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Politics : Should God be replaced? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Solon who wrote (22490)	9/12/2005 9:56:38 PM
From: average joe	Respond to of 28931

India-Witchcraft-Toll A tribal farmer was killed in India's northeastern state of Assam for allegedly practicing witchcraft, taking the toll of such incidents in the region to 55 in the past four months, officials said Friday. According to official estimates, about 200 people are killed every year in Assam by mobs who accuse the victims of practicing witchcraft or sorcery. A police official said about 20 villagers killed a middle-aged Bodo tribal man Thursday in the western district of Kokrajhar, 220 kilometers from Assam's main city of Guwahati. "The mob attacked the man with crude weapons and virtually lynched him to death apparently because he practiced witchcraft and black magic," D. Nath, a police official said. The official said the mob accused the victim of casting evil spells in the village that led to a bout of epidemic in the area with scores of people taken ill during the past fortnight. "The villagers also threatened to kill other members of the victim's family although they managed to flee the area and filed a report with the police," Nath said. No arrests have been made so far. "It is shocking that even in this age you find about 200 people killed each year in the region, inspired by superstition. The primitive practice of so-called witchcraft is common among the tribal people and is a cause of concern," district magistrate of Kokrajhar, Hemanga Kishore Sharma told IRNA by telephone. "We need to get rid of these practices and beliefs, to save innocent lives being lost." The majority of tribal Bodos, who practice an indigenous faith called Bathow, worship trees. But superstitious beliefs, black magic and demonology form an integral part of tribal customs. "Most of these bizarre killings are taking place within the Bodo community who believe in witches and their apparent supernatural powers that can be used to both cure ailments and cast spells on adversaries," said Kanan Basumatary, a college teacher and rights activist in Kokrajhar. In most cases, the victims' families or the villagers do not report the incidents to the police and authorities in the tribal-dominated areas merely ignore such reports. "You cannot help when such incidents are not brought to your notice. No villager ever dares to give evidence before the courts, even if some cases are reported to the police," the district magistrate said. Authorities are holding a two-day workshop in Kokrajhar to create awareness among the people to prevent incidents of witch hunting in the area. "The local people should begin a vigorous campaign to spread awareness in rural areas and we shall provide all help in their drive," Sharma said. irna.ir

To: Solon who wrote (22490)	9/16/2005 12:12:55 AM
From: 2MAR$	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 28931

A STORY OF TWO WOLVES (posted before on Religion/history thread) An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego." He continued, "The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too. Author unknown... The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?" The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."