Bridge preaching okay?

[vijay]

Hamsaduta: I once heard that when some devotees wanted to buy a church in America you suggested that they should keep the altar and next put Radha-Krsna and give simultaneous lecture from Bible and from Bhagavad-gita. I was thinking that in Shree Lanka, if it would be all right to have a deity of Lord Buddha and speak simultaneously on the Dharmapatha(?) and also Bhagavad-gita, showing how Bhagavad-gita is beyond the stage of nirvana. Is that a good idea, Prabhupada, or not?

Prabhupada: Good idea, provided you can present properly.

HDG A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

I've also heard this church would remain as is and the seats etc remain intact and a temple created in another room. Prabhupada was said to of been annoyed when all the seating was taken out and the room turned to a temple.

[theist]

Hamsaduta: I once heard that when some devotees wanted to buy a church in America you suggested that they should keep the altar and next put Radha-Krsna and give simultaneous lecture from Bible and from Bhagavad-gita. I was thinking that in Shree Lanka, if it would be all right to have a deity of Lord Buddha and speak simultaneously on the Dharmapatha(?) and also Bhagavad-gita, showing how Bhagavad-gita is beyond the stage of nirvana. Is that a good idea, Prabhupada, or not?

 

Prabhupada: Good idea, provided you can present properly.

Thanks for that. Now let's consider what "properly" means. Any thoughts?

[vijay]

I guess it shows prabhupada wasnt against it, compassion greater than traditionalism, but one has to be fixed first. I guess its similar to BI providing bridges to KC. I guess the expert devotees can take people to kc using bridges but the danger is always that people stay on the bridges if the devotee isnt powerful enough to push them across and the bridge eventually becomes KC.

[theist]

 

I guess it shows prabhupada wasnt against it, compassion greater than traditionalism, but one has to be fixed first. I guess its similar to BI providing bridges to KC. I guess the expert devotees can take people to kc using bridges but the danger is always that people stay on the bridges if the devotee isnt powerful enough to push them across and the bridge eventually becomes KC.

This gets interesting. I don't see someone's hearing of God conscious truth while sitting in a pew any different than hearing God conscious truth while sitting on a bare floor. So I don't consider that a "bridge" of any merit. It may however put the audience into a more familar and relaxed state but that could easily be reversed.

Some may have an advanced spiritual point to make that they learned while sitting at a desk and they may deliver it while sitting on a bare floor to others who are accustomed to sitting on the floor.

I see bridges though. Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples, "there are many other things I have to tell you but you cannot bear them now..." So within mono-theism there are beginning teachings which lead to higher & higher teachings so one could say that the bridge to a higher teaching is built into the so-called lower teaching which becomes apparant when the beginning teaching is properly understood. A stairway may offer a better example.

So Jesus brought God consciousness into the Hebrew religion and tried to draw them into spiritual life as opposed to their religious life of dry rules and regulations.

So to bridge the gap properly would take someone who was expert enough to build on what knowledge was correct with more knowledge vs. a 'debate and defeat' kind of mentality.

Say someone is praying to God for a new car. The praying is absolute but the soul needs more knowledge to learn to pray for that which is worth having which is of course love for God. But that can't forced by arguing over. "Stop praying for a car fool" admonitions get people nowhere. A proper bridge would be to somehow in some way encourage the continued prayer and reliance on God while at the same time introducing a higher goal of prayer.

This is not just in the west but what of all the Hindus that are engaged in polytheism? No need to go around telling people to stop praying to Ganesha for money but just clearly teach the principles of mono-theism and if they like they will adjust but not by force lest one upset the minds of others

A sectarianist can never build bridges. He only knows how to build walls.

I don't see the BI as only just building bridges. Using modern science to point out God where He is I accept as direct God consciousness. Now any God conscious truth is a doorwayto another God conscious realization. Not knowing science speak I view it as another language, another set of codes that reveal God. So I tend to see BI as preaching to those of a different language and culture than what I am used to. I look at some equations these scientists write out and it looks more foreign to me than sanskrit. Like from a different planet or something. But the Lord lives there too.

[bija]

Really interesting. May I ask, what is the "BI" ?

[D B Cooper Jr]

Hare Krishna theist,

That is the way I look at it too. Love of God is in the Christian religion if that is what you are looking for. The key is getting that love for God then you don't have to bound by a bunch of ritualism etc. Krsna Consciousness literature hasn't lessened my love for Jesus in anyway, it has just expanded my view of God. I view that as a beautiful thing and I am still eager to hear or even relearn beautiful truths from both religions. Or like you say even if science is revealing Gods truth I like to learn from that or any other form of knowledge that reveals the wonders of God. They are like you say different sets of codes.

 

This gets interesting. I don't see someone's hearing of God conscious truth while sitting in a pew any different than hearing God conscious truth while sitting on a bare floor. So I don't consider that a "bridge" of any merit. It may however put the audience into a more familar and relaxed state but that could easily be reversed.

Some may have an advanced spiritual point to make that they learned while sitting at a desk and they may deliver it while sitting on a bare floor to others who are accustomed to sitting on the floor.

I see bridges though. Lord Jesus Christ told his disciples, "there are many other things I have to tell you but you cannot bear them now..." So within mono-theism there are beginning teachings which lead to higher & higher teachings so one could say that the bridge to a higher teaching is built into the so-called lower teaching which becomes apparant when the beginning teaching is properly understood. A stairway may offer a better example.

So Jesus brought God consciousness into the Hebrew religion and tried to draw them into spiritual life as opposed to their religious life of dry rules and regulations.

So to bridge the gap properly would take someone who was expert enough to build on what knowledge was correct with more knowledge vs. a 'debate and defeat' kind of mentality.

Say someone is praying to God for a new car. The praying is absolute but the soul needs more knowledge to learn to pray for that which is worth having which is of course love for God. But that can't forced by arguing over. "Stop praying for a car fool" admonitions get people nowhere. A proper bridge would be to somehow in some way encourage the continued prayer and reliance on God while at the same time introducing a higher goal of prayer.

This is not just in the west but what of all the Hindus that are engaged in polytheism? No need to go around telling people to stop praying to Ganesha for money but just clearly teach the principles of mono-theism and if they like they will adjust but not by force lest one upset the minds of others

A sectarianist can never build bridges. He only knows how to build walls.

I don't see the BI as only just building bridges. Using modern science to point out God where He is I accept as direct God consciousness. Now any God conscious truth is a doorwayto another God conscious realization. Not knowing science speak I view it as another language, another set of codes that reveal God. So I tend to see BI as preaching to those of a different language and culture than what I am used to. I look at some equations these scientists write out and it looks more foreign to me than sanskrit. Like from a different planet or something. But the Lord lives there too.

[theist]

 

Really interesting. May I ask, what is the "BI" ?

Headed up by one of Srila Prabhupada's scientifically trained disciples. They preach God consciousness to scientists in their own language. I think they must have a website if someone knows the URL please post.

[Jahnava Nitai Das]

Here is the website:

 

www.bvinst.edu