First Hindu poised for election to United States Congress

[sanjaya]

LOL.. how is this woman "Hindu"? She never spoke about Hinduism at any of her speeches and now it becomes 'national news'?

she is not a Hindu at all since her father is a Samoan catholic and her mother is a "convert" who is a westerner.

When a real Hindu gets elected to office, then it'll be something noteworthy.

Well, it depends on what makes one a "real Hindu." I, for example, consider myself a Hindu. Both my parents are Tamilian Brahmins born in India. But my mom came to the US when she was around 10, and I was born/raised in the US, so I'm probably more Americanized than Tulsi Gabbard. Heck, I even call myself both Indian and American. But no one at the temple ever accuses me of coming there to convert Hindus to Christianity. They do make such accusations to my white Hindu friend. I have no idea what Scriptures say about the litmus test of a real Hindu, but from a practical standpoint it appears to be based on race.

Funny to see people go cross-eyed over this apparent diversity when there is nothing beneath. Obama is a half-black who was raised in America by whites and attended the top schools and graduated summa cum laude from Harvard.

Well, it would be interesting to ask what makes someone a "real black." Do you have to grow up impoverished, glorify violence, eschew education, and have an inability to speak proper English? Such ideals are the reason that the African American community is utterly defunct when virtually every other minority group in America has achieved economic success. But that's a very long conversation which has very little to do with Hinduism.

The diversity in a small village in India trumps the diversity in all of America several times over.

Respectfully, I think this claim would be hard to justify. Granted, I've never been to a small Indian villiage (mind you I'm not very Indian, aside from being Hindu, and I hate Indian food). But I'm pretty sure that Indian villiages are comprised of Indian Hindus. Now, it's true that small American towns have mostly whites. But almost every state has some sort of an Indian population; we're a nation of immigrants after all. The city I grew up in is mostly white and Christian, but I grew up in an Indian community and never felt the lack of familiar culture. I don't think a white Christian in an Indian community would feel the same way. Not that I would feel bad for this hypothetical person, since I think Christianity is more of a poison than a religion. But I think you see my point about the relative diversity of America and an Indian village. Feel free to correct me if I misunderstood your meaning.

Tulsi "Gabbard" is no Hindu. Please let us know how her lifestyle, habits, associations, friends, and education make her "Hindu".

Well I think what's more important to us Hindu Americans is that Tulsi Gabbard openly claims to be a Hindu. She could be an atheist and eat beef for all I care, but the fact that she takes up the label is what's important to me. Grow up in America and you'll get accustomed to being called an idolater, told you're going to hell, dared to eat meat, hearing the supposedly good news of Jesus Christ which condemns your family and friends and asks you to abandon your culture, and questioned about the weird dot you wear on your forehead. It gets old after awhile, even when you've grown up with no short supply of fellow Hindus. The only "Indian" politicians we have in America are the jokes named Bobby Jindhal and Nikki Haley, who threw away their culture by converting to Christianity and adopting white Christian names. Christian Americans aren't racist, but they do strongly discriminate based on culture. The fact is that most of the American electorate would never vote for an idolater, vegetarian, heathen Indian unless he adopted the national religion of Christianity.

If Tulsi Gabbard wants to be part of the Indian American community despite the cultural assult we regularly face (especially when she has to face the electorate!), I'll gladly consider her more Indian than Bobby and Nikki. And if she's Americanized, even better. I'm tired of being the only one who thinks the sambar smells bad.

[Believer]

Namaste,

Name one example of this actually happening.

Here is an example, A. L. Basham. His analysis of Bhagwad Gita is that it was not spoken by Shree Krishna; instead it consists of three distinct parts, each having been written by a different set of brahmins at different times and the verses were then combined to make one book. Not only was he evil, he also indoctrinated some Indian Hindus with his evil philosophy under the guise of Indology studies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Llewellyn_Basham

I'm tired of being the only one who thinks the sambar smells bad.

Please hold that thought while I enjoy my uttapam and sambhar.

Hope Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard has made all the arrangements for her move to DC and is all set to take her oath of office in the coming days. Just the name Tulsi is bound to have a sobering effect on some of her colleagues.

Pranam.

[ShriBala]

Deleted...

[firmamental]

Here is an example, A. L. Basham. His analysis of Bhagwad Gita is that it was not spoken by Shree Krishna; instead it consists of three distinct parts, each having been written by a different set of brahmins at different times and the verses were then combined to make one book. Not only was he evil, he also indoctrinated some Indian Hindus with his evil philosophy under the guise of Indology studies.

That doesn't follow. How was Basham "let in"? He was studying Hinduism from academia, that has absolutely nothing to do with what we're talking about. Further, you have nothing behind your assertion that he was "evil" other than the fact that you dislike what he said about the Gita. Hardly convincing stuff, and a good indication that your opinion on the matter needs more thought and consideration.

[Viraja]

My humble opinion on the topic of this thread:

The White clan has been, in history, subjugators of other civilizations. There was a Civil War needed for abolishing slavery. The modern day inhabitants of the continent of America are descendants of the same White clan. But in USA today, we find a large mix of all nationals who are vastly settled peacefully. From where it has evolved, to where it is now, it has been a great change to USA, and the election of a lady even remotely connected to India, shows that population of USA has a rather welcoming attitude. This may not show that everything is 100% alright and that Indians are respected to hold high positions if they cling to their Indian ancestry, but this can be stated as a beginning step towards that direction. In prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Indians are held as Deans. This shows a very promising future for Indians in the USA.

To quote from my own personal experience, my White American boss of 13 yrs ago in the IT field one day asked me upon giving the paycheck, "If my family and relatives thought of me as a 'rich American' thus by my American employment!". He all through my employment with the company, though approving of any good work done, nevertheless had different scales for Indians and Whites. It is a pity this still happens, however, my husband is in the same IT field and never had to face any such intimidation from his superiors!

I thus believe that if it is one's prarabhdha/destiny to get something of merit, even if he/she be of a different origin, can still make it, and USA seems to be a positive atmosphere for Indians to achieve great things here.

[Believer]

Namaste,


First Hindu American Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard takes oath on Bhagavad Gita

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fi...-gita/1054430/


Pranam.

[Jeffery D. Long]

Namaste,


First Hindu American Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard takes oath on Bhagavad Gita

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fi...-gita/1054430/


Pranam.

I had the honor of meeting her in early December. Let's wish her all the very best!

[penguin10916]

I had the honor of meeting her in early December. Let's wish her all the very best!

And hope that the government, as screwed up as it is now, doesn't mistreat her for not being "christian" and for not being a man... since they couldn't even update the one bill that would assist women who found themselves in situations of abuse...

[Sahasranama]

Taking oath on the Bhagavad Gita is a bad idea, especially for politicians who can never keep their promises. If a mistake is made, the sin will increase thousand folds. Taking oath on a shalagram shila would be even worse and a person would fall straight to hell if the promise wasn't kept.

[Believer]

Namaste,

Taking oath on the Bhagavad Gita is a bad idea...............

a person would fall straight to hell if the promise wasn't kept.

Two questions:

1. Is there anything positive in this whole episode;
that there is some recognition of the fact that Hinduism exists in the US,
that Hindus too have a holy book?
that there is plurality of cultures/faiths in the US?

What would be a suggested alternate for Hindu legislators to take the oath on? I am really looking for some practical way out.

2. Falling into hell? What constitutes hell? Have you ever walked the streets of Amsterdam and seen those prostitutes sitting behind the full length glass with practically nothing on, waiting for customers? Have you ever been to the cafes where marijuana is legally sold and used by people for "recreational" purposes? Till they recently enacted laws to make it unlawful to sell dope to non-citizens, Amsterdam was the favorite place for European tourists to go to for uninhibited weed use. Aren't you currently living in HELL? What sins did you commit in your past and present lives?

Pranam.