MORMON HINDUS
It appears that Jon Huntsman and Mary Kaye owe their roots to India!
(From a Hindu Website)
One should apply the sacred religious marks (Tilakam) after performing
aachamana(sipping water sanctified and fortified with mantras). The
sacred texts enjoin that the forehead must never be left unannointed.
It has been a tradition in all Hindu families, irrespective of caste
and creed to mark the body with some sacred sign.It is an ancient
practice still in use wherein women, men and children of all castes
apply such signs according to their traditions to this date. It is
decreed imperative in case of women.
Any women who sports a Tilakam on her forehead anywhere in world
appears to owe her roots to bharatavarsha, i.e, India. It is our
tradition to invite people to any auspicious ritual by applying a
"Tilakam", vermilon dot on the forehead. It also signifies pleasantly
the subsistence of her beloved husband. Even the most poverty sticken
bid their relatives, friends, etc,farewell by applying a Tilakam. The
havemores and the havenot, all commonly sport Tilakam. The splendour of
a Tilakam is compared with that of Goddess Laxmi Devi herself and
therefore, Indians paint even the portal of their residence with
beautiful bindies lending unparalleled grace to it. The is not only a
beautifying aid for women but also a charm to ward off evil, the elders
opine. Beginning with a child in a cradle to a grandma, all women wear
a Tilak.
Hindu prayer in senate of Mormon dominated US state
February 15th, 2008
New York, Feb 15(IANS) Utah, a state dominated by Mormons, created a
religious milestone when its senate opened with a Hindu prayer with the
chanting of Sanskrit mantras for the first time. Rajan Zed, a prominent
Hindu chaplain who has earlier read Hindu prayers in the US senate and
state senates, read the opening prayer Wednesday from ancient Hindu
scriptures before the Utah senate in Salt Lake City. After first
delivering the prayer in Sanskrit, he read its English translation.
Utah is the world headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, better known as Mormonism, founded in 1830. Mormons,
known to be orthodox and conservative, account for over 60 percent of
the state’s population of about 2.5 million.
Zed sprinkled holy water from the Ganges on the podium before starting
the prayer. He recited from the Rig-Veda, besides lines from Upanishads
and the Gita. He started and ended the prayer with “Om”, the Hindu
mystical syllable.
Zed presented a copy of the Bhagavad Gita to senate president John L.
Valentine who thanked him for the historic prayer. Senate majority
leader Curtis S. Bramble said that the theme of the prayer was peace
and he put forth a resolution to include the prayer in the Senate
Journal, which was unanimously passed.
Fewer than a thousand Hindu families currently live in Utah.