PDA

View Full Version : Hindu Origins of Judeo-Christian Religion - Reloaded



sm78
06 August 2008, 01:18 AM
http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/aug/05bible.htm


Not Sure if the catholic church was reading this forum though.


This is an unprecedented venture as Indian scriptures Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Mausmriti have been used in a Bible by way of interpretations to biblical passages for the first time, says Catholic church spokesperson Father Paul Thelekat. This is an attempt to make contextual reading and understanding.

There are 24 line drawings, including those of mosque, temple and church with slippers outside, by the late Christopher Coelho.

The Mumbai-based publishing house, St Pauls, which brings out religious books, has come out with the new Indian Bible, which also has references to Meerabai, Mahatma Gandhi [Images], and Rabindranath Tagore in the interpretations of biblical passages, Father Thelekat told PTI.

As far as Catholics are concerned, they have to live and interpret their Christian faith and scriptures within the given culture. So they have to understand and interpret the culture, he said.

saidevo
06 August 2008, 09:20 AM
This latest trend is faught with danger for us Hindus, in my opinion. Christians, specially the clergy and other notables will never want to merge with the Indian culture, dharma and tradition the way the Parsis have done. The Parsis celebrate Deepavali, perform Lakshmi puja and nourish no agenda towards the Hindus. Will the Christians ever emulate them? I doubt.

Look at some of the cunningly fabricated statements of the people concerned in this venture (underlining by me):



"As far as Catholics are concerned, they have to live and interpret their Christian faith and scriptures within the given culture. So they have to understand and interpret the culture."-- Catholic church spokesperson Father Paul Thelekat


Many Hindu commons at the lower rungs of the society are aware how Jesus Christ is touted to be on par with Sri Krishna: Whatever Krishna said, Jesus said too. Even the names are similar--Krishna, Christ. Since worship of Goddess Mother is a prevalent feature of Hinduism, the Church has already tried to equate Mother Mary with Mariamma, the Hindu village Goddess. Poor Joseph, father of Jesus Christ is neglected both in the West and the East, though Hindu God Fathers belong to the Hindu Trinity.



"...a unique feature of the New Bible is that it has many references to the spiritual message and biblical references to that of spiritual message and biblical values found in the scriptures of other great Indian religions." -- Thiruvananthpuam Archbishop Sosa Pakiam


'Biblical values found in'--not derived--from scriptures of Indian religions, though the latter is the fact; of course, a bridled horse with eye-blinds cannot look sideways.



The article, quoting Fr Augustine Kanachikuzhy, general editor of the new Bible, says the references and quotations used in the Bible from non Christian scriptures "does not imply in any way, the Indian scriptural terms are parallel to Biblical terms or that the parallel references are saying the same thing as the Biblical text."


An assurance that will be followed certainly more in breach than in compliance!



SatyaDeepam, a fortnightly highlighting Christian values, quoting Bishop Dabre, said, "We cannot simply have a re-reproduction of the Bible. People must be able to assimilate and appreciate the Bible. The texts of the Bible must come alive."


Does this mean that the 'texts of the Bible' like their author is dead and are in need of resurrection so they can be used for the 'second coming' of the Christ?



The Bible throws light on the non Christian texts, for example, the 'Gayatri Mantra', which is a prayer addressed to the Sun god. "But actually for us Christ is the light. We can use it as a prayer of divine light, which illumines the human mind," the bishop said.


Almost every Hindu God has a Gayatri mantra, so why not Jesus? Any idea of what could be appropriate for him?



Bishop Dabre said there could be resistance to such introductions.

"For so many centuries we have not been able to read the text of the sacred scripture without Indian traditions at the background. Our sacred text also must become meaningful to Indians of different religions. It will help to project our Bible in their context," he said.


Do we Hindus need any Bible in our context?

Finally, not just Hindus, many Christians are also opposed to the venture of community Bibles:
http://www.dubbagol.com/Miscellaneous/Indianized_Bible_version_making_waves_in_Kerala/

dhruva023
06 August 2008, 10:41 AM
this is just another conversion tactic.

satay
06 August 2008, 10:43 AM
this is just another conversion tactic.

True that.

Eastern Mind
06 August 2008, 06:04 PM
Saidevo: Thank you for taking the time to pick it aprt in a detailed and precise way. we need people like you who have the time to do these tasks ... the christians need to fought intellectually at all levels. Nandri again. EM

saidevo
06 August 2008, 08:39 PM
Namaste EM.


Saidevo: Thank you for taking the time to pick it aprt in a detailed and precise way. we need people like you who have the time to do these tasks ... the christians need to fought intellectually at all levels. Nandri again. EM

Oh, I have done nothing except perhaps finding some time to look at it. What we really need to do is to 'critically reply' to the Hindu scriptures related passages of the New Community Bible and host it here in HDF, if and when that version of the Bible finds a place on the Internet or if anyone could read it ahead.

The surefire solutions to such acts of aggression is to foster and strengthen our Hindu grass roots in Hindu Dharma and religion.

rcscwc
14 March 2009, 06:27 AM
August 05, 2008 12:27 IST
Last Updated: August 05, 2008 12:56 IST

An 'Indianised' Bible with references to the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Manusmriti and drawings of a turbaned Joseph and sari-clad Mary with baby Jesus in her arms, is making waves in Kerala


Tubaned Joseph, Mary in sari! Wow. Were they born in India? Were they Hindus? Yes, yes; that is the message.

Then the couple is shown escaping. Escaping from whom? Hindus of course.

Later, Jesus was crucified. By whom? By Hindus, my dear.

See the insidious message?

For an American people called Pinyari, there is a bible. Pinyaris are shown as wicked who killed Jesus. Yes, it is true.

Near home "Nemha Bible" calls for burning od Sarnas, a tribal people of Jharkhand.

They write bibles for various peoples.

Eastern Mind
14 March 2009, 07:32 AM
If we teach our children critical thinking... ie ... to think for themselves, one of the first things they discard at least here in the west, is Christianity, because of its preposterous claims. Unfortunately, because of horizontal transfer in the brain, they often make the same conclusion regarding Hinduism, just generalising that if one religion is so absurd, then so must the others be. But agnosticism is far more scientific and rational than Xianity.

I read the other day a treatise by a Malayalam convert that had as its basic premise via Aryan Invasion etc., that religion was brought to India by the Christians, and Hinduism is just a melding of earlier tribal pagan religions with the wonder that is.. Christianity. Its laughable other than for the fact that many followers .. (sheep type, unable to think for themselves as mentioned above) actuallly believe it. The essay was titled "The Truth about Hinduism" .. they sure like to toss about the word 'truth".

Then there's the Geoffry Chaucer poet thing in my English class in high school.. the premise that he was the world's first actual creative poet, and first great writing... again .. laughable in consideration of works like Tirumantiram, Vedas, etc.. but that is what we were taught.