Search Terms to find Religious and Spiritual Resources on the Internet

Here is a suggestion to use presice search terms when searching the Web. For a complete list of terms and related web resources see: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives by Mohamed Taher

From the above book, listed below are search terms (or keywords) for you to use when searching for resources about a specific religion / spiritual experience.

Mapping Alternative Traditions (aka New Age Religions/Spiritualities):

•  Rituals, Magic, Spells, Meditating, Circle Casting, Invoking & Evoking…

Mapping Buddhism:

• Prayer & Praise (Chanting, Samadhi Or Meditation)
• Sacrament (Rituals)
• Scripture (Dharma, Teaching, Three Baskets, Inspirational Devotions)

Mapping Islam:

• Prayer (Salat, Dua, Ibadah, Rituals, Rites)
• Praise (Darud, Qasida, Taarif, Salam, Naat, Vadhaif, Dhikr, Tasbeeh)
• Scripture (Quran, Hadith, Inspirational literature)
• Sacraments (Muqaddas, Mutabarrik, Tabarruk, Aathar)

Mapping Jainism:

• Prayer (Prarthana, Puja, Seva)
• Praise (Stuti)
• Scripture (Shastra)
• Sacrament (Prashad)

Mapping Judaism:

• Prayer (Tefilah, rites, etc.)
• Scripture (Hebrew Bible, Midras)

Mapping Sikhism:

• Prayer (Ardas)
• Praise (Salah / Sift)
• Scripture (Bani)
• Sacrements (Prasad)

Note: Some may ask: Why do we need to search or know what to search (terms, keywords, terminology, taxonomy, etc.)? It is because the Western terms or keywords for religious and spiritual experiences are different from the Eastern. In the Western usage the following are clear and don't confuse:

• liturgy / beads
• Gregorian chant
• plainsong or plainchant
• Gallican chant
• Christian hymnody
• hymn
• Exclusive psalmody
• Gospel [source: libguides.swu.edu]

On the same shelf:

•  Religion and Spirituality in Cyberspace Artistic Research – Künstlerische Forschung
• A WORD SEARCH GAME, COVERING WORLD RELIGIONS @ religioustolerance.org
• Searching for salvation and Investigating religious information searching by  Bernard J. Jansena, Andrea Tapiaa, and Amanda Spink 

Cyber Worship Revisited - Need to sort out your sins? There's an app for that

Herald Tribune, Thu 10 Feb 2011

Can your iPad or iPhone bring you closer to God? A new application for the devices aims to help Roman Catholics who haven't been to the confessional booth in a while keep track of their sins, one Commandment at a time. The $1.99 "Confession: A Roman Catholic App" can't grant forgiveness -- you still need to receive the sacrament from a real, live priest like always. The app's designers and some believers see it as a way to spur Catholics back into the habit of repenting. "There's a reason we designed it for these mobile devices: We want you to go to confession," said Patrick Leinen, one of the developers and a co-founder of the company Little... continue reading: Herald Tribune,

More Online Confessions, Resources here:

Here is a sample from inside the Book: Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives--full of resources that will facilitate building bridges in a Multifaith society. Table of Contents / Reviews

Chapter 2. 'Cyber Worship as-is On the Web'

Resource of the Week is: Museums of World Religions (see description, reviews, etc., page 70). Order with Publisher:

My book Talk

My related posts:

Special Issue from Religious Studies Review on Religion & Internet

Cybersins and Digital Good Deeds

Christian Librarianship

Web Vastu or A Spiritual Worldview for Marketing Website

Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet

Cyber Worship in Multifaith Perspectives

Whatever has happened to Hell?

Note: Visualization of spirituality / secularism with a different mindmap, as depicted by Susan White in the following. Read the note by Dr. Kumar, below on this mindmap.

by Dr. Sehdev Kumar Editorial. SouthAsianObserver.com

Extract: In the spirit of emerging Gaia consciousness - the earth consciousness - an Australian artist, Susan White portrays Seven Deadly Sins in a modern version: Indifference replaces Anger; Sucking Up Envy; Self-Effacement Pride; Celibacy Lust; Dieting Gluttony; Workcoholism Sloth, and Squandering Avarice, all watched by the all-seeing eye of Gaia rather than of God.

Yet despite all, on life’s slippery slopes, at some tortuous moments, hell does become an unbearable reality for all of us in one form or another. The Pursuit of Happiness seems so often an illusion; we are tormented by the meaninglessness of life, and by its frailty, and by its unexpected twists and turns. Sweet fragrance turns sour; youth slips away; innocence becomes icy; spring seems far, far away. One then looks towards the door on Dante’s Inferno, and reads a sign: “Abandon all hope ye who enter here”.

Life without Hope! Could this be the meaning of Hell? continue reading

On the same shelf:

The 7 Deadly Sins Sampler ~ Daniel Born

Pride • Envy • Anger • Sloth • Greed • Gluttony • Lust

Quality of Life -- Spiritual Thoughts Re-Visited

"Spiritual well-being is considered by some to be the most significant dimension of quality of life, and may also be the least well understood. Until recently, the concept of spirituality was considered to be faith-based or religious in nature. Although religion may well be a part of the spiritual dimension of quality of life, there are many other aspects of this dimension to be considered. Spiritual well-being encompasses uncertainty, religiosity, the meaning of illness and suffering, the purpose of life, transcendence (lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience) and hopefulness. It is not difficult to see how a diagnosis of cancer can lead to self-doubt and conflict with one's beliefs. In contrast, some will find meaning and solace through reliance on their strong spiritual foundation." continue reading: From the desk of the Laura Hilderley, R.N., M.S., Member, Rhode Island Cancer Council, Inc. December 2001 Quality of Life

Solar eclipse scares Indian mothers-to-be

By Harmeet Shah Singh, CNN
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- While many now recognize the scientific explanation for a solar eclipse, the phenomenon is still marked with tradition and sometimes suspicion in Hindu-majority India. continue reading

LAW OF ATTRACTION -- Faith-based Resources

Once we're dead, let's talk

Vinay Menon Toronto Star
We're supposed to look our best ... even when we're dead?
I just finished reading a rather morbid story on msnbc.com titled, "Final Touch: A Cosmetic Lift for Your Funeral." And now I'm tempted to bleach my teeth, get laser eye surgery and do 1,000 abdominal crunches.
You know, just in case I expire tomorrow. continue reading

see also on the same shelf:

• 1st computerised Muslim graveyard in the making
• Death and Dying - Multifaith Resource Series no.1
  

Libraries offer solace in hard times

Sunday, November 30, 2008
Last updated: Sunday November 30, 2008, BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLE STAFF WRITER

PATERSON — Before heading to his job at a carpet company in Hackensack, Jorge Maradiegue stopped by the main library on Broadway to check out three DVDs and browse the Internet from his personal laptop.
"You know how much this [costs] to rent at Blockbuster?" Maradiegue asked, motioning to copies of "The Bourne Identity," "Las Mejores Canciones Del Mundo" and "Da Vinci Code" he had borrowed. "It's more than $4 [each]. That's a lot of money.
As consumers continue to look for ways to save money in a slow economy, more and more are heading to the local public library.
People who otherwise would have gone to Barnes & Noble to buy the latest thriller or to Blockbuster to rent a new release are now giving the public libraries a second look, library directors across Passaic County say.

...They are finding that the library is not just a place to get books. Some libraries now allow users to download entire movies online, something that was unavailable until recently, they said. Others offer yoga classes.
But if the downturn continues, libraries could see their funding decease while having to serve more people.
"If the economy is down and the tax base continues to dwindle, and you have to share services for the dwindling pie of funds, it's not a pretty picture," said Alire of the American Library Association. "We are all affected by the bad economy."... continue reading

Info courtesy: Gail Zimmer

MULTI FAITH PILGRIMAGE

@ YouTube.com

Interspirituality @ Fatihcommons.org

Search results from the Website: http://faithcommons.org/:

• More on Spiritual Unity
  ... But whether it is probable is the big question. Interspirituality Links Here are some links on Interspirituality. Interfaith Studies Interspirituality Portal ...
  blog entry - bill - 06/21/2005 - 19:47 - 14 comments
• Is Interspirituality in your future?
  ... this is so, and I believe it is, we might also say that interspirituality –the sharing of ultimate experiences across traditions—is the religion of the third millennium. Interspirituality is the foundation that can prepare the way for a planet-wide ...
  blog entry - bill - 06/01/2005 - 18:55 - 0 comments
• Faith in the Commons
  ... great religions getting together in peace. They call it Interspirituality . Of course, these participants may be far along the path ...
  weblink - bill - 02/07/2007 - 16:45 - 10 comments
• What Response to Slander Campaign
  ... Bede Griffiths. They are more closely associated with “Interspirituality.” Maybe because they both died before anything was called ...
  blog entry - bill - 04/17/2006 - 19:15 - 16 comments
• Who's Afraid of Interfaith Dialog?
  ... of some of the interest? Cheers - Steve Interspirituality reply, redux I'm sorry that I Steve, I'm ... of looking. The most up-to-date arguments that are against interspirituality found so far are from Ken Silva are at ... The best way to find these documents it to type “interspirituality” in the search dialog form. Redefine that search criteria ...
  blog entry - bill - 05/12/2006 - 10:08 - 6 comments
  

NB. More on this subject of Interspirituality is at http://interfaithunity.ca or correspond with Publisher: Rev. Leslie Mezei; Editor, Layout, Webmaster: Rev. Terry Weller.

Stressed Greeks turn to e-curses

IOL Technology 14 January, 2008
Greeks fed up with their pesky neighbours, old flames, the government, or society in general can find release in a new Internet site that posts e-curses for free.

"Have you been dumped, harassed or angered? Why not unload with a curse?", offers www.e-katares.com (e-curse.com), which currently has more than 150 entries.

Most postings on the site are from jilted lovers but there are also contributions aimed at Greek taxi drivers — a favourite target — banks, the public sector and even Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

"May his next pasta meal give him salmonella poisoning," one user rants against the premier, whose love of food is a popular barb among opposition media.

In Athens, locals usually relieve stress through a variety of offensive hand gestures, most frequently whilst caught in one of the capital’s trademark traffic jams.

"Studies by (EU statistics service) Eurostat show that Greeks have gone from being positive and relaxed to having the worst stress in Europe — over job uncertainty and the collapse of traditional social structures," sociology professor George Piperopoulos told the daily Ethnos.

NB. same news from other news sources:

• Stressed? Go for e-curse-It's a Mad, Mad World-World-The Times of India


• Greeks find e-curses to be relaxing - Deccan Chronicle / Asian Age

Getting Religious About Street Parking

NYC

By CLYDE HABERMAN
Published: November 9, 2007, New York Times

Today is Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, celebrating the triumph of good, represented by Lord Rama, over the forces of evil. It is a holiday that thrills some of my friends. Not that they are Hindus themselves.

The three-day Islamic feasts of Id al-Fitr and Id al-Adha thrill them, too. They aren’t Muslims, either.

They are, in the main, Christians and Jews. Most of them are not the sort to be found in church or synagogue every Sunday or Saturday morning. But they derive enormous satisfaction from holy days like the Feast of the Assumption or from a days-long Jewish festival like Passover.

continue reading

[info courtesy: Gail Zimmer]

See also:

Vatican greets Hindus on Diwali - Yahoo! India News

US House passes Diwali resolution

Dear Diary: The Dalai Lama

As imagined by Joseph Brean, National Post Saturday, November 03, 2007

As imagined by Joseph Brean, National Post

• MONDAY: Big surprise...
  

• TUESDAY: In Canada now...
  

• WEDNESDAY: Meet Canada Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday...

• THURSDAY: Yesterday, meet Canada opposition leader...

• FRIDAY: Flying back to my government-in-exile in India.... Continue reading the full diary
  

Funeral law fails ethnic groups

Rigid regulations undermine immigrants' freedom to practise final rites, study finds

Oct 27, 2007 Prithi Yelaja, Staff Reporter, Toronto Star

Death may be the final frontier when it comes to testing the limits of multicultural accommodation in Ontario.

Rigid provincial and municipal regulations regarding funerals and burials, created primarily to accommodate western Judeo-Christian customs, are forcing faith communities to adjust to the law rather than have the freedom to practise their final rites, according to a new study from Ryerson University.

"Along with the mainstream population, the immigrant population is aging and dying, too, in large numbers, so now these issues are coming to the forefront," says study author Sandeep Agrawal, a professor of urban and regional planning. continue reading

See also in the same aisle and shelf:

Ashes to ashes, By Suelan Toye, September 28, 2007

Urban planning Prof. Sandeep Agrawal has studied the barriers faced by ethnic groups who wish to follow their funeral customs.

Ethnic families often face cultural barriers in Ontario when they wish to honour their loved ones' passing with culturally appropriate burial rites, say Ryerson University researchers.

"Since Canada prides itself as a multicultural society and its citizens are committed to sustaining their cultural heritage, we need to find ways to encompass these same ideals when members of our ethnic communities pass away," says Associate Prof. Sandeep Agrawal, the lead author of Funeral and Burial Sites, Rites and Rights in Multicultural Ontario. The paper will be published this month in Citizenship and Immigration Canada's publication, Our Diverse Cities. continue reading

Flying While Sikh?

Dear Friends:
Guru Fateh.
Please distribute widely and encourage people to support Sikh Coalition and other Sikh organizations that are doing such good work.

What You Need to Know as a Sikh Air Traveler click here

Download the Sikh Air Travelers Guide and Bill of Rights [English version] [Punjabi version]

We Need to Know Whether the New Policy is Working!
Click Here To Document Your Air Travel Experience Good or Bad

Best, Amritjit Singh (on Fulbright assignment in Graz , Austria)

See also:

• Should The Government Profile Muslims At Airports? By Kamran Memon Civil Rights Attorney


• Canada needs registered air travellers program, Air India inquiry told
  Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun, Tuesday, October 23, 2007


• Traveling in Troubled Times, by Duane Wells


• Sikhs Laud New Airport Rule on Turban Screenings
  By ASHFAQUE SWAPAN, Special to India-West

Divine inspiration: Witness the spectacle of Turkey's mystical dervish dancers

The Independent
Monday, October 01, 2007
By Frank Partridge

For years they could only perform in secret. Now that has changed. Back then, I did have an excuse for such spectacular ignorance. For much of the 20th century this brotherhood of mystic dancers had been driven more or less underground by the Turkish government, anxious to keep a lid on religious movements which might undermine the new republic. continue reading Belfast Telegraph

The End of Harry Potter

What Civilization Does Harry Potter Create?
By Orson Scott Card
Spoiler alert: This post reveals the ending of Book Seven.
So we’ve lived in J.K. Rowling’s moral universe for a decade now, seven volumes worth. Where did she take us, and to the degree that we have been reshaped (or reaffirmed) by that moral universe, what has she made of us?
What hath Harry Potter wrought?
Read this @ Beliefnet: Blogalogue - Debates About Faith

See also:

British School Justified In Reprimanding Teacher Who Told Children Harry Potter Author Was A Witch -- Faithwise Review of the Week

Indian police seize pirated Potter books

British School Justified In Reprimanding Teacher Who Told Children Harry Potter Author Was A Witch -- Faithwise Review of the Week

A British employment tribunal has ruled a teaching assistant was not a victim of religious discrimination after her school gave her a hard time when she refused the reading of a Harry Potter book in class.
Sariya Allan, 47, was a teaching assistant at Durand Primary School in Stockwell, England. She gave a seven-year-old student a book to read but the student found it too easy and picked up a Harry Potter book. Continue reading @ The Witches' Voice Inc.

Vegetarians demand meat-free malls
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Malls are currently doing a balancing act between consumer sentiments and making profits. Saturday , July 07, 2007 IBNLive

Mumbai: You’ve heard of niche marketing, but this could be new. Vegetarians in Mumbai are now demanding meat-free mall...

This is the latest battle between vegetarians and non-vegetarians in Mumbai. Pro-vegetarian groups like the Maharashtra Gopalan Samiti have launched a campaign against malls selling non-vegetarian items. continue reading

Religious diversity: Can we talk? By Stephen V. Sundborg, Special to The Times
The second obstacle to engaging one another within our religious diversity is that most of what separates us from one another is not belief or religious practice, but the cloud of culture all religions create around themselves. There is a Catholic culture, a Protestant culture, an Anglican culture, a Jewish culture, a Muslim culture. All religions create these thick cultures from ritual, customs and tradition. They are not the religion; they are its cloud, its skirt, its exterior, not its interior.

Week Of Prayer Coincides With Increase In Rain @ The Witches' Voice Inc.

Stepney Salvation Army join Multifaith Rejection of Terrorism, ChristianToday, UK - 7 Jul 2007

Resource book for multifaith work prepared, Vancouver, BC,
The diocese's Multifaith and Ecumenical Unit has produced a Resource Book for Programmes of Interfaith Dialogue to help parishes and other groups interact with non-Christian faith communities in their localities.

College student educates others about Islamic beliefs
Albany Times Union, NY - 7 Jul 2007

You are God's Piccolo, By Fr Adolf, Deccan Herald, Bangalore
Think of yourself as a chip of stone in the hands of God the sculptor of your life. Think of yourself as the piccolo player in orchestra of God the great conductor. Don't be discouraged.

Welcome to the church of romantic love
The search for a mystical 'baby' is replacing the search for God as the dominant religion of this century, Douglas Todd, Vancouver Sun, July 07, 2007 see also: 07/07/07: A perfect date with destiny?

Mukesh Ambani pays 16 lakh to Wakf board, gets NOC
Mumbai: Mukesh Ambani’s Rs 100-crore dream home plan, said to be the world’s most expensive city mansion, may now realise after remaining in a land-transfer controversy.
The Maharashtra Waqf Board has issued a no-objection certificate for the deal after receiving a payment of Rs 16 lakh from Ambani. However, the clearance from the Wakf Borad has now sparked fresh controversy.

State to pay pujas in old temples Deccan Chronicle on the web
Hyderabad, July 9: To prevent the possibility of religious conversions at the village level, the endowments department has decided to revive pujas and rituals in all old temples. As a first step, the department would extend financial support to 4,000 temples out of 32,000 in the State. It will give Rs 1000 for pujas and Rs 1,500 as honorarium to priests.

The Tirumala Tirupati Devastanams will allot grants for the effective implementation of the scheme. It is expected benefit archakas who have been demanding salaries for the several years on par with priests of 21 big temples. According to the guidelines issued by the department, temples which require grants should be listed in Section 6 of the Endowments Act. The temples should have been constructed at least 25 years ago and should not have an income of more than Rs 30,000 per year. Committees running the temples have been asked to apply before July 18.

District level committees appointed by the government will verify the physical condition of the temples before issuing the grants. Officials expect that regular spiritual activity in the villages will prevent people from converting to faiths other than Hinduism. According to them, people are being attracted towards other faiths since there is nobody to explain the culture and traditions of Hinduism. "Temples play a vital role in preserving our heritage and culture. They will also inculcate unity among the people. So we have decided to extend financial support to all temples in a phased manner," said endowments commissioner P. Sundara Kumar.

Purposeful site, By KAREN HEINSELMAN, Courier Staff Writer
WATERLOO --- About seven years ago, Emily Sullivan and her family were preparing to move from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Northeast Iowa. To familiarize herself with the area, she researched her future hometown online.
One of the family's priorities was a place to worship.
"I was trying to find out what church we might want to visit," Sullivan said.
She found a church Web site that, by her definition, was fairly basic at the time. But Sullivan also discovered what she was looking for: information about women's groups and children's programming. Both ministries are important to her family.

Govt turns to Wiccan queen to save girls, Jul 2, 2007, By Bappa Majumdar

Nikah online? Acceptable, says Darul Uloom
11 Jul, 2007 l 0016 hrs ISTlManjari Mishra/TNN - The Times of India

God and Smoking

Today's Daily Mail had the slightly ridiculous story of UK churches being forced to display non-smoking signs ... Compulsory 'no smoking' signs in churches are 'daft', says Dean.
I'm not sure what Jesus has to say about smoking, but yesterday I found out about Mohammed and Islam's views of smoking - courtesy of this clever little leaflet they were giving out at the chemist. It was produced with the co-operation of the Muslim Council, and makes it clear that smoking is against the Koran and Muslim law.
Conitnue reading the full article

see also:

Churches incensed by 'stop smoking' signs

God and Climate Change - Global Environmental Perspective

The Faith of 'American Idol' - Faithwise Review of the Week

[fuller version] Ian Benardo - American Idol: Wannabe Superstar

Top Ten Religious Moments on 'American Idol' Text by Lilit Marcus
'American Idol' is the most popular show on TV--and also one of the most spiritual. Click through our gallery of the 10 most spiritual moments in 'Idol' history. [more comments and review at Beliefnet Blog]

'American Idol': The Battle of the Right?

'American Idol' and Our Culture of Lies,

Ice Age blast 'ravaged America' Monday, 21 May 2007, BBC News
A controversial new idea suggests that a large space rock exploded over North America 13,000 years ago.
The blast may have wiped out one of America's first Stone Age cultures as well as the continent's big mammals such as the mammoth and the mastodon.

Europeans admire 'Celtic Tiger' By James Helm, BBC Dublin correspondent, Monday, 21 May 2007

Scientologists and BBC clash, Syndicated from: GetReligion, on Mon, 05/21/2007

Wiccans Still Misunderstood Chattering Mind, May 18, 2007

Arab youth revel in pop revolution, By Sebastian Usher, Monday, 21 May 2007, BBC News media correspondent

What is behind Sikh protests? Jyotsna Singh, BBC News, Delhi Friday, 18 May 2007

Human Trafficking in My Neighborhood, Submitted by reido on Thu, 05/17/2007

Cultural bigotry rises as India sees social change, By Krittivas Mukherjee [see also a related story: Meet India's sensitive moral police!]

A blind eye to bigotry, Five years on, those behind the Gujarat anti-Muslim pogrom are still running the state, Mike Marqusee, Thursday March 1, 2007, The Guardian

Diplomacy via religion, By Kristen Chick, THE WASHINGTON TIMES, May 16, 2007

300 World Leaders Call for Peace and Interfaith Respect on Eve of The Washington Times' 25th anniversary celebrations