Final posting on Morales

[Guest guest]

We had requested one of our colleagues in Athens to review the article by Morales in HInduism Today.

We enclose his presentation. We request other list members to send in their letters to Hinduism Today at letters

We have given enough coverage to the topic so this will be the final posting on this topic.

The only reason why we became concerned with this article is because it has appeared in a 'Credible Hinduism magazine' and hence gives credence to the nonsense it suggests' So our aim was to make the Hinduism Today magazine aware of our serious worry. John has done a wonderful job of doing this ..............regards jay

 

==========from John Manetta========

 

John Manetta lettersThe EditorHinduism Today MagazineDear Sir,First of all I would like to congratulate you on the coverage supplied by HPI, to which I have been subscribing for many years.Dr. Morales' article on "Radical Universalism", published in your magazine, was brought to my attention and I read the whole article on his personal site.He may have a point about the mis-use of the concept of the "harmony of religions"--so necessary in this day of clash of religions and civilisations--but of course he beats the subject to death with interesting pandityam-dialectic. There may even be some naive persons who will change religions like changing shirts!However, despite his apparent knowledgablness about India, it is incredible to discover that his knowledge of Sri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda is so abysmally rudimentary!The way he writes about both of them, and the other events in 19th century India, smells very much of what Wilhelm Halbfass writes in his INDIA AND EUROPE (Motilal) where he uses the terms Neo-Vedanta. This work is not mentioned in the bibliography at the end of the article.As we all know, the concept of the "harmony of religions" can be interpreted narrowly, namely that "all are the same" and that we should be tolerant. Whereas acceptance of pluralism is the requirement. All the trouble springs from the Abrahamic religions proclaiming their superiority...Surely, the Vedic "ekam sat..." can be interpreted as authority for "pluralism¨. Taken as a revelatory statement (subject to verification in personal experience--not mere relative belief) it points to the One Reality to which all aspire and interpret differently.With the article as published, the impression is gained by the uninformed reader that Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda are to be blamed, and am sure that Hinduism Today would personally not to that.With namaskarams and best wishes

John Manetta