US Religion

The Professionally easily offended hindu, Rajan Zed has had a whinge about a multitude of products sold by Amazon.com featuring decoration depicting hindu gods. Zed called for:

The immediate withdrawal of leggings, beds sheets, yoga mats, pants and shorts carrying images of various Hindu gods and goddesses and sold on its website.

He claimed such use of hindu symbology to be 'inappropriate' and added that Amazon.com should offer a formal apology. He cut and pasted his usual pro forma whinge to say that:

Hindu gods and goddesses were highly revered in Hinduism and were meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be worn around one's legs, crotch and hips; or to be slept on; or put your feet on while doing yoga. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Hinduism was the oldest and third largest religion of the world with about one billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought and it should not be taken frivolously. Symbols of any faith, larger or smaller, should not be mishandled, Rajan Zed pointed out.

Zed further said that such trivialization of Hindu gods and goddesses was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more ... BUT ... faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed added.

Products that Hindu devotees are finding objectionable include various women's leggings carrying images of Lord Ganesha (one even showing Ganesha idol from Belgaum Karnataka), goddess Lakshmi, wedding of Lord Rama with Sita, and multiple deities (apparently taken from a temple wall); bed sheets carrying images of Lord Ganesha, Lord Krishna with Radha, Lord Shiva; yoga mats with images of Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha; harem pants, shorts, elastic waist pants, drawstring pants, yoga capris and sweatpants displaying images of Lord Ganesha. These products seem to represent various brands and come with different price tags.

YouTube Professional hindu whinger Rajan Zed has complained that the latest X-men adversary claims to have been known by the name Krishna, amongst others. Zed cuts and pastes form his stock complaints and comes up with the following press release:

Hindus are upset over comparison of blue-colored villain Apocalypse with their deity Lord Krishna in the recently released official trailer of X-Men: Apocalypse action-adventure Hollywood superhero movie releasing in May 2016.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada today, said that such trivialization of Lord Krishna, who was highly revered in Hinduism, was quite inappropriate and disturbing to the devotees.

Lord Krishna was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing movies for mercantile greed of filmmakers, Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, pointed out.

This trailer indicated Apocalypse saying: I have been called many things over many lifetimes: Ra, Krishna, Yahweh.

Rajan Zed urged director Bryan Singer to delete all the references to Lord Krishna from the trailer and the final movie, unless those were true to the scriptures. Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees and confused non-Hindus about Hinduism.

Rajan Zed further said that Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more ...BUT... faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers, Zed stated and added that insensitive handling of faith traditions sometimes resulted in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols.

Rajan Zed suggested that Hollywood executives should be sent for training in religious and cultural sensitivity so that they had an understanding of the feelings of audiences and communities when creating new products. If makers of X-Men: Apocalypse or other Hollywood executives needed any expertise on Hinduism related issues, he or other Hindu scholars would gladly provide the resources, Zed added.

Churchgoers at New Beginnings Church in Warsaw, Ohio got a surprise when they arrived on Sunday, topless dancers with protest signs.

The Coshocton Tribune reports church misery guts have waged a 9-year war against Foxhole North, a gentlemen's club up the road, staging protests outside the venue and trying to get them shut down.

But now the fine people of the Foxhole have struck back against the rabid moralists of the church. Foxhole North Bar Owner Thomas George told reporters:

We want to let (church members) know how it feels to be under scrutiny. They come up every weekend. They're very abusive and certainly not Christian-like, not what I read in my Bible. I have to point out the hypocrisy I see and not stand by and let this go on week in and week out.

125 people attended church services, and around 30 topless dancers and other employees and friends of the Fox Tail came to protest. Only six or so women actually bared their breasts, even though appearing in public topless is legal in the state of Ohio. Nonetheless, George took caution to protect churchgoers' eyes by hanging a tarpaulin along the entrance to the church.

Anny Donewald, founder of Eve's Angels dropped by to show support for the Fox Tail's topless dancers. She believes churches like New Beginnings give Christians a bad name. But to be fair, with a whole world full of violence and killing in the name of religion, then a few miserable gits in Ohio hardly can be blamed for the dreadful reputation of religion.

But Pastor Bill Dunfee says he's not going anywhere, and is determined to shut down the strip club. He spouted:

I hope that he will realize that the Foxhole has no business in this community. I take very seriously the responsibility as a pastor to see to it that the gospel of Christ is lifted up, that Christ himself is lifted up, that evil's confronted.

At their November 2015 General Assembly, U.S. bishops approved the formal statement Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography with an almost unanimous vote. Bishop Richard J. Malone of Buffalo, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, which directed the statement's development, spouted:

My brother bishops' approval of this statement shows our collective concern for the widespread problem of pornography in our culture today. As the statement says, virtually everyone is affected by pornography in some way. So many people --including within the Church-- are in need of Christ's abundant mercy and healing. My hope is that the statement can serve as a foundation and catalyst for increased pastoral attention to this challenge at the national and local level."

And a couple of examples of the text from the masturbation obsessed bishops:

Deliberately viewing pornography is a grave sin against chastity. Sexual intimacy and the pleasure that derives from it are gifts from God and should remain personal and private, enjoyed within the sacred bond of marriage alone. Such intimacy should not be put on display or be watched by any other person, even if that person is one's own spouse. Nor should the human body be unveiled or treated in a way that objectifies it sexually and reduces it to an erotic stimulant.

...

Pornography use is connected with or can lead to other sins in addition to those already mentioned, especially masturbation. Masturbation, which is deliberate, erotic stimulation often to the point of orgasm, commonly occurs together with pornography use. While popular culture largely sees it as acceptable, masturbation is always gravely contrary to chastity and the dignity of one's body. Like other sins against chastity, it seeks sexual pleasure outside of the mutual self-giving and fruitful intimacy of spouses in marriage, in this case, even outside of any relationship at all. In addition, engaging in masturbation has powerful neurological effects that can make it into a highly addictive behavior. However, true freedom from this destructive habit is possible with the grace of Christ.

Of course the church is more than welcome to preach to its own members but the statement extends its remit and spouts its nonsense to the non churched:

To all people of good will The Church advocates for a culture in which purity, chastity, and authentic love are esteemed and supported and pornography is resisted and rejected. May we work together for laws and for a culture that remove pornography from its prominent and privileged place and counter its numerous injustices, building instead a culture that honors the true dignity and meaning of human sexuality.

 Selena Gomez has upset a Hindu with her new tattoo. The singer unveiled her new Om skin art on her thigh on during a beach day in Miami, Florida, and the snaps that appeared online have upset a religious leader.

Perennial hindu whinger, Rajan Zed spouted:

Hindus usually start and end their prayers with 'Om', the mystical syllable containing the universe. Such trivialisation of 'Om' is upsetting to Hindus. It's highly inappropriate for Selena to place such a revered and sacred symbol of Hinduism, with high religious significance, on her thigh.

As a renowned performer, Selena should get acquainted with the basics of world religions... Hinduism concepts and symbols have well-defined meanings and purposes and these were not created just for Hollywood stars.

We welcome celebrities to immerse themselves in Hinduism... BUT ...to take it seriously and respectfully and not just for the indecorous showing of Hindu symbols and concepts to advance their selfish agenda. Casual flirting sometimes results in pillaging serious spiritual doctrines and revered symbols, hurting the devotees.

One Million Moms, a christian morality group, spout:

ABC's New Adaptation of The Muppets is for Adults Only!

One Million Moms (IMM) suspects there are going to be a lot of shocked moms and dads when they discover that the family-friendly Muppets of the 1970s are no more. It appears that no subject is off limits. ABC's new Muppet Show, airing on Tuesday evenings at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT, is not what Jim Henson imagined and created. The new show is aimed at a mature, modern audience and addresses subjects not suitable for family viewing.

It's sort of an adult Muppet show, Kermit the Frog said during a promotional video for the show. One ad read, Finally, a network TV show with full frontal nudity. Technically, the advertisement is correct -- seeing how Kermit doesn't wear pants.

The mature version of The Muppets will cover a range of topics from sex to drugs. Miss Piggy came out as a pro-choice feminist during an MSNBC interview. The puppet characters loved by kids in the 1970s and 1980s and beyond are now weighing in on abortion and promiscuity.

ABC hopes children watch the show and predict they would enjoy some of the humor, but 1MM would disagree. It is not the show it once was. ABC has ruined The Muppets. How many parents want to explain the punchline of sexually charged jokes to young children?

Many parents unknowingly will let their children watch an episode only to find out its perverted nature too late, unless they are alerted ahead of time. 1MM and others need to get the word out to families to avoid this program at all costs.

A US town council has proposed a ban on mini-skirts in public to promote respect - three weeks after an official proposed a city decree prohibiting low trousers because their god supposedly wouldn't like it.

The initial proposal was made at a council meeting on 25 August to ban low trousers that reveal men's boxer shorts. Frank Goodman, a member of Dadeville city council spouted:

It is about respect. Who is going to respect you if you don't respect yourself? The reason I brought this up is I think people deserve respect when they are in public.

I think slacking is disrespectful. I think it gives our younger generation the wrong impression of what is cool.

I prayed about this. I know that God would not go around with pants down.

The proposal was questioned by another council member, Stephanie Kelley but only to add mini skirts into the list of prohibited clothing in the interest of equality. She whinged:

My concern is it should be for everybody. I think for the girls, with these shorts up so high looking like under garments and dresses so short, I don't want us to be showing favouritism.

The city attorney Robin Reynolds said he hopes to have the ordinance ready by the next meeting.

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief is a 2015 USA documentary by Alex Gibney.
Starring Lawrence Wright, Mike Rinder and Marty Rathbun.

A devastating two hour documentary based on Lawrence Wright's book of the same name. Scientology is laid bare by a film that skilfully knits together archive footage, testimonials from former high ranking officials and public, and dramatic reconstructions.

Sky Atlantic is to show a documentary on Scientology, despite legal pressure from the 'church'.

Alex Gibney's Going Clear traces the origins of the organisation and profiles former members, including Oscar-winning screenwriter Paul Haggis. It has alleged abusive practices at Scientology's US headquarters, which members have denounced as one-sided, bigoted propaganda .

The film premiered to wide acclaim in the US in March and was watched by 5.5 million viewers on HBO. It also garnered seven Emmy nominations.

The Church of Scientology has previously threatened to use the UK's libel laws to challenge any false or defamatory content if it is broadcast in the UK.

Although an initial screening, in April, was postponed, Sky has now confirmed it will be shown, without edits on 21 September. A spokesman for Sky told The Guardian:

Both Sky, and the producers of the film, have sought legal advice at every stage of the process and are confident the film complies with legal requirements in the territories in which we are screening the film.

The professionally easily outraged hindu, Rajan Zed, is whngeing about an image of the religious character Lord Ganesha that appears on women's water polo suits from the California, company, Hardcoresport.

Zed said that it was disturbing to see image of Lord Ganesha covering hips and crotch of a model in a water polo suit. Lord Ganesha was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not for pushing swimwear for mercantile greed of an apparel company.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged the manufacturer Hardcoresport to immediately recall and remove from various web-outlets all swimwear which showed Hindu Lord Ganesha, and its bosses Mia Andersen and Whitney Hentzen to publicly apologize.

Zed further said that such trivialization of a Hindu deity was disturbing to the Hindus world over. Hindus were for free artistic expression and speech as much as anybody else if not more ...BUT... faith was something sacred and attempts at trivializing it hurt the followers.

Rajan Zed suggested Hardcoresport and other corporations worldwide to send their senior executives for training in religious and cultural sensitivity.

A current promotional advert at US fast food chain, ampm , uses the phrase 'holy cow' as an exclamation about the size of the burger.

Perennial hindu whinger, Rajan Zed, was quick to take offence, and said that cow was held sacred by Hindus and was considered the seat of many deities. Inappropriate usage of Hinduism concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurt the devotees.

Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism added that businesses should be more sensitive to the feelings of faithful of all religions.

Author Horus Gilgamesh had a hit with his book, Awkward Moments (Not Found In Your Average) Children's Bible. An irreverent look at the christian Bible. He had been planning a similar treatment for the Koran but has now had second thoughts. He explained:

I believe in religious freedom, the right for anyone to worship whatever gods they choose to believe in (as long as those beliefs do not infringe on the rights and freedom of others). I also believe in free speech, the power to challenge rational societies into asking important questions. Lastly, I believe in the right to live without fear. Sadly, as is the case with many religions, these concepts are often mutually exclusive.

After a great deal of consideration and wise counsel, I've decided to cancel the controversial Kid's Koran project we've been and hinting about over the past year. Why?

1. Because of a small group of fringe maniacal radical bullies who equate the transfer of lead and pigments into shapes on paper as blasphemy,  punishable by death.
2. Two of my collaborators are ex-Muslims living in areas of Europe with extreme tension at the moment and are no longer comfortable being associated with the project.
3. We have been receiving more suspicious phishing attempts than usual, coming from Arabic (not necessarily Muslim) characters offering to buy our pages, inviting us to speak at events, wanting to conduct in-person interviews, etc (As long as we first provide our personal information for verification of payments.)
4. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much time and energy any response would require, taking us away from the primary focus of this page and related projects that are focused on the Bible and Christianity (the majority religion/culture that most regularly affects me as an American.) In short, there are only so many hours in the day, and I need to pick my battles strategically. (After all, this is not my day job.) God's Little Helper - Christian Death Threats

I'll admit, I do take the threats from militant/radical/extremist Islamic fundamentalists much more seriously. For someone who spends a large amount of time illustrating and speaking about the challenges posed by any religion, I don't think this makes me a bigot, but a realist, as more and more cartoonists are murdered, threatened, and silenced for good.

A June anti-censorship event featuring four short plays addressing the critical and growing incursion of censorship into arts and culture has been cancelled by the venue, the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in Greewich Village, New York

The event was a benefit for the National Coalition Against Censorship and the controversy was ignited by the segment, Mohammed Gets A Boner, a monologue that Neil LaBute contributed to the quartet of plays, called Playwrights For A Cause .

William Spencer Reilly, executive director of the Sheen Center, told the New York Times that when the the contract for the event was signed in February, he wasn't aware of the title of the play, which the Times deemed unfit to print. After reading the script, Reilly said, he cancelled the show because of the play's clear offense to Muslims. He said:

When an artistic project maligns any faith group, that project clearly falls outside of our mission to highlight the good, the true, and the beautiful as they have been expressed throughout the ages. The center will not be a forum that mocks or satirizes another faith group.

LaBute said the Sheen Center was was absolutely within their right to cancel the contract but added that he's saddened by the decision:

This event was meant to shine another light on censorship and it was unexpected to have the plug pulled, quite literally, by an organization that touts the phrase 'for thought and culture' on their very Web site. Both in life and in the arts, this is not a time to hide or be afraid; recent events have begged for artists and citizens to stand and be counted.

LaBute earlier praised the Coalition Against Censorship for:

Doing really important work at a time when people are actively striving to take away some of our most basic freedoms. I, for one, feel that these are the front lines for an artist--when you are asked to write/fight for what you've said you believe in. It is no longer enough to pay lip service to these ideas--it's time to stand up and be counted.

Last year Emmy Award winner Dan O'Shannon published a satirical cartoon book, The Adventures of Mrs. Jesus, but not everyone's amused by it. A Catholic group called America Needs Fatima (ANF) has launched a petition to have the book banned .

Addressed to Michael Morrison, President and Publisher of US General Books and Canada HarperCollins Publishers, the ANF petition says this blasphemous book:

Insults Our Lord Jesus Christ and is historically false. It also mocks His Redemptive Sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary. Both deserve better than the blasphemous, offensive treatment you have published in Mr O'Shannon's book. I urge you to recall this book from distribution now and to apologize to Catholics and all people of good will.

O'Shannon, who has written for and produced such well-known TV series as Cheers , Frasier and Modern Family , uses the book to suggest that Jesus had a ball and chain ,l and she's tired of living in the shadow her messiah hubbie.

Two muslim terrorists  were shot dead after they opened fire with assault rifles at a heavily guarded Texas free speech event featuring caricatures of the religious character Mohammad.

One terrorist was identified as Elton Simpson, under surveillance since 2006 and convicted in 2010 of lying to FBI agents over his desire to join violent jihad in Somalia. The second shooter was identified as Nadir Soofi, a roommate of Simpson.

Police and federal agents had planned security for months ahead of the event organized by American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI), a free-speech organization that is also described as a hate group, and that paid $10,000 for extra protection.

The AFDI event in Garland was called Muhammad Art Exhibit and Contest and offered a $10,000 prize for the best artwork or cartoon depicting the Prophet. The event featured speakers including Geert Wilders, a polarizing Dutch politician and anti-Islamic campaigner.

Offsite Comment: A robust leader from the Guardian about a violent threat to free speech

5th May 2015.  See  Te Guardian view on free speech after the Dallas shootings. The award to Charlie Hebdo is justified from  theguardian.com

American Sniper is a 2014 USA action biography by Clint Eastwood.
Starring Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller and Kyle Gallner.

A Navy S.E.A.L. recounts his military career, which includes more than 150 confirmed kills.

A group calling itself the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) has written to director Clint Eastwood and star Bradley Cooper claiming an increase in threats against US muslims. The ADC said:

A majority of the violent threats we have seen over the past few days are result of how Arab and Muslims are depicted in American Sniper.

The group said it had collected hundreds of violent messages targeting Arab and Muslim Americans from movie-goers , mainly from Facebook and Twitter.

The letter asked Eastwood and Cooper to speak out against such messages in an effort to reduce the hateful rhetoric .

The professional whinger Rajan Zed has claimed that a recent episode of Fox's supernatural TV show, Sleepy Hollow somehow distorted hindu concepts.

Zed described the Kali Yuga episode as highly inappropriate portrayal of Hindu goddess Kali and urged public apologies from all those responsible for it, including 21st Century Fox Chairman Rupert Murdoch, Fox Television Group Chairman Gary Newman, and creators Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci.

Zed said that goddess Kali was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be thrown around loosely in reimagined versions for dramatic effects in TV shows.

Free speech denier Zed claimed that Hindus were for free speech as much as anybody else if not more ...BUT... faith was something sacred and attempts at belittling it hurt the devotees. Zed further said no faith, larger or smaller, should be ridiculed at.

New England Brewing Company, a Connecticut based craft beer company, has apologized for a Gandhi-themed brew but has not said if it plans to recall the product.

The brewer's website describes the beer as:

Gandhi-bot is an intensely-hopped double India pale ale. The beer is aromatic and fully vegetarian and an ideal choice those looking to self purify and seek out truth and love.

The packaging depicts an animated, robot-stylized Gandhi-like figure, holding his hand up in a blessing pose.

Rajan Zed, a perennial Hindu whinger, condemned the product and stated that Mahatma Gandhi abhorred drinking and trying to sell a beer named after the icon is highly damaging to his legacy.

A petition was recently filed in Hyderabad that branded the beer's offensive image as punishable under Indian law.

Matt Westfall, the head brewer apologized via a statement to the Press Trust of India news agency:

We do apologize if the good people of India find our Gandhi-Bot label offensive. Our intent is not to offend anyone but rather pay homage and celebrate a great man who we respect greatly.

However, the company has made no indication that it plans to remove the beer from its line-up.

Update: Gandhi-Bot canned

25th January 2015. From newkerala.com

A US brewery will be rebranding their beer, which uses Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi's name and image, after easily offended Indians expressed their 'outrage' calling the act condemnable.   The New England Brewing Company's Gandhi-Bot India pale ale features a cartoon image depicting a robot version of the Gandhi.

The brewer was sued by a lawyer in southern India, after which they apologized and said in a statement:

After careful consideration we feel that renaming Gandhi-Bot is the right move. Taking these steps will allow us to express our support for the Indian-American community while also limiting any economic losses.

The beer, which had been distributed for about 5 years, was being promoted on as fully vegetarian and an ideal aid for self-purification and the seeking of truth and love .