The Essence of True Religion; A Christian perspective :-

The obligation to care for the poor and the needy lies at the very heart of the Christian gospel. The scriptures tell us that “pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.” (James 1:27).

In addition to refraining from evil, true disciples of the Master wear out their lives in the service of others. It was Jesus Himself who said, “And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant.” (Matthew 20:27). As always, Jesus, the Chosen Servant, showed us the way, capping His mortal ministry with the supernal sacrifice of His sinless life: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22).

The ultimate measure of our discipleship is not to be found in professions of piety or in the number of Church positions we have held, but rather in the extent to which we keep Christ’s commandments. “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them,” Jesus said, “he it is that loveth me.” (John 14:21). We cannot fully keep His commandments unless we serve others. Without that pure love of Christ, which expresses itself in the care of the less fortunate, whatever else we do, or profess to be, is but “as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” (1 Corinthians 13:1). “Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?” asked Moroni. (Mormon 8:39).

The essence of service is found in the words written on a commemorative tablet located in the southeast corner of the chancel in the cathedral in Peterborough, in Cambridgeshire, England. It is placed near the grave of a remarkable woman named Mary Deacon, who died in 1730 at age 73. Written with that peculiar genius for the language which makes the best of English usage, the felicitous phrase that commemorates her life reads as follows: “To the poor of this city gave her daily bounty, so private as not to be told, so large as scarce to be equaled.”

Those two concepts of privacy and generosity describe what should be the nature and extent of our service to others. Before discussing them, it is to mention that in passing the importance not only of how we serve, but also, why we serve. Though people serve for various reasons, some more noble than others, the highest form of service is that which flows from the pure love of Christ. Such service is given without thought of gain or reward in this world or the next, but simply because the giver loves God and His children. In that consecrated service has found the best of life, the surest road to heaven. Service to others, given in love, solves the divine paradox of Christ’s gospel, that one must lose his or her life to find it (see Matthew 16:25). We lighten our own burdens by taking on those of another. In the process of losing our life in service to others, we find who we are and who Christ is. This is the promise of Jesus and the miracle of service.

This is not suggested in any way that service to others is the only virtue we are to cultivate as disciples of the Master. But service to others is essential if we are to realize and retain the fullness of Christ’s Atonement in our lives. Consider these words of King Benjamin:

"For the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants". [Mosiah 4:26].

Now let us return to those two essential components of true charity: privacy and generosity. Jesus rebuked those whose charity was given ostentatiously, for the aggrandizement of the giver. He was saddened by those whose motives in giving were clouded by a worldly, selfish desire to receive public acclaim for their actions.

He said: "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men." [Matthew 6:1–2].

We can and should be grateful to all who serve others, whatever the honorable motivation of the giver may be, but there is a quiet and gentle joy that comes to those who give anonymously, privately, without thought of or interest in public acclaim or even of public knowledge of their benevolence. These are they who have conquered the selfishness of the natural man. As Elder Neal A. Maxwell has wisely noted, “There is a marked difference between the introspection that focuses on ‘How did I do?’ and the introspection that asks, ‘Did I do enough?'" All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1979], 63.

The second component of service that is under discussion today is that of generosity. As always, Jesus said it best: "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." [Luke 6:38].

Jesus commands us to be generous even with those who oppose us: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in the heaven." [Matthew 5:44–45].

That commandment, to love those who hate us, is one of the most demanding requirements of Christian discipleship. It flies in the face of the “natural man,” who demands blood, revenge, retribution; whose memory of wrongs real or imagined never dims; who sees compassion as weakness and holds forgiveness in contempt. But hard though it is, Jesus still requires such generosity of spirit as part of our service to Him. The Prophet Joseph Smith had a full measure of that spirit of benevolence and forgiveness.

During a time of personal weakness and great troubles for the Saints in Missouri, William W. Phelps betrayed the Prophet Joseph to his enemies. Later, when Phelps in bitter sorrow and repentance wished to return to fellowship in the Church, Joseph freely forgave him. Wrote Joseph: “Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first, are friends again at last”. (HC 4:164).

With what, then, are we to be generous as we serve others, in addition to our forgiveness? Certainly, we are to be generous with our time. I can think of no one who gives of himself more fully all day every day than does our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley. His grueling schedule, which would wear out men many years his junior, along with his constant desire to reach out to all of God’s children and a deep conviction that “all are alike unto God.” (2 Nephi 26:33) combine to make him an extremely effective leader and superb example to all.

Jesus commands us to give generously of our talents in the service of others. In His masterful parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus spoke of three men to whom had been entrusted varying amounts of talents according to their differing abilities. Two of the servants magnified their talents, increasing that which had been entrusted to them, but the third, too frightened, and perhaps too slothful to act, hid his talent “in the earth” and did nothing with it. The first two were commended by their Lord, but the one who had been untrue to the trust reposed in him was strongly rebuked, and that which he had was given to another.

Jesus expects us to magnify our talents, to be anxiously engaged in our labors, to be more competent and qualified in our service.  “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God”. (Mosiah 2:17).

Jesus commands that we be generous with our substance. Following this, since it's beginnings the Church has organized to assist its members to provide for themselves and others, ensuring their physical, spiritual, social, and emotional welfare. The Church also sponsors humanitarian relief and development projects around the world that benefit others not of our faith. These projects include emergency relief assistance in times of disaster and programs that strengthen the productivity and self-reliance of individuals and families and increase the capacities of communities and institutions to serve others. Hundreds of full-time volunteers with skills and experience in medicine, education, agriculture, business, social work, and so on serve throughout the world.

One of the miracles that happens when we give of our substance is that God provides more. As President Spencer W. Kimball reminded us, “What glorious consequences can flow from mundane acts and from small but deliberate deeds!” (TSWK, 252).

President Brigham Young grew to know that God provides for those who give freely of their substance to others. He wrote: "The first year that I came into this valley I had not flour enough to last my family until harvest, and that I had brought with me, and persons were coming to my house every day for bread. I had the blues about it one day; I went down to the old fort, and by the time I got back to my house I was completely cured. I said to my wife, “Do not let a person come here for food and go away empty handed, for if you do we shall suffer before harvest; but if you give to every individual that comes we shall have enough to last us through."

Do you believe that principle? I know it is true, because I have proven it so many times. Jesus commands us to be generous with our testimonies of Him and His gospel. One of the most severe rebukes given by the Lord in this dispensation was uttered by the Savior to missionaries who would not fulfill their sacred obligations to bear testimony:

"But some of the people not open their mouths, but hide the talent which have been given unto them, because of the fear of man. Wo unto such, for mine anger is kindled against them."

A tender story from our early pioneer days in the American South illustrates the power of testimony. A century ago, feelings of misunderstanding and intolerance toward the Latter-day Saints periodically erupted into senseless violence in the South, with eight murders and many brutal assaults on our missionaries or local priesthood leaders from 1879 to 1900. During the summer of 1878, Elder Frank Croft, a missionary in northern Alabama, was forcibly taken against his will by “armed and vicious men” to be whipped. He was tied to a tree for that purpose. In the struggle a letter from his mother fell from Elder Croft’s pocket. The leader of the mob picked it up and read from it:

“Surely, my boy, they who are mistreating you Elders know not what they do or they would not do it. Sometime, somewhere, they will understand and then they will regret their action and they will honor you for the glorious work you are doing. So be patient, my son; love those who mistreat you and say all manner of evil against you and the Lord will bless you and magnify you in their eyes and your mission will be gloriously successful. Remember also, my son, that day and night, your mother is praying for you always."

[The leader of the mob read the whole letter to himself and then said to his companions:] “Men, after reading this Mormon’s mother’s letter, I just can’t go ahead with the job. Maybe we had better let him go.” [“A Mother’s Letter Saves Her Son’s Life,” in chapter 22 of Bryant S. Hinckley, The Faith of Our Pioneer Fathers, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1956, 257–59]. They did indeed let Elder Croft go unharmed, his life spared by a mother’s plea for her son.

This advice given by the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1829 applies still in our day: "Fear not to do good, my sons, for whatsoever ye sow, that shall ye also reap; therefore, if ye sow good ye shall also reap good for your reward." Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. [D&C 6:33–34].

President Spencer W. Kimball pointed out that “the most vital thing we can do is to express our testimonies through service, which will, in turn, produce spiritual growth, greater commitment, and a greater capacity to keep the commandments”. (TSWK, 254).

In the final analysis, then, the greatest testimony we can ever give to others is an exemplary life devoted to service. “Service,” said President Marion G. Romney, “is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made” (CR, October 1982, 135; or “The Celestial Nature of Self-Reliance,” Ensign, November 1982, 93).

Finally, Jesus asks us to be generous with our love. These simple words from a beloved hymn express that sweet sentiment well: "Because I have been blessed by thy great love, dear Lord,
I’ll share thy love again, according to thy word. I shall give love to those in need; I’ll show that love by word and deed:
Thus shall my thanks be thanks indeed."
[“Because I Have Been Given Much". Hymns 1985, no. 219]

May each of us “be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught” (“I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus,” Songbook, 78–79).

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Atheism, Definition And Overview

What Is Atheism?
No one asks this question enough. The reason no one asks this question a lot is because most people have preconceived ideas and notions about what an Atheist is and is not. Where these preconceived ideas come from varies, but they tend to evolve from theistic influences or other sources. Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods, but it is a lack of belief in gods.

Older dictionaries define atheism as "a belief that there is no God." Some dictionaries even go so far, as to define Atheism as "wickedness," "sinfulness," and other derogatory adjectives. Clearly, theistic influence taints dictionaries. People cannot trust these dictionaries to define atheism.

The fact that dictionaries define Atheism as "there is no God" betrays the monotheistic influence. Without the monotheistic influence, the definition would at least read "there are no gods." Why should atheists allow theists to define who atheists are? Do other minorities allow the majority to define their character, views, and opinions? No, they do not. So why does everyone expect atheists to lie down and accept the definition placed upon them by the world’s theists? Atheists will define themselves.

Atheism is not a belief system nor is it a religion. While there are some religions that are atheistic, certain sects of Buddhism, for example, that does not mean that atheism is a religion. Two commonly used retorts to the nonsense that atheism is a religion are: 1) If atheism is a religion, then bald is a hair color, and 2) If atheism is a religion, then health is a disease.

A new one introduced in 2012 by Bill Maher is, "If atheism is a religion, then abstinence is a sexual position." The only common thread that ties all atheists together is a lack of belief in gods and supernatural beings. Some of the best debates we have ever had have been with fellow atheists. This is because atheists do not have a common belief system, sacred scripture or atheist Pope. This means atheists often disagree on many issues and ideas. Atheists come in a variety of shapes, colors, beliefs, convictions, and backgrounds. Atheists are as unique as our fingerprints.

What is Atheism? Ethics Without Gods. American History :-
Take the proposition, “God exists”. One could affirm the proposition, which is theism. Deny the proposition, which is atheism, or withhold judgment with regard to the proposition, which is agnosticism. Those who affirm the proposition have to give reasons why they think it is true. Those who deny it have to give reasons why they think it is false. Only those who withhold judgment have the right to sit on the fence on the issue.

Thus J. J. C. Smart states matter-of-factly, “‘Atheism’ means the negation of theism, the denial of the existence of God.” Nor will an attempt to defend this new definition on the basis of the etymology of the word “atheist” work. The word “atheist” is from the Greek word “Theos” which means “God”, and the “a” is the negation. The “a” is taken to mean “without”, and hence “atheism” simply means “without belief in God”. But this will not do. Even if we grant that the “a” means “without”, we will still not arrive at the conclusion that atheism means “without belief in God”. What is negated in the word “atheism” is not “belief” but “God”. Atheism still means “without God”, not “without belief”. There is no concept of “belief” in the etymology of the word – the word simply means the universe is without God, which is another way of saying that God does not exist.

Semantic quibbles aside, there are deeper problems with this position. The same atheists who decry the irrationality of believing in God still insist on shoehorning theistic ideas into their ontology. Most of them continue to defend the meaning and purpose of life, the validity of objective morality and the assurance that humanity is marching on towards progress and would move thus faster were it not for the shackles of religion.

Such cosmic optimism would be unrecognizable to the most prominent atheists of yesteryear, not to mention the many in our day who say as much. It is recognized as a remnant of a biblical tradition that still has some of its grip on the Western Psyche. Speaking about the belief that every human life needs to be protected, Richard Rorty wrote, “This Jewish and Christian element in our tradition is gratefully invoked by freeloading atheists like myself.”

To adopt a zoological metaphor, it might be helpful to think of atheism as a ‘family’, divided into two ‘genera’ (negative and positive), each made up of various ‘species’ (agnosticism, Promethean antitheism, etc.). This taxonomic approach to atheism permits exploration of a diverse range of stances and worldviews, united by their shared absence of theism. It encompasses, for example, the positive atheisms of the humanist Bertrand Russell, the existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, and the Marxist Mao Zedong, but also the negative atheisms of the agnostic Anthony Kenny, the logical positivist A. J. Ayer, and some, but not all of the secular ‘indifference’ of a large and increasing number of Westerners.

It would also include any genuinely religious atheisms, as are sometimes identified in strands of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism (though see Jessica Frazier’s, Andrew Skilton’s, and Anne Vallely’s chapters later in this Handbook). Needless to say, the great bulk of this coherent richness and diversity — and with it, the potential for illuminating comparisons and correlations is lost if atheism’s prefix is understood exclusively in the sense of a rejection and/or denial.

Of course, scholars are not obliged to take into account all of atheism’s ‘endless forms’, whenever they want to write about a particular ‘genus’ or ‘species’: positive atheism, for example, is and will remain a discrete and significant focus of enquiry in itself. Nonetheless, there is clear value in being at least aware of how one’s specific topic relates to the bigger picture. One positive result, for instance, may be to reduce the data-skewing tendency of some students of religion to bifurcate people into ‘religious believers’ and ‘convinced atheists’, as though there were no possibility of anything in between.

Debates about the definition of atheism are common, far too common, frankly, but there does not seem to be much that can be done about this. Sometimes there are poor reasons for disagreements, as when theists and even some atheists object to the implications of weak atheism and feel a need to reject it. Sometimes there are good reasons for disagreements, as when philosophers find weak atheism too uninteresting to write much about and prefer to focus on strong atheism — but don’t want to qualify their use of terminology all the time.

Definition of atheism in English :-
noun: Disbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods. Example sentences Doubts and refutations were presented from the perspective of humanistic atheism and agnosticism. Christianity has nothing to fear from atheism or agnosticism.How atheism and agnosticism have spread in the later generations is there for everyone to see. Get more examples Synonymsnon-belief, non-theism, disbelief, unbelief, scepticism, doubt, agnosticism, irreligion, godlessness, ungodliness, profaneness, impiety, heresy, apostasy, paganism, heathenism, freethinking, nihilism.

The case for atheism as a kind of belief -- the belief in the nonexistence of God -- was championed by no less a figure than J.M. Robertson, the great historian of free thought. Robertson argued that any "ism," including atheism, implies that we are dealing with a positive belief or doctrine, not a simple privation. Contrary to Robertson's view, "-ism" can mean something other than a doctrine or belief; it can mean "a state or condition" as well.

Thus, the privative definition of atheism is still possible. Atheism as the absence of belief can denote an "ism" -- a state of mind in which theistic belief is absent.
In a thoughtful discussion of atheism contained in The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Paul Edwards proposes a definition of atheism that falls midway between the negative definition (the absence of theistic belief) and the positive definition (the outright denial of theism). An atheist, according to Edwards, is a person "who rejects belief in God" for whatever reason. This definition allows Edwards to include as atheists those who maintain that the concept of God is incoherent or that the proposition "God exists" is meaningless and hence neither true nor false.

Certainly there is rome truth to this claim: positive atheism, at least, frequently expresses itself in opposition to some specific understanding of theism. In times and places where Christianity is prevalent, it would be strange to expend much energy critiquing the Neoplatonists’ One or Pharaoh Akhenaten’s sun-god Aten. And nor is it surprising that Western proponents of positive atheism should now direct their attentions to Islam, as well as to their traditional target of Christianity.

But the fact that prevailing theisms condition, the focus and expression of certain types of atheism, need not mean that either they or atheism in general have no wider referent. Even when specific attention is understandably given to one type of theism, this is normally accompanied and motivated by a general disavowal of all gods. (By analogy, an opposition party normally expresses itself against the policies of the government. But it would be something of a stretch to claim that, say, the essence of the Labour Party or socialism itself, is defined exclusively by ‘what the Tories are not’.)

"From the mere fact that a person is an atheist, one cannot infer that this person subscribes to any particular positive beliefs. One’s positive convictions are quite distinct from the subject of atheism. While one may begin with a basic philosophical position and infer atheism as a consequence of it, this process cannot be reversed. One cannot move from atheism to a basic philosophical belief, because atheism can be (and has been) incorporated within many different and incompatible philosophical systems." ( 1989: 21–2)

Flew fears that this negative definition "may appear to be a piece of perverse Humpty Dumptyism, going arbitrarily against established common usage," so he presents compelling reasons to support what he sees as an unusual definition. Perhaps this was for the best, because the resulting article, "The Presumption of Atheism," is one of the finest pieces on atheism ever written. But Flew's negative definition is anything but perverse.

On the contrary, it is a much-needed return to a grand tradition.
Not insignificantly, this way of defining atheism, has precedents in both the writings of influential atheist writers, and in key works in the philosophical and social-scientific study of atheism (e.g., Flew 1976; Smith 1989; Martin 1990; Hiorth 2003; Hwang et al. 2009; Eller 2010). Furthermore, given the benefits of finding an agreed upon definition among scholars of atheism as outlined in the previous section, its recent employment in another major, multiauthor reference work — The Cambridge Companion to Atheism (see Martin 2007) — is a key point in its favour.

Ernest Nagel disagrees with Smith's definition of atheism as an "absence of theism", saying only explicit atheism is true atheism. This means that Nagel believes that to be an Atheist, a person needs to know about God and then reject the idea of God. Theism, broadly defined, is just the belief in the existence of at least one god. Contrasted with this is atheism: broadly defined, atheism is the absence of belief in the existence of any gods.

Most disagreement over this comes from Christians who insist that atheism must be the denial of gods, or at least of their god. Mere absence of belief in gods is, they claim, properly labeled agnosticism, even though agnosticism has it's own definition and is about a different concept entirely.

One of the few modem philosophers to embrace the negative definition of atheism is Antony Flew in his article, "The Presumption of Atheism." According to Flew, the prefix "a" in "atheism" should have the same negative meaning as in words like "amoral," "atypical," and "asymmetrical." "In this interpretation," Flew argues, "an atheist becomes: not someone who positively asserts the non-existence of God; but someone who is simply not a theist."

Faith is also used to refer to belief without supporting evidence or proof. Skeptical atheism certainly doesn't fit that definition, as skeptical atheism has no beliefs. Strong atheism is closer, but still doesn't really match, as even the most dogmatic atheist will tend to refer to experimental data (or the lack of it) when asserting that God does not exist.

In any case, such a definition of atheism goes against the intuitions held by almost everyone who has not been initiated into this way of thinking. In spite of the myriads of nuances one can give to one’s preferred version of denying God’s existence, the traditional view has been that there are ultimately only three attitudes one can take with regard to a particular proposition. Take the proposition, “God exists”. One could affirm the proposition, which is theism, Deny the proposition, which is atheism, or withhold judgment with regard to the proposition, which is agnosticism.

Those who affirm the proposition have to give reasons why they think it is true. Those who deny it have to give reasons why they think it is false. Only those who withhold judgment have the right to sit on the fence on the issue. Thus J. J. C. Smart states matter-of-factly, “‘Atheism’ means the negation of theism, the denial of the existence of God.”

Of course, these definitions share certain features: all regard atheism as relating, in a negative way, to a thing or things called ‘god’, and all but one describe this relationship in terms of belief. But beyond this, it is obvious that these authors are not all talking about the same thing at all. The first and second include gods; the final three specify only one (which the final two give a capital G). The fourth definition, moreover, restricts this scope even further. Definitions two and three regard atheism as simply being the absence of a certain belief; the rest, contrariwise, see it as implying a definite belief. Moreover, the fifth definition also demands a level of intellectual — and perhaps also emotional — conviction, over and above simple believing.

I had no point, really, other than the obvious one that Dr. Bullivant was advancing a definition of "atheism" according to which his daughter is an atheist. I wonder if that was intentional. I might add that, in his bio at the end of the article, Dr. Bullivant is identified as "a former atheist." Given his definition, absolutely everyone who is not now an atheist is a former atheist. Jimmy Akin didn't explicitly answer his own question, but it looks like he was strongly leaning in the direction of saying that, no, babies aren't atheists. If so, that would put him in opposition to Dr. Bullivant -- unless Dr. Bullivant didn't actually mean to define "atheism" in such a way as to mean that babies are atheists.

What if we construe the prefix "a" negatively to mean "no"? This has been preferred by those who wish to define atheism as the outright denial of God's existence. But consider: even the negative sense of "a" doesn't, by itself, give us this definition. "A-theism," with the negative "a," translates into "no-belief in a god or gods." Here again, we have an essentially privative definition -- atheism as the absence of theistic belief.

Bibliography

"Atheism " Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"Atheism: An Introduction to Atheism" . n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"Defining Atheism | RZIM" . n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"Defining Atheism" . n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"How Should We Define 'Atheism'? | Strange Notions" . n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"Is Atheism a religion? " creation.com. n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

"What is Atheism? Overview of How Atheism is Defined in ..." . n.p., 1 Jan. 1970.Web. 28 Jan. 2016.

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The Personal Religion

Introduction :-
This article addresses change and continuity in late antique Eastern Christianity, as perceived through the lens of the categories of institutional religion and personal religion. The interaction between personal devotion and public identity reveals the creative aspects of a vibrant religious culture that altered the experience of Christians on both a spiritual and an institutional level. A close look at the interrelations between the personal and the institutional expressions of religion in this period attests to an ongoing revision of both the patristic literature and the monastic tradition. By approaching the period in terms of ‘revision’, the contributors discuss the mechanism of transformation in Eastern Christianity from a new perspective, discerning social and religious changes while navigating between the dynamics of personal and institutional religion.

Recognizing the creative aspects inherent to the process of ‘revision’, this article re-examines several aspects of personal and institutional religion, revealing dogmatic, ascetic, liturgical, and historiographical transformations. Attention is paid to the expression of the self, the role of history and memory in the construction of identity, and the modification of the theological discourse in late antique culture. The article also explores several avenues of Jewish-Christian interaction in the institutional and public sphere.

Observations :-
It seems that historians of religion should no longer need to refute characterizations of the Mediterranean world in the fifth through eighth centuries, whether in the West or the East, as "stagnant" or merely a time of "revision" of earlier insights. This article of learning essays nonetheless frame their collection as a response to such views; they seek "to discern the diverse and convoluted transformations of Eastern Christian thought and practice" in the centuries after Chalcedon through the overarching theme of the relationships or interactions between "personal religion" and "institutional religion".

Although the article explicitly does not define these categories, it is reasonably clear what does it mean by personal religion: it is the religious experience and practice of the "individual," for that word appears multiple times in their elucidation of the personal. Institutional religion does not receive the same elaboration, but it must be significantly different from an individual, i.e. "collective" or "group." The editors attribute the increased importance of "individual piety" to the growth of monasticism and its influence throughout society, but one may argue that many forms of monasticism in fact created modes of "institutional" or group religion unprecedented, at least in Judaism and Christianity, in the intensity of their collectivist mentality. This point is considered below.

Definition :-
Scholars have attempted to define both concepts, Religion and Spirituality, but as Zinnbauer, Pargament, and Scott show, there are many different possible definitions in the literature. Generally, the definition of religion is related to the institutional, ritual and ideological, whereas spirituality is related with the personal, affective, experiential, and reflective (Ubani & Tirri, 2006). In this sense, Van Dierendonck and Mohan observe that spirituality is centered in an inner attitude, unrelated with any specific religion.

Research:-
Likewise, empirical research has shown that the complexity in understanding this difference is also found in the general population. In a research with 102 adolescents between ages 12 and 13, Ubani and Tirri concluded that the participants indicated expressions of religion as related majority with institutional dimension and spirituality as the humanistic dimension. Moreover, studies with the young population in Cataluña, Spain (Casas et al., 2009) Also show a different understanding of the two concepts. The majority believes that traditional religion contributes very little to their vital satisfaction, whereas the importance given to spirituality is greater.

Personal Well Being Index (PWI) :-
Cummins, et al., 2003 and International Wellbeing Group, 2006). This scale measures subjective well being within different domains of satisfaction: standard of living, health, life achievements, personal relationships, personal safety, groups and future security. According to the authors, these satisfaction domains are related with global wellbeing, each one as a specific item. In November 2006 the authors included the religion/spirituality domain, adding one item (International Well being Group, 2006), and in April 2013, they decided to make the Spiritual/Religious domain optional, because it showed unique contribution in some countries, but not in others.

In the revision of the instrument, the authors also recommend that researchers wishing to include this domain use two separate questions, one referring to spirituality and the other referring to religious beliefs (International Well being Group, 2013). Thus, considering the previous findings about the eighth item, this research took into account two different versions of the wellbeing index, one including spirituality, and the other, religion.

Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ These talks by Dallas Willard were recorded at a conference titled Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ on the 20 May 2010. A prolific writer, and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, Willard argues that Bible truths should be treated as a reliable body of knowledge – and afforded the same authority as philosophy, science and other disciplines. It’s from this basis, he explains, that Christians can most effectively engage their culture. This message is not only the central theme of the conference, but also at the very core of Bible Society’s mission to help today’s world connect with God’s Word.

Why has Dallas Willard been ranked alongside the likes of Martin Luther, John Wesley, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and C. S. Lewis? It's because he is reshaping our understanding of the Kingdom and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Few Christian leaders have a mind that can break the mould in the way that Dallas has. But, as the American writer John Ortberg says, ‘his heart is better’. James Catford, The Bible in Transmission, Spring 2010 News Vanessa Perdriau on winning The Pitch Vanessa Perdriau talks about the film idea that won her first prize at The Pitch film competition. Based on the biblical story of Elijah, her story, The Widow's Last, explores a woman’s journey from hopelessness and devastation to restoration and purpose.

Vanessa Perdriau wins The Pitch :-
Vanessa Perdriau from Blackheath, London, has won The Pitch film competition with her short historical drama “The Widow’s Last”. Pitch competition entries have to be based on a Bible story or character. Vanessa pitched her film idea, set during the Irish potato famine, to a panel of five industry judges at Pinewood Film Studios. Sponsorship brings the story of Mary Jones to life for the children of Wales A brand new show about the journey Mary Jones from Llanfihangel y Pennant to Bala will be travelling to schools in Wales from next week onwards. James's blog no related content was rabbis, Knowing Christ, today ‘personal religion or public reality?’

Studies of the adolescents: -
Among the existing studies with adolescents one of the main instruments used is the Personal Well being Index (PWI; Cummins, Eckersley, Pallant, Van Vugt, & Misajon, 2003). The PWI has seven items about different dimensions of satisfaction: standard of living, health, life achievements, personal relationships, personal safety, groups and future security. The International Well being Group has incorporated an eighth item related to spirituality or religion. Even though the PWI has been designed for the adult population, its formulation is broad enough to be used in all types of populations (Lau et al., 2008).

As an advocate of soulful living, I want to see religion thrive, but not religion as we have known it. I want to see it rising out of the heartfelt search of each man and woman for meaning and purpose. That search is the foundation of a religious life, and in a way it never ends. We always have more questions and can always go deeper into the convictions and understandings we have. This kind of religion is dynamic and tries to avoid static structures.

What is your personal Religion?
On the  question, A Religion of One's Own? people almost always ask: "But what about community?" Well yes, we want and need community in everything, but we have grown used to religious community as a certain group of people who think alike on important matters. That kind of community belongs to an outmoded way of imagining religion. Today we can start with our spiritual discoveries and form a religious practice of our own. We can do this within the setting of either a formal religion, like a church, in a less formal group, or on our own. We will find community because of the power of our open mind and the sincerity of our quest. We will draw people to us inspired by our intelligence and fervor, and we will seek out people who show similar courage and a spirit of adventure. Nothing to worry, community will happen.

Studies: -
It was possible to conclude that the model fit indices for each country and for the multigroup model are lower than the PWI-7 indices when including the spirituality or religion items. However, the adjustments are appropriate, showing that spirituality and religion contribute to the "PWI" construct, also finding that the model with spirituality presents better adjustments than the model with religion.

The different PWI versions showed good psychometric properties in the samples in both countries of this study, as well as for the combined sample, indicating its potential for the development of transcultural studies. The item spirituality seems to contribute to the PWI more than the item religion, since in the analyses performed it had a regression weight close to those found for the items "Health" and "Groups", whereas the item religion showed the lowest weight between all other domains assessed.

Data analysis :-
This data analysis reinforces the hypothesis that, in both cultures, satisfaction with spirituality contributes to overall life satisfaction and thus to subjective well being. Therefore, it's recommended that future studies continue to include the item spirituality in the PWI when administered on adolescents in the Latin American context. As a limitation of the study, the fact that the meaning given by adolescents to the terms "spirituality" and "religion" is not accurately understood should be highlighted. Furthermore, future research should also verify the PWI consistency including these two terms together or separately, considering age and gender differences, since these terms can be understood differently at different life stages.

Appreciation of the vision :-
This was an interesting look at religion. In fact, it really helps to uncover the "moon" that religion is supposed to point towards but has often been muddled and confused through the institutions in which they are expressed. I like that he does not condemn religion, rather encourages the reader to go further and deeper in their own tradition which may need to borrow from less traditional sources. This is a must read for a any seeker.

In addition, the domain which is more related to the PWI latent variable is satisfaction with the feeling of Personal Safety, followed by satisfaction with Life Achievements. The explained variance of the PWI relative to the OLS is slightly higher when adding the "spirituality" or "religion" item to the PWI-7 for both countries. That indicates that the PWI contributes more to the explanation of overall life satisfaction when adding the variable spirituality or religion to the instrument.

Traditional Religion :-
What is appreciate most about A Religion of One's Own is that it shows how one can meld traditional religion, spiritual intuition, and personal discipline into a deep and meaningful practice without it being kooky. Unlike so many new age forms of spiritualism, Moore's approach also requires something deep of the participant - in mind and in action. It's still is figuring out where to take it from here, but that's really the point.

On the other hand, should a man express affinity with the vessel as metaphor, it is as accessible to him as to any woman. By contrast, in the patriarchies of the past, though men were the privileged share holders and legislators in language, they were nonetheless, in a more limited sense than women, prisoners of the same aesthetic and moral codes established by their forbears. The total deconstruction of inherited gender prescription/proscription is Charlesworth's aim. But Charlesworth insists that she not impose her gender deconstruction on others, as this is each individual's personal, spiritual task. This is what can be called Charlesworth's Personal Religion.

Vaishnavism and Shaivism traditions of Hinduism subscribe to an ultimate personal nature of God. The Vishnu Sahasranama declares the person of Vishnu as both the Paramatma i.e. Supreme Soul and Parameshwara i.e. Supreme God, while the Rudram describes the same about Shiva. In Krishna-centered theology, Krishna is seen as a form of Vishnu by most, except Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the title Svayam Bhagavan is used exclusively to designate Krishna in his personal feature. It refers to Gaudiya Vaishnava, the Nimbarka Sampradaya and followers of Vallabha, while the person of Vishnu and Narayana is sometimes referred to as the ultimate personal god of other Vaishnava traditions.

The new and old traditions :-
In this new religious era the old traditions and institutions could come to life and become more relevant than ever. They are teeming with beautiful language, ideas, music, architecture, ritual and story. For our own religion, we don't have to invent the wheel. It's there in the books and buildings and customs spread around the globe. It  is  experienced to the spiritual teachers and rabbis and imams and priests and sisters who are witnesses to a new spiritual intelligence. They are already far ahead in their re-visioning of religion, and they can guide and educate. But you don't have to be a member or follower to build your religion from the traditions, learning from these wise people and being inspired by them.

Still you can be anyone in your own mind, and have three outstanding rubbish, can contact for counsel at any time. Being friendly with several sisters and priests who have been on the frontier of this new religiousness for years. Your buddy in teaching spirituality and making it accessible. A colleague who is a master of the old theology and yet far ahead in re-forming religion for the future. These admirable people are variously close to or remote from the official old style churches. Once you leave spiritual regimentation behind, you discover multiple ways of being genuinely and solidly religious.

Religion and Spirituality :-
The habit of preferring "spirituality" over "religion" is also passing. It's time to be more open, firm and courageous in countering the soulless, ego-centered philosophies of the modern era and embrace a new sacred. It's time not to abandon religion but to re-imagine it.

As observed by the International Well being Group , in the Australian population the domain "spirituality or religion" does not make a differential contribution, although it has proven to do so in other countries. For example, Wills reports empirical evidence of this contribution in the Colombian population and supports the inclusion of this new domain in the PWI. Moreover, Yiengprugsawan et al. conclude that "religion and spirituality" are important domains for well being in Thailand.

Observations :-
Discussion on the importance of including religion and spirituality as one of the PWI domains leans towards the studies that show that they contribute to life satisfaction and happiness (Cohen, 2002). In this sense, some studies show spirituality and religion as important protective factors for adolescent (Moreira & Sarriera, 2006).

In many studies the domains religion and spirituality are treated similarly, as if they were synonyms. Likewise, by proposing its inclusion in the PWI, the specific question used both words -"How satisfied are you with your spirituality or religion?" (International Wellbeing Group, 2006). Wills also used only one question to carry out his study in Colombia, but he pointed out that this is a topic that must be assessed with more detail. Considering that it is a double-barreled item, it may lead to a misunderstanding of the concepts and a measurement problem.

The reliability analysis (Cronbach´s alpha coefficient) of the different instrument specifications (with or without the inclusion of the domains "Religion" and "Spirituality") show that the results for Chile range between .803 and .785 and for Brazil between .788 and .774. However, a decrease in their reliability occurs with the inclusion of the item Religion (increasing to .796, if the item is deleted in Chile, and to .779 in Brazil), what was confirmed in the item-test correlation with the same domain in both countries (.268 for Chile and .290 for Brazil), considerably smaller than for the remaining domains. On the other hand, the inclusion of the domain related to satisfaction with spirituality in the corresponding version of the PWI in both countries slightly increases reliability (alpha decreases when removed).

Likewise, comparatively lower values are observed in the item-total correlations of the domains "Religion" and "Spirituality" with the original domains (PWI-7). In addition, relative similarity can be observed in the correlations of the remaining domains between the different versions of the PWI. The range of the total-item correlation of the different domains (except for "Religion" and "Spirituality") are between .427 and .612 for Chile and .443 and .560 for Brazil, all of them significant with p ≤ .01.

Another table also presents the overall fit index for the structural models. Despite the fact that the fit indices in the models from each country and from the multigroup model are lower that the PWI indices, when the items spirituality or religion are present the adjustments are appropriate, showing that spirituality and religion contribute to the PWI construct.

All specifications of the multigroup model have good fit indices, both without restrictions and with restricted factor loadings. It can be observed that the model with the item "religion" has the lowest fit indices. Also, when analyzing each country separately, data from Chile has better adjustment to the model with spirituality as well as with religion, compared to Brazil.

The reliability of the PWI with or without the inclusion of the "Religion" and "Spirituality" domains in Chile ranges between .803 and .785 and in Brazil between .788 and .774, thus there is a decrease in reliability originated from the inclusion of the item religion (it is .796 when removing this item for Chile and .779 for Brazil). The same occurs in the item-test correlation for the same item in both countries (.268 for Chile and .290 for Brazil), significantly less than the other domains. Comparing both countries, the inclusion of the item spirituality slightly increases reliability. In this regard, the reliability coefficients for the PWI-7 and PWI-8 versions have values very close to those obtained by related studies in other countries (Nielsen, Smyth, & Zhai, 2010; Rodriguez et al., 2011), obtaining an adequate reliability level.

The comparatively low item-total correlations and reliability coefficient obtained in the PWI + religion, and also its lowest fit indices in all models proposed, and the lowest factor loadings indicated the difficulty for including this domain specifically, despite remaining within acceptable ranges. When considering the correlations between the items religion and spirituality with the remaining items in the PWI, the ranges are similar to those found in Casas et al. with a sample of Spanish adolescents.

Complementarily, the results of the item-total correlations show values within similar ranges to those shown by studies in other countries with adult samples (since there are very few studies published with adolescent): from .33 to .69 for Hong Kong and from .21 to .66 for Australia (Lau et al., 2005), and from .44 to .79, in Spain (Rodriguez et al., 2011). Likewise, the nine domains analyzed had significant correlations with the single item scale on OLS.

Regarding the inclusion of the domains religion or spirituality as two separate items, it was possible to observe that the reliability analyses indicate that the inclusion of religion decreases reliability and the item-test correlations of these two domains are lower than for the remaining domains. However, the rest of the analyses favors the understanding that the item "spirituality" contributes to the PWI as well as to OLS. Thus it seems relevant to continue studying these domains in terms of their contribution to life satisfaction of adolescents.

For most, the question is not whether to be, but when and how to be religious. For those who are not drawn to traditional approaches, and for many of those who are, religious naturalism can offer a framework for exploring, experiencing, and enjoying a personal sense of religion.

The creative process of religion :-
Recognizing the creative aspects inherent to the process of ‘revision’, this article re-examines several aspects of personal and institutional religion, revealing dogmatic, ascetic, liturgical, and historiographical transformations. Attention is paid to the expression of the self, the role of history and memory in the construction of identity, and the modification of the theological discourse in late antique culture. The book also explores several avenues of Jewish-Christian interaction in the institutional and public sphere.

This study compared the 7-item Personal Well being Index (PWI) with two other versions which include the domains "Spirituality" and "Religion", separately, in a sample of Brazilian (n = 1.047) and Chilean (n = 1.053) adolescents. A comparison of psychometric properties between the PWI versions was carried out through multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showing adequate adjustments (CFI > .95, RMSEA < .08), whereas the item spirituality presented better performance. For the analysis of the differential contribution of each domain to the notion of global satisfaction, a regression on the item Overall Life Satisfaction (OLS) was applied using structural equations. It is recommended the inclusion of the item spirituality in the original scale, considering the importance of such domain in both cultures.

The Personal Religion of Edward III
"Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, for he has visited his people, he has come to their rescue and he has raised up a power for salvation in the House of his servant David.”

Thus exclaimed the Lanercost chronicler after recounting the glorious deeds of King Edward III at Crécy and Calais in 1346–47. By the middle years of his reign Edward was already commonly seen as the divinely inspired instrument of English salvation, the epitome of Old Testament kingship, and an exemplar for Christian princes. English writers and artists made enthusiastic comparisons with Samson and David, with Arthur and Charlemagne. Edward was frequently portrayed as the great boar which, according to certain well-known political prophecies, would subdue England's enemies and restore the kingdom to its former greatness.

Special Note :-
This fine article, guides you through a process you might want to find your own personal religion, gathering from your past religious experiences and being lead through the great artists, thinkers and persons with deep faith. I really appreciate this therapist that works with us and for us to find our way. The soul has its own agenda and you can find new depth and purpose in your worship. This article is for atheists, agnostics and seekers as well.

These talks by Dallas Willard were recorded at a conference titled Knowing Christ Today ‘personal religion or public reality?’ on the 20 May 2010. A prolific writer, and professor of philosophy at the University of Southern California, Willard argues that Bible truths should be treated as a reliable body of knowledge – and afforded the same authority as philosophy, science and other disciplines. It’s from this basis, he explains, that Christians can most effectively engage their culture. This message is not only the central theme of the conference – but also at the very core of Bible Society’s mission to help today’s world connect with God’s Word.

All of the essays exhibit the clarity, exacting scholarship, and knowledge of the sources that we would expect from such accomplished scholars. If one seeks coherence in a collection like this, here it is to be found primarily in its geographical, chronological, and religious focus: Christianity in the late ancient and early Byzantine East. If some of the essays seem less relevant than others to the theme of personal and institutional religion, they nonetheless as a group do indeed, as the editors hope, "enrich and nuance the distinctive social and religious portrait of late antique Eastern Christianity" .

The shortcut :-
To get the good and avoid the bad, many take a “cafeteria-style” approach: accepting some beliefs but not others, joining in at times with a group, and having personal types of religious practice. Many use this personal approach as members of churches or temples. Others do it mainly on their own.  

The concepts of personal God :-
In the scriptures of the Abrahamic religions, God is described as being a personal creator, speaking in the first person and showing emotion such as anger and pride, and sometimes appearing in anthropomorphic shape. In the Pentateuch, for example, God talks with and instructs his prophets and is conceived as possessing volition, emotions (such as anger, grief and happiness), intention, and other attributes characteristic of a human person. Personal relationships with God may be described in the same ways as human relationships, such as a Father, as in Christianity, or a Friend as in Sufism.

There is a distinct difference between the two major Islamic sects, Shia and Sunni, regarding belief in a personal god. Most Sunni Muslims believe in a personal god.

In general, most Deists view God as a personal God. This is illustrated by the 17th-century assertions of Lord Edward Herbert, universally regarded as the Father of English Deism, which stated that there is one Supreme God, and he ought to be worshiped. However, Deism is a general belief encompassing people with varying specific beliefs, and the notion of God as a personal God cannot be ascribed to all Deists.

Classical Deists who adhere to Herbert's common notion certainly believe in a personal God, because those notions include the belief that God dispenses rewards and punishments both in this life and after it. This is not something which would be done by an impersonal force. However, a personal relationship with God is not contemplated, since living a virtuous and pious life is seen as the primary means of worshiping God.

Christian Deism is a term applied both to Christians who incorporate Deistic principles into their beliefs and to Deists who follow the moral teachings of Jesus without believing in his divinity. With regard to those who are essentially Deists who follow the moral teachings of Jesus, these are a subset of Classical Deists. Consequently, they believe in a personal God, but they do not necessarily believe in a personal relationship with God.

Humanistic Deists accept the core principles of Deism but incorporate humanistic beliefs into their faith. Thus, Humanistic Deists believe in a personal God who created the universe. The key element that separates Humanistic Deists from other Deists is the emphasis on the importance of human development over religious development and on the relationships among human beings over the relationships between humans and God.

Those who self-identify as Humanistic Deists may take an approach based upon what is found in Classical Deism and allow their worship of God to manifest itself primarily (or exclusively) in the manner in which they treat others. Other Humanistic Deists may prioritize their relationships with other human beings over their relationship with God, yet still maintain a personal relationship with the Supreme Being.

Panendeists believe that God is both immanent and transcendent with respect to the universe. That is, God exists within all nature, creation or humans while also being above and independent of the material universe. Panendeists see their relationship with God as transpersonal.

Conclusion :-
Therefore, it can be concluded that Panendeists believe in a personal God and that there exists a relationship between God and humanity. Process Deism is a form of Panendeism. Process Deists believe that the creation process is ongoing and that God is continuously involved in worldly affairs by acting as a divine persuasive force and continually co-creating new possibilities . Thus, Process Deists view God as a personal God with whom a relationship is not only possible but important.

Personal Opinion :-
Well. You really read the literary article.  Now my personal views follow.

Personal is personal.  Personal religion is your personal matter. You can have a personal God and the personal religion. But remember that you are not the only one who is authorized to act as a personal. Every one is authorized to act as a Personal, to have a personal belief, a relationship with the same and the God as well.

Bibliography
15.06.40, Bitton 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/article/view/19276/25402>.
A Religion of One's Own: A Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality ... 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18079565-a-religion-of-one-s-own>.
Between Personal and Institutional Religion 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.brepols.net/Pages/ShowProduct.aspx?prod_id=IS-9782503541310-1>.
Knowing Christ Today 'personal religion or public reality?' 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/our-work/knowing-christ-today-personal-religion-or-public-reality/>.
Personal god 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_god>.
Personal religion | Religious Naturalism 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://religiousnaturalism.org/ideas/personal-religion/>.
Psychometric properties of the personal wellbeing index in Brazilian ... 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0102-79722014000400710&script=sci_arttext>.
RealClearReligion 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.realclearreligion.org/articles/2014/01/13/your_own_personal_religion.html>.
The Personal Religion of Edward III 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://journals.cambridge.org/article_S0038713400147323>.
Where Doubt Is Faith and the Sign Is Spirit. Sarah Charlesworth's Art of 1970, Viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/g-roger-denson/where-doubt-is-faith-and_b_8087846.html>.

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Living A Satisfying Lifestyle Is The Ultimate Source Of The Bliss Or The Greatest Happiness

{संतोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः} योग सूत्र 2/42.

"The Contentment or the Satisfaction causes the greatest happiness".

Yoga philosophy states that :-
"The  greatest joy is attained through the self satisfaction".

Happiness cannot be reached by any other means, but through gratification. What does it entail to live a satisfying lifestyle? It means enduring the life in balance, i.e. neither demanding too much of it, nor too little. Just try to construct a better living with whatever you have and try your best to keep following the True Religion, performing every day, every time faithfully with the duties.

It also implies that you make sure thatyour Personal requirements such as emotional, mental, physical, and social, are taken care of and it means that you keep yourself as healthy as possible without becoming too much affected by the circumstances and personal thoughts.

"The people should be satisfied with the food that they have, their own women and the wealth". Chanakya quote

Here's the few things that can facilitate you to live a satisfying lifestyle.

>>> Distribute Happiness Of Others Who Are Nearby And Who Need It
Real satisfaction and happiness comes from helping others, exhibiting kindness and  making them smile and gratified. When you cause other people happy, the happiness returns back to you and you make yourself happy in return. Plus Surrounding yourself with happy people makes you feel secure and joyful. So set out making people around you happy, smile and laugh. The  more people around you will be felicitous, the most  you will be satisfied  and  joyful.

>>> Relax In Solitude Each Day
You are exercising very hard for full  utilization of the world and the time.  You are busy whole day at school, at work or at home. Give those activities a break during the day, particularly when you are about to going to sleep or during the free time. Taking a bit away from your busy schedule not only helps you be more productive, but it also helps your mind process to deal with what happened during the day.

>>> Admire The Beauty Of The Amazing World
Besides, take a look around you and admire how beautiful the world is. Have a look at the beautiful scenery and things around you. Appreciate the miraculous conception. It will get you calmer, happier and more peaceful.

>>> Don’t  Become Too Serious
Don’t get too tough on yourself. Have a creative sense of humor. Attempt to be as accurate as possible, but remember that the world is inherently imperfect. Humans always commit mistakes. No one is purely and utterly perfect. Therefore give yourself permission to progress to fewer mistakes and have fun with that. Making mistakes might make you look bad in front of others, but it likewise makes you human too. Others will relate to that, so laugh it away instead. Laughing is a symbol of the happiness.

>>> Dream Better Even When Awake
Dreaming is inspirational. All the things we love at present such as electricity, computers, smartphones and airplane flights etc. are a result of someone else’s dreams. Somebody has to dream up and build up an idea before the idea can be put into the action. Since most people don’t recall the dreams they had when they are asleep so why not dream during the day while you are wide awake? Dreaming makes you more inspiring and creative. Which in turn will make you feel gratified with the life and thus happy.

>>> Be prepared for the incoming defeats
Most unhealthy, unhappy and insatiable relationships and consequences are a result of competitive and challenging arguments. Sports and entertainment purposes only recreational activities. They are meant to provide happiness and joyousness. And then why do you have to win everything every time? Winning anything doesn’t make you or the other participants happier, except the limited case where there is no one else who has been affected.

In that respect is usually nothing that is right or wrong, but just a difference in understanding, vision and perception. Looking at the other person’s point of thought and understanding where they are coming from doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them. It’s more important to show the opponents that their perspective is welcomed by and evaluated.

>>> Spend  some time with older people and kids
These two groups of people have different views towards life. Elderly people have a set of experiences and knowledge. Discourse with them to share what they have learned, so that you can apply these important lessons to your life. Kids are innocent, satisfied and happy. They don’t flow on to the grieving. Discover how they let go of their emotions so quickly and you’ll be happier.

>>> Minimize Gossiping
Your push is better spent on yourself. Why squander your energy listening to things about other people that may not be true? Gossip doesn’t add value to your liveliness. If you require to satisfy your curiosity, use your energy to learn and improve yourself instead. Scan books and listen to inspirational talks, visit the religious institutions nearby and enjoy the music beats.

>>> Have A Control Over The Hate
Life is excessively short for allowing yourself in hating anyone. You sack of course spend your rest of the life hating someone, but that doesn’t mean that person will change. In fact, the other person may not be even knowing that you hate them or realize that they have done something incorrect. Get rid of those ill feelings towards them and throw a little more control over your heart.

>>> Forgive Little Mistakes
People commit mistakes in everyday life.  Try to  forgive little wrongful done by them. It will feed you so much more freedom, satisfaction and happiness. Since to err is human beings and to forgive is the divine.

>>> Resign From Self Praise
You can’t have a dominance over what other people think about you. It's their business to think about you. Notwithstanding, your business is to think of yourself. You can work on how you think about yourself. If people think negatively about you, merely you have a strong self-worth, you won’t be getting affected by the negative thoughts of the people. Nevertheless, if you don’t think highly about yourself, no matter how other people praise you, you will still feel that you aren’t good enough.

"Self praise has no good words" .

>>> Sleep At Least Eight Hours A Day
Relax and enjoy a peaceful, sound sleep. Getting adequate sleep gives you vitality and attention for the next day and  satisfaction. Sleeping helps to repair the damage you have performed on your body during the day. It also enhances the integration of your memory. Sleep helps with the health and safety and thus helping yourself with the happiness. Therefore be certain to catch enough sleep and make sure you sleep is uninterrupted.

>>> Donate Smile and Laugh More
When you smile, it makes you feel happier, lighter and less strained. Laughing helps you let go of emotions that have been collecting up inside yourself. When you smile and express joy, you will attract other positive people to smile and laugh with you. That will help you to prepare a bond with other people easier and make you feel even better.

>>> Forget The Issues Of The Past
When people argue, they like to bring issues of the past into their controversy, making the arguments even worse. Learn to forget around the past and let go the issues of the past. It’s not reasonable to judge your partners and other people of the society, with the mistakes they made in the past. You should constantly focus on the current situation or problem, and come up with a solution to resolve it.

>>> Drink Plenty Of Water And Other Fluids
Drink able fluids such as juice and water keeps you hydrated, healthy and happy. It is of the essence for the circulation of nutrients in the body. It likewise helps to flush out toxins, waste, and bacteria through sweat and urine. Furthermore, drinking water and other drinking fluid make you feel fresh and improves your moods. Consequently, it’s extremely important to drink enough of the water and fluids everyday.

>>> Develop The Habit Of Reading, Studying And The Research
Almost every matter of life is already present in the scripts. You can get almost everything that's relevant to the matters of the life. Most people read for two main reasons i.e. pleasure or knowledge. Knowing your design for reading helps you read more books. It will assist you select the books you are attracted to read and eliminate books that you don’t need to read. Reading books also help you cut down stress. You either find yourself dived into the great stories or get solutions to your problems in the books. Either way you are content and happified.

>>> Your Happiness Is Your Personal Affair
You are completely responsible for your life. If you are distressed, it’s your responsibility to do something about it and  cure it. Don’t wait for other masses to come up and make you happy. Other people might not know what hits you feel happy or how to make you feel happy. More importantly, you have no any control over the other people’s behaviors. You can only control yours, so take responsibility of your happiness and happify yourself in your own suitable ways and styles.

>>> Grow Your Trust In Friends
Turn up some confidence in your friends. Honest friends are rare and jewels in the  life. Honest friends are always there to support in odd times and situations and uplift your career in every aspect. They supply various types of different perspectives of your life, best suggestions to improve your life and provide a way to get more out of the life.

Staying in contact with the old friends reminds of where you came from. Guidepost memories develop further more serious relationships. It’s difficult and nearly impossible to keep up with everybody’s life, whether the family members or the friends or colleagues. But schedule a fourth dimension and plan something to catch up with your old buddies. It’s rewarding to take heed to their stories and  add joy to the  life.

>>> Strengthen Your Family Relationships
Family is important to everyone in the world. It’s your blood line and  starting point. It’s what determines and defines your growing up. You can always count on your family during good and tough times. Even though you may be busy and have a very different focus in life from your family, remind them regularly and find out how they are getting along. A call, message or a visit to family members means a lot to them.

>>> Get Up, Dress Up, and Show Up - However You Are Feeling
When you form a commitment to yourself, a friend, a colleague or a family member, show up and do what you promised to do or at least try to  make  things better. There will invariably be times when you don’t feel like doing what you promised. Nevertheless, if you don’t show up with them, then nothing you desire will prosper in fact.

>>> Jog Every Day
If you sit in front of the computer most of your waking hours, try to schedule some of the minutes each day to strike your body. Jogging is a good way of exercising. It facilitates you to strengthen your muscles and improve your cardio. Addition, it helps your mind too. Exercise boosts your confidence, helps you focus, and relax your body tensions and provide you with the satisfaction and happiness.

>>> Practice Meditation, Yoga, and Prayer Meditation, yoga, and prayer can help quiet your mind and deal with anxiety. It can assist you get your thoughts centered and listen to your inner voice with better clarity. Sometimes, you get too busy and forget to breathe. Using these activities will focus your breathing and help you relax the body and the mind. Yoga is great for health as well.  Prayers clean up the hindrance of the  spirit.

So make the best way to lead in the world and the life. Meditation, yoga and prayers have magical effects in the spirit.

All of the above mentioned points and tricks are useful and helpful to attain the Contentment, Happiness and The Joy, which is the most important thing in the world and in the Life.

Chanakya is one of the superlative figures of wisdom and knowledge in the Indian history. He is reckoned to have lived from 350 - 283 B.C. Chanakya is touted as the "Pioneer Economist of India". Chanakya was the adviser and Prime Minister of Emperor Chandragupta. Chanakya was a professor at the University of Taxshila located in present day Pakistan and was an expert in commerce, warfare, political economy, etc. His celebrated works include Chanakya Niti, Arthashastra and Nitishastra. Read this biography of Kautilya that covers his interesting life story.

Chanakya, is also distinguished by the names of Kautilya and Vishnugupta as is mentioned in his text. His celebrated work called Arthashastra is a classic example of statecraft and politics and is read in Europe even today. It essentially consists of the principles of politics and how the state works. An able ruler has to be a ruthless leader to get sure that the state works smoothly and efficiently. The legends associated with Chanakya are very interesting and provide a testimony of his greatness.

When Chanakya was born, he owned a full set of teeth, which is a sign that he would become a king or an emperor. But since he was birthed in a Brahmin family, it was considered inappropriate. Therefore, his teeth were broken and it was predicted that he would make another person a king and rule through him.

Even as a child, Chanakya had the qualities of a born leader. His grade of knowledge was beyond the children of his age. Chanakya was thrown out of the court of King Nanda as he was a blunt man and addressed his mind clearly. Chanakya swore he would call for revenge. Chanakya comes across Chandragupta as a young kid. Even at that age, he was a born leader and proved the qualities of an able Emperor. He was the leading force behind Chandragupta and the vital person who made him an able Emperor.

Chanakya adds poison in little amounts daily in Chandragupta's food in parliamentary procedure to make him immune to poison, lest some enemy tries to poison him. However Chandragupta was unaware about this and once presented a little food to his wife who was in the ninth month of pregnancy. She didn't survive, but Chanakya cut open her stomach and took out the baby.
This baby grew up to get an able emperor named Bindusara. He had a minister named Subandhu who did not like Chanakya. He told Bindusara that Chanakya had killed his mother.
Without assessing facts, Bindusara confronted Chanakya. On knowing the whole narration, he felt ashamed of his hasty actions and begged for forgiveness. He asked Subandhu to go and apologize and make Chanakya come back. Subandhu, was very cunning and on the pretense of going to apologize to Chanakya, he killed him. Thus, ended the life of a big person like Chanakya just because of political rivalry.

My books are available on Amazon marketplace Politics Aggregates here
And The Ethics Of Chanakya here

POLITICS AGGREGATES
Kautilya Collection
Author: Paramhans Jiddanand
Book Published

This book is the translation in English of the Chanakya Niti book in Sanskrit. From the commencement to the end this book intends to guide the people of the Indian subcontinent in specific and to everyone in general. Originally the book is available in Sanskrit, that implies that the book is meant for only those individuals who knows the Sanskrit language.

However, I have rendered it into English so that everyone might be benefited from the teaching of the book. The book is fantastic and inspiring to the individual. Every verse worth pondering the meaning behind the wheel of life and the execution of the same. This book is the essence of what we study through the history, culture and ancient literature. Chiefly, it explains the divergence between the individual or entity by discriminating and defining the characteristics of the individual or entity based upon the ancient world's theories and practices as well as the ancient scriptures. The knowledge available in the book is miraculous and helpful to everyone in day to day life.

The Book is available on Amazon marketplace Here

Better Methods For Finding The Peace

Meditation and peace?  Give up guys,  it's  inconceivable.  Through experience it is known that it is almost inconceivable to find peace. Why? Because we are enduring a very busy life and the work we have to do to help ourselves with the requirements of the living of the life makes things even worse. Consequently, it is very hard to find, out the peace in the life.

“My mind just don’t close up” is the most common form of the  statement people have who want to find out the peace. This is not an apology, but a fact. Why do, people can’t and don’t regularly meditate and make meditation a part of their daily life? Because of the busyness of life.  This is the reason why so many people feel as if they are sentenced to be victims of the busyness and scrambled thoughts, never experiencing the peace that comes with meditation.

There are so many people who are attempting to get the peace. They know how hard, if not impossible, it is to cause the mind shut down and dive into the realm of the peace.
Nevertheless, when the peace falls upon, then only one can understand the importance and the power of the peace in  life. But then one can know how peace feels, how much potential it has, how rejuvenated one can feel by having  it and how simpler the life becomes upon having peace.

Thither are a few techniques that  have been found helpful in tranquilizing the mind and  let the  mind feel the realms of the peace.

1. Break Up The Negative Thoughts.
People like and love submerging their heads with negative thought patterns, inquiries, questions and enjoying in reasons. The people love to Blame each other and be blamed in return. But they seldom take time to go through what they are appreciative of, in the life.

This technique may not calm down the mind completely, but it certainly helps to hinder the negative thoughts that people often let run through the mind as a part of the auto-pilot.

The best manner to do this is to sit down with a paper and pen and write down without judgement, everything in life that you are grateful for. It could be anything, things that make you feel compelled to.

The bottom line is, we all have things to be thankful for in life, and can gain a lot from taking some time to focus on them rather than on our seemingly insurmountable problems.


2. Stay Tuned To The Nature.
The probabilities of finding ways to regularly connect with nature has never been higher. People live with the nature every minute, but in a  land of forgetfulness. Connectedness with the nature is great for own well beings. Since nature is the perfect surrounding in which to discover peace. Peaceful surrounding help with the pacification of mind. One can never obtain peace in the disturbed surroundings.

Nature is both colorful and changing every instant. Even so it flows in such a way that it is much calmer and connective rather than rampant and distracting.

The next time you are seeming to quiet your mind, spend some time out of the doors. Focal point on how naturally and calmly the nature flows. How calmly it move and evolve and realize that you too can hang and be calm just as naturally.

3. Explore The Body
Human bodies are fairly intricate and when you actually break them down part by part, they can be quite interesting to explore. When it comes to quieting your mind, this same intricacy can also be quite a potent tool. One of the ways to take the mind into a quieter state is to scan the body from top to bottom, focusing on how each part feels as you pay attention to it.

At one time you can move past the judgmental thoughts of how stupid or silly this sense, you may actually find yourself pleasantly surprised by the energy you feel. Concentrating on this energetic flow, not only quiets the mind, but also shifts the focus to the internal elements of who you actually are, rather than the distractions of the outside world.

4. The Breath Control.
There’s a cause why the majority of guided meditations begins by instructing to focus on the breath. It’s something that we all do, all the time, however it happens and adapts so naturally that we can often go days without ever actually thinking about it and noticing. Giving some attention to your breath can be an incredibly powerful way to quiet your mind and relax your body in general.

A special breathing pattern to practice when aiming to quiet my mind is to do three cycles of breathing. First breathe in through the nose, second hold the breath and third release through the mouthpiece. Ensure that the breath inflates the stomach, instead than the chest, since this type of breathing in particular feels calmer as well as is good for the stomach.

5. Focus With The Eyes Closed.
If asked to distinguish what people see when they close their eyes, most of the people would describe it as the darkness. Yet, the truth is that the closed eyes are often informative to the person and inform a much more interesting story.

No matter what you see or not, merely when you actually pay attention to it, it’s definitely something that can draw quite a bit of your attention. It's frequently found to be a great starting point to quieting the mind. At the very least it serves to shift the mind away from scattered thoughts, instead closing in on one focused thought – one that often sparks the creative element of the brain, which starts looking for images amongst the colorful display.

6. Quit Being Haughty.
Everyone loves to be a proud member of the fellowship. Nevertheless, it never  really  means to be haughty. Haughtiness adversely affects the brain, neural system,  family, society and the entire world. Lead the  life  as simply  and  naturally  as possible.

7. Meditate Regularly.
Finally, it's the meditation that actually works with the peace of the mind. Meditation, like everything else, is something that you need to work on and be committed to practicing. People say that it takes about 21 days to develop a new habit, so why not push yourself to regular practice something you’d like to experience rather than opt to take the quitter mentality? You have a lot more control over yourself than you may think. There are certain methods available that can help with the meditation. Meditation is a sort of concentration of the mind, but how, when and where people meditate is a  matter of personal choice.

Problem of God:-

There is a problem confronted by every theory of God as someone who created the entire universe out of nothing and who is the source of all laws and principles of nature and existence. The problem this sort of formulation brings up is that if God is the source of everything, then there is no rational justification for calling Him good or righteous. Generally, for proceeding to call someone good or righteous, it is because there is a particular standard of behavior (which transcends them) To which they stick to.

A citizen who obeys the laws of His country is often called a "good citizen". A soldier who obeys instructions from commanding officers and discharges His duty in a way expected of a dedicated soldier is called a "good soldier".
On the other hand a dictator who makes up his own laws according to his own pattern of behavior cannot be called good when he is found to endure by those laws.

As it occurs, many people's conception of God leads to precisely that conclusion about him. If God created everything and what is good and bad originates entirely from what He says is good and bad then clearly He cannot be called just. Clearly He just is. Others who obey His laws can be called good - but He himself cannot be called just.

If on the other hand God did not create everything, and there are rules that exist independently from Him and which transcend Him; therefore if He lives by these principles then He can lay claim to being good and righteous. The commandments of God, then make more sense as it is not God just tells us what to do, but it is He teaches how to be righteous.

For the Christian this also goes a long way to resolving the riddle of the atonement. The question frequently asked is why did God have to send someone to suffer and die for the sins of others? Why didn't He just forgive them? After all it is just His own laws that have been broken so He has every right to simply forgive whoever He feels like forgiving without having to pass through a heartbreaking ceremony (sacrificing His own Son).

Only if the laws that man breaks and which qualify him as sinful are not God's arbitrary rules, but rather beyond him, then there remains that possibility that those principles required God to sacrifice someone perfect to suffer for the sins of the imperfect in order to allow Him to grant them mercy.

My foremost question is what God are you talking about? If it is the Abrahamic one, - well, - according to the Bible that is one nasty case. (Murders babies, and so forth)
   

Psychological Research Studies That
Figure Out The Perception Of The Self.

As much as we’d like to think we know ourselves and our own minds, in actual fact there is a lot that we don’t know, are yet to discover and sometimes may not ever know. The human mind works in mysterious ways and the endless studies into different aspects can only widen our understanding, not complete it. Psychologists have made a huge impact on our understanding of human behaviours and how we view the world around us, but there is much we still have to learn.

Saying that, there are a lot of surprising studies that will change your perception of yourself and, hopefully, will help you get to know the human mind a little better:

1. Stanford Prison Experiment:-
This experiment is said to be the most famous psychology study in history and showcased how social environments can affect human behaviour. The study placed 24 healthy undergraduates with no criminal background into a mock prison, asking some to act as guards and the rest to act as prisoners. After six days (the experiment was scheduled to run for two weeks), it had to be cut short due to the violent behaviour of the guards.

Phillip Zimbardo, who ran the experiment, commented on the behaviour, “The guards escalated their aggression against the prisoners, stripping them naked, putting bags over their heads, and then finally had them engage in increasingly humiliating sexual activities.”

This study taught us that even those of us who are declared psychologically “normal” can demonstrate an evil streak when placed in certain environments. How do you think you’d behave in the same situation?

2. Wooden Door Experiment:-
Another famous experiment where college students were targeted by a researcher who asked for directions. Halfway through the directions, workmen holding a wooden door passed between the two having the discussion, switching places with the individual who was asking for the directions. Half of the participants didn’t even notice that the person asking for directions had completely changed. This demonstrates how the human mind can experience “change blindness” and how we may not be aware when something is happening right in front of our very eyes.

3. Milgram’s Authoritarian Experiment:-
After the Second World War, Stanley Milgram wanted to understand why Nazi criminals committed the crimes they did and if the authority figure had something to do with it. The “teacher and learner” experiment had one researcher instructing a participant to produce electric shocks of high voltage on another human being in front of them, simply because they were asked to do so. 65% of participants administered the highest possible voltage of 450-volts when asked to do so by an authority figure, despite seeming distressed and uncomfortable at doing so. How do you perform around authority figures? Would you cause harm to others if you were asked to do so by somebody in power?

4. The Harvard Grant Study:-
Spanning 75-years, this study followed 268 male Harvard graduates at various points in their life to record data on various aspects of their lives. The conclusion of the experiment is that love really does make us happy and fills us with a sense of life-satisfaction that we don’t get from other areas of our lives. Perhaps one of the most uplifting stories, especially since one participant started the study with the lowest rate of future stability and a past of attempted suicide, but at the end of the study, he was one of the happiest – the reason being he spent his life looking for love.

5. Cognitive Dissonance Experiments:-
One of the most popular theories and areas within psychology, cognitive dissonance is the idea that humans cannot cope with conflicting thoughts, emotions or values so experience some mental distress.

There have been many experiments into this area, but one of the most interesting was carried out by Leon Festinger, where he asked participants to complete long, mundane tasks, then offered half of them $1, and the other half $20 to tell waiting participants that they enjoyed the task. The $1 group felt the need to justify the time spent by saying it was a fun task, whereas the higher-paid group believed they had sufficient justification for completing the task. Summarized, we tend to tell ourselves lies to justify the events that happen throughout our lives, even simple ones such as mundane tasks.

There are many more experiments that demonstrate just how little we know about ourselves and our minds as humans, these studies only scratch the surface. Which do you agree with most? Are there any more studies that you have heard about that taught you something new about yourself?