[world-vedic] [Fwd: Please investigate the recent slander of Hinduism by Southern Baptists.]

[Guest guest]

Please use this enclosed E-mail and have all PEOPLE look into the Hate

CRIME BEING FROM SPREADING AND CONTAMINATING .

SINCERELY,

DEEN CHANDORA, OCT.27th 1999.

Tue, 26 Oct 1999 16:52:13 -0700 (PDT)

Subash Razdan subashrazdan

Please investigate the recent slander of Hinduism by Southern Baptists.

subashrazdan

4059 Keswick Dr.

Atlanta, Ga-30339

Oct.26, 1999.

Hon. Janet Reno

Attorney General

950 Pennsylvania Ave.

Rm. 4545

Washington, DC-20530-0001

 

RE: Southern Baptist slander of Hinduism-Prayer Guide

that misinforms! Please investigate their motives!

 

Dear Madame Attorney General,

 

Enclosed herewith is a copy of an article published on

Oct. 21, 1999, in the Washington Post in which the

Southern Baptist’s International Mission Board

attempts to proselytize Hindus and slanders Hinduism.

Their media statement suggesting “900 million people

lost in the hopeless darkness of Hinduism” is

nauseating. Ridiculing idol worship and insinuating

Hinduism as ignorant, has produced a great amount of

consternation and distress to those who to

Hindu religion directly or indirectly in this country

where religious freedom and expression of religious

thoughts are guaranteed by the constitution of the

USA. In the year 1999, when the world is about to

embark into the new millennium, it is almost

unimaginable that a sophisticated Southern Baptist’s

International Mission Board would resort to such petty

propaganda that reminds us of the dark ages, whether

it be the inquisition of the 14th century, or the

persecution of the Jews by the Nazis, or even

insidious persecution of the Catholics in the US.

 

I write to you on behalf of the National Federation of

Indian American Associations, NFIA (the largest Indian

American umbrella organization in the USA representing

all faiths), to kindly investigate this recent

Southern Baptist misadventure of maliciously knocking

down another man's faith to promote it's own

theological agenda. Their slander timed with the

festive and sacred celebrations of Diwali, smacks of

hypocrisy and ignorance of American and of course

Indian history! Ridiculing other religions does not

reflect the Christian mind nor does it befit coming

from a religious mission in a country, which has

proclaimed it to be a champion of human rights.

 

Whatever was the intent, it has caused considerable

distress, if not, a sense of antagonism towards

Southern Baptists. The publishing and distribution of

the pamphlet, to say the least, is very

counterproductive in establishing peace and harmony

amongst the people of America. Such blatantly

antagonist Program Guides creates more of the problems

that we are trying to solve. May I, therefore, take

the liberty of presenting some facts about Indian

Americans, Hinduism and India that will help with the

investigations and consequently prevent recurrence of

such dangerous and irresponsible statements from the

Mission Board in future:

 

a-1) There are approximately 1.5 million Indian

Americans who are highly educated professionals and

businessmen engaged in the service of America. We are

law abiding, tax-paying, patriotic Americans, yet

proud (like any other immigrant family in the USA) of

the culture and heritage of the land of our origin,

India.

 

a-2) The future of America is being shaped in the

American universities and colleges where a sizeable

number of faculty members [including Engineers,

Doctors, Scientists/Researchers (including four Nobel

Laureates)] are Indian Americans who are busy

inculcating knowledge to American youths, irrespective

of their religion or ethnicity.

 

b-1) Hinduism is the world's oldest religion which

emphasizes universal love strengthened by meditation,

self exploration and total openness. The social and

religious institutions of Hinduism has shown

tremendous resiliency over thousands of years.

Hinduism is based on Vedas (Hindu sacred writings)

called "Sanatan Dharma" or Eternal Religion. Scholars

from time immemorial (Dr. Jacobi of Germany refers to

Rig Vedas dating 4500 B.C.) have clamored to find and

to translate the knowledge in Vedas to benefit all the

civilizations. This is what an American scholar, Ralph

Waldo Emerson says about Srimad-Bhagwad-Geeta, the

holy book of Hindus; "....It was the first of books;

it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or

unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of

an old intelligence which in another age and climate

had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions

which exercise us."

 

b-2) Another western scholar, Louis Renou, has

recently described Hinduism as follows: "Hinduism is a

complex and rich religion. No founders initiative, no

dogma, no reforms have imposed restrictions on its

domain; on the contrary, the contributions of the

centuries have been superimposed without ever wearing

out the previous layers of development. In fact,

according to what phenomena one considers, Hinduism

can appear either as an extrovert religion of

spectacle, abundant mythology and congregational

practices, or as a religion which is profoundly

interiorized"

 

b-3) Hinduism is not demonic but monotheistic religion

having similarities with Christianity and Judaism! The

entire pantheons of Hindu deities are merely symbolic

representations of different attributes of the ONE

Great Unmanifested Ultimate Spirit. Hinduism gives a

form to each of God's numerous qualities to make God

more knowable and accessible. Even Orthodox Judaism

gives God 180 different attributes. There are many

verses in the New Testament that are similar to those

of Geeta (e.g. Geeta IV-35 and VI-30 relate directly

to John 14:20, and Geeta VII-17 relates to John

14:21). Like Christianity, Hinduism preaches to be

humane, loving, kind, dutibound, and being a good

citizen through one's deeds/actions (Karma). The

reincarnation, which emphasizes indestructibility of

soul, may be in any form {living (including

homosapiens) and non-living forms of existence} and

not just "cows, pigs, goats, dogs, snakes or

untouchables" as you chose to ridicule. The concept of

Karma and reincarnation thus morally enforces each

individual human being to become the creator of his or

her own destiny as a consequence of his or her deeds.

 

c-1) Congressman Rose (D-NC), sometime in 1995, even

introduced a resolution HR-60 commending India for

her commitment to religious pluralism and tolerance.

This is a fitting tribute to Hinduism (the dominant

religion of secular India) for peace and mutual

co-existence.

 

c-2) Historically, India has given birth to many great

religions and early Hindus even gave shelter to

persecuted early Christians around 1st century AD, to

Zoroastrians persecuted in Iran in the 7th century AD,

and also to persecuted Jewish people.

 

c-3) Indo-US ties are at its best and misinformation

through such Prayer Guides simply don't add to peace

and harmony in people of different faiths.

 

Southern Baptists are the practitioner of one of the

world’s finest religion, Christianity, but Bible does

not preach us to belittle other religions. Meanwhile,

let there be no misunderstanding that Hinduism is a

monotheistic religion, which does transcend all

barriers of race, religion and cults. Hinduism has

been tolerant and respectful of other religions.

 

Hinduism is a naturalistic and pragmatic way of life

for continuum of growth. A tolerant religion like

Hinduism, which has survived the vicissitudes of life

and history and which has allowed intellectual and

religious freedom, for Southern Baptists to malign it

(by any stretch of imagination) is like questioning

the very existence of God! So let us vow to

concentrate on the vast shared beliefs of various

religions instead of dwelling on the small

differences! Let us pledge to help America in its goal

of achieving plurality by promoting the common threads

in understanding the uniqueness of God.

 

 

With best regards.

 

Respectfully yours,

 

Subash Razdan

 

(Chairman, Board of Trustees, NFIA)

 

 

CC/encl:

 

Honorable Bill Clinton,

President, USA

The White House

Washington, DC

 

The Federal Bureau of Investigations, FBI

9th & Pennsylvania Ave

Washington, DC-

Tel. 202-324-3000

 

Hon. Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr.

Founder, Congressional Caucus on India & Indian

Affairs

Washington, Dc-20515

 

Dr. Joy Berry,

Executive Director

Georgia Human Relations Commission.

Tel. # 404-651-9115; Fax # 404-656-6046

 

Ambassador Naresh Chandra

Embassy of India, Washington, D.C.

 

Mr. Haresh Panchal, President, NFIA and NFIA Board ofs

 

Editor, Washington Post

 

 

Encl:

 

 

 

****************************************************

Article in Washington Post:

***************************************************

 

Southern Baptists, Expanding Effort, Target Hindus for

Conversion

 

By Hanna Rosin

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, October 21, 1999; Page A19

 

The Southern Baptists expanded an aggressive new

proselytizing campaign

this

week, publishing a short prayer book aimed at

converting Hindus to

Christianity.

 

The prayer book is the second published by the

Southern Baptists'

International Mission Board this year, and has again

provoked charges

of

arrogance and religious insensitivity. Last month,

leaders of the

nation's

second-largest denomination offended Jewish leaders by

distributing a

book

urging its members to evangelize Jews during their 10

holy days.

 

Like the previous pamphlet, the latest one asks

Southern Baptists to

pray

for the conversion of Hindus during their holiest

week, Divali, a

festival

of lights commemorating the god Rama's return from

exile. The board

plans to

distribute the guide to its 40,000 churches beginning

Friday, in time

for

the celebrations in late October.

 

Compared with the Jewish guide, this one uses far less

tactful tones to

describe Hindus, beginning with its very first

sentence: "More than 900

million people are lost in the hopeless darkness of

Hinduism."

 

"Pray that Hindus who celebrate the festival of lights

would become

aware of

the darkness in their hearts that no lamp can dispel,"

the guide

continues.

 

Hindu leaders reacted angrily to these depictions,

describing them as

relics

of an ugly colonial age.

 

"Darkness! This is really offensive," said Suresh

Gupta, president of

the

Durga Temple in Fairfax. "Why should they try to

change us? We have a

value

system people crave in this country. We teach respect

for others, for

marriage vows, for elders. It's what every religion

should teach."

 

The book is a kind of cultural anthropology written

from a missionary

perspective. Each page shows a snapshot of life in

India described

through a

Christian lens:

 

"Mumbai is a city of spiritual darkness. Eight out of

every 10 people

are

Hindu, slaves bound by fear and tradition to false

gods," it reads. Or:

"Satan has retained his hold on Calcutta through Kali

and other gods

and

goddesses of Hinduism. It's time for Christ's

salvation to come to

Calcutta."

 

Southern Baptists defended the proselytizing campaign.

"If I had a

Hindu

sitting right here at my desk I would apologize if I

had been

offensive,"

said Randy Sprinkle, who oversaw the book's

publication. "Certainly

God's

love is not meant to be offensive."

 

"Some people accused us of being arrogant when we were

praying for the

Jews

of the world," he continues. "I would acknowledge that

there is an

element

of arrogance. But it's the arrogance of truth."

 

Gupta was unmoved. "If I had you sitting here, I would

not want to

convert

you to be a Hindu," he responded. "I would want you to

live a good

life."

 

 

© Copyright 1999 The Washington Post Company

*******************************************************

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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