The Irony Of Religion

Many people have entrusted their whole lives and that of their loved ones to the religion they have professed their faith into. Soon after birth, a child’s baptismal commits them to an organized religion throughout their lifetime unless they decide to change religion somewhere along the way. It can either be because they have been disillusioned by the teachings of their current religion and how it affects their lives or the found something else that embodies what they truly value in life.

The truth is – we define religion. The people who founded these religious organizations determined the dos and don’ts and everything else they observe and follow. There often has to be an enemy, an evil force detested by the sect. The comfort of knowing there is someone superior and divine up there that looks down on all of us and guide us in everything we do likewise comforts us and eases all our worries away. For a country as progressive as the US, can religion still save the millions of Americans who may or may not profess a religion themselves or are we just deluding ourselves of a divine saving grace?

We human primates live and die for symbolic ultimate concerns. These concerns are our religion. For example, America’s religion could be defined as the market or through the mythic story that America is a benevolent and necessary nation. Every civilization and culture defines itself through myths, rituals and allegiances that call forth our willingness to sacrifice either our own self or others. Every civilization and culture hangs a sacred canopy over its way of life and divides the world between us and them.

Indeed, religion is a sociological and psychological necessity. It is a human invention, a fabrication that protects us from our terror of physical death and symbolic insignificance. Religion is very powerful, and we easily fall under its spell, obeying its dictates and its beliefs even though they are only human constructions, a fictive lie that we tell ourselves. In other words, religion is a necessary illusion that helps us organize our life and evolve into a future.

(Via: http://www.realchangenews.org/2017/05/31/we-need-escape-limits-religion)

While religion was initially organized to save mankind from a certain doom, it has now evolved into a destructive force. Blame it on human nature, religion has caused more wars and conflict than any other thing in this world. Millions have died in religious crusades as one religion tries to wipe out the other. And if you say that those events can only be read in history books, you are largely mistaken. Just scroll your social media news feed and you’ll surely come across posts and news about religious extremists like ISIS Jihadists who made it their personal mission to wipe out every other religion in the world aside from that of Islam. Although this vendetta thingy is not taught in the Koran, extremists use this excuse as to why they orchestrate terror attacks that hurt and kill many innocent civilians.

If so, my point is this: like it or not, the main schools of traditional Islam have always embraced a theology of politics that recognises the proper use of force in the name of religion.

It is a distinctive feature of Islam that it is inherently, not just incidentally, political. In short, the traditional Islamic ideal is for any society to be governed by Islamic law. This implies that various state apparatus – including the justice and law enforcement systems – would be legitimately at the disposal of Islamic religion.

This is not controversial. Theologically trained traditional Muslims do not dispute whether political force can be used to enforce Islam. Instead, the controversy lies in debates about just what forms of force are legitimate, especially within a modern democratic context.

Obviously, these debates are complex, particularly in their handling of situations where Muslims are a minority. They are especially complicated when a Muslim minority perceives itself as victims of serious injustice. This is precisely the situation we are in. All contemporary Islamic political theorising takes place under the shadow of more than a century of Western geo-political impositions upon the Muslim world that have failed to produce just and prosperous societies. Given this melding of perceived injustice and a political theology that can legitimise the use of power, radical Islamism should be an unsurprising global development.

(Via: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/we-cant-ignore-the-role-islam-played-in-the-brighton-shooting-20170615-gwrlnb.html)

Many people wonder if we just all can try to get along. But then, it is easier said than done, believe me. While religions are actually cohesive units where people who profess the same religious beliefs unite and respect each other, their views may contradict the beliefs of others and result in many misunderstandings. People can get so fanatic when fighting for their religion especially that many mistake it for faith. But in reality, religion is more political than it is religious. And today, religion fuels terror attacks further dividing an already divisive world.

The article The Irony Of Religion See more on: https://www.thechurchreport.com/

source https://www.thechurchreport.com/the-irony-of-religion/

Migrant Workers Help Eradicate Poverty In Their Home Countries

Poverty is the main reason people leave their hometowns in search of greener pasture. They fight the loneliness and homesickness they feel to be thousands of miles away from loved ones as they toil to earn money to send back home. It’s the life story of many migrant workers right now. They may often post the glamorous life of living abroad but deep down, they actually feel sad and blue to not see their family and friends at the end of the day.

It is not always easy working in a foreign land. At times, you have to work double or even triple jobs just so you can earn more and be able to send more money to their families. Migrant workers often scrimp on themselves and deny themselves of certain luxuries for the same reason – to save more money. And it seems that their hard work is finally paying off as their remittance helps alleviate poverty in their own countries.

Migrants working in rich countries sent home almost half a trillion dollars in 2016, helping to lift families out of poverty by providing financial stability, access to education, housing and healthcare, according to a global report.

About 200 million migrants, half of whom are women, sent $445 billion to their families in Asia, Latin America and Africa in 2016, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said on Wednesday.

The total amount of remittances, which is estimated to reach $450 billion in 2017, has risen by more than 50 percent in the past decade, IFAD said.

"It is truly a global phenomenon in which people, due to lack of opportunities, have to leave their families behind to provide for them," said Pedro De Vasconcelos, IFAD policy advisor and author of the report.

(Via: http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2017/06/14/525290/Migration-Poverty-US-EU)

While workers should not be forced to find employment in far-off progressive countries, they usually don’t have any recourse since there is no opportunity for progress and a better life for their families if they don’t go out of their comfort zones. Their families can pay for their many expenses using the money migrant family members sent them, which in turn also help boost the local economy.

The report said families back home receive an average of $200 a month, which makes up 60 percent of the household income.

Using the steady flow of remittances, families can buy food, get housing, go to school, access healthcare, improve sanitation, or even invest in a business and have some savings, the report said.

De Vasconcelos said relying on remittances is a symptom of poverty in developing nations that pushes people to find economic opportunities abroad.

He said helping families use the money more productively could help reduce poverty, and in turn, prevent people from migrating in the first place.

"Remittances are a symptom, but (they) ... can be used to have a long-term positive effect in the economies where these funds are going," he said.

(Via: https://www.aol.com/article/finance/2017/06/14/migrants-sent-home-445-billion-in-2016-lifting-millions-out-of/22207235/)

International migration seems like the best solution to uplift the lives of poor families especially in third world countries where opportunities to earn big is rare. It is even more challenging if you don’t hold a college diploma like most poor children does. In order to get out of this cycle of unending poverty, parents leave their families so they can send their kids to school and hopefully give them a better chance in life. At least, the money they are sending is put into good use and their efforts are not in vain.

Sometimes, it takes years before workers abroad get to go home, so that means years after years of loneliness. Fortunately, social media has bridged the distance and you can now get in touch with loved ones anytime of the day as long as there is a stable enough Internet connection you can use. Even if the main reason why these migrant workers leave home is for their families, their government has a lot to be thankful for because the money they send not only help their families but the economy too. In a way, migrant workers give back in ways you can’t even imagine.

Migrant Workers Help Eradicate Poverty In Their Home Countries was originally seen on TheChurchReport.com

source https://www.thechurchreport.com/migrant-workers-help-eradicate-poverty-in-their-home-countries/

Humans Obvious Addiction To Their Mobile Phones

Mankind suffers from various addictions. The most famous of all are illegal drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, and gambling. These vices have transformed people’s lives and not always for the better. Many even died from a drug overdose because of the need to feel the ultimate high elicited by certain drugs like heroin is simply irresistible and drug addicts will move heaven and earth just to be able to get their next fix.

Today, a new kind of addiction is affecting almost everyone in the planet – mobile phones. Almost everyone is glued to their phones. Whether at home, at school, at work, or at play, everyone got their grip on their cell phones especially when they can connect to WiFi or have data to splurge. Many people would even prefer to spend hours tinkering with their smart device rather than strike up a conversation with the person beside them or just simply move around the house for the sake of your health.

Have you ever noticed that no one looks up while crossing the street anymore? Most people are too busy responding to text messages or scrolling through social media to pay attention to their surroundings.

Truth be told, I'm guilty of this myself. But nevertheless, it defies all logic. Why do we risk our safety to check if someone liked our latest Facebook update? Can't it wait for later, say, maybe when you're not near oncoming traffic?

It's a fact of modern-day life: we can't live without our devices. In fact, a recent Gallup poll revealed that the average adults checks their smartphone hourly, if not every few minutes. Americans' attachment to their phones is so strong that 63 percent of people actually sleep with their phone right next to them.

(Via: https://www.inc.com/melody-wilding/the-psychological-reason-you-cant-stop-checking-yo.html)

You’ll never run out of things to do on the web. You can get your office or school work done without ever needing to go out of the house anymore. You can likewise connect and stay connected with family, friends, and long-lost relatives through social media as well as make new friends online. Online entrepreneurs are making lots of money without having to open a single physical store where they can sell their products to a wider audience. Indeed, the Internet offers a lot of possibilities and we have the power to tap on all these options now through our handheld phone. It is one of the reasons why we can’t put our phones down 24/7 aside from saving us from boredom.

MILES O’BRIEN: One billion of us own a smartphone, and we know how addicting it can be.

One former Google employee says this is no accident. Indeed, it is by design. And he became troubled by the relentless efforts of app developers to keep us glued to the gadgets.

So, Tristan Harris founded an organization called Time Well Spent. He is asking the tech industry to bring what he calls ethical design to its products.

NewsHour special correspondent Cat Wise has more, part of our ongoing collaboration with The Atlantic.

TRISTAN HARRIS, Founder, Time Well Spent: I noticed when I was at Stanford, there was a class called the persuasive technology design class, and it was a whole lab at Stanford that teaches students how to apply persuasive psychology principles into technology to persuade people to use products in a certain way.

So, it’s not about giving you all this freedom. It’s about sucking you in to take your time.

(Via: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/phone-trying-control-life/)

Well, it is not entirely our fault why we can’t seem to take our eyes away from our phones. They have been designed to be addictive in the first place. Yet despite that, we can make a conscious effort to limit our exposure to technology so as not to compromise the more important things in life like making actual conversations and nurturing relationships with the people we love. It is hard, I know, but nothing is impossible if you set your mind and heart into it. A little discipline can go a long way and you’d be able to gradually loosen up your addiction to your mobile gadget and not constantly check on it every minute and second of the day.

The post Humans Obvious Addiction To Their Mobile Phones was originally seen on The Church Report Blog

source https://www.thechurchreport.com/humans-obvious-addiction-to-their-mobile-phones/

The Woes Of PC Repairs

Computers make our lives easier and at the same time more difficult too. We love the ease and convenience these tech gadgets give us especially now that the world has become more closely inter-connected through the web. However, all hell breaks lose once your computer starts to act up and you don’t know what to do about it. Repairs cost money and it is not always cheap to get your device fixed. For individuals who do not have prior knowledge regarding computers, it is even more stressful and confusing because you do not know where to start.

There is even the possibility of you getting ripped off of your hard-earned money by scammers while you are still stuck with a broken computer that does not work. Sometimes in our rush to get things fixed right away, we make more mistakes that aren’t just costly but may even be the reason why PC repair no longer becomes an option for you as it can’t be salvaged anymore.

Troubleshooting computers is sometimes a difficult task.

"It doesn't work..." isn't the best description to allow a technician to fix the problem.

"It doesn't boot..." indicates that the computer won't start. This could mean that nothing happens when you push the power button. It could also be caused by a corrupted operating system. The computer isn't able to read the hard drive. The computer "lights up" but it never gives you a login prompt.

Once the computer displays a normal desktop, the computer has done a lot of work. It has verified the hardware and loaded the operating system. At this point, the user may be considering getting online. If you are able to start the browser -- Internet Explorer, Firefox or Google Chrome -- the next task is to attempt to connect to a website. A failure in the browser indicates that there is no network connection available.

Many times the Internet Service Provider (ISP) reconfigures its network. You need to reboot the modem device. Unplug the router or turn it off for a few seconds. When the modem powers up again, it should load the proper configuration. Ask your ISP for the proper LED display when the modem is functioning normally. There is no need to unplug all the wiring if everything worked properly and none of the wiring has been modified.

(Via: http://www.lowellsun.com/business/ci_31133772/relax-and-make-smart-plans-fix-your-pc)

When it comes to computer repairs, you would really require the technical assistance of a computer expert or a technician to ensure all your data stays safe as they try to fix the problem with your computer. The complex codes and various interconnected (and often sensitive) parts inside your PC make it doubly more challenging to get these devices working once more. And as such, their highly-skilled services come at a price we are not always ready to pay for.

Even as machines and devices have become less mechanical and more electronic, we have found that customers still expect to be able to repair and continue using electronic products they purchase. When manufacturers support that expectation, by offering repair manuals, spare parts and other guidance on how to fix their products, they build customer loyalty.

Specifically, we found that customers are more likely to buy additional products from that manufacturer, and are more likely to recommend that manufacturer’s product to friends. The math here is simple: More customers using a company’s products, whether brand-new or still kicking after many years, equals more money for the business.

Our research also shows that the failure of most electronic devices is due to simple accidents such as dropping a device or spilling water on it. The most common problem is a broken screen. There are other issues, too – such as batteries that no longer hold their charges or circuit boards that just stop working.

(Via: https://theconversation.com/why-cant-we-fix-our-own-electronic-devices-77601)

Not all consumers want the experts to fix or maintain their gadgets especially if money is tight. Some of them would love to do all the work if they can find step-by-step manuals or tutorials on how things should be done and not have to pay for somebody else to simply change some damaged parts on their gadgets or other mundane things related to your device. Aside from helping computer users and owners save money and get their devices fixed and looking and working brand new once more, we also cut down on e-waste and save the environment in the process without compromising the comfort and convenience offered by your average working computer.

The Woes Of PC Repairs was first published to The Church Report Blog

source https://www.thechurchreport.com/the-woes-of-pc-repairs/