How Religion Affect Sports

Religion and 스포츠중계 sports have long intersected, influencing athletes, spectators, and sporting organizations in profound ways. The relationship between the two can be seen in how athletes’ faith shapes their approach to competition, how teams and organizations incorporate religious values, and how fans engage with sports on a deeper level.

For many athletes, religion provides a sense of purpose and motivation. Faith can inspire athletes to perform at their best, not only for personal success but to honor their religious beliefs. For example, Christian athletes may see their physical abilities as gifts from God and feel a duty to use those talents responsibly. Athletes like soccer player Mohamed Salah, a devout Muslim, or NBA star Stephen Curry, a practicing Christian, often express gratitude to their faith after victories and during interviews. These displays of faith can inspire others and serve as a source of comfort and strength in high-pressure situations.

Religious practices can also directly influence an athlete’s schedule and routines. Some athletes observe religious rituals, such as prayer before games or fasting during religious periods like Ramadan. In such cases, athletes must balance their spiritual commitments with the demands of their sport. Coaches and teams may need to accommodate these practices, allowing athletes to honor their faith while competing at the highest levels.

In addition to individual athletes, entire sporting organizations can be shaped by religious values. Many sports teams and organizations promote values like fairness, respect, and integrity, which align with teachings found in various religions. For example, faith-based sports programs exist to nurture both athletic and spiritual growth, creating spaces where athletes can develop their skills while also strengthening their faith.

Fans, too, are affected by the intersection of religion and sport. Many fans view sports as a communal experience, akin to a religious gathering, where shared beliefs and rituals come into play. Religious events and sports competitions often evoke a similar sense of devotion, community, and tradition.

In conclusion, religion plays a significant role in sports, influencing athletes’ behavior, organizational values, and the experience of fans. It fosters a sense of purpose, guides ethical behavior, and adds depth to the competitive experience, shaping how athletes and spectators engage with sports.

Tow Truck in San Jose: A Mother’s Divine Intervention

Amid the soaring skyscrapers and constant hum of traffic in the busy city of San Jose, sits a narrative that goes beyond the norm. This is a story of supernatural intervention, of a tow truck driver turned unannounced guardian angel, and of a mother whose faith was restored in the most remarkable of ways.

A Mother’s Urgent Plea

Two-year single mother, Maria found herself in dire circumstances. On a busy San Jose road, her car—the lifeline linking her to her job and her children’s school—had broken down. Maria realized she had to move fast as the temperature dropped and the sunset. Her heart thumping with terror and relief, she waved down a passing tow truck.

The Unexpected Guardian Angel

David, the man running the tow truck San Jose, was not your usual roadside aid provider. Maria was calmed down right away by his subdued grin and quiet manner. David detected great suffering under Maria’s calm façade as he evaluated the circumstances. He discovered that she was a single mother fighting poverty and that her survival depended on her car.

A Divine Intervention

Touched by Maria’s situation, David chose to do more than only tow her car. He volunteered to assist her in locating a reasonably priced technician able to repair her car. He even went so far as to call a nearby nonprofit helping low-income families. Maria had her car fixed and back on the road with David’s assistance.

A Mother’s Restored Faith

David’s compassion and hospitality overwhelmed Maria. She gave him great thanks, tears of appreciation filling her eyes. As she drove away, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of serenity and hope. She had been tested, but she also had an unanticipated guardian angel blessed upon her.

Summary

David’s story is a monument to the power of human compassion and the eternal spirit of faith. His deeds remind us that even in the most unlikely locations we can discover acts of compassion that will permanently alter our life in a world sometimes feeling cold and apathetic. Maria’s story serves as a sobering reminder that the divine intervention we could be surprised by when we seek aid.

How to Talk to Your Children about Religion

When it’s appropriate to introduce the subject of religion with youngsters varies from family to family. But it’s important to encourage wonder and inquiry from a young age. Your child’s inherent curiosity about the universe, the natural world, and mortality provides an excellent opportunity to explain religious ideas in terms they can grasp.

Modifying the Conversation for Their Age

Young Children

Don’t become complicated. Storytelling and fundamental ideas like community, helping others, and kindness should take center stage.

School-aged Kids

Be open and honest with them when they ask questions, and learn about other faiths by reading books, watching age-appropriate films, or even going to a church or synagogue together.

Adolescents

Promote analytical thinking and candid conversation. Adolescents may struggle with uncertainty or hold firm beliefs. Give them your undivided attention as you make it comfortable for them to talk about their beliefs.

Set a Good Example

A person’s personal spiritual path can have a significant impact. Young minds are very perceptive. Give them an example of how your religious beliefs and practices impact your daily life.

Conclusion

Religion is a topic that can and should be discussed with children at all times. They can learn to think for themselves and discover their place in the world if you encourage their natural curiosity, adapt your approach to their age, and set a good example.

Spiritual Support Networks for Mothers

Accepting spiritual support systems within religious organizations becomes a haven for moms on their holy path through parenting. These networks are more than just links; they are strongholds that lace together a web of comprehension, compassion, and ideals. Like individuals figuring out their problems in a trapped escape room, women do the same in these spiritual havens as they navigate the complex riddles of parenthood. 

The Role of Faith-Based Groups

Faith-based groups serve as anchors in the turbulent sea of motherhood.

In these communities, mothers find a refuge where shared beliefs become the foundation for support. Whether within a church, mosque, synagogue, or temple, these groups play a fundamental role in offering a sense of belonging and a shared purpose, strengthening the bonds among mothers.

Creating a Supportive Environment

The essence of spiritual support networks is creating an environment that nurtures and uplifts. Within these communities, mothers experience understanding, empathy, and non-judgmental space where their unique challenges are acknowledged. The support extends beyond spiritual matters, creating a holistic environment that addresses the multifaceted aspects of motherhood.

Shared Spiritual Practices

Spiritual practices become the threads that weave mothers together in a structure of shared experiences. Prayer circles, meditation sessions, or religious rituals offer moments of unity, fostering connections among mothers who draw strength from a shared spiritual journey. These practices transcend words, becoming a silent language that binds hearts and souls.

Fostering Resilience and Faith

In the face of the inevitable challenges of motherhood, spiritual support networks become beacons of resilience and faith. The collective wisdom shared within these communities becomes a source of guidance, offering mothers the tools to navigate difficult moments with grace and fortitude. Faith, as both a collective and personal force, becomes a pillar that sustains them through trials.

Spiritual support networks for mothers embody a sanctuary where the soulful journey of motherhood is embraced with open arms. The role of faith-based groups, creating a supportive environment, sharing spiritual practices, and fostering resilience and faith collectively contribute to an enriching experience. As mothers find solace in these networks, they embark on a shared odyssey where faith, community, and the journey of motherhood harmoniously intertwine.

Motherhood: A Spiritual Journey

Beyond the material world, becoming a mother is a spiritual journey that develops with each fleeting moment—a life-altering and life-altering experience.

Motherhood is a spiritual journey that enriches the delicate web of nurturing life with profound significance. 

Embracing the Bond with the Divine

On this path to enlightenment, many moms discover a deep communion with God. I am filled with wonder and respect at the miracle of birth and the weight of duty that comes with raising a new life. Helping to mold the lives of the people put their faith in them is a spiritual calling for many moms.

Embracing Difficult Times

There is power in the spiritual journey, even in the face of the insurmountable obstacles that mothers face. As a parent, you’ll face countless hardships, including sleepless nights and tantrums, but your faith will be an anchor. The spiritual strength of a mother becomes apparent in these instances.

Sacred Moments in Everyday Life

As a mother, even the most ordinary activities, like making dinner or reading a bedtime story, take on a more profound spiritual significance. Everyday tasks take on a more holy quality when we can see the divine in the little things and appreciate the beauty in the everyday.

Conclusion

Discovering oneself, falling in love, and maturing are all parts of motherhood’s spiritual journey. Mothers find a deep connection to something bigger than themselves as they face and overcome obstacles and celebrate victories. The complex and lovely role of motherhood is enhanced by embracing its spiritual dimension.

Motherhood is a spiritual journey that takes place in the stillness of contemplation and the midst of the tumult of everyday life. It is a tale of love, faith, and the unending strength of the maternal spirit.

Cradle of Faith: Exploring Religious Perspectives on Maternal Love

Across cultures and centuries, the bond between mother and child has resonated as a potent symbol of love, sacrifice, and unwavering devotion. But how do different religions interpret and celebrate this profound connection? Let’s delve into the diverse tapestry of religious perspectives on maternal love.

Divine Motherhood

Many religions depict the divine as a nurturing mother figure. In Hinduism, the goddess Durga embodies fierce protection and unconditional lop0ve, while Mary, the mother of Jesus in Christianity, represents compassion and unwavering faith.

Sacred Scriptures

Religious texts are replete with stories of mothers who exemplify selfless love and unwavering faith. The Old Testament recounts the sacrifices of Sarah and Rachel, while the Quran praises Mary for her piety and strength.

Rituals and Traditions

Many religions celebrate motherhood through rituals and traditions. In Judaism, the Shabbat meal fosters family connection and honors the role of mothers in creating a warm and nurturing home. Buddhist mothers dedicate merit-making practices to their children, seeking blessings and fostering spiritual growth.

Beyond the Biological

Religious perspectives on maternal love extend beyond the biological bond. In Buddhism, the concept of “mother” encompasses all who nurture and guide us on the path to enlightenment. Similarly, Sikhism emphasizes the role of community mothers who provide spiritual nourishment and support.

Conclusion

Religious perspectives on maternal love offer a rich tapestry of wisdom and inspiration. From the divine figures who embody selfless devotion to the mothers who nurture and guide us through life, these diverse narratives remind us of the transformative power of love. As we celebrate the unique bond between mother and child, let us also embrace the broader message of compassion, sacrifice, and unwavering faith that resonates through these diverse traditions.

RELATIVE VALUE OF MOTHERHOOD AND RELIGION

Considering having a baby? Are you recently engaged or making plans to tie the knot? Obviously, you’re aware of the signs your faith plays in your daily life.

Perspectives on Motherhood and Religion

Those who are born into the Hindu faith have additional responsibilities during and after marriage. It’s the same whether your parents are Muslim or Christian. When seen through the lenses of sociology and anthropology, the connection between motherhood and religion becomes rather intriguing.

A Mother’s Religion: An Anthropological Perspective

The field of study known as anthropology examines human beings and the society in which they reside from a variety of cultural perspectives. When seen in this manner, religion is shown to be an important factor in people’s daily lives, especially in the experience of becoming a mother, and this is especially true in developing countries.

The Social Implications of Their Relationship

Taking up the study of sociology is a smart move if you’re interested in understanding human behavior in groups. But if spreading your message about faith and parenting to a wider audience is your goal, here’s how to do it. In this category, we discover attitudes and beliefs about parenting, childrearing, and the future of the next generation.

Religion’s Crucial Role in Every Person’s Existence

The belief in and adoration of a superior being, whether that be a loving God or some other supernatural being, is at the heart of most religions. Religion can be understood in many ways, and not every religion is predicated on the idea that there is a deity or gods or some sort of supernatural power.

Faith is a Source of Tranquility

As a human being, you can never know what will happen next. In a dangerous and unstable world, we constantly battle to ensure our own safety. At other times, we feel completely helpless. When circumstances are tough, we turn to our religious beliefs for solace and motivation. There is sufficient safety in our religions.

A Ray of Light is Shed by Religion

Religion gives us faith in the future because it gives us reason to hope for it. We can deal with the difficulties of life and create hopeful anticipation because of our faith. Our spiritual beliefs give us the fortitude to confront the hardships of this world. Becoming a better person is something we’re taught to strive for in religious texts. Having faith in a higher power helps us persevere through adversity.

Religion Improves Relationships

Personal growth, as well as positive connections to one’s fellow believers and members of one’s own religious or cultural community, are fostered through religious engagement. Religion plays an important role in socialization because it helps us feel a part of a group and fosters a sense of belonging.

 

 

Literature Dedicated to Religion

Praying in front of candles

 

Under almost total silence published last year the collection of letters Eternal Life by Hans Maarten van den Brink and Michaël Zeeman. It’s a curious book, which might be for partly explains the lack of response. In the midst of their correspondence, Michaël Zeeman — writer, essayist, literary critic, and above all ubiquitous cultural pope in the Netherlands — ill and shortly thereafter he is on a brain tumor died. In arren moede, the correspondence was sent by Hans Maarten van den Brink — novelist, journalist director of a culture fund — using previously written letters and e-mails with a mechanical keyboard completed. The collection ends with an equally tender and poignant ‘Farewell and rest gently, hopefully’ from the latter to the first.

Was that why it was a failed book? This outcome will certainly not have been the intention of the writers. But the overdue events gave rise to the casual unfolding plot a dramatic turn that literature generally does speed. Form and content also seemed unexpected way. wonderful to have found a mutual connection. Because the correspondence that Zeeman and Van den Brink had entered into, was not about random what had gone. An exchange of letters about believing, so goes the subtitle and genre designation of the book. And is it there for the religious faith right in the face of death not on? Then it proves its meaning, and the believer his true streak. On the victory of the horror of nothingness, religion has always been used. Now it must be seen whether he can make that promise. redeem, and whether the believer, for his part, by his own confession really convinced. Dying is the litmus test of the Religious Surrender

Plot and commitment of this book are thus reflected in the title: Eternal life — not even written with a question mark — and in all a little more careful envoi with which it closes. But in between is of dying or metaphysical reflections on a Jenseits hardly any mention. Rather, the letter writers wonder what the faith in which they once grew up—Sailor as the son of a minister in Calvinism, Van den Brink in Catholicism — still has to mean for shaping life and especially for the intellectual integrity of those who lead life.

In other words, not the dogmatic content of religion matters, but its influence on thought and existence. It is in this respect that Zeeman and Van den Brink have changed religion. trying to take seriously: less as a faith than as a discipline that extends to all corners of social and personal life. Faith is a watchword of seriousness, which does not want to get rid of it with an (often called ‘postmodern’ by Zeeman) lightheartedness or indifferent tolerance.

This is how you can walk in the course of this correspondence through a range of topics (from the difference between Northern and Southern European culture to personal relations from each of the two writers to their father; from the upbringing of children to the ugliness of Dutch literary polemics), held together by the realization that in each of these things there is something at stake that is the extreme of life commitment and thinking effort required. If there is anything that is in these letters to be explicitly challenged, then it is the unruliness of an existence that does not allow itself to be steered with a lump in the reeds.

Anathema

Religion is its embodiment and at the same time the model, and that is why it is of such great importance for the literature. Literature that is about something, whether in fictional or essayistic form, always has something of piousness and naughtiness in it, in the original meanings of those words: devotion and boldness against what is not easily expressed and perhaps still harder to see in the eyes. For a long time, religion and literature have been at hand in this. pulled up in hand. But from the nineteenth century, they first became each other’s competitors, and finally — in the twentieth century, when the cosmos virtually became completely secularized—each other’s enemies. Until the last minute of the new millennium, something unexpected happened. Religion seemed within the literature, essayistics, and the thinking that the two override, its place to conquer back. That didn’t happen without a fight. On the contrary, the struggles between the two camps became fiercer than ever.

This allowed the religious to a new figure appears. It became the embodiment of all that cannot be understood, controlled, and thus accepted. Because what can be done be more unruly than a worldview that seems so blatantly contrary to the insights and attitude to life of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century? With the literal acceptance of Christian dogmatics, you can today, at most, still arrive in a few religious enclaves. The idea that the whole European way of life is of unmistakably Christian cut may under no circumstances be expressed in a founding act document as the preamble to the European ‘constitution’. Not what the religion says, but the fact that he could or dare to do something is the greatest stone of offense for modernity that is emerging in no longer considered her secularism unthreatened.

In this and the next two essays, I want to explain the meaning of this for Dutch literature, and thereby the philosophical does not shy away from consideration. I will first outline the literary and worldview panorama that has unfolded in recent decades, and then (in the later episodes) address the question of what religion in the literary sense could still mean and why it is always an uncomfortable place that will be retained.

The silence with which it letter book of Van den Brink and Zeeman was received is a telling symptom. Religion is an uncomfortable thing. Even in a culture that has largely stripped itself of its traditional taboos, it always appears that at least one subject must remain anathema, for such a culture still know who it is. Not coincidentally, that old-Christian damnation formula is also the denominator including Rudy Kousbroek, one of Dutch fiercest polemicists against religion (and against much more), in the years seventy of his essays.

Laid next to the correspondence between Zeeman and Van den Brink is the irony of this all the more. If the mind is to have meaning, it will inevitably stand out again religious termen back. And who is preparing for an exchange of views on ‘believing’ inversely surrenders to an intellectual duty in which what is thought must matter deeply: a surrender that the philosopher Martin Heidegger once — albeit in a completely different context — has mentioned ‘piety of thought’.

Monstrum

That sounds richly heavy on the hand and easily makes Zeeman and Van den Brink there in Eternal life than not even from. Perhaps this religious seriousness, in turn, is one of the most striking features of the religious debate that has been going on for about fifteen years rages in the Netherlands, but whose roots reach back much further. If there is must be believed, therefore with full commitment and dedication. And what for the faith applied, so did anti-belief. Even, or maybe just the literary polemics that occurred from the sixties with authors such as Hermans, Kousbroek, and to a lesser extent Karel van het Reve turned against religion, did that with a doggedness bordering on proselytizing. A younger generation of polemicists (Herman Philipse, Paul Cliteur, Hans August den Boef) seems to be this since the mid-nineties to want to surpass intensity. “It is both equally hysterical,” Zeeman writes in Eternal Life, ‘but the exciting naturally resides in the rhetorical borrowed neighbor play of the unbelievers among the believers.”

That too could be ironic as the dogmatic trap in which every philosophical conviction gets caught up so easily, it didn’t make it so visually illustrated. Article of faith then comes sharply against the article of faith stand, between which only the price shooting on the mutual crown jewels still gets a chance. This religious war is no longer pious, for the truly religious seriousness that this sensitive problem would deserve, does not tolerate the alternately violent and witty violence of polemics good.

Understandable is this vehemence or — as Zeeman called it — “hysteria” all too well. She swelled quickly to then enlightened atheism that from the sixties-seventies the future thought she had been in rent, was confronted with something about which she had her eyes could not believe. In the nineties, the retreat of religion seemed to be from Dutch public and private life came to a standstill, and carefully turned into a renewed presence. Token figures seemed to be a handful of writers (Vonne van der Meer, Désanne van Brederode, Willem Jan Otten) who openly converted to Catholicism. Prompt they were proclaimed the figureheads of a new religiosity, mainly of Roman cut.

What the self-conscious enlightenment thought as a historical impossibility, or at least as a monstrosity, took place under his own eyes. No wonder that a certain despondency takes hold of its representatives made. And that it turned into a frenzy when the monster of religion still turned out to have many more heads: intellectual and non-intellectual. Because also the growing self-consciousness of Islam — an integral that is less driven by philosophical rather than socio-economic motives seemed — came the specter of a renewed-religious society in Strengthen the Netherlands.

 

ALSO READ: The Connection of Video Games to the History of Christian Salvation

 

Ernst

Why that struggle was fought so much more fiercely in that country than in Flanders, is — despite the polemical contributions that Etienne Vermeersch has in his pocket — hard to say. Perhaps it was secularism in the Netherlands, where the secularization had started earlier and had progressed further, stronger than south of the border. Because that’s where the first battle of faith was still going on. was always going on, could the intellectual disillusionment in the Netherlands, where the triumph already seemed to have been achieved, the greater. Perhaps the aforementioned, rather Protestant confession culture in the Netherlands plays a role in this. Conviction one also has, must always be spoken out loud, preferably in the face of an imaginary or non-imaginary opponent to become principled played out.

But above all, the influence of writers and intellectuals who are suddenly sensitive to the richness of religious culture and tradition has been catalyzing this violent backlash. Obviously, right-thinking people, often from your own environment, do not just push aside half yarn to whom always a stitch has been loose. And especially in this environment, especially around the traditional NRC Handelsblad, which is as liberal as it is foreign to religion, focused this debate on themselves. ‘Willem Jan, come back!’ cried Kousbroek with an uncharacteristic and that is precisely why the recently converted Otten in the newspaper is telling pathetic which they both published for years.

That didn’t get any less with the gradually breaking realization that this new interest in religion was not at all as sudden or precedent-less as initially allowed itself to be prestige. In his survey work dutch writers published last year and religion: 1960-2010 Jaap Goedegebuure shows that God and religion had never completely abandoned Dutch literature. Thus, in 1983, in the heart of the self-conscious secular time, a volume appeared in which some of the leading writers of those years thought about God. Not all authors (including Frans Kellendonk, Oek de Jong, Joyce & Co, and Doeschka Meijsing) managed to free themselves from the irony that for this Revisor generation was so characteristic. But it was telling that the then almost mandatory disdain for all the religious should have left any feathers to a renewed gratitude and seriousness on the other hand.

Much earlier Gerard Reve had the good-bourgeois religious enmity know how to embellish with a theatrically played-out conversion to Catholicism, which, however, for a long time was mainly perceived as a sublime form of irony. That a notorious agent provocateur like Reve could have talked about, after all, any religious sincerity could not possibly be true. The sincerity of this penetrated as slowly as the realization that there was in the work by writers such as Kellendonk and Oek de Jong a consciously religious theme presented itself, which of the anathemas of the post-war generation little Attracted. The first signs of this (Kellendonk’s novel Mystical Body; De Jong’s collection of stories The Squid) evoked just as much confusion, discussion, and even disgust when it slowly thaw breaking the realization that under large parts of the population, not least the younger generations, although ecclesiastically had declined dramatically, interest had declined for or at least open-mindedness towards the religious is therefore far from had kept pace.

Only for those who are long in the delusion of the inescapable secularization had lived, could the return of religion in intellectual and literary life thus come as a sudden turn. Previously had this religion long gone underground, pushed away by those same circles behave unwillingness to take even the slightest degree of seriousness towards it. to want to pay. The return of religion in many ways amounted to the increasing inability of these culture-bearing circles to the anti-religious dogma to be imposed even longer, on pain of losing intellectual (and sometimes even moral) prestige.

Transubstantiation

The irony, which in the Revisor generation should have masked the loss of ideological anchoring, had already proved unconvincing within that either, along with the sarcasm of the generation before her lost strength. Again we could speak about what “goes beyond visible reality, whether you want to call it God, or the higher,’ declared Jan Siebelink on the occasion of the appearance of his immensely successful novel Kneeling on a Bed of Violins, about his father’s religious folly in the blackest Calvinism imaginable. ‘There will be spoken of faith with deep seriousness. Apparently, that’s possible again.’

That novel appeared in 2005, some ten years after the changing climate towards religion Herman Philipse had tried to turn the tide with his Atheist manifesto from what suddenly threatened a minority camp seemed. For the time being a lack of success mainly occurs reflects in the increasingly shrill tone of supporters in the English language areas (where the battle is fought along some other lines) as Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. In the meantime, Jaap also notes Goedegebuure in the very personal afterword to his overview book that the ‘logical-positivists who say they are not interested in God’ do not only ‘myopic [are] also short-sighted… Wittgenstein was the only one in there in the middle of it, you understood something about it: what you can’t speak about, you have to silence.’

But a writer by definition is not silent, and so in the meantime, the religion spoken and written with the seriousness that Siebelink notes and that connects him with Zeeman and Van den Brink. Siebelink made that statement in the book Nothing in me believes that from 2007, in which the essayist and literary scholar Liesbeth Eugelink talks to a number of writers about their relationship to the faith, and the work of a number of examines writers meticulously for religious traces. It also notes that the self-evident anti-God era is over, but it remains uncertain what that is for the future. And she also speaks with Hans Maarten van den Brink, who confesses to hoping that one day he will be ‘the great Catholic novel’ will write.

Van den Brink says what he by that means: a novel that makes the central dogma of Catholic doctrine a literary reality. That form and content merge into something new and bigger is not yet so remarkable. That is the ideal that every writer strives for. But Van den Brink goes Further: ‘I want a work of art to produce a real sensation.’ The boundary between reality and fiction must be exceeded in the fiction itself: the work of art becomes reality.

In this, the unheard of happens, in the first place in relation to the view of literature that, roughly from the Second World War, literature mainly wanted to consider it aloof and form the inexorable primacy given over the content, let alone the experience. Would it be par excellence? such ‘physical’ literature is the link with the — as often as purely spiritual—religion could restore? It is body and sensory as the ultimate taboo of modernity which — as Gottfried Herder put it in the eighteenth century — wants to think but doesn’t want to be?

Then, on the theme of religion, not only religion but also the self-awareness of modernity take a full turn. No longer would the latter be the discovery of the earth, but rather the loss of it: in an existence that only wants to be form and idea, but no longer has a body. And so too, van den Brink might continue, no more tragedy, and no need for hypocrisy: that eminently Romanesque virtue, which only has meaning in the recognition that life is not perfect ‘idea’, and man is not just consciousness. A tragic, hypocritical, and physical literature: not as a resistance to, but as a solution to the renewed promise of religion—and thus perhaps as a reformulation of the content of that religion itself? The history of religion has experienced twists and turns that were less remarkable.

The Connection of Video Games to the History of Christian Salvation

Video game controller

 

With ‘Playing with God’, cultural theologian Frank G. Bosman wrote a sparkling argument not to shy away from games, like the free PC Games at junubgames.com, in a religious context, but to take them seriously as an expression of people in search of meaning. Eric van den Berg spoke to Bosman for Nieuw Wij about his latest book, which can also be used for catechesis or in lessons in religion or social studies.

Frank, games, and religion. That does not seem to me to be a self-evident friendship. Sex, swearing, and extreme violence, that doesn’t suit believing church people, does it?

“Yes, that’s what a lot of people think. With my book, I try to adjust that image. A while ago I read the story of an adolescent, a YouTube celebrity with the incomprehensible name 00WARTHERAPY00. He got an old game console from his father and together they played for many hours. His father died when he was six years old. For ten years he ignored his Xbox. Then he picked it up again and went to play his dad’s favorite racing game, RalliSport Challenge. And as he raced, he saw his father’s ghost looming. Literally, because this game projects the fastest racer to improve your fastest time. And now 00WARTHERAPY00 tried to catch up with his father for weeks. He succeeds, but he doesn’t let his father die again and saves him from a second, digital death. When I tell this story to fellow theologians or in parish halls, people start to look at games differently.”

You call yourself a “game theologian” in your book. Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?

“No. Because the two worlds don’t understand each other. Christians are full of prejudices, and theologians don’t understand that games should be objects of scientific study. That’s strange. There is a lot to analyze and address when you play and study games. That is what Moltmann tells us: theology must study all of life. Or when Paul Tillich, whose opinion I share, writes that in the theology of culture you have to trace the religious dimension. Games and religion thus become an extremely fascinating duo. A search for the Deus incognitus, the hidden God in our society. That’s what game theologians of the future are doing.”

You’re trying to build a bridge.

“I’ve been working professionally on games for about 10 years now. I give guest lectures to high school students about this. Funnily enough, not a little tilts their worldview after my story. Theology is not boring, because you get paid to play games in the boss’s time. Then they want to study theology. And in order not to dampen that enthusiasm, I’m not talking about hours of meetings and attending conferences.”

Do you get rich from playing these games?

“Ha ha ha. Well, I’m not sponsored if that’s what you mean. I didn’t get any compensation to discuss the games in my book. In fact, I buy all my games neatly myself.”

Should more clergy become game theologians now?

“Of course, you don’t have to. Let me give you another example. Often after lectures, I hear from real die-hard gamers: ‘I know Wolfenstein very well, but I have never seen this in it.’ Then I think it’s already successful. That is precisely why I am doing this. There are therefore possibilities to use games in catechesis. Whether that concerns reading groups, student associations, or study programs.”

Let’s go back to the extreme violence in games. That seems to me to be a reason for Christians to ignore games.

“I understand very well. In successful games like Half Life 2,’Father Grigori’ shoots his own parishioners. In other games, the blood splashes against your screen and you see severed heads and pierced chests. Especially in so-called shooter games, violence is abundantly present. Is that new to Christians? No. Read back to the Old Testament. Jeremiah, Judges. Plenty of texts with violence with the approval of the Most High. Ignoring games is ignoring your own Bible history.”

 

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But still. Violence in games evokes violence outside of games. You can’t deny that.

“I would like to put that right. Of course, there are games that preach violence, racism, and porn. However, scientific research from the last eight years contradicts the link between games and violence. The reasoning is also often wrong in my opinion. When an American kid shoots his classmates, violent first-person shooter games are found during house searches. Then the conclusion is quick: you see, he played games. However, is that true? The detectives will also have found a lot of other non-violent material. I believe more that violent games can be an indicator of possible problem behavior, but not as a cause of a massacre.”

In your book, you point out many examples of religion in games. How do you explain that?

“I’m not sure if the creators of a game are aware of putting religion into their games. Some leave the interpretation to the players. Others will confirm arguments put forward to promote sales. Keep in mind that there is a tension between exegesis and eisegese, explanatory science, and inlay science. Most games balance the two. One game, like metro: Last Night, explains itself, while another, like Nier: Automata, resists a clear explanation.”

What do you think is a connecting factor of games, from a religious perspective?

“It is particularly fascinating that the Christian history of salvation can be found in video games. I find it very encouraging that ‘our’ Christian story retains a lot of appeals. Two seemingly far apart universes meet.”

If religion teachers want to start with games in the classroom… Where to start?

“It is wise to start with quiet genres and watch a walkthrough. Then you look at the whole game through the eyes of experienced gamers. Games require a lot of time and preparation. You can also search YouTube for a game title plus ‘the movie’. Then you will see the storylines in games, which you can use for your exegesis. For example, about philosophical themes such as life and death, the afterlife, and the religious view thereof. Extremely exciting, and extremely necessary to build a bridge with young gamers: they can play the game, but the religious dimension makes it even more fascinating.”

3 Motorhome Destinations For Easter

Motorhome Trip

 

The beginning of spring is not far away – who doesn’t think joyfully of the approaching Easter holidays? But where do you want to go camping in April and are there already motorhome pitches or campsites that are open?

Yes, there are and the long weekend is perfect for, for example, a short trip with the motorhome together with RV cover class C. If you prefer to travel a little longer, you can escape this year with only 4 vacation days a whole 8-10 days with the motorhome in the warmth. Just add the days before or after Easter and you can relax a little longer. Whether it’s a road trip or just a specific campsite – sights, adventures and breathtaking views can be found in each of the countries presented.

Easter with the motorhome – but where to?

Especially popular for camping in April is the south. Whether Italy, Spain, or Croatia, we have put together a selection of European destinations with campsites and RV sites that are already open from March and April.

Spain: A sea of flowers

Easter with the motorhome is especially worthwhile in Spain. Because at the beginning of April, when the Easter bells and tulips slowly open their flowers, the Spanish landscape already shines in full bloom. At temperatures around 20°C, nothing stands in the way of an Easter breakfast outdoors. Even if the bathing season at 15°C water temperature is only heralded by the very hard contemporaries, the lush blooming nature invites you to walks and bike rides.

Especially during Holy Week, Spain is an interesting destination. The so-called Semana Santa is the most important week of the year for the Catholic country. Easter processions take place everywhere and decorated figures of saints are carried through the streets.

Our tip: Rent a motorhome or camper now and explore Spain’s spring on your own. So you are independent and can enjoy the blossoms along the coast from Barcelona to Valencia to Malaga or discover the interior such as Seville, Granada, and Madrid.

Campsites and pitches in Spain:

Camping Resort Playa Montroig

Located south of Barcelona, the campsite on the Costa Daurada offers everything you need for a relaxing family holiday with a motorhome.

Marjal Costa Blanca

A five-star campsite located directly on the Parc Natural El Fondó.

Along the beautiful coast of Croatia

Thanks to its location on the Mediterranean Sea, it is also mild in Croatia at Easter in early summer. The slogan of the Croatian Tourist Board “The Mediterranean as it used to be” promises holidays far away from mass tourism and crowded beaches. The flowering Adriatic coast invites you to long walks and already in March, you can drink your coffee under flowering almond trees.

Our tip: Look for wild asparagus instead of Easter eggs. It grows on the edges of the meadows and in the undergrowth along the Croatian coast. When the wild asparagus season officially kicks off on 25 March, the locals are drawn to meditative asparagus hunting in the field. Also in the taverns, you can enjoy this regional specialty.

Since the spring weather in the country of 1000 islands is mild but can be quite volatile, we recommend that you travel by motorhome along the Adriatic coast. So you are flexible and can simply move on in bad weather.

Campsites and pitches in Croatia:

Campsite Glavotok

This eco campsite is located on the island of Krk directly on the crystal clear Adriatic Sea and is surrounded by lush forests. Here, too, you will find the perfect mix of Mediterranean natural beauty and historical sights.

Camping Slatina

The Slatina pitch is located on the island of Cres and offers an extra for all dog lovers: “Camping cane”, a project that aims to facilitate the coexistence of dog owners, dogs, and dogless guests. So there is a dog beach, dog showers, and dog training.

 

ALSO READ: 4 Non-Religious Zodiac Signs

 

Italy: Whale watching on Liguria’s coast

In Italy, too, spring awakens a little earlier and more reliably than here. Especially charming is the spring awakening in Liguria. On the beach promenades of the Italian Riviera, you can enjoy your espresso in the sun and with a little luck spot one of the Ligurian dolphins. Already a few meters further inland, the ascent into the hinterland begins, where the mountain flowers slowly begin to bloom. This geographical peculiarity makes up the charm of the landscape and invites you to numerous hiking and cycling tours.

But Tuscany is also a popular destination for campers with its wine country and small winding streets. Breathtaking views are offered here, where you like to sit in front of the motorhome for a while and enjoy the view.

Our tip: Here it is worth taking 4 days of vacation after Easter and thus 10 days at the end of March, beginning of April with the motorhome through the hills of Tuscany, away from undiscovered bays in the south of Italy to the island of Sardinia with its beautiful beaches.

Campsites and pitches in Italy:

Camping Delfino

Here the name says it all. Camping Delfino is located close to the beach and in the immediate vicinity of the Gallinara Natural Park. Dolphin excursions start from the nearby town of Andora in the summer months.

The most beautiful camping tours in Germany

Would you rather not travel far away via the east, but rather travel to the most beautiful corners of Germany? Then our article Motorhome tours through Germany is just right for you. In it you will learn everything about culinary adventure trips, fairytale history tours, and possibilities of a sporty nature holiday with the motorhome.

Further tour suggestions, tips, and suggestions for the next camping holiday can also be found on our page Rent a motorhome & discover Europe.

Renting a motorhome over Easter: what do I have to pay attention to?

Have you decided on a destination? Whether Tuscany, to the island, or just at a specific campsite – rent your dream vehicle early! Especially over the holidays, motorhomes are in great demand and many want to leave for a few days. Therefore, it is advisable to look for suitable motorhomes, caravans, and campers at the beginning of the year. Whether on a short trip, camping on the farm, or for a longer motorhome tour at Easter, with us you will definitely find the right vehicle for your holiday.

It is also important if you have decided on a country with a motorhome, you should check the campsites beforehand. Because not all campsites are already open from March.

The Importance of Determination and Persistence in Religion, Motherhood, and Life

In religion, determination and persistence are the keys to success. In motherhood, determination and persistence are the keys to raising a healthy and happy child. And in life, determination and persistence will bring you happiness.

Determination is what separates a winner from a loser. Determination is what pushes people through when they want to give up. Determination is what makes someone go on even when they don’t want to anymore.

Persistence is the only way to overcome obstacles in life.

If You’re Looking for an Example of Determination and Persistence, Look at Motherhood

In a world where women are told to be like men and to be strong, mothers have managed to show the world that they are not only strong but also determined and persistent.

Motherhood is not always easy but it is rewarding. It teaches you that you can do anything if you set your mind to it.

Mothers are often depicted as being perfect. They have the ultimate control over their children and can manage their time with a snap of their fingers. Mothers have to do everything, be everything and go everywhere. This is an idealistic view of what motherhood is like. The reality is that mothers are just like any other person, they have the same strengths and weaknesses but they also have to worry about more people and things as well as the fact that there is no way to perfect motherhood.Mothers are not perfect beings, but they are just as good and loving and caring to their children as anyone else can be. Mothers do not have the control we think they have over everything, but they work hard and make many sacrifices in order to be a good parent.

What does Determination and Persistence Mean for Religion?

Determination and persistence are two of the most important qualities for achieving success in any field. In order to succeed, one must have both determination and persistence.

The term “determination” can be defined as the quality of being resolute or persistent in a course of action or belief, even when faced with difficult or adverse circumstances.

Persistence is the quality of continuing to do something despite difficulties and setbacks.

These two qualities are often seen as being contradictory because they seem to require opposite behaviors at times; however, they are actually interconnected and complementary.

737 Angel Number can show you the meaning of every action you do in your life.

How does Determination & Perseverance Affect Your Daily Life?

Perseverance is the ability to keep going and not give up, even when you are faced with a challenge. Determination is the act of sticking to an idea or plan and not changing your mind. Both of these qualities are important for success in life.

It’s important to have perseverance because it will help you overcome any challenges that come your way. It’s also important to have determination because it will help you stick with a plan, even when things get tough.

How Religion Can Impact Your Hobbies?

Religion is a personal practice with significant implications on how people live. As such, it’s no surprise that there are some secondary effects of how it impacts our lives. 

While everyone approaches their faith differently, we all integrate our beliefs into our day-to-day activities. Some people have hobbies as a result of their religion, while others find that their religious beliefs impact their hobbies. But this isn’t always a bad thing! Let’s explore some examples of how religion can impact your interests and hobbies.

Traveling as a Result of Your Faith

Many religions encourage their followers to travel and explore the world around them, like visiting a monumental tourist spot or something as simple as visiting Charlottesville horse farms. In many cases, this is a result of a desire to know more about the world around them.

After all, religion often encourages people to examine the world critically, so they can understand their place in the universe better. But some people engage in travel as a religious practice. They are following specific religious rituals by traveling.

Sports that have Traditions

Some sports traditions and superstitions come from religious rituals and traditions. This can have an impact on how people choose to play their sport. If you practice a sport that has ties to your religious tradition, you may find that it helps you to feel more comfortable when you’re on the field or the court.

If you’re a person who is more comfortable with their religion, you may find that it helps you to perform better and more confidently.

You Play More Religious Inspired Games

In the same way that you may avoid certain religiously themed games, you may also gravitate towards games that have a more significant religious influence. If you enjoy video games, you can find religious games that you enjoy and that align with your faith. 

Religious games can sometimes be controversial, but they can also be a lot of fun, for example, Pokemon Go was a phenomenon that attracted people of all faiths and beliefs. Many of these games can be played online with other people who enjoy them. This can be a great way to connect with others who share your hobbies and your faith.

4 Non-Religious Zodiac Signs

Zodiac Sign Clock

 

Religions are anchored in all cultures that are intended to provide spiritual and spiritual comfort to society. In times of crisis, one turns to God, prays, and hopes that he will judge everything for the people. This faith gives many the strength they need to cope better with the problems and difficulties that life has in store. But some contemporaries do not need religion to cope with even the worst crises. And if you are someone with a Midheaven in Cancer, then this one is not for you as the following 4 zodiac signs are not religious at all.

Aries (21.03. – 20.04.)

The outspoken Aries cannot even imagine that there should be something between heaven and earth that takes care of people’s worries and needs and helps them in emergency situations. This zodiac sign is rather of the opinion “Help yourself, then God will help you”. With his energy, the spirited Aries does not wait for an unearthly being to take care of him but courageously tackles existing problems himself.

Scorpio (24.10. – 22.11.)

The determined Scorpio is interested in philosophy and religion, but cannot believe that anything that the Bible, the Talmud, or the Koran preaches to people is true. He likes to analyze the statements made there and ponder their truthfulness. But in the end, this zodiac sign remains skeptical and vehemently criticizes the things that religion and its representatives, the clergy, demand of people. “Such a humbug,” the scorpion often curses quietly to himself.

 

ALSO READ: 8 Flowers for Your Garden to Remind You of Mary

 

Aquarius (21.01. – 19.02.)

For Aquarius, who is interested in science and technology, and thus in the rational, religion is simply nonsense that contradicts all reason. Instead of wasting its time with millennia-old stories, this zodiac sign prefers to put its energy into the future and into inventions that are important for the progress of mankind. “The snow of yesterday has no meaning for the world of tomorrow”, is the credo of the innovative Aquarius.

Virgo (24.08. – 23.09.)

Even the skeptical Virgo often wonders whether religion is still contemporary in our day. Man flies to the stars and science explains many phenomena that in earlier times were considered miracles or God’s work. This zodiac sign sees religion as superstition and conforms to Marx, who regarded religion as opium, i.e. sedative, of the people. The objective virgin then gives nothing in the bell bag.

How does Religion Affect Parenting?

Parenting can be stressful, challenging and exhausting at times. Parents need all the support they can get, especially when raising kids in today’s highly connected, digital world. Parents of all religious beliefs want to do what is best for their children, but they often face challenges and difficulties that might not have been anticipated. There are so many different ways in which religion affects parenting.

Why is Religion Important to Parents?

The importance of religion to parents depends on their particular faith or beliefs. Parents may choose to raise their children in the same religion or belief system that they were brought up in, or they may choose to guide their children towards a particular faith. Parents often feel that their faith gives them strength and guidance in their lives, as well as in their parenting.

The particular religion or belief system that a person practices often impacts the way they choose to parent.

There are many ways in which religion can affect parenting, including helping parents make decisions and providing them with the motivation they need to succeed in the challenging art of parenting.

Impact of Religion on Parenting Styles

Parenting styles are the approach or strategies that a parent uses to raise their child. These styles include authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved. A parenting style is strongly influenced by the parents’ cultural and religious beliefs.

Authorities often recommend an authoritative parenting style, which combines love, warmth and acceptance with firm limits, expectations, and structure. Parents who are authoritarian often have clear rules and expectations, but they have difficulty with the unconditional love and acceptance aspects of the parenting approach.

Religious Beliefs and Parenting Behaviors

Parents who strongly believe in certain religious beliefs often employ parenting behaviors that reflect those beliefs. For example, parents who believe in teaching children to be more flexible will have children who can be more versatile and can work any job such as a towing company like towing service San Jose. Parents who have strong religious beliefs usually raise their children with those same beliefs.

It is good because these parents are guided by a set of standards and principles that they believe to be right and true. This can help parents make important decisions about their child’s upbringing.

8 Flowers for Your Garden to Remind You of Mary

Pink Roses

 

Nine percent of Flanders consists of gardens. Three times as many as all nature reserves combined. In our garden, we can make a tangible difference to the planet. By the way, did you know that gardening is also good for your soul? Nature experience and religion have known many cross-pollinations for millennia.

The great devotion to Mary is reflected in dozens of flowers and plants that refer to her through:

  • color: white and (sky) blue are the colors of Mary,
  • Biblical references: e.g. the lily,
  • symbolism: e.g. humility,
  • Legends
  • name of the plant,
  • yes, even the smell!

We chose the 8 most important Marian flowers and mention a few others in passing.

#1 Rose – Rosa

With dot on number 1 of the Marian flowers are of course the rose. Just think of the rosary, a wreath of roses, and the Marian prayer around the lives of Jesus and Mary.

In another well-known ecclesiastical prayer, the Litany of Loreto, Mary is called the mystical rose. Referring to the Immaculate Conception, born free of original sin, theologians sometimes call Mary the thornless rose.

Roses in your garden

There are hundreds of varieties of wild roses and cultivated varieties. It may even be the most glorified garden plant. If you would like roses in your garden, there are a few points of attention.

  • Roses usually do not like wet feet, but also do not like dry ones. Always damp, but not soaking wet. Yes, roses are pretty picky. Clay soil and sandy soil are less suitable because they are too wet and too dry respectively. In the summer you will have to pour. Know what you’re getting into.
  • For exuberant flowering, most roses need nutrition. Fertilizing is the message.
  • Place roses in a spot in full sun (more than 6 hours of sunshine a day) with shelter from the wind.
  • Roses are susceptible to pests and diseases, such as aphids, nematodes, the rose beetle, star soot dew, true and downy mildew, etc. That is also good to know before you start. Plants that are in the right place are less bothered by this than plants that are in the wrong place.
  • Cultivated varieties are usually more precise than their wild predecessors.
  • Roses come in all scents and colors. But not every type of rose smells equally strong. If you want to enjoy the rose scent in the moonshine, look for a fragrant rose.
  • Roses are usually shrubs, but climbing roses can lead you along a wall or pergola.
  • Oh yes, no roses without thorns. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Thornless roses are sold with few or very small spines.
  • Planting is done between November and March, when it is not freezing, such as trees.
  • Roses are easy to propagate by cuttings.

#2 Lily – Lilium

In second place of all Marian flowers, just after the rose, comes the lily. There are more than 100 species. One of them may call itself Madonna lily, the Lilium candidum. Just like Mary, this white lily symbolizes purity and virginity. In biblical references to the lily, Christians read a symbolic reference to Mary, as in the Song of Songs (2:2):

Like a lily between the thistles, so is my girlfriend among the girls.

White lilies are regularly seen at weddings and in Christian paintings. In Leonardo da Vinci’s painting of the announcement of the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary, the angel Gabriel wears a white lily. Saints are often depicted with a lily as a sign of virginity, such as Joseph, Clare of Assisi, and Anthony of Padua.

Lilies in your garden

  • Lilies are bulbous plants, such as tulips and daffodils. So you buy and plant flower bulbs. Usually, you do that in the spring for flowering in the summer. The Madonna lily is preferably planted in the autumn. When purchasing, make sure that they are fresh, firm bulbs and not wilted or moldy onions.
  • Plant them in partial shade, not in full sun.
  • They grow to a height of more than a meter, the Madonna lily even up to 180 cm. Giving some support may be needed.
  • You can also use lilies from your own garden as a cut flowers. Leave half of the stem so as not to deplete the plant and do not cut from the same plant every year.
  • Lilies use a lot of food. After 4 or 5 years it is best to transplant them to another spot. You do that when the foliage has died off, around September-October. Dig up the bulbs, take them apart and plant them elsewhere. That is also the easiest way to propagate lilies. Plant them deep enough, at least 10 soil on top of the bulb. You can plant whoppers yourself 15 cm deep. The Madonna lily does not want that deep, 8 cm is enough.

#3 Blue lis – Iris germanica

The sword-shaped leaves of the blue lis, bearded iris, or sword lily, recall the sword of sorrow and pain that symbolically pierced the Heart of Mary. At Jesus’ consecration in the temple (Luke 2:22-32), Simeon spoke these prophetic words to Mary:

He will be a sign that will be contradicted, and you yourself will be pierced like a sword.

The blue of the flowers also refers to Mary as the queen of heaven. Benedict XVI writes about this: She is queen in Her service to God for the benefit of mankind, She is the queen of the love with which She experiences Her self-giving to God to join the plan of salvation of man.

The three-part flowers, for Christians a reference to the Trinity, are a popular symbol in iconography. Until today. For example, the logo of the Brussels-Capital Region is an iris.

Finally, the scent of the blue lis is part of many well-known perfumes.

Blue lis in your garden

  • Plant the thick rhizomes of the blue lis in a sunny place or in partial shade. The soil must be well permeable to water because if the blue lis is too wet, it will rot. It can withstand drought well.
  • The blue lis can fall prey to the iris caterpillar or fungal diseases.
  • 6 weeks after flowering in June, you can dig up the rhizomes, divide them and plant them out again to propagate the plant. By the way, it’s best to do that every few years. Cut the leaves halfway, plant the rhizomes straight and let them protrude a bit above the ground.

 

ALSO READ: Important Qualities Of A Godly Mother

 

#4 Lily-of-the-valley – Convallaria majalis

The lily-of-the-valley or mayfly has everything in it to be able to call itself Mary flower: it is white (purity, virginity), it blooms in May (Marian month), it smells (beauty, holiness) and the name refers to the lily. You don’t need much imagination to recognize the rampant plant in this Bible passage:

And what are you worried about your clothes? Learn from the lilies in the field how they grow. They don’t work, they don’t spin. But I tell you: even Solomon with all his splendor was not dressed as one of them. (Matthew 6:28-29)

According to a legend, the hanging bells originated from the tears that Mary wept at the tomb of Jesus. For the same reason, the broken heart (Dicentra spectabilis) is sometimes called Maria tears.

Lily-of-the-valley in your garden

  • The lily-of-the-valley grows via rhizomes that you can plant out in the autumn in a shady place (shade to partial shade). Place the sticks horizontally and cover with 2 cm of soil.
  • Be warned that it can quickly take over a large part of your garden. You can undoubtedly get rhizomes from someone who has too many.
  • All parts of the May bell are poisonous.
  • Furthermore, you do not have to worry about it. Like the biblical lilies on the field, they can really teach you to worry less. 😉

#5 Daisy – Bellis perennis

After the absolute top 4 of the Marian flowers, there is a long list of flowers that refer to Mary more laterally. The daisy is reminiscent of Mary because it blooms in May and because it is white and humble. But equally white and humble are the similar flowers of the daisy, the feverfew, the chamomile, and some asters.

Daisy in your garden

  • Daisies often grow spontaneously in the grass. Want more? Then do not fertilize and do not mow too often is the message. They love a sunny spot.
  • The daisy (Leucanthemum) is the big sister of the daisy. He also likes full sun, but pouring in the summer will be necessary to enjoy it for a long time.
  • Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) has smaller flowers and is better able to withstand drought than daisies. It also has an attractive light green, feathered leaf.
  • Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla) can also have dryness. It is an annual field weed that spreads easily. The flowers of the real chamomile can be drunk as tea.
  • The white forest aster or autumn aster (Aster divaricatus) can have a lot of droughts and also shade. It blooms in late summer and autumn when many other flowers have already thought it for granted.

#6 Forget-me-not – Myosotis sylvatica

It sometimes seems that all blue flowers can symbolically refer to the heavenly kingship of Mary. Examples are the cornflower, the March violet, and the periwinkle.

The forget-me-not stands out a bit in that category. Because it is such a humble flower and because the color is just that sky blue with which the cloak of Mary is so often depicted.

Forget-me-not in your garden

  • Forget-me-not is a native forest plant for a spot in the shade or partial shade.
  • It’s a two-year-old. In the first year, it forms only leaf. In the second year, the characteristic blue flowers appear. Forget-me-nots sow themselves smoothly.
  • There is also a pink version (Myosotis alpestris) and a so-called Chinese forget-me-not (Cynoglossum amabile, not related to the myosotis). The latter is not native, but sky blue and also annual, so that you can already enjoy flowers in the year that you sow.

#7 Spotted lungwort – Pulmonaria officinalis

Spotted lungwort is one of the earliest bloomers in the garden in February-March. It also has a decorative fluffy, white-spotted leaf.

Not only the blue flowers refer to Mary. According to legend, the white spots on the leaf originated when Mary spilled drops of breast milk when feeding her child Jesus. The same legend is also told about the milk thistle (Silybum marianum).

Spotted lungwort in your garden

  • Spotted lungwort does well in a damp (but not wet) spot in the shade or partial shade.
  • Leaves and flowers of spotted lungwort are edible. Also that of the milk thistle by the way. You don’t taste any of that breast milk. 😉
  • There are cultivated varieties with white and pink flowers.

#8 Lady bed straw – Galium odoratum

As the last of the list, there is the group of plants whose name or popular name refers to Mary. We already mentioned the milk thistle (Silybum marianum) and the maria tears (Dicentra spectabilis). Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is also called our lady’s glove and the dreaded weed hedgeweed (Calystega sepium) has the beautiful regional names ourlievevrouwhemdeke and onzelievevrouwglazeke.

Lievevrouwebedstro is not a regional name, but the official Dutch name for Galium odoratum. It occurs naturally in Flemish beech forests but is fairly rare there. The best chance of finding it is at forest chapels and Mariaoorden where it could maintain itself after planting.

In addition to the name and the white color, the smell (odoratum) also refers to Mary. That sweet smell spreads the leaf only after wilting. Bags of dried lady bed straw used to be placed with linen against moths.

According to a legend, Mary gave the fragrance to the herb out of gratitude because Joseph had made a bed for her. According to another legend, Anna, Mary’s mother, collected a fragrant pillow full of lady bedstraw to help Mary sleep. As a thank you, the plant got its name. With legends, you can go in many directions.

Lady bedstraw in your garden

  • Lievevrouwebedstro is a low-growing ground cover for a shady spot, for example under a tree. The plant prefers to be a bit moist, but it also goes dry. Sunny and dry are not possible.
  • In the moist shade, it will spontaneously expand through underground foothills. You can’t call it a real usurer.
  • The aromatic leaves and flowers are (in moderation) edible and can be used in salads, drinks (e.g. with white wine and a slice of orange in the so-called Maitrank), and as for tea.
  • Lady bedstraw can easily be propagated by dividing in spring or early autumn.

 

The Connection Between Religion and Motherhood

Thinking of becoming a mother? Or planning to get married soon? Then you must know the importance of religion in your life. 

Religion and Motherhood in Different Angles

If you are born as a Hindu, you need to follow certain rituals and traditions to get ready for getting married or even after getting married. The same applies if you are born as a Muslim or Christian too. The relationship between motherhood and religion is quite interesting, especially if we look at it through the eyes of sociology and anthropology.

While there is no denying that all religions have their own set of beliefs about motherhood, every faith has different implications for how women approach it. In this article, we shall take a look at the connection between religion and motherhood from two different angles: religious anthropologist and sociologist.

Religion and Motherhood from an Anthropological Viewpoint

Anthropology is the study of human beings and societies on different levels of culture. When we look at religion through this lens, we see that it plays a significant role in the way people live their lives, particularly in the motherhood experience, especially in the developing world.

With this in mind, it’s important to remember that religion isn’t merely a set of beliefs; it also relates to a particular set of behaviours. And since motherhood is one of the most important roles in any society, it’s also very significant in the context of religion.

Their Connection from a Sociological Viewpoint

If you want to learn more about the society and how it behaves, studying sociology will be a good decision. On the other hand, if you want to know how to boost your blog’s exposure and teach more people about religion and motherhood, then it is best to leave it with the pros at local SEO company Toronto to help you out.

Among these, we can find the way in which people deal with the birth of a child, how they raise them, and what they expect from them when they grow up. It’s in these practices and ideas that we see a connection between religion and motherhood. For example, let’s take a look at the Christian religion.

Having a Baby based on Religion

Making a baby requires a physical act and the spiritual aspect as well.

What part does God play in the birth of human life? For many, that is based on the religious tradition you belong to.

Below are some of the major religions in the world and their teachings about human life and its beginning.

CHRISTIANITY

God’s knowledge of a soul just before conception is well mentioned in different verses in the Bible. Some scriptures also show God’s active engagement in the creation of children.

CATHOLICISM

To understand the beginning of life, the Catholic church uses imagery. They employ images instead of actual, step-by-step words.

MORMONISM

In a premortal existence, the Mormons believe that they existed as God’s spirit children. Without understanding the notion of premortal life, making sense of life seems to have no way. For them, it’s absurd to think that mortal birth is the beginning.

BUDDHISM

In some aspects of the Buddhist faith, the process of death and rebirth is a core notion, and the time of conception is crucial.

ISLAM

Fetus’ development is described in the Qur’an as a staged process. According to Islamic traditions, a child is assembled inside the womb of the mother for 40 days before becoming a ‘thick blood clot’ for a comparable amount of time.