Outraged
groups write to Clinton to protest remarks
Derogatory references to Hinduism in prayer book
offend the Indian community
By AZIZ HANIFFA
http://www.indiaabroadonline.com/PublicAccess/ia110599/SpecialReport/OutragedGrps.html
WASHINGTON -- Several Hindu and Indian-American organizations
have complained to United States President Bill Clinton, Attorney General Janet Reno and
pro-India U.S. lawmakers, about the Southern Baptists' efforts to convert Hindus to
Christianity.
The Southern Baptists raised the ire of Jewish leaders last month by
distributing a book urging members to evangelize Jews during the 10 holy days of Yom
Kippur. Published by the Southern Baptists' International Mission Board, the book elicited
charges of arrogance and religious insensitivity.
In a new proselytizing campaign launched last week, the same
Christian denomination published another prayer book aimed at converting Hindus to
Christianity.
The latest book asks Southern Baptists to pray for the conversion
of Hindus during Diwali, the festival of lights commemorating Hindu God Rama's return from
exile.On Oct. 22, the Baptists' International Mission Board began distribution of the
guide in its more than 40,000 churches across the country.
The pamphlet describes Hindus, in its very first sentence, as
"more than 900 million people lost in the hopeless darkness of Hinduism." It
goes on to say: "Pray that Hindus, who celebrate the festival of lights, would become
aware of the darkness in their hearts that no lamp can dispel."
Needless to say, Hindu leaders were incensed at the contents of
the prayer book, which described them as relics of an ugly colonial age.
Suresh Gupta, president of the Durga Temple in Fairfax,
Virginia, wrote to Clinton, complaining that such a depiction during the most sacred time
of the year for Hindus was nothing short of sacrilege.In the letter, on behalf of the
Association of United Hindu and Jain Temples, Gupta said "while the International
Mission Board may have the right to publish such derogatory material, the Hindu community
is outraged by its ignorant and hateful message and actions."Gupta informed Clinton
that the Hindu religion is "fundamentally tolerant, peaceful and accepting of
alternate religious practices. We practice universal values of love, respect for elders
and teachers, and esteem for education."
"We value the sanctity of marriage and endeavor to be
productive citizens that give back to the community," Gupta said. "A Hindu is,
essentially, one who incorporates these values into his or her way of life. We do not
believe in attempting to convert people, as we do not think lesser of others. We believe
in the idea of karma ("Do good to others without regard of reward").
He charged that the Southern Baptists' International Mission
Board was putting "a damper on our happy and joyous festival of Diwali ('festival of
lights')."When asked for a reaction, White House spokesman Barry Toiv provided India
Abroad with the standard response that the President believes in diversity and
tolerance. He, however, refused to react specifically to the Southern Baptists' modus
operandi.
"Under our Constitution," Toiv said, "the
government neither promotes any particular religion nor interferes with the practices of
any religion.""However, I will say this," he asserted, "the President
believes very strongly that one of our great strengths as a nation is our diversity of
religion and cultures and our tolerance for those who have different beliefs from our
own."
Subash Razdan, chairman of the board of trustees of the National
Federation of Indian American Associations (NFIA), which claims to be the largest
Indian-American organization representing all faiths, wrote a letter to Reno, along with
copies to Clinton, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Frank Pallone, New Jersey
Democrat and founder and former co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian Americans, Indian Ambas-sador Naresh Chandra and the editor of The Washington
Post (which first broke the story of the Southern Baptists' plans for Diwali).
Razdan said in his letter: "Suggesting 900 million people
(are) lost in the hopeless darkness of Hinduism is nauseating. Ridiculing idol worship and
insinuating Hinduism as ignorant, has produced a great amount of consternation and
distress to those who subscribe to Hindu religion, directly or indirectly, in this country
where religious freedom and expression of religious thoughts are guaranteed under the
Constitution."
"In the year 1999, when the world is about to embark into
the new millennium, it is almost unimaginable that a sophisticated Southern Baptists'
International Mission Board would resort to such petty propaganda that reminds us of the
Dark Ages, whether it be the Inquisition of the 14th century, or the persecution of the
Jews by the Nazis, or even insidious persecution of the Catholics in the U.S.," he
said.
Razdan called on Reno to instruct the FBI to investigate
"this recent Southern Baptist misadventure of maliciously knocking down another man's
faith to promote its own theological agenda.""Their slander, timed with the
festive and sacred celebrations of Diwali," Razdan charged, "smacks of hypocrisy
and ignorance of American, and of course, Indian, history!" "Ridiculing other
religions does not reflect the Christian mind, nor does it befit coming from a religious
mission in a country which has proclaimed it to be a champion of human rights," he
added.
Razdan then went on to provide pages of information about Indian
Americans, Hinduism and India "that will help with the investigations and
consequently prevent recurrence of such dangerous and irresponsible statements from the
Mission Board in future."
Gupta told India Abroad that "they (the Southern
Baptists) did the same thing to Jews, to Muslims, and the next thing they want to do is
vilify the Buddhists and Sikhs." The Southern Baptists' 16-page prayer guide, in the
form of a pocket-book, is a kind of cultural anthropology written from a missionary
perspective, with each page showing a snapshot of life in India described through a
Christian lens.
For example, "Mumbai is a city of spiritual darkness. Eight
out of every 10 people are Hindu, slaves bound by fear and tradition to false gods."
Another example, "Satan has retained his hold on Calcutta
through Kali and other gods and goddesses of Hinduism. It's time for Christ's salvation to
come to Calcutta."
The Southern Baptists strongly defended the proselytizing
campaign, with Randy Sprinkle, who oversaw the book's publication, telling the Post,
"If I had a Hindu sitting right here at my desk, I would apologize if I had been
offensive. Certainly God's love is not meant to be offensive." Sprinkle recalled that
some people had "accused us of being arrogant when we were praying for the Jews of
the world. I would acknowledge that there is an element of arrogance. But it's the
arrogance of truth."
But Gupta shot back, "If I had you sitting here, I would not
want to convert you to be a Hindu. I would want you to live a good life."
The Southern Baptists are the second-largest Christian denomination in the
country. Since its organization in 1845 in Augusta, Georgia, the Southern Baptist
Convention has mushroomed to 15.8 million members who worship in more than 40,000 churches
across the country.Southern Baptists sponsor over 5,000 home missionaries in the U.S.,
Canada and the Caribbean, and also have about the same number of missionaries in 126
nations, including India.
Wendy Norvelle, associate vice president, Public Affairs for the
International Mission Board told India Abroad, "This was not intended to be
offensive and if we have offended, we apologize. We are simply wanting our Southern
Baptists to be more aware of people in the world and what they believe." "So this
was not meant to be offensive. We believe that everyone has the right to believe what they
will but if we are true to what we believe then we will share the good news of Jesus
Christ with everyone," she said. "We are trying to reach the Hindus because they
encompass a large number of people in the world."
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