Archives for Religion
Liberation
By Jayadvaita Swami In the Vedic context, "liberation" means more than just freedom from hangups and freedom being socially pigeonholed or political oppressed. It means freedom from the cycle of…
The Modes of Material Nature
By Atma-tattva dasa In modern physics (classical, quantum mechanistic, and holistic), one frequently sees the term "natural laws." Since Einstein, efforts are being made to find a Grand Unified Theory…
Personalism and Impersonalism
Impersonalists think the highest conception of God is an all-pervading impersonal spirit and that our spiritual perfection is to merge into this one spirit after death. They compare this to…
Who is Krishna?
Written by Cetanarahita dasa Some say, “God has no name,” but God has so many names that any one name is not God’s only name. We cannot limit the Unlimited.…
Bogus Gurus (Beware!)
By Ananda Tirtha Dasa "I realize that material life is not the be-all and end-all. I want to know more about life's spiritual side. Where do I go? How do…
Who is That Girl with Krishna?
by Jayadvaita Swami People often ask, "Who is that girl with Krishna?" The answer is that She is Srimati Radharani, Krishna's pleasure potency. The devotees of the Krishna consciousness movement…
What are the Vedas?
By Atma-tattva dasa The Vedic scriptures of ancient India are written in Sanskrit. They comprise a huge collection of material and spiritual knowledge. The expression "Vedic" is derived from the…
Why Did I Come to This Material World?
One may ask, "I am originally a pure servant of God, so why did I come to the material world? There is no ignorance in the spiritual world, so why…
The Hare Krsna „Om” Page
by Krishna-kripa Dasa As spiritual beings we are different from our material body. Chanting transcendental sounds like om helps free us from material conditioning and helps us realize our spiritual…
Romuva History
Lithuanian Religion does not have a founder or any single source, and it predates recorded history. It is one of the oldest religions of the world, and the oldest one…
Lithuania Religion
Traditionally, Lithuania has been a Roman Catholic country. Although severely affected by Soviet repression, the Roman Catholic Church remains the dominant and the most influential denomination. However, Lithuania in the…
The old Religion
The Lithuanians had a rich archaic mythology and religion comparable to the religions of India, Greece, Rome, etc. Its most important feature was its close connection with nature: plants, animals,…
New and Non-Traditional Religious Movements in Lithuania
A paper presented at the 14th international CESNUR conference "New Religiosity in the 21st century", August 29-31, 2000, Riga. This paper aims to give a general overview of the situation…
The Role of Religion in the Emergence of Civil Society in Lithuania
A paper presented at the CESNUR 2003 Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania. Preliminary version. The religion has long been recognized as an important institution of civil society, significant to the regime for…
Term „Sect” as a phenomenon of a repressive social consciousness
A paper presented at the CESNUR 2003 Conference, Vilnius, Lithuania. Preliminary version. The connotations of the term "sect" have always been negative. In societies with strong traditional religiosity this term…
Transmigration or Resurrection: A Hindu Perspective
What happens to us after we die? Hinduism on the one hand and the Semitic faiths (Christianity, Islam and Judaism) on the other offer very divergent answers. The latter state…
Lithuanian Religion and Mythology
Backgruound Lithuanian religion belongs to the Baltic religions and through many links is related to Prussian and Lettish ones and, along with the old religions of the Northern and Central…
Religion in Lithuania
Lithuania is a country dominated by the Roman Catholic Church. Over 80% of the population consider themselves Catholics. The conversion of Lithuania is officially considered to have taken place in…
Lithuania’s nature religions, the place in Europe where heathendom survived for the longest time
Lithuania, on the shore of the Baltic Sea, has had a very intriguing role in European development, in various ways: militarily, economically, politically and religiously. It was the last country…
Christmas customs and their pagan origins
Because the festive aspects of the German-American Christmas, including the tree, were considered pagan, the Puritans in New England shunned them until about 1875. They were not entirely wrong! It…