Alejandro Iglesias Vera - Recently Updated Pages

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aiglesiasvera — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 20:49:40 CST

SeReFoP: Select Readings for PeaceMakers :Very Handkrafted Teo Blog-User
A google powered blog system, used as manager of repository of several sources material related with Peace, as contribution and forced duty to ICGO
SeReFoP: Select Readings for PeaceMakers:Very Hankrafted Teo Blog-Admin

Personal Blog
SocioTechTeo Blog

TechAdmin

aiglesiasvera — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:52:48 CDT

http://mail.google.com/


http://www.blogger.com/home	(land on the island+magico) / lakehousehttp://huitemagico.blogspot.comAdmin blog
http://alejandroiglesiasvera.blogspot.com	Blog personal-Temas socio-teologicos
aiglesias vera blogger.com	Blogger personal - familiar

02-Oct-0720:27:23 Paris	29/09 10:19	11,50EUR	schrauber1010
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16/11/2006
(1)------i f a s t n e t main home
Hard to maintain, onl for home value
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(2) tiki site
Very slow on free site. Too much for personal site
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Main tiki site
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TECH and DOC SITES
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OBSOLETES:
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no se ve files...
no se ve skins...
agradable interfaz., un poco "tecnica"
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basado en wikipedia wiki
rapido, wysiwyg, no tiene places, solo paginas
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icgo_homepage

aiglesiasvera — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 23:45:42 CDT

Iglesia en Casa- Grupo Oración

Home Page

aiglesiasvera — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:07:52 CDT

yahws

Yet Another Handkrafted Web Site
by aiv

Blog's
Apuntes de Estudios Teologicos Formales
Estudios Personales

ekklesia project

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:09:49 CDT

About Us

Written by Administrator

Monday, 24 October 2005

http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/content/view/16/35/
Who We Are

The Ekklesia Project is a network of Christians from across the Christian tradition who rejoice in a peculiar kind of friendship rooted in our common love of God and the Church. We come together from Catholic parishes, Protestant congregations, communities in the Anabaptist tradition, house-churches and more as those who are convinced that to call ourselves ‘Christian’ means that following Jesus Christ must shape all areas of life. Our shared friendship is one of God’s good gifts. With deep gratitude for God’s ongoing grace, we are unapologetically…

*…God-centered: We seek to overcome the dominant culture’s limited vision of faith as merely private or personal. We hope to bear witness in our lives and work to the triune God who moves the sun and the stars and is found in the life, cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Against the many idols that compete to determine our lives, we affirm that real power and effectiveness lie in God's hands; we live by trust and prayer.

*…Church-centered: We share a common commitment to the Church as Christ’s gathered Body, whose true heart is communal worship and whose true freedom is disciplined service. We share a common conviction that the Church is the material, living people of God that crosses all borders and human divisions. Our partnership in the Ekklesia Project deepens our commitments to our local congregations, broadens our care for the whole Church, and kindles in us the hope that the Holy Spirit is blowing fresh winds of unity.

*…Shalom-centered: We are committed to the peace established in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. Embodying the crucified and risen Messiah, the Church must provide an alternative to the world’s violence. We challenge Christians to rethink values and practices that presume a smooth fit between killing and discipleship and to reject troubling compromises with institutions, allegiances and assumptions that foster a ‘culture of death.’ By practicing the works of mercy and offering together our various gifts in support of God’s reconciling work in the world, we continue to listen to and learn from each other on those matters we understand differently.

*…Political: We believe that the Kingdom of God transcends national identities and must be the primary focus of our political loyalty. All other loyalties – familial, political or ideological – derive their meaning by participating in the Body of Christ and bearing witness to his Kingdom. We hope to challenge ourselves and the Church to resist accommodation to America and analogous temptations globally. We humbly seek to be used by God so that together, as the Body of Christ, we might become more of what God has called us to be.

Seeing Christ’s Body as our “first family,” the Ekklesia Project aims to put discipleship and the Church as an alternative community of practices, worship, and integration at the center of contemporary debates on Christianity and society. We work to assist the Church as it lives its true calling as the real-world community whose primary loyalty is to God’s Kingdom that has broken into the world in Jesus’ person, priorities and practices, and that continues to do so in and through the gathered Body of Christ.

Last Updated ( Sunday, 04 December 2005 )

[ Back ]

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EBP

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 23:08:26 CDT

Estudios Biblicos Personales

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Comentario sobre riqueza , debilidad

Tech - administrator
Tithe

Tithe

aiglesiasvera — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 20:27:30 CDT

Tithe
http://www.intothelightministries.org/tithing-law.asp

Estudios Teologicos

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:36:18 CDT

Estudios Teologicos

Library

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:28:53 CDT

Alberto Hurtado
Los conflictos de todo cristiano
Medios divinos y medios humanos

Alberto Hurtado: Medios divinos y medios humanos

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:24:00 CDT

MEDIOS DIVINOS Y MEDIOS HUMANOS

Alberto Hurtado S.J.

¡Cuán antigua es la controversia que nos ocupa! Pelagio y Agustín trabaron un duelo a muerte sobre el lugar que ocupan en nuestra vida la gracia y el libre arbitrio, en otros términos la acción divina y la voluntad humana en la obra de nuestra santificación. La independencia humana respecto a la influencia divina afirmaba prácticamente Pelagio, mientras Agustín el “Doctor de la Gracia” vindicaba la necesidad y la preeminencia de ésta en las obras meritorias.

Racionalismo: la predominancia del factor humano, de la inteligencia y querer humano se enfrenta a un fideísmo extremado que debilita de tal modo la razón humana que nada puede sin la fe y la revelación. Quietismo: que lo espera todo de la acción divina, que se contenta con recibir, que acepta agradecido cuando en el hombre ocurre como una merced divina que lo debe invadir y que es santa y redentora, y frente a él el dinamismo americanista que pone toda su confianza en la acción del hombre.

Y en forma más moderada dentro del campo propiamente católico este problema toma las formas de contemplación o acción; la primacía del Logos o del Ethos; la preeminencia de la vida de oración y de fe y de confianza en Dios, o la búsqueda de los medios humanos, de las influencias naturales, de la formación humanística en el pleno sentido de la palabra. La acción o la formación. El catolicismo activista, político, social, educacional, el catolicismo de las obras humanas; o la fe sobrenatural en Cristo de quien se espera recibirlo todo y a quien se une el fiel por la lectura del Evangelio, la meditación de la palabra de Dios que es transparente para el alma pura, que reniega de esas influencias humanas que denotan la confianza en el hombre. Valorización de la libertad de espíritu, de esa libertad de los hijos de Dios o la negación del hombre viejo, la crucifixión de nuestros vicios y concupiscencias. La vieja ascética del Padre Rodríguez con sus tratados sobre cada una de las virtudes o la moderna espiritualidad de la fe y la confianza de los que viven incorporados en Cristo. El espíritu que preconiza antes que todo la sumisión a la Iglesia, las virtudes de obediencia y abnegación, la humildad de espíritu, o bien la confianza en sí mismo asistido por el Espíritu de Verdad que hará patente la doctrina a quien busca a Cristo con sencillo corazón. Las formas arcaicas o la simplicidad moderna. La piedad rutinaria o la participación activa en la vida de la Iglesia por la liturgia plenamente conocida y vivida. El puro Evangelio o el catecismo. Ejercicios de San Ignacio o la contemplación de la Sagrada Escritura.

Estas y mil otras formas reviste el problema en nuestros días, el viejo problema que debatieron Pelagio y Agustín, que en forma moderada dentro de las definiciones católicas removieron Fénelon y Bossuet.

Esta materia a pesar de su aspecto teórico es de una trascendencia práctica enorme, como son todas las cuestiones de principios que tienen una aplicación inmensamente mayor que las meras cavilaciones casuísticas.

Vamos, pues a pretender buscar una solución dentro de estas opiniones extremas, una solución segura, garantizada por autoridades indiscutibles, solución que creemos armoniza los puntos de vista extremos y les quita el unilateralismo, lo más opuesto a una solución católica. Nada unilateral es cristiano. Estas soluciones extremas atraen, y de ahí su peligro. El centro de una balanza es lo que menos se mueve, y sin embargo lo que da estabilidad. Estos movimientos armónicos no atraen la juventud ardiente, más fácilmente movida por las soluciones extremas, que por lo mismo que son extremas son deficientes de verdad.

El principio de solución
Remontémonos a la región de los principios para encontrar la solución de este dualismo de tendencias que nos solicitan.

Y el primer principio que encontramos es el de nuestra dependencia total respecto a Dios, dependencia de El no sólo como a fin último al cual debemos tender en nuestras actividades, sino que dependencia también como a causa primera que obra en todo cuanto existe en el globo dándole el ser, el movimiento y la vida: En él vivimos, nos movemos y existimos. Nada sucede, chico ni grande, que no deba su salida de la nada, su sitio determinado, su poder calculado, su movimiento, su dirección propia, su función especial a la acción del Creador. El pasado, el presente, el porvenir; todo es su obra. Los cielos cantan constantemente la gloria de Dios, y las creaturas todas de la tierra bendicen al Señor y manifiestan su majestad suprema.

Las obras del hombre son “ser” y como tales Dios las realiza y modela su acción. Las obras que Dios quiere permanezcan en la nada, permanecerán en la nada, sin que el poder del hombre pueda pretender darles el ser. Mi acción es modelada por Dios y hay mil posibilidades que me escapan porque están entre las manos de Dios. Todo está en el poder de Dios. Lo que El quiere toma ser, lo que no quiere, no. La razón de mis poderes y de mis limitaciones es siempre la misma: yo no trabajo solo, trabajo con Dios; y El me pone en circunstancias tales que me indican aquello en que El quiere que yo colabore. La acción del hombre nos revela en todo la presencia fecunda de Dios (no la naturaleza ciega).

Incluso nuestra libertad, no menos que las demás obras humanas, está entre las manos de Dios. ¡Certeza consoladora a más no poder! Con un poder infinito y con infalible sabiduría Dios pone constantemente todas las condiciones exteriores e interiores, espirituales y físicas de mis decisiones. Es El quien hace que mi voluntad se proponga tal bien, lo desee, lo busque, lo alcance y colabore así a la ejecución del plan divino. Santo Tomás se expresa así: nuestro libre arbitrio es causa de su acto, pero no es necesario que sea la causa primera. Dios es la causa primera que ve las causas naturales y las causas voluntarias. Moviendo las causas naturales no destruye la espontaneidad o naturalidad de sus actos. Asimismo moviendo las causas voluntarias no destruye la libertad de su acción, sino que más bien la realiza en ellas. El opera en cada creatura según la naturaleza que le ha dado. Consecuencia: nosotros somos movidos por Dios según nuestra naturaleza, por tanto en perfecta libertad. “Como la arcilla en manos del alfarero es moldeada según su voluntad, así los hombres están en las manos de quien los ha hecho y los moldea a su agrado” (Ecle 23, 13).

Es por tanto, imposible imaginar una situación, una condición, un estado, un momento en que el hombre no pueda, si lo desea, hacer coincidir su acción con la acción de Dios. En toda circunstancia Dios está dispuesto a colaborar. Y en principio no hay ninguna actividad que sea indigna de Dios, como es producida por El y encaminada a su gloria.

Segundo principio:

Pero de hecho no todos hacen coincidir su querer con el querer divino. Su obrar no les trae utilidad alguna a ellos, aunque sí sirve a la realización de los planes de Dios, quien se sirve para su gloria y el bien escogido, de todo, incluso del mal. A los que aman a Dios , todo les copera para bien.

Para ser santo no se requiere pues sólo el ser instrumento de Dios, sino el ser instrumento dócil: el querer hacer la voluntad de Dios. Los que así obran proceden empapados de sobrenatural, deificados. La actividad humana se hace santa mientras está unida al querer divino. Lo único que impediría nuestra santificación en el obrar es la independencia del querer divino. Este sería el camino de la esterilidad, como el de la dependencia será el de santificación.

Vida sobrenatural y santidad son fruto de la acción de Dios. Leamos San Pablo: “¿qué tienes tú que no lo hayas recibido? Por la gracia de Dios soy lo que soy”. El Concilio de Orange nos afirma: “el que pretende poder con la sola fuerza de la naturaleza concebir como conviene un pensamiento para la vida eterna o aun asentir a la saludable predicación del evangelio sin la iluminación y la inspiración del Espíritu Santo... ése está engañado de herejía”.

La elevación de nuestra naturaleza no es pues el efecto de un puro esfuerzo humano; es la acción de Dios en el hombre que colabora con su Creador.

Hay pues que afirmar que los objetos creados a los cuales tienden nuestras acciones no tienen por sí mismos ninguna virtud para hacernos semejantes a Dios. Ningún objeto puede divinizarnos ni siquiera los objetos del culto; los actos religiosos no nos hacen progresar en la santidad más que los profanos si no hay disposiciones sobrenaturales en nuestra alma (ten sin embargo en cuenta la eficacia ex opere operato de los sacramentos, en particular del bautismo: tratados de la santidad de nuestras acciones). Una vida arraigada en las formas exteriores de la devoción y no en Dios por la caridad no sería una vida divina. Un maestro tan consumado en la vida espiritual como San Juan de la Cruz nos advierte que la santidad no consiste en una unión con las cosas santas sino en una unión con Dios mismo. Por eso San Ignacio en la meditación fundamental de los ejercicios nos pone en un estado de espíritu de perfecta indiferencia ante todas las cosas creadas independientemente del querer divino; y entre estas cosas creadas se cuentan también las acciones religiosas. Para obrar sobrenaturalmente, para alcanzar el infinito no hay más que un medio proporcionado: que Dios obre en nosotros, que el infinito se encarne en nuestra operación.

Siguiendo este punto de vista se vé claramente que, supuesta la voluntad de Dios, todas las creaturas son igualmente aptas para llevarnos al mismo Dios: riqueza o pobreza, salud o enfermedad, acción o contemplación, evangelio, liturgia, prácticas ascéticas: lo que Dios quiera de nosotros. Entre las manos de Dios cualquiera acción puede ser instrumento de bien como el barro en manos de Cristo sirvió para curar al ciego.

Este principio fue el que llevó a San Francisco de Sales en su Vida devota, a tachar de herejes a los que pretendían excluir del camino de santidad a los cortesanos, soldados, casados. Ellos no menos que los monjes pueden y deben aspirar a la vida perfecta aunque en forma muy diferente. Cualquiera de nuestras acciones por más material que parezca, con tal que sea una colaboración con Dios, hace crecer la vida divina en nuestras almas. La fidelidad a nuestro deber nos hace continuamente pasar a una luz más y más esplendorosa, nos transforma en la imagen cada vez más espléndida de Dios.

¿Cómo colaborar con Dios?

¿Hay un criterio para poder distinguir las acciones nuestras que son una colaboración con Dios de las que no lo son?

Sí. La unión de nuestra voluntad con la de Dios. La voluntad de Dios es la llave de la santidad: aceptar esta voluntad, adherir a ella es santificarnos.

Desde este punto de vista qué vanas parecen las discusiones sobre contemplación y acción, medios divinos y medios humanos. Aquel medio que sea querido por Dios nos santificará por más humana que sea su apariencia, aquél nos alejará que no esté conforme a la voluntad divina. San Juan de la Cruz nos dice que la unión del alma con Dios estará realizada cuando “la voluntad del alma y la voluntad de Dios sean tan semejantes y tan uniformes que el alma quiera lo que Dios quiere y que no quiera todo lo que no está conforme al querer divino”. San Ignacio de Loyola, considerado por muchos como en el extremo opuesto de San Juan de la Cruz, nos propone sin embargo el mismo ideal que éste: “por este nombre Ejercicios Espirituales se entiende todo modo de examinar la conciencia, de meditar, de contemplar, de orar vocal y mental... todo modo de preparar y disponer el alma para quitar de sí todas las afecciones desordenadas, y después de quitadas para buscar y hallar la voluntad divina en la disposición de su vida para la salud del ánima”.

Santa Teresa de Jesús en sus Moradas dice (cap. tercero) “esto que os digo es de la mayor importancia: tener cuidado de ello hasta en las cosas más pequeñas; no hagamos ningún caso de estos grandes pensamientos que nos vienen en tropel a la oración... si luego las obras no responden a ellos, debemos considerar estos pensamientos como bellas imaginaciones... si véis vosotras una persona enferma o que sufre a la cual vosotras podéis aliviar en algo, dejad atrevidamente esta devoción de la oración para asistirla ... ésa es la verdadera unión porque es no tener con Dios sino una misma voluntad”.

De aquí se desprende que la contemplación sin la unión de voluntades es tan estéril como la acción puramente humana; pero ésta no es menos ni más fecunda que aquella cuando la voluntad humana adhiere a la de Dios.

Consecuencias del principio de la colaboración con Dios. Dos peligros igualmente graves se advierten ahora y se han advertido siempre en la concepción de la vida espiritual, derivados de un desconocimiento del principio antes expuesto: el peligro de las almas pseudo-contemplativas, el dinamismo de una acción puramente natural. Las primeras están persuadidas que la unión con Dios se hace sólo por el pensamiento, la consideración, la oración. Se glorían de tener una actividad teocéntrica y desprecian como antropocéntricos a los que tienen una mirada de acción sobre el mundo. Confunden lo teológico con lo teologal; las consideraciones intelectuales sobre temas divinos con la práctica de las virtudes de la fe, esperanza y caridad. Confunden el objeto material de su actividad religiosa con la acción santificante: pensar en Dios, meditar su palabra son ocupaciones excelentes pero no pueden considerarse como exclusivas, pues no menos excelente fue María Santísima cumpliendo sus deberes de madre, de esposa, haciendo los deberes domésticos de su casa. Esta tendencia establece un divorcio entre la religión y la vida y puede llegar hasta hacer despreciar el cumplimiento de los deberes de estado aun los más elementales. El miedo de la acción, la convicción que la actividad humana aleja de Dios arrojan estas almas en la mediocridad y en la rareza; no pocos se vuelven orgullosos y testarudos.

San Ignacio de Loyola que vivió en una época de iluminismo escribía: “una larga experiencia me ha mostrado que de cien personas que ponen la cumbre de la perfección en hacer muchas horas de oración, hay apenas diez que no sean personas adheridas a sus sentimientos, que no se preocupan sino de sus ideas propias, difíciles de manejar, que se liberan con demasiado soltura de las prácticas de observancia y se reconocen con la capacidad y el derecho de conducir a los otros... por poco que sean inclinados a la testarudez se hacen intratables y nadie logra hacerse escuchar de ellos. Por lo cual el santísimo y saludable ejercicio de la oración es desacreditado ante los ignorantes que atribuyen a la cosa misma lo que no se debe sino al error de las personas”.

Persuadidos que sus ideas son de Dios, éstos ponen tanto ahinco en defender sus propias ideas como si fuesen tesis de teología y éstas como verdades de fe.

No es raro que estas personas ilusionadas no tengan sino desprecio por la cosas de este mundo. No consideran a Dios como causa de su obrar y como alma de sus operaciones sino como un fin al cual hay que tender y este fin situado más allá de lo creado se alcanza por una elevación intelectual que ellos creen mística. Se desinteresan éstos de los progresos terrestres y de las calamidades que pesan sobre la sociedad humana. Allí no está Dios. Dios está en el cielo. De aquí una concepción de la vida espiritual sentada alrededor de algunas virtudes pasivas y secretas que ellos entienden a su manera.

Con esto no se consigue sino desacreditar las virtudes pasivas no menos que la oración. Millones de incrédulos reprochan al cristianismo esta doctrina del desinterés de las cosas del mundo para no mirar sino un paraíso de ultratumba; dicen que su resignación, útil tal vez al individuo, es nociva a la sociedad por cuanto paraliza su esfuerzo. Un crítico del cristianismo dice que la resignación es una virtud individual y un vicio social. Los resignados con frecuencia felices son inútiles. Los revoltosos sufren y hacen sufrir pero son los obreros del progreso. (Henri Robert, Religions et rationalisme).

Toda esta concepción de la vida nace de un desconocimiento de la doctrina de la colaboración del hombre con Dios. Si Dios no actúa en este mundo sino que únicamente nos aguarda en el otro es evidente que es una locura detenerse a considerar esta vida mortal y preocuparse en algo de las cosas finitas que nos alejan del infinito. Pero al que considera esta vida como la obra amorosa de un padre que nos la ha dado para su gloria; que nos la ha dado hasta el punto de enviar a su hijo único a esta tierra a revestirse de nuestra carne mortal y tomar nuestra sangre e incorporar en sí como en un resumen todas las realidades humanas: para el que esto piensa este mundo tiene un valor casi infinito. Este mundo sin embargo lo mira no como el estado definitivo de su acción, sino como la preparación para la consumación de su amor con el Padre y el Hijo en el Espíritu Santo. Mientras tanto con su sacrificio de oraciones se une al Verbo Encarnado y agrega en lo que falta a la pasión de Cristo para salvar otras almas y dar gloria a Dios.

El que ha comprendido la espiritualidad de la colaboración toma en serio la lección de Jesucristo de ser misericordioso como el Padre Celestial es misericordioso, procura como el Padre Celestial dar a su vida la máxima fecundidad posible. El Padre Celestial comunica a sus creaturas sus riquezas con máxima generosidad. El verdadero cristiano, incluso el legítimo contemplativo, para semejar a su padre se esfuerza también por ser una fuente de bienes lo más abundante posible. Quiere colaborar con la mayor plenitud a la acción de Dios en El. Nunca cree que hace bastante. Nunca disminuye su esfuerzo. Nunca piensa que su misión está terminada. Duc in altum, o bien plus ultra es su divisa. Tiene un celo más ardiente que la ambición de los grandes conquistadores. El trabajo no es para El un dolor, un gasto vago de energías humanas, ni siquiera un puro medio de progreso cultural. Es más que algo humano. Es algo divino. Es el trabajo de Dios en el hombre y por el hombre. Por esto se gasta sin límites. Quisiera que los colaboradores no faltasen a Dios. Sabe que Dios está dispuesto a obrar mucho más de lo que lo hace, pero está encadenado por la inercia de los hombres que deberían colaborar con El. Como San Ignacio, piensa “que hay muy pocas personas, si es que hay algunas, que comprendan perfectamente cuánto estorbamos a Dios cuando El quiere obrar en nosotros y todo lo que haría en nuestro favor si no lo estorbáramos”.

La ilusión activista

Frente al error quietista que acabamos de señalar hoy otro no menos grave que deriva también de una incomprensión de la espiritualidad de la colaboración. Hay personas, como se ve a diario que están de tal manera obsesionadas con el bien de las almas, la gloria de Dios, que olvidan casi completamente la causa invisible de este bien. Su celo es admirable. No tienen más que una idea: hacer avanzar el reino de Dios y combatir por el triunfo de la Iglesia; son leales y rectos en sus intenciones. Sin embargo no se santifican o se santifican muy poco; ganan partidarios a la Iglesia como los comunistas a su causa, pero en realidad ni ellos se asemejan más a Cristo, ni hacen a nadie más semejante al Maestro. No colaboran con Dios, por tanto su acción es estéril.

Tienen un inmenso celo de la perfección de los otros pero poco celo de su propia perfección. Semejan al artista que preocupado de la función teatral que prepara no guarda tiempo para prepararse él mismo para ella. La realización de sus proyectos los absorbe en tal forma que no tienen tiempo ni fuerza ni gusto para pensar en su alma. Están devorados por la acción. A solas con Dios se aburren; están pensando en la acción que los aguarda y dan como excusa las necesidades del apostolado. Algunos para remediar a su mediocridad introducen en su vida algunos ejercicios de piedad pero su remedio es insuficiente y demasiado exterior a la misma actividad.

Algunos llegan a extrañarse que se les pida otra cosa que una abnegación total en la acción. Desprecian secretamente la contemplación, la paz y el silencio. No titubean un momento en poner el libre apostolado de las personas del mundo por encima del apostolado ordenado de la vida religiosa. Todo lo que paraliza el movimiento les parece contrario a la perfección. Los votos, la clausura, las reglas ¿no son acaso trabas? La obra de Dios que realizan es exterior a su alma. No se les ocurre que debiera ser una colaboración con él.

El celo de estos cristianos es semejante a la pasión de los hombres de negocio. La pureza de su intención los preserva de indignas intrigas. Hacen el bien y no caen en faltas graves; pero su obrar es todo de orden natural, humano, aun cuando hacen la obra de Dios. ¡Cuánto mejor es hacer sobrenaturalmente una obra profana que naturalmente una acción religiosa!

El motivo de la voluntad de Dios es el lema para estar seguro de cumplir nuestra misión sobrenatural, mejor aún que el de la “gloria de Dios”, pues a veces el lema de la gloria de Dios encubre nuestra voluntad bajo pretextos especiosos. En resumen la gran ilusión de los activistas está en gastar demasiados esfuerzos en producir frutos y de hacer demasiado pocos esfuerzos por vivir en Cristo. De esta falta de vida en Cristo se sigue la esterilidad real de su apostolado ya que, como dijo Jesús, “sin mí no podéis nada”; y en cambio, el que cree en El hará las obras de Cristo y aún mayores; pero creer en Cristo es estar incorporado en El por una fe viva que supone la caridad. El sarmiento que no está incorporado a la vid no puede dar frutos, nosotros tampoco si no permanecemos en Cristo.

Ensayo de síntesis

San Ignacio de Loyola nos propuso un principio que, bien considerado, ofrece una síntesis admirable de la contemplación y de la acción, del empleo de los medios divinos y de los medios humanos. Quería él que los empleáramos todos, naturales y sobrenaturales, como lo hacen los hombres de este mundo, como si el éxito dependiese sólo de nuestros esfuerzos. Pues aunque esta obra no puede ser hecha sino por la sola actividad divina y que nosotros seamos enteramente incapaces de realizarla, es con todo cierto que no puede ser normalmente hecha sin la colaboración humana.

San Ignacio se expresaba en esta forma: antes de determinarnos, es necesario ponernos del todo en Dios como si sólo El debiese llevar las cosas al resultado deseado, y por otra parte no hay que descuidar nada de lo que puede contribuir al feliz éxito, y en el uso de los medios debemos poner todo por obra como si el éxito dependiese exclusivamente de nuestro trabajo y de nuestra industria.

No debemos temerariamente lanzarnos a empresas descabelladas y esperar en milagros que nos saquen del paso. Pero debemos ordenar nuestra confianza en Dios sobre el principio infalible que la voluntad y el poder del Señor no están sujetos a las leyes ordinarias y que estaría equivocado el que trabaja por él si limitase su confianza a los solos límites a los cuales puede llegar la debilidad humana reducida a sus propios recursos.

Alberto Hurtado: Los conflictos de todo Cristiano

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:19:33 CDT

LOS CONFLICTOS DE TODO CRISTIANO

Alberto Hurtado SJ

Dos son los problemas que tiene el católico constantemente ante su conciencia: Uno atañe a su vida interior y moral: como miembro de la Iglesia tiene una fe que conservar, un dogma que conocer, ritos y mandamientos que observar y sobre todo una llama espiritual que alimentar. El otro atañe a su vida exterior y social: como miembro de una ciudad debe comportarse al igual que cualquier otro buen ciudadano y cumplir sus deberes hacia la comunidad y hacia el estado, pero con una sobrecarga, con un acrecentamiento particular de las dificultades, dado que siendo cristiano necesita confrontar y poner de acuerdo las exigencias de su conciencia social con las de su conciencia religiosa.
El primer problema es ciertamente el de la vida interior: de allí y sólo de allí ha de venir la solución, la fuerza, el dinamismo necesario para afrontar los grandes sacrificios: el mundo no será devuelto a Cristo por cruzados que sólo llevan la cruz impresa en su coraza... Un testigo no será útil a la causa de Cristo, sino en la medida en que un auténtico espíritu cristiano anime su pensamiento y su corazón.
La exigencia de nuestra vida interior lejos de excluir, urge una actitud social fundada precisamente en esos mismos principios que basan nuestra vida interior. No podríamos llegar a ser cristianos integrales si dándonos por contentos con una cierta fidelidad de prácticas, una cierta serenidad de alma, y un cierto orden puramente interior nos desinteresásemos del bien común; si profesando de la boca hacia fuera una religión que coloca en la cumbre de su moral las virtudes de justicia y caridad, no nos preguntáramos constantemente, cuáles son las exigencias que ellas nos imponen en nuestra vida social donde esas virtudes encuentran naturalmente su empleo.
Más fácil es encontrar quienes defiendan los derechos de la Iglesia en sus luchas exteriores, pero, son mucho más escasos quienes piensen en defender la integridad de su conciencia religiosa. Es más fácil darse cuenta de las intenciones de un proyecto de ley que percibir cuán lejos están del espíritu de Cristo las costumbres y prácticas del propio medio social.
Hay mucho peligro en nuestro tiempo de contentarse con una fidelidad de práctica exterior, aun de devoción sincera. Algunos se consideran culpables al estrechar la mano a un masón, pero no tienen escrúpulo alguno de violar la caridad en sus palabras, destruyendo la fama del prójimo, o en sus obras, o en sus omisiones egoístas. Así se salva la apariencia y se vive en regla entre gentes honestas, sin inquietarse excesivamente de haber escandalizado a las almas rectas que juzgan por el espíritu.
Es necesario evitar esta falta para mantenernos en regla con nuestra propia conciencia y no menos para salvaguardar la honra de la Iglesia que será juzgada por nuestra actitud. El católico ha de ser como nadie amigo del orden, pero éste no es la inmovilidad impuesta de fuera sino el equilibrio interior que se realiza por el cumplimiento de la justicia y de la caridad. No basta que haya una aparente tranquilidad obtenida por la presión de fuerzas insuperables; es necesario que cada uno ocupe el sitio que le corresponde conforme a su naturaleza humana, que participe de los trabajos, pero también de las satisfacciones, como conviene a hermanos hijos de un mismo padre. El católico rechaza igualmente la inmovilidad en el desorden; y el desorden en el movimiento, porque ambos rompen el equilibrio interior de la justicia y la caridad.
El fiel, si quiere serlo en el pleno sentido de la palabra, es un perpetuo inconformista, que alimenta su hambre y sed de justicia en la palabra de Cristo y que busca el camino de saciar esas pasiones devoradoras en las enseñanzas de la Iglesia que no es más que Cristo prolongado y viviendo entre nosotros.

Antes que nada, nos apremia a movilizar todas nuestras fuerzas en pro de la solución social el conjunto de intereses gravísimos que está en juego. Se trata nada menos que de la vida de tantos de nuestros hermanos. El orden social actual no responde al plan de la Providencia. La vida cristiana en cada uno de los medios sociales está dificultada actualmente por el problema del exceso o de la falta de medios de vida.

Dios ha querido al crearnos, que nos santificáramos. Este ha sido el motivo que explica la creación: tener santos en el mundo; tener hijos de Él en los cuales se manifestaran los esplendores de su gracia. Ahora bien, ¿cómo santificarse en el ambiente actual sino se realiza una profunda reforma social?

Cada uno debe conocer el problema social general, las doctrinas sociales que se disputan el mundo, sobre todo la doctrina de la Iglesia. Debe conocer la realidad chilena y debe tener una preocupación especial por estudiar su carrera en función de los problemas sociales propios de su ambiente profesional. El estudio de nuestra doctrina social ha de despertar en nosotros antes que nada un sentido social hondo, un inconformismo ante el mal, el sentido del escándalo.

______________________
Extracto de una charla sobre la misión social del universitario
En la Universidad Católica de Chile
El 5 de Junio de 1945

peacemakers

aiglesiasvera — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 20:34:12 CST

MATEO 5:9 Dichosos los que trabajan por la paz, porque serán llamados hijos de Dios.

ε l ρ η ν ο π ο l ο ς

the peacemakers

estudio02

aiglesiasvera — Sun, 26 Nov 2006 21:09:35 CST

http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/content/view/125/67/
...
Conversely, the Laodicean church may claim, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing,” but Jesus sees its true condition being “wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked” (3:17). The problem for the church is that it thinks that it is ahead when truly it is behind. In fact, the church’s wholehearted belief that it is ahead is the greatest obstacle to being faithful. When you think you are strong, you inevitably trust in your strength to solve problems and meet needs. When you are rich, you inevitably believe that what you have to offer in ministry is your riches. When you are a hammer, you see the entire world only as a bunch of nails to be pounded in.

Que es Misiones

aiglesiasvera — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 21:29:30 CST

¿Que es Misiones?

Misiones es entregar a Jesús a quien no lo conoce.

Es toda una frase llena de conceptos que dan para muchos libros y cientos de diferentes aspectos y vistas sobre el tema.
Empecemos por una base bíblica:

Miqueas 6:8 (NVI):¡Ya se te ha declarado lo que es bueno!Ya se te ha dicho lo que de ti espera el Señor:Practicar la justicia,amar la misericordia,y humillarte ante tu Dios.

Mateo 28:19-20 (NVI):
19Por tanto, vayan y hagan discípulos de todas las naciones, bautizándolos en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo,
20enseñándoles a obedecer todo lo que les he mandado a ustedes. Y les aseguro que estaré con ustedes siempre, hasta el fin del mundo.*

Lucas 24:47-49 (NVI):
47y en su nombre se predicarán el arrepentimiento y el perdón de pecados a todas las naciones, comenzando por Jerusalén.
48Ustedes son testigos de estas cosas.
49Ahora voy a enviarles lo que ha prometido mi Padre; pero ustedes quédense en la ciudad hasta que sean revestidos del poder de lo alto.

Dando un poco de contexto a Lucas 24, la importancia que veo yo es en el v. 49 “...hasta que sean revestidos del poder de lo alto...”. Volviendo a Mateo, en versiculo 16:”...16Los once discípulos fueron a Galilea, a la montaña que Jesús les había indicado. 17Cuando lo vieron, lo adoraron; pero algunos dudaban. 18Jesús se acercó entonces a ellos y les dijo: --Se me ha dado toda autoridad en el cielo y en la tierra. “. Veo la DUDA de los discípulos, pero luego indica la AUTORIDAD de Jesús... en el cielo y en la tierra..”.

Marcos 13:10 “Pero primero tendrá que predicarse el evangelio a todas las naciones.”
Rebuscando un poco en el idioma original, analicemos los conceptos:
Evangelio
“grandes, alegres noticias ... el Reino de Dios se ha acercado...Jesús como fundamento (yfundador) de este Reino...la muerte de Cristo Jesús, su resurrección, la “vida nueva” del creyente...”

Entonces, debemos buscar el concepto del Reino de Dios del “evangelio”, de las “grandes noticias”.
Solo mencionaré una gran noticia: Jesús es el Creador y el Mantenedor.
“Todo lo que nos ha mandado”: hacer misericordia, y amarnos unos a otros, especialmente, al perdido, al último de la sociedad, al indigente, al fracasado, al niño por nacer, al inválido, al pobre.

(Marcos 13:10)
“todas las naciones”: naciones :
(ethnos) “una multitud de asociados o viviendo juntos, la familia humana, una tribu, nación, grupo de gente, ...”

Poder (Lucas 24:47)
(dunamis)
Poder, habilidad, el poder que reside en una cosa por su virtud o naturaleza, el poder y recursos, influencia de los ricos y la riqueza, el poder de los ejércitos, o las fuerzas...”

En resumen:
Misiones es entregar la misericordia hacia nuestros semejantes mas débiles, enseñar a los que no conocen a Jesús (incluyendo los con mucha riqueza), pidiendo en todo momento que el Señor nos reconforte y nos de DUNAMIS.

Misiones

aiglesiasvera — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 20:21:06 CST

Nota:
Ver sitio wiki

Descripción de los Países de la Vantana

aiglesiasvera — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:57:08 CST

Afganistán
Population
The population of Afghanistan was estimated at 29,928,987 in 2005. Forty-four percent of the population is Pashtun, twenty-five percent is Tajik, ten percent is
Hazara and eight percent is Uzbek. Other ethnic groups include Turkmen.
Religion
Eighty-four percent of the people are Sunni Muslim and fifteen percent are Shi'a Muslim.
Algeria
Population
The population of Algeria was estimated at 32,930,091 in 2006.
Religion
Ninety-nine percent of the people of Algeria are Sunni Muslim
Bahrain
Population
The population of Bahrain was estimated at in 698,585 in 2006. This includes 235,108 non-nationals.

Languages
Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken. Other languages are Farsi, and Urdu.
Religion
Ninety-eight percent of the people follow Islam; the majority belong to the Shi'a sect.

Bangladesh
Population
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. A program of population control has begun to restrain the rate of population growth but
pressure on the country's limited resources remains a major problem.

Eighty per cent of the total population (144,319,628 in 2005) live in villages. The people are mainly Bengalis, with some Biharis.
Religion
Bangladesh is predominantly a Muslim (mainly Sunni) country; its separation from India as East Pakistan was mainly on religious grounds. Buddhists and Hindus are
among the religious minorities.
Geography
Bangladesh lies to the east of India, in the Bay of Bengal. Formerly East Pakistan, it also borders on Myanmar (Burma). The capital of Bangladesh is Dhaka;
Chittagong is the main port.

Most of Bangladesh is flat and low lying river delta country. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra, two of Asia's greatest rivers, join together north of Dhaka and flow
out to sea in the world's largest estuarine delta.

Away from the delta, the country is also flat though there are some hilly regions in the north east and south east corners. Around fifteen per cent of the land is
forested. The coastal mangrove forests are the largest of their kind in the world.

The country lies on a major geological fault line and suffered seven significant earthquakes in the 20th century.

Bangladesh has a subtropical and tropical climate. Humidity is high all year round especially in the June to September rainy season. On average the region is struck
by a major cyclone every three years and the country also suffers regularly from substantial flooding caused by monsoon rains and melting snows from the
Himalayas.
Benin
Geography
The Republic of Benin is in Western Africa. It is bordered by the Bight of Benin, Togo, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria.

Porto-Novo is the official capital; Cotonou is the seat of government.

The terrain consists of coastal plain, flat to undulating plain, some hills and low mountains. Major rivers are the Couffo, the Mono, the Niger and the Oueme.

The climate of Benin is tropical; it is semi-arid in the north.
Population
The population of Benin was estimated at 7,862,944 in 2006.
Religion
Half of the population follows indigenous beliefs. Voodoo is an indigenous religion in Benin.

Thirty percent of the people are Christian and twenty percent are Muslim.
Bhutan
Geography
The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between India and China.

Thimphu is the capital. Other cities include Paro and Phoentsholing.

The terrain is mainly mountainous (Himalayas) with valleys and savanna. Rivers include the Manas, Raidak, Torsa and Sankosh.

The climate of Bhutan is varied: tropical in the southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in the central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in the
Himalayas.

Population
The population of Bhutan was estimated at 2,279,723 in 2006.
Religion
Seventy-five percent of the people are Lamaistic Buddhist and twenty-five percent are Hindu.

Burkina Faso
Geography
Burkina Faso is in Western Africa, bordered by Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Ouagadougou is the capital. Bobo-Dioulasso is the second largest city.

The terrain is mainly flat, with undulating plains, and hills in the west and southeast. Principal rivers are the Mouhoun, the Nakambe and the Nazinon.

The climate in Burkina Faso is tropical.
Population
The population was estimated at 13,902,972 in 2006.
Religion
Fifty percent of the people are Muslim, forty percent follow indigenous beliefs and ten percent are Christian.
Cambodia
Geography
The Kingdom of Cambodia is in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and the Gulf of Thailand.

Phnom Penh is the capital city.

Cambodia is mainly low-lying, with flat plains; mountain ranges are the Cardamon Mountains and the Dangrek Mountains. The Mekong is the main river in
Cambodia.

The climate is tropical with a wet season from May to October.
Population
The population was estimated at 13,607,069 in 2005. Ninety percent of the population is Khmer, five percent is Vietnamese and one percent is Chinese.
Religion
Ninety five percent of the people are Buddhist. There is still a following in the animist religion which believes that there is a spirit in everything.

Chad
Geography
The Republic of Chad is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Libya, Sudan, and the Central African Republic.

N'Djamena is the capital. Other major cities are Moundou, Abeche and Sarh.

The terrain consists of a large arid central plain, desert in the north, mountains in the northwest, and lowlands in the south. The principal rivers are the Chari and the
Logone.

The climate varies according to region: hot and arid in the north and tropical in the south.
Population
The population of Chad was estimated at 9,538,544 in 2006.
Religion
Over fifty percent of the people are Muslim (north), thirty-five percent are Christian (south) and seven percent are animist (south).

China
Geography
The People's Republic of China lies on the eastern side of the Asian continent and on the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. The Republic covers seven per cent of the
world's land area.

Many countries share a border with China. They include North Korea, Russia (Siberia), Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
India, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma (Myanmar), Laos and Vietnam. China also has thousands of offshore islands including Hong Kong Island.

Over forty per cent of the country is mountainous. The mountains are mainly in the west with plains in the east. China also has desert regions. The Yellow River and
the Yangtze River, two of the world's greatest rivers, flow across China. Major rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean. China also has many lakes and wetlands.

Beijing (formerly Peking) is the capital of China with a history of over two thousand years. Shanghai is China's largest and most prosperous city. Other important
port cities are Wuhan, Nanjing and Dalian (Canton).

The climate varies considerably covering a number of climatic regions.
Population
One-fifth of the world's population lives in China (1,306,313,812 estimated 2005). At the present time, the government is trying to limit the rate of population
increase by persuading families to restrict themselves to one child for each married couple.

Over ninety per cent of the population is Han Chinese which also includes the Hakka people. Altogether there are fifty-six nationalities in China.

Religion
Chinese traditional way of life is influenced by three systems of belief: the teachings of Confucius, Taoism and Buddhism. Confucius laid great stress on the virtues of
benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness. Obedience and respect for elders were emphasized. Taoism is the study of the "Way" (Tao
means Way) and is concerned with remaining harmonious with the universe. Buddhism aims to teach its followers how to reach a state of nirvana through rejection of
the material world.

Cyprus
Geography
The Republic of Cyprus is an island in the Eastern Mediterranean (part of the Middle East), located thirty-five miles south of Turkey and sixty-four miles south-west
of Syria.

Nicosia, the capital city, is located centrally on the island. It is divided into two sections, with Turkish and Greek communities separated by a fortified border.

Larnaka, one of Cyprus' main ports, is located on the southern coast of the island. The most important cities in Northern Cyprus are Famagusta and Kyrenia.

Cyprus consists of two mountainous regions, separated by the Mesaoria plain. The Troodos, the southern mountain group, is taller with the highest peak, Mount
Olympus, rising two thousand metres above sea level. The Kyrenia mountain group, in the north, is about half as high; the Pentadaktylos Mountain is very striking
with a peak resembling five fingers.

The weather in Cyprus is usually sunny and hot (between 32 degrees and 25 degrees Celsius) with some rain, especially on the Troodos Mountains, during the
winter months.
Population
Cyprus' population was estimated at 780,133 in 2005. Seventy-eight percent of the people are Greek (a small number live in the Turkish Cypriot area) and eighteen
per cent are Turkish (with just over one per cent living in the Greek Cypriot area). There are a minority of Armenians and Lebanese.

Religion
Seventy-eight percent of the Cypriot people are Greek Orthodox and eighteen percent are Muslim. There are some minorities such as Maronites.

Djibouti
Geography
The Republic of Djibouti is in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.

The capital is the city of Djibouti. Other urban areas include Ali Sabieh, Dikhil, Obock and Tadjoura.

The terrain consists of coastal plain, plateau, and central mountains.

Djibouti is very hot and humid. Rainfall is minimal.
Population
The population of Djibouti was estimated at 486,530 in 2006.
Religion
Ninety-four percent of the people of Djibouti are Muslim and six percent are Christian.
Egypt
Geography
Egypt is located in the north east of the African continent and stretches across the Gulf of Suez. It is bordered by the Gaza Strip, Israel to the east, Libya to the west
and Sudan to the south.

The Mediterranean Sea lies to the north of Egypt and the Red Sea washes the eastern coast.

The capital city is Cairo. Other important cities are Alexandria, Aswan and Luxor.

About ninety per cent of the country is desert: the Western Desert, a continuation of the Sahara Desert and the Eastern Desert. The deserts are separated by the
Nile which flows from the Sudan and through the length of Egypt to the Mediterranean Sea. The remainder of the country consists of the Nile Valley Delta and Sinai.

The Nile, one of the world's great rivers, is really the creator of Egypt through the annual deposits of rich sediments spread across the valley by its regular floods.

The climate is mainly hot and dry. The Mediterranean areas have milder weather and more rain. During the spring hot sandy winds called khamsin blow from the
desert regions.
Population
The population of Egypt was estimated at 77,505,756 in 2005. Most of the inhabitants live around the Nile.
Religion
The ancient religion of Egypt had many gods and goddesses. Its concern with life after death was typified by the funerary cult recorded in the Egyptian Book of the
Dead and the monumental pyramids built to house the royal dead.

Islam (mainly Sunni) has been Egypt's religion for many centuries. Between fifteen and twenty per cent of the population are Christians most of them members of the
Coptic Church. There are a small number of Jews within Egypt's religious minorities.

Eritrea
Geography
The State of Eritrea is in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by the Red Sea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Sudan.

Asmara is the capital. Other cities include Keren, Massawa, and Assab.

The terrain consists of a high central plateau, western lowlands, dry coastal plain and over three hundred islands.

The climate of Eritrea is varied: temperate in the highlands and hot in the lowlands.
Population
The population of Eritrea was estimated at 4,786,994 in 2006.
Religion
Half of the Eritrean people are Muslim (Sunni) and half are Christians (mostly Coptic Orthodox, with some Roman Catholics and Protestants). Some people have
animist beliefs.
Etiopía
Geography
The Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia is a landlocked country in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia.

Addis Ababa is the capital. Other cities include Dire Dawa, Nazret, Gondar, and Dessie.

The terrain consists of high plateau, mountains, and dry lowland plains. The principal river is the Blue Nile.

The climate of Ethiopia is varied: temperate in the highlands and hot in the lowlands.
Population
The population of Ethiopia was estimated at 74,777,981 in 2006.
Religion
Between forty-five and fifty percent of the people are Muslim, thirty to forty percent are Ethiopian Orthodox, and twelve pecent have animist beliefs.

Gambia
Geography
The Republic of The Gambia is in Western Africa. It is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal.

Banjul is the capital and the main port. Other towns include Serekunda and Brikama.

The River Gambia runs the length of the country. The terrain is generally flat and low-lying; there are some low hills.

The climate is tropical. The rainy season is from June to November.
Population
The population of The Gambia was estimated at 1,641,564 in 2006.
Religion
Ninety percent of the people are Muslim, nine percent are Christian. Indigenous beliefs are followed.

Gibraltar
Geography
Gibraltar, an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom, is connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus. It is between the southern tip of Spain and the Strait of
Gibraltar.

The terrain consists of a long limestone mountain known as the Rock. There are no permanent natural water supplies.

The climate of Gibraltar is Mediterranean: warm summers and mild winters.
Population
The population of Gibraltar was estimated at 27,884 in 2005.
Religion
Over eighty-eight percent of the people are Christian (78.1% Roman Catholic). Four percent are Muslim and just over two percent Jewish.

Greece
Geography
Greece, officially called the Hellenic Republic is located in the south of Europe on the Mediterranean and bordered by Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia, Bulgaria and Turkey. Greece's territory includes over one hundred inhabited islands; the main groups of islands are the Ionian, the Northeast Aegean,
the Cyclades, and the Dodecanese. Crete is the largest island. There are numerous smaller islands of which few are inhabited.

Athens is the capital and the largest city with the highest number of residents; Thessaloniki is the next most populated city.

Greece is mountainous and hilly with a rocky terrain and a long coastline. The climate is Mediterranean: hot summers with mild winters.
Population
The population of Greece was estimated at 10,668,354 in 2005. Many Greeks have migrated to countries around the world. Australia and the United States have
large Greek communities. Sydney is said to be the world's largest Greek city apart from Athens.
Religion
Christianity was established as the official religion in the fourth century. The Greek Orthodox Church is the official religious body. There are very small Muslim and
Jewish communities.

Guinea
Geography
The Republic of Guinea is in Western Africa. It is bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Conakry is the capital city and an important port.

The terrain consists of coastal plain, and a hilly to mountainous interior. The Gambia, Niger and Senegal rivers originate in Guinea.

The climate of Guinea is mostly tropical, with the rainy season from April to November.
Population
The population of Guinea was estimated at 9,690,222 in 2006.
Religion
Eighty-five percent of the people are Muslim, eight percent are Christian, and seven percent follow indigenous beliefs.

Guinea-Bissau
Geography
The Republic of Guinea-Bissau is in Western Africa. It is bordered by Senegal, Guinea, and the North Atlantic Ocean.

Bissau is the capital. Other urban areas are Bafata, Cacheu, Canchungo, Farim and Gabu.

The terrain consists of coastal plain, and savanna in the east. There are also a number of islands. Rivers include the Geba.

The climate of Guinea-Bissau is tropical.
Population
The population of Guinea-Bissau was estimated at 1,442,029 in 2006.
Religion
Fifty percent of the people follow indigenous beliefs, fifty percent are Muslims, and five percent are Christians.
India
Geography
The Indian subcontinent, of which India the country, takes up by far the greatest part, lies between Africa and Arabia to the west and South East Asia (Myanmar,
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia) to the east.

India has a long coastline, washed by the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. In the north the Himalaya mountain range separates it from China
and Nepal. The island of Sri Lanka, once called Ceylon, lies a short distance to the south and east of the southernmost tip of India.

Countries sharing borders with India are Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar (Burma).

The capital is New Delhi; other major cities are Bombay, Calcutta, Chandigarh, and Madras.

The country's longest river is the Brahmaputra; the second longest is the Ganges.

India has a variety of geographical features: mountain ranges, valleys, desert regions, tropical rain forests, fertile plains and a dry plateau.

There are wide climatic variations from snow-covered mountains in the north through cool hill country to dry plains and jungles with extreme tropical heat. India has
a monsoon season which begins in the south in June, moving north to cover the whole country by the end of the month.
Population
India is the world's second most populous country (after China). The population was estimated at 1,080,264,388 in 2005. Eighty per cent of the population are
Hindus. Hindus are separated into different castes: there are priests (Brahmins), soldiers and governors; traders; servants and untouchables. Untouchability was
abolished in 1950.

Seventy-seven per cent of the people live in villages: cities such as Bombay, Calcutta and New Delhi have a high population density. More than forty million Indians
belong to tribal society rather than the main Hindu community. They mostly live in the hilly and wooded areas of India.

Many Indians who have emigrated to UK and USA are from Gujarat.
Religion
India's diversity of languages is matched by its diversity of religions. It was also the birthplace of two of the world's great religions: Buddhism and Hinduism.

Around eighty per cent of the population are Hindus; Muslims are the largest religious minority, at around eleven percent of the population. The other religious
groups include Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians (or Parsees), Jews and Christians.

Zoroastrians follow a very ancient religion and worship one god symbolized by fire.

Hinduism was brought to India by the Aryans about 1500 BC. Hinduism brings with it a social order: the caste system. Hindus believe in a Supreme Spirit who
works through Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver and Shiva the destroyer and generator of new life.

Buddhists are followers of the Buddha (the Enlightened One) - Siddhartha Gautama - who was born about 500 BC near the foothills of the Himalaya mountains
(Nepal). Today there are Buddhists in many parts of the world.

Jainism was founded the same time as Buddhism. Jains are strict vegetarians and try to avoid injuring any living thing.

Islam arrived in India during the eighth century. Moslems believe in one god, Allah, and follow the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed, contained in the Koran.

The Sikh religion was founded by Guru Nanak (1469-1533) the first of ten gurus or teachers. The word Sikha means disciples. The Sikhs sacred book is kept in the
Golden Temple of Amritsar.
Iran

Geography
The Islamic Republic of Iran is in southwestern Asia. It is bordered by Iraq, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave, Azerbaijan-proper, the Caspian Sea,
Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf. The Straits of Hormuz is a strategic waterway linking the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of
Oman.

Tehran is the capital city. Other cities include Isfahan, Mashhad, Qom, Shiraz and Tabriz. Main ports are Abadan, Bandar Abbas, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e
Emam Khomeyni, Bushehr and Khorramshahr.

The terrain is rugged and mountainous with a central plateau. Much of the Iran is desert; the main deserts are the Dasht-i-Lut and the Dasht-i-Kavir.

Iran is mostly arid or semi-arid with subtropical weather along the coast of the Caspian Sea.
Population
Iran's population was 68,017,860 in 2005.
Religion
Around ninety percent of the people are Shia Muslim. Just over eight percent are Sunni Muslim with small minorities in the Bahai, Christian, Jewish and Zoroastrian
religions.

Iraq
Geography
The Republic of Iraq is in the Middle East, bordered by Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Iran and the Persian Gulf.

Baghdad is the capital city. Basrah and Umm Qasr are the main ports. The rivers, Tigris and Euphrates, flow through Iraq (from Turkey) to meet at the Shatt al Arab
River which drains into the Persian Gulf.

The terrain of Iraq consists mostly of plains; there are mountains along Iraq's borders with Iran and Turkey.

Summers are hot and winters can be cold, especially in the mountains.
Population
The population of Iraq was estimated at 26,074,906 in 2005. Fifteen to twenty percent of the population is Kurdish.
Religion
Islam is the official religion. Shia (60%) Muslims live in the south of Iraq and Sunni (35%) Muslims live in the north.

Israel
Geography
The State of Israel is in the Middle East. It is bordered by Egypt, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and Jordan. Its coastal border is with the
Mediterranean Sea.

Jerusalem is Israel's most important city although most countries have embassies in Tel Aviv-Yafo. Other cities include Haifa and Beer-Sheva. Haifa is Israel's main
port. Other ports are Ashdod, Ashkelon and Eilat.

Much of the south of Israel is desert. There is a fertile plain along the country's Mediterranean coastline. Geographical features are the central mountains and the
Jordan Rift Valley. The River Jordan is Israel's main river.

The weather is hot and dry in summer and wet in winter.
Population
Israel's population was estimated at 6,276,883 in 2005. Just over eighty percent of the population is Jewish. The remainder of the population is mainly Arab.

Jewish citizens originate from all over the world including Europe, former USSR, Morocco and Iraq.
Religion
Just over eighty percent of the population is Jewish and just under fifteen percent is Muslim. There is a Christian minority.

Japan
Geography
The islands of Japan, lying between the "Sea of Japan" (Korea's East Sea) and the Pacific Ocean, are part of a chain running along the coast of Asia opposite China,
Korea and, in the north, the former Soviet Union. Japan consists of a number of islands: Kyushu, Hokkaido, Honshu and Shikoku and around three thousand small
islands, including the Volcano Islands and Iwo-jima.

Many thousands of years ago the islands separated from the Asian mainland. Lying on the Pacific Ring, a region where the Asian and Pacific plates making up the
earth's crust meet, around the Pacific Ocean, Japan is geologically very active. There are around one hundred and sixty volcanoes in the area of which around a third
are active. Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, was last active in 1707. In the last one hundred years Japan has suffered from more than twenty major
earthquakes, such as the quake in Kobe. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and typhoons are all too familiar to the Japanese people.

The islands are very mountainous; between seventy and eighty percent of Japan is occupied by hills and mountains. The towns and cities are mainly squeezed into the
flat lands along the coast, with very high levels of population density.

The climate is tropical in the south and cooler in the north. Humidity is high in the western regions of the main islands, with heavy rainstorms. On the Pacific coast the
weather is less extreme. Winter snowfalls are heavy in the north.

Tokyo is the capital city. Other important cities - all on Honshu, the largest of the islands - are Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto and Yokohama.
Population
With almost one hundred and twenty-seven million people Japan has one of the highest population densities in the world. (127,417,244 in 2005) The population is
concentrated in and around three major cities: Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. Over eight million people live in Tokyo. Japanese have a high life expectancy believed to
be connected with their healthy diet. Since population growth is relatively low, the population is rapidly aging.

The majority of the people (99.4% of the population) are ethnically Japanese. There are small Korean and Chinese minorities and a very small number of Ainu, the
original inhabitants of the islands.
Religion
Eighty-four percent of the population follow the Shinto and Buddhist religions.

Shinto believers worship a spirit god who is to be found in nature. The sun goddess is the supreme deity. Shintoism is part of daily life, as the favours of the gods are
asked for all types of events and activities (like taking examinations). The island of Itsukushima, in the inland sea of Seto, is the holy place of Shintoism.

Buddhism is the other major religion of Japan, introduced to the country in the sixth century AD.

Confucianism, which came to Japan from China, has been a significant influence, especially in the respect it requires for the ancestors and the family.

Christianity was brought to Japan by missionaries in the sixteenth century. When the Shogun decided in the early seventeenth century to close Japan to the outside
world, Christianity was forbidden and did not return until the reopening in the mid nineteenth century.
Jordan
Geography
The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is in the Middle East and is bordered by Israel, the West Bank, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf of Aqaba.

Amman is the capital city. Aqaba (Red Sea) is Jordan's only port. Other cities include Irbid, Kerak and Zarqa.

Jordan's terrain consists of desert plateau in the east of the country and an area of highlands in the west; the Great Rift Valley divides the East and West Banks of the
Jordan River.

Summers in Jordan are hot and winters can be cold.
Population
The population of Jordan was 5,759,732 in 2005.
Religion
Around ninety-two percent of the population is Muslim (Sunni) and six percent is Christian.

South Korea
Geography
The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is situated in Eastern Asia on the Korean Peninsula. The islands of Japan are to the east. Its land border is with the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and its coasts are surrounded by the Yellow Sea and Korea's East Sea, also known as the "Sea of Japan".
The volcanic island of Cheju is Korea's largest island.

Seoul is Korea's capital city. Other important cities include Pusan (Busan), Taegu (Daegu), Taejon (Daejeon), Incheon and Ulsan. Pusan is the main port. The Han,
the Kum and the Naktong are major rivers.

Korea's terrain is mainly hilly and mountainous. Mountains cover around two-thirds of the country and there are wide coastal plains in the south and west of the
country.

The weather is cold in the winter and hot in the summer. Rainfall tends to be high during the month of July.
Population
The population of Korea was estimated at 48,422,644 in 2005.
Religion
Just under half the population is Christian and almost the same number is Buddhist. Confucianism has been a significant influence on Korean culture, especially in the
respect it requires for the ancestors and the family.
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Kuwait
Geography
The State of Kuwait is in the Middle East. It is bordered by the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait consists of the mainland and a number of islands: Auhha, Bubiyan, Failaka, Kubbar, Miskan, Umm Al-Maradim, Umm Al-Naml, Qaruh and Warba. Kuwait
City is the capital.

Kuwait's terrain is mainly flat desert plain.

The climate is dry desert: hot summers and short, cool winters.
Population
The population of Kuwait was estimated at 2,418,393 in 2006. This includes includes 1,291,354 non-nationals.
Religion
Most of the people follow Islam; the majority belong to the Sunni sect.

Laos
Geography
The Lao People's Democratic Republic is a landlocked country in Southeastern Asia. It is bordered by Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar (Burma), China and
Vietnam.

Vientiane is the capital. Other cities include Luang Prabang, Pakse and Savannakhet.

The terrain is mountainous with some some plains and plateaus. The principal river is the Mekong.

Laos has a tropical monsoon climate.

Lebanon
Geography
The Lebanese Republic is in the Middle East and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Syria and Israel.

Beirut is the capital city and a major port. Tripoli is Lebanon's second largest city.

Much of Lebanon is mountainous. The Bekaa Valley is between the Lebanon mountain range and the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. There is a narrow
Mediterranean coastal plain. Lebanon's main rivers are the Litani and the Orontes.

Lebanon has a Mediterranean climate. Its summers are hot and dry. Winters can be mild and wet with snow in the mountains.
Population
The population of Lebanon was 3,826,018 in 2005.

The majority of the population is Arab (ninety-five percent) with a minority of Armenians.
Religion
Seventy percent of the people are Muslim and thirty percent Christian.
Libya
Geography
Libya is situated on the Mediterranean coast of North Africa. Its land borders are with Egypt to the east Algeria, and Tunisia to the west and Chad, Niger and
Sudan to the south. Its capital is Tripoli which is also the largest city and one of the country's two major ports. Benghazi is the other major port.

Libya is a very large country (nearly six hundred and eighty thousand square miles) and the majority of it is desert merging with the Sahara to the south. Most of the
arable land is along the coast in a strip. In the interior there are a few oasis towns.

There are three mountainous regions: the low Jebel Nefusa range in the north west, the Jebel Akhdar (the Green Mountains) in the north east behind Benghazi and
the Tibesti Mountains, the highest of the three on the southern border with Chad.

The climate differs region by region: the desert is hot and arid while the coast enjoys a Mediterranean climate: dry and hot in summer rainy and warm in winter.
Population
The population of Libya was estimated at 5,765,563 in 2005. The majority of the people are of Arab or mixed Arab-Berber descent with some Berbers in the west
and black African people in the south. Most of the population live along the Mediterranean coast.

Religion
Libya is a one hundred percent Islamic country. The majority of Libyans are Sunni Muslims. There are some non-Libyan Christians who live in the country.

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Morocco
Geography
Morocco is situated on the north west of Africa and is over 446,000sq km in area. The Atlantic Ocean lies to the west and the Mediterranean to the north. The land
borders of Morocco are with Algeria, and Mauritania. In the north west Morocco is separated from Spain by the narrow Straits of Gibraltar.

Along the coastline of the Atlantic lies a fertile plain which stretches to the Atlas mountains. Another mountain range, the Rif mountains, runs west to east a short
distance from the Mediterranean coast.

The main rivers of Morocco are the Sebou which runs into the Atlantic and the Moulouya which runs into the Mediterranean.

To the south and east lies the Sahara Desert. The Sahara is the world's largest desert and in Arabic its name means "wilderness". The desert is not entirely flat and
waterless. The streams in the hills and the oases in the desert support both human and animal life.

The capital city is Rabat on the Atlantic Coast. Casablanca also on the Atlantic coast is the country's chief port. The city of Fes is the spiritual and cultural centre of
Morocco, famous for its ancient university. Marrakesh, an oasis at the edge of the desert, is also an important trade centre and the main city of southern Morocco.

Tangier in the north, opposite Gibraltar is famous for the many writers and artists who have lived there.

Morocco's climate varies: the north is Mediterranean and the south is subtropical. The sea and the mountains help to maintain a pleasant climate: the winters are mild
and the summers are dry. Rain falls mostly in winter and the mountain peaks are covered with snow most of year.

In the desert rainfall is very low and also unpredictable. The daytime temperatures are very high but the nights can be extremely cold.
Population
The population of Morocco was estimated at 32,725,847 in 2005. Over half the population of Morocco is under 20 years old and 70% of its twenty-six million
people is under 30.

The original inhabitants of Morocco were succeeded by Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans.Three quarters of the people of modern Morocco are of Berber
descent. The Berbers were conquered by the Arabs in the seventh and eighth centuries. The Arabs now make up the second largest ethnic group and are
predominant in the cities.

Religion
The official religion in Morocco is Islam and the King is spiritual leader of his people as well as the monarch.

The mosque is the centre of Muslim worship and Morocco contains many beautiful and historic examples.

Although the Berbers are Muslims they have retained certain aspects of their own religion, including a reverence for nature.

One percent of the population are Christians (mainly French and Spanish). A small percentage of the population are Jewish, descended from Jews exiled from Spain
in the Middle Ages.

Myanmar (Burma)
Geography
The Union of Myanmar, formerly Burma, lies between Bangladesh to its west, India and China to the north and Laos and Thailand to the east. To the south,
Myanmar borders the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Yangon (Rangoon) is the capital of Myanmar, Mandalay is the second most important city.

To the north of Myanmar the Himalayas begin and ranges of hills run north to south the length of the country. Between them run the country's great rivers: the
Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy), the Sittoung and the Thanlwin. Lower Myanmar, consisting mainly of the valleys of these three rivers, has a monsoon climate. Central and
upper Myanmar is flatter and drier, while the north is heavily forested and has a very high rainfall.

The river deltas, like those of Bangladesh and Egypt, are very fertile and rice is a major crop.
Population
The population of Myanmar was estimated at 42,909,464 in 2005 with the majority of the people living in rural areas. The Union of Myanmar is ethnically mixed:
Burmans (sixty-eight percent), Shan (nine percent), Karen (seven percent), Rakine (four percent) Mon (two percent) and some Chinese. This mixture of peoples has
caused conflicts, especially in the areas along the Thai and Chinese borders.
Religion
Eighty percent of the people of Myanmar are Buddhists. Every male Buddhist is expected to spend time in a monastery, firstly as a child novice, then around three
months as an adult.

As well as Buddhism there is an everyday belief in "Nats". These are spirits of forests, mountains and trees. Spirit houses are built for Nats who have been displaced,
for instance, by building a house. Every year in August there is a major festival for the Nats and throughout the year musical and dramatic performances are held to
invoke and please the Nats.

Geography
The Kingdom of Nepal is a landlocked country in Southern Asia, between India and China.

Kathmandu is the capital. Other cities are Biratnagar, Birganj, Dharan, Nepalganj, Patan and Pokhara.

The terrain consists of river plain (Ganges), hill region, and Himalayas. River systems include the Karnali and the Narayani.

The climate is subtropical in the south with severe winters in the north.
Population
The population of Nepal was estimated at 28,287,147 in 2006.
Religion
Nepal is an official Hindu state. 80.6% of the people are Hindu, 10.7% are Buddhist, and 4.2% are Muslim.
Níger
Geography
Niger is an inland West African country surrounded by Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Libya, Mali and Nigeria. Niamey, on the River Niger, is the capital city.

The Sahara Desert and the Sahel (a semi desert south of the Sahara) covers a large part of Niger. Most of the country, apart from the Air Mountains, is flat and level
land.

The climate is very hot and dry and the country suffers from droughts. There is a short rainy period. The River Niger, which passes through the country and is its only
permanent body of water, is Africa's third longest river.
Population
The population of Niger was estimated at 11,665,937 in 2005: most of the people live in the south. The Tuareg and other nomads travel the desert. The Fulani are
the second largest group of nomads.
Religion
The majority of the people are Moslems (mainly Sunni Moslems). Islam was introduced to the region in the tenth century via the trans-Saharan trade route, although
traditional beliefs still survive, especially in the rural areas.
Oman
Geography
The Sultanate of Oman is in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen on land and by the Gulf
of Oman and the Arabian Sea. The capital is Muscat. There is a deep-water port at Matrah.

The terrain of Oman is varied although most of the country is desert. The Indian monsoon rains, as they pass over, provide enough moisture for the Dhofar
mountains to be green five months of the year. Oman's high mountains and long beaches make it very different from the other Gulf States.

There is variation in the climate depending on the geographical region. It is mainly arid but the weather is more pleasant along the coast.
Population
The population was estimated at 3,001,583 in 2005. There are over five hundred thousand expatriate workers. The majority of the population live in Northern
Oman.
Religion
Oman is an Islamic country, dominated by the Ibadhi sect with a Sunni minority.
Pakistan
Geography
The Islamic Republic of Pakistan is in Southern Asia. It is bordered by Iran, Afghanistan, China, India and the Arabian Sea.

Pakistan is divided into the administrative regions of Balochistan, the North-West Frontier Province, Punjab, Sindh, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and
Islamabad Capital Territory. Islamabad is the capital city. Karachi, the former capital of Pakistan, is a major port and commercial centre; Lahore is an important
centre of industry and tourism. Other cities include Faisalabad and Rawalpindi.

The terrain of Pakistan consists of the Indus plain in the east, the Balochistan plateau in the west and mountains in the north and northwest. The Indus River is the
main river.

The climate varies according to geographic region: mostly hot, but temperate in the northwest and cold in the north, depending on altitude.
Population
The population of Pakistan was estimated at 165,803,560 in 2006.
Religion
The majority the people in Pakistan are Muslims: seventy-seven percent are Sunni and twenty percent are Shi'a.

Philippines
Geography
The Republic of the Philippines consists of an archipelago of over seven thousand islands in Southeastern Asia, to the south of Taiwan.

Manila, on the island of Luzon, is the capital city. Other main islands include Mindanao and Visayas.

The country is mountainous with coastal lowlands. The longest river is the Cagayan on Luzon.

The climate of the Philippines is tropical with the rainy season between June and October.
Population
The population of the Philippines was estimated at 87,857,473 in 2005.
Religion
Most of the people are Christian (83% Roman Catholic and 9% Protestant); five percent are Muslims and there are some Buddhists.

Portugal
Geography
The Republic of Portugal is located on the west of the Iberian Peninsula: its land borders are with Spain and it has a long Atlantic coastline. The islands of Madeira
and the Azores (a group of nine islands) belong to Portugal.

Northern Portugal is mainly wild and rugged. The country's main rivers are the Minho, which marks the northern border with Spain, the Douro and the Tagus. To the
south of the Tagus there are wild areas of flat land which are the country's main crop-growing region. The coastline, though rocky in places, is well supplied with
sandy beaches, particularly in the south.

Portugal's climate is temperate; the temperature depending on altitude and distance from the sea. There are long winters in the north with the south being milder. Rain
is plentiful, so except for parts of the far south the countryside is green and fertile. The Island of Madeira is subtropical: the Azores have a number of volcanoes and
parts of the mainland are subject to earthquakes.

Portugal's capital city is Lisbon. Oporto or Porto is the second city and a major port.

Population
The population was estimated at 10,566,212 in 2005; over one-third live in the urban areas around Oporto and Lisbon. Since the independence of the former
colonies in the 1970s, Portugal has accepted many people from former Portuguese countries

Religion
More than ninety-five per cent of the people are Roman Catholic. There are small numbers of Protestants, Jews and Muslims. As in neighboring Spain, Jews and
Muslims were expelled after the conquest of the Moors.

Qatar
Geography
The State of Qatar consists of some small islands and a small peninsula off the larger Arabian Peninsula; it is bordered by the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.

Doha is the capital city and a major port. Other ports include Umm Sa'id and Halul Island.

Qatar's terrain is mainly flat with barren desert.

The country has hot, humid summers and mild winters. Duststorms and sandstorms are natural hazards.
Population
The population of Qatar was estimated at 863,051 in 2005. Forty percent of the population is Arab; eighteen percent Pakistani; eighteen percent Indian and ten
percent Iranian.
Religion
Ninety-five percent of the people of Qatar are Islamic.
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Senegal

Geography
The Republic of Senegal is in Western Africa, bordered by the North Atlantic Ocean, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau. The Gambia is almost an
enclave within the country.

Dakar is the capital and a major port. Other cities include Kaolack, Saint-Louis and Thies.

The terrain consists of low, rolling plains, rising to foothills. Major rivers are the Casamance, Gambia, Saloum and Senegal.

The climate of Senegal is tropical; the rainy season is from May to November.

Population
The population of Senegal was estimated at 11,987,121 in 2006.
Religion
Ninety-four percent of the people of Senegal are Muslim. Five percent are Christians and one percent follow indigenous beliefs.

Sudan
Geography
The Republic of the Sudan is in Northern Africa. It is bordered by Egypt, Libya, Chad, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda,
Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea and the Red Sea.

Khartoum is the capital. Other cities include Omdurman, Port Sudan, Kassala, Kosti, and Juba.

Sudan is mostly flat with mountains in the east and west. The principal river is the Nile (and its tributaries).

The climate is tropical in the south, with arid desert in the north.
Population
The population of Sudan was estimated at 41,236,378 in 2006.
Religion
Seventy percent of the people are Sunni Muslim (north), twenty-five percent have indigenous beliefs (south), and five percent are Christians (mostly in the south and
Khartoum).
Mali
Geography
The Republic of Mali is in West Africa. Mali is surrounded by Algeria, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.

The capital city of Mali is Bamako. The second largest town is Segou between Bamako and Mopti, a port on the River Niger where it joins the Bani river. There are
a number of important towns along the Niger, which is vital for transportation, food and water supply. Other well-known cities are Djenne near Mopti and the
legendary Timbuktu.

The terrain is mostly flat plain land with the Sahara Desert in the north. Mali is one of the countries of the Sahel - the region where the desert and the savannah meet.

The climate is mainly hot all year ranging from subtropical to arid. During the dry season, dusty winds, called harmattan blow from the north.
Population
The population of Mali was estimated at 12,291,529 in 2005; it is made up of many different peoples. In the north and on the border of the Sahara, nomads such as
the Tuareg and Moors are found. The Malian population is mainly African: the Mande (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole) account for fifty percent of the people; others
are Peul, Voltaic and Songhai. A large number of the population live on the banks of the River Niger.
Religion
Islam is Mali's main religion - between eighty and ninety percent of the people are Muslim. Fewer than two percent of the people are Christian. Traditional religions
are still practised by some of the people of Mali.
Malta
Geography
The Republic of Malta is an island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian island of Sicily. The Republic consists of the island of Malta, the islands of Gozo and
Comino, as well as the uninhabited islands of Cominotto and Filfla.

Valletta is the capital city and the main port. Other Maltese cities include the old cities of Mdina and Rabat.

Malta has no mountains or rivers. The terrain is low and rocky with coastal cliffs.

Malta has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild winters.
Population
The population of Malta was estimated at 398,534 in 2005.
Religion
The majority of the Maltese people belong to the Roman Catholic religion (ninety-one percent)
Mauritania
Geography
Mauritania lies on the Atlantic coast of West Africa and is bordered by the Western Sahara, Algeria, Mali and Senegal. Nouakchott is the country's capital.

The Sahara Desert forms a large part of the country.

The climate is hot and dry. There is little rain although the southern part of Mauritania does have a rainy season. Water is found in the desert oases and towns such
as Atar have grown up around them. Mauritania has only one permanently flowing river: the Senegal.
Population
The population of 3,086,859 (2005) consists of Moors (descended from Arabs and Berbers), nomadic peoples and African farmers. Over a quarter of Mauritania's
people live in the country's towns and ties.
Religion
By the ninth century Islam had reached the countries of West Africa through its trade routes. Today almost the entire population of Mauritania follows Islam.

Syria
Geography
The Syrian Arab Republic is in the Middle East, bordered by Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq, Turkey and the Mediterranean Sea.

Damascus is Syria's capital city. Other important cities are Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Lattakia. Ports are Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia and Tartous.

Syria's terrain is mainly plateau with mountains in the west. The Syrian Desert is in the east. There is a narrow Mediterranean coastal plain. Syria's main rivers are the
Euphrates and the Orontes.

The summers are hot and dry. Winters range from mild to cold with rain and some snow.
Population
The population of Syria was estimated at 18,448,752 in 2005.

Religion
The majority of the people are Muslim (seventy-four percent are Sunni). Ten percent are Christian.

Taiwan
Geography
The island of Taiwan lies close to the mainland of China on the Tropic of Cancer in the western Pacific Ocean. Over sixty other small islands (the Pescadores) of
which twenty are inhabited also belong to Taiwan. The main island of Taiwan is three hundred and seventy-seven kilometres long and one hundred and forty-two
kilometres wide.

The capital city of Taiwan is Taipei. Kaohsiung is the second largest city, the island's most important port and one of the biggest container ports in the world.

Taiwan is dominated by the Central Range of mountains which run north to south. The tallest peak is nearly four thousand metres high. Much of the island is forested.
In the east the mountains reach close to the sea; in the west there is a fertile coastal plain.

The climate is subtropical in the north and tropical in the south. There are typhoons (tropical storms) in the summer. Snow falls in the mountains in winter.
Population
The population of Taiwan was estimated at 22,749,838 in July 2004. Around eighty-five percent are descended from emigrants from the Chinese provinces of
Fukien and Kwangtung. Around thirteen percent are descended from those who came to Taiwan after 1949. The nine remaining aboriginal tribes are the Ami,
Atayal, Bunun, Paiwan, Puyuma, Rukai, Shao, Saisiyat, Tsou and Yami. About two hundred and fifty thousand of them remain, living mainly in more remote parts of
the Central Mountain Range.

Religion
The Chinese traditional way of life is influenced by three systems of belief: the teachings of Confucius, Taoism and Buddhism.

There is a small number of Christians and Moslems.

Tajikistan
Geography
The Republic of Tajikistan is in Central Asia and is bordered by Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and China.

Tajikistan is divided into two administrative provinces and one autonomous province. Dushanbe is the capital city.

The terrain is extremely mountainous with some valleys. The Amudarya and the Syrdarya rivers flow through Tajikistan.

Tajikistan's climate is continental; variations in temperature are influenced by elevation. Summers are hot and winters can be cold.
Population
The population of Tajikistan was estimated at 7,163,506 in 2005. Almost sixty-five percent of the people are Tajik and twenty-five percent of the people are
Uzbek.

Religion
Ninety percent of the people are Muslim (Sunni 85% and Shia 5%).

Thailand
Geography
The Kingdom of Thailand, formerly known as Siam, is in South East Asia. Its land borders are with Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia. Its sea
borders are with the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand.

Bangkok, a major port, is also the capital city. Chiang Mai is the second largest city.

Thailand has a central plain, the Khorat Plateau in the east, and mountains in the north and west. The Chao Phya is Thailand's most important river and flows through
Bangkok.

The climate is tropical with rains brought with the southwest monsoon in mid May.
Population
Thailand's population was estimated at 65,444,371 in 2005. Seventy-five per cent of the people are Thai and fourteen per cent are Chinese. Thai hill tribes include
the Karen, Hmong and Lisu.
Religion
Ninety five per cent of the people are Buddhist; almost four percent are Muslim. There is still a following in the animist religion that believes there is a spirit in
everything.

Tunisia
Geography
The Tunisian Republic is in Northern Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea, Libya and Algeria.

Tunis is the capital city and chief port. Other important cities and ports are Sfax, Sousse and Bizerte.

The terrain of Tunisia consists of mountains, a central plain, and a semi-arid region in the south that merges into the Sahara Desert. The principal river is the
Medjerda.

The climate varies: Mediterranean along the coast, and more arid in the south.
Population
The population of Tunisia was estimated at 10,175,014 in 2006.
Religion
Ninety-eight percent of the people in Tunisia are Muslims. There are Christian and Jewish minorities.

Turkey
Geography
The Republic of Turkey is located in South Eastern Europe (the area west of the Bosporus) and South Western Asia. Turkey is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea,
the Aegean Sea, Greece, Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq and Syria.

Ankara is the capital city. Istanbul is Turkey's largest city and largest port. Other cities include Adana, Izmir and Konya.

Turkey can be divided into seven geographical regions: the Mediterranean Region, Aegean Region, Marmara Region, Black Sea Region, Central Anatolia Region,
Eastern Anatolia Region and the South Eastern Anatolia Region.

The terrain is mountainous with a central plateau and a narrow coastal plain. Turkey has many rivers including the Euphrates, Kizilirmak, Sakarya, Tigris and
Yesilirmak.

Turkey's weather varies according to region but is generally hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winters.
Population
The population of the Republic of Turkey was 69,660,559 in 2005. Eighty percent of the population is Turkish and twenty percent of the population is Kurdish.
Religion
Almost all of the Turkish population is Muslim; mostly Sunni Muslim. There is a small minority of Christians and Jews.
Turkmenistan
Geography
Turkmenistan is a republic in Central Asia. It is bordered by the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

Ashgabat is the capital city. Turkmenbashy is a large port on the Caspian Sea. Other important cities are Dasoguz, Mary and Turkmenabat.

The terrain of Turkmenistan is mostly flat desert with some mountainous territory (Kopetday, Bolshoi, Maley Balkan, Koitendag, Garabil and Badkhyz). The main
water source is the Amudarya River.

The climate of Turkmenistan is desert continental with hot summers and cold winters.
Population
The population of Turkmenistan was estimated at 4,952,081 in 2005. Seventy-seven percent of the people are Turkmen and just over nine percent are Uzbek.
Religion
Eighty-nine percent of the people are Muslim (mainly Sunni) and nine percent are Eastern Orthodox.

United Arab Emirates
Geography
The United Arab Emirates is a federation of the seven Persian Gulf States of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah, and Umm-al-Qaiwain.
The Emirates are located in the eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula and bordered by Saudi Arabia, Oman and the Arabian Gulf. The capital city is Abu Dhabi.

The country consists of deserts, oases, mountains and a long coastline including many islands.

The climate is very hot in the desert and generally subtropical and arid. Rainfall is infrequent, though there are thunderstorms in the winter. Humidity can be high in the
coastal area.
Population
The population was estimated at 2,563,212 in 2005. Less than fifty percent of the people are Arabs. There are over one and a half million foreign workers including
Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis and Westerners, all drawn by the oil industry, construction and commercial development.
Religion
The UAE is Islamic. The majority of the people are Sunni Muslims with between fifteen and twenty percent Shi'ite Muslims. There are some Christians and Hindus.

Vietnam
Geography
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is in Southeastern Asia and is bordered by Cambodia, Laos, China, the Gulf of Tonkin, the South China Sea and the Gulf of
Thailand.

Hanoi, in the north, is the capital city and Ho Chi Minh City, in the south, is Vietnam's largest city.

Much of Vietnam is hilly and mountainous. The terrain is low and flat in the delta regions of the north (Red River Delta) and the south (Mekong Delta).

The climate is temperate in the north and tropical in the south.
Population
The estimated population of Vietnam was 83,535,576 in 2005.

There are over fifty ethnic groups in Vietnam. Around eighty-seven percent of the population is Vietnamese.
Religion
Buddhism (fused with Confucianism and Taoism) is the major religion in Vietnam. Hoa Hao and Cao Daism are indigenous religions and some people have animist
beliefs. Other religions are Christianity and Islam.

Ancestor worship is an important influence in Vietnamese culture.

Western Sahara
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Yemen
Geography
The Republic of Yemen is in the Middle East. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, Saudi Arabia and Oman. Yemen's territory includes
the islands of Perim and Socotra.

Sanaa is the capital. Other cities are Aden, Hodeida, al-Mukalla and Taiz.

The terrain consists of a narrow coastal plain, desert, and mountains in the interior.

Yemen has a mostly desert climate; it is temperate in the western mountains.
Population
The population of Yemen was estimated at 21,456,188 in 2006.
Religion
Islam is the main religion. There small numbers of Christians, Hindus and Jews.

Misioneros

aiglesiasvera — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:54:41 CST

Misioneros en India

Paises de la Ventana

aiglesiasvera — Mon, 06 Nov 2006 19:48:27 CST

Tabla completa

Descripción de los países de la Ventana 10/40

http://aiglesias.wikidot.com/

Detalles paises
http://aiglesiasvera.pbwiki.com/Detalle%20Paises

Ventana 10/40

aiglesiasvera — Sat, 04 Nov 2006 15:41:02 CST

Población: 2/3 de la población mundial (3.2 Billones de personas)
Pobreza: 85% son “los mas pobres de los pobres”
Religión: Islam, Budismo, Hinduismo.

Mapas
China
China en el Mundo

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Ventana 10/40

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Alberto Hurtado: Medios divinos y medios humanos

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Alberto Hurtado

Stanley Hauerwas

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peacemakers

ε l ρ η ν ο π ο l ο ς

estudio02

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Misiones

Que es Misiones

Misioneros

Ventana 10/40

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Descripción de los Países de la Vantana

Misioneros

Paises de la Ventana

Ventana 10/40

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