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Archive: Ramdas Lamb
Pro-choice should mean letting CBS choose
Those who do not like the message in the Tim Tebow ad can easily change the station, turn off the sound, or go to kitchen for a few minutes. I don't think anyone is going to be forced to watch either the Super Bowl or its ads.
By Ramdas Lamb | February 2, 2010; 02:21 AM ET | Comments (7)
Obama as messiah
We need to stop looking for elected or appointed messiahs to solve our problems and instead try to work individually and collectively to do it ourselves, and in the process make the world more peaceful, just, and compassionate in everything we do.
By Ramdas Lamb | January 28, 2010; 02:59 AM ET | Comments (1)
Haiti and the law of karma
The way I have come to look upon any event that causes suffering, from a headache to the Holocaust, and everything in between, is related to karma. As I understand it, whatever we do, why we do it, how attached we are to our thoughts and actions, what we learn from them, and what expectation of reward we have all play a role in the resulting karma.
By Ramdas Lamb | January 22, 2010; 04:22 AM ET | Comments (22)
The good and the bad of religion
To some extent, I think Brit Hume and Sarah Palin are correct in their views about the mainstream media, which has a tendency to depict committed Christians, especially conservatives, as narrow minded, dim witted, somewhat ignorant, and often bigoted.
By Ramdas Lamb | January 17, 2010; 04:16 AM ET | Comments (2)
Allowing violent extremists to curtail free speech
When laws are made primarily to placate extremists rather than to benefit the society at large, then the lawmakers are essentially succumbing to fear and are allowing the violent to set the agenda. Although blasphemy in itself does little to make life better, laws used to suppress it make life much worse.
By Ramdas Lamb | January 7, 2010; 01:34 PM ET | Comments (2)
Can war or violence ever be necessary?
When I was a monk and had no one depending on me, adhering to the concept of ahimsa in thought and deed was integral to my goals in life. I often read Gandhi and found great inspiration through him. I still read him regularly, but I now also have a family, and I see protecting them as one of my duties.
By Ramdas Lamb | December 21, 2009; 07:30 PM ET | Comments (0)
Gore's convenient half-truth
Gore and others who follow him want people to make drastic changes in their lives. Maybe he and his devotees should lead the way by altering their own lifestyles first to show their willingness to play a leading role.
By Ramdas Lamb | December 18, 2009; 01:17 AM ET | Comments (5)
A reaction based on misquided fear
The vote and the ban are the result of a fear that many Swiss, and countless others in Europe and the world, have regarding the level of violence that is being perpetuated in the name of Islam by a radical minority within the religion.
By Ramdas Lamb | December 4, 2009; 04:11 AM ET | Comments (2)
Atheism is also a religion for many
The American Humanist Association has its own philosophy, holidays, and is on a proselytizing campaign to convert others to follow its belief system......sounds a lot like a religion to me.
By Ramdas Lamb | November 26, 2009; 01:31 PM ET | Comments (14)
Politicians should be open to input
Unfortunately, as the situation currently exists, far too many of our politicians base their approaches to the laws they attempt to pass on partisan politics and personal gain, not on what is ethical or moral. As a result, many of our laws ignore what is ethically sound for what is politically beneficial and expedient.
By Ramdas Lamb | November 19, 2009; 01:59 PM ET | Comments (0)
Goodness and justice over religious affiliation
Religious belief and military service are part and parcel of the societies of most countries. Generally, they have been able to find compatibility. There have been times of antagonism and difficulty in the U.S. in this regards, but for the most part, members of the American military services have found ways to live the religious values they hold while serving, and we have all benefited as a result.
By Ramdas Lamb | November 12, 2009; 11:56 AM ET | Comments (1)
Goodness itself is divine
Whenever individuals are inspired to promote peace, practice compassion, and do good, I would call that inspiration divine, irrespective of whether they acknowledge that as the source or not. For those in whose lives goodness and ethics are integral, there is no need for them to be forced into following a human created belief system or deity. That inner light is already guiding their lives in such moments.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 29, 2009; 06:16 AM ET | Comments (3)
Religions need to live and let live
If the prophetic traditions spent less time counting their flock and more time tending to them and their needs and also inspiring them to better co-exist in a multi-faith world, we would have much less violence to worry about and far more compassion and empathy to address the real problems we all face.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 22, 2009; 04:57 AM ET | Comments (5)
Moving beyond hate
What we need to understand and do as a society is to address head on what causes such hatred. I see two issues: fear caused by ignorance and greed for power. Resentment, prejudice, and hatred are typically caused by fear, which is most often the product of ignorance.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 21, 2009; 02:23 PM ET | Comments (1)
Start With Skepticism, Seek Harmony
Because beauty, harmony, and connectedness are also divine traits, humans who express these in their lives reflect divinity in the process. On the other hand, ignorance, hatred, and violence reflect a lack of connectedness with that divinity.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 10, 2009; 12:45 AM ET | Comments (7)
How is Moral Responsibility Determined?
We exacerbated the situation in Afghanistan and helped create the problem. Now it is our duty to try to help rectify it.
By Ramdas Lamb | October 7, 2009; 02:52 PM ET | Comments (0)
Peace or Destruction: An Imminent Choice
All of our current political priorities should be focused on finding a path away from nuclear war. The threat will not go away by pretending it is not serious.
By Ramdas Lamb | September 30, 2009; 02:13 PM ET | Comments (0)
Free to Hire, Not to Discriminate
Rather than making blanket criticisms or condemnations of groups simply because they have a religious affiliation, we should try to judge each on its deeds and merits, in the same way that we should judge people, not on their religious affiliation or lack thereof, but on their deeds and merits.
By Ramdas Lamb | September 24, 2009; 03:51 AM ET | Comments (2)
Celebrity and Power Trump Civility
The contemporary devaluation of humility, civility, truthfulness, and responsibility has been particularly detrimental to us both collectively and individually.
By Ramdas Lamb | September 17, 2009; 05:48 AM ET | Comments (2)
Violence in God's Name
The more pivotal question that arises from the situations mentioned seems to be "Why would individuals, and especially clergy, ever think they need a gun in a house of worship?"
By Ramdas Lamb | September 9, 2009; 03:55 AM ET | Comments (6)
The Value of Learning "About" Religions
No doubt, there will be those ideologues, both religious and atheist, who will see teaching about religion as a threat to their narrow beliefs and views of the world. The school board needs to look beyond these fears and embrace the chance to broaden their students' perspective of the world, and its myriad belief systems.
By Ramdas Lamb | September 2, 2009; 03:21 AM ET | Comments (5)
Misdirected Compassion?
While I personally support the UK's banning of capital punishment, the Scottish legal system needs to rethink what compassion means and to whom it should be directed.
By Ramdas Lamb | August 26, 2009; 05:25 AM ET | Comments (2)
Whose Responsibility is My Health?
Does the U.S. need health care reform? Absolutely. But first our nation needs to reform our definition of health.
By Ramdas Lamb | August 19, 2009; 02:12 AM ET | Comments (2)
Searching for God On the Internet
Theologians also say God in omniscient, therefore he of she would likely know all "tweets," all blog entries, and even all e-mails.
By Ramdas Lamb | August 11, 2009; 03:49 AM ET | Comments (10)
Freedom of Religion = Freedom to Choose
Any individual who seeks to be affiliated with a religious tradition should find one that resonates with his or her core values. If not, what is the use?
By Ramdas Lamb | August 4, 2009; 01:14 PM ET | Comments (7)
Marriage is a Religious Ritual
The concept of a civil marriage is a much later development, established for a secular government to mimic the religious rite while attempting to remove any religious trappings.
By Ramdas Lamb | July 29, 2009; 01:41 AM ET | Comments (28)
Rethinking the "Sacredness" of Scripture
In the Dharma Traditions, especially Hinduism and, to some extent theistic Buddhism, the issue of the Divine's gender is quite different.
By Ramdas Lamb | July 22, 2009; 08:42 PM ET | Comments (0)
Looking Past Ethnicity and Gender
To the extent that religious values are important to a judge, these will also influence the way he or she understands what laws mean and what rulings are correct.
By Ramdas Lamb | July 15, 2009; 03:02 PM ET | Comments (2)
America Has More Than 3 Faiths
In adding Muslim holidays to the city's school calendar, the NYC Council is recognizing Islam as having equal official status with Christianity and Judaism. It also sends the message to Hindus, Buddhists, and members of other faiths that their beliefs are less important.
By Ramdas Lamb | July 8, 2009; 02:40 PM ET | Comments (4)
