Re: What's in a Name?
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
"Wise men speak because they have something to say. Fools speak because they have to say something." - Plato
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