Hindu painting on Royal Mail stamp shocker!
Another day, another religious body offended over something. This time, the Hindu Forum of Britain is not happy that a Royal Mail stamp has a Hindu family fawning over baby Jesus. [via Mediawatchwatch]
The stamp, featuring a man and woman with Hindu markings, is one of six depicting images of Madonna and child from around the world.The Hindu Forum of Britain has asked for it to be re-designed without the Hindu markings or withdrawn. Royal Mail, while apologetic, said it was not possible to amend or withdraw.
BBC story. And pray, why exactly is the HFB offended this time?
Ramesh Kallidai, secretary general of the HFB: “…it would be insensitive to use it at a time when the issue of conversions in India has been a subject of heated debate.”
…
Commented Ishwer Tailor, President of the HFB, “Would the worldwide Christian community feel comfortable if the Government of India issued a Diwali stamp with a Christian priest offering worship to Baby Krishna?”
That’s some funny shit. I can just imagine them writing an angry letter to the Congress party to do exactly that just to spite Royal Mail. Kallidai adds:
Even if we accept that an artist in 1620AD took the artistic license to portray practising Hindus worshipping the baby Christ, we should be asking if this is politically and sensitively correct in the 21st century…. blah blah…bitch bitch…moan moan
To be fair, they had a reason to be annoyed over the picture of Hindu gods being put on shoes, but this takes the piss. Update: More at the Telegraph.
Total wankers! If there had been a Hindu family in the vicinity of Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth, they would have definitely turned up to fawn, gawk whatever at the spectacle- that is the totally Hindu thing to do! 90% of my relatives are Hindu and think nothing of attending buddhist temples on Vesak or turning up for novena mass at a catholic church. I suspect that if they could, they would turn up for the haj too. As an atheist, I find the determined syncretism of most hindus rather endearing.
These ‘community’ spokesmen are just into grievance politics.
Ha ha! What a great story. A Hindu painter messing about with Christian themes in another time is “disrespectful” to Hindus when given the Royal treatment. One stamp forward, more than four centuries back…
Yes, it is only right that the Archbishop of Canterbury himself burn all the offending stamps in a stupendous fire ritual in Hyde Park. In the name of multiculturalism, the MCB can come too, provided they promise not to find a link, somewhere, somehow, to Palestine (oops).
**
Boy, what a bummer for you Indians that Michelangelo never went backpacking. Baby Jesus, how boring. How about Agni:
When Agni is described in anthropomorphic form, he sometimes has two faces which are smeared with butter. He has seven fiery tongues and sharpened, golden teeth. He is red in color, with black eyes and wild, black hair. He has seven arms and three legs, and seven rays of light emanate from his body. He either rides on a ram, or on a chariot, pulled by goats or sometimes parrots.
**
Oh, c’mon, gods on shoes? Lol, I mean, try this:
http://www.cafepress.com/landoverbaptist/429363
Alot of nominally hindu people in Britain celebrate Christmas. My Dad, growing up in Fiji, celebrated Christmas despite being from a hIndu family. Given the choice of our family being “offended” and having Christmas presents (excluding the first tapes I listened too bought by my sister which included Curtis Stigers!) I would take the latter any time. Shouldn’t this painting(stamp)represent a more benign aspect of multiculturism?
I notice this article has an interesting freudian slip of the keyboard. Although the quote refers to the Hindu Forum of Britain, you’ve abbreviated it as HCB, which recalls the Muslim Council of Britain, who’ve come in for a fair amount of similar criticism on these pages recently.
The quote from Ishwer Tailor betrays a willful lack of understanding of his non-Hindu British neighbours.. Despite preposterous Christian symbols on our flag, the British really don’t care about religion, and there would be little outrage to a Vicar/Krishna synthesis.
I recall an event a few years back when a couple of guys with Muslim heritage comitted a crime and then ran into a mosque for sanctuary (can anyone supply the date and location?). The police waded in and arrested them. There was an outcry from the local Muslim community, who said that a Christian church would never have been desecrated in this way. My response was to laugh. We live in a country where our places of worship are rapidly being converted into pubs and art centres. Does anyone seriously believe that the police would think twice about arresting someone in a church! The vicar would probably call the police himself (assuming he wasn’t too busy fawning over Baby Krishna, that is).
The bizarre truth is that this healthy disrespect for the Hindu religion is a sign of true integration with the ex-Christian majority. Welcome.
Hmm, syncretism is one of my favourite pastimes. Have I become Hindu without noticing? Can I do hajj without the hassle?
Benign aspects of multiculturalism are in so many lives now that I really wish governments and “community leaders” would chill out for once.
Well spotted Robert, I think Al-Hack was getting the two bodies mixed up because they sound so similar these days.
The bizarre truth is that this healthy disrespect for the Hindu religion is a sign of true integration with the ex-Christian majority. Welcome
How true that is. I think that distinction goes past people who are too busy getting annoyed at something or the other.
I reckon they have a right to complain if they feel offended. however, I dont see the problem. Ive even heard stories that Jesus went to India. I would assume that if this was the case then he would have been accepted (but not followed) as a prophet of god, particularly by hindus who can be quite diverse and accepting in this respect.
If the stamp was instead depicting pictures of hindu’s jesus and madonna the singer, then i could see the problem!
Let’s offend more religions
The British really don’t care about religion. Disrespecting minority religions is a sign of integration.
…
Another Forum or Council, this time Hindu, but still a self-appointed leader and mouthpeice of an entire community get their 15 minutes of fame by manufacturing offence. The iconism of Christ-Madonna is almost a carbon copy analogy of the Krishna-Yasoda characters, ergo the God-Child/Sacred Mother relationship in the Hindu liturgy. And yet this group wouldn’t let it go, and have done a Sacranie on us. Its not as if we’re seeing an image of a Rabbi sucking on Madonna Richie’s super-pointy Gaultier-styled tits is it? Now thats an image for next years Christmas stamp run, surely.
BTW, for all you culture vultures, the theme of repressed-sexuality and religious offence is examined beautifully in the new Bengali/Bollywood film Antar Mahal by Rituparna Ghosh and is being shown as part of the London Film Festival. Its an absolutely brilliant film and shows how India and Hinduism can use religious themes to criticise itself without the need for simulated offence. So the HFB, like the MCB, can hang themselves.
At least it didn’t depict scantily clad women chasing a Sikh or people entering a Gurdwara without removing their shoes and covering their heads.
scantily clad women chasing a Sikh
True, we wouldn’t want Sunny’s jaunty personal fantasies entering the serene world of philately would we? Behzti, man!
It’s a hindu woman - not a goddess and what does it matter… plenty of hindus believe in Christ.
Ha ha!
It looks like the MFB has nothing much to do, and are probably quite annoyed with all the tabloid press attention that the various Muslim organisations are getting trying to get ‘piggy banks’ banned &etc.
For one thing Hinduism is hardly a minority religion, it is a world religion practised by some of the ethnic minorities in Britain. How can a piece of art by Indians interpreting Christian imagery be offensive to anyone but possibly more conservative Christians? In fact isn’t it quite a positive message of Hindu inclusively?
It is not unusual to pictures and statues of Jesus (and other non-Hindu religious figures) in sharing the same shrine at homes of many Indians. Not only that, some believe he was of the incarnations of Vishnu, the Buddha being another.
If you go around the various S.E. Asian countries you will see representation of the Buddha change to reflect the physiognomy of the local population - a Thai statue is completely different to one from Sri Lanka. Why is this any different? (I’m sure Jesus actually didn’t look like a Scandinavian hippie, and being a Middle Eastern Jew I thought his hair was like the wool of a lamb?)
The only thing Hinduism suffers is a total misunderstanding of it in popular European culture, but that’s a different story.
“Let’s offend more religions
The British really don’t care about religion. Disrespecting minority religions is a sign of integration.”
heheheheheheeheh.
Thats actually quite true.
Also minority religions managing to take the piss outta themselves too.
Siddharth,
“Another Forum or Council, this time Hindu, but still a self-appointed leader and mouthpeice of an entire community get their 15 minutes of fame…”
Actually Ramesh Kallidai http://www.hinduforum.org/Default.aspx?sID=766&cID=78&ctID=36&lID=0 as you can see here is much, much more than a self-appointed leader (as most leaders usually are in informal contexts). Now just as Rituparno Ghosh has taken it upon himself to speak on behalf of some people and “the theme of repressed-sexuality and religious offence” Kallidai thinks it is important to take up certain issues that he believes (and many agree) are important to the public understanding of Hinduism. Any problems? Or do you think he shouldn’t talk and simply remain silent? Now if the matter is put to vote or for public comment you could have your say. Do you realise you too are acting as some sort of self-appointed spokesman for the community in presuming that this is no issue at all?
Shiva: What does this have to do with Hinduism per-se?
I was wondering when we would be able to put a name to yet another myopic gesture of spiritual territorialism. Ramesh Kallidai must have an empty diary as secretary general of the forum if this is what it takes to offend the HFB. While for most Hindus in the world this issue of a painting of a man and woman worshipping g-d on a 68p stamp wouldn’t even show on the radar.
In the meantime, lets have a big slanging match about this in the PP comments box insult each other’s beliefs. Yeah!
Siddharth,
Some myopic gestures of spiritual territorialism from Ramesh
# Secretary General, Hindu Forum of Britain
# Cultural Ambassador, London 2012 Bid
# General Secretary, Hindu Centre for Communications (HINCOM)
# PRO, Hindu Council (Brent)
# Member, Race Hate Crime Forum
# Independent Advisor, London Criminal Justice Board
# National Working Group, EU Campaign to Combat Discrimination
# Former Member of Executive Committee, Interfaith Network of the UK
# Columnist, Asian Voice (largest circulating English weekly for Asians in UK)
Publications and Papers:
# Illusion and Reality: University of Surrey, May 2000
# Expanding the Sphere of Love, Millennium Trust, March 2001
# Using the UML Uniformly, City University, April 2001
# Suggested Changes to Legislative Framework on Religious Discrimination, Department of
Trade & Industry, 23 January 2002
# Response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Religious Offences, November 2002
# Hindus and the Establishment, Conference of Hindu Organisations, 2002
# Response to Home Affairs Select Committee on Anti-terrorism and Community Relations, 2004
Glad to see you are getting busy spokespersonning for the Hindu community. Now you think that Hindus “shouldn’t” waste their time on something like this. Ramesh and a fair number of Hindus think otherwise. And that is what we are discussing here right?
Is that Yeah? I am not interested.
One of Ramesh’s papers from that list looks interesting:
Response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Religious Offences, November 2002
Any chance that this issue of an offensive stamp is possibly another to add to this paper’s long list of reference? Do you have an url for it if its online?
I’m not “getting busy spokespersonning” for anyone. But Ramesh is. Which is why he, and you who post his resumé on his behalf, should be prepared to explain your position on why this painting is so offensive to Hindus first and shoot later.
Ramesh on behalf of HFB has explained why he feels offended. What is there to explain? Obviously you have one point of view while the HFB has another. I am arguing about something else. The HFB and its Secretary General work on a number of different issues. The Hindu community is not a religious community (check SN Balagangadhara for what I mean) so the organizations that speak on its behalf may not appear to have the same mandate from within as their counterparts in communities of other faiths (such as with the Churches). However among the British Hindus the Hindu COuncil of UK and the Hindu Forum of Britain have emerged in recent years and come to enjoy the support of a large number of Hindus - at least among those who are concerned about cerain matteres related to the practice and understanding of the faith. Hindus who disagree with these organisations may well be its members.
I do not know whether Ramesh is going to add this particular action to his resume. The paper you cite, from its title, does not seem to be about a single action. No I haven’t read the paper and do not have a url for it. But since you live in the UK as does Ramesh you could try to call him over the phone and ask to read it. And while you are at it you could discuss your disagreement and then if Ramesh is agreeable to it you could post a report of your discussion here. Now that would take things forward. Right?
Al-Hack stop trying to equate HFB with MCB. They dont support terrorists like MCB nor say unpleasent things about other-religions unlike the people from MCB.
The General Secretary of Vishwa Parhishad UK, Kishore Ruparelia, has claimed that publishing this stamp is
“a deliberate attempt to dilute the thinking of ordinary Hindus.”
What about that then?
The VHP would like nothing more than to do the thinking for ordinary Hindus. Someone should pull them up on having such a bad opinion of Hindus and their thinking patterns.
VHP is just a bunch of thugs who arent taken seriously even in the Hindutva circles.
This stamp comes amidst a very concerted effort to convert India to Christianity and to drive a stake through the heart of Hinduism. That is why it is offensive.
“This stamp comes amidst a very concerted effort to convert India to Christianity and to drive a stake through the heart of Hinduism. That is why it is offensive”
So you claim. India’s a free country as far as proselytising of religion is concerned (despite concerted hindutva efforts to restrict this freedom of Indians recently). Mumbling about the missionaries and treating christian converts like they had no mind or will of their own simply reveals the fascistic thinking that hindutvaris have always revelled in.
A stake through the heart of hinduism! Come on now.
Hinduism has survived native competitors like Jainism ,Buddhism and Sikhism, a millenia of various muslim invasions and rule and 3 centuries of British christian rule. It has held on to the majority of its own adherents despite treating them like dirt due to the bloody caste system, so it is a really resilient religion.You’d best stop worrying about the faith of other Indians, it is no business of yours, really.
X - this is a bit like an elephant complaining about being molested by a few flies.
The religious right will of course complain about proselytising missionaries because most of the people converting to Christianity are the very poor and powerless and are trying to break away from the rigid caste system that hinders their progress.
(Rich & powerful people rarely ever bother converting, have you noticed? Not many middle-class afro-american people are joining the Nation of Islam, for example nor are middle-class Brahmin Hindus cueing up to convert to Christianity)
The largest conversion in recent history was that of lower-caste Hindu followers of Dr Ambedkar to Buddhism - again for the same reason.
If Hindu leaders are really bothered about such conversions then may be it is time for a more relaxed and less ossified caste structure that allowed people more social flexibility - I believe a very long time ago that was the case.
Is this what you have in mind?
http://www.shastras.org/
http://www.shastras.org/Idamani.html
Coruja
Religious conversions are another thing… Christian conversions in India are sheer opportunitism. Moreover Brahmins are only 3% of Indias population while Middle class is 35-40%. Middle class consists of all castes.. yes even the oppressed castes.
Vikrant,
Brahmins are to be found in all classes of society even among the super-rich. Again there is no one “brahmin” caste - there are all sorts of brahmins - north, south, east and west. The Kashmiri brahmin is very different from the Bengali brahmin who in turn is very different from the Namboodiri in Kerala. PC Mahalanobis - founder of the Indian Statistical Institute, Calcutta, founder of modern statistical research, in a survey of biometric features of communities in Eastern India during the ’30s found that members of any Bengali caste had more in common with their fellow Bengalis than they had with their counterparts from the “same caste” in other linguistic communities. For Ambedkar the castes were nothing more than artefacts of economic domination; for Gandhi the past did not matter in the quest for oneness.
http://www.suntimes.co.za/2000/12/17/news/durban/ndbn02.htm
See them howl!
—
Flies on an elephant? More like anopheles mosquitos or tsetse flies, carrying the strains of what is fundamentally an intolerant religion.
Care to refute any of this?
http://www.deschner.info/index.htm?/en/work/kg/criminalhistory.htm
Christianity’s Criminal History
Karlheinz Deschner.
X,
Don’t be so hysterical! Sheesh, guys like you and that asshole hindu-scholar-my foot Thayalan Reddy seem to spend more time fanning the flames of religious intolerance than doing anything constructive for yourselves and yours. Why is that?
The issue is one of mutual respect not just multiculturalism and historical art. Royal Mail claimed that it is OK to have the stamp because it is historic 17th Century art. My foot! I have seen paintings in the Smithsonian where white traders are whipping pregnant black ladies. These are pre-abraham-lincoln paintings and are historic. Does that mean they are appropriate enough for stamps just because it is historical art?
There is also a dialogue organised by the Church of England called the Hindu Christian Dialogue who were concerned about the controversy. Christian members of the Dialogue asked for a statement in support of the stamp because the stamp showed a good example of multicultural and multifaith understanding of the personality of Christ. Hindu members replied by asking the Christians if they would object to a stamp of two Christians holding Baby Krishna. There was a stony silence from the Christians as they did not wish two Christians to be worshipping Krishna. Apparently, it is OK for Hindus to be tolerant and worship Christ, but is wrong for Christians to worship Krishna. This is the point - multi-faith respect needs to be mutual - not rammed down one’s throat.
HFB’s point was more about this than just Hindus worshipping Christ.
Well, what about Christian fundamentalists in the North East of India then? Newspaper reports in the Indian Express and the Times of India have described how tribals are being held at gunpoint to convert to Christianity otherwise their homes would be burnt and land usurped. In Tripura, where only 2% are Christians, terrorists have issued edicts that Hindus cannot celebrate Durga Puja on the streets, cannot put Tilaks, and last year a Swamiji who defied to celebrate Durga puja was shot dead. These are Christian Terrorists - yet people seem to think that Christianity with its gory history of terrorism from the times of the Crusades, the Inquisition and the Conquistadors is actually benign!
Janardan,
I never make the mistake of thinking any religion, let alone especially bloody Christianity, benign!
Christianity , which by some accounts is the fastest growing faith especially in asia and africa (not Islam), is far more an agrressive faith where it is at strength and its character in those places, is far from the rather effete COE type. In my book, christian fundamentalists who interfere in other people’s personal lives- be they abortion bombers or naga vigilantes- should be dealt with as forcefully as any other terrorists.
But coming back to the stamp, only one of your arguments has validity- that of the ‘multiculturalism’ dialogue with the semitic religions being a one-way street, often at the expense of far more tolerant religions like hinduism and buddhism. My personal experience tends to bear this out. But that is really no reason to become like THEM and get paranoid in the service of a jealous deity.
Pictures of a Desecration
Photo Report of Hindu Ritual at Fatima
by John Vennari,
Editor, Catholic Family News
Actual Photos from SIC Television Broadcast Tell the True Story
Catholic Family News, through the help of The Fatima Center, has obtained a video copy of the SIC television broadcast of the Hindu ritual performed at Fatima. As reported last month, the sacrilege took place on May 5, 2004 with the blessing of Fatima Shrine Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima, Serafim de Sousa Ferreira e Silva.
May 5, 2004: A Hindu ritual was performed at Fatima in the Capelinha, the Chapel built on the spot where Our Lady appeared.
SIC, a national television station in Portugal, reported on the Hindu ritual at Fatima the same day it took place. The announcer called it an “uncommon ecumenical experience.”
The broadcast shows morning prayer at the Radha Krishna temple in Lisbon. “Light and water, energy and nature, mark the rhythm of the Arati, the morning prayer,” the announcer said. “Hinduism is the oldest of the great religions. It is characterized by multiple deities, worshiped through a triple dimension of life and sacredness: the creator god, the preserver god, and the god who has the power to destroy.”
Thus the Hindus spent the morning worshiping their false gods, which are nothing more than demons. Saint Francis Xavier, the apostle to India, said of Hinduism: “All the invocations of the pagans are hateful to God because all their gods are devils.”1
A young Hindu woman appears on screen with statues of gods in the background. She explains, “This is god Shiva and his wife Parvati. In the center we can see god Rama, to our right his wife Sita and to our left, his brother and companion Lakshmama. Now we can see Krishna Bhagwan and his consort Radha. The deities are always accompanied by their respective consorts or wives. As a rule, when we address the deities or want to ask for their graces, we address the feminine deity, who is very important to us.”
About 60 Hindus, said the broadcast, “leave Lisbon with the chandam, the sign on their foreheads which shows the wish for good fortune in a noble task. And this is the day dedicated to the greatest of all female deities. She is called the Most Holy Mother, the goddess Devi, the deity of nature who many Portuguese Hindus also find in Fatima.”
Another young Hindu lady explains, “As a Hindu, who believes the whole world, or rather all human beings, are members of a global family, it would be natural for me to see any manifestation of god, including Our Lady of Fatima, as a manifestation of the same god.”
Here, this young lady speaks as a true Hindu, since Hinduism regards the various false gods they worship as manifestations of “god”. Thus, they are not honoring Our Lady as the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but worshiping Her as a manifestation of their pagan god.
The newscast then shows the Hindus bringing flowers to the statue of Our Lady inside the Capelinha, the little chapel built over the spot where Our Lady of Fatima appeared. The Hindu ‘priest’ stands at the Catholic altar and recites a Hindu prayer. Meanwhile, the SIC announcer says, “This is a unique moment in the history of the Sanctuary and of devotion itself. The Hindu ‘priest,’ the Shastri, recites at the altar the Shanti Pa, the prayer for peace.”
Pope Pius XI, in a liturgical prayer consecrating the human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, prayed for the conversion of all who are not members of the Mystical Body. He invoked Our Lord, “be Thou King of all those who are deceived by the darkness of idolatry.”2 This idolatry is now practiced at the Fatima Shrine, desecrating the sacred site, making it necessary for the chapel to be re-consecrated.
Front page of October 24, 2003, Fatima bi-weekly Notícias de Fátima reporting on the interfaith Congress under the headline, “Sanctuary of Various Creeds”. The caption under the front-page photo reads: “The future of Fatima will be able to pass through the creation of a Shrine where the different religions can live together. The interreligious dialogue which, today, we are engaged in, is still in an embryonic phase, but this Shrine is not indifferent to this fact and assumes from this moment on a ‘universalist vocation’.” It is a sad truth that the syncretistic “interfaith” orientation is now underway at Fatima, whether it is officially called an “Interfaith Shrine” or not.
In another clip, the Hindu ‘priest’ explains that he finds a “divine energy” at Fatima. “It is an energy that permeates the whole place,” he says. “It has the power to be present here, around us. Whenever I come here, I feel this vibration …”
SIC then explains that the display of this group of Hindus at Fatima “is not well-accepted by all Catholics”. The camera then shifts to Fatima Shrine Rector Guerra, who defends Hindu worship at the Catholic Shrine.
“It is obvious” says Rector Guerra, “that these civilizations and religions are quite different. But I think that there is a common background to all religions. There is a common background that, how can I put it, is born from the common humanity we all possess. And it is very important that we recognize this common background, because, due to the clashes of the differences, we sometimes forget our equality. These meetings give us that occasion.”
The Hindus are then welcomed by the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima in a room containing a large model of the modernistic Fatima Shrine now under construction. “This time,” says the broadcast, “the Hindu pilgrims are received as if they were an embassy, an unheard of gesture which can be understood as an invitation for other visits.” This means that the pagan desecration of the Fatima Shrine is likely to happen again and again.
The Bishop of Leiria-Fatima then says, “We don’t want to be fundamentalist, we don’t want that, but we want to be honest, sincere and want to communicate by osmosis the fruitfulness of our rituals, so that we may produce fruits. I am pleased to meet them.”
At this point, the Hindu ‘priest’ places on the shoulders of the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima and Shrine Rector Guerra a shawl covered with verses of the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s sacred books.
The report ends with a close-up of a guest book that includes the signatures of Pope John Paul II, Mother Teresa, and a Hindu ‘high priest’. It goes on to say that Hindus intend to keep Fatima “on the road map of places where they claim they can find vibrations of holiness …”
Catholic Family News and The Fatima Center have reported on the interfaith orientation at Fatima since it was launched at the interreligious Congress held at Fatima in October 2003. We warned repeatedly that this type of desecration was inevitable if Catholics did not resist the new ecumenical program.
Predictably, the enablers of the “New Fatima,” such as Father Robert J. Fox, ridiculed our efforts and tried to dissuade Catholics from taking us seriously. Father Fox, on an April 25 EWTN broadcast, claimed that the reports about the interfaith activity at Fatima were nothing but “fabrications,” that he knows Shrine Rector Guerra personally, and that Rector Guerra would never allow such interfaith activities to take place. Less than two weeks after this EWTN broadcast, the Fatima Shrine was desecrated by pagan worship, with the blessing of Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima.
Pope Leo XIII, along with his predecessors, taught “we are bound absolutely to worship God in the way which He has shown to be His will.”3 Hinduism worships false gods who are demons. It is sacrilegious for Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Fatima to permit these rituals in a Catholic sanctuary.
On an April 25 EWTN program, Father Robert J. Fox ridiculed the Catholics resisting the new interfaith program at Fatima, he said that all reports of interfaith activity at Fatima were mere “fabrications,” and that Shrine Rector Guerra would never allow such things to take place. Less than two weeks later, the Hindu ritual was performed at Fatima with Rector Guerra’s approval.
Pope Pius XI called it “ignominious” to place the true religion of Jesus Christ “on the same level with false religions.”4 Pope Leo XIII likewise taught “it is contrary to reason that error and truth should have equal rights.”5 Thus the “equality” that Msgr. Guerra speaks of, and his notion of various religions coming from a “common background,” defies Catholic truth.
Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima are also guilty of grave scandal. Their actions tell these poor Hindus, who are in bondage to a heathen religion, that they are pleasing to God as they are. This is contrary to the manifest will of Christ, Who said, “No one comes to the Father but through Me.” “He who believes and is baptized will be saved, He who does not believe will be condemned.” Hindus reject Jesus Christ. They have no interest in embracing baptism and the truths revealed by God. Rector Guerra and the Bishop of Leiria-Fatima counsel and encourage this Hindu idolatry. By their bad example, they scandalize not only the Hindus, but others who observe their actions.
“Scandal” says Saint Thomas Aquinas, “is a word or act which gives occasion to the spiritual ruin of one’s neighbor.” Saint Leo calls the authors of scandal murderers who kill not the body but the soul. Saint Bernard says that, in speaking of sinners in general, the Scriptures hold out hope of amendment and pardon, but the Scriptures speak of those who give scandal as persons separated from God, of whose salvation there is very little hope.6
Perhaps this is why we see a spiritual blindness in these men. They persist in their apostasy despite the outrage from concerned Catholics. Nonetheless, we must pray for them.
And what of the Hindus themselves? According to the Hindus, the Shastri comes to Fatima because he feels there a “divine energy,” “vibrations of holiness”; members of all religions worship the same god and are part of the “global family”.
This is the language of paganism, not of our received Catholic Tradition. “Holy vibrations” is what Hindus call Shakti, and they go to various places to seek it. They will rush to be in the presence of the Dalai Lama or Pope John Paul II or Ghandi because this gives them Darshan, the good fortune that comes from being in the sight of a holy man. Each and every one of their terms is rooted in heathen superstition, not in the truths revealed by Christ.
In short, the Hindus did not go to the Fatima Shrine to be Catholicized. Rather, they Hinduized the Fatima Shrine, folding their pagan myths and superstitions into one of Catholicism’s most sacred sites.
This is not honoring the Mother of God, but a blasphemy against Her, since there is nothing honorable in placing Our Lady on the same level as one more goddess in their pantheon of demonic deities. “What concord hath Christ with Belial?”, says Saint Paul, “or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:15)
At the end of the visit, the Hindus presented Msgr. Guerra and the Bishop of Fatima with a shawl covered with verses of the Bhagavad Gita. This book contains a story which illustrates a central tenet of Hinduism.
Arjuna, a warrior, is on the eve of a great battle. He dreads the next day, because he knows he will have to kill his friends, relatives, teachers. Arjuna’s charioteer, who turns out to be the god Krishna in disguise, tells Arjuna not to fear the coming battle because none of it is real. No one is going to die. All of it, and all of life, is illusion.7
Arjuna then thrusts himself into the bloody conflict believing it to be his Dharma, his given path, to hack his friends and relatives to pieces. It is all illusion anyway. No one really dies. This is Hinduism in a nutshell. You are god, everything else is illusion.
Catholics who behold the Fatima Shrine Rector and the Bishop of Fatima draped in shawls laden with verses from a pagan mythology, certainly would wish that the Hindu desecration of Fatima was an illusion, that none of it was real.
But no, it really happened. And Catholics must register their outrage to Rome and to Fatima, as they offer prayers of reparation for Catholic leaders who hand over the chapel of Our Lady of Fatima to a religion whose god is the devil.
Somewhere tucked in the Guardian today I saw that the Royal Mail had decided to pull the plug on this: “We realised that we should have consulted further”.
Controversy over.
True Hindu scriptures preach ABSOULTE FREEDOM OF THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS. No Hindu is ever excommunicated from Hinduism. Even atheists can proclaim they are Hindus. Rig Veda states: LET NOBLE THOUGHTS COME TO US FROM EVERY SIDE[ Ref: AM I A HINDU? http://www.amiahindu.com/
Many misunderstand Hindus and Hinduism. So always the jokes are on "Hindus and Hinduism." Nobody dare to talk about ISLAM or CHRISTIANITY. We know the reason why? Others will scream and fight back.. Hindus never fight back. They always preach peace.
If the Royal Mail wants to use their stamps to teach the world about world religions and cultures, why cannot they also publish stamps that states that “There is only One God, but men call that God, different names. Why cannot they publish a stamp depicting the fact that ALL EASTERN RELIGIONS CAME FROM HINDUISM and all western religions such as ISLAM & CHRISTIANITY came from JUDAISM. [ Ref http://www.amiahindu.com/ ]
2. Why can’t they make a stamp showing a Christian evangelist praying to Lord Krishna?
NO they will do no such as a thing? Why? Truth hurts.
Just like Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men
: “You can’t handle the truth!