Zen whack / keisaku
not considered a punishment, but a compassionate means to reinvigorate and awaken the meditator who may be tired from many sessions of zazen, or in the "monkey mind" state (overwhelmed with thoughts) --wikipedia
Religion
Creaster (religious term)
Request: A Christian who only goes to church for Christmas and Easter, hence the name Creaster. I've only seen it used in Catholic circles but I'm pretty sure it applies to anyone and everyone.
Ausbund (Amish hymnal)
The Ausbund ("Paragon" in German) is the oldest Anabaptist hymnal and one of the oldest Christian song books in continuous use. It is used today by North American Amish congregations --wikipedia
Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession
the faithful are absolved from sins committed after baptism and reconciled with the Christian community --wikipedia
On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision
William Lane Craig offers four arguments for God’s existence, defends the historicity of Jesus’ personal claims and resurrection, addresses the problem of suffering, and shows why religious relativism doesn’t work --amazon.com
pray the gay away (conversion therapy)
The error, I presume, is the resistant posture of making homosexuality a sin
praying to God asking for a return to heterosexual behaviors and thoughts
vs. deciding to calmly decline the energy boost or emotional payoff of homosexual thoughts as they arise
loudspeakers on mosques
Request: Common in Islamic countries. Intrusive proselytizing or maintaning awareness of God?
blood of Jesus Christ for protection
e.g. saying a prayer asking Jesus to cover one with his blood for protection and purification --request
Bastet (Egyptian goddess)
the goddess of protection, pleasure, and the bringer of good health. She had the head of a cat and a slender female body --egyptianmuseum.org
Maximilian Kolbe (Catholic martyr)
Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a man named Franciszek Gajowniczek in the German death camp of Auschwitz --wikipedia
Hanuman (Hinduism)
He is viewed as the ideal combination of "strength, heroic initiative and assertive excellence" and "loving, emotional devotion to his personal god Rama" --wikipedia
Metatron (an angel in Judaism)
In folkloristic tradition, he is the highest of the angels and serves as the celestial scribe or "recording angel" --wikipedia
All Souls' Day
also known as the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed and the Day of the Dead, is a day of prayer and remembrance for the faithful departed, which is observed by Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations annually on 2 November --wikipedia
burial, cremation
request: "Some teachings insist on one or the other, but is there a difference in reality?"