Swami Ranganathananda on Christianity

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Swami Ranganathananda on ChristianityBy M.S.N. MenonOrganiserBelow are his thoughts on Jesus Christ and the role of the Church given in a special lecture at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Calcutta at the Christmas Eve meeting in 1954. So profound were his views that the lecture has already gone through nine editions. “To teach the world faster than it can learn is to court disaster, as Bertrand Russell has put it. The teachings of Jesus relating to the kingdom of God and

resurrection were just incomprehensible to most of his hearers. There is the typical instance of the Pharisees demanding Jesus to state when the kingdom of God should come. Jesus answered: ‘The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, lo here! Or lo there! for, behold the kingdom of God is within you’. (Luke XVII. 20-21) This

statement that the kingdom of God is within us can hardly be squared with the dogma of the innate vileness of human nature (projected by the Genesis.)...” “The crucifixion was a tragedy of the first magnitude; but a greater tragedy was the way it was handled. Woven into the prevailing dogmas, it slowly became central to the new movement. The man of joy, which Jesus undoubtedly was in real life, became transformed into a man of sorrow, in dogma. We may find a forbidding austerity in John the Baptist; but the Son of Man, as he himself has said, came eating and drinking, trailing clouds of humour and laughter. By transforming him into a man of sorrow, dogma has helped to turn his religion into grim and cheerless aspects, with serious consequences for the emotional life of its followers. Only a few great saints have been able to penetrate through this spiritual heaviness. ‘A sad nun is a bad nun’, wrote St. Theresa; and she exclaimed: ‘O Lord, save us from sullen saints!’” “The dogma of one man's sin affecting all humanity gave rise to its logical corollary of the dogma of one man's blood washing away the sins of all... The theory that the blood of the martyr is the seed of the church developed out of this dogma; and, in place of calm reason and generous love,

frenzy, fanaticism, intolerance and bigotry gripped the propagation of the life-giving message of Jesus down the centuries, destroying as many lives as it undoubtedly helped to build.” “It is interesting to speculate how the message would have spread... if the divine life and sublime teachings of Jesus had found the central

place, instead of the popular and striking dogmas of ‘the scapegoat’ and ‘the atonement’, physical resurrection and the second advent, earthly kingdom, and the imminence of the Day of Judgement. These dogmas were purely tribal in their scope... They were the nurseries of contemporary Jewish patriotism and national cohesion, sectarian intolerance and

political frenzy”... “The history of Christianity in its twin records of persecution, violence and war, on the one side, and lofty mysticism, moral passion and humanitarianism on the other, bears the impress of this inner division which also explains its recurrent conflicts with science. A successful synthesis needs the guidance of an adequate Weltanschauung, which was not available at the time.” “The successful synthesis of thought elements, each one of which is vital and powerful, flowing as they do from human experience at various levels—the ethical passion of Judaism, the mystical and humanitarian fervour of Christianity, and the rational temper of science—calls for the guidance of a philosophy of world-view such as that of the Vedanta, which is not afraid of any aspect of experience, but seeks truth in all of them, with zestful detachment and devotion.” “It is against this background that we view with hope the future of Indian Christianity. Under the guidance of the philosophy of Vedanta, the Christian message in India can achieve that synthesis by which it will flow as an entirely constructive force... It is our earnest hope that the Christian message passing through Indian experience will bear in its look a new charm and force of tolerance and gentleness, peace and

fellowship, capturing thus the Master's spirit in full.”

3-day mourning for Pope, but for Swami Ranganathanandaji..... Hosadigantha, Kannada Daily, Mangalore, May 16, 2005 When the Pope

died, the Congress-led UPA government observed three-day national mourning, while even the predominantly Christian nations did not do it. But when Swami Ranganathanandaji, the President of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, attain Mahasamadhi, the government of India did not even remember to express mourning. This is unfortunate, felt the

anguished Hindu organizations. As they pointed out, Swami Ranganathanandaji was like the second Vivekananda “who took the message of Hindu culture and spirituality across the world in a manner that earned appreciation, understanding and also a high level of

respectability.”

cheers

Narendra Prasad

 

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[Guest guest]

RE: " the government of India did not even remember to express mourning "

 

Comment: Here is a recent article:

 

Propagate Swami Ranganathananda's teachings: PM:-

 

 

New Delhi | May 16, 2005 9:44:20 AM IST

 

New Delhi, May 15 : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Sunday urged the

Ramakrishna Mission to spread the teachings of late Swami

Ranganathananda through multimedia for the benefit of millions of

Indians seeking knowledge and inspiration.

 

" His lectures attracted audiences of all ages, from teenagers to

senior citizens. Some came for knowledge, others came for inspiration,

but all came for comfort and peace of mind, " Manmohan Singh said at a

memorial meeting for the late swami here.

 

Swami Ranganathananda, who took over as president of the Ramakrishna

Mission founded by Swami Vivekananda, passed away Apr 25 in Kolkata.

 

Stating that the world had not only lost a true ascetic but also

become poorer after the demise of Swami Ranganathananda, the prime

minister urged the Ramakrishna Mission to keep the late swami's memory

alive by publishing his writings and releasing audio-visual tapes of

his lectures.

 

This, Manmohan Singh said, would ensure that " future generations can

be equally enlightened and enriched by the wisdom, grace and the

compassion of swamiji. "

 

FROM: news.webindia123.com

 

-ALSO-

 

We may read a May 15th PRESS RELEASE from the Government of India,

entitled:

" SWAMI RANGANATHANANDA WAS A TRUE SANYASI AND A GREAT TEACHER : PM "

 

http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=9272

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

If I may comment on Swami Ranganathananda's excellent 1954 lecture:

 

Of course, that was over a half century ago....his more recent lectures

on this topic should be more enlightening.

 

As Vedantists, we all wish for Christianity to absorb

the teachings of the Holy Trio, in order to fully

explore her great potential. We also wish the same

for other faiths.

 

Swami Ranganathananda said [in 1954]: " The crucifixion was a tragedy

of the first magnitude; but a greater tragedy was the way it was

handled. Woven into the prevailing dogmas, it slowly became central to

the new movement. The man of joy, which Jesus undoubtedly was in real

life, became transformed into a man of sorrow, in dogma. "

 

Comment: The Christian clergyman instructs his flock, that the

Crucifixion was a great triumph, rather than a tragedy.

 

This is where the problem arises. We Vedantists wish the Christians

to learn Vedanta. But, when they read the late Swami's [1954] opinion,

that the crucifixion was a great tragedy; immediately, they will 'shut

off' their minds....since it conflicts with the message they are

receiving in their churches.

 

Om Shanthi Om