or belief alone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_fide). Some religious leaders in the camp of strict adherence to God’s “rules” often focus more on level of control than on showing how to live a good life with dignity, goodness, piety and faith. At times, examples of such actions culminated into holy wars which were military campaigns justified by religious differences. But thankfully, the majority of religious leaders have been able to focus on being good shepherds, believing in God’s care for his people, and dedicating their lives to providing a spiritual leadership that helps the faithful to lead a “good life” here on earth and realize eternal happiness after death.
During my personal journey that has provided opportunities to witness life in many part of the world and under different cultures ranging from atheist communism to different religious practices, I came to the conclusion that extreme interpretation of the “good book”, be it the Bible, Torah or Qur’an, may not provide the most direct route to Heaven. I also came to realize that Heaven can be found here on earth in the form of happiness. When I look back on my journey, I was happiest when my personal relationships were focused on giving rather than receiving, when my professional life was directed towards contributing rather than taking, and when I was able to provide service to those less fortunate than I was. These opportunities were not always found through organized religion; I found some through service clubs (37 years in Kiwanis leadership, including District Governor of Kiwanis International) and through being a caring father and grandfather. We can experience “moments of Heaven” here on earth and if we are able to cultivate the right mindset, these moments can become a continuum.
As far as Heaven after death is concerned, I look at it as eternal happiness of my soul, reconciling with God my mistakes on earth and “perhaps” getting a few brownie points for the good deeds. Deep down I kind of hope that my spirit be awarded a special bonus of seeing my children and grandchildren live happy lives.
Some people live a highly disciplined religious life, believing that through such existence they will go to Heaven, while others have not even been able to come to terms with the definition of Heaven.
While there are different definitions of Heaven documented in various religions and spiritual philosophies, the common denominator appears to equate to the holiest place accessible by people who practice high standards of dignity, goodness, piety and faith. The specific definition of Heaven appears to depend largely on religious traditions. Some religions conceptualize Heaven as some type of peaceful life after death defined in terms of immortality of soul, a place of eternal happiness. There are significant differences among the various religions on the physical location of Heaven, ranging from the sky or high above to a place that has no locational relationship to any planet. Further readings on this topic can be found on http://www.afterlifedata.com/afterlife_sources.php?status=used. In particular, it is interesting to note Michael Newton’s research documented in “Destiny of Souls” that upon death we go directly from one astral plane around earth through the gateway into the spirit world, which is an ethereal space without zones or barriers around it.
Religious leaders seemed to have focused their power of influencing the faithful on the ways they can enter Heaven. One of the fundamental roadmap to Heaven is based on the condition that we must live a “good life” within the terms of a particular spiritual system. Here again, religions differ from strict adherence to the terms documented by spiritual leaders to sola fide (by faith alone) doctrine that asserts that God’s pardon to guilty sinners granted to and received through faith or belief alone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sola_fide). Some religious leaders in the camp of strict adherence to God’s “rules” often focus more on level of control than on showing how to live a good life with dignity, goodness, piety and faith. At times, examples of such actions culminated into holy wars which were military campaigns justified by religious differences. But thankfully, the majority of religious leaders have been able to focus on being good shepherds, believing in God’s care for his people, and dedicating their lives to providing a spiritual leadership that helps the faithful to lead a “good life” here on earth and realize eternal happiness after death.
During my personal journey that has provided opportunities to witness life in many part of the world and under different cultures ranging from atheist communism to different religious practices, I came to the conclusion that extreme interpretation of the “good book”, be it the Bible, Torah or Qur’an, may not provide the most direct route to Heaven. I also came to realize that Heaven can be found here on earth in the form of happiness. When I look back on my journey, I was happiest when my personal relationships were focused on giving rather than receiving, when my professional life was directed towards contributing rather than taking, and when I was able to provide service to those less fortunate than I was. These opportunities were not always found through organized religion; I found some through service clubs (37 years in Kiwanis leadership, including District Governor of Kiwanis International) and through being a caring father and grandfather. We can experience “moments of Heaven” here on earth and if we are able to cultivate the right mindset, these moments can become a continuum.
As far as Heaven after death is concerned, I look at it as eternal happiness of my soul, reconciling with God my mistakes on earth and “perhaps” getting a few brownie points for the good deeds. Deep down I kind of hope that my spirit be awarded a special bonus of seeing my children and grandchildren live happy lives.
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