Decolonized Pagan

Italian dictator Mussolini worked for British intelligence in WWI

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:46:49 +0000

History remembers Benito Mussolini as a founder member of the original Axis of Evil, the Italian dictator who ruled his country with fear and forged a disastrous alliance with Nazi Germany. But a previously unknown area of Il Duce’s CV has come to light: his brief career as a British agent.

Right from the mother of democracy.

Source: Holy Guardian

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By grace alone

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:36:58 +0000

Here is a part of conversation between Gandhi-ji and a Missionary:

(Missionary, paraphrased) “You cannot understand the beauty of our religion…Sin we must. It is impossible to live in this world sinless…How can we bear the burden of sin? We can but throw it on Jesus. …Jesus suffered and atoned for all the sins of mankind. Only he who accepts His great redemption can have eternal peace.”
(Gandhi-ji) ‘If this be the Christianity acknowledged by all Christians, I cannot accept it. I do not seek redemption from the consequences of my sin. I seek to be redeemed from sin itself, or rather from the very thought of sin. Until I have attained that end, I shall be content to be restless.’

This is a profound point. As a background — most non-status quo religions (except for maybe, the eastern dharmic religions), seek to sharply define what they are and why they are different and better than current prevailing practices. Same thing with Xtianity and Islam.

If I am a Jew, why should I convert ?

The rational argument could be “You need to change your worldview, and adhere to a new set of ethical and moral codes — like not stealing, not killing etc — to get rewarded”. But then two effective counters could be (a) My own religion asks me to not steal and not kill, why should I convert to yours ? and (b) Okay, let me not steal and not kill, but also, let me not believe in your god. This is a severe weakness in religions which rely on proselyting to survive. Secondly, as ethical and moral beliefs become well understood, it becomes harder to start a religion (As in, my ethics are rooted in Indian Penal Code, why should I become a Xtian ?).

To counter that, Xtians came up with several doctrines, we shall visit one important doctrine called as “Sola Gratia” — or the doctrine of “by grace alone”. What it says is that, humans are born sinners. They are condemned to hell. No matter what you do (even if you live your life in 400% completely ethical and moral manner) you are going to hell. Now how can that be ? That is because you carry the blood of your forefathers, who trace their lineage to Adam who committed the original sin. The sin flows from father to child, through the semen, making you a sinner condemned to hell the moment you are born (this has profound implications, see footnote later, but continue reading). So no matter how moral or ethical life you live after that, you are still condemned, unless you believe in Jesus.

Thus, you cannot go to heaven, unless you believe. Your actions are inconsequential. Xtianism, in its very root, if it subscribes to this doctrine is a system of faith rather than a system of morals or ethics.

Hinduism on the other hand, takes a radically different approach. Your soul (jeevatma) gets born again and again in cycles, till you become perfect in action and in mind, till you attain salvation. It does not matter, in a sense, if you believe in a God. Adherence to Dharma takes precedence over faith. You are not condemned to everlasting suffering if you were born to a sinner. You are not condemned to everlasting suffering if you *are* a sinner (Ravana goes to heaven eventually) provided you reform your ways. In this sense, Hinduism, is a system of ethics rather than a system of faith.

This is what the exchange between Gandhi-ji and the missionary starkly brings out

Missionary: “Sin we must. It is impossible to live in this world sinless… Only he who accepts (Jesus) can have eternal peace”
Gandhi-ji: “I do not seek redemption from the consequences of my sin. I seek to be redeemed from sin itself”

Footnote:
1. This sin of the father, condemning the children to everlasting suffering has no contemporary in modern law (you cannot be imprisoned if your dad steals) or in Dharmic religions (You are not a sinner if your father is).
2. Since it is required for Jesus to be sinless, he was not created from the Semen of man. He was born of a virgin
3. If Adam didnt exist, there is no original sin, there is no automatic condemnation to hell and the theological basis of the religion collapses. Hence the much takleef with evolution.

Source: BRF

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Conundrum of dealing with a Chameleonic Ally

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:10:06 +0000

The true enemy of the U.S. is lurking not in Afghanistan but in Pakistan, “Obama’s War” suggests.

The normally talky Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, goes mum when Smith asks him for proof of his assertion that the Pakistanis are serious about attacking a powerful Al Qaeda stronghold in north Waziristan.

New Yorker writer Steve Coll summarizes: “This could not be a more complicated war. If you think about it, the United States is essentially waging a war against its own ally. The Taliban are a proxy of the government of Pakistan. We are an ally of the government of Pakistan. We are fighting the Taliban.“

Source: Review: ‘Frontline: Obama’s War’ on PBS

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Another tragedy of Hindu Youth and Muslim Girl in J&K

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:26:43 +0000

After the Shopian rape-cum-murder and Amandeep killing case, there is another taint on khaki in Jammu & Kashmir. The State cops are being held responsible for alleged torture and killing of a Hindu youth in police custody in Srinagar.

A newly-wedded Valley woman, who married the Jammu youth, is alleging that her family and police joined hands to eliminate her husband in police custody. The woman is a Muslim.

Jammu-based businessman Rajneesh Sharma was found hanging inside the lock-up bathroom of the Munshi Bagh police station on October 5, 2009. Sharma had been picked up by the Kashmir police on September 30 from the Jammu residence of his elder brother, Pawan Sharma, who is an employee of the State Road Transport Corporation.

An eerie silence prevailed in the Valley over the alleged custodial death, but Jammu has been seething in anger for the past four days. Sharma’s family members cried foul when they saw signs of brutal assault on his body. Suspicions grew stronger over the police role when Sharma’s family members discovered that the Munshi Bagh police station had recorded the name of Pawan Sharma, Rajneesh’s elder brother, as the person who was found dead inside the lock-up on October 5, 2009.

Demanding a fresh post-mortem examination, the family refused to cremate the body till the guilty were punished. Sharma had married Amina Yousaf, the daughter of Mohd Yousaf, after she converted to Hinduism on August 21, 2009. Her family members had opposed the marriage and the decision to change her religion.

An FIR was lodged by Amina’s parents alleging abduction of their minor daughter by the Jammu-based family. Before performing the last rites of Sharma on Saturday, Amina — who has since rechristened herself as Aanchal — alleged that her brothers had kidnapped her husband from Jammu on September 30 with the help of Kashmir police. Though aware that they were taking Rajneesh Sharma with them, they mentioned the name of Pawan Sharma in police records to mislead the probe.

“My father, who works with the Vigilance department, knows how to armtwist the law…. He must have bribed the policemen to kill my husband,” Aanchal alleged. “My parents killed my husband. My brothers were also involved in the crime as they were all opposed to my relationship. Within a month of my marriage, I became a widow because of my own family. They brutally tortured my husband and killed him in cold blood,” a wailing Aanchal murmured before the cremation.

Source: Another ‘killing’, another disgrace for J&K cops

“The post-mortem report has confirmed multiple marks of torture and injuries all over the body of youth. There were many other injuries on the body which are of multiple dissection that indicates torture”, the report said in its preliminary opinion.

“The torture was severe. There were so brute marks of torture that they could have sniffed the life out of the youth. However, we can’t conclude that the youth was killed purely due to torture or there were some other reasons. Only a detailed questioning of SHO and other police personnel of the police station can establish the facts”, a doctor, who was part of the Board of Doctors, said commenting on the report.

Source: Post-mortem confirms severe torture marks

Pseudo secularism at play.

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Obama’s Nobel for Good Intentions

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:09:32 +0000

Apparently, they now give out a Nobel Peace Prize for good intentions. Unless I have missed something, President Obama has not yet achieved a nuclear free world — which was also, by the way, Ronald Reagan’s good intention. He has not yet achieved peace between Israel and the Palestinians …

At first I thought the announcement of the prize was a joke. On further reflection, the Noble Committee has made itself a joke.

For good intentions only :p

Source: Washingtonpost

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America’s Favorite Rogue State

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 22:56:22 +0000

For one thing, Washington provides billions in assistance to the Pakistani military in the hopes that it will fight extremists.

Some great foreign policy tactic ?

And, in any event, it’s time we stop funding terrorism against India. The United States, through its assistance programs, effectively enabled Pakistan’s ISI to mastermind the Indian embassy bombing last July, and it’s almost certain our money was used for the attack this week. At some point, we have to accept responsibility for the consequences of our decisions.

Sometimes economic and strategic interests are above innocent el cheapo Indian lives.

We can fight terrorism or we can support the Pakistani military. History says we cannot do both.

I guess America is better off supporting genocidal Pakistani Military.

Source: Forbes

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Barack Obama cancels meeting with Dalai Lama ‘to keep China happy’

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:30:55 +0000

Yes we can !

The decision came after China stepped up a campaign urging nations to shun the Tibetan spiritual leader.

Nixonian era mollycoddling for the greater good. India be ready to give up Arunachal Pradesh too for this sacred cause. Kashmir to Pakis for peace and harmony in the region.

“Today, economic interests are much greater than other interests,” he (Obama) said.

Of course, but Iraq, Afghanistan etc are not merely about economic interests.

“This idea that if you are nice to the Chinese Communist Party up front you can cash in later is just wrong. If you lower the bar on human rights they will just move it lower and lower.”

You can always sell your snake oil to average Joe. Gullible Indians will also swallow it without any questions. All for the love and peace of Commie brothers.

Mr Obama has changed his position on Tibet since his election campaign.

Isn’t that what Americans wanted ? A change ?

Source: Telegraph UQstan

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Karva Chauth

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:03:33 +0000

Today is the Karva Chauth day, a Pagan Hindu festival. My mom has kept the vrat (fast). However, I noticed that even Sikh women keep this vrat for a long and prosperous life of their partner. Two Sikh women visited our house and my mom did the Katha telling i.e. telling and listening to the legend behind it.

There are few legends behind this vrat but most prominent one which I know (listening from my mom) is about a woman named Savitri who tricked Yamraj (the God of Death) to give back the life of her dead husband. It shows the true love between two partners and the longing for an everlasting bond that transcends death and birth.

I can smell the sweet aroma of kheer coming from the kitchen. Good to go now.

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Maoists behead abducted cop after govt refuses to free Ghandy

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:55:13 +0000

Khobad Ghandy, Chhatradhar Mahato and Chandra Bhusan Yadav were praised by intellectuals and pseudo-liberals a few days back. They are literally getting away with murder. Wonder what will they say now ?

“He (the cop) has been beheaded. The body along with the head was recovered near Raisha Ghati under Namkom Police station today, about 12 km from Ranchi,” Superintendent of Police (Rural) Hemmant Toppo said.

Source: TOIlet

Interestingly Al-BBC played down the report by not mentioning the beheading part. However, as usual, it showed sympathy with Maoists with this line in its reporting. So murderers are heroes here !

The rebels (Maoists) operate in more than 200 districts across large parts of India. They say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and landless workers.

Source: Al-BBC

Clearly this Maoist support has its root far outside India too ? Go figure !

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Is Obama leaning to China on Arunachal Pradesh ?

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:14:30 +0000

Isn’t it clear from the days of Tibet occupation and Nixonian era ? Strings are pulled by someone else. Obama is just a poster boy.

It is learnt that officials of the Obama administration have stepped up pressure on the advisers of His Holiness — to persuade the Dalai Lama not to raise any controversy over Arunachal Pradesh for the time being — till the American President succeeds in persuading the Chinese to resume their dialogue with the representatives of His Holiness.

The Obama administration is showing signs of greater sensitivity to the concerns and interests of China than those of India. Reliable reports indicate that it is veering towards a policy of neutrality on the issue of Arunachal Pradesh, which has been a major bone of contention between India and China.

Source: rediff

Japan and Australia already rallied behind China against on the issue of ADB loan for development in Arunachal Pradesh by India.

Our babus are doing great indeed !

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