Spiritual Matters

last year the rabbi of the synagogue, David Twersky, announced no one should pray outside the main synagogue. That day, Rottenberg's car windows were broken, then his house windows, then 100 people chanted outside his home "Aron Rottenberg, leave the neighborhood," then the attempted firebombing. Police acknowledged that these incidents occurred but have made no arrests in any of them

The post, written by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan, instructs readers how to prepare for "flesh-eating zombies"

Martin Gardner's recent book, Urantia: The Great Cult Mystery, is designed to undermine the credibility of The Urantia Book. To accomplish this purpose Gardner deals almost entirely with the human concept carriers of the spiritual truths, not the spiritual truths themselves. In actuality, history may show that it helped to focus attention on the real spiritual quality of the Fifth Epochal Revelation (which he totally ignores) that will ensure its recognition and appreciation for centuries to come. Although Gardner's book abounds with misinformation, erroneous assumptions, and fantastic speculations, it may be fortuitous that it appeared early in the Urantia movement.

An In-Depth Timeline Showing the Possible Use by the Intelligence Community of "Synthetic Telepathy" in the Urantia Movement, Teaching Mission (TeaM), A Course in Miracles (ACIM), Findhorn, and Other Religious/Cultic Organizations. [Sort-of intriguing]

…a bold young man with long auburn curls and intense brown eyes. He had lived as a fruitarian in the jungles in Ecuador with a spiritual teacher named Johnny Lovewisdom. He knew about living on the land, gardening and smuggling various herbs. Every time we would pass the cannabis filled "peace pipe," he would bring out this big blue book and start telling me about The Urantia Book. I knew Jesus was groovy, but didn’t want to feel limited by any one teacher.

The quasi-Christian mix of science and religion in "The Urantia Book" — the text Stockhausen bought from the wizardly figure — became the spiritual basis for a huge operatic cycle, "Licht" ("Light"). Written from 1977 to 2003, "Licht" exceeds even Wagner's "Ring" cycle in its epic proportions, comprising seven full operas, one for each day of the week, and clocking in at 29 hours total. Stockhausen died in 2007, without having seen "Licht" staged in its entirety. But his work has found new life at the Cologne Opera, which in recent weeks presented the culmination of the cycle, "Sonntag" ("Sunday"). To house the production the company built two theaters within the cavernous Staatenhaus am Rheinpark, part of the city's exhibition center.

British media on Monday described Sathya Sai Baba, who passed away in Andhra Pradesh's Puttaparthi on Sunday, as one of the most enigmatic and remarkable religious figures of the last century. "Sathya Sai Baba, who died on Sunday, probably aged 84, was India's most famous, and most controv ersial, Swami or holy man, and one of the most enigmatic and remarkable religious figures of the last century," the Daily Telegraph reported. "To his followers, Sai Baba was a living god; a claim he did nothing to disavow. He would frequently liken himself to such figures as Christ, Krishna, and the Buddha, claiming that he was the avatara of the age - an avatar being a living incarnation of the divine," the report said. To his detractors he was a charlatan, albeit one of considerable ingenuity and enormous personal charisma and power," it said. Describing Sai Baba as one of India's most popular and controversial spiritual leaders, The Times said: "Sai Baba claimed to teach messages of truth, peace, love and non-violence and maintained that he did not require followers to give up their previous religious beliefs." "His popularity was huge across India, where his following included Bollywood stars, the cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, prime ministers, judges and civil servants.

Hundreds of Sathya Sai Baba devotees gathered at Sai Sankalp Hall at Omkar Nagar on Sunday to condole the death of their spiritual leader. A few others even left for Puttaparthi to have his last darshan. Baba, who died at the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh this morning, will be cremated on Tuesday. Devotees here held special bhajans and prayers, and a 'Narayan Seva' by distributing fruits and food packets to the poor in morning. "Bhajans and Narayan Seva will be conducted over the next few days too," said BS Choudhari, president of the local Sathya Sai Seva Sanghatan. One of the devotees, Abhay Bhakre said that he had huge belief in Baba. "It is as if a member of our family has passed away,'' he said. Another devotee said that he was confident that Baba would take rebirth and return to serve the society, and take care of his followers.

Former President Jimmy Carter says much of the discrimination and abuse suffered by women around the world is attributable to a belief "that women are inferior in the eyes of God." Carter said such teachings by "leaders in Christianity, Islam and other religions" allow men to beat their wives and deny women their fundamental rights as human beings. [All those times the Presbyterians stoned rape victims to death. Religionists! They're all the same, aren't they, Reverend Jimmy?]

For 25 years, he wrote Scientific American 's Mathematical Games column, educating and entertaining minds and launching the careers of generations of mathematicians