Religious Place Names

Glennahaglish, Ireland: This place incorporates the Irish word “eaglais” which translates as “church.”

Saqqara, Egypt: This place name reflects the name of the ancient Egyptian hawk-headed god of death, Sokar or Seker. HIs name is believed to be derived from the ancient Egyptian phrase “sy-k-ri,” which means “hurry to me.”

Pihana - a- ka -lani, Hawaii State, United States of America: The Hawaiian word “lani” translates as “heaven,” “sky,” or “king” and “pihana” means “a gathering place.”  Pihana was used as a temple site for the sacrifice of war captives to the king’s Hawaiian deities. It was a “gathering place of the supernatural.”

Braganca, Portugal: Walled settlements began to appear in this area in about 1000 to 700 BCE, Brigantia, “the elevated one,” was a Celtic goddess whose name is believed to have come from the Proto-Indo-European words “bhrg hnti” meaning “high,” “lofty,” or “elevated.”

Luang Prabang, Laos: The Lao words “Phra Bang” translate as “royal Buddha image.” The city-state already existed when it entered history in 698 CE when it was conquered by a Tai prince.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Some of those listed may surprise you.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Duccio di Buoninsegna: (b. ca. 1255-1260, Italy – d. 1318-1319)  Painter.  He worked on commission and provided paintings for churches, cathedrals, and government buildings.  Many of his works are now lost.

Frederick Fyvie Bruce: (b. 1910, Scotland –d. 1990; aka: F. F. Bruce) Biblical scholar, university professor, specialist on the life and ministry of Paul, wrote over forty books and biblical commentaries.  In his classic work, New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, he showed that the New Testament documents have better historical attestation than any other ancient documents.

Allan B. Bicknell: (b. ca 1890, USA –d. 1948) University professor of French, Greek, Latin, and Spanish at Bridgewater University for forty-one years (1906-0917), opera singer.    

Asa: On 6 June 2012, a pastor identified only as Asa was arrested for proselytizing in Laos.

Joseph Elliot Giradi: (b. 1964, Illinois, USA) Major League Baseball catcher anf manager. 2006 National League Manager of the Year.

Hello, Laos!

Hello, Laos!  Welcome to the group of readers from ninety-two other countries who also visit this blog.  I hope you find some of the posts useful or meaningful.

Unfortunately, the “Translate This Page” gadget directly above the “Total Pageviews” Counter does not have the capability of translating the English text of this blog directly into Lao.

Ninety-three Countries: Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Cayman Islands, China, Czech Republic, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, France,  Georgia, Germany,  Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,  Macedonian, Malaysia, Malta,  Mexico,  Moldavia,  Morocco, Myanmar, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan,  Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam,  Yemen, Zimbabwe.

A Lao Christian Song

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Juan de Zumarraga: (b. 1468, Spain – d. 1548) Spanish Basque Franciscan and the first Bishop of Mexico. Protector of the Indians. In 1531, peasant Juan Diego had a vision of the Virgin Mary at Tepeyec and an image of Mary appeared on his cloak.  Bishop  Zumarraga oversaw the building of the Basilica of Guadalupe, which, because of Juan Diego’s cloak, has become the most visited Roman Catholic shrine in the world.  By 1536, the number of baptized Indians in Mexico was estimated to be five million.

Louis-Marie Ling Mangkhanekhoun: (b, 1944, Laos) Roman Catholic bishop of the Vicariate Apostolic of Pakse.

Sokhom So: Vice president of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters, a group of anti-Communist militants. He became a convert to Christian Evangelicalism in 1997.  He is now a jewelry executive in the State of Virginia (USA).

Simeon: (aka: Niger) A Christian leader in the church at Antioch (Syria).  Acts 13:1,2.

Stephen Edwin King: (b. 1947, Maine, USA, aka: Richard Bachman; John Swithen) Novelist, short story writer, comic book writer (horror, suspense, science fiction, fantasy).  His forty-nine (as of 2010) novels have sold over 350,000,000 copies and have spawned numerous films. Methodist. 

Religious Place Names

Pomona, California, USA:  Pomona was the Roman goddess of fruit trees, gardens, and orchards.  The name of the goddess comes from the Latin word "pomum" which means "fruit." 

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka: From "Tirukonamalai," Tamil for "lord of the sacred hill."  

Braganca, Portugal: For the Celtic goddess, Brigantia.

Luang Prabang, Laos:  From "phra bang," Lao for "delicate Buddha."

Sacramento, California, USA: This is the Spanish word for "sacrament" and ultimately derives from the Latin word "sacrare," which means "to consecrate."