Krishna Movement “Not Normal” — Russian Rabbi

[Guest guest]

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2004/04/02/krishna.shtml

 

Krishna Movement “Not Normal” — Russian Rabbi

Created: 02.04.2004 17:52 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 19:04 MSK, 36 minutes ago

 

MosNews

 

One of Russia’s chief rabbis, Adolf Shayevich, has suggested the Russian

office of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness build its

temple on the Chukotka or Yamal Peninsula instead of in Moscow, Interfax

reported Friday. The rabbi called the movement “mercantile” and “not normal”

and at odds with the Russian tradition. He said he was concerned the society

was “making Russians forget their roots and the country’s religion”.

 

Shayevich spoke following a presentation of a new design of a

38.5-meter-high Krishna temple, which is equivalent to a six-storey

building. “Why should a Hindu temple be higher than most Orthodox churches

in an Orthodox country?” the rabbi asked.

 

“Russia does not have enough followers of this organization to build such a

gigantic temple. But if Krishna followers need such large buildings, they

can build them on the Chukotka or Yamal Peninsula or somewhere else. There

are a lot of places in the country,” the rabbi told Interfax.

 

“A Krishna temple in Moscow does not need to resemble a sports complex in

size. A good clean room is enough to pray,” he said.

 

The rabbi said that the project pursued by the Society for Krishna

Consciousness will provoke a negative reaction not only from religious

people, but also from many Muscovites.

 

“If there are Krishna followers, let them pray, but everything must have a

limit. This is absolutely incomprehensible to me, a tolerant person,” he

said.

 

Shayevich said he is surprised that the Society for Krishna Consciousness is

trying to convince Russians to practice its religion. “When young people

with an unmistakably Slavic appearance shave their heads like Krishna

followers and put on the robes of Hindu ascetics, it looks artificial to

other people. Why should such things appear today if nothing of this nature

has ever been on Russian soil?” he said.

 

“Long years of atheism cut the ground from under our feet and resulted in

our losing our national (in a good sense of the word) roots. This concerns

all nationalities: Russians, Jews, Tatars. And many people who have a poor

understanding of their native culture and roots easily switch between

Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Krishna followers also have something to

offer them,” Shayevich said.

 

“This is all not serious. This is mercantile. There is no strong faith

behind it,” he said. “The Society for Krishna Consciousness has taken

advantage of the tragedy Russia faced in the 20th century to bring more

people into its ranks,” the rabbi said.

 

This is not the first time the Hare Krishna temple has met with protest. As

MosNews reported last month, on March 22 about a thousand people, most of

them Orthodox Christians, gathered on Pushkin Square to protest against the

building.