Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics

URL - http://pluralismcenter.blogspot.com/2013/05/pope-francis-says-atheists-who-do-good.html

Pope Francis is right, religion is indeed common sense!

This is the truth I have found in all religions, even though, some of its followers have ignored, forgotten or denied it. The Pope is right and I have written a few articles about him since he was Poped in and I need to learn more about him. Pope Francis speaks common sense. He is a true man of that one single piece of undivided God, that we call with different names.  

Who wants a God that is sneaky and deals differently with different people behind our backs? Indeed, God has not signed a deal with Catholics, Jews, Hindus, Muslims, Baptists or anyone behind other’s  backs - God is just and fair to all. Everyone who is good to God's creation in keeping its harmony will earn the grace of God. Yes, including those who do not profess a faith in the dished out versions of God, or do not believe in a thing called God at all.


What does God want after all? He, she or it wants all of its creation to live in harmony that she has created; everything in balance.


This is precisely what Qur'an says, even though some of its followers have ignored, forgotten or denied it.  You can find this inclusiveness in all religions, indeed if religion is exclusive it cannot claim to be religion of God!

[2:62] Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who (1) believes in GOD, and (2) believes in the Last Day, and (3) leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve.

[2:148] Each of you chooses the direction to follow; you shall race towards righteousness. Wherever you may be, GOD will summon you all. GOD is Omnipotent.

[2:256] There shall be no compulsion in religion: the right way is now distinct from the wrong way. Anyone who denounces the devil and believes in GOD has grasped the strongest bond; one that never breaks. GOD is Hearer, Omniscient.

[10:99] Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed. Do you want to force the people to become believers?

Mike Ghouse
www.PluralismCenter.com
www.MikeGhouse.net

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Pope Francis Says Atheists Who Do Good Are Redeemed, Not Just Catholics

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/pope-francis-good-atheists_n_3320757.html?utm_hp_ref=religion

Pope Francis rocked some religious and atheist minds today when he declared that everyone was redeemed through Jesus, including atheists.

During his homily at Wednesday Mass in Rome, Francis emphasized the importance of "doing good" as a principle that unites all humanity, and a "culture of encounter" to support peace.

Using scripture from the Gospel of Mark, Francis explained how upset Jesus' disciples were that someone outside their group was doing good, according to a report from Vatican Radio.

“They complain,” the Pope said in his homily, because they say, “If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.” And Jesus corrects them: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.” The disciples, Pope Francis explains, “were a little intolerant,” closed off by the idea of possessing the truth, convinced that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.” “This was wrong . . . Jesus broadens the horizon.” Pope Francis said, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation”

Pope Francis went further in his sermon to say:

"The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can... "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!".. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Responding to the leader of the Roman Catholic church's homily, Father James Martin, S.J. wrote in an email to The Huffington Post:

"Pope Francis is saying, more clearly than ever before, that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone. That's always been a Christian belief. You can find St. Paul saying in the First Letter to Timothy that Jesus gave himself as a "ransom for all." But rarely do you hear it said by Catholics so forcefully, and with such evident joy. And in this era of religious controversies, it's a timely reminder that God cannot be confined to our narrow categories."

Of course, not all Christians believe that those who don't believe will be redeemed, and the Pope's words may spark memories of the deep divisions from the Protestant reformation over the belief in redemption through grace versus redemption through works.

The pope's comment has also struck a chord on Reddit, where it is the second most-shared piece.

More from Reuters:

Atheists should be seen as good people if they do good, Pope Francis said on Wednesday in his latest urging that people of all religions - or no religion - work together.

The leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics made his comments in the homily of his morning Mass in his residence, a daily event where he speaks without prepared comments.

He told the story of a Catholic who asked a priest if even atheists had been redeemed by Jesus.

"Even them, everyone," the pope answered, according to Vatican Radio. "We all have the duty to do good," he said.

"Just do good and we'll find a meeting point," the pope said in a hypothetical conversation in which someone told a priest: "But I don't believe. I'm an atheist."

Francis's reaching out to atheists and people who belong to no religion is a marked contrast to the attitude of former Pope Benedict, who sometimes left non-Catholics feeling that he saw them as second-class believers.

In defense of Jewish pluralism - women at the wall

Controversy around Women of the Wall has sparked debate about non-Orthodox Judaism in Israel, but it goes against Judaism's rich history to claim there is only true way of understanding the Torah

In her recent “Open letter to Naftali Bennett,” Allison Kaplan Sommer made the case for why the national religious public in Israel should embrace non-Orthodox streams of Judaism, in the wake of the ongoing controversy about Women of the Wall. I applaud Kaplan Sommer for her analysis and her contribution, much of which was spot on, but at the same time, parts of her letter made me uneasy. I have little doubt that this was not her intention, but some of the letter seemed predicated on the notion that Orthodox Judaism is authentic Judaism, while the purpose of non-Orthodox Judaism is that it allows people to stay involved in Jewish life.

I can understand why the letter read that way to me; after all, it was addressed to the national religious public, and therefore its underlying assumption was that its audience sees Orthodox Judaism as the only true Judaism. Of course, my experience has shown otherwise, and I know many self-professed Orthodox Jews, living in Israel and abroad, who believe there is validity and truth to non-Orthodox Judaism as well.

That Orthodox approach, which I greatly respect, echoes the description of the disagreements between the schools of Hillel and Shammai as quoted in the Eiruvin tractate of the Talmud: “these (of Hillel) and those (of Shammai) are both the living words of God, but the law is according to Hillel.” Such pluralistic Orthodox Jews are pluralistic in recognizing multiple truths, but orthodox in seeing one practice as the right way.

However, even that approach is not the only one found in our Jewish tradition. The Mishna, the first law code of rabbinic Judaism, is replete with multiple opinions toward the same concept, and the Talmud has many unresolved debates in which the final halacha is not made clear. The schools of Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva had completely different understandings of the biblical word "ger," stranger, and the laws they taught reflected those differences. It would indeed be difficult for someone to claim that one of those rabbis practiced authentic Judaism while the other simply created a compromised version that made Judaism more palatable.

Despite the insistence of some, I simply cannot accept the claim that what I call “Orthodox” Judaism is really “true” Judaism, “Torah” Judaism, or some other term that denies the validity of my practice and beliefs. To those who claim that there is only true Judaism, I ask how Rabbeinu Tam and the Rambam, both writing in the 12th century, could have come to opposite conclusions about the permissibility of Jewish business dealings with Christians? If Judaism were always universal and true, why would Karo and Isserles appear side by side in the Shulchan Aruch, offering different legal rulings?

And so, to all those who can accept that Judaism is more complex than a singularly accepted set of practices, I’d like to emphasize that my brand of Judaism, Masorti (Conservative) Judaism, is not a watered-down version of some truer Judaism, but a valid interpretation of Judaism with its own merits. I believe the same is true of the other streams, but I will leave it to their adherents to proclaim their value. For my Judaism is rooted in Jewish law and in Jewish morals, in a Jewish decision-making progress and a Jewish sense of love formy fellow human beings and respect for all humanity.

I am the first to admit that I do not adhere strictly to every aspect of Jewish law as it has been determined by arbiters in previous generations. Yet even in these cases I have firm grounding in our tradition. For example, I will gladly drink wine with a non-Jew at the dinner table. I recognize that the prohibition on non-sacramental non-Jewish wine is a rabbinic one, and as our tradition teaches us, respect for humanity has the power to outweigh a rabbinic prohibition. I respect those who disagree with me and avoid all wine touched by non-Jews, but I believe that my decision is a decidedly Jewish one, rooted both in Jewish values and legal precedent.

I also feel that the validity of our Judaism need not be determined by how learned we are in Jewish texts and how strictly we observe Jewish ritual. I recognize that not all Jews in my movement feel committed to Jewish observance in the way that I do. Yet I firmly believe that it is not my place to determine what ritual behavior is beyond the pale of acceptance. Ethical behavior, though, is a different matter. Somebody who decides to eat pork is making a decision to break with Jewish ritual law, but I would much sooner honor such a person at my synagogue than one who is dishonest in business dealings. Does the fact that I have different priorities—all of which are grounded in Judaism—make my Judaism less authentic?

I understand that there are some who will always see my brand of Judaism as a threat to theirs not only because it looks different than theirs does, but because it accepts multiple interpretations as having validity. I am happy to know that I have partners in this pluralist vision amongst different streams of Judaism who understand that the truth is more complex than just what the previous generations’ poskim (law arbiters) determined was the proper law.

I encourage all people - secular, traditional, and religious - to try to understand the perspectives of those with different practices and beliefs. One need not give up her own truth and practice in order to understand those of others.

Arie Hasit, a student at the rabbinical seminary of Machon Schechter, serves as the spiritual leader for NOAM- the youth wing of the Masorti Movement in Israel. He lives in Jerusalem.

Courtesy - Haaretz - http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/the-jewish-thinker/in-defense-of-jewish-pluralism.premium-1.524892

Memo to Haredim: Jewish pluralism won’t destroy your way of life

The more I learn about orthodox Jewish traditions, the more they mirror the orthodox Muslims - Mike Ghouse

by Carlo Strenger
Courtesy - Haaretz

To protect their modus vivendi, the ultra-Orthodox sector must give up certain privileges and stop forcing their beliefs onto the rest of Israel's population.

Last week I gave some lectures in Switzerland on Israel and its interminable problems. My audience was mostly composed of Jews who care deeply for Israel, who want the best for it, and profoundly believe that only the basic liberal order, with its respect for human rights and tolerance for different ways of life can, in the long run, save Israel from its internal woes.

Originally Swiss myself, I found the audience profoundly sympathetic to my message, and I am grateful for the warm reception and hospitality. Why is it then that the simple message that the basic order of liberal democracy will save Israel is received with often venomous resistance in Israel?

In Israel’s currently charged atmosphere, the group that feels most threatened by the new revival of classical liberalism is the ultra-Orthodox sector. This sector has staged large demonstrations against Yair Lapid and his demands to adopt the ultra-Orthodox school system in a way that allows Haredim to participate in Israel’s economy and for them to help shoulder Israel’s security burden. This is a great pity; I am certain that Jewish pluralism will not threaten the ultra-Orthodox way of life, but will actually help to preserve it.

I am an avowed atheist, but I grew up in a family that combined ultra-Orthodoxy and religious Zionism. Most of my extended family is Haredi, and I have warm relations with them. It may sound strange if a secular atheist tells you, Haredim, to return to the model according to which Judaism has functioned for millennia, but I think that this modus operandi was much wiser than the way things have functioned in Israel in the last 65 years.

My message to you, dear Haredim, is very simple: I understand that you feel threatened in your way of life by the new government’s state of mind. But if you want to protect it, you just need to accept that you must stop forcing your beliefs onto the rest of Israel’s population. Let me explain.

The current situation in Israel is an anomaly in Jewish history. My grandparents were Haredim, and so is most of my extended family. None of them ever expected anybody else to pay for their children’s upbringing and education. They worked hard during the day, and studied the Torah and the Talmud in the time left. So did many of Judaism’s greatest figures: Maimonides was one of the great physicians of his time, Ibn Ezra, one of the great astronomers of his century and Don Yitzchak Abrabanel, a gifted businessman whose advice was coveted by many governments.

Let’s talk about money then, one of the obvious points of conflict, because you Haredim demand that Israel finance the Yeshiva system. You might do well to remember that for many centuries Yeshivot were financed by voluntary contributions of the members of the Jewish community and was not imposed by taxation. This is how Jewish life has been working for millennia, and for good reasons.

In the past each Jewish community found a delicate balance between its elected leadership and the rabbinical authority that was hired and paid by the community. Paradoxically, Jewish life was more democratic in the last two thousand years than it has been in Israel, where the state is paying rabbis, and gives religious monopoly to one of Judaism’s many currents.

If you want to protect your way of life, you need renounce some privileges, like payment of a large contingent of rabbis and kashrut supervisors by the state. But I seriously think that you stand to gain more from accepting the basic liberal order than you’ll lose from it.

The Haredi argument that without a single standard for Jewish conversion, marriage and divorce the Jewish people will fall apart doesn’t hold water. In any case, dear Haredim, you only marry those of your own belief and lifestyle anyway, so your monopoly on rabbinical state institutions in Israel is not necessary for you to assure your way of life.

And please do not tell us that the survival of the Jewish people depends on our accepting your particular interpretation of Judaism. The majority of the Jewish people in the world do not share your understanding of Judaism: Worldwide there are many more conservative, liberal, reform and secular Jews than Orthodox – never mind Haredi. You must realize that there are more Jews in the U.S. than in Israel, and US Jewry has flourished phenomenally under conditions of pluralism.

Israel’s situation is an anomaly in Western democracies of the last two hundred years. No modern democracy except Israel maintains a situation in which the clergy determines how its citizens can marry or how they will be buried. Dear Haredim, you must understand that the current status quo is intolerable for everybody but yourselves. Precisely because I feel close to you, I strongly suggest that you accept pluralism in Jewish life. This will prevent unnecessary conflict and will not threaten your way of life in any way. 

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/memo-to-haredim-jewish-pluralism-won-t-destroy-your-way-of-life.premium-1.525411

Urdu Hindi اُردو / हिंदी Mushaera on Pluralism

  URDU HINDI (اُردو / हिंदी ) MUSHA'ERA ON PLURALISM
INVITATION to URDU/HINDI SPEAKING FRIENDS
Saturday, June 29, 2013 – 8 PM – 11:00 PM
Unity of Dallas

We request you to participate in one or many ways;

To be our guest attendee.
To write a poem based on the theme of Pluralism
To recite your poem in the Musha’era/ Summelan
To be a volunteer
To be a sponsor

Selected poetry will be published in a booklet
 
If you want to bring a change to the society, be the propeller.

Hamari  تہذيب  (tehzeeb) ho, ya संस्कृति (sanskriti), we have always respected each other. However, that element of the culture is depleting and causing distrust and discomfort with each other.  Can we let this happen? I hope not. 

Poetry is one of the pillars of our  सभ्यता , تمدن and it is in our interest to leave a better world for our نسل, पुश्त or posterity.  Indeed, we can revive that tradition. 

Let us consciously work towards creating संसक्त  समाज,  معاشرہ  چسپندہ or  cohesive societies where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.  The mere idea of thinking and writing such thoughts in our poetry is seeding the future; indeed, this is a small step, and hope it will become a giant leap for the Urdu/Hindi speaking populations of the Subcontinent, برِصغیر, महाद्वीप in building cohesive societies.

This program will be a model program to be placed on the world wide web, and seek publication in major Urdu/ Hindi media. With your  सहायता, تعاون and help, we can invite the giants of poetry in Hindi and Urdu to write the poems, if they are in Dallas, they can recite it as well.

Pluralism in one sentence is about respecting the otherness of others and accepting the God given uniqueness of each one of us. It involves building cohesive societies and creating an environment where no human has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other.

The words that best describe Pluralism in Hindi are: Anekāntavāda (Devanagari: अनेकान्तवाद) and Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Sanskrit: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम) and in Urdu it is تَکثیریت (we are still looking for the right word).  

I have been researching, writing and speaking on Pluralism for the last twenty years with articles in Dallas Morning news (150), fortnightly in Huffington Post (50), Washington  Post (10)  and several other periodicals around the glove including live workshops (28)  and radio programs (520 hours)  on the wisdom and essence of all the beautiful religions.  And one of the three books called “Standing up for others” will be released at the Mensa Conference in Fort worth on July 4^th.

You can choose a variety of topics inclusive of religion, humor, culture, food, language and day to day living.  How do we get along respectfully with each other!
 
The poetry will be sensitive and respectful of every religion, race, ethnicity, gender, color and nationality. It’s a conscious step in advancing our culture of respecting each other’s uniqueness.  The completed poetry must be in by June 15th to make it to the book.

We hope to place a book in the hands of every major poet, कवि  and شاعِر.  Indeed, this will be a small step, and hope it will become a giant leap for Urdu/ Hindi speaking populations in learning to respect and accept each other’s uniqueness.

We seek funding for this project and I hope you can fund it generously.  You can make the check to America Together Foundation (foundation for Pluralism is its dba) or pay through credit card at: http://americatogetherfoundation.com/donate/

 
Contact:

Shri D. D. Maini
Irfan Ali (940) 565-1723
Amin Tirmizi (817) 663-3786
Noor Amrohvi (972) 859-0647


Thank you.

Mike Ghouse
(214) 325-1916
America Together foundation
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234

email: MikeGhouse@aol.com   

url - http://pluralismcenter.blogspot.com/2013/05/mushaera-on-pluralism.html

Hoping for Religious Pluralism in Israel

The Orthodox Jews and Muslims are mirror images of each other. There is not a whole lot of difference between them when it comes to their attitude towards women with the exception of Taliban extremism. I was even shocked to know that a few orthodox Jews spat on women for not covering their hair recently.

I have spend an inordinate amount of time learning about different religions, indeed, I have done two workshops on Judaism with a Rabbi, and 25 hours of Radio Show on Judaism – we did that on all religions including Atheism.

It is a shame on those uncouth Jewish men who threw garbage, stink bombs etc at the women at the wall, sounds like the Talibans to me. The only difference is Israel follows the rule of law to a greater degree than Afghanistan Tribals.

When I was at the wall, no one questioned me and I am amazed that Jewish women are harassed about it.  Indeed, I placed a prayer paper in the wall, my sister in India was not feeling well, and I said, what the heck. Prayer is prayer!

Mike Ghouse

Hoping for Religious Pluralism in Israel

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-robyn-fryer-bodzin/hoping-for-religious-pluralism-in-israel_b_3255116.html

 

Sometimes, being in the right place at the right time, whether by coincidence or not, can lead to macro change. I learned that a few days ago.

This past February, I traveled to Kiev and then Israel as a delegate of the Jewish Federations of North America's Rabbinic Cabinet mission. On Rosh Chodesh Adar, I joined 200 other women at the Western Wall for the monthly Women of the Wall service in Jerusalem. My colleagues and I arrived in the Old City at 7 a.m., for spiritual nourishment before a day of meetings with dignitaries, diplomats and legislators.
Unfortunately, my morning did not go as planned. Immediately before the Torah service began, a police officer took my passport away and led me to the police station, where I was joined by nine other women. The police officers took our statements, our fingerprints and our mug shots. Our crimes that morning were violating the regulations of Holy Places (based on a 1967 law) and behaving in a way that may violate public safety. 

Many coincidences happened that morning. At the same time that I was being processed in the police station, my rabbinic colleagues were meeting with the Chairman of the Jewish Agency Natan Sharansky. Chairman Sharansky had been instructed by Prime Minister Netanyahu to find a solution to the ongoing tension and conflict at the Western Wall. It was Chairman Sharansky who ensured that we would not go in front of judge. Instead, I signed a surety document stating I would not come to the Western Wall for 15 days. This 15 day removal is the maximum penalty the police can give without going before a judge. Of course, I only learned about all of this after the fact. 

As far as I know, many of the 10 women that were detained that morning were chosen at random. I don't think the police knew that they had selected two American rabbis and the sister of an American comedienne when they took us away. But they did. And so while we were waiting to be interrogated, we were on the phone, or updating Twitter and Facebook and texting both the media and representative of our professional guilds. This painful experience of Jewish women being detained because we prayed in a sacred site, in our homeland that we love, dressed in ritual garb that brings us closer to our Creator, garnered headlines. But more than that, both Israelis and Diaspora Jews reacted. 

While Women of the Wall are approaching their 25th anniversary, so many small victories have taken place since the infamous morning of our detainment. Since February, it seems like every day the dream of religious pluralism in Israel becomes more and more of a reality. In March, female Members of Knesset joined the Women of the Wall in their morning prayers, donning prayer shawls. In April, Chairman Sharansky met with leaders of the American Jewish community to share his vision, which includes a space for egalitarian prayer at he Western Wall. Also in April, five women were once again detained, and this time brought in front of a judge. However, the judge ruled in favor of the Women of the Wall. In a subsequent appeal, Women of the Wall and all of us who hope for a pluralistic Jerusalem were victorious again. Specifically, the judge ruled that when Women of the Wall gather, they do not violate the 1967 Holy Places law.

And so, I stayed up late on Thursday night, waiting in anticipation to read about what would happen when Women of the Wall met in Jerusalem for Rosh Chodesh Sivan. The law was on their side now. What could happen? 

The women and their supporters prayed freely, without fear of arrest or detainment. There was a definite increased police presence this morning. But the officers had a new role. This morning, the police protected 400 Women of the Wall from the threat of violence by ultra-Orthodox men. Unfortunately, not everyone values religious pluralism in Israel. The same police officers, who for month and years interrogated women for wearing prayer shawls, protected them this morning. 

From the videos and photos I saw online, police held back thousands of angry men who threw chairs, garbage bags, water bottles and stink bombs at the women. A man was arrested for provocation, while every woman who set out to peacefully pray and sing was able to do so. 

I don't know what is going to happen at the Western Wall in the future, but the times they are a-changing. It is not good for the chaos that occurred last week to repeat itself each month. I hope Chairman Sharanksy's plan gets passed, speedily, and in our day.

In the meantime, I will continue to be an advocate for Women of the Wall and religious pluralism in Israel. As long as solidarity prayer services are held in New York, like the one I attended a few days ago, I will participate in them. The reason is simple: My support and love for the state of Israel is stronger than ever.
In February, I was at the right place at the right time. Even though I had to spend some time in the company of Jerusalem's finest, my time in custody was productive for others. I am grateful to be an agent of change.
Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin is the spiritual leader of Israel Center of Conservative Judaism in Queens, N.Y.

 

Follow Rabbi Robyn Fryer Bodzin on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@shrobyn