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Much of the material in these articles are really interesting and substantiate
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Dear Friends
This is an excellent article by Stephen Knapp.
Venkitesh (Viji)
Speaking Out Against Prejudice Toward Hinduism and India
by Stephen Knapp
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/speaking_out_against_prejudice.htm
Although I am primarily engaged in writing books, there are times when I notice
that prejudice and false ideas about Hinduism and India become too apparent in
various publications to disregard. In such cases, we will write in and speak
out to present more accurate views regarding the true nature of Vedic culture.
Here is an example of our response to a Christian minister who wrote a letter
to the "India Tribune" about his false notion regarding the need for the
freedom of Hindus to convert to Christianity to bring them out of their plight
of poverty and oppression under "Hindu" leaders. His prejudice and bias was so
obvious that we felt compelled to write in a more accurate and truthful view of
the situation. This was also appreciated by others who wrote in their approval
of our letter, and contributed additional valid points with which we agree,
some of which we have included following our letter. We wrote it under our
publicist's name of Jim Martin. The letter was published in the September 2,
2000 edition of the paper, and was printed and titled as follows:
Invaders Aimed to Dismantle Indian Culture
by Jim Martin
Dear Sir:
I am writing in response to the letter published in the August 5 edition of
India Tribune, by Rev. Dr. George E. David, titled "Legitimate Conversions Must
Be Supported." He is a Christian minister and I am also one who was born and
raised a Christian. However, I have some serious differences of opinion in
response to what he said in his letter.
First of all, I also agree that everyone should have the right to decide for
themselves what faith is most appropriate for them. No one has to really
monitor that, as he seemed to suggest. It is a freedom in any democratic
country. But he goes on to criticize Hinduism as being to blame for the poor
and illiterate people in India. And that the Hindu leaders have kept people
under control through such illiteracy and poverty. He suggests that is the
reason why there is a need for so many Christians, due to their love of Jesus
Christ, to come to the rescue and save India and help the needy.
There are many parts of the world who need humanitarian work, and to do that is
fine. However, as a Christian myself, I know and have heard time and time again
this ploy as a standard tactic to justify why Christians need to go to India
and "Deliver the good news about Jesus" while bringing different kinds of
humanitarian help. I have heard this from local churches as well as numerous
television evangelical preachers as well, such as Jerry Falwell and others, and
then watch them count their success in how many converts they have made. So
this is nothing new. And after a while you begin to see through it.
To me this seems completely unfair to make such an assumption that illiteracy
and poverty are caused by Hinduism, as if Rev. David knows all about the
history of India and why it has lost so much of its glory and power, and the
immense damage the "Christian British" did to India, and its attempt to
dismantle whatever there was of Hinduism and its Vedic literature. Also, how
they purposely controlled food production and distribution of commodities in
order to turn people to Christianity. How they purposely tried to control and
change the Vedic texts to reduce the high standards of living, morality, and
its understanding of God so that people would more easily be converted to
Christianity, along with so many other things they did. He has little right to
blame the social conditions of India on Hinduism.
Rev. David goes on to say how he sees anger and hatred in a prior letter of Dr.
Gangadhar Maddiwar, as if Dr. Maddiwar would prefer to keep Hindu people of
India being poor and illiterate, rather than knowing other faiths. Here is
another ploy to get Indians to stop being Hindus. Rev. David seems not to
understand in the slightest degree that simply knowing other faiths is hardly
anything that will improve the education of Indian citizens. The poor and
illiterate is a social condition that was inflicted upon India and caused by
outside invaders, from which India is still slowly recovering. It was never
caused by Hinduism. History shows that.
Even though I am born and raised a Christian, I believe in finding the truth.
And anyone can investigate the true history of India and look back to see how
India has been controlled and dominated by invaders of all kinds for the past
1000 years and more, invaders from the Middle East, the British, and even their
missionaries. They have all come to dismantle what is India and its culture and
force a new religion and government on its people, whether through obvious or
covert attempts. During his latest visit to India the Pope stated: "Just as in
the first millennium the Cross was planted on the soil of Europe and in the
second on that of the Americas and Africa, we can pray that in the third
Christian millennium a great harvest of faith will be reaped in this vast and
vital continent of Asia." Do you think that does not mean to make Indians
Christians??
So there is no doubt that the Christian motive is not necessarily to help all
people of the third world countries in a selfless manner simply to express
their love of Christ, but also to provide the means by which everyone can be
swayed to adopt the same religion. Once you begin to truly investigate history,
anyone can understand that India has the oldest religion and culture in the
world, and it can work perfectly well if it is given a chance. A chance outside
the dictates of its past invaders, or present sectarian government officials
who work for the cause of minorities at the expense of the majority Hindus. Do
not think that a born and raised Christian and American such as myself cannot
see this. In fact, anyone can.
For example, there have been two newly released books that are packed with
important and revealing information about India's history from thousands of
years ago up to the present. One book is "Proof of Vedic Culture's Global
Existence" by Stephen Knapp (available through The World Relief Network, P. O.
Box 15082, Detroit, Michigan, 48215), and the other is "The True History and
the Religion of India" by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati (available through the
International Society for Divine Love, Barsana Dham, 400 Barsana Road,
Austin,Texas, 78737).
These books show how India once had a glorious past and was a global influence,
in fact the parent of humanity and the heritage of all religions. It was
advanced in many medical, mathematical and scientific inventions that the world
uses today without recognition of their origins. These books also show the
damage that invaders, including the Christian British and German nationalists,
did to the true culture of India and its people in general, and how India has
been making an uphill battle since then to regain stability. Furthermore, these
books show that many practices of the ancient Vedic culture, which is far older
than either Judaism or Christianity, were adopted by each of these newer
religions. Even the story of Jesus has many adaptations and similarities to the
older story of Lord Krishna.
It would be to the advantage of any Indian to be aware of the abundant
information that these two books contain to keep in mind the antiquity and
authenticity of their true past and heritage. There has been many attempts to
stifle and suppress the knowledge in the above mentioned books for years. After
learning this information myself, I am embarrassed whenever I see these same
age old tactics as found in Rev. David's letter, to belittle India and its
religion by unjustly using social issues to criticize religions, and thereby
try to establish the superiority of their own religion, such as Christianity,
which has proved to be one of the most violent and dominating religions in
history. And I know this is something that most Christians don't like to
discuss. However, even the Pope has acknowledged and apologized for the cruel
past of Christianity, so this cannot be denied. Therefore, Indians have every
right to be proud of their culture, and every right to be a little tired of
those
who make continued efforts to defraud or tear it down in any way, religious or
otherwise. This has gone on long enough. So, as Rev. David says at the end of
his letter, let us work together to give peace a chance, but I say let everyone
follow the religion of their choice without the continual attempt to sway them
this way or that.
_____________________________________________________________________________
In response to our letter were others, such as the following that appeared in
the October 14, 2000 issue, that not only praised us for speaking out, but also
made creditable points to which we agree, and share with you here. This makes
it evident that it is better not to be shy about speaking the truth, for when
it is done appropriately, it may also become a gathering point and provide the
impetus for others to come forward to do the same.
Tolerant Hindus Respect all Religions
by S. Arora
Dublin, OH: I read with great interest Jim Martin's opinion -- "Invaders aimed
to Dismantle Indian Culture"-- published in India Tribune dated September 2, in
response to Dr. George E. David's view - "Legitimate conversions must be
supported" - appeared in India Tribune dated August 5.
I was greatly impressed by Jim Martin who rightly said that invader's aim was
to dismantle the Indian culture. I think, it is praiseworthy and highly
creditable that one such as Jim Martin, who is born and raised as a Christian,
would so boldly proclaim what he sees as the truth. He has done his homework
well, for he definitely has a fair grasp of Indian culture and the reasons that
gradually led to its decline over the centuries.
Anyone who has read about Hinduism knows how at one time India was respected
and looked up to for guidance in matters of religion and spirituality. Even
Jesus Christ is said to have gone to India for several years during his early
life to get guidance and spiritual instruction from the sages and yogis of
north India. (Reference: "Jesus Lived in India" by Holger Kerston).
Swamy Vivekananda represented Hinduism as a delegate in September 1893 to the
Parliament of World Religions in Chicago, where delegates from all nations
gathered. There, he emphasized the harmony of all religions, and got a standing
ovation, significant of their approval. For two minutes, he attempted to speak,
but the wild enthusiasm of the audience prevented him. When silence was finally
restored, he introduced Hinduism as "the mother of religions, a religion which
has taught the world both tolerance and universal acceptance," and he quoted
two passages from the Hindu scriptures in support. "As the different streams
having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so,
O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies,
various though they may appear, crooked or straight, all lead there."
The second quotation, "All men are struggling through paths, which in the end,
lead to Me," is indicative of the truth which his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, had
taught him, "as many paths, so many religions." Hence, in a democracy, each one
should have the freedom to follow his conscience, and opt for and follow the
religion of his choice, without being pressured to conversion to other
religions.
Referring to Swami Vivekananda's speech, the president, Merwin-Mariesnell, of
the assembly said, "One of the chief advantages has been in the great lesson
which it has taught the Christian world, especially to the people of the US,
namely that there are other religions more venerable than Christianity, which
surpass it in philosophical depth, in spiritual intensity. . ."
In light of this, it is hard to understand why Christian missionaries go to
India to convert the poverty-stricken Hindus to Christianity, under the guise
of humanitarian reasons. As Jim Martin has pointed out, the Indians have the
invaders (wave after wave of them) to thank for the present plight of India and
the Indians today. In the last 1,000 years, at least, India has not invaded any
country, but it has patiently suffered the onslaught of aggression from
foreigners who have unscrupulously taken advantage of the trusting Hindus.
Hinduism accommodates all religions, so Hindus not only tolerate, but respect
all religions as true, without trying to convert followers of other religions
to Hinduism. Should not followers of other religions do the same, and live in a
spirit of peace, goodwill and co-existence?
_____________________________________________________________________________
Another letter in support of our views appeared in the October 7, 2000 edition,
and was published as follows:
God is Too Big for any one Religion
by A. Ramachandran
Shrewsbury, MA: I wish to compliment Jim Martin for his lively
opinion--"Invaders Aimed to Dismantle Indian Culture"--published in India
Tribune dated September 2. It was his response to Rev. David's
views--"Legitimate Conversions must be Supported"--published in India Tribune
dated August 5.
First, I also agree that conversion is a moral right. India has a long
tradition of conversion from one faith to another. When Lord Buddha preached
his eight-fold path to Nirvana, Hindus in large numbers converted to Buddhism.
When in the 8th century Adi Shankar expounded his philosophy of Adwaita, many
Buddhists converted to Hinduism. In the 16th century, Guru Nanak offered his
simpler way to God and many Hindus chose to become Sikhs. In 50 A.D., when St.
Thomas brought Christianity to Kerala, many Hindus converted to this faith.
All these conversions were motivated by the hearts and intellects of the
individuals and no temptation or coercion was involved. Unfortunately, St.
Thomas was martyred in Madras because of his insistence that Hindu gods were
false and their devotees were bound to go to hell. (We hear these words are
repeated even today--please see the Southern Baptist's Prayer Book.)
Hindu India in the first millennium was a very prosperous country, rich in
culture, sciences and wealth. Thanks to their religion, they were a gentle and
mild people. (Read the impressions of the two Chinese pilgrims to India.)
However, India's fame attracted booty-seekers from the West who came to
plunder, pillage, massacre, subjugate, rule and eventually pauperize
economically.
The Christian missionaries followed in the wake of this conquest and
proselytized under the protection of the Raj. They used Western funds, material
goods, and medicines to entice poor people to convert. They also used the
threat of hell to convince the gullible and berated the Hindu religion.
This manner of spreading Christianity was also employed in South America by the
Spanish conquerors and in North America by the European settlers, when the
natives were vanquished by saber, spear, gunfire and then by the Christian
cross-war, planted on their soil to save the "poor heathens."
India lost everything to the Western conquerors except its soul, and hence
Gandhi was born, the freedom movement evolved, and India was able to free
itself from centuries of debilitating foreign rule.
When the Indians gave themselves a Constitution, they incorporated the ancient
Hindu belief of "Sarva Dharma Samabhava"--all religions are equal--contrast to
the recent Vatican statement that orthodox Catholics and other denominations
are imperfect. A bumper sticker says it all--"God is too big for any one
religion."
_____________________________________________________________________________
One final letter that we will include that was inspired by our original letter,
and which holds some strong points with which we also concur, was published in
the January 27, 2001 edition of India Tribune as follows:
India subjugated by invaders - Hindus are secular-minded
by Bhikhu Patel
Marshall, TX: I am writing this belatedly in appreciation of Jim Martin's
opinion--"Invaders armed to dismantle Indian culture"--published in India
Tribune dated September 2, 2000.
Jim Martin needs to be congratulated for his efforts to seek out the truth
about India's past, and then being a Christian, had the courage to express it
in a newspaper.
Hindu-bashing has been a fashion in the Christian and the Islamic worlds.
Hindus and their organizations have been labeled as fundamentalists. They are
being held responsible for all the aches and pains the two creeds are having
with their policy to proselytize the Indian subcontinent.
A Hindu cannot be a fundamentalist because of his universally accepted belief
in the "Sarva Dharma Samabhava." Dan, Daya and Dharma are the three ingredients
of the behavior in daily life. That does not mean that every Hindu would
qualify for a sainthood. He carries all the traits of the human weaknesses.
However, his overall performance towards his brethren carries high marks. India
was ruled by foreigners for nearly 1000 years. The British came last, seeking
trade, but ended up acquiring the whole of India.
The Indians were dazzled and outwitted by the cunningness of the invaders. The
Hindus knew very little of the atrocities and terrorism of the crusades or
Jehads. Still less, they knew about the spread of the two religions in the "Old
World." The Indian elite adopted the English way of dressing and mannerism.
Persian and English replaced Sanskrit. The Christian missionaries with the help
of the British proceeded to Christianize India. The method adopted was unique.
India was unique. Islam, which was successful in converting the whole
population in other countries, was only partially successful. Christianity,
which successfully converted the continents and destroyed cultures of the "New
World," had a very weak foothold.
This unique method was developed by Muller, Cunningham and Jones. The
fictitious theory of invading Aryans was invented. The scriptures were doctored
derogatively to demoralize Hindus. The records in the Archeological Department
were manipulated. Many rare copies of scriptures were destroyed. The Hindu
building structures became Moghul. The art turned Persian. The etiquette became
English. The architect of the Taj Mahal was an Italian, maybe a Spaniard, not
sure. Thus, the roots of India-bashing or Hindu-bashing were laid centuries ago
and are very deep. The Indian history was rewritten by the British and Islamic
rulers. It was like Hitler that was given the task of writing British history.
Hindus have been the temple builders, not the temple destroyers. India welcomed
people of other cultures who were being persecuted in their own land, and lived
amicably with them. The ruins that one may find all over the world were not the
handiwork of the Hindus. The cultural and civilizational destruction of the
Aztecs, only 500 years ago, was criminal, was not carried out by the Hindus,
nor had any hand in the management of slavery. This is by no means a full list
of big crimes. The worst was to come.
The Jewish people continued to suffer at the hands of their brothers, the
people of the Books. It reached the peak during the second world war, when
trains loaded with human cargo were sent into gas chambers. The Jewish race was
nearly exterminated in Europe. The Jewish people in India were quite happy
living among the Hindus.
When around 392 AD, Christianity became the favored and predominant religion of
the Roman Empire, Emperor Theodosius proclaimed it the sole legal religion and
ordered all Roman subjects except Jews to become Christians. To be a Christian
was henceforth a matter of law, not of religious conviction.
The burning of the main scientific medical library in Cordoba, Spain, was
carried out on the pretext of "horrible calamity" to Islam. The famous library
of Alexandria, which was in existence for nearly 1,000 years containing 700,000
manuscripts, was destroyed at the instance of caliph Omar. Prior to that, the
same library suffered destruction at the hands of the Roman emperors in the
years 272 AD and 391 AD. The actions were criminal. Hindus have always been the
promoters of knowledge.
Hindus have never entertained crusades or Jehads against any religion, nor sent
missions to other countries on a religious conversion drive. The world
population comprises 2.5 billion Christians and 1.5 billion Muslims. Still, the
zeal of these two creeds to proselytize continues unabated. The Pope's recent
"call for conversion" of Asia, and the Southern Baptists' prayers for the "more
than 900 million people lost in the hopeless darkness of Hinduism" suggest a
very strong Christian desire for proselytizing the Indian subcontinent. They
can do it. They have the power, organizations and the people to act upon their
instructions.
The Islamic desire has taken to the road of violence and terrorism. The Islamic
organizations have built up a worldwide network of organizations to train
people in terrorist activities and send them to all parts of the world. All
sorts of clandestine activities are undertaken, unashamedly to fund these
terrorist cells. Mosques and madrasas are also being used to indoctrinate
people, particularly children. Bodarsky, in pointing out the strong, unyielding
and violent attitudes among the Islamic groups, states that "the dominant
historic trend in the region (Middle-East) is adamant opposition to the mere
existence of Israel, let alone peace with it." In their prayers, "Dua" of the
Azzam Organization states, "O Allah! Cause this relation to come in the form of
intensified attacks on the Hindu forces in Kashmir." Further, the organization
states openly its support to Pakistan in its war against India. These terrorist
groups have no physical boundaries. Professor Masud-ul-Hasan, in his book,
"History of Islam," writes "Islam is the end all and be all of the existence of
the Muslims."
The American government, in supporting the Afghanistan war against Russia,
poured funds and armaments into Pakistan. The Americans have created a monster
they know not. They certainly don't know how to handle it. It is growing in
power and its reach is extensive. Does Lord Jesus need Christian organizations
with their loaded purse and devious methods to propagate the message of love?
Does Prophet Mohammad need Islamic organizations with their highly devoted
Jehad to propagate the message of submissiveness to God? Perhaps not. There
would not be sufficient space to list the ways in which these groups may be
able to destroy the fabrics of India. Christian, Islamic or other groups should
be barred and restricted from any activity of forced conversions on Indian soil.
India is a secular and democratic country. The Indian Constitution provides for
equality and progress for all. Every Indian has a duty to make certain that
foreign groups do not play "tricks" on India. All Indians have lived together
quite happily in the past. The Christian and Muslim brethren and sisters need
to disassociate themselves from the clutches of these groups.
(This article is from: http://www.stephen-knapp.com)
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