Why all the Missionaries here

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam Ao: In retrospect I shouldn't have reiterated that one. What others think is irrelevant to personal sadhana. I only reacted for about 10 minutes, and that was just curiously pondering why anyone would come to that conclusion when I am so openly critical of Christian tactics etc. But you're right in that I try to remain civil.

So what in Japan is the closest to Hinduism for you? Shinto shrines, or Buddhist shrines? Or even perhaps there are other Hindus? Does Tokyo have a single Hindu temple? Just curious.

Aum Namasivaya

[Ao]

So what in Japan is the closest to Hinduism for you? Shinto shrines, or Buddhist shrines? Or even perhaps there are other Hindus? Does Tokyo have a single Hindu temple? Just curious.

Aum Namasivaya

Namaste EM, I always enjoy hearing from you.

Those are very interesting questions. I usually pray to Lord Ganesha when attending a Shinto shrine; intuitively that seems most appropriate to me. Philosophically though, I find that since Buddhism has its roots, and indeed most of its thought systems, firmly based in Hinduism there is much ground for commonality.

I have no idea about temples in Tokyo, I live far to the south and west of there. I'd love to find out though, and will be sure to let you know when I do. Depending on how my job hunt goes, we may end up moving in the Spring, and I may then find myself in a place with more of a Hindu community. I'm sure they must exist somewhere in Japan!

[kallol]

Do not know if it would be of any help.

1. http://www.japanindians.com/

2.
Indians in Japan speak a number of different languages and follow various religions; there is little correlation between religion or language and profession, except in the case of the Jains, many of whom work in the jewellery industry.[18] The Jains are generally concentrated around Okachi-machi in Taitō, Tokyo.[19] On the whole, Tokyo has fewer religious facilities for Indians than does Kobe.[20]
There are Sikh gurudwara in both Kobe and Tokyo; the latter is of more recent provenance, having been founded in 1999 in the basement of an office building.[21] Some Sikhs employed as unskilled labourers in small and medium enterprises cut their hair short and remove their turbans in violation of the principle of kesh, because their employers are unfamiliar with their customs and do not give them any latitude in their style of dress. They consider this just a temporary adaptation to Japanese society. However, this practise is not common among Sikhs in skilled professions such as IT

3. http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-b...0070422x3.html

4. http://www.manicat.org/main.html

5.
Diwali まつり　2009 Festival Celebration, Tokyo at Tokyo Ryutsu Center

Diwali is major festival in India celebrated throughout Indian Subcontinents.

While Diwali is 4000 years old, its message is as fresh as ever -

* A fun filled celebration of life,
* An ever deeper bonding among the communities, and
* A commitment to reach out to people who need a helping hand

This event provides an exciting platform for the Indians living in Japan as well as Japanese and other foreigners to be part of a tradition which is as old as the civilization itself - DIWALI.

First event of its kind in Tokyo, with 4000 - 5000 participants

A unique opportunity to engage with, address, and be part of a 20,000 strong Indian community in Japan which currently manages and supports critical functions at most major organizations in Japan.


Love and best wishes

[jaggin]

And that commandment is an exhortation to evil and wickedness, and should be opposed as such. Proselytism is a form of "hate speech," as it presupposes that the other person is "wrong" and that their religion is "false." It's high-time that non-Christians stopped treating these kinds of attempts to destroy our religions with politeness.

You probably ren't the first person to call God evil and wicked. Usually it is someone who loves evil so anything good is perceived as evil.

You are in error on both counts. Proselytism for Christians is an act of love and there is no love in leaving a person in a debilitated state.

I agree that it isn't a good thing to destroy a religion simply on the basis of it being different. However that does not mean that we believe that all religious beliefs are good ones. As the apostle Paul says "Cling to that which is good and discard the rest."

[jaggin]

I am glad you were able to have a conversation with God.
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This happens also but it indicates a misunderstanding on your part. God is in me and speaks through me. This is pure Christianity but it took a while for me to get to this point. For most Chrsitians the Paraclete operates more in the background.

[jaggin]

Sahasranama, are there a lot of Christians on HDF? I never noticed. I've only talked to three or so in my time here.

Do keep in mind that any acceptance of this statement on our parts is predicated on our agreeing that your Bible accurately represents God. Just about no one here believes in the Bible. One might as well be coming here and talking about space aliens and tin foil hats. The reason we take you seriously is because your beliefs were impressed upon you by your Christian culture and aren't simply the result of delusion or mental illness. But that doesn't make them any more reasonable from an objective standpoint.

Heh, sure, whatever you say. Actually Jaggin, I like you much more than the evangelicals in your faith. I don't think you have the superiority complex that they possess. But you do remind me very much of the "emergent Church" movement in America, which tries to hold on to evangelical dogmatism at an intellectual level, while minimizing the offensive aspects of Christianity, and ultimately they preach such an obfuscated message that they end up saying nothing at all. You hold to a religion whose scriptures prescribe condemnation for all non-believers, and I think you recognize that there's something wrong with this belief. Thus you tend to de-emphasize that part of your faith, while still intellectually assenting to it (I think). From what I can tell you do hold to evangelical dogmas, but I doubt that any Hindu will ever become a Christian because of you. For that, you have my sincere thanks.

I imagine that is a blessing. Otherwise you might have to suffer through a great deal of evangelization.

This sounds like a good topic for discussion. How does one view a text that is not the one that was taught to you? For my part I read the Vedas with an open mind but the Paraclete is always with me to guide my understanding. How does one judge a text? Can a text be verified simply by reading it?

There is no doubt that some beliefs are impressed but it is also true that some are acquired through personal search and others have come by the grace of God. For instance: my church did not believe in drinking or smoking. I wonder how unreasonable that is. Now the government is trying to impress people with a belief that smoking is bad for your health and that excessive drinking is bad for everyone.
So does that mean that Hindus are more reasonable and smoke and drink excessively because their culture is different?

Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay) had a superiority complex. It must have been a source of consternation for thos who fought agianst him because he was a superior fighter. As a Christian I know that I have a superior religion. Every once in a while some punk religion like the ancient Egyptian religion thinks it can outclass God but it finds out quickly that it can't. However superiority does not necessitate an adversarial relationship. After all, Mohammed Ali may have been the best but the other fighters put on a good contest and were highly skilled.

That is an interesting and much discussed subject. Belief can condemn a person or save a person. There is a christian cult in America that believe in handling poisonous snakes. Such a belief has led to the deaths of many. The question is: When do you find out if your belief will bite you? After you are dead?

My, my you are a bit cheeky! As Mother Theresa said: "God doesn't require me to be successful, but to be faithful. However you mistake my ministry. It isn't in reaping but in sowing. Granted a lot of seed falls on unproductive soil. Sometimes my ministry is to till the soil and remove the rocks.

[sanjaya]

I imagine that is a blessing. Otherwise you might have to suffer through a great deal of evangelization.

A mixed blessing, perhaps. I can't say I enjoy being evangelized. But I'm left unsure as to why these people come to HDF, since I don't have a large sample to consider.

This sounds like a good topic for discussion. How does one view a text that is not the one that was taught to you? For my part I read the Vedas with an open mind but the Paraclete is always with me to guide my understanding. How does one judge a text? Can a text be verified simply by reading it?

For my part I've read the Bible. We do not believe in the doctrines concerning the Holy Spirit (i.e. Paraclete) as you do. But many of us do believe that we can't understand any text about God without God's help. Alas, what God does is his business and not mine. So I simply read a text, and use my faculty of reason to evaluate it.

As to how a text can be judged, obviously one has to look outside the text, and so a simple reading is not sufficient. Otherwise we'd have to take every text at its word. What ideas do you have?

There is no doubt that some beliefs are impressed but it is also true that some are acquired through personal search and others have come by the grace of God. For instance: my church did not believe in drinking or smoking. I wonder how unreasonable that is. Now the government is trying to impress people with a belief that smoking is bad for your health and that excessive drinking is bad for everyone.

So does that mean that Hindus are more reasonable and smoke and drink excessively because their culture is different?

Not entirely sure what you mean here. Many Hindus also believe that drugs are spiritually harmful. And even those who don't have had this belief impressed upon them elsewhere, most likely at school. I'm not denying that we are all capable of learning and rejecting things based on our ability to reason. So I would not resort to saying that all Christians are Christians solely because they were raised that way (such a claim can be demonstrated to be false) But one's upbringing provides a powerful bias, wouldn't you say?

Mohammed Ali (Cassius Clay) had a superiority complex. It must have been a source of consternation for thos who fought agianst him because he was a superior fighter. As a Christian I know that I have a superior religion. Every once in a while some punk religion like the ancient Egyptian religion thinks it can outclass God but it finds out quickly that it can't. However superiority does not necessitate an adversarial relationship. After all, Mohammed Ali may have been the best but the other fighters put on a good contest and were highly skilled.

Well, I don't know it's as easy as making an Exodus reference. Jews would claim that victory as their own, and add that Christianity is a false religion. What victories can you unequivocally attribute to Christianity?

That is an interesting and much discussed subject. Belief can condemn a person or save a person. There is a christian cult in America that believe in handling poisonous snakes. Such a belief has led to the deaths of many. The question is: When do you find out if your belief will bite you? After you are dead?

You've made a good point. What do you think about a religion which by its own admission can't be confirmed until after the devotee is dead?

My, my you are a bit cheeky! As Mother Theresa said: "God doesn't require me to be successful, but to be faithful. However you mistake my ministry. It isn't in reaping but in sowing. Granted a lot of seed falls on unproductive soil. Sometimes my ministry is to till the soil and remove the rocks.

Taking Ezekiel 3:18 seriously, I see? Fair enough, but my problem is that sometimes a few Hindus will convert out of fear of hell, and do themselves much harm in the process. Many of these people return to Hinduism after suffering enough with the belief that everyone they know is condemned to hell. Surely you've heard of the missionaries in India who pay people to convert to Christianity. These are just a few of the reasons we're opposed to Christian evangelism.

[HumbleStudent]

You probably ren't the first person to call God evil and wicked. Usually it is someone who loves evil so anything good is perceived as evil.

You are in error on both counts. Proselytism for Christians is an act of love and there is no love in leaving a person in a debilitated state.

I agree that it isn't a good thing to destroy a religion simply on the basis of it being different. However that does not mean that we believe that all religious beliefs are good ones. As the apostle Paul says "Cling to that which is good and discard the rest."

The very last statement and belief is exactly why I left Christianity. Is God so small that there is only one way to find him? Out of the thousands of religions yours is the only one that is correct? It is the superiority complex, the people that condemn everyone else and the people that say I am Christian and certainly do not act anything like Christ. I know that the Christian belief is a valid path to God, but certainly not the only path. Hinduism is what I have always been looking for, it is certainly a much bigger and intelligent world than you have any idea of.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam HS: Nice Ganesha picture you have there!

Ekadantaye Vidmahe Vakratundaya Dhimahi Tanodante Pracodayat


Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

As long as we're all back on this thread...

You probably ren't the first person to call God evil and wicked. Usually it is someone who loves evil so anything good is perceived as evil.

From what I can tell, Byron believes in God, and doesn't believe that God is evil or wicked. What Byron is saying is that he doesn't believe the Bible is inspired by God, but rather that men with evil intent put words in God's mouth and called it holy scripture. You may disagree with that, but our discussion will only progress if we don't misrepresent one another's points of view. Calling the Bible evil is not the same thing as calling God evil.

It seems to me that Christians see a false Christian/atheist dichotomy. Not all non-Christians are atheists who reject God. What we reject is the things you believe about God.