Pope includes Hindu verses in prayers on Good Friday

merinews ^ | Apr 14, 2009

[Gamecock]

HINDUS HAVE applauded Pope Benedict for including verse from ancient Hindu scripture Upanishads in the Good Friday Meditations and Prayers led by him at Roman Colosseum.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was a remarkable gesture from Pope and invited him to study more ancient Hindu scriptures, which were very rich in philosophical thought. He or other Hindu scholars would gladly provide the help and resources in this regard, if asked, Zed added.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, also commended His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for inclusion of a verse from India’s Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali and reference to peace icon Mahatma Gandhi in these prayers.

This year’s 'Way of the Cross at the Colesseum' Meditations and Prayers on Good Friday, led by Pope, included well-known verse from Brahadaranyakopanishad (“Lead me from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, from death to immortality”), line from Tagore’s Gitanjali (“Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service”) and reference to Mahatma Gandhi.

Rajan Zed stressed that all religions should work together for a just and peaceful world. Dialogue would bring us mutual enrichment, he added.

Pope Benedict heads the Roman Catholic Church, which is the largest of the Christian denominations. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksha (liberation) is its ultimate goal.

[FourtySeven]

So if a New Age Spiritulist prays ["lead us from darkness to light"] this it's perfectly acceptable?

Read what I posted again, in context, without an agenda to catch either me or the Pope in some kind of gotcha. Because that must be what you are doing, since I clearly stated, "The point is though, for that kind of service, on Good Friday, it’s perfectly acceptable to pray, “lead us from darkness to light” because that’s exactly what Christ did when He died on Good Friday. He descended into the grave, surely a “dark” place, and then proceeded to destroy our slavery to the grave, thus leading us to “light”."

Put another way, I don't care what some New Age freak does with his own mouth, in his own language, at whatever service they have. It doesn't matter. It can't matter that the same phrase used in a Christian service could also be used in some pagan service. Otherwise, I'm sure I could find some word or phrase from the Lord's Prayer that's just the same as some Satanic ritual or whatever, but does that mean the Lord's Prayer is pagan?

Of course not. The point is that if words or a phrase is co-opted by Christianity, it becomes Christian in context! Or else, we might as well concede the point that Christmas is a "pagan holiday", since it was, in fact, a pagan celebration before the Church came along.

Heck, maybe you are such a person. If so this point is already lost on you. Either way, this is a waste of time. It's pointless to argue this. It's ridiculous to suggest merely because a prayer was pagan at one point, that exact phrase somehow can't be used by Christianity. It's ridiculous to suggest that, when the prayer itself isn't directed to a pagan god but to Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.

[FourtySeven]

You must not have read this in my last post to you: “You can agree or disagree whether or not it’s a good idea to remember the Sacrifice Christ made on Good Friday. I don’t care. “

Either you didn’t read that, or you desperately need to have “the last word” about everything.

I don’t care either way.

[RetiredArmy]

Your joking, right? You do not believe that God is a triune God? Is that what you are telling me?

Okay. Let's start with Genesis 1:26. It says: "Let Us make man in Our likeness.

WHOM do you think the God Head was speaking of here? Us and Our. In my English language, that is more than one. Multiple.

Now, throughout the Bible, it speaks of the "Holy Trinity." It speaks of: "God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit." That is THREE my friend.

The triune God composed of three persons; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All individual personalities, yet functioning as one.

Matthew 28:19: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. THAT, my friend is THREE!

Acts 17:29, Romans 1:20 and Colossians 2:9. Each of these speak of the Godhead. The Godhead is all three personalities of God. In the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Oh, my misguided friend. Please, please open up a Bible and read. Get yourself a Study Bible. Get yourself a Strong's. Get yourself a Bible Reference Guide. Find yourself a good Sunday School class. Find yourself a good home Bible study group. Please do that. You are so misguided if you do not believe that the Godhead consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is not one. It is a triune God. God in three persons. I will pray for you, believe me I will include you. If you are following one of the cults which pulls out a line of scripture here and there and trys to make a doctrine out of it, oh please, get out. Find a real God believing church.

There are over 1,000 "religions" in America. Most of that entire number was created after 1850. Created here. Cults, misguided, lost people. No my friend, only in belief in the real God, Jesus the Creator, Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Son of the one and ONLY true living God. Please do that my friend. Before it is too late.

[netmilsmom]

LOL. I have no need to *debate* anyone who shoots to hostility. Lord Love ya!

[conservativegramma]

I have no need to *debate* anyone who shoots to hostility.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that statement. You've been bashing me telling me to 'get my rocks ready' and you accuse ME of being hostile???? Is the word hypocrite in your dictionary?

Well I don't know about hostility, but this debate is over when hypocrisy sneaks into the mix. And yet AGAIN you refuse to answer the question!

Call me when the pope tells you to drink your koolaid, you're going to need help. Until then you're now on ignore.

[Hodar]

I never said, or implied that there were not Three; I said they are NOT a single individual. The ‘Trinity’ belief is that God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost are the same entity.

You and I are in agreement, they are 3 distinct, separate entities. God the creator, Jesus the only begotten son, and the Holy Ghost. God works through great works (creation, flood, destruction of Sodom and Ghomorrah), Jesus through love and teaching, the Holy Ghost by influence.

The Godhead refers to the three entities, united in purpose. Each an individual, but working together for the salvation of mankind. Separate, individual, with unique abilities. Consider, what is the ‘unforgiveable sin’. You can deny God, and be forgiven. You can deny Christ, and be forgiven. I do believe that Saul (who later became Paul) did both of these things - openly and with great hostility. If God/Jesus/Holy Ghost are one and the same - how can you deny the Holy Ghost without out also denying God and Jesus?

If they were ONE individual, then I submit that Matthew AND Luke were lying when they wrote about the events of Jesus’s baptism. Jesus came out of the water, the Holy Ghost in the form of a Dove descened from Heaven and landed on his head, and a voice came from the Heavens proclaiming “This is my Son, in whom I am well pleased”.

I don’t think Jesus popped out of the water, had a pet chicken land on his head, and then did a Ventriloquist act and said “I sure did a good job ... I sure am happy with myself”.

Hence, my challenge with regard to the ‘Trinity’ concept.

[investigateworld]

You bet! Anyone think the Swiss Guard didn’t run a bomb sniffing dog,multiple x-rays,translators - the whole nine yards over everything?

[netmilsmom]

LOL. There is no ignore button on FR. So I will just hope you get some chocolate to make you feel better. Hugs!

[caww]

The point is that if words or a phrase is co-opted by Christianity, it becomes Christian in context!

And so a Pope recites a Hindu prayer honoring Hindus pagan religion, with them present, and it suddenly is transfigured into Christianity. So did he let them know that their prayer was now magically changed to Christianity under the authority and the power of his speaking it? I am correct...some catholics DO live in a Matrix of their own making.

[FourtySeven]

And so a Pope recites a Hindu prayer honoring Hindus pagan religion, with them present, and it suddenly is transfigured into Christianity. So did he let them know that their prayer was now magically changed to Christianity under the authority and the power of his speaking it?

It is you who are living in a fantasy Matrix if you believe what you wrote above.

The original article, despite bad translation errors, is about the Pope's intention to use these phrases as part of the Good Friday service he will lead this year.

Compare that with the fantasy you just claimed to be true, and then tell me who is in a Matrix of their own design.

[caww]

THIS is NOT Christian no matter what you think or say....it is a Hindu Mass at a Catholic Church....the Pope reciting a Hindu prayer at a Catholic service or otherwise does not magically change the event either or because you want to see it differently than the facts present.

http://www.cfnews.org/CF-HinduMass.htm

[investigateworld]

Hmmm Chocolate!

Actually, I'm meeting with a 'finish editor' to polish up a short story titled "The Day Padre Nop*ss Socked it To the West Virginia National Guard". It's a 'guy' story, so I won't go into details.

[caww]

HINDUS HAVE applauded Pope Benedict for including verse from ancient Hindu scripture.

Note they applauded the Pope...why? Because in doing so He acknowleged and approved of their religion. It doesn't matter what He thought or we think...THEY saw it as a confirmation and inclusiveness of their religion.

That is not what Christians are called to do...rather correct, oppose and preach the Gospel to those who oppose his teachings.....not INCLUDE them.

[caww]

You know I am going to say this......centuries ago the catholic church allowed this very type of thing to enter the church then...it mushroomed more and more until pagan beliefs became a part of their worship...nasty stuff was accepted and practiced....your Pope is opening up your church all over again to that which will in the end drag it into the abyss. They didn’t learn from the Inquistion and they are marked to repeat this with what they are permitting in their agenda now.....time will tell just as it did with the homosexual issue and all the other major issues the church now faces.

[investigateworld]

Actually,for enough money, some folks would read the Kama Sutra to the 'blind'.

(Forgive me Father, for I know I have sinned)

[Gamecock]

Have you chided the Romanists on this board for their continual bashing of Protestants?

If your answer is yes, your post is noted.

If no, your hypocrisy is noted.

[Quix]

I would probably check with the more spiritually tuned in Christians in that culture before I decided.

[Quix]

The

Vatican Alice In Wonderland School Of Theology, Reality Mangling, Chronic Professional Blaming, Wailing and Whining Institute

strikes again.

—Rubberized histories;
—Rubberized pseudo-’Bible;”
—Rubberized logic text;
—Rubberized math;
—Rubberized catechism;
—Rubberized altar boy training;
—Rubberized Fatima interpretations;
—Rubberized globalist encylicals;
—Rubberized salvation for ‘ET’s’

. . .

How can they NOT have their limited marbles bouncing all around their rubberized craniums?

[Quix]

Actually, given that the ET fallen angels are likely behind the Hindu stuff as they certainly were behind the Fatima stuff—it was all still IN THE FAMILY.

[Quix]

Enjoy your own biases and distorted conclusions.

You have plenty of company.

However, if you are interested in something few RC’s seem to be interested in . . .

THE TRUTH

. . . . here’s a good place to start re my posting style:

QUIX’S POSTING STYLE ETC:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2347476/posts