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Jodhaa
21 August 2012, 07:03 PM
As I've sifted through the forums in the brief time I've been here I've taken note of a lot of heated debate, accusations and anger aimed at Christianity and Islam. I'm sure you all know.

I'm not particularly peeved by that, really. Members of both of those faiths have done tremendous damage in the world. Please, vent - you have every right to. I'm right there with you.

Where people loose me is where they describe "Christians as evil" (or Muslims for that matter). There are a lot of broad strokes being swung and I perceive it as harmful, both to an individual's spirit and to those who may be members of those faiths, who come here earnestly to learn.

Imagine what that must feel like. You're some Christian kid, trying to learn more about your world. You've heard about how peaceful and accepting Hindus are and you eagerly approach this source for answers.

Then this hits you: "Christians are Evil", "Islam is a false religion"...etc.

I can't think of a faster way to shut down someone's willingness to learn then to carelessly and thoughtlessly insult their faith.

This brings me to the title of my post, "What's in a name?"

My parents were Catholic, but when we moved and couldn't find a Catholic Church, they put us in with Lutherans (Those filthy Protestant Upstarts!).

Why? As my mom put it once, "We figured, it was close enough and we just wanted you to be good people. That's all we cared about."

I have since gravitated away from Christianity. Not because I thought it was evil, but because it no longer spoke to me.

To me, it doesn't matter the name you go by. Call yourself whatever religious faith you want. You could even lie to me about it if you like. If you say to me "I'm Hindu" ,that really doesn't tell me anything about you - anything that really matters anyway. Don't tell me you're a Hindu - SHOW me. You're actions and choices dictate the quality of your soul.

There are Christians who do terrible things. But there are also Christians who do wonderful things for humanity. If you commit terrible acts, no manner of name is going to hide it. You're not fooling God.

Take people for what they really are. Not for what they say they are. Not for what their religion's scriptures even say they should be.

*deep breath*

okay...vent over.

Thank you for making a folder for venting.

Peace.

philosoraptor
21 August 2012, 07:31 PM
I have never said that Christians and Muslims are evil. Evil is more of a Christian concept, anyway. In Hinduism, truly "evil" persons like Raavana became so due to their association with matter and ignorance. Thus, while they can choose to remain "evil," the possibility always remains for their redemption. Sishupala and Dantavakra got liberation, for example. As did Putana, Kamsa, etc.

That being said, I do believe that Christianity and Islam are false religions. I do not subscribe to the notion that these are just simpler versions of Hinduism designed for people of a limited understanding in order to put them on the path towards true dharma. They have too many internal contradictions for me to accept them as such. More importantly, they endorse ideas that are fundamentally in opposition to Vedic thought. We cannot judge these religions as genuine if we simply filter out the objectionable statements, unless we can convincingly make the case that the objectionable statements are man-made accretions not present inthe original documents. Above and beyond that, there is the fact that these religions represent themselves as God-given, which we must also accept if we are to accept them as "genuine." This becomes a problem when you recognize that the "jealous God" who inspired these religions has a personality that is fundamentally different from that of Sri Krishna. For example, Sri Krishna does not subscribe to the view that one can do any sort of worship and attain the same result, but He does not force Arjuna onto His path, nor does he endorse wars of religious conversion against the unfaithful. On the other hand, the Judeo-Christian god describes himself as a "jealous god" and states "thou shalt have no other gods before me." In the Koran, he specifically tells his followers that they are to set up ambushes and kill polytheists and idol-worshippers wherever they are found. There are also clear, anti-Semitic statements in the Koran which are hard to just explain away.

Needless to say, followers of these religions derive a different sense of emotional satisfaction. For Christians, for example, the belief in original sin and the resurrection of Jesus Christ are central to their beliefs. For Muslims, it is the belief that Allah sent Mohammed to redeem them from their pagan ways. Many moderate Christians and Muslims follow modified versions of their religions which are not really true to their respective scriptures. This is no doubt because they themselves have problems (not always admitted by them) with the violent, xenophobic, and exclusivist statements which their scriptures teach.

regards,

philosoraptor
21 August 2012, 07:33 PM
Please note in this regard that I also do not consider everything that goes by the name "Hinduism" to be true, either. Obviously, I cannot for example object to say, Advaita or Shaiva-siddhanta or Transcendental Meditation or Osho, but then turn around and say that Christianity is still in some sense genuine. That would hardly be consistent.

regards,

Jodhaa
21 August 2012, 07:46 PM
Please note in this regard that I also do not consider everything that goes by the name "Hinduism" to be true, either. Obviously, I cannot for example object to say, Advaita or Shaiva-siddhanta or Transcendental Meditation or Osho, but then turn around and say that Christianity is still in some sense genuine. That would hardly be consistent.

regards,


I'm just taking advantage of the venting thread to prevent an unhelpful topic from spilling into the forums. Thank you for your in-depth reply!

Peace