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| HOME | NEWS | COMMENTARY | ARVIND LAVAKARE | |||
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January 19, 1999
ELECTIONS '98
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'Hinduism is keeping India backward, oppressive, and at the edge of starvation'
How Readers reacted to Arvind Lavakare's last column
Date sent: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 03:13:43 EST
Arvind Lavakare must be either terribly naive or terribly dishonest to assert that Christianity is in danger of collapse in its traditional homeland, so must reach out to India to survive. Quite contrary to his statement -- that Christianity is collapsing in Europe -- there has been a rebirth of Christianity in the former Soviet bloc, including Russia, where an explosion of orthodox piety has occurred. The churches of East Germany were leaders in the successful drive to de-Communise, as was the Roman Catholic Church, with the inspiration of a Polish pope, in Poland's anti-Communist revolution. They couldn't have had such major impacts if they were on the verge of collapse. Though it is perfectly true that some Christians adhere to a Christianity that is more an ethical system and cultural traditions than a fervent religious faith, it is equally true that evangelicals by the millions have experienced what they feel is a "rebirth in Christ". Christian missionaries spring from hordes of devout people in Europe and other parts of the West, and places as far from the geographic centre of the West as Korea and the Philippines. They are bringing what they feel is "god's love" to India not because they fear for the future of the Church in the West but because they believe in their heart (with obvious justification) that India's oppressed and devastated masses would be far better off as part of the Christian culture of equality in the Church than as "backward castes" in Hinduism. Hinduism is a major factor keeping India backward, oppressive, and perpetually at the edge of starvation, in part because Hinduism is an insular religion in a world of universal religions. Advocates of Hindutva admit as much in suggesting that Hinduism is essential to Indianness, for it teaches people to be Indian -- not simply human. And that's the problem. Christianity has much to offer all Indians, of whatever caste, in terms of involvement with a world or huge diversity and intergroup, interclass tolerance and generosity. All the advanced countries on earth save Japan are Christian. No country on earth save India is Hindu -- and not even all of India is Hindu. Hinduism must reform or pass from the earth. Its influence is malignant, cancerous. Its culture of inequality and inhumanity does huge injustice to almost everyone under its thumb, and ALL Indians would be better off by far if it would in fact vanish. It is this realisation that is behind the insecurities of the agitators for a "saffron revolution": they fear that Hinduism *will* disappear because they know in their guilty hearts that it SHOULD disappear.
L Craig Schoonmaker, Chairman,
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 14:37:59 -0600
Arvind Lavakare presented an excellent expose of the sinister agenda of the "secular " press of India. The naked truth about Christian missionaries (the lures and bribes with goodies to join their faith to fulfil their conversion targets) is coming out. No power on earth can bury the TRUTH forever. Our secularists of the Congress should go back and read about Gandhiji's views on religious conversions. (Lavakare quotes from the Collected Works of Gandhiji ). Acquiring power and amassing wealth are the only aims of these partymen. Is that all there is to life? Reverends Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson ridicule and insult Hinduism as the "Religion of the devil" as their Indian missions pour millions of dollars to convert poor, hapless Indians. Readers of Rediff are fortunate to have Lavakare, Srinivasan and Bhosle, who dare to tell the truth and expose these "secularists".
T R Rao
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 11:44:33 -0800
Arvind's analysis should be a slap in the face for Saisuresh and Vir Sanghvi. Excellent rebuttal, with facts and analysis, something that Sai and Vir do not have in their dictionary. The only thing both these Sonia bhakts know is rhetoric. Their cacophony beats that of a crow. At least they can learn something from Arvind's column -- how to present arguments with facts when talking to intellectual people.
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 13:35:54 -0500
This is a great article. I never read Arvind before. He writes well and he writes with his head straight and proud. Unlike some who write with theirs bent. Congratulations. Prashant
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 12:15:04 EST
Congratulations Arvind! I am happy that at least you have given the proper perspective about conversions. Keep it up. Vasu
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 10:25:14 PST
Excellent. I live in the US and I would like to share an experience that my roommate had a few years ago. On an invitation from his (Christian) friend he went to church on a Sunday. There was a video room in the church in which he sat down to see videos on Christianity. But what he found was pictures of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva entitled 'Demons of our time'. He came home that day and vowed not to go to the church again.
Date sent: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 08:56:09 PST
This is the first article I read that really bothered to look into both the sides of the coin, as opposed to the so-called secularist articles in our so-called secularist newspapers! Just goes to show how much the press really bothers about printing the truth. All the press has done so far is something equivalent to the report put out by the Srikrishna Commission. I mean it seems that the minorities can do whatever they like, but if the majority responds to it in a eye-for-an-eye manner, it's termed a crime!! It's not that I agree with the methods adopted by the people to stop this, but I guess the Christans had it coming to them -- after all tolerance too has a limit!! Need we remind them & for that matter the Muslims too that they wouldn't even get 10% of the rights given to them in any other country other than India? So if they still think otherwise, they are welcome to get out of the country.
Date sent: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 11:18:29 -0600
Arvind Lavakare and Dr Rajaram need not worry about the fate of Hinduism. Neither does mainstream Hinduism need the protection of the Bajrang Dal or Bal Thackeray's Shiv Sena. Moreover, take it from me, Christianity is not dying in the West, and while it may be so that some evangelists might think so and want to convert Hindus to Christianity, there is nothing new here to panic. Catholics, as far as I know, doesn't consider anything other then their own idea of religion as religion at all. Therefore, Catholics would like to have every human soul on earth converted to Catholicism. The incident that Arvind cites about them asking kids to sign on a paper that says Jesus died for our sins is not a conspiracy against anyone but the stupid fact that they actually believe it to be true. There are billions of people in this world who don't buy their argument, including me. But I don't have to panic as long governments ensure that anyone is not forced into doing things they don't want to. Speaking of religious conversions, I never thought about this before, but we may just have, though imperfect, yet still, a solution for those whose human dignity is undermined by a label of lower caste or untouchable by the outdated, shameful but still practiced "Hindu" tradition of caste system in India. I know knowledgeable people in our community will be quick to point out that there is perhaps a caste system in Indian Muslims and Christians as well. That may be so, but I still believe it cannot be as bad as it has been, and continues to be, the case for low caste Hindus. The recent Gujarat incidents, and the subsequent political dogfight makes this discussion very relevant. The government should do its business of protecting people's lives and property. It has no business to preach whether or not to follow a particular religion. The religion, or religious practice that discriminates among people on the basis of birth deserves to face some challenge. Even though it is primarily a personal decision of individual conscience, I think it would be nice to see every lower caste Hindu converted to some other religion and taught to believe they deserve the same rights and dignity as their brahmin counterparts.
Date sent: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 22:26:13 +0530 (IST)
It evokes laughter in me seeing Lavakare quote Gandhiji. Aren't these the the guys who criticised Gandhi for being lenient towards minorities? Now they use his name just because it suits them. Besides, whatever the Mahatma might have said, one's religion is the set of values, faith one believes in and it is completely an individual's right. The problem comes if someone is trying to win it by unfair means, like bribing or offering some other benefits. It is really very, very mean, just as mean as trying to protect one's religion by use of force or instilling fear. Conversions, as Sivaswamy said, existed from the time of Gautama Buddha. But, then Buddha did NOT BRIBE people to follow him, or set up schools and tried to inject his religion into young minds. Lavakare criticised newspapers for not taking into consideration the views of the likes of Dr Rajaram, a Ph D from some univ etc etc. (I don't understand what the author tried to prove by quoting his Ph D degree from a "phoren" university and his experience as consultant to NASA. Aren't these the same qualifications, if cited by a pseudo-secularist, that they cite as "mental slavery" to the West? Please, I mean no disrespect to Dr Rajaram, I am just trying to look at things without any aura around them just because they come from somebody with so and so qualifications). But, going by the same argument, why is the author considering the likes of only Dr Rajaram and Arun Shourie? Come on guys, give us a break. As to Sivaswamy's criticism of the "practitioners" of Hindu religion, I agree that practitioners of my religion did wrong deeds. But then every religion's people do. Just to cite an instance, does not he know about the Ku Klux Klan in the US, which fought tooth and nail *FOR* discriminating against black people? Aren't Hitler and the Nazis Christians? Can he show me ONE church which disapproved of apartheid in South Africa (other than black churches)? How are the practitioners of that religion any holier than us? Even in India, is converting to Christianity does not make a dalit respectable. Everyone knows he is not being treated equally as other Christians. If it is the case, then why did religious institutions join voice to demand reservations for "dalit Christians"? None of you are any holier than the others. And, I, an average Indian, am fed up with everyone of you -- the crusaders who spoil the name and very characteristic of my religion, the missionaries who derive, God knows what kind, satisfaction by swelling the numbers in their religion by whatever means they can, and those pseudo-secularists for whom anything a minority does is right. Please mind your own "personal" business and let us live our lives. Lakshman
Date sent: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 09:51:16 -0500
I am fairly ignorant of the references in the article, and not aware of "intellectuals like Navratna S Rajaram, a qualified engineer from Bangalore, a Ph D from Indiana University of the USA, lecturer in various American universities for some 20 years, an adviser to NASA since 1984, and presently settled in Bangalore." So I will need to fall back on the basic principles to examine the issues: What is WRONG in being 'CONVERTED', to whatever faith or lack of it? As long as it is in one's own free will. I was converted, on my own free, informed will, from a Hindu by birth to one 'without any religious affiliation'. I know many like myself. Should we take it from Lavakare and/or other Hindutvavadis that it is wrong? That THEY have a right to get upset about MY faith or lack of it? Should we be executed for apostasy? I am amazed by these intellectuals who have been given the wisdom to tell the world what they ought to do about their faiths -- like the statement "Meanwhile, Christians in India should continue to believe and practise their faith." And BTW, who gave Mahatma Gandhi the right to tell ME or YOU how we ought to handle our religious affiliations? I hold M Gandhi in great esteem, but IF Gandhi had attempted (I doubt it very much) to set the rules on religious alignments, he TOO would have been wrong. All this nonsense points to this fundamental FLAW in the Indian attitude of attempting to mind everyone's business but his/her own. Does not matter that they can barely attend to their own spiritual needs, but will jump to enforce it on others. It displays a profound DISREGARD to the notion of INDIVIDUAL LIBERTIES and RIGHTS. CM |
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