Jerry Falwell, the Virginia televanglist, is the best advertisement for the stupidity, hypocrisy and veniality of TV-based evangelical religion. Watch Jerry Falwell condemn Tinky Winky for being gay, while his three chins quiver in moral indignation. Come on, how can any reasonably intelligent person take this joker seriously?

Jerry Falwell may expend his time, resources and money to promote his intolerant faith, but he has given paganism in Virginia a big boost.

From the Americans United for Separation of Church and State Web site:

“A group of Pagans in Albemarle County, Va., was recently given permission to advertise their multi-cultural holiday program to public school children – and they have the Rev. Jerry Falwell to thank for it.

The dispute started last summer when Gabriel and Joshua Rakoski, twins who attend Hollymead Elementary School, sought permission to distribute fliers about their church’s Vacation Bible School to their peers via “backpack mail.” Many public schools use special folders placed in student backpacks to distribute notices about schools events and sometimes extra-curricular activities to parents.

School officials originally denied the request… citing a school policy barring ‘distribution of literature that is for partisan, sectarian, religious or political purposes.’

…Rakoski ’sicced the Liberty Counsel on the county,’ and the policy was soon revised to allow religious groups to use the backpack mail system. Liberty Counsel is a Religious Right legal group founded by Mathew Staver and now affiliated with Falwell.”

Some pagans took took advantage of the school’s decision to allow religious groups to use the backpack mail system. Now fresh-faced school children, including many evangelicals, are being sent home with printed material in their backpacks extolling the virtues of paganism.

Of course evangelicals are now howling in protest; how dare the school system be fair and impartial! Christian myths and fables are kosher, but the school can’t allow impressionable minds to be subjected to the pagan faith!

Hopefully at least one born again school child will be converted to the pagan belief system. I never heard of a pagan bashing a homosexual in the name of paganism.

Only an organization founded by Jerry Falwell would find fault with a school policy “barring distribution of literature that is for partisan, sectarian, religious or political purposes.” Intolerant freaks like Falwell believe that theirs is the only true religion and therefore should be allowed to proselytize without restraint. Other religions are of the devil and don’t deserve the same privilege.

Jerry Falwell, thanks for helping pagans in Virginia. Blessings in the name of Mother Earth.

Source: Men’s News Daily

In this world of increasing noise and clamour, what could the value of silence possibly be? I found the following insightful thoughts going a-begging and would like to bring them to the notice of HT readers.

“Your silence restores your body as a nest energises birds at rest,” said Rabindranath Tagore, while Mahatma Gandhi had this to say: “Silence helps in winning over anger to the extent that no other thing can.”

Bhartrihari, the ancient Sanskrit poet, opined, “Silence is an illiterate’s jewel in a gathering of scholars,” which I felt was truly inspiring.

Ramdhari Singh Dinkar was fond of the quote, “Speech is silver but silence is golden,” which strengthened my resolve to acquire the practice of silence.

Writer Haribhau Upadhyaya’s observation, “Silence that is born of fear is animal-like while silence owing to discipline is divine,” triggered the spark of spirituality in me.

My thoughts went inevitably to saint Kabir Das’s stanza, with apologies for the translation, always difficult in English: “Arguments and discourse lead to a lot of poison/Speech leads to a great nuisance/But silence bears everyone’s speech/And lends time for a soul to connect with the Supreme.”

With my new soul-consciousness, I recalled my own evolution since my youth. As a schoolboy I was an extrovert with the habit of loud speech who would burst guffaws for no rhyme or reason. By the time I arrived at college, I had become a very talkative person. But what saved me eventually was my habit of going to the library during free periods. I became a bookworm, browsing through any spiritual tome that came my way.

Yet, what could silence give me? I found that it could conserve energy that helped in solving vexing problems. Moreover, if one kept silent through long periods of time, one could get along with one’s business without trouble or hindrance. Calmness has always paid rich dividends.

Source: Hindustan Times