Mindless Commentary
April 27, 2004 05:51 PM
Sachin is pissed off by an article written by Rajeev Srinivasan on Rediff News. So am I. Here is my reason for repugnance to the article. Rajeev says –
The Catholic Pope came to India a few years ago and gave a fundamentalist and insensitive speech. Violating the atithi maryada of not embarrassing one's hosts, he showed his disdain for the religions and cultures of Asia, expressing his wish for a 'harvest' of souls of Asia in this millennium. Mocking Deepavali, he suggested that true light is only in the acceptance of Christian dogma. What he did not acknowledge is key: that the native religions of Asia are valid spiritual paths. He did not ask his flock to live in peace with them: cross planting is all he was interested in. This qualifies as communal, provocative speech.
Such an immature comment from a Harvard graduate! Read the Pope's speech and you'll agree with my view. When Rajeev thinks he is mocking Deepavali, the Pope has said –
Today throughout this vast country many people are celebrating the Festival of Lights. We rejoice with them, and in this Eucharist here in New Delhi, in India, on the continent of Asia, we too exult in the light and bear witness to the One who is “the true light that enlightens every man”
When Rajeev alleges the Pope of having all interest in harvesting souls and Cross planting, the Pope has only said this –
Just as the first millennium saw the Cross firmly planted in the soil of Europe, and the second in that of America and Africa, so may the Third Christian Millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent
Now who is more provocative and communal?
4 comments have been added.
Add your comments.
1.
Sachin Gopalakrishnan said...
Boy was i irritated by the article then. If the educated resort to such jingoism, where does the common man stand ??
Btw nilesh, your link to my site still points to op3nbox.net/blog. It shoud be http://weblog.op3nbox.net ...
2.
Krishnan said...
But the fact remains that the secular credintials of the pope is always in doubt. I have always been of the opinion that the most dangerous religion in the world is not Islam but Christianity. History has proven it and the present day scenario validates the same.
3.
Nilesh said...
I have always been of the opinion that the most dangerous religion in the world is not Islam but Christianity
Correction. A religion cannot be dangerous. No religion in the world is dangerous including Islam and Cristianity. It is the fanatics who make them look like dangerous. There are religious fanatics everywhere in the world. The so-called `Christian missionaries' of the earlier era and the present day Hindu fanatics & Islamic extremists. Heck even Buddhist monks become riotous at times. What is common in all of these? not the religion, but the fanaticism. Now I am not trying to prove anything. :-)
4.
mone said...
Nilesh, a religion which preaches exclusivity arising from ignorance and does not coexist with others is definitely dangerous. And CHRISTIANISM does fall under that category.
`Christian missionaries' of the earlier era'??. What about the current era ? They are the most narrow minded fundamentalist people, not to forget islamic fundamentalists.
as per the pope, " so may the Third Christian Millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent"
Every christian harvest of faith is associated with destruction of local culture. That is why that is a menacing statement. These religious bigots survive on harvests.
Your Comments
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4 comments have been added. Add your comments.
1. Sachin Gopalakrishnan said...
Boy was i irritated by the article then. If the educated resort to such jingoism, where does the common man stand ??
Btw nilesh, your link to my site still points to op3nbox.net/blog. It shoud be http://weblog.op3nbox.net ...
2. Krishnan said...
But the fact remains that the secular credintials of the pope is always in doubt. I have always been of the opinion that the most dangerous religion in the world is not Islam but Christianity. History has proven it and the present day scenario validates the same.
3. Nilesh said...
I have always been of the opinion that the most dangerous religion in the world is not Islam but Christianity
Correction. A religion cannot be dangerous. No religion in the world is dangerous including Islam and Cristianity. It is the fanatics who make them look like dangerous. There are religious fanatics everywhere in the world. The so-called `Christian missionaries' of the earlier era and the present day Hindu fanatics & Islamic extremists. Heck even Buddhist monks become riotous at times. What is common in all of these? not the religion, but the fanaticism. Now I am not trying to prove anything. :-)
4. mone said...
Nilesh, a religion which preaches exclusivity arising from ignorance and does not coexist with others is definitely dangerous. And CHRISTIANISM does fall under that category.
`Christian missionaries' of the earlier era'??. What about the current era ? They are the most narrow minded fundamentalist people, not to forget islamic fundamentalists.
as per the pope, " so may the Third Christian Millennium witness a great harvest of faith on this vast and vital continent"
Every christian harvest of faith is associated with destruction of local culture. That is why that is a menacing statement. These religious bigots survive on harvests.
Your Comments
* Please do not put off-topic comments. We reserve right to delete them at our discretion. You can post anonymously. If you are unable to see your posted comment immediately, it may have been queued for moderation. So do not submit it again. HTML formatting is allowed (only a, b, i, br, p, strong, em, ul, li & blockquote are allowed). Do not put paragraph tags. They are automatically inserted.