Dual devotee: the Revd David Hart at a shrine to Ganesh
becoming acquainted with a turban.
The Leicester Mercury article from July
Posted on 09/10/2006 10:17:36 AM PDT by NYer
AN ANGLICAN CLERIC who converted to Hinduism has had his permission to officiate as a priest in the Ely diocese renewed for three years.
The cleric, the Revd David Hart, aged 52, now lives in India, where he carries out Hindu priestly duties in the temple in his village of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Mr Hart, who has taken the Hindu name Ananda, blesses the daily congregation of about 60 with fire that has previously been offered to Nagar, the snake god. The ritual, he said, was normally performed only by Hindu priests.
Mr Hart is also the international secretary of the World Congress of Faiths, and in April this year published a book about his conversion to Hinduism.*
He has also been an Anglican priest since 1984, and owns a house in the diocese of Ely. In July, he had his permission to officiate renewed for another three years by the diocesan bishop, Dr Anthony Russell. The certificate arrived with a personal letter from the Bishop.
On Tuesday, the Bishop reported that he had not known about Mr Hart’s conversion to Hinduism when giving him permission to officiate. He said he had been sent a letter from a fellow bishop confirming that Mr Hart was a “safe” person to whom permission could be given.
The Bishop’s lay chaplain, Dr Bridget Nichols, said that the news was “a complete revelation to us”. “The first time we had heard that David Hart had converted to be a Hindu was yesterday,” she said. This was despite Mr Hart’s book, and an article in the Leicester Mercury in July.
“We cannot keep an eye on all our non-resident clergy who have permission to officiate. We cannot know what is going on. They maybe will celebrate communion five or six times a year.” A personal letter did not mean the Bishop knew the recipient. “We take an application for permission to officiate in good faith,” she said.
Mr Hart admitted on Tuesday that he had not told the Bishop of his conversion, but said that he would be “amazed” if his Hinduism “was treated with any suspicion by episcopal authority. I have neither explicitly nor implicitly renounced my Christian faith or priesthood.” His renewal of permission to officiate had been “sponsored” by the Rural Dean of Colombo in Sri Lanka, he said.
He believed his move “will rather be read in the spirit of open exploration and dialogue which is an essential feature of our shared modern spirituality”.
He said on Monday that he felt he could still celebrate as an Anglican priest when he visited England, although he would continue to visit a Hindu temple. “My philosophical position is that all religions are cultural constructs. I am acting out God’s story in local terms.”
becoming acquainted with a turban.
The Leicester Mercury article from July
Ping!
Watch-this-space™ Ping!
Let the hypocrisy flow!
Unlike izlam, Hinduism last i heard doesn't mandate death for apostasy. So, experimenting with Hinduism isn't 'risky business' quite.
In any case, I would guess Hinduism would anyday now proclaim Jesus an avatar of Vishnu and thereby attempt to co-opt christianity, eh? / Just kiddin'
BTW, Hindu extremists have been known to murder Christian missionaries and their children.
Fortunately not all Hindus are extremists, but they are not unknown. They usually satisfy themselves by murdering Moslems.
There was a thread on this a couple of days ago.
That was one incident.
And Hindus aren't exactly totally safe in the US either. Remember the dot-busters?
He has also been an Anglican priest since 1984, and owns a house in the diocese of Ely. In July, he had his permission to officiate renewed for another three years by the diocesan bishop, Dr Anthony Russell. The certificate arrived with a personal letter from the Bishop.
The Bishop, along with the priest, should be given a swift kick in the behind that carries them right out the front door!
That has already been done long ago.
No, I do not recall the "dot busters". Were you a member perhaps?
I know you addressed this to CarrotandStick, but I seriously doubt he's a member. Here's an article about it. Very sad.
BTW, that's what our little budy "Bucky" Phillips was up to ~ are we supposed to cheer this sort of thing or just recognize it for what it is.
Dose he REALLY think he can serve TWO Masters?
And oneof those masters is that old serpent......Satan
Muawiyah, you are a reasonable person and I enjoy reading your posts.
However, I don't know if you were being ironic here with your statement that "Sounds like quite traditional immigrant bashing." Were you implying that in case of the dot busters, violence was merely a "traditional act" while similar infrequent acts in India were somehow representative of Hindu extremism, and Hinduism, as a whole?
If Christians are only occassionally murdered that's simply because they're smarter (and know where to hide ~ the "catacombs tradition" takes many forms).
Now, about "dot busting", it would seem you didn't see the film "Gangs of New York". The Butcher felt it his duty to smack around immigrants.
He was not exactly a figure of imagination. We even had a political party dedicated to the practice.
And "Bucky" ~ he's an Indian (American type) and the great immigrant nation that first stole and then grew up on his native land has kept him locked up 20 of the last 23 years. From his perspective, "the man" is an immigrant eh!
I fear you glossed over my literary references too quickly.
Since the "dot buster" event seems to have taken place in New Jersey (and not in this neighborhood where almost everybody is an immigrant from everywhere on Earth), I'd suggest that you did not have "nativists" commiting the violence. There is a large immigrant Moslem population in that same area. Odds are good they were simply carving out an area for themselves without any Hindus.
Again, more of that "communal violence" but imported, this time from India.
Or, the serpent Moses held up in the wilderness as a sign. (which, as I think of it now, sounds profoundly Hindu ~ Ram stands in front of a multi-headed cobra playing his flute.)(gad!)
Well, at least he's a republican.
(/clueless)
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