Hindus worship false Gods

[sanjaya]

To anyone who still believes that Christians in America do not have any intention to oppress Hindus, here's an interesting story from today's news:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/30/us/ten...rsy/index.html

Now, I have no love for Islam, and from an academic point of view I would agree with the lawyer's assertion that it is a political force rather than a religion. But take heed, Islamophobia is easily redirected towards Hindus. After all, who can tell the difference between all those brown people?

Make no mistake: evangelical Christians would quickly deny Hindu Americans our rights as citizens, and we should use our political power to oppose Christianity to whatever extent we can.

[Jainarayan]

we should use our political power to oppose Christianity to whatever extent we can.

Get out and vote. Put forth a referendum to change the zoning and notification ordinances. Start petitions. There's your political power. Use it. Stop the Chicken Little "the sky is falling" hyperbole and self-victimization.

A massive Hindu temple and community center is being built right in central NJ without so much as a whimper against it from the local communities. If "Islamophobia is easily redirected towards Hindus" do something pro-active instead of pissing and moaning about it.

Btw... that's the Bible Belt in that story. They don't like blacks, Jews, Catholics, gays, Asians, Hindus, Muslims or anyone who is not a white Baptist. Don't feel specially persecuted as a Hindu. The rest of the US doesn't care. Only in 1964 did it become legal for an interracial couple to marry in the south. Is it changing? Yes, slowly but surely, though not fast enough.

We have Sikhs, Muslims, Hassidic Jews, Hindus and east Asians here, with almost no one noticing each other. There has yet to be a news story of any member of one of those groups being harassed or injured. Look up a physician in any directory, or go into any hospital and what do you find? Indian physicians. Apparently they're respected enough by white America to have thriving practices.

[sanjaya]

Get out and vote. Put forth a referendum to change the zoning and notification ordinances. Start petitions. There's your political power. Use it. Stop the Chicken Little "the sky is falling" hyperbole and self-victimization.

A massive Hindu temple and community center is being built right in central NJ without so much as a whimper against it from the local communities. If "Islamophobia is easily redirected towards Hindus" do something pro-active instead of pissing and moaning about it.

If you've read my other posts on this topic in various threads, you'll find that this is my consistent message. I have no argument with the statement that Hindu Americans should vote against the Christian agenda. As for the Hindu temple being built in NJ, I'm glad to hear that Hinduism thrives in one of the less Christian areas of the country. But as you say, the primary opposition to Hinduism is in the Southeast of America. Last I checked, I as a born American have the same right to religious freedom in any state, and should not be discriminated against on account of being Indian or Hindu. Does it not trouble you that I would encounter more opposition in the Southeastern United States for the free practice of my religion than I would in New Jersey?

Btw... that's the Bible Belt in that story. They don't like blacks, Jews, Catholics, gays, Asians, Hindus, Muslims or anyone who is not a white Baptist. Don't feel specially persecuted as a Hindu. The rest of the US doesn't care. Only in 1964 did it become legal for an interracial couple to marry in the south. Is it changing? Yes, slowly but surely, though not fast enough.

I'm not sure this lines up with my own experiences. I've spent time in the deep south, and with the exception of people in rural areas, evangelical Christians are not racist. While I hate evangelical Christians, I'm not going to misrepresent their beliefs; I freely admit that they've gotten over their discrimination of people based on race. They would have no problem with Asians or blacks as long as they are Christian. And the success of Rick Santorum among this demographic indicates that they have little problem with Catholics. Likewise, you'll be hard pressed to find outright discrimination of Jews. After all, these are the people who have to return to Israel in order for Jesus to be able to return and wipe out all the Hindus (on a sidenote, I find it humorous that India equally supports Israel due to our common enmity with Muslims, not that I disagree with this position).

We have Sikhs, Muslims, Hassidic Jews, Hindus and east Asians here, with almost no one noticing each other. There has yet to be a news story of any member of one of those groups being harassed or injured. Look up a physician in any directory, or go into any hospital and what do you find? Indian physicians. Apparently they're respected enough by white America to have thriving practices.

No doubt you are aware that after 9/11, Sikhs were the targets of violence due to misidentification as Muslims. Rajan Zed's historic Hindu prayer in the U.S. Senate was, just a few years ago, interrupted by evangelical Christians uttering imprecations against "idol" worshippers. I could easily reference Google to find cases of evangelicals opposing the construction of Hindu temples. I'm glad that you have never experienced discrimination by your fellow American citizens for being a Hindu, but there are those in this country who have experienced it. As for Indian physicians, the presence of Indians in professional fields says almost nothing about the views of the general public. The scientific community has always been more oblivious to race and religion than the rest of the world. I don't know much about medicine. I do know about my own field though; the Indian astrophysicist Subramanyan Chandrasekhar held a prestigious position at the University of Chicago at a time when Jim Crow laws prevented him from teaching classes (apparently the locals didn't discriminate between blacks and Indians). Yet by the logic you espouse, his recruitment as a professor of physics in the mid-twentieth century indicates that Americans had already gotten over race-based discrimination. Or to use a more timely example, the election of a black President in America does not seem to quell vilification of him among conservative Christians on account of his race. My guess is that Indian physicians thrive in America because they are good doctors, not because evangelicals have any love for Hindus.

[Jainarayan]

Namaste.

I think we're on the same page, on the whole.

If you've read my other posts on this topic in various threads, you'll find that this is my consistent message. I have no argument with the statement that Hindu Americans should vote against the Christian agenda. As for the Hindu temple being built in NJ, I'm glad to hear that Hinduism thrives in one of the less Christian areas of the country. But as you say, the primary opposition to Hinduism is in the Southeast of America. Last I checked, I as a born American have the same right to religious freedom in any state, and should not be discriminated against on account of being Indian or Hindu. Does it not trouble you that I would encounter more opposition in the Southeastern United States for the free practice of my religion than I would in New Jersey?

It certainly does bother me. It bothers me that there is prejudice and ignorance of every stripe in the southeast and southern US. Florida produces not only concentrated orange juice... it produces concentrated stupidity. They can't even vote properly! I think you know what I mean.

One of the reasons I would not live anywhere else in the US except the NE or the west coast is because they are blue states. Say what one will about NJ and the Jersey jokes, and how corrupt our state gov't has been, and what a nanny state it is (wait, there's a positive about NJ in here somewhere ) but NJ, NY, CT, VT, MA are very liberal. Overwhelmingly live and let live. Oh yes, we have our share of morons like those who attacked Sikhs after 9/11. That was an abomination. I'm not saying this is a utopia. You wouldn't catch this white-boy walking through Newark, or Harlem or the Lower East Side of NYC after dark.

I'm not sure this lines up with my own experiences. I've spent time in the deep south, and with the exception of people in rural areas, evangelical Christians are not racist. While I hate evangelical Christians, I'm not going to misrepresent their beliefs; I freely admit that they've gotten over their discrimination of people based on race. They would have no problem with Asians or blacks as long as they are Christian.

I'm certainly glad to hear about the racial non-issue. Thanks for pointing that out. But I wonder which is worse... you're "less than human" if you're non-white, or "less than human" if you're non-Christian (I know "less than human" is kind of melodramatic). It seems we have to choose where these people are concerned. That's not acceptable, but I fear it's going to be a long time before these prejudices themselves are marginalized.

And the success of Rick Santorum among this demographic indicates that they have little problem with Catholics. Likewise, you'll be hard pressed to find outright discrimination of Jews. After all, these are the people who have to return to Israel in order for Jesus to be able to return and wipe out all the Hindus (on a sidenote, I find it humorous that India equally supports Israel due to our common enmity with Muslims, not that I disagree with this position).

Yeah, Catholics have made in-roads in the south and southeast. I don't know if you are old enough to remember the fear that swept the US when JFK was the first Catholic to run for president. They thought he was a puppet for the Vatican. [edit: I just saw your age... you probably don't know of the reactions to JFK and his run for the presidency; I was only 7 at the time).

No doubt you are aware that after 9/11, Sikhs were the targets of violence due to misidentification as Muslims. Rajan Zed's historic Hindu prayer in the U.S. Senate was, just a few years ago, interrupted by evangelical Christians uttering imprecations against "idol" worshippers. I could easily reference Google to find cases of evangelicals opposing the construction of Hindu temples. I'm glad that you have never experienced discrimination by your fellow American citizens for being a Hindu, but there are those in this country who have experienced it.

The Senate prayer is what I was referring to elsewhere. But if I recall correctly he was soundly chastised and mocked for his intolerance. I could be wrong though.

I've never faced discrimination for my religion but I've faced it for another reason... one that touches my life as much as anything having to do with religion. It's probably the main reason why I abandoned all forms of Christianity.

As for Indian physicians, the presence of Indians in professional fields says almost nothing about the views of the general public. The scientific community has always been more oblivious to race and religion than the rest of the world.

Agreed. But what I mean is that with the prevalence and success of Indian professionals, especially doctors, says something about how they are viewed and accepted. But again, that's in this area.

Yet by the logic you espouse, his recruitment as a professor of physics in the mid-twentieth century indicates that Americans had already gotten over race-based discrimination.

No, no... if I gave that impression I apologize. I am all too aware of all kinds of discrimination that was prevalent in the US in the 20th century, and even into the 21st.

My guess is that Indian physicians thrive in America because they are good doctors, not because evangelicals have any love for Hindus.

Fortunately we don't have very many evangelicals in this area of the country. If we do, they keep a low profile, given what I said before about the area being a concentration of blues state.

As for the rest of the country, the joke and irony is on the evangelicals, having to swallow their prejudice if they are going to Indian doctors. And I love irony.