news

September 12, 2003

International Expo on Vedic Sciences Set for

2003: The European Forum For Ayurveda is organizing the "International Expo &

Symposium on Vedic Sciences" this year for the first time. It will be held in

Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 10, 11 and 12 October 2003. The main focus of the

symposium will be: Ayurveda, Astrology and Culture. To participate in the

symposium, or to come and visit the event, please click on "source" above for

details.UK Poll Finds Surprising View of

on UK's faithLONDON, ENGLAND, September 10, 2003: Britons are abandoning

churches in droves, replacing traditional religion with activities that focus

on themselves. But most people still believe in something, a poll revealed

yesterday. Six out of ten of Britons believe in God and increasing numbers

find Jesus inspirational, thanks to a rise in evangelical Christianity. Islam

and alternative ideas such as New Age spirituality are also expanding.

Pollsters Mori interviewed 1,001 people for the fifth anniversary of BBC1's

Heaven And Earth Show. They found a country in which almost half the

population could not name any of the four New Testament Gospels of Matthew,

Mark, Luke and John. But 60 per cent knew the Koran is Islam's sacred text.

The programme claims there are 750,000 practising Muslims in the UK and a

million practising Christians (out of a UK population of 59 million). A

spokesman for the show -- hosted by Philippa Forrester and Ross Kelly -- said:

"The rise of the consumer society and a greater emphasis on individual

experience have challenged traditional worship. "The outlook for traditional

Christianity is bleak. But it s different elsewhere. Hindus, Sikhs, Jews and

Buddhists remain sizeable groups and New Age beliefs are now mainstream. "For

many, reflexology, reiki spiritual healing, yoga and crystal healing are part

of everyday life." Church attendance is falling by one per cent a year. If the

trend continues, parish churches could be empty by 2050. Fifty-two percent of

those polled believe in heaven, 40 per cent believe in guardian angels and 38

per cent believe in ghosts. Some of us think past lives also influence us --

23 per cent believe in reincarnation (the same as in the USA), but only one in

ten says they know it has happened to them.

Recommended Posts