Spiritual topics

Religious diversity, fun stuff, apologies,
tolerance, personal statements, etc.

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A Cherokee prayer blessing:

"May the warm winds of heaven blow softly upon your house,
May the Great Spirit bless all who enter there,
May your moccasins make happy tracks in many snows,
And may the rainbow always touch your shoulder."

An Apache prayer blessing:

May the sun bring you new energy by day,
May the moon softly restore you by night,
May the rain wash away your worries,
May the breeze blow new strength into your being,
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life."

An Apache marriage blessing:

"Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be the shelter for the other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be the warmth to the other.
Now you are two persons, but there is only one life before you.
Go now to your dwelling, to enter into the days of your life together,
and may your days be good and long upon the earth."

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Key spiritual topics:

	A collection of very moving brief videos by ONspirit dealing with spiritual topics from a Christian or Jewish perspective
	A selection of four inspiring YouTube videos demonstrating compassion for the earth and its people
	God, as viewed by many different religions
	The hierarchy of human needs, as proposed by Abraham Maslow. An essay donated by Laura E. Shulman
	What is spiritual/religious/scientific truth?
	Peace -- Is it attainable?
	Recommended books on spirituality, religion and theology
	Why do the South Asian tsunami, New Orleans hurricane, and similar disasters happen?

Religious tolerance:

Overview. definitions, information, Bible references, information sources, religious cooperation, apologies, etc. <<< A big section

Religious freedom:

The freedom to choose, follow, and promote a religion,

Religious diversity:

Religious plurality (and exclusivism & inclusivism)

Religiously exclusive passages in the Christian Scriptures

Interfaith marriages

Local groups promoting interfaith dialog

Selecting holy texts from the world's religions for public meditation rooms, personal library, etc.

Religious affiliations -- comparing the U.S. and the world as a whole

Statements of apology for past sins and crimes against humanity:

	*"Remorse that ends sin" A brief essay by the Christian Science Monitor*
	Roman Catholic apology for past sins and errors issued 2000-MAR-07
	Christian apology to Jews and Muslims for the Crusades

Spiritual Activities:

	*"Salem Day of Contrition," 1997-JAN-14*
	"Religious Tolerance Day," Early FEB
	*"National Day of Prayer," 1^st Thursday in MAY*
	*The National Day of Reason* (NDR): An alternative celebration on the same day: Part 1 Part 2**
	*"Sabbath of Support" in Opposition to Racism Late JUN or early JUL*
	*"Day of Remembrance" of the evils of slavery. AUG-24*
	*"International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church" Held in mid-NOV*
	*The "1000 Lamp Mandala Ceremony for Peace," DEC-10*
	Worldwide prayer and meditation for peace DEC-31
	Traditional virtues and values: Rod Dreher's vision of communal Christian life, an essay by Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys
	Reconciliation walk: Christian apology to Jews and Muslims for the Crusades
	Praying in public schools -- legally
	Coming of age rituals for many faiths and countries
	"Lessons of the campfire: People as spiritual beings to be loved and respected" an essay by Alton C. Thompson

Personal Statements on spiritual matters:

	General observations on religion by a religious liberal
	By Sheryl Glick: "Journey to personal awareness using our 6th sense"
	By Contributing Editor Susan Humphreys: "Interactions between religion and spirituality" "Helping to reduce conflict by becoming "Ego Free" Finding meaning and purpose in a rapidly changing world All bluster and No Muster The complete "Unifying American Story" Some things are beyond our control Self-actualization: Being selfish or being true to self? Is there a difference? What is Spiritual Bliss, a.k.a. Mystical or Spiritual Transcendence? "Sense of Self:" Concepts of "Soul" and "Self" as discussed in "Handbook of Christian Apologetics" by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli
	By Alton C. Thompson: "People are Naturally Good, But ..."
	By Katie Johnson: "Misconceptions That Some People Make About Churchgoers"
	By Bill McKeen: "Theological musing: My Search for Truth" Part 1 Part 2 "Musing on life"
	By Robert Mount: "My Pursuit of Truth." Part 1 Part 2
	Declaration of Peace: A Neopagan statement of personal commitment to peace.
	Spiritual Freedom Pledge
	Beware the advent virus: Christian thoughts on joy, tolerance, and peace.
	The Affirmation of Acknowledgment: A statement of interfaith tolerance
	Statement by President Clinton on Religious Liberty (1995)
	A Thanksgiving statement
	Quotes: religious, philosophical & humorous
	A vision of religious diversity and tolerance

Stuff that is fun and interesting:

A word list of world religions

Humorous quotes from church bulletins and similar sources

Inspiring messages, cartoons, sculptures, sayings, etc. Part 1 Part 2

Other funny messages, cartoons, sayings, etc. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

Quotes by children:

	About religion
	About love

Handling priorities in life

A 16 question quiz to test your religious knowledge

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Other related menus & essays at this site:

Some thought-provoking messages, cartoons, sayings, etc:

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14

Inspiring messages, cartoons, sculptures, sayings, etc. Part 1 Part 2

The concept of sin

Religious diversity among the crew of the space shuttle Columbia

Books on spirituality, theology and religion

"Cults" and New Religious Groups (most are quite harmless)

Cooperation and conflict motivated by religious diversity in North America

Religious Laws

The national motto: "In God We Trust."

Religious information (membership data, calendars, church attendance...)

Marriage

The use of prayer instead of medical treatment

"An allegory about religious humility & cooperation -- You supply the ending" by Susan Humphreys

Conclusions: which is the "true" denomination or religion; where did we come from; where are we going after death, and other really fundamental questions

Find a faith group which matches your beliefs:

	The Belief System Selector by SelectSmart.com asks you 20 questions and then tries to match you up with the religion(s) that most closely suit your beliefs, whether it be secular humanism, Unitarian Universalism, liberal Quakers, Neopagan, Buddhist, Taoism, Hinduism, Easter Orthodox. etc.
	SelectSmart.com also has dozens of similar selectors, each dealing with a single religion or spiritual path.
	The Beliefnet quiz: "What is your Spiritual Type?" It finds out whether you are a skeptic, spiritual dabbler, questioning believer, confident believer, or another spiritual type.
	*Adversarian* has created a quiz titled What religion best suits you?" It is a tongue-in-cheek series of ten questions that is fun to take, although is probably not too accurate.

Good hunting!

Find a life-partner who matches your beliefs:

Soulmatch a service of Beliefnet, is designed to match you to another person who shares your values, aspirations, spirituality, sense of justice, etc.

External Links

A group of essays prepared by Sociology classes at the University of Virginia lists many unusual faith groups. See: http://www.religiousmovements.org
The Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor Affairs of the U.S. government issues an annual report on religious freedom around the world. The 1997-JUL-22 report, "United States Policies in Support of Religious Freedom: Focus on Christians" is at: http://www.usia.gov/topical/rights/religion/religion.htm
Jewish-Christian Relations site contains statements on Jewish-Christian Relations from Conservative Jewish, Ecumenical, Joint Christian-Jewish, Other Groups Protestant, Roman-Catholic groups, as well as one statement in opposition to interfaith cooperation. See: http://www.jcrelations.com/
A New Millennium's Resolution proposed a resolution for the year 2000 (or perhaps 2001) recognizing humanity's link with the environment. See: http://www.redshift.com/~wsandtt/
Chief Arvol Looking Horse of the Lakota, Nakota and Dakota Nation sponsors a worldwide day of prayer for global healing on the summer solstice. They occur about JUN-21 each year. See: http://www.worldpeaceday.com/
My Sacred Journey "...helps you follow your life destiny path to love, joy, fitness, happiness, and a sense of spiritual enlightenment. " The offer free memberships and newsletters. See: http://www.mysacredjourney.com/
Online Silence for Religious Tolerance, 1999-NOV-30 at: http://www.angelfire.com/
Churches ad hoc, a photo essay which gives an offbeat look at churches in America.

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