McDonalds in India

[Believer]

Namaste,

To the people here who live in India I'd say the following. If you think this is a problem, then raise your kids to be good Hindus, to stay away from the missionaries (seriously, I've always said that we should regard Christianity the same way people view drugs, as a morally negative practice that hurts people), ......

Oh Sanjaya, Sanjaya, I don't know where to begin on this point.

In that blessed land, the fluency in English language is equated to being "smart". Many well to do Hindus send their kids to missionary run private schools, so that they become conversant in English, know more about the West and Western values, and become loud mouth debaters. These Hindu kids come out of the missionary schools with a very diluted sense of Hinduism and a very "progressive" outlook - whatever that means. Hindu parents prefer their kids to have a leg up as far as spoken English goes, than be "proper" Hindus. Even our own TTA, the most vocal/banned Brahmin Hindu who never misses to take a dig at what he calls "malechas", was trained to be so vocal by missionaries. It is a miracle that he came out without losing his Hindu values. There is so much that Indian kids born and raised here can never fathom about the conditions in India on a macro level. It is a totally different beast than what we are used to over here.

Pranam.

[Equinox]

Vannakkam

In that blessed land, the fluency in English language is equated to being "smart". Many well to do Hindus send their kids to missionary run private schools, so that they become conversant in English, know more about the West and Western values, and become loud mouth debaters. These Hindu kids come out of the missionary schools with a very diluted sense of Hinduism and a very "progressive" outlook - whatever that means. Hindu parents prefer their kids to have a leg up as far as spoken English goes, than be "proper" Hindus.

It is a totally different beast than what we are used to over here.

This is disastrously the situation now. The "progressive" outlook mentioned here takes "centre stage" in the lives of most Hindus today, unfortunately. Religion is seen as unimportant.

While those educated in missionary schools and colleges 3 to 4 generations ago remained devout Hindus (despite growing up attending chapel classes in those schools, as if they were Christians) and had the sense to instill Hindu religious values and knowledge in their children, those educated in these schools in the last 2 generations hardly bother about Hinduism. Religion is regarded as something that limits their "progressive" outlook. Thus, they become hopeless in sustaining their religion. Their main aim is to "progress". As if it can never happen if one is a religious Hindu.


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Twilightdance]

NMany well to do Hindus send their kids to missionary run private schools.... Even our own TTA, the most vocal/banned Brahmin Hindu who never misses to take a dig at what he calls "malechas", was trained to be so vocal by missionaries.

All vocal Hindus I have met were trained in missionary schools or even missionary colleges. Missionary educational institutions have terrible track record of turning their students into supporters of the christian religion. This has been the case since before independence with many illustrious freedom fighters having been privileged to be educated in British institutions or even in Britain itself.

So if anything, missionary schools and colleges are not the reason for Hindus loosing interest in their religion or becoming Christian.

On the other hand being less informed and being vulnerable to be easily motivated by surroundings is a much dangerous situation. One is much more likely to embrace Christianity and its values, if one is poor or uneducated and lives near a church.

But McDonalds has nothing to do with Christianity as such like most of American right wing views. So we are probably digressing a lot.

[sanjaya]

Namaste,

Oh Sanjaya, Sanjaya, I don't know where to begin on this point.

In that blessed land, the fluency in English language is equated to being "smart". Many well to do Hindus send their kids to missionary run private schools, so that they become conversant in English, know more about the West and Western values, and become loud mouth debaters. These Hindu kids come out of the missionary schools with a very diluted sense of Hinduism and a very "progressive" outlook - whatever that means. Hindu parents prefer their kids to have a leg up as far as spoken English goes, than be "proper" Hindus. Even our own TTA, the most vocal/banned Brahmin Hindu who never misses to take a dig at what he calls "malechas", was trained to be so vocal by missionaries. It is a miracle that he came out without losing his Hindu values. There is so much that Indian kids born and raised here can never fathom about the conditions in India on a macro level. It is a totally different beast than what we are used to over here.

Oh, I know all about the Catholic schools. Both my parents went to them back in India. That's probably why when I was growing up they always used to lament that white people take their religion (Christianity) so seriously while we Hindus don't. For whatever reason, growing up in America has made me detest Christianity, so I guess no net change when averaging over a couple of generations.

True what you say about Indian kids raised here. I suppose I'd experience some culture shock if you just dropped me off in India. But I think that we Hindu Americans tend to take the best part of white culture, i.e. their effectiveness, and apply it to our Hindu faith. Unlike disorganized Hindus in India, organizations like Hindu American Foundation here in the US have actually done some effective political lobbying. This is probably because while Hindus in India are busy giving in to corruption and stabbing one another in the back, Hindu Americans band together, appoint competent, educated leaders, and organize efforts to protect our culture. Oops, there's my parents' latent self-hatred showing up again.

As for TTA...I guess he errs by being an equal opportunity hater and lacking all charity with his opponents. I know I was supposed to follow that up by saying something positive, but it's not coming at the moment. Hopefully he'll come around some day.

All vocal Hindus I have met were trained in missionary schools or even missionary colleges. Missionary educational institutions have terrible track record of turning their students into supporters of the christian religion. This has been the case since before independence with many illustrious freedom fighters having been privileged to be educated in British institutions or even in Britain itself.

So if anything, missionary schools and colleges are not the reason for Hindus loosing interest in their religion or becoming Christian.

On the other hand being less informed and being vulnerable to be easily motivated by surroundings is a much dangerous situation. One is much more likely to embrace Christianity and its values, if one is poor or uneducated and lives near a church.

But McDonalds has nothing to do with Christianity as such like most of American right wing views. So we are probably digressing a lot.

Well, hear me out here. As you say, McDonald's has nothing to do with Christianity. But it's Christianity that wants us to eat beef, not McDonald's. As EM likes to point out with Catholic schools in India, their objective isn't to convert us to Christianity, but to make us bad Hindus. Over time we'll become more pliable and will convert. One such way is by getting us to eat beef. McDonald's has no motivation to make us eat beef. If they can sell vegetarian samosas under their brand in India and make a quick rupee, what to they care what we're eating? It's the Christians who portray our vegetarianism as superstitious, backwards, and "anti-Christ." The issue here isn't McDonald's, it's beef eating. So if people think McDonald's might start selling beef in India, then there's an obvious market for it. That begs the question of how this culture of beefeating is growing. I'd wager that Christianity, not McDonald's executives, is the culprit.