7 DEADLY SINS, 7 VIRTUES & 7 GIFTS OF HOLY SPIRIT

 [7 DEADLY SINS:]

• LUST: 

- Intense or unbridled sexual desire leading to fornification, adultery, rape, bestiality and unethical sexuality 

- Lust can also be for money & power - Lust is the least serious of cardinal sins

• GLUTTONY:

- Overconsumption of anything to the point of waste 

- Gluttony of food may leave the needy in hunger

- Earing too expensive, more quantity, too soon & too eager

• GREED: 

- Desire to acquire & accumulate more than what is needed in earthly world

• SLOTH: 

- A sense of laziness & indifference

- Failure to do things we ought to do

- Sloth is laziness in all aspects of physical, mental, spiritual

- Failing to utilise the gifts of Holy spirit & failing to love God with all our hearts, our souls and mind.

• WRATH: 

- A sense of vengeance 

- An anger becomes a wrath when it is unduly & long lasting 

- If anger reaches a point to deliberately kill/cause serious harm to someone is against charity & mercy 

- A person of wrath is someone who is a 'slave of himself'

• ENVY: 

- It arises out of 'vainglory'( unjustified self glorification)

- Envy has 3 stages; attempt to lower other's reputations, becomes joyful at other's misfortune & sad at other's fortune and finally, it creates hatred, because of the sorrow he has caused himself

- Pride & Envy both are two very worst & heavy capital /deadly sins of them all.

• PRIDE: 

- Similar to 'vainglory', which is an unjustified or unqualified self glorification 

- Unnecessary feel of superiority over others & failing to acknowledge other's credits

- Pride is identified with 'absence of humility'

- Pride is the father of all sins & humility is its only remedy 

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[7 VIRTUES:]

• CHASTITY: 

- Refrain from sexual activity outside marriage & before marriage 

• TEMPERANCE: 

- Self moderation or self refrain from anything like anger, gluttony etc is called temperance 

- Generally, it is self control of anything 

• CHARITY:

- Loving God above all things for his sake, and loving our neighbors for the love of God

- Charity is the ultimate perfection of human spirit 

- Charity glorifies God & reflects his nature on others

- Fruits of Charity are joy, mercy & peace

• DILIGENCE:

- Doing one's part, with having faith in God

- Apart from our efforts which could fail, when 'diligence' and 'faith' in God combined can assure spiritual success 

• PATIENCE: 

- Perseverance to endure difficult circumstances 

- Patience/Tolerance is the identification of work of Holy Spirit 

• GRATITUDE: 

- Being thankful to everyone/anyone who does good to you.

- Gratitude towards God, for being merciful & abundant, will make us humble before God

- Gratitude to people who does good to you, will reflect God to them 

• HUMILITY: 

- Being humble to everyone even if they are unjust as how Jesus was. It's called 'righteous humility'

- 'True humility' means to be inherently humble to everyone and not just self depreciate for purpose of praises

......................................................................................

[7 GIFTS OF HOLY SPIRIT:]

• Wisdom: 

- First & greatest virtue of Holy spirit. Both wise & loving heart combining both mind and heart towards divinity is perfect wisdom. 

- Gift of wisdom must end in virtue of charity.

• Understanding: 

- Understanding helps us relate truths with divinity. Illuminating & substantiating divine scriptures leading to profound appreciation of God, through worldly truths. 

- Gift of understanding must end in strengthening of faith.

• Counsel: 

- Being divinely intuitive, prudence and working under the guidance of Holy spirit to take prudent decisions. 

- Gift of counsel must end in being divinely prudent.

• Fortitude: 

- Stand up for what is right in the eyes of God. Courage & Endurance to stand upto what/who(God) we believe in. 

- Gift of fortitude must end in virtue of good courage.

• Knowledge: 

- To learn upto what is humanly possible, thereby appreciating, admiring & praising the works of God & nature is the essence of being knowledgeable from Christian point of view. 

- Gift of knowledge must end in strengthening of faith.

• Piety: 

- Total surrender of one self towards God, accepting all his self imperfections and seeking the abundance from God. Such tendency of real feel of dependency towards God as your father, will make us treat all our fellow beings in world equally and forgive them, pray for them and sacrifice for them since we all are one brother/sisters and children of God. 

- Gift of piety must end in virtue of peace

• Fear of the Lord: 

- Fear here does not mean 'servile fear' which is a fear of getting punished, rather having a 'child's fear' towards his father. Pope Francis says "..joyful awareness of God's grandeur & grateful realisation that only in him we find true peace". 

- Gift of fear of Lord must end in strengthening hope.

* RELATION BETWEEN 7 GIFTS WITH BEATITUDES: 

Saint Augustine drew a connection between the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the Beatitudes (Matt.5:3-12).

- Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, reflects Fear of the Lord as the "poor in spirit" are the humble and God-fearing.

- Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted, corresponds to the Gift of Knowledge, as for Augustine the knowledge of God brings both an increased awareness of personal sin, and to some extent grieving at the abandonment of practices and activities that separate one from God.

- Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land, relates to Piety.

- Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied, pertains to Fortitude.

- Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy demonstrates the Gift of Counsel.

- Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God, the Gift of Understanding.

- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God, Wisdom.

- Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven

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Difference between Signature & Initials

 * Signature is a complex individual identity of full name which only that person can sign in that same slang, writing curvature and handwriting. Whereas initial could mean any person of that same initial. So depending upon the importance of document signature and initial used. 

* Signature is a 'Sign of acceptance' of any contract or document, whereas Initial is a 'Sign of recognition' alone. 

Ex: If a document of pages given to approve, every page must be initailled at the end to show you have read/recognised that page and must signature only at the end to accept the document as a whole.

* Very important documents definitely requires a signature like property transfer, banking etc and not initial, whereas initial is enough for simple sign of recognition like courier, gas, electricity etc

* In legal aspect, both Signature & Initial are 'equally legal' and bound to. But, in case of any forgery or claim of forgery, signature prevails. If no signature, it's not accepted in a problematic situation, because anyone can have similar initials and sign it. So, in case of legal problem only 'Signature prevails'

Bible Emergency Numbers

 

📖 *_Bible Emergency Numbers_*:📖
Do dial it ☎📞... Do read it...📖😊

☎📞 When in sorrow, call *John 14*

☎📞 When men fail you, call *Psalm 27*

☎📞 When you have sinned, call *Psalm 51*

☎📞 When you worry, call *Matthew 6:19-34*

☎📞 In danger, call *Psalm 91*

☎📞 When God seems far away, call *Psalm 139*

☎📞 When your faith needs stirring, call *Hebrews 11*

☎📞 When you are lonely and fearful, call *Psalm 23*

☎📞 When you grow bitter and critical, call *1 Cor 13*

☎📞 You feel down and out, call *Romans 8:31-39*

☎📞 You want peace and rest, *Matthew 11:25-30*

☎📞 When the world seems bigger than God, call *Psalm 90*

☎📞 When you want Christian assurance, call *Romans 8:1-30*

☎📞 When you leave home for labor or travel, call *Psalm 121*

☎📞 When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call *Psalm 67*

☎📞 When you want courage for a task, call *Joshua 1*

☎📞 When you think of investments/ returns, call *Mark 10*

☎📞 How to get along with fellowmen, call *Romans 12*

☎📞 For great invention/ opportunity, call *Isaiah 55*

☎📞 For Paul's secret to happiness, *Col 3:12-17*

☎📞 For idea of Chrisitanity, call *2 Cor 5:15-19*

☎📞 Feeling Depressed, call *Psalm 27*

☎📞 To be fruitful, call *John 15*

☎📞 If your pocketbook is empty, call *Psalm 37*

☎📞 Losing confidence in people, call *1 Cor 13*

☎📞 If people seem unkind, call *John 15*

☎📞 If discouraged about your work, call *Psalm 126*

☎📞 If you find the world growing small and you great, call *Psalm 19*

"Wedding ring (or) Mangalsutra?" - A Christian perspective/advise to another Christian in Marriage

 

"Wedding ring (or) Mangalsutra?" - A Christian perspective/advise to another Christian in Marriage

I). Mangalsutra:(Hindu tradition)

• Mangalyam tantunanena mama jeevana hetuna
kanthe badhnami subhage twam jeeva sarada satam”

• Though this mantra (hymn) is attributed to Hindu marriage ceremony that is chanted while tying the Mangalsutra, but the fact is it is not a mantra, and it is a promise sort whose meaning is as under:

“This is a sacred thread. This is essential for my long life. I tie this around your neck, O maiden having many auspicious attributes may you live happily for a hundred years“

• This practice is also an integral part of a marriage ceremony as prescribed by Manusmriti

• The groom ties the auspicious thread around the bride’s neck on the day of their holy nuptial as significance that their relationship would be as auspicious as the thread. It symbolises that they will be mates for life until death separates them. A mangalsutra is a symbol of marriage and the wife is meant to wear it all her life indicating the love and commitment the husband and wife have towards each other. South Indians believe that the mangalsutra needs to be tied in 3 knots with each knot carrying a significance – loyalty towards the husband, dedication to the family, and devotion to the lord

II). WEDDING RING:(Christians)

* Wedding ring symbolises the ever-ending circle of ring of love and faithfulness of both as an individual Christians and dedicated to a Christian life, and honestly raise their Children as such, promising all the necessary self declarations.

• Roman Catholic Church:
"Name., take this ring as a sign of my love and fidelity. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Because the equality of the spouses is emphasized in the Roman Catholic Sacrament of Marriage, generally the bride and groom each give to the other a wedding ring and recite the above formula in turn.

• Judaism:
"You are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel." In Orthodox Judaism, only the groom declares this in Hebrew; but in Reform Judaism, both the bride and groom declare it.[34] Many Orthodox Jewish men do not wear wedding rings.

• Anglican (Book of Common Prayer):
"Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen... I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit

RATIONALE BEHIND IT:

* The hindu tradition of marriage does not recognise the equality of women with men, rather the subjugation of her. The focus remains in the over hyped sentiment of the 'mangalsutra' tied on her neck alone. A love between a husband and his wife, must display a sense of understanding, which rely on faith on God Almighty alone. It is in front of him, alone they have promised to be husband-wife. Not like the element of fire or a brahmin involved in it. Moreover the sanskrit slogans uttered by brahmins are not understandable by most of us. How can you involve in a relationship taking oath or promise in a language which you not at all understand. The premise on which the marriage is built is important. God Almighty, father of heaven and earth have established an institution of marriage, a sacrament which in his presence we have promised to treat her/him equal, to stand by her/him, to respect the bond of love made by God and approved by him, which if anyone tries to break, will infuriated God and would amount to disrespecting him. Only when we do a marriage, which recognises the promise or sacrament of God, and essentially places God as the orgin & witness of the marriage, then any Christian who fear the Lord, will think before infuriating him, by disrespecting her wife or trying to break the bond of marriage. This will also avoid adultery which is strictly prohibited in a Christian marriage whereas second marriage is not a big problem in a hindu marriage. So, ultimately the focus of such a hindu marriage always is male worshipping, lethargic in adultery, percolation of brahminism into the marriage relationship finally ending up loving some mangalsutra /object instead of realising that the real treasure is the companion whom God have given and to treat him/her equal. In Tamil culture also, the mangalsutra is not at all found in any phases of our civilization, rather suddenly have appeared as a symbol of wealth & social background, where a poor ties a pathetic turmeric knot whereas a rich and affluent ties a golden chain, within which itself there is a pattern and structure according to particular caste and sub-castes in Tamilnadu. In an object, a simple non living object, itself this much of inequality is seen means, followed by all sorts of inequalities in their lives also, portrays the brahminism evidently seen in lives of poor and pathetic ignorant people called hindus. If they are happy being subjugated let them be. Periyar have clearly objected to such nonsense in a marriage. I do not fully adhere periyar, but as a Christian, definitely a mangalsutra must not be the center of attraction for wealth, social affluence, inequality, adultery promoting and be a sign of slavery to brahminism. Then, why do we need a wedding ring? Yes i say we don't need a wedding ring too.. God's blessings and sacraments are invisible but long lasting. It does not need a mangalsutra or even a wedding ring too, but yet we can go for a ring, it's simple, both of us wear the same and there is no inequality in any form, and here the ring is just a symbol of marriage, not a symbol of wealth, social affluence and caste, rather if your a Christian, then a single plain wedding ring is more than enough. 

• A Complete guide to a proper Christian-Judaism marriage with all meanings from the Bible:
https://www.learnreligions.com/christian-wedding-traditions-701948
- First Bridegroom enters the church
- Then Bride comes with her Father, who gives his daughter
- All necessary self declarations by both to Priest
- Exchange of wedding rings as the symbol of marriage rather than tie a mangalsutra which is a tradition mentioned in manusmriti
- Holding right hands together and promise
- Cutting of cake

CONCLUSION:

- Whether a ring or mangalsutra is entirely a personal opinion to choose. In this article, in specifically tell this to Christians alone. It is like a self reformation article and other community need not be offended of it. 

- A Christian marriage, must be based on "trust in God" and "fear of breaching his promise done in front of him". It does not have a virtual symbol or object to be placed in front, like a mangalsutra or even a ring. I agree that, a symbol which always remind us of the bond we are is necessary, but a mangulsutra is not an option, rather a ring can be as I've justified before. 

- Even a ring too is not to be the focus of marriage, rather the 'Holy Spirit' who guides us always, must be the guide, evidence and the symbol of our marriage. Does the Holy Spirit have a form? Do we need to remind him in a form like ring or a chain? No!! The Holy Spirit acting as a symbol of marriage, done before God Almighty, fearing not to breach the promise or bond of marriage, because of love of God also, is the key factor here. If you go for a mangalsutra, either to choose to make that marriage between two humans, with element of fire and brahminical process as witness, whereas when we keep the 'Holy Spirit' who is within our hearts, it would be the witness, guide and symbol of two humans engaged in a bond, promised in front of God Almighty, being the bond between Husband, Wife & God also. Such is a perfect Christian marriage. 

"THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN WITHIN US"

 

"THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN WITHIN US"

1. God Reigns over All Things.
Since God is the Creator of everything, He reigns over all things. His role as Creator God establishes His authority over the earth and all of His creation

2. Sin Challenged God’s Authority over His Kingdom.
Scripture speaks of Satan’s rebellion against God, which consequentially led to the institution of the fallen angel’s establishment of a counterfeit kingdom on earth

3. God Promises a Kingdom.
Though sin now permeated mankind, God called out a people for Himself to bless, through Abraham. Through a covenant, God promised that through Abraham, He would reestablish His kingdom authority on earth

4. God Shows His Standard of Holiness (10 Commandments) within His Kingdom.
After Israel escapes from Egypt, God establishes a covenant with His people at Sinai. He reveals His name to Moses as I AM, establishing His character as the All-Sustaining One

5. God Foreshadowed His Kingdom on Earth.
God promised David that someone from his family would always sit on the throne of Israel
The anointed king of Israel was to be a righteous king who set a standard by which the nation was to live. It is through this king that God would express His rule in Israel. Even though Israel’s kings were unfaithful and lost their throne because of their unfaithfulness, God maintained a futuristic messianic promise

6.  The Kingdom of God was established on earth when Jesus Christ came into the world.

7. The Kingdom of God is to Be Received. Jesus uses a child to illustrate our dependency by which we are to rely on Christ for our entrance into the kingdom. Philippians 2 illustrates Christ’s exceptional obedience. He traded His every heavenly right for a crown of thorns, so we might freely receive salvation. In exchange, the Risen King was given the right to be called Lord.

8. Entrance into the Kingdom of God Requires Belief and Repentance
Repentance and belief in Christ leads a person to a spiritual birth that guarantees entrance into the kingdom (John 3:3-5). As a believer, the kingdom of God resides within us (Luke 17:21). When Jesus taught that the kingdom was within the believer, His intent was to teach the believer of the new spiritual realm in which the person now lived. The Church is a part of the kingdom of God but is not the totality of His Kingdom.

9. The Kingdom of God is Mysterious.
Jesus teaches on the mysteries of the kingdom of God through parables in the New Testament. Matthew 13 introduces a different form of the kingdom that had not been revealed in the Old Testament. Through these parables, Jesus teaches about a spiritual reign of Christ after He is absent from earth, before His second coming. In this chapter, the hearers learn that this age will encompass those who will believe as well as those who will not (13:11-23).

The second parable shows how there will be a time of judgment that separates believers from non-believers (13:24-30). The parable of the mustard seed describes the kingdom of God as a movement of believers that will start small, but then experience rapid growth. The kingdom of God (the kingdom of heaven) looks the opposite of how the world expects. Jesus teaches in the Beatitudes about the blessings the poor, merciful, hungry, and humble will receive in heaven. Those who suffer on earth will be rewarded in heaven. Even though we may not understand everything about the Kingdom, we trust the Teacher

10. The Kingdom of God has Implications for Believers Today.
As believers of Christ, we are to worship Him as Lord. Acknowledging Christ as Lord is in effect recognizing his reign. We are to live out His teaching and live in anticipation of His return. When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, part of the directive was to pray that God’s kingdom would come into full fruition on earth:

Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

While the Kingdom of God has been established on earth, it has not yet been made complete. There is a future coming of the kingdom at the end of the age that has yet to happen. We are to pray for the coming of the fullness of God’s kingdom. As members of God’s kingdom, through Christ, we are ambassadors of God on earth (2 Corinthians 5:20). Our role as ambassadors is to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to others. This is our Great Commission.

Conclusion:

The first is that I realize that I am not the author of my drama. Rather, I am only a small player in God’s great story. This drastic shift in mindset makes me reprioritize my goals and scheduling. Prestige and popularity no longer seem important when I keep in mind God’s Sovereignty and Christ’s redemptive work on the cross.

Also, with a Kingdom mindset, I find that my trust in God is more secure than it once was. I see how God has worked throughout time to guard over the world and to redeem His people. His loving and just character allow me to realize that He will see His plans through. I can trust in His plans for me no matter what.

Finally, understanding the Kingdom of God leaves me with a sense of urgency and a challenge to tell others about Christ. God’s patience with us will not last forever and at some point, Christ will return. His second coming will not be to redeem, but to judge. Because we do not know the day or time, we are to use our time wisely to help others receive the kingdom through faith in Christ.

"Of Course! English language is good.."

 

"Of Course! English language is good.."

1. English is Flexible. Only language to have less rules & more exceptions is English. We must be somewhat flexible to adapt to new changes & update at the same time hold on to certain high values deemed to be cherished.

2. Read, Listen, Speak & Write(RLSW) English atleast for some minutes daily compulsory

3. "Attitude matters": 

Right or Wrong, Speak boldly.  There is no levels in speaking of English, because it entirely matter of confidence. Start to speak confidently even if it is wrong & you will surely end up being confident, speaking right also. It shows that, being confident in what we do will improve us gradually.

4. "Use it or Lose it": 

Learn a new word each week. Use that word within that week in any form daily to get used to its meaning. This is the best way to learn vocabulary well and use it strongly in speaking regularly. This shows that we must make use of whatever we have to improve it. 

5. "Don't fear of making mistakes": 

While speaking, move on even if you make a small mistake. Because people will understand the bigger picture(meaning) of what it is. It's also similar to character of the English. You make a mistake, the best thing is to keep moving on not to make it next time, rather than stopping and worrying about the mistake we did.

6. "Speaking English is Teaching English": 

Speaking English means we are teaching English to someone who listens to us. Yes, we can learn English 'quickly' through Listening & 'strongly' through Reading. 

7. " Speak for yourself": 

The best way to learn is combine speaking & listening together. 

Speak a passage loudly, so that you can hear yourself. Practise, and this would improve both speaking & listening skills. 

Another example of combination of listening & writing is taking notes while lecture. 

Another example of combination of reading, speaking and listening is while reading a passage loudly. 

GLOBAL TOUR DESTINATIONS FROM INDIA

GLOBAL TOURISM FROM INDIA 

( Importance of Global Tourism to Economy)

TOURISM PLACES TO VISIT:
1. COUNTRIES OF FREE VISA & LOW BUDGET(10 Low Budget):
* INDONESIA: Nightlife, Shopping, Honeymoons

* THAILAND: Shopping, Nightlife, Buddhism

* DOMINICA: Natural beauty, forests, boiling lakes

* JAMAICA: Food, Resort, Snorkeling & honeymoon

* TANZANIA: Safaris, Wildlife, Kilimanjaro mount

* UGANDA: Safaris, Wildlife, Reserve forests

* SEYCHELLES: Beaches, Coral reefs, Lagoon,Turtle & Tortoise watch, Snorkeling & Scuba diving

* ST VINCENT: Tiny small palm islands with resort

* ST KITTS AND NEVIS: Fortress, Volcanic peaks & Train scenic tour

* ST LUCIA: Hiking, Trekking, Mall shopping centres & government offices

2. COUNTRIES REQUIRING VISA, WITH LOW/MODERATE BUDGET(10 Moderate Budget):
* MEXICO:
• Mexico City: Bars and Mexican cuisine
• Cancun: Nightlife, Mexican cuisine, Zipling, Snorkeling and Lagoons
• Puerto Vallarta: Nightlife, Mexican cuisine, Zipling, Whale watching

* RUSSIA: Historic buildings, museums, Ballots, Architectural wonders, forts, Cathedrals, places & Churches

* MAURITIUS: Beaches, Dolphins, Kitesurfing, Snorkeling, Lagoons, Romantic Honeymoon sites

* HUNGARY: Budapest, Cathedrals, Castles, museums,  Wineyard & wineries, Abbeys & Monastries

* HONG KONG: Chinese cuisine, Bars, Markets, Shopping malls, Luxury goods purchase

* MACAU: Macanese cuisine, Casinos, Shopping, Luxury goods purchase

* ICELAND: Watch Aurora,Sunset and whales in Husavik, Viking history, Icebergs & glaciers

* JAPAN: Hiroshima Memorial, Nagasaki Bomb Museum, Shibuya nightlife

* COMOROS: Mosque, Beachview bungalows, Beaches

* CAMEROON: Museum, Maritime museum, Safaris, Wildlife, Ecotourism

3. COUNTRIES REQUIRING VISA, ALSO HIGH BUDGET(10 High budget & worthy):
* FRANCE:
• Paris: Eiffel tower, Lovre, Cafes, Monuments, museums, Food, Cathedrals, Shopping & River cruise
• Nice: Sceneries
• Bourdeux: Wine making & market
• Strasbourg: Food, Christmas market & Trolleys
• Cannes: Film festival
• Mont St.Michael: Monasteries & Castles
• Camargue: Bullfighting

* SPAIN:
• Madrid: Prado Museum of art, Royal Palace
• Ibiza: Nightclubs
• Benidorm: Dolphin shows, Nightlife
• Mijas: Bullfighting, Wine

* SWITZERLAND:
• Zermatt: Ski resort
• Lauterbrunnen: Swiz alps and villages
• Engelberg: Mount titlis, Skiing, Alpine trail
• Switzerland National Park
• Meiringen: Skiing, hiking and ski resort

* GREECE:
• Santorini: White washed village shaped of volcanic landscape suited for honeymoons
• Mykonos: Beaches & Nightlife
• Rhodes: Archeological monuments and Nightlife
• Delphi: Apollo archeological sites

* GERMANY:
• Berlin: Wall
• Cologne:  Perfumes, Cathedrals, Old town & arts
• Dresden: Palace, Museums
• Blackforest: Hiking, Waterfalls and castles
• Stuttgart: German cuisine, Trolleys, beer & Car museums(Mercedes Benz, Porsche museums)
• Schonau am Konigssee: Hiking, Sliding, Paragliding

* UAE:
• Dubai: Observation desk, Desert safaris, Nightclubs
• Abu Dhabi: Desert, Bars
• Palm Jumaira: Island with Luxury hotels

* AUSTRALIA:
• Melbourne: Arts, Museums, Gardens
• Cairns: Coral reefs, Great Barrier Reef gateway and rainforests
• Kangaroo Island:  Wildlife and wine tasting

* U.K:
• London: Buckingham Palace, Museums, Street food, Pubs.
• Edinburgh: Christmas market, Harry Potter, Whiskey, Military tattoo, Trolleys, Ceilidh
• Bath: Spa, Hot spring baths, Sunday roast
• Glasgow: Music venues, Pub, Whiskey
• Belfast: Titanic museum
• Manchester: Shopping mall, Concerts and Christmas market
• Snowdonia National Park
• Birmingham: Industrial sites
• Cambridge: College
• City of London: Business city
• Westminster:  Abbey, Palaces, Church and clock tower, Big Ben, Trafalgar & Parliament
• Bournemouth: Nightlife
• Windsor: Castle
• Canterbury: Medieval city with Cathedral

* CANADA:
• Toronto: Bar and Concerts
• Vancouver: Recreation, Fireworks and whales
• Montreal: Circus
• Banff: Skiing and film Festival
• Niagara falls

* U.S.A:
• Newyork: Bar, Concerts and shopping
• San Francisco: Bar, Concerts and Museum
• Los Angeles: Nightclubs, Concerts and Museum
• Las Vegas: Nightclubs, Bars, Casino, Haunted house, Ziplining
• Washington DC: Historic sites
• Miami: Cuban cuisine, Nightlife 

"POLITICAL SCIENCE - A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE"

 

"POLITICAL SCIENCE - A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE"

INTRODUCTION: 

• Many Christians consider politics as something which is not to be involved with or irrelevant to 'spiritual responsibilities' of a Christian. 

• But, the fact is God will 'choose' persons to engage or involve in politics to whatever degree he wants from us to be done in order to serve the kingdom of God. 

• Here I would like to enlighten the entire Christian community irrespective of any denomination to involve in politics upto the extend God want us to. 

• Not everyone are chosen to be a State Leader, but it will add to God's advantage when a discipline or follower of God becomes a leader, whatever the hierarchy maybe. 

SUMMARY: 

• There are 3 main views from God's perspective to us to do related to politics either directly or indirectly. They are;

i). "God calls and uses political leaders"

ii). "God is calling us to participate in politics"

iii). "We must serve our highest authority (God)"

EXPLANATION: 

i). "God calls and uses political leaders":

• God uses political leaders who understand the will of God and coordinate with God in all aspects of the rule. 

• God gave the ability to interpret Pharoah's dream to Joseph who was exciled as slave

• God gave the ability to learn all literature, wisdom & understanding to decode a dream or vision in coordination with God. This is an unique ability of a promising political leader. Even now, it is relevant that, a political leader must be capable of analysing current situations based on past experiences and able to interpret or predict the future trend in any/one/all field of expertise especially politics.

• God also uses leaders to oppose him. In history whoever opposed Christians have finally realised it is wrong, and that the Christians keep on rising only when they are oppressed. Ex: Pharoah, Herod, Saul

ii). "God is calling us to participate in politics":

• God calls us to be 'Salt & Light in their culture' in our culture. That means we have to blend with our culture in order to progress it and cleanse it towards God's will.

• Ways To Participate: Vote, Engage, Serve & Intercede.

• Voting is the basic right & duty of a Christian, and is a beginning of our 'social responsibility' part of 'spiritual responsibility'. Pray to God to whom to vote 

• Engage yourself into politics of your nation, for the glory of God. Engaging can be in any form of basic volunteering to leadership positions. But, at any point of time, remember the 'highest authority we serve is God alone' 

• Serve the people through taking up tasks whichever maybe like Executive or Judicial or Legislative way. By doing so, we represent the people's hardships to the government and act as bridge to render solutions from government for the betterment of the society 

• Intercede for the political leaders who rule the Nation. Intercede that they may rule directly or indirectly for the will of God and betterment of the society 

• We Christians cannot be reluctant about politics especially, because God says this, "..seek the welfare of the city where I sent you into exile & pray to the Lord on it's behalf, for in it's welfare you will find your welfare", thereby advocating a 'welfare state' by interceding to God

iii). "We must serve our highest authority (God)":

• "Let every person be subjected to governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted but God" in Romans

• "For this is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their fulltime to governing" in Romans

• "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" in Romans

• "'Honor' the emperor, but 'fear' only God" by Peter

• "We must obey God rather than men" in Acts 

•  All these Bible verses tells us that, there is a clear distinction between responsibilities towards God & that towards emperor. Because, every emperor or a state leader is someone not alien to the world, but rather serve God's will alone, either for God or even against God, that God's will may prevail by their rule, whoever it maybe a Stalin or Hitler or Obama.

ROLES IN GOVERNMENT: 

i). God's role in government:

• "When governments fear, follow, serve and obey the Lord, 'it will be well'. When governments disobey & rebel against God's good plans, the hand of Lord will be against you and your kings" in Samuel clears us that governments and leaders have to fear the Lord and rule according to his will, but when they go against his will, God would ruin them and wage war on behalf of the people, so people need not have to oppose the governments if they do wrong, since there is a living God who watches everything and judges the leaders. 

ii). Politicians role in government: 

• "For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad" tells us we don't need to fear the politicians rather make use of them precisely 

• "..he is God's servant for your good" which means anyone who is in rule, he could have came through wrong means or anyway, he came to leadership only by God allowing him to do so. Nothing goes against God's calculation/his will. If he does good, he may sustain if he goes wrong he would fall for sure, because it is God who rules the people, not these leaders. 

iii). Our role in government: 

• "Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor" that we have to be socially concerned, not reluctant 

• "Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all destitute" means we have to voice against injustice, inequality, evil deeds which affect the people and be a voice for the voiceless

• "..seek the welfare of the city where I sent you into exile & pray to the Lord on it's behalf, for in it's welfare you will find your welfare" tells us welfare the nation we live must be focused and worked towards it. It's our duty because it was God who have given us this nation to live upon. 

CONCLUSION: 

• Every Christian is destined to involve into politics, but the 'degree of involvement' may vary from God's will, our ability and environmental aspects.  So, it is advisable that we engage ourselves to politics to whatever extend we could, the magnitude is not important. 

• If God wants you to be authoritative, coordinate with God & rule for the welfare of people, then he will bless all necessary requirements like knowledge, wisdom, authoritative ability and guide us to fulfill his will.

• If God wants you to be active & volunteer for the will of God, similarly he would provide everything needed for it. 

• If God wants us to be passive & do the very basic duty of 'voting' alone, is also a contribution and God would guide us, through prayers. 

• 'Voting' is the minimum contribution every Christian compulsorily have to do, inorder that we recognise who God wants to rule us. But, that voting requires certain things we have to consider before. 

- avoid decisions based on tradition, stereotypes, emotions & pride

- make decisions that value the kingdom of God more than the kingdom of man

- 'both 'moralizing the society' or 'politicizing the church' can never be a solution to world's issues

- the world does not change from outside, but from inside out, any change we need to see in the society has to be introduced from us. When we do it, our family do it, when family do, societies do it, when societies do, nation do it. 

• "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you"  tells us that, times may change, policies may change, politics may change, but first seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness and apply them accordingly.

INTEGRATION OF SUBJECTS

 

"INTEGRATION OF SUBJECTS"

- All are same meaning. A 'Multipotential' person interested in getting involved/educated in variety of subjects(also interdisciplinary). Simply saying, these kind of persons are not that much likely to get recruited in one career and enter the rat race, yes, they their chances to get employed are very less. But, fact is, these kind of persons are 'change creators' who employs others. 

- A generalist get knowledgeable in whole lot of varied subjects,  think them, apply them, experience them, and are the best investors in world, since they have invested in themselves/their minds. 

- Knowledge is power, a tool. Having various tools and slowly learning how to use each and everything one by one surely takes a lot of time, but definitely these people create changes in society to a huge degree and are not 'employ'  type people but employs others.

- "Future belongs to integretors" which means a 'Modern Polymath' is a guy who is competent in atleast 3 diverse disciplines and should integrate them together and form the 'Interdisciplinary' competent person and enter the topmost % of rarest combination of skill set, which technically has less career getting ability in developing nations, but the rarest competent person with rarest skill set in globe, and can achieve toughest ambitions and changes in society if given chance to. 

- Some known Modern polymaths are Steve Jobs(Integrated Hardware and software first time), Elon Musk(Integrated Physics, Programming, Engineering, ManufacturingandBusiness), Elizabeth Saunders(Integrated Christian theology, Writing skills, business) 

- Integrators are the reason the world is being advanced. Most famous change makers in this world are Integrators who combined 2 or more of their competencies. 

- Leonardo da Vinci & Michael Angelo are Renaissance persons, Thomas Jefferson & Benjamin Franklin are Scholars, Isaac Newton & Theodore Roosevelt are Polymaths, Elon Musk & Steve Jobs are Modern Polymaths.

If you watch closely, all these persons have been the famous change makers in the world at that time period.  

- "Study the Science of arts & the Art of sciences" by Leonardo da Vinci

In today’s world, diverse interests are not a curse, they’re a blessing. Being a polymath instead of a specialist is an advantage, not a weakness. 

- If you want something extraordinary in life, you have two paths:

1. Become the best at one specific thing.

2. Become very good (top 25%) at two or more things. 

- Creative breakthroughs in the World are made only by integrating disciplines/skills and creating a peculiar world-class skill set. It's easier to venture into and become competent in any new field/disciplinary/skill if required. 

- "The greatest scientists are also artists" by Einstein 

Those who use both sides of the brain equally or atleast minimum level are the ones capable of solving problems efficiently and sustainable manner. 

- 'Specialists' are persons who have deep knowledge in one particular field/skill/disciplinary and they are identified as 'vertical liners'. Whereas, 'Generalists' are persons who, not an expert in a field, but competent enough are identified as 'horizontal liners'. 

- Advantage of such Multipotential persons: 

• rapid learning and fast skill acquisition 

• idea & solution synthesis 

• adaptability 

• shifting between modes of thoughts

• leadership  

- But, the caveat is, such multipotential persons must be atleast in intermediate level in all their skills/disciplines as well as a master in atleast one of them. 

"You cannot be Jack of all trades, without being a master of atleast one of them" is what i believe in. 

- Disadvantage of such Multipotential persons: 

• lack specialisation 

• easily distracted and burnout 

• boredom due to known everything mentality 

• not easy getting a career

• in a world giving importance to specialists & career experts, being generalists is not so easy in society 

History of Indian National Flag Design

 (Top Flag is Present one by Surayya Badr-ud-Din-Tyabji and below it is the one designed by Pinkali Venkaiah) 

• SUMMARY:
* The flag with spinning wheel was originally designed by Pingali Venkayya and the removal of spinning wheel and its suitable replacement with Ashoka Chakra was designed by Surayya Badr-ud-Din-Tyabji.

• INTRODUCTION:
* The controversy around the designer of the Indian national flag was instigated by Capt. L Panduranga Reddy, a historian, who first proposed that not Pingali Venkayya but "Surayya Tayyabji" is designer of Indian National flag.

* Mrs Surayya Badr-ud-Din Tyabji was born in 1919, in Hyderabad. Her husband Badrudin Tayabji was an ICS officer. Surayya Badr-ud-Din-Tyabji has been reported to be an artist and designer by Muslim Mirror. She reportedly died in 1978 in Mumbai.

• TIMELINE:
* 1904: The first ever flag for India was made by Irish Disciple of Swami Vivekananda, it had two colours red and yellow. Red denoted the freedom struggle and yellow symbolised victory. The flag had Vande Mataram written on it in Bengali. It also had a Vajra ( said to be the weapon of rain God Indra) and a white lotus at the center.

* 1907: A Flag has been designed but not published by Sachindra Prasad and Sukumar mitra.

* 1907: A flag designed by Madam Bhikaji Rustom Cama’s flag, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Verma with Green, Yellow and Red in order and lotuses in green row, moon in left and sun in right in red row.

* 1916: A Flag with White at top(symbolising minorities), Green in middle(symbolising Muslims) and Red in bottom(symbolising Hindus) was designed by Pinkali Venkaiah, by the suggestion of Gandhi. (Congress refused to accept this, but this was actually widely used during independence)

* 1924: All India Sanskrit Congress suggested the inclusion of saffron and ‘Gadha’ of Lord Vishnu as the symbol of Hindus. Sikhs demanded inclusion of yellow colours. 

* 02/04/1931: 'Flag Committee' appointed by Congress working committee passed a resolution saying "objection has been taken to the three colors in the flag on the ground that they are conceived on the communal basis." * 1931: Congress committee, Karachi passed a resolution that “The National Flag shall be three-colored, horizontally arranged as before, but the colors shall be saffron, white and green in that order from top to bottom, with the "spinning-wheel" in dark blue in the center of the white stripe; it being understood that the colors have no communal significance, but that saffron shall represent courage and sacrifice, white peace and truth, and green shall represent faith and chivalry, and the spinning wheel the hope of the masses."
(This was merely assumed to be designed by Pinkali Venkaiah, not substantiated by any written or oral references anywhere in the documents of any committees till parliamentary archives now)

* 06/08/1931: INC Officially adopted the Flag
(Tricolour flag with chakra/spinning wheel in centre)

* 31/08/1931: 'Flag day' was celebrated.

* 22/07/1947: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru proposed the flag of the Indian National Congress but instead of the Chakhra/spinning wheel, he proposed the Ashoka Chakra of the Lion emblem and resolution was passed by the Constituent Assembly.
(Followed till now, as we see the present Flag)

• REFERENCES & QUOTATIONS:
* "Truths about Tricolour" by Ramachandra Guha for The Hindu says, the next modification in the flag took place on the eve of Independence, a committee of the Constituent Assembly decided "..that the spinning wheel would be replaced by a Asoka Chakra"

* Gandhi advocated for keeping INC Flag as the National Flag itself, "Should not ‘the flag under which the Congress has fought so many non-violent battles … now be the flag of the Government of free India?’".  Mr. Guha writes that " ..even though Gandhi was not happy about the change he was ultimately persuaded"

* Surayya Badr-ud-Din-Tyabji -- Laila Tyabji writes to 'The Wire' as below:
"Time was ticking along and everyone in the Committee (Nehru was keenly involved and extremely unhappy with the designs coming in) were getting a bit desperate, when suddenly, my parents had this brainwave of the lions and chakra on top of the Ashoka column. (They both loved the sculpture and ethos of that period). So, my mother drew a graphic version and the printing press at the Viceregal Lodge (now Rashtrapati Niwas) made some impressions and everyone loved it. Of course, the four lions (Lion Capital of Ashoka) have been our emblem ever since.
Meanwhile, without thinking too much about it, everyone had assumed that the Congress tricolour flag designed by Pingali Venkayya, with Gandhiji’s charkha in the middle, would be the national flag. Our independence struggle had been fought under its banner. However, there was opposition to a party flag representing the nation. So, my parents were tasked with re-doing the flag, and they took the same Ashoka chakra and put it on the tricolour. Once it was done, it all seemed so natural and obvious. Originally, my mother had painted a black chakra, but Gandhiji objected so it became navy blue"

* Suraiya Tyabji's name was in the list of members of the 'Flag Presentation Committee' who presented the national flag on Aug 14th, 1947, but it is nowhere mentioned that it was her design which was passed by the constituent assembly on July 22, 1947.
(Source: Parliamentary archive documents)
'Flag Foundation of India' an NGO set up by Congress leader and industrialist Naveen Jindal, "Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji's design of the national flag was approved by the constituent assembly"

• CONCLUSIONS:
* There are 'few' who 'simply claim' that "Pinkali Venkaiah" was who designed the present National Flag as we see. But, they have no substantiative evidences, quotes or records to prove it, except simply assumed by public opinion. Whereas, on the other hand, there are lots of evidences, references and proofs to conclude that "Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji" is the actually person behind the Flag we see today.

* When it comes to recording history, Indians are knows to tamper the record with favorable opinions, bias and inclinations towards regional & communal reasons. Clearly, an overshadow of work of a Muslim has been done by that 'few' group.
In that case, it's better we refer a third opinion or judgement.

* ‘The Last Days of Raj’ written by English Historian Trevor Royle, which says and claim that "By one of those contradictions which run through India's history, the national flag was designed by a Muslim, The flag which flew on Nehru's car that night had been specially made by 'Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji', Badr-ud-din Tyabji's wife".

* Therefore, after various community representing designs published by extreme communal elements(including Gandhi), a final one was revised and published by 'Pinkali Venkaiah' under Gandhi's suggestion, unfortunately it also had indirect self projecting motives. When it was finally 'Suraiya Badr-ud-din Tyabji's design resolved in Constituent Assembly by Jawaharlal Nehru was finalised and till now we see, but yet, certain few keeps their views that 'Pinkali Venkaiah' was the actual designer, but fortunately it wasn't.
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