03-03-2005, 07:23 PM
Came in the email.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Vivekananda Centre London as the educational arm of Hindu Council UK celebrated an award ceremony for students together with its launch of a textbook on Hinduism.
The event took place at Brent Town Hall on the evening of 25th February. The chief guests at the event were: Ian Rowberry the head of Religious Education at Edexcel Board and Keith Faulkner the managing director of Working Links and Chair of Skills Council at London Chamber of Commerce.
....
The event combined two aspects
  1.
   Issuing certificates to the successful candidates who sat for and obtained high grades in GCSE and Advanced level examinations in Hinduism. A whole string of candidates obtained a perfect 100 percent marks in Hinduism Modules at Advanced Subsidiary Level as well as at Advanced level. This is unheard of!Gaining 100 percent marks in essay type examinations is a very high achievement indeed.
  2. Vivekananda Centre in association with Hindu Council UK have begun the process of launching its own resources in Hinduism. The event launched its textbook       called Hinduism for Schools. This textbook will alter the way Hinduism is taught and viewed in the West. The next series of textbooks yet to be launched           are Advanced Hinduism and Primary Hinduism for under 11s.
The event was very successful and generated a lot of praise from all academics and parents who had packed the venue to capacity.
Though this book is primarily written for use by schools teaching Hinduism, it can also be used by lay readers looking for a structured understanding of this subject. Each chapter is divided into the 'main text', 'breadth of vision' and a 'memory guide'. The 'breadth of vision' incorporates material that offers deeper insights into Hinduism.
The two most serious challenges faced by world religions today are:
First, in a world that has become a global village, to find a way that religious communities can coexist peacefully and with full dignity. Secondly, to make religions relevant in a modern, diverse society. Hinduism has important contributions to offer in both these areas. In response to the first of these challenges, this book develops the theme of 'religious pluralism' in detail.
The second challenge faced by the world religions is the struggle, taking place at a deeper level. It is the struggle between religious and non-religious worldviews. What "9/11" revealed is not a conflict between two world religions but a conflict between religious and non-religious worldviews in the guise of a 'hard-line' religion fighting a 'materialistic world'. The way to resolve this challenge is to subject all religious teachings to the acid test of rationality. Why religions are not expected to abide by the standard of reason, no one knows.
The new discoveries at the cutting edge of modern science are very exciting and are beginning to reveal a spiritual dimension to hard sciences. Some of these discoveries are like the distant echoes of the Hindu philosophy. Werner Heisenberg, the founding father of modern physics, has commented that: One cannot always distinguish between the statements made by Eastern metaphysics and the pronouncements of modern physics. This book (and the next one in the series Advanced Hinduism) explores these links.
The source of our authority and inspiration for presenting Hinduism comes from Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). The late Professor Ninian Smart paid tribute to Vivekananda by saying that it is with Vivekananda that Hinduism as an 'all-India religion' came into being. The most comprehensive and comprehensible face of Hinduism becomes visible through the lectures delivered by him. A unique feature of Hinduism is that it places equal, if not greater, emphasis on contemporary exponents of Hinduism, like Vivekananda. Most texts on Hinduism continue to present the historic rather than the contemporary expression of religion. The fixation some Western authors have on the teachings of Manu for example, reflect their own idiosyncratic approach. Hinduism prides itself as being a 'living religion', constantly evolving and refreshing the message of spirituality through contemporary spiritual giants. This book is a contemporary version of Hinduism in contrast to what have now become the antiquated forms.
So far, the portrayal of Hinduism in the West has been extremely poor. The special features of Hinduism, such as the 'divinity of man', 'pluralism', 'rationality and religion', or the 'links between science and religion', rarely get a mention. Most books portray Hinduism as a cultural phenomenon: 'just a way of life' incorporating hereditary caste, many gods and goddesses, idolatry, sati, Kali, etc. This book is a robust attempt to dispel such poor portrayals of Hinduism, a religion that has a crucial role to play in reviving and refreshing the message of spirituality throughout the modern world.
The books can be purchased at Hinduism for Schools at www.hinduism.fsnet.co.uk
Jay Lakhani
Chair - Education Executive
Hindu Council UK
www.hinducounciluk.org
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Vivekananda Centre London as the educational arm of Hindu Council UK celebrated an award ceremony for students together with its launch of a textbook on Hinduism.
The event took place at Brent Town Hall on the evening of 25th February. The chief guests at the event were: Ian Rowberry the head of Religious Education at Edexcel Board and Keith Faulkner the managing director of Working Links and Chair of Skills Council at London Chamber of Commerce.
....
The event combined two aspects
  1.
   Issuing certificates to the successful candidates who sat for and obtained high grades in GCSE and Advanced level examinations in Hinduism. A whole string of candidates obtained a perfect 100 percent marks in Hinduism Modules at Advanced Subsidiary Level as well as at Advanced level. This is unheard of!Gaining 100 percent marks in essay type examinations is a very high achievement indeed.
  2. Vivekananda Centre in association with Hindu Council UK have begun the process of launching its own resources in Hinduism. The event launched its textbook       called Hinduism for Schools. This textbook will alter the way Hinduism is taught and viewed in the West. The next series of textbooks yet to be launched           are Advanced Hinduism and Primary Hinduism for under 11s.
The event was very successful and generated a lot of praise from all academics and parents who had packed the venue to capacity.
Though this book is primarily written for use by schools teaching Hinduism, it can also be used by lay readers looking for a structured understanding of this subject. Each chapter is divided into the 'main text', 'breadth of vision' and a 'memory guide'. The 'breadth of vision' incorporates material that offers deeper insights into Hinduism.
The two most serious challenges faced by world religions today are:
First, in a world that has become a global village, to find a way that religious communities can coexist peacefully and with full dignity. Secondly, to make religions relevant in a modern, diverse society. Hinduism has important contributions to offer in both these areas. In response to the first of these challenges, this book develops the theme of 'religious pluralism' in detail.
The second challenge faced by the world religions is the struggle, taking place at a deeper level. It is the struggle between religious and non-religious worldviews. What "9/11" revealed is not a conflict between two world religions but a conflict between religious and non-religious worldviews in the guise of a 'hard-line' religion fighting a 'materialistic world'. The way to resolve this challenge is to subject all religious teachings to the acid test of rationality. Why religions are not expected to abide by the standard of reason, no one knows.
The new discoveries at the cutting edge of modern science are very exciting and are beginning to reveal a spiritual dimension to hard sciences. Some of these discoveries are like the distant echoes of the Hindu philosophy. Werner Heisenberg, the founding father of modern physics, has commented that: One cannot always distinguish between the statements made by Eastern metaphysics and the pronouncements of modern physics. This book (and the next one in the series Advanced Hinduism) explores these links.
The source of our authority and inspiration for presenting Hinduism comes from Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902). The late Professor Ninian Smart paid tribute to Vivekananda by saying that it is with Vivekananda that Hinduism as an 'all-India religion' came into being. The most comprehensive and comprehensible face of Hinduism becomes visible through the lectures delivered by him. A unique feature of Hinduism is that it places equal, if not greater, emphasis on contemporary exponents of Hinduism, like Vivekananda. Most texts on Hinduism continue to present the historic rather than the contemporary expression of religion. The fixation some Western authors have on the teachings of Manu for example, reflect their own idiosyncratic approach. Hinduism prides itself as being a 'living religion', constantly evolving and refreshing the message of spirituality through contemporary spiritual giants. This book is a contemporary version of Hinduism in contrast to what have now become the antiquated forms.
So far, the portrayal of Hinduism in the West has been extremely poor. The special features of Hinduism, such as the 'divinity of man', 'pluralism', 'rationality and religion', or the 'links between science and religion', rarely get a mention. Most books portray Hinduism as a cultural phenomenon: 'just a way of life' incorporating hereditary caste, many gods and goddesses, idolatry, sati, Kali, etc. This book is a robust attempt to dispel such poor portrayals of Hinduism, a religion that has a crucial role to play in reviving and refreshing the message of spirituality throughout the modern world.
The books can be purchased at Hinduism for Schools at www.hinduism.fsnet.co.uk
Jay Lakhani
Chair - Education Executive
Hindu Council UK
www.hinducounciluk.org
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->