Narz
keeping it real
Blessing war is like page 1 of hinduism
[RD] Religious News Thread
- Thread starter Edmund Ironside
- Start date
King Flevance
Deity
I wanted to weigh in a little bit as these discussions interest me, though there is a LOT of rabbit trails in these woods.
The reason behind your last statement is that God gifted us free will - so He did not plan our fall, but He DID permit it. He did have a plan as a way to redeem us knowing this would happen though - that plan was a clear illustration of the effects of sin. That is, watching sin murder our God with no case to be made against Him. But because death answers to Him and not the other way around, and His sinless life, what we see is a clear image of how destructive sin is to ourselves and how much it pains Him to watch it. Therefore, we are permitted to use Him as a means to escape.
The Holy Spirit can be very successful if you accept it to have power in your life. Yes, that can be a loaded statement but I will leave it be as that simple for now. Jesus often said "It is your faith that healed you" when He performed miracles on others. This shows us that we have to be open to God working in our life for it to be effective. Someone who cannot forgive themselves is immune to forgiveness.
Politicians who use faith as a platform forget that the bible speaks out strongly against following political figures. Nations are called beasts for a reason. Teachers of God's Word are going to be judged on how they taught it even more strictly than others. This part gets very loaded when we come to politicians and preachers advocating for political "salvation" through following candidates. But simply, it is rubbish. Every single politician can safely be ignored. It is not our duty to be concerned with the political affairs of this world. Only our own virtues. Your free will and salvation is not my responsibility, even if it is my desire. You deserve the freedom to make your own choices. I am simply required to try to love you in spite of it just as my God loves you.
The bible does not say that. It is for a reason that no man has credit to Jesus's coming into existance, only 1 woman does. Woman comes from man, and the perfect man comes from a woman by design. The man who came directly from God fell along side Eve. There are women such as Ruth and Haggai who have their own books in the bible. Deborah was even a judge of the jews in her time.
The reason behind your last statement is that God gifted us free will - so He did not plan our fall, but He DID permit it. He did have a plan as a way to redeem us knowing this would happen though - that plan was a clear illustration of the effects of sin. That is, watching sin murder our God with no case to be made against Him. But because death answers to Him and not the other way around, and His sinless life, what we see is a clear image of how destructive sin is to ourselves and how much it pains Him to watch it. Therefore, we are permitted to use Him as a means to escape.
The Holy Spirit can be very successful if you accept it to have power in your life. Yes, that can be a loaded statement but I will leave it be as that simple for now. Jesus often said "It is your faith that healed you" when He performed miracles on others. This shows us that we have to be open to God working in our life for it to be effective. Someone who cannot forgive themselves is immune to forgiveness.
Politicians who use faith as a platform forget that the bible speaks out strongly against following political figures. Nations are called beasts for a reason. Teachers of God's Word are going to be judged on how they taught it even more strictly than others. This part gets very loaded when we come to politicians and preachers advocating for political "salvation" through following candidates. But simply, it is rubbish. Every single politician can safely be ignored. It is not our duty to be concerned with the political affairs of this world. Only our own virtues. Your free will and salvation is not my responsibility, even if it is my desire. You deserve the freedom to make your own choices. I am simply required to try to love you in spite of it just as my God loves you.
The bible does not say that. It is for a reason that no man has credit to Jesus's coming into existance, only 1 woman does. Woman comes from man, and the perfect man comes from a woman by design. The man who came directly from God fell along side Eve. There are women such as Ruth and Haggai who have their own books in the bible. Deborah was even a judge of the jews in her time.
Narz
keeping it real
In the Bible, the value of a boy or girl is based on their age, as described in Leviticus 27:1-8:
1 month to 5 years: A boy is worth 5 shekels of silver, and a girl is worth 3 shekels
5 to 20 years: A boy is worth 20 shekels, and a girl is worth 10 shekels
20 to 60 years: A man is worth 50 shekels, and a woman is worth 30 shekels
Over 60 years: A man is worth 15 shekels, and a woman is worth 10 shekels
King Flevance
Deity
This is not their worth. This is how much it will cost you if that person was somehow dedicated to the temple (servitude) and then the vow needed to be cancelled ahead of time. For example, in the book of Samuel, his mother dedicated him to the temple in gratitude of the Lord letting her have a child. It is estimated that the Leviticus passage speaks of roughly the cost of 4 years worth of labor. In an agricultural society you can imagine the value of a male's labor variance being higher than a womans is why you see this disparity. It isn't the value of the life, but the value of the type of labor that would be foregone. As this is about compensation on a cancelled promise that people were depending on. There are provisions for the poor to also be able to pay as well. The book of leviticus shows many examples of God making sure the people did not have to worry about owing someone for the rest of your life. God made sure to set statutes of limitations so that no one's life is actually indebted to another humans with no hope of freedom.
This passage is about compensating the church for going back on promised labor.
Scientology-linked UK rehab centre falls foul of charity regulator
A Scientology-linked addiction charity accused of putting vulnerable people through psychological drills that left them “traumatised” and in “trance-like states” has been reprimanded by the Charity Commission.
Some former participants described being “traumatised” after taking part in the residential programme, which can last three to four months and costs about £15,000. “The best way to describe it is that my mind had been shattered into a million pieces. I’d lost all sense of myself,” an ex-participant said.
The Observer spoke to nine people with knowledge of Narconon’s UK operations, including ex-participants and staff. They described how people were asked to follow repetitive commands such as pointing at objects, sitting perfectly still or answering the same question “over and over again” for up to five hours a day over several weeks.
The exercises closely resemble ‘training routines’ used in ‘auditing’, which aims to banish the “thetans” – spiritual beings – that Scientologists believe exist in every person, helping them on a path to enlightenment. Participants also spend long periods in a sauna and take high doses of vitamins including niacin, with the aim of achieving a “clear body” and “clear mind”.
Prof Tim Millar, professor of substance use and addictions at Manchester University, said he was astonished by the allegations. During 30 years researching drug treatment in England he said he had never seen such techniques. “They’re not approaches that I’m aware of being used in any other mental health context,” he said.
The Charity Commission’s intervention comes in the absence of involvement from other regulators. While the Care Quality Commission (CQC) oversees substance misuse services, it has suggested Narconon does not fall within its remit because its approach is “alternative”.
Records obtained under freedom of information laws show that between 2019 and 2023, the watchdog received 14 complaints that it did not formally investigate or escalate, saying it had no duty to do so.
There is no other regulator overseeing substance misuse services.
In March, a month after the Observer investigation, the Charity Commission announced a regulatory compliance case into Narconon. The watchdog has a limited role in investigating safeguarding issues and is not responsible for overseeing substance misuse services. But its case looked at Narconon UK’s compliance with charity law, examining its “governance, management and administration, its safeguarding policies, and its links to third parties”.
A spokesperson said last week it had concluded its compliance case and, after examining evidence and speaking to Narconon’s trustees, had identified “a range of shortfalls”. It made two findings of “misconduct and/or mismanagement” related to a failure to ensure the minimum number of trustees were in place, and to submit the charity’s annual accounts and reports on time. “We have issued the trustees with formal regulatory advice and guidance to address the issues, and will follow up in six months’ time to review trustees’ progress in doing so,” a spokesperson said.
The watchdog has provided the trustees with an action plan requiring more transparency about Narconon’s Scientology links, and the nature and effectiveness of the programme. “Charities must ensure they are transparent about the nature of their work and any connections to non-charitable organisations. This is particularly important when providing a service, so that potential beneficiaries can determine if it is the right one for them,” the spokesperson added.
A Scientology-linked addiction charity accused of putting vulnerable people through psychological drills that left them “traumatised” and in “trance-like states” has been reprimanded by the Charity Commission.
Some former participants described being “traumatised” after taking part in the residential programme, which can last three to four months and costs about £15,000. “The best way to describe it is that my mind had been shattered into a million pieces. I’d lost all sense of myself,” an ex-participant said.
The Observer spoke to nine people with knowledge of Narconon’s UK operations, including ex-participants and staff. They described how people were asked to follow repetitive commands such as pointing at objects, sitting perfectly still or answering the same question “over and over again” for up to five hours a day over several weeks.
The exercises closely resemble ‘training routines’ used in ‘auditing’, which aims to banish the “thetans” – spiritual beings – that Scientologists believe exist in every person, helping them on a path to enlightenment. Participants also spend long periods in a sauna and take high doses of vitamins including niacin, with the aim of achieving a “clear body” and “clear mind”.
Prof Tim Millar, professor of substance use and addictions at Manchester University, said he was astonished by the allegations. During 30 years researching drug treatment in England he said he had never seen such techniques. “They’re not approaches that I’m aware of being used in any other mental health context,” he said.
The Charity Commission’s intervention comes in the absence of involvement from other regulators. While the Care Quality Commission (CQC) oversees substance misuse services, it has suggested Narconon does not fall within its remit because its approach is “alternative”.
Records obtained under freedom of information laws show that between 2019 and 2023, the watchdog received 14 complaints that it did not formally investigate or escalate, saying it had no duty to do so.
There is no other regulator overseeing substance misuse services.
In March, a month after the Observer investigation, the Charity Commission announced a regulatory compliance case into Narconon. The watchdog has a limited role in investigating safeguarding issues and is not responsible for overseeing substance misuse services. But its case looked at Narconon UK’s compliance with charity law, examining its “governance, management and administration, its safeguarding policies, and its links to third parties”.
A spokesperson said last week it had concluded its compliance case and, after examining evidence and speaking to Narconon’s trustees, had identified “a range of shortfalls”. It made two findings of “misconduct and/or mismanagement” related to a failure to ensure the minimum number of trustees were in place, and to submit the charity’s annual accounts and reports on time. “We have issued the trustees with formal regulatory advice and guidance to address the issues, and will follow up in six months’ time to review trustees’ progress in doing so,” a spokesperson said.
The watchdog has provided the trustees with an action plan requiring more transparency about Narconon’s Scientology links, and the nature and effectiveness of the programme. “Charities must ensure they are transparent about the nature of their work and any connections to non-charitable organisations. This is particularly important when providing a service, so that potential beneficiaries can determine if it is the right one for them,” the spokesperson added.
Scientology, a 20th C evil.
EnglishEdward
Deity
Invented in the good old USA.
Broken_Erika
Play with me.
I'm pretty sure L Ron Hubbard came up with it just to prove that people are stupid.
That and to make shed loads of money.
Justin Welby to quit as archbishop of Canterbury over handling of abuse scandal
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced that he will step down after facing mounting pressure to quit over his handling of an abuse scandal.
Smyth sadistically abused private schoolboys who attended evangelical Christian holiday camps in the late 1970s and early 80s. Across five decades, he is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.
When the abuse was discovered, Smyth was allowed to move abroad with the full knowledge of church officials, where he continued to act with impunity.
Welby said last week he had considered resigning over his “shameful” decision not to act to deal with reports of abuse by Smyth, a powerful and charismatic barrister who died in 2018, when he was informed of them in 2013. It is believed that the abuse continued until his death.
The archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has announced that he will step down after facing mounting pressure to quit over his handling of an abuse scandal.
Smyth sadistically abused private schoolboys who attended evangelical Christian holiday camps in the late 1970s and early 80s. Across five decades, he is said to have subjected as many as 130 boys and young men in the UK and Africa to traumatic physical, sexual, psychological and spiritual attacks, permanently marking their lives.
When the abuse was discovered, Smyth was allowed to move abroad with the full knowledge of church officials, where he continued to act with impunity.
Welby said last week he had considered resigning over his “shameful” decision not to act to deal with reports of abuse by Smyth, a powerful and charismatic barrister who died in 2018, when he was informed of them in 2013. It is believed that the abuse continued until his death.
EnglishEdward
Deity
The civil law on libel is very wrong in the UK.
There are so many instances of abuse by powerful figures that only became
known to the public after they died because dead people cannot sue for libel.
Cyril Smith, James Saville, Mohamed Al-Fayed and John Smyth.
There are so many instances of abuse by powerful figures that only became
known to the public after they died because dead people cannot sue for libel.
Cyril Smith, James Saville, Mohamed Al-Fayed and John Smyth.
Narz
keeping it real
Anyone who puts their kids in the hands of clergy after all these decades of scandals really shouldn't be surprised.
Tragic but how dumb are these parents.
Tragic but how dumb are these parents.
Narz
keeping it real
Have to watch on YT, talking about the decline of Islam due to access to information
Farm Boy
I hope you dance
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2010
- Messages
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I think much the same of public school teachers and fathers.Anyone who puts their kids in the hands of clergy after all these decades of scandals really shouldn't be surprised.
Tragic but how dumb are these parents.
Dalai Lama seeks to allay health concerns as succession planning looms
By Krishna N. DasDecember 22, 2024
Item 1 of 5 Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, offers blessings to his followers at his Himalayan residence in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh
[1/5]Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, offers blessings to his followers at his Himalayan residence in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
DHARAMSHALA, India, Dec 23 (Reuters) - When the Dalai Lama went to New York in June for knee surgery, his followers worried about his overall health and the future of Tibetan Buddhists without him. He told Reuters last week there was nothing much to worry about.
"According to my dream, I may live 110 years," said the 89-year-old spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists when asked about his health and how he was feeling.
The Nobel laureate has been disarming questioners with the same reply for years.
The knee too is improving, he said at his Himalayan residence in Dharamshala town in northern India after blessing more than 300 visitors from India and overseas at a regular audience. "Not much serious problem," he said after walking gingerly with the help of aides, although for longer distances he is taken around in a golf cart.
He spoke to Reuters only for a few minutes at the end of the audience.
The 14th Dalai Lama fled to India along with thousands of Tibetans in early 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule. Beijing insists it will choose his successor, but the Dalai Lama has said it was possible his incarnation could be found in India and warned that any other successor named by China would not be respected. Tibetan Buddhists believe that learned monastics are reincarnated after death as newborns.
The Dalai Lama's prediction of living for another two decades is reassuring for his followers, but more clarity on his succession - including if and where he will be reincarnated - could come from him when he turns 90 in July, said Dolma Tsering Teykhang, the deputy speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, also based in Dharamshala. "We are just lay people, we can't fathom his wisdom, so we are waiting for his clear guidance," Teykhang told Reuters in her parliament office about 2 km (1.5 miles) from the Dalai Lama's residence.
Teykhang said that although even thinking of the current Dalai Lama's demise brings tears to her eyes, there is a system in place for the Tibetan-government-in-exile to continue its political work while officers of the Dalai Lama's Gaden Phodrang Foundation would be responsible for searching and recognising the next Dalai Lama. The current Dalai Lama set up the Zurich-based foundation in 2015 to "maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama with regard to the religious and spiritual duties of the Dalai Lama", according to its website.
Its senior officers include monks living in India and Switzerland. "We can't take it for granted that he is going to live 113 years," said Teykhang, referring to a lifespan the current Dalai Lama had earlier predicted for himself, and pointing out that the previous Dalai Lama died earlier than expected at 58. "Without His Holiness, the struggle of Tibet, I don't know where it will go. But then I put my hope in the administration that he has built in 60 years from nothing to this level."
BACK AMONG PEOPLE
The knee surgery meant the Dalai Lama had to avoid audiences for nearly three months. He resumed in September and now sees hundreds of people three times a week at his home, a sprawling complex that has a temple and an office, surrounded by lush green and snow-topped hills. For his session on Friday, he was ushered into a hall full of people by red-robed monks who held his hands and walked closely next to him. Dressed in his usual red and yellow robe, he limped onto a platform, where the aides helped him sit on a leather swivel chair in front of many statuettes of the Buddha. People lined up to seek his blessings one by one as he remained seated, the chair held in place by an aide. The Dalai Lama held the hands of each visitor, touched the heads of some with his forehead, and chanted mantras for those who wanted his blessings for specific reasons. Overwhelmed, several devotees cried as they left.The Dalai Lama is the best-known living proponent of Buddhism and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause. Beijing sees him as a dangerous separatist, although he has embraced what he calls a "Middle Way" of peacefully seeking genuine autonomy and religious freedom within China.
Born in 1935, the Dalai Lama was identified as the reincarnation of his predecessor when he was two years old. It is possible he will leave clues before he dies about where his incarnation would be born and to whom, said Teykhang.
While earlier a regent would take over temporarily once a Dalai Lama died, that system is longer in place, she said. The Dalai Lama last month congratulated Donald Trump for his victory in the U.S. election and Teykhang said the incoming president could be good news for Tibetans "because he always was with Tibet, he was with human rights, he was with the fact that Tibet is not a part of China since antiquity".
The prime minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Sikyong Penpa Tserin, has been in the U.S. this month and met officials including Uzra Zeya, U.S. special coordinator for Tibetan issues.
"Our Sikyong is there to figure out how the changes are happening," said Teykhang. "I think Tibetans are very fortunate because consecutive Republican or Democratic administrations...no matter how big their differences are, but on the matter of Tibet, they are always on board together."
India’s Maha Kumbh Mela festival gets under way for first time in 144 years
The world’s largest religious gathering kicked off on Monday as millions of Hindu devotees gathered on the banks of Ganges in India to mark the beginning of the Maha Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela pilgrimage takes place every 12 years and is widely seen as the “festival of festivals” in the Hindu religious calendar in India, attended by a vibrant mix of sadhus or holy men, ascetics, pilgrims and tourists. This year’s celebration is particularly significant as the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela only takes places every 144 years, marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.
More than 400 million people, the biggest crowd in its history, are expected to attend this year’s festivities, which will be held over 45 days in Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Prayagraj is considered particularly holy to Hindus because it is home to Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers. Over the course of the gathering, there are several shahi san, holy bathing days when the devotees immerse themselves in the waters in the belief it will purify the soul.
The exact origin of the Kumbh Mela is debated among historians, but Hindus believe it goes back to the legend of Samudra Manthan, or the churning of the ocean, described in ancient scriptures as when Lord Vishnu spilled drops of the elixir of immortality from his kumbh, or urn, at four spots on Earth – believed to be the Indian cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.
Each of these sacred locations has hosted the Kumbh Mela on a rotational basis for centuries, but the Prayagraj event is considered the most important and spectacular.
In the buildup to the festival, which will continue till 26 February, fervent colourful processions have marked the arrival of the 13 akharas, the ancient monastic sects of warrior sadhus who travel from across the country to participate in the spectacle. There has historically been fierce competition and bloodshed between the akharas, whose members have fought violently on many occasions and died in their thousands over who gets to take part in the holy bathing ritual first.
The scale and grandeur of this year’s festivities is expected to exceed all previous iterations, in a nod to the Kumbh Mela’s religious but also political significance. This is seen to have become more overt under the current Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government, which rules in the centre of the country and in Uttar Pradesh.
The festival is viewed by many as a potent – and politically advantageous – symbol of Hindu unity and power, and this year’s celebrations are expected to be the most expensive on record, backed by vast state resources and a huge PR campaign.
According to reports, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the hardline Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, and his BJP state government have spent more than 70bn rupees (£670m) on infrastructure and sanitation projects for the Maha Kumbh Mela, while the faces of Adityanath and the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, have been splashed on promotional material for the festival nationwide.
The festivities are also said to be among the most polarised in memory. Muslim vendors said the authorities had barred them from setting up stalls for the first time, and Muslim taxi drivers said they had explicitly been told they were not allowed to take custom from Hindu pilgrims.
Mahant Durganand Brahmachari, one of the festival’s most senior priests, described the Kumbh Mela as “a great convergence of humans, gods and our sacred rivers” and condemned attempts to sow religious divisions.
“What bothers me this time is how some people are trying to polarise the atmosphere on communal lines,” he said. “There has to be peaceful coexistence and hate should have no place. We see some people are trying to create Hindu-Muslim tensions.”
There has also been a concerted effort to bring in digital innovations in an effort to help solve some of the age-old problems of the chaotic festivities. The Kumbh Mela mobile app will help pilgrims navigate the 15-square mile (40-square kilometre) maze of temples, bathing spots, food stalls, medical tents and missing persons booths, while an AI-powered chatbot that functions in 11 languages will help to answer any logistical and spiritual questions over WhatsApp.
To solve the perennial problem of pilgrims getting lost and separated, each one will be given a radio frequency wristband to help locate those who go missing. Thousands of underwater and aerial drones will be deployed to help monitor security and movement, and a light show involving more than 2,000 drones will illuminate the skies with tales from Hindu mythology.
The world’s largest religious gathering kicked off on Monday as millions of Hindu devotees gathered on the banks of Ganges in India to mark the beginning of the Maha Kumbh Mela.
The Kumbh Mela pilgrimage takes place every 12 years and is widely seen as the “festival of festivals” in the Hindu religious calendar in India, attended by a vibrant mix of sadhus or holy men, ascetics, pilgrims and tourists. This year’s celebration is particularly significant as the Maha or grand Kumbh Mela only takes places every 144 years, marking the 12th Kumbh Mela and a special celestial alignment of the sun, moon and Jupiter.
More than 400 million people, the biggest crowd in its history, are expected to attend this year’s festivities, which will be held over 45 days in Prayagraj in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Prayagraj is considered particularly holy to Hindus because it is home to Triveni Sangam, the sacred confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers. Over the course of the gathering, there are several shahi san, holy bathing days when the devotees immerse themselves in the waters in the belief it will purify the soul.
The exact origin of the Kumbh Mela is debated among historians, but Hindus believe it goes back to the legend of Samudra Manthan, or the churning of the ocean, described in ancient scriptures as when Lord Vishnu spilled drops of the elixir of immortality from his kumbh, or urn, at four spots on Earth – believed to be the Indian cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik.
Each of these sacred locations has hosted the Kumbh Mela on a rotational basis for centuries, but the Prayagraj event is considered the most important and spectacular.
In the buildup to the festival, which will continue till 26 February, fervent colourful processions have marked the arrival of the 13 akharas, the ancient monastic sects of warrior sadhus who travel from across the country to participate in the spectacle. There has historically been fierce competition and bloodshed between the akharas, whose members have fought violently on many occasions and died in their thousands over who gets to take part in the holy bathing ritual first.
The scale and grandeur of this year’s festivities is expected to exceed all previous iterations, in a nod to the Kumbh Mela’s religious but also political significance. This is seen to have become more overt under the current Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) government, which rules in the centre of the country and in Uttar Pradesh.
The festival is viewed by many as a potent – and politically advantageous – symbol of Hindu unity and power, and this year’s celebrations are expected to be the most expensive on record, backed by vast state resources and a huge PR campaign.
According to reports, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the hardline Hindu monk Yogi Adityanath, and his BJP state government have spent more than 70bn rupees (£670m) on infrastructure and sanitation projects for the Maha Kumbh Mela, while the faces of Adityanath and the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, have been splashed on promotional material for the festival nationwide.
The festivities are also said to be among the most polarised in memory. Muslim vendors said the authorities had barred them from setting up stalls for the first time, and Muslim taxi drivers said they had explicitly been told they were not allowed to take custom from Hindu pilgrims.
Mahant Durganand Brahmachari, one of the festival’s most senior priests, described the Kumbh Mela as “a great convergence of humans, gods and our sacred rivers” and condemned attempts to sow religious divisions.
“What bothers me this time is how some people are trying to polarise the atmosphere on communal lines,” he said. “There has to be peaceful coexistence and hate should have no place. We see some people are trying to create Hindu-Muslim tensions.”
There has also been a concerted effort to bring in digital innovations in an effort to help solve some of the age-old problems of the chaotic festivities. The Kumbh Mela mobile app will help pilgrims navigate the 15-square mile (40-square kilometre) maze of temples, bathing spots, food stalls, medical tents and missing persons booths, while an AI-powered chatbot that functions in 11 languages will help to answer any logistical and spiritual questions over WhatsApp.
To solve the perennial problem of pilgrims getting lost and separated, each one will be given a radio frequency wristband to help locate those who go missing. Thousands of underwater and aerial drones will be deployed to help monitor security and movement, and a light show involving more than 2,000 drones will illuminate the skies with tales from Hindu mythology.
Narz
keeping it real
Watched a YouTube documentary about the Kumbh Mela once, I'd go, not to prostrate before any guru's feet but to watch the carnival of human craving to escape the mundane.
George Pell raped, groped two boys in Ballarat, compensation scheme decides
Two men were compensated after the National Redress Scheme accepted they were abused as boys by the late Cardinal George Pell in Ballarat in the 1970s.
www.abc.net.au
Cardinal George Pell was jailed for his sexual abuse abuse of children, but then was released on Victorian Supreme Court appeal. He died free and legally in the clear.
Now the National Redress Scheme the church signed up to has found two men were raped by Pell under the "reasonably likely" evidence standard, and has given them compensation. One of the victims was one of three victims whose court cases were abandoned for technical reasons shortly before Pell's death.There's been several known victims now, I think the minimum would be 6. 2 from the initial trial, 3 from the separate abandoned one, and another compensated here
Pell was a senior Vatican official, equivalent of Treasurer, and was officially celebrated by them after he died.
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Pope Francis, sensing he is close to death, moves to protect his legacy
Pope Francis is seriously worried about his health after being hospitalized with severe bronchitis, and is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him.
The pope was admitted to a special ward earlier this month in Gemelli Hospital in Rome with a respiratory infection, and he has since been forced to cancel a number of public appearances.
It’s the latest health crisis for the 88-year-old pontiff, who had part of a lung removed as a young man and has become increasingly fragile in recent years. The Holy See press office has trickled out continuous updates, and on Monday said the pope’s bronchitis had advanced to a “polymicrobial infection” with a “complex clinical picture.”
According to two people familiar with the matter, Francis has been suffering from intense pain and has privately expressed fears that he won’t make it this time. On Sunday, doctors at Gemelli distressed the pope by barring him from delivering his regular morning Angelus sermon, which he has rarely missed, even when hospitalized, said one of the people and a third person. He is now acting entirely on “doctors’ orders,” said one of them.
As his health has deteriorated over the last month, Francis has also moved to complete key initiatives and appoint sympathetic figures to key posts, following a progressive-tinted papacy marked by bitter ideological divisions.
On Feb. 6, before he was hospitalized, he extended the term of the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as dean of the College of Cardinals, a role that will oversee some preparations for a potential conclave, the secretive gathering that determines the selection of a new pope. The move, which controversially sidestepped a scheduled vote on the next dean by top cardinals, was intended to ensure that the process plays out according to Francis’s wishes, the people said.
Politico
Pope Francis is seriously worried about his health after being hospitalized with severe bronchitis, and is rushing to tie up loose ends ahead of the battle to succeed him.
The pope was admitted to a special ward earlier this month in Gemelli Hospital in Rome with a respiratory infection, and he has since been forced to cancel a number of public appearances.
It’s the latest health crisis for the 88-year-old pontiff, who had part of a lung removed as a young man and has become increasingly fragile in recent years. The Holy See press office has trickled out continuous updates, and on Monday said the pope’s bronchitis had advanced to a “polymicrobial infection” with a “complex clinical picture.”
According to two people familiar with the matter, Francis has been suffering from intense pain and has privately expressed fears that he won’t make it this time. On Sunday, doctors at Gemelli distressed the pope by barring him from delivering his regular morning Angelus sermon, which he has rarely missed, even when hospitalized, said one of the people and a third person. He is now acting entirely on “doctors’ orders,” said one of them.
As his health has deteriorated over the last month, Francis has also moved to complete key initiatives and appoint sympathetic figures to key posts, following a progressive-tinted papacy marked by bitter ideological divisions.
On Feb. 6, before he was hospitalized, he extended the term of the Italian cardinal Giovanni Battista Re as dean of the College of Cardinals, a role that will oversee some preparations for a potential conclave, the secretive gathering that determines the selection of a new pope. The move, which controversially sidestepped a scheduled vote on the next dean by top cardinals, was intended to ensure that the process plays out according to Francis’s wishes, the people said.
Politico
