I am a Reform Jew today because our Movement supports individual choice and commitment, respects people’s personal journeys as they wrestle with God, and creates a community with common ties. In a Reform synagogue I can participate in a worship service with a woman davening on my right in her tefillin, a man to my left without a kippah reciting prayers from memory, a gay couple behind me sharing a prayerbook.

via reformjudaismmag.org

Barack Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, said on Sunday critics portraying him as "divisive" and "bombastic" misunderstood the black church and represented a discredited tradition of intolerance in American public life. Speaking to a crowd of several thousand at a fund-raising dinner organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Wright acknowledged he had become a lightning rod for criticism of the Obama campaign in recent weeks. "I am not a politician.

via news.yahoo.com

There are some beautiful Jain temples in India, although the majority of Jain temples are much plainer structures.
Jain temples contain images of tirthankaras; either in seated meditation, or standing. A seated image or images is usually the focus of a temple interior. Jains make offerings to the images as part of their worship. Jain temples range from the immense and elaborate to the very plainest of worship rooms. The two largest Jain sects decorate their temples in different ways. Digambara Jain temples have tirthankara statues that are undecorated and unpainted.

via bbc.co.uk

Jainism (pronounced in English as [ˈdʒeɪ.nɪzm̩]), traditionally known as Jain Dharma (जैन धर्म), is a religion and philosophy originating in ancient India. A minority in modern India, with growing immigrant communities in the United States, Western Europe, Africa, the Far East and elsewhere, Jains continue to sustain the ancient Shraman (श्रमण) or ascetic tradition.

Jains have significantly influenced the religious, ethical, political and economic spheres in India for about three millennia. Jainism stresses spiritual independence and equality of all life with particular emphasis on non-violence. Self-control (व्रत, vratae) is vital for attaining Keval Gyan and eventually moksha, or realization of the soul's true nature.

The Jain Sangha (संघ), or community, has four components: monks (साधु), nuns (sadhvi), laymen, (Shravakas श्रावक), and laywomen, (Shravikas). A Shravaka (श्रावक) follows basic principles or "Niyam".

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