Indeed....how SGI describes itself depends on whatever suits its purposes at the time. Some links:
First, from buddha.jones:
[
www.buddhajones.com]
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They're a "religion" when it suits them, a "peace organization" when they want school boards in the U.S. to approve Soka-based charter schools, and a "non-governmental organization recognized by the UN" when they pretend at neutrality and honest scholarship. Gotta love it.
I sort of wish I knew how to read Japanese because
the article mentions that politcos are talking about removing tax exemptions for religions in Japan:
The justification for this is made evident from another article, which purports to expose the "side businesses" operated by large religious groups, which are said to include schools, hospitals, cemeteries, golf courses and - bless their hearts - love hotels.
Soka has gotta be the king of shady side businesses. Remember the company being run out of one of SGI-USA's warehouses? They sold flatulence-filtering underpants. What was the name of that company?
by: brooke @ Tue May 08, 2012 at 18:41:04 PM UTC
Underpants
Follow up to my last comment.
The underwear seller was called iShining. (www.ishining.com) That company and another called PCE International are "importers" that once worked out of 8811 Aviation Blvd. in Inglewood, CA, a warehouse property owned by Soka. They appear to have moved their operations since the links between those companies and Soka were publicized online about ten years ago.by: brooke @ Tue May 08, 2012 at 18:53:09 PM UTC
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Ah, that Soka Gakkai....it's a religion....it's a world peace organization....it's an NGO....AND it's in the business of selling flatulence filtering underpants.....all under their fearless leader....Captain Underpants! What a gas!
And from The Chakra:
[
www.chakranews.com]
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Buddhists, Hindus, Jains & Sikhs Combine for 1st White House Conference for Social Justice
Sikhism, Jainism, Hinduism, & Buddhism delegates offer prayers
USA - Hindu American Seva Charities (HASC) again made history, co-hosting with The White House Office of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Agencies and the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships an historic conference, Community Building in the 21st Century with Strengthened Dharmic Faith-Based Institutions for the Dharmic (defined as ,Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh) Religious Leaders.
HASC partnered with many Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Sikh organizations, including the Council of Hindu Temples, Federation of Jain Associations of North America, Soka Gakkai International-USA Buddhist Association and others to create a coalition that can reach deliver collaborative solutions and services to benefit the communities around us while promoting better understanding of our beliefs, cultures and values.In his opening remarks, Paul Monteiro, Associate Director, White House Office of Public Engagement observed that the Dharmic-American community is interested in all the same issues that everyone is interested in – healthcare, security, education, etc. He encouraged the participants to follow up this conference with action, saying “the real measure of this conference’s success will be in how much more engaged in service the dharmic communities become in the months ahead.”
Ambassador Cahill, former Counsel General in India, stated, “If there is any strong force in the world, it is individuals who are committed, and faith based organizations have particular strength. We as individuals we can do so much, sometimes more than big organizations.”
Other topics of focus for the participants were the serious challenges being faced by Burmese and Bhutanese refugees in America; the networking of dharmic community resources for disaster response and in support of anti-terrorism efforts;
the support of religious literacy programs in the public schools and providing much needed support for dharma-based members of the US Armed Forces.
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Kenneth Bedell, Policy Advisor, shared the announcement of Together for Tomorrow, a program initiated by the Department of Education and White House Faith OFBNP
to re-emphasis the idea that education is not just the responsibility of the teachers, schools or parents, but of the whole community, including the students). Communities can come together using their resources in cooperation with schools, teachers, federal government and parents to address issues. Diversity of religion is important in education ;as there is the power of diversity. Regarding confusing on the separation of church and state, he clarified that the U.S. constitution does not say that the school has to avoid all talk about religion or sharing of information. The Department of Education cannot dictate curriculum; it encourages the states to develop core curriculum, and the public should provide input. Interfaith groups can make curricula and propose them to the federal government.Dr. Sushil Jain, CAPT, U.S. Navy-retd and President, Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA) emphasized the importance of “‘serving those who serve of Dharmic faiths. Temples can prepare care packages for soldiers, help the veterans transition to the community and assist fallen citizens (those who have been incarcerated), as they too deserve our support.” He concluded, “This first Dharma Conference at the White house was amazing. It helped JAINA delegates understand the level of attention and priority President Obama has given in reaching out to minority faith group. We, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and Sikhs
were delighted to hear about various programs and how we can partner with federal agencies in addressing our community needs. We at JAINA are looking forward to our follow-up conference.”
“This conference marked an expansion and deepening of the dialogue between the administration and the Buddhist, Hindu and Jain and Sikh communities and a recognition of the growing contribution these faiths are making in American society. And I think it got a number of the faith representatives thinking about how they can expand on those contributions,” said Bill Aiken, Public Affairs Director, Soka Gakkai Buddhist Association.Joshua Stanton of Inter Religious Dialogue said, “The U.S. is the most religiously diverse country since the fall of the Roman Empire – so how do we lead? India has been the most religiously diverse country for millennia. How can we learn from the Dharmic communities? How do we increase positive relationships and make pluralism a reality.”
Bud Heckman, Religions for Peace USA said, “We have a United Nations, why can’t we have a united front of religions working for peace? Today, 76% of America is Christian – by 2050 more than 50% the American public will be non-Christian. So understanding the Dharmic community is important.”
Mark Farr, National Vision of Public Engagement observed, “in the service movement of the U.S. we see, increasingly the crucial facing is the idea of disconnect – faith from business, from family. Individually we are disconnected from each other. The Dharmic traditions (such as yoga and meditation) can teach gentleness, compassion and wholeness to the Western traditions.”
We hope this will be the first step in the Dharmic community, in coming together to explore and identify common ground, unite for social justice and build a coalition to strengthen each other and our nation.
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"Religious literacy" in the public schools? How? Having SGI members sneak into schools, under the guise of some project like the Liberty Bell?
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2012 05:09AM by tsukimoto.