Roopkund is in Uttarakhand in India and is famous for its skeleton lake. This lake consists of about 400 skeletons. The actual reason for the death of all these people remains a mystery even today. Countless theories for the reason of this lake of skeletons were put forth through the past couple of decades. Many believed that it was a ritualistic sacrifice bestowed by the people who died themselves while scientists say that these people died because of an epidemic. The lake was discovered by a park ranger in 1942 by accident. After extensive research on the area, scientists were able to uncover the actual reason for the deaths. The scientists concluded that the group of people died from a large hailstorm in the region. They could not find any shelter in the open Himalayan mountains which lead to mass death. The lake is covered with ice for most part of the year. However, there are several treks that are conducted around the area and is a good option to explore if you want to get a glimpse of this skeleton lake.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh, will also tell worshippers on Easter Sunday that the cover-up of “evil” paedophilia by senior clergy “brings shame on us all”.

However he insisted that the faithful must not turn away from the church, just as voters disillusioned by the state of politics should still cast their ballots.

His forthright comments on one of the most important days in the Christian calendar highlight the concern felt at the highest levels of the church about the effect of clergy sex abuse scandals unfolding around the world.

The head of the Catholic church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, is under intense pressure to stand down following two damning official reports in the past year which found that sexual abuse was “endemic” in church-run schools. The country’s hierarchy was said to have had allowed known abusers to move to other parishes rather than reporting them to police, in order to protect its reputation.

Police in Northern Ireland announced on Thursday that they have set up a dedicated team to look into child abuse by clergy “in light of the number and nature of recent allegations”.

Meanwhile historic cases of abuse in Germany and America have led to accusations that Pope Benedict XVI himself, in his former roles during the 1980s and 1990s, had allowed guilty priests to escape punishment. The pontiff warned of the dangers of “the petty gossip of dominant opinion” in his Palm Sunday address at St Peter’s.

Anger at the church from abuse survivors, equality campaigners and secularist groups is likely to mean higher security is required when the Pope makes his historic first state visit to England and Scotland in September. He may also hold a private meeting with victims, as he did on earlier trips to Australia and the US.

In his Homily to be delivered at St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh on Easter Sunday, Cardinal O’Brien will acknowledge the harm done to the Catholic church worldwide and its 1billion followers by the recent claims, and apologise to victims.

He will say: “We have become more aware of the failures of some members of our Church whether Bishops and Priests, religious or lay people and indeed Pope Benedict XVI in a recent letter indicates how he is aware of the human frailty of us all.

“Many evils have been committed throughout the world particularly with regard to the sexual abuse of children and young people. I myself as long ago as 2002 indicated my own personal abhorrence of this terrible crime and said at that time that I apologised to ‘anyone who has suffered any abuse at the hands of any one representing the Catholic Church’. I restate and reiterate that apology today.

“Crimes against children have indeed been committed and any Catholics who were aware of such crimes and did not act to report them, brings shame on us all. We can take no comfort from the fact that only a small percentage of priests committed such crimes – the impact of their sinful acts is very large – their actions, harmed the lives of their victims, caused great hatred to be directed at their innocent brother priests and left ordinary Catholics demoralised and confused.

“One might say that there has been a great ‘public humiliation’ of the Church as in some way or another we realise that we have not been as alert as we should have been to the evils being perpetrated around us whatever our particular position. Those involved in these crimes must apologise and ask forgiveness from those who have been offended as well as of course from Almighty God himself.”

Cardinal O’Brien, the head of the church in Scotland who has been an outspoken critic of Labour’s laws and secularisation, will go on to say that “things are not always as they should be” in society at large.

He will call on voters to cast their ballots according to their conscience, after assessing candidates by Christian standards.

The Cardinal will draw a parallel between the loss of public trust in MPs and clergy, saying: “I would suggest that we should no more turn away from the Church than we should turn against our democracy.

“Whatever flaws or personal failings afflict them, it remains the case that the overwhelming majority of priests and politicians are honourable and honest – seeking to live out their beliefs and serve society around them.”

Source:   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7547311/Britains-most-senior-Catholic-admits-evil-clergy-abuse-has-led-to-great-public-humiliation-of-Church.html

Over the past few years thousands of lives have been lost by the bombings of suicide Muslim fundamentalist terrorists, the most recent in a Western country being the underground rail and bus bombings in London in June/July this year. This has led to anti-Muslim attitudes increasing in Western countries including Australia and to many Christians labelling Islam as an evil religion, much to the embarrassment of Christian missionaries working in Muslim countries. Does the Koran teach or condone these killings?

One passage in the Koran, cited by those who say Islam is an evil religion, is this

“Fight in the cause of Allah those who fight you, but do not transgress limits, for Allah loves not transgressors. And kill them whenever you catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out – – – if they fight you, kill them.”

That appears to be damning evidence against Islam. But this passage must be seen in its context. These words were directed against the idol-worshipping tribes of Medina who were trying to wipe out Mohammed and his followers. Mohammed was engaged in a life and death struggle to establish his monotheistic religion. His words were not a call for a jihad, a command for his followers to kill “all infidels” as Islamic fundamentalist Imams and terrorist organisations claim. Are we to judge Islam by the actions of a few bigoted fundamentalist Imams and their followers or by quoting extreme passages from the Koran? Is that the only teaching of the Koran?

The overwhelming teaching of the Koran is for Jews and Christians to be treated with reverence and respect. Mohammed considered Jesus a prophet through whom God had spoken. He taught that Christians would achieve salvation if they lived up to the teachings of Jesus. Since the early days of Islam things have changed. Over the centuries the two religions have been bitterly opposed to one another. The Crusades were a time of bitter fighting and dreadful atrocities on both sides. Today the animosity continues and writers speak of a “clash of cultures” which in reality is a clash of religions. Islam is a missionary religion and wants to see the world become an Islamic world. In countries where Muslims predominate Christians are usually regarded as second-class citizens and suffer restrictions on practising their faith. Proselytising is strictly forbidden. But when Muslims emigrate to a Christian country they demand the right to proselytise Christians.

One could go on enumerating the difference between Christianity and Islam. But what can be done to achieve greater understanding between Christians and Muslims? In A.D. 1219, at the time of the Fifth Crusade, St Francis of Assisi made an attempt at reconciliation between the two sides by visiting the great sultan, Al Kamil, the leader of the Muslim armies, and sharing the salvation and love of Jesus with him. He stayed some time with the sultan. The visit changed the lives of both men and led the sultan to say, “Oh Francis, if I ever meet another Christian like you, I will become a Christian”. Francis had expected to meet a barbaric pagan. Instead he met a highly cultured and deeply spiritual man. One writer says: “He found something of Jesus alive and well in his new friend, so much so that they were able to pray together”. We today need to have the same understanding of and compassion for Muslims that Francis had. Because of the worldwide tension today between Christian and Islamic nations and our concentration on the things that divide us we often fail to realise that the two religions have important things in common. There are two in particular. Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions and both accept the Old Testament as holy scripture.

Of course there are profound differences between the two religions and I would in no way gloss over them. The goal for Muslims is to be like Mohammed who taught if necessary you could kill your enemy. The aim of Christians is to be like Jesus who taught that we love our enemies and do good to those who would harm us. But in judging Islam we should endeavour to see the best in it and not concentrate on its worst features. None of us would like the Christian faith to be judged by Deuteronomy 7:1-2 calling for “ethnic cleansing”: or by Leviticus 20:10-13 calling for the death penalty for adultery and homosexual acts or by the barbaric behaviour of the Crusaders. Demonising all Muslims because of the atrocities of a few fundamentalist Muslim terrorists – disowned by the vast majority of Muslims worldwide – is wrong, We must be fair in our criticisms and loving in our actions.

In one of his books Tony Campolo, American sociologist and Christian author, tells of a Princeton Theological Seminary student asking the great Swiss Protestant theologian, Karl Barth, whether he thought religions other than Christianity were valid ways to God. Barth answered, “No! No religion can provide a valid way to God and His salvation. Not even the Christian religion. Only Jesus Christ can serve as a mediator to God”. Campolo goes on to say: “It may be the case that many who never called themselves Christian were truly possessed by Christ and will be invited into the eternal kingdom”.

The Australian Prime Minister is to be commended for calling a summit meeting with Muslim leaders. This will enable the government and Muslim leaders to work together to improve relations between Muslims and rest of the community. As Christians we too have an important role to play. To us has been entrusted the “ministry of reconciliation”. We must build relationships of trust between Christians and Muslims. Distorting the beliefs of others has never won a lasting victory for the Christian church. As that great missionary to Muslims, Temple Gardiner of Cairo (1871-1928)

once said “The Spirit of Jesus is the only asset of the church”.

Source:  http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/16016.htm

It may be a correct action to consult with a religious leader. It may be a correct action only if he does not give answers to your questions. He should help you explore your values. You can create your own answers to your questions. This preserves your free will. Sin is that which interferes with God’s Plan.

Remember that leaders of organized religions are skilled, practiced, and very often college trained at what they do. They have learned to use a constant stream of words to first numb your reason. Second they build a sense of guilt in your emotional brain. Third, they “set the hook” and drag you into the boat. Be careful around them. Watch out for the gaff.

While you are flopping around and gasping for life in the bottom of the boat, your pockets will spill their contents. Eventually you, the essential you, will die. Or, maybe on a whim, once your pockets are empty, they’ll throw you back into the water. Allow you to fill your pockets again, for the next time they need a contribution. Preparing for the time when they want to build another wing on the church.

Jesus said, “Follow Me. I will make you fishers of men.” Matt. 4:17-22.

If you fish, you will understand the following. If you do not fish, you will need to prepare yourself with some study. Go on a field trip so that you can fully appreciate the art and science of fishing. At the most basic level, to fish you either cast a net, or cast a line with a hook.

A net seems obvious, but in fact it is made with a great many fine filaments. It is most commonly not cast. It is set out in some fashion to surround a large area. It is then drawn tight to surround, encircle, and trap (netting) the desired fish.

Casting a line with a hook has an infinite variety of possibilities. These are the choices which the fisherman makes depending upon the fish being sought. Choices include salt or fresh water. Bait or lure fishing. Live bait or dead bait. Life-like lures or representations for spin casting and fly fishing. Wet, or dry fly fishing. These initial choices then lead to other choices of fishing poles, reels, tackle boxes, line, leader, and hooks.

Dry fly fishermen consider themselves artists. The purists are those who tie their own flies. These are used to seek out and lure the wily predator fish out of its lair.

Since this is to only be a short study of fishing, leave out any consideration of boats, motors, fish finders, anchors, boat trailers, hitches, and towing vehicles. Assume that you will fish from shore, or dock.

As a part of your religious education, take the time to go to a large sporting goods store and wander the fishing department. Observe, ask questions, and take notes.

There are hundreds of decisions (choices) that a fisherman has to make. There are hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, that are to be spent. Every choice is important. When you have done all of this leg work, there is still more to be done, because now you must decide where you will go to fish.

As an illustration, when I decided to become a fresh water trout fisherman I was living near the Salton Sea in the desert of California. I didn’t catch any trout until I got to Alturas County in that state. Check the map of California. Why such a distance? Answer: other fishermen. There were streams on the east side of the Sierra with a fisherman on every six feet of stream bank!

Fishermen have been chasing fish as a predator for a long time. At least as long as men have been seeking religious power over their fellow men. Hooking men and women with religion is at least as complicated. There are at least as many variations and subtleties as dry fly barbless trout fishing. And without the requirement for catch and release.

The question is, what kind of fish are you? What kind of bait, or lure, or dry fly will cause you to rise? What pattern of feathers and glitter is required to get you to open your mouth and take a bite? What is the best kind of hook to use to snag your lip? What is the best technique to use to bring you to shore? Are you best put in the creel, or kept alive?

What kind of fish are you? Your predator is here. It is a predator of predators.

Answers to religious questions and actions of religious faith are the responsibility of the individual. You must decide what is, or is not appropriate for you to do.

Always to be avoided are persons who presume to tell you what is “right”, what is “wrong”. Always to be avoided are persons who tell you what you should do. Always to be avoided are persons who attempt to entice you to do something for a religious reason. Always to be avoided are persons who attempt to entice you to do something which you have not previously decided to do. Stay away from them.

Predators come in many forms. Most predators of humans have learned to smile, and soothe your fears. They have learned to tell you what they think you want to hear. They appeal to your basic instincts and fears.

The most dangerous decisions are all those apparently small inconsequential choices. Choices which are made impromptu, “on the spot”, via “snap decisions”. Choices made without the careful thought of the conscious 10% of your brain. Choices made when you are tired. Choices made when you are stressed. Choices made when you are ill. Choices made when you are suffering from a headache. Choices made when you are grieving a loved one’s death. In any of these circumstances do not make decisions more important than what to have for lunch.

The human vultures watch the newspaper’s obituaries. Then the human vultures gather around for their share of the feast.

Don’t buy anything at such a time in your life. Don’t sell anything at such a time in your life. Don’t make promises in writing. Don’t even make promises verbally. Don’t pledge anything to anyone in writing. Don’t pledge anything to anyone verbally. Don’t pledge, or promise, anything to any group. Don’t pledge, or promise, anything to any institution. Don’t pledge, or promise, anything, even verbally, and especially not in writing.

At these times, only the animal unconscious 90% of your brain is working. It is ticking along like a cold-blooded computer. It has no inhibitions. It has no morals. That brain is never shut off. Your normal natural inhibitions are at their lowest levels. Your normal natural cautious skepticism is at its lowest levels.

The low-life human scavengers know this. The low-life human vultures are planning to take advantage of it. The low-life human hyenas are planning to take advantage of you. By their suits and smiles, you will know them. By their arrival, you will know them. By their signs, their tape recorders and their documents, you will know them.

Don’t be nice to them. Don’t even be courteous to them. Don’t smile and don’t say please to them. Show them the door. Show them the exit gate to your property. Show them your 12 gauge pump shotgun. Pump a shell into the chamber. Now show them the end where the buckshot leaves the barrel.

Article Source: http://www.religionarticlelibrary.com