HAF responds to Hindu Phobic Evangelist in India Abroad

[Guest guest]

HAF responds to Hindu Phobic Evangelist in India Abroad

Printed on page A2 of India Abroad - July 9th, 2004

 

http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

July 9, 2004

 

Editorial Office, India Abroad

Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation, Inc.

Re: Interview with Ravi Zacharias (IA, June 25, 2004)

 

Dear Editor:

 

We are disheartened to read the comments made by Ravi Zacharias on

Hinduism and Buddhism during his interview with Shakti Bhatt [india

Abroad, June 25, 2004, A29]. His misrepresentations of the essence

and principles of these spiritual traditions reflect his own

ignorance and bigotry rather than any deficiency within Hinduism and

Buddhism. While Mr. Zacharias sees the complexity and layers of

meaning within Hinduism as being "confused" and "inconsistent," he

lacks the understanding or respect to recognize the underlying

harmony and wisdom of the diversity of strands of thought within it.

 

Mr. Zacharias is right in noting that Hinduism encompasses

traditions ranging from atheism to pantheism and just about

everything in between them. However, this plurality of traditions

does not symbolize any internal contradictions or

inconsistency. A true Hindu knows that his own path, whether it is

that of bhakti, karma, gyana, or raja-yoga, is but one of many and

has equal respect for all the winding paths that lead to the same

Truth called by different names. The true Hindu recognizes that

individual souls are like raindrops falling along their own unique

path to the same ocean. The true Hindu does not need to judge the

path taken by others as being good or bad, right or wrong, because

she knows that the destination is the same, that all paths lead to

the same goal.

 

Different expressions of the truth do not reveal any underlying

contradiction. There are layers and levels of meaning, and the

expression of them changes with time. Neither Hinduism nor Buddhism,

nor any system of philosophy based on dharma, are stagnant. They are

constantly evolving systems, perpetually adapting and customizing

themselves to meet the needs of societies and cultures as they

change and grow over time. While the underlying essence of Truth is

changeless, the way it is expressed and manifested constantly

changes according to place, time, and context. Human beings are ever

evolving and with this evolution comes deeper understanding of the

profound truths of all religions.

 

This is why there is such a diversity of traditions and practices

within Hinduism today. Mr. Zacharias is gleeful in pointing out

purported skeletons in the closets of non-Christian religions. While

all cultures have their failings, he is unfair in focusing only on

the societal problems confronting Eastern religions. While the

foibles of the East may be more obvious and repugnant to him, it is

because of his own ideology and biases that he cannot analyze or

evaluate these cultures in a fair and balanced manner. Messianic

zeal and a need to convert, to show others as being less worthy,

less deserving of respect and acceptance, subvert his commentary

into a superficial and bigoted condemnation of all that is non-

Christian.

 

The correlation of the rise of prostitution in Thailand with

Buddhism is a completely false and egregious allegation, as

correlation does not in any way indicate causation. Socioeconomic

circumstances and the exploitation carried out by foreign tourists

are responsible for the situation, not the spiritual ethos of

Buddhism. It would be just as inappropriate to hold Christianity

responsible for slavery, colonialism, the genocide of Native

Americans, the Holocaust, and the pedophilia of Catholic priests.

 

As for the sweeping generalization that Hinduism does not recognize

the individual dignity of each person, that is yet another false

stereotype. Hinduism sees all beings as manifestations of divinity

and acknowledges the unity underlying all living forms, so that

every single living being, not just humans, are to be respected and

honored.

 

Mr. Zacharias' comments are an affront to all those who believe in

tolerance, pluralism, and understanding. We hope that Mr. Zacharias

will reconsider his views and that India Abroad, as a respectable

publication for all Indians, will provide the space for alternate

views challenging such prejudice and misrepresentations to be aired.

 

Please visit Hindu American Foundation. Now you can use HAF's

secure, online Paypal payment system to support the efforts and

vision of The Hindu American Foundation.

 

www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

[Guest guest]

With all due respect and regards to Mr.Ravi Zechariahs, I have to

state that he is completely clueless about eastern religions. His

soft spoken mannerism and his poetic words are laudable. At the same

he states all kind of things without any knowledge of what he is

writing about...He is just like a grasshopper jumping from place to

another without knowing why its jumping here and there. Much of his

problems come from his sad childhood. Just look at his book "Jesus

among Other Gods" Even some Christian apologists question that

book. I pray for him.

 

In his book, Jesus among Other Gods" he quotes specific Biblical

verses to make a point and in the same sentence he puts down other

religious beliefs with out any logic or reason and with out quoting

even one verse from other religious books.

 

1--- To start with, he made a very grave error, when he compared

Hinduism with Christianity [page-7]. Hinduism is a culture.

Christianity is an organized religion. Comparing Hinduism and

Christianity is exactly comparing apples and oranges. There are two

great cultures in the world. One is Hinduism and another is Judaism.

All western religions like Islam and Christianity came from Judaism.

All eastern religions like Buddhism and Sikhism came from Hinduism.

 

2-- He sees Jesus as the son of God; but he failed to mention that

Judaism the mother culture of Christianity and Islam the sister

religion of Christianity do not see Jesus as God or as the son of

God. Moses killed every one who worshiped any other god than Jehovah

in the Bible; where as Hinduism looks at all gods as many

manifestations of ONE & ONLY GOD. Proclamation of Apostles that

Jesus is God or the Son of God is the only reason Jews wanted Christ

to be crucified. Jews have and still have an aversion for calling

any one God or Son of God.

 

3---- He sees Hindu concept of God as polytheism [page-92], with out

stating the fact that Hindu scriptures talk about "ONE AND ONLY GOD

BRAHMAN which expresses itself in trillion forms. Hindu Rig Veda

states " EKAM SAT, VIPRAHA BAHUDHA VADANTI - There is only one Truth

[God] but men describe that differently.

 

4-- He forgot to state that John 1:1 [page-29] is a repetition of

the Hindu Vedic statement which states""prajapathi vai agre asset"

IN THE BEGINNING WAS PRAJAPTHI, THE BRAHMAN-THE GOD, "Tasya Vag

dvitiya Aseet" WITH WHOM WAS THE WORD; "Vag vai parama Brahman" AND

THE WORD WAS VERILY THE SUPREME BRAHMAN -THE GOD."

 

5---He wrote about the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ [pages-38-39]

adding that Mohammad, Krishna and Buddha are not virgin births.

Virgin birth of Jesus Christ is part of Christian "belief system"

and not a historically documented fact. Just like Jesus's birth,

Budhha was born out of the side of his mother. As per the

Zoroastrian religion, its founder Zoroaster had a virgin birth,

after holy power descended upon his mother. If you read books

relating to Egyptian civilization, you will see those books describe

the god "RA" was born from the side of his mother. Even the

legendary NEBUCHADNEZZAR, Babylonian king, believed that MARDUK

entered his mother's womb and gave him life. Hindu scriptures state,

all 12 ancient Hindu saints called PRAJAPATHI's were born from

the "mind" of Lord Brahma. All Greek gods came from different parts

of the body than from the womb!

 

6----He wrote Jesus said I AM THE WAY [page-15]. That statement is

no different from what Lord Krishna said in the Gita, "CALL ME BY

ANY NAME YOU LIKE; WORSHIP ME IN ANY FORM YOU LIKE; ALL THAT WORSHIP

GOES TO ONE AND ONLY SUPREME REALITY. When Mr. Zacharias writes

about the exclusiveness of Jesus Christ and Bible, Hinduism talks

about the inclusiveness of every one on earth who worship God with

all kind of names and forms.

 

7...Admitting the fact that there is no word Trinity in the entire

66 books of the Holy Bible and Trinitarian worship was started by

Roman emperor Constantine against the objections of Bishop Arius [

Ref: Arian controversy] during Nicaea Council [325 AD] . The Council

of Nicaea was called by Roman emperor Constantine who even took part

in the discussions as per the Encyclopedia Britannica [ book 8 --

page 675] In that Council, Bishop Arius argued that Jesus Christ is

A CREATED PERSON AND NOT A PRO-CREATOR. Bishop Arius was thrown out

of the council and his works were destroyed and he himself was

killed. Catholic Encyclopedia admits: "The doctrine of Trinity is

not taught in the Old Testament. The revelation of the truth of the

triune life of God was first made in the New Testament."

 

8 --How can he put down Hindu caste system [page-7], with out

admitting the naked fact that SLAVERY is& was an accepted custom in

the Holy Bible and that is the reason years ago, why church going,

law obeying Christians in USA adopted slavery. "TREAT YOUR SLAVES

JUSTLY AND FAIRLY, KNOWING THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A MASTER IN HEAVEN

[Col. 4:11]. "THE SLAVE IS HIS MONEY" [Exodus 21:21]. St. Paul urged

one slave ONESIMUS to return to his master. This book does not

answer any of those questions. I hope the author remembers that

Southern Baptists convention openly apologized to African American

for slavery

 

9 To write "No way for classical Hinduism deal with the problem of

evil" shows the ignorance of the author about Hindu culture. I

respect the author, Bible and Jesus's immortal teachings. But this

book is filled with strange comparisons and false generalizations. I

hope and pray readers who read this book also will read books such

as Autobiography of A Yogi, AM I A HINDU? before making up their

mind regarding cultures like Hinduism.

 

, "gargsam" <gargsam>

wrote:

> HAF responds to Hindu Phobic Evangelist in India Abroad

> Printed on page A2 of India Abroad - July 9th, 2004

>

> http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

> July 9, 2004

>

> Editorial Office, India Abroad

> Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation, Inc.

> Re: Interview with Ravi Zacharias (IA, June 25, 2004)

>

> Dear Editor:

>

> We are disheartened to read the comments made by Ravi Zacharias on

> Hinduism and Buddhism during his interview with Shakti Bhatt

[india

> Abroad, June 25, 2004, A29]. His misrepresentations of the essence

> and principles of these spiritual traditions reflect his own

> ignorance and bigotry rather than any deficiency within Hinduism

and

> Buddhism. While Mr. Zacharias sees the complexity and layers of

> meaning within Hinduism as being "confused" and "inconsistent," he

> lacks the understanding or respect to recognize the underlying

> harmony and wisdom of the diversity of strands of thought within

it.

>

> Mr. Zacharias is right in noting that Hinduism encompasses

> traditions ranging from atheism to pantheism and just about

> everything in between them. However, this plurality of traditions

> does not symbolize any internal contradictions or

> inconsistency. A true Hindu knows that his own path, whether it is

> that of bhakti, karma, gyana, or raja-yoga, is but one of many and

> has equal respect for all the winding paths that lead to the same

> Truth called by different names. The true Hindu recognizes that

> individual souls are like raindrops falling along their own unique

> path to the same ocean. The true Hindu does not need to judge the

> path taken by others as being good or bad, right or wrong, because

> she knows that the destination is the same, that all paths lead to

> the same goal.

>

> Different expressions of the truth do not reveal any underlying

> contradiction. There are layers and levels of meaning, and the

> expression of them changes with time. Neither Hinduism nor

Buddhism,

> nor any system of philosophy based on dharma, are stagnant. They

are

> constantly evolving systems, perpetually adapting and customizing

> themselves to meet the needs of societies and cultures as they

> change and grow over time. While the underlying essence of Truth

is

> changeless, the way it is expressed and manifested constantly

> changes according to place, time, and context. Human beings are

ever

> evolving and with this evolution comes deeper understanding of the

> profound truths of all religions.

>

> This is why there is such a diversity of traditions and practices

> within Hinduism today. Mr. Zacharias is gleeful in pointing out

> purported skeletons in the closets of non-Christian religions.

While

> all cultures have their failings, he is unfair in focusing only on

> the societal problems confronting Eastern religions. While the

> foibles of the East may be more obvious and repugnant to him, it

is

> because of his own ideology and biases that he cannot analyze or

> evaluate these cultures in a fair and balanced manner. Messianic

> zeal and a need to convert, to show others as being less worthy,

> less deserving of respect and acceptance, subvert his commentary

> into a superficial and bigoted condemnation of all that is non-

> Christian.

>

> The correlation of the rise of prostitution in Thailand with

> Buddhism is a completely false and egregious allegation, as

> correlation does not in any way indicate causation. Socioeconomic

> circumstances and the exploitation carried out by foreign tourists

> are responsible for the situation, not the spiritual ethos of

> Buddhism. It would be just as inappropriate to hold Christianity

> responsible for slavery, colonialism, the genocide of Native

> Americans, the Holocaust, and the pedophilia of Catholic priests.

>

> As for the sweeping generalization that Hinduism does not

recognize

> the individual dignity of each person, that is yet another false

> stereotype. Hinduism sees all beings as manifestations of divinity

> and acknowledges the unity underlying all living forms, so that

> every single living being, not just humans, are to be respected

and

> honored.

>

> Mr. Zacharias' comments are an affront to all those who believe in

> tolerance, pluralism, and understanding. We hope that Mr.

Zacharias

> will reconsider his views and that India Abroad, as a respectable

> publication for all Indians, will provide the space for alternate

> views challenging such prejudice and misrepresentations to be

aired.

>

> Please visit Hindu American Foundation. Now you can use HAF's

> secure, online Paypal payment system to support the efforts and

> vision of The Hindu American Foundation.

>

> www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

[Guest guest]

that was a good analaysis. Thank you.

But the very name indicates that this fellow is of Indian Origin *smile* and in

all probablity a new convert who just blasts off.

As Christ said "God he does not know what he does!! Forgive him "

 

edvis9 <edvis9 wrote:

With all due respect and regards to Mr.Ravi Zechariahs, I have to state that he

is completely clueless about eastern religions. His soft spoken mannerism and

his poetic words are laudable. At the same he states all kind of things without

any knowledge of what he is

writing about...He is just like a grasshopper jumping from place to another

without knowing why its jumping here and there. Much of his problems come from

his sad childhood. Just look at his book "Jesus among Other Gods" Even some

Christian apologists question that

book. I pray for him.

 

In his book, Jesus among Other Gods" he quotes specific Biblical verses to make

a point and in the same sentence he puts down other religious beliefs with out

any logic or reason and with out quoting even one verse from other religious

books.

 

1--- To start with, he made a very grave error, when he compared Hinduism with

Christianity [page-7]. Hinduism is a culture. Christianity is an organized

religion. Comparing Hinduism and Christianity is exactly comparing apples and

oranges. There are two great cultures in the world. One is Hinduism and another

is Judaism.

All western religions like Islam and Christianity came from Judaism. All eastern

religions like Buddhism and Sikhism came from Hinduism.

 

2-- He sees Jesus as the son of God; but he failed to mention that Judaism the

mother culture of Christianity and Islam the sister religion of Christianity do

not see Jesus as God or as the son of God. Moses killed every one who worshiped

any other god than Jehovah in the Bible; where as Hinduism looks at all gods as

many

manifestations of ONE & ONLY GOD. Proclamation of Apostles that Jesus is God or

the Son of God is the only reason Jews wanted Christ to be crucified. Jews have

and still have an aversion for calling any one God or Son of God.

 

3---- He sees Hindu concept of God as polytheism [page-92], with out stating the

fact that Hindu scriptures talk about "ONE AND ONLY GOD BRAHMAN which expresses

itself in trillion forms. Hindu Rig Veda states " EKAM SAT, VIPRAHA BAHUDHA

VADANTI - There is only one Truth [God] but men describe that differently.

 

4-- He forgot to state that John 1:1 [page-29] is a repetition of the Hindu

Vedic statement which states""prajapathi vai agre asset" IN THE BEGINNING WAS

PRAJAPTHI, THE BRAHMAN-THE GOD, "Tasya Vag dvitiya Aseet" WITH WHOM WAS THE

WORD; "Vag vai parama Brahman" AND

THE WORD WAS VERILY THE SUPREME BRAHMAN -THE GOD."

 

5---He wrote about the Virgin birth of Jesus Christ [pages-38-39] adding that

Mohammad, Krishna and Buddha are not virgin births. Virgin birth of Jesus Christ

is part of Christian "belief system" and not a historically documented fact.

Just like Jesus's birth, Budhha was born out of the side of his mother. As per

the Zoroastrian religion, its founder Zoroaster had a virgin birth,

after holy power descended upon his mother. If you read books relating to

Egyptian civilization, you will see those books describe the god "RA" was born

from the side of his mother. Even the legendary NEBUCHADNEZZAR, Babylonian king,

believed that MARDUK entered his mother's womb and gave him life. Hindu

scriptures state,

all 12 ancient Hindu saints called PRAJAPATHI's were born from the "mind" of

Lord Brahma. All Greek gods came from different parts of the body than from the

womb!

 

6----He wrote Jesus said I AM THE WAY [page-15]. That statement is no different

from what Lord Krishna said in the Gita, "CALL ME BY ANY NAME YOU LIKE; WORSHIP

ME IN ANY FORM YOU LIKE; ALL THAT WORSHIP GOES TO ONE AND ONLY SUPREME REALITY.

When Mr. Zacharias writes about the exclusiveness of Jesus Christ and Bible,

Hinduism talks

about the inclusiveness of every one on earth who worship God with all kind of

names and forms.

 

7...Admitting the fact that there is no word Trinity in the entire 66 books of

the Holy Bible and Trinitarian worship was started by Roman emperor Constantine

against the objections of Bishop Arius [Ref: Arian controversy] during Nicaea

Council [325 AD] . The Council of Nicaea was called by Roman emperor Constantine

who even took part in the discussions as per the Encyclopedia Britannica [ book

8 --page 675] In that Council, Bishop Arius argued that Jesus Christ is A

CREATED PERSON AND NOT A PRO-CREATOR. Bishop Arius was thrown out

of the council and his works were destroyed and he himself was killed. Catholic

Encyclopedia admits: "The doctrine of Trinity is not taught in the Old

Testament. The revelation of the truth of the triune life of God was first made

in the New Testament."

 

8 --How can he put down Hindu caste system [page-7], with out admitting the

naked fact that SLAVERY is& was an accepted custom in the Holy Bible and that is

the reason years ago, why church going, law obeying Christians in USA adopted

slavery. "TREAT YOUR SLAVES JUSTLY AND FAIRLY, KNOWING THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A

MASTER IN HEAVEN

[Col. 4:11]. "THE SLAVE IS HIS MONEY" [Exodus 21:21]. St. Paul urged one slave

ONESIMUS to return to his master. This book does not answer any of those

questions. I hope the author remembers that Southern Baptists convention openly

apologized to African American for slavery

 

9 To write "No way for classical Hinduism deal with the problem of evil" shows

the ignorance of the author about Hindu culture. I respect the author, Bible and

Jesus's immortal teachings. But this book is filled with strange comparisons and

false generalizations. I hope and pray readers who read this book also will read

books such

as Autobiography of A Yogi, AM I A HINDU? before making up their mind regarding

cultures like Hinduism.

 

, "gargsam" <gargsam>

wrote:

> HAF responds to Hindu Phobic Evangelist in India Abroad

> Printed on page A2 of India Abroad - July 9th, 2004

>

> http://www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

> July 9, 2004

>

> Editorial Office, India Abroad

> Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation, Inc.

> Re: Interview with Ravi Zacharias (IA, June 25, 2004)

>

> Dear Editor:

>

> We are disheartened to read the comments made by Ravi Zacharias on Hinduism

and Buddhism during his interview with Shakti Bhatt [india Abroad, June 25,

2004, A29]. His misrepresentations of the essence and principles of these

spiritual traditions reflect his own ignorance and bigotry rather than any

deficiency within Hinduism

and Buddhism. While Mr. Zacharias sees the complexity and layers of meaning

within Hinduism as being "confused" and "inconsistent," he lacks the

understanding or respect to recognize the underlying harmony and wisdom of the

diversity of strands of thought within it.

>

> Mr. Zacharias is right in noting that Hinduism encompasses traditions ranging

from atheism to pantheism and just about everything in between them. However,

this plurality of traditions does not symbolize any internal contradictions or

inconsistency. A true Hindu knows that his own path, whether it is that of

bhakti, karma, gyana, or raja-yoga, is but one of many and has equal respect for

all the winding paths that lead to the same Truth called by different names. The

true Hindu recognizes that

> individual souls are like raindrops falling along their own unique path to the

same ocean. The true Hindu does not need to judge the path taken by others as

being good or bad, right or wrong, because she knows that the destination is the

same, that all paths lead to the same goal.

>

> Different expressions of the truth do not reveal any underlying contradiction.

There are layers and levels of meaning, and the expression of them changes with

time. Neither Hinduism nor Buddhism, nor any system of philosophy based on

dharma, are stagnant. They

are constantly evolving systems, perpetually adapting and customizing themselves

to meet the needs of societies and cultures as they change and grow over time.

While the underlying essence of Truth is changeless, the way it is expressed and

manifested constantly changes according to place, time, and context. Human

beings are ever evolving and with this evolution comes deeper understanding of

the

> profound truths of all religions.

>

> This is why there is such a diversity of traditions and practices within

Hinduism today. Mr. Zacharias is gleeful in pointing out purported skeletons in

the closets of non-Christian religions. While all cultures have their failings,

he is unfair in focusing only on the societal problems confronting Eastern

religions. While the foibles of the East may be more obvious and repugnant to

him, it

is because of his own ideology and biases that he cannot analyze or evaluate

these cultures in a fair and balanced manner. Messianic zeal and a need to

convert, to show others as being less worthy, less deserving of respect and

acceptance, subvert his commentary into a superficial and bigoted condemnation

of all that is non-Christian.

>

> The correlation of the rise of prostitution in Thailand with Buddhism is a

completely false and egregious allegation, as correlation does not in any way

indicate causation. Socioeconomic circumstances and the exploitation carried out

by foreign tourists are responsible for the situation, not the spiritual ethos

of

> Buddhism. It would be just as inappropriate to hold Christianity responsible

for slavery, colonialism, the genocide of Native Americans, the Holocaust, and

the pedophilia of Catholic priests.

>

> As for the sweeping generalization that Hinduism does not recognize the

individual dignity of each person, that is yet another false stereotype.

Hinduism sees all beings as manifestations of divinity and acknowledges the

unity underlying all living forms, so that every single living being, not just

humans, are to be respected and honored.

>

> Mr. Zacharias' comments are an affront to all those who believe in tolerance,

pluralism, and understanding. We hope that Mr. Zacharias will reconsider his

views and that India Abroad, as a respectable publication for all Indians, will

provide the space for alternate views challenging such prejudice and

misrepresentations to be

aired.

>

> Please visit Hindu American Foundation. Now you can use HAF's secure, online

Paypal payment system to support the efforts and vision of The Hindu American

Foundation.

>

> www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

 

 

 

/