Ahmadiyah As A New Religion?

Can it really all be that simple?Can it really be as simple as the Ahmadis standing up and saying, "OK, we are a new religion", and "please leave us alone"?If you were prepared to accept the word of Priyo Budi Santoso, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and member of Golkar, then it is. It would seem that the Democrat Party of SBY is also suggesting that the establishment of a new

Violence in the Name of Religion: Indonesia Burns...

I have been sitting here in front of the laptop and pondering whether or not to wind-up and go off on another rant about religious intolerance in Indonesia and the mockery that a small number of supposed followers of Islam are making of claims that Islam is a religion of peace and that the Prophet Mohammad was a man of mercy. The reason I sat here for hours on end is a simple one. Indonesia is a

RIM Blocks Porn on BlackBerry Smartphones in Indonesia...

All hail to the Anti-Pornography King, TitS!TitS (aka Tifatul Sembiring) has seemingly won the battle with RIM. RIM have not only agreed to block pornography from their BlackBerry Smartphones, but they have gone even further by simply adopting the filtering system developed by the Nawala Project.This filtering system blocks out all content that is considered to be not only pornographic, but that

Was the "Big Bang" God's Work?

I have always wondered why the Catholic Church felt threatened by science supposedly undermining religion. After all, how much simpler could it be than to say that science exists because God wants it to and then place God one step in front of anything that should be 'discovered'. So, in that sense I am wondering why the recent declaration by Pope Benedict XVI that God was responsible for the "Big

Separation of Mosque and State...

One of the fundamental principles that make a democracy is that there needs to be separation between the state and the predominant religion of that state. In the Western context this is referred to as the separation of Church and State. In essence, religion plays no role in the affairs of state. This is sometime problematic as the US has found out with things like the pledge of allegiance and the

Happy New Year! And, the World Ends on 21 May 2011...

I really do hate to be the one to put a downer on your New Year's celebrations, but it is time to get a does of cold hard reality and understand that you have about six months left to get your life in order. Judgment Day is coming. In fact, it is coming on 21 May 2011. According to Family Radio Worldwide, the Bible guarantees that the End of Days will start on this very date. So, I am guessing

Too Much Christmas for the MUI?

Can there ever be too much Christmas cheer? Yes!It would seem that the Indonesian arbiters of all things Islam and Muslim, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), has decided that Indonesian malls have gone overboard this year. The malls have gotten so far into the Christmas spirit that Indonesian Muslims are offended by the constant bombardment of the message of giving and peace. The MUI has a

Jesus: Wine-Guzzling Vagrant and Precocious Socialist?

Jesus Christ is a "wine-guzzling vagrant precocious socialist"!Is this one of those things where your first reaction is to smile and have a little chuckle to yourself while thinking "hmmm, this is certainly going to ruffle a few feathers!"?Perhaps the more pertinent question is "would this insult on Jesus be enough for you to pull your child out of school?" In the US state of New Hampshire, it is