Posted on 12/30/2001 6:14:13 PM PST by Justin Raimondo
Edited on 09/03/2002 4:49:49 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
The mob arrived armed with knives and clubs while Rev. Joy Punnose addressed the 120 missionaries gathered in the small town of Dohad in northern Gujarat, an Indian state where Christians have become almost daily targets for Hindu mobs.
The kicks, punches and slaps that followed were not unusual in the northern part of this country, the so-called Hindu belt, where dozens of Christian churches went up in smoke this year, an Australian missionary and his two sons were burned alive, another priest was beaten to death, nuns have been gang-raped, congregations terrorized and priests made to walk naked through village streets.
(Excerpt) Read more at media-watch.org ...
"Indonesia sees in 2002 with church bombs, deadly grenade blast"
The Hymn to Indra in Book 1 is pretty scary stuff if you ask me. The following translation is a lot tamer than the one in the book my professor assigned, which I will post after I get home. I don't know Sanskrit, so I can't say which is more accurate. However I think it still gets the point accross. The relevent passages are below, with my commentary. When I get back home in a couple weeks, I'll pull out my book and give you some more bloody sections of the Rig Veda.
With fairest hymns of praise adoring Indra, whom those who laud him must invoke in battle...thou [Indra] slewest with thy bolt the wealthy Dasyu, alone, yet going with thy helpers, Indra!
In my book it says that the "Dasyu," or "Dosas" as my book transliterates it, are non-Aryns who fail to worship the Hindu gods.
Far from the floor of heaven in all directions, the ancient riteless ones fled to destruction.
"Riteless ones" are again are non-Hindus. Most historians interpet these passages as Aryan invaders to thanking Indra for helping the slay population indiginous to India before the Invasion. Fighting with pious worshippers, the riteless turned and fled, Indra! with averted faces.
Hindu fundamentalists such as the BJP party interpret these verses as a liscence to kill (or persecute) non-Hinudus and lowcastes. They are "riteless Dosas," according to them since they do not honor Indra or any of the other Hindu gods.
I noticed someone this forum trying to downplay the significance of Hindu Fundamentalists in India. Well, folks, they control a major political party, the BJP, which I am farily certain controlled the India government not too long ago (and please correct me if I'm wrong). So this is hardly some fringe movement.
Hindu Fundamentalists have perpetuated mass murder of lowcastes in recent years. Here's a good link:
http://www.dalitstan.org/journal/genocide/dalits/dalits.html
A good link for information about Hindu anti-Christian violence, see this link:
http://www.dalitstan.org/journal/genocide/christians/christians.html
One last thing. It is undeniable that like the Koran, the Vedas contain sections that condone vilolence against those of different religions and that can be used to justify such violence. However, to characterize them as primarily containing such content is innacurate and uncharitable. I apologize for doing this.
I also concede that the passages in the violent passages in the Vedas pale in comparison to those in the Koran, and Hinduism comes nowhere near Islam when it comes to anti-Christian and anti-Western tendencies. My only point is that Hinduism is not all peace and love, as some people on this forum have been claiming.
With that, I bid you all a good night.
Jews? Plural? You take an isolated case and you make it seem like its an official Jewish policy.
Well, there was more than one Jew engaging in the activity, so yes, I believe the plural form is appropriate.
While I do not claim NT burning is "official Jewish policy," many "official" Jewish groups have had some pretty hateful things to say about Christian doctrine over the years.
What you would be perfectly justified in doing is calling me a fool for not understanding what David, or Moses was saying -- for insinuating the Bible calls for Christians to murder infidels.
Did your professor not teach you the difference between HINDU and INDIAN? Hindu is a religious term -- a political. There are many Indians who aren't Hindu, and lots of Hindus who aren't Indian.
It's late, and I'm tired so I'll have to be direct here. Hindu fundamentalism is about nothing but recognizing the divine in all creatures, both great and small. Even the Sudra, untouchables, dalits --whatever you wish to call them, can become self-realized and know *who they are.*
I do appreciate the time you've taken to dig up the quotes, but I assure you they have absolutely nothing to do with the activities of the BJP.
By the way, if you understood any Hindu philosophy at all, you would be able to understand the quotes in the proper context, which is that God is in, and in control, of everything.
There was? I recall the article mentioning 1 Jew burning 1 Testament, and the rest of Israel condemning the act. Who was the 2nd Jew? And speaking of book burning, wasnt' a whole Christian congregation burning Harry Potter just last week? There was an article on FR just few days ago.
While I do not claim NT burning is "official Jewish policy," many "official" Jewish groups have had some pretty hateful things to say about Christian doctrine over the years.
They did? Hateful things such as what? examples please.
Most? historians? Please name names.
The Aryan 'invasion' is far from being an accepted historical fact.
It is more a relic of 19th century European ideology.
Since Christmas 1998, Christians have been subjected to a reign of terror which has seen the murder of priests, the rape of nuns, the burning of churches, attacks on Christian schools and prayer halls, and other incidents carried out by supporters of the pro-Fascist Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the parent organization of the ruling BJP, which was formed in support of the Nazis.
RSS activists also burned missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, ages 8 and 10, to death while they slept in their jeeps. The killers gathered around the jeep chanting "Victory to Hannuman," a Hindu god. The Indian government's response to this atrocity is to throw Mr. Staines's widow out of the country.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told an audience in New York last year, "I will always be a Swayamsewak." One of hsi cabinet ministers were quoted as saying that everyone who lives in India must either be Hindu or be subservient to Hinduism.
And Christians aren't the only ones. Sikhs,Muslims, Dalit "untouchables," and other minorities have been subjected to the oppression of the militant, fundamentalist Hindu nationalists, the Hidutva fanatics who control India.
This is the real face of Indian secularism, and it is not pretty.
Sounds like you might agree with this: In reality, the BJP is, even from the standpoint of current-day capitalist politics, a party of the extreme right. It espouses Hindu chauvinism, militarism and anticommunism, while exalting entrepreneurial initiative.
Substitute the Christian coalition for BJP, and Hindu "chauvinism" with Christian "chauvinism, and we have something our unbiased media could have written about some of our own freepers, but no, I picked it up from the world socialist web-site. So, do you know what you are talking about, or just spreading socialist propaganda unwittingly?
The RSS is the "parent" of the BJP, but, neither organization is fascist nor were they formed in support of the Nazis. Your information about the "reign" of terror is bogus, too. Bring something other than propaganda (proof isn't necessary) from the CBN, the world-socialists, or Christianity today. While you're at it, maybe inform the Christian missionaries there's much work to do cleaning their own house before telling others how wonderful it is. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, or as that evil fascist BJP would say: Politics cuts all the way round.
Have a good day, and do let's get to the bottom of this -- if you want.
My own take from all I've been told and observed is that there is the usual bell shaped curve among Hindus as there is every other human group. Some hardly qualify as Hindus--their practices are so passive, weak and infrequent. Others are extremely extreme radicals.
What is of some concern is that some of us believe we can know from trends in recent decades; from Biblical predictions about this era and satan's plans and from news accounts as well as accounts from missionaries onsite--things are worsening often dramatically. And, given the ruling party's need to make capital of such emotions, it is likely to get worse still.
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