conversion to what - intolerance or transcendence - 1

7/31/2019 Conversion to What - Intolerance or Transcendence - 1

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Published by VOICE (Vedic Oasis for Inspiration, Culture and Education) Page 1 of 8

ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Pune, India

An ezine for those who think!

This article is a compilation of several conversations between HinduIntellectuals ( )and ISKCONScholars( )onvariousoccasions.Tocover the various issues in a systematic way, all these conversations arepresentedhereasone,continuousconversationbetweentwoindividuals.

An issueof great concern, even alarm, is the rampant conversiondonebyChristian

missionaries.

Let'sunderstandthisissueofconversionfromabroaderphilosophicalperspective.The

goalofallreligions includingChristianity istohelppeopledevelop loveofGod,toconvert

peoplefrombeingmaterialiststobecomingspiritualists.

Butdifferent people approachGod fordifferentmotives,which theVaishnava saintscholar

BhaktivinodaThakura

has

categorized

into

four

major

levels:

fear,

desire,

duty

and

love.

1. Fear: Some people fear, "If IdisobeyGod, thenHemay punishme formywrongdoings.SobetterletmepacifyHimbymyworship."Thissortofworshipis

certainlybetter thanatheism,but it isbasedonaverynegativeconceptionof

Godasasternjudge,asacosmicpunisher.

2.Desire:Somepeoplereason,"TherearesomanythingsIwant;ifIpraytoGod,perhapsHewillgivethemtome."HeretheconceptionofGodismorepositive,as

a potent desirefulfiller, but still the relationship is highly utilitarian,

beingbased

on

give

and

take

rather

than

love.

Srila

Prabhupada

would

saythatifwegotoGodtoaskforbread,thatshowsourloveforbread

morethanourloveforGod.

3.Duty:Somepeople reason,"Godhasalreadygivenmesomuch life,body,health, food,clothing, shelter. It ismy duty to go periodically toworship and

thankHim."Heretherelationship issomewhatsteadybeingbased

ongratitudeforwhathasalreadybeengivenandnotongreedfor

what one wants to receive. Still, over time, duty can become a

burden.Moreover,

the

focus

in

this

level

is

still

on

what

God

has

doneforme,notonGodHimself.


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4.Love:ThisisthepurestlevelofapproachingGod,whereapersonfeels,"MydearLord,Youarethesupremeobjectofmylove;Ihavebeenofferingmylovetosomany

peopleandthings,butthathasnevermademehappy.NowIsimplywant

to love and serve You eternally and I do notwant anythingmaterial in

returnfor

my

service;

Isimply

wish

to

love

You

and

to

be

loved

by

You.

Just

as a parent takes care of the child without the child having to ask his

parents, similarly, I know that You will take care of me. I will accept

whateverisYourplanformeandkeepservingYounomatterwhathappens

inmymaterial life". It isonly thispure love that can satisfyourhearts fully, for love isour

greatestanddeepestneed.

Conversionsarefruitfulonlyiftheyraiseaperson'slevelofapproachingGodbyofferingdeep

spiritualunderstandingorexperience.ModernChristianityoperateslargelyontheplatformsof

fearand

desire

despite

the

fact

that

Jesus

explicitly

emphasized

the

commandment

to

love

Godasthesupremecommandment. Itappearstomanyobserversthattheconversionsdone

byChristianmissionariestodayareprimarilyonthesametwolevels fearofeternaldamnation

and desire for material gain. More often than not, all that happens by such materially

motivatedconversions isthattheconvertschangefrombeingHindumaterialiststobecoming

Christianmaterialists.

But this conversion often makes a huge difference to the

convert'sattitudetowardhisoriginalculture.Whereashewasearlier

appreciativeof

or

at

least

neutral

to

Indian

culture,

he

now

becomes hostile to it. And often this hostility is fostered by some

Christian missionaries who decry Indic rituals and traditions as

demoniac.Sometimestheconverthasto"prove"hisconversionby

publiclydisowninghispastformsofworship,bybreakingorburning

thepicturesofHindugodsorevenspittingorstampingonthem.

This is very unfortunate and distressing to hear about...To place this in proper

perspective, let'sdiscuss the threecategories intowhichmodern thinkershaveclassified the

variousreligious

paths:

exclusivist,

pluralist

and

inclusivist.

Followers of the exclusivist path claim that their way is the only

exclusiveway toGod. They further claim that all thosewhodon't

accepttheirpatharedestinedtogotohell forever.Sotheybecome

intolerant to all other paths and believe that they are "saving"

peoplebyconvertingthemtotheirpath,nomatterwhatthemeans.

Religious exclusivity sometimes degenerates into fundamentalist

violence. This further puts off intelligent people, who are already

skepticalof

the

claim

to

exclusivity.

After

all,

ifGod

is

unlimited,

why

shouldoneparticularreligionhavemonopolyonthepathtoGod?


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(nodding): Most Christian missionaries are highly exclusivist. Hindu culture, on the

otherhand,hashistoricallybeenmorebroadminded.

Yes.The secondcategory ispluralism.Pluralism is the

notion that there are many paths to God. Nowadays, this

notion is sometimesexpanded to say that thereareasmany

paths toGodas therearepeople.While thisnotionseems to

promote religious tolerance, it often breeds spiritual

impotence.

(startled):Impotence?

A religious system can be compared to a university meant to train students in

knowledgeandloveofGod.Theclaimtoexclusivismisliketheclaimofamedicalstudentthat

his college is the only college that can produce doctors. This is obviously a fanatical and

fallaciousclaim.Theclaim topluralism,on theotherhand, is like theclaim

thatanybuildinganywherecanproducedoctors. Inthenameofpluralism,

Hinduism today has become such a hodgepodge that most Hindus today

have very little idea of what paths and goals their scriptures teach.

Consequently, when confronted with Christian missionary criticism of

Hinduism,manyHindusareunabletodefendtheirbeliefsandpractices.

(thoughtfully):Ihadneverthoughtoftheeffectsofpluralism inthatwayIcan'tsay

that Iagreeentirelywithwhatyousay; Iwillhave to thinkabout itButwhatwas the third

categoryyoumentioned?

Inclusivism. This teaches that therearenotmanypaths,butbasicallyonepathwith

manylevelsonit.Thepathtobecomeadoctorisessentiallyone:tostudythemedicalsubjects

and learn the relevantskills.Theremaybedifferentuniversities to teachmedicineand they

mayteach inslightlydifferentways,butthatdoesn'tmeanwe

unthinkingly accept every building everywhere as a medical

college. Unfortunately, this an uncritical acceptance of all

paths iswhathashappened in India.Consequently,although

religion is a big part of life in India, it has largely become

reducedtoasocialandculturalaffairthatprovidesabreakfrom

thedailyroutineandhasbecomedevoidofspiritualpotency.

Whatexactlydoyoumeanbyspiritualpotency?

Spiritual potency of religion means it ability to deliver nonmaterial or spiritual

happiness. The Srimad Bhagavatam declares bhakti pareshanubhava viraktir anyatra ca(11.2.42)"BhaktideliversexperienceofthetranscendentalSupremeLord,anexperiencewhich

is so satisfying, so enriching that it makes one detached from all other experiences." The

ultimatepurposeofallreligionistoenablepeopletoexperiencethedivinehappinessofloving


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God and thus become detached from selfish, materialistic

pleasures. TheVedic scriptures give clear, specific andpowerful

practicestohelpusexperiencethisspiritualhappiness.Butwhen

all paths are considered equalwithout evaluating their effects,

thenthe

potent

Vedic

path

gets

obscured

in

amedley

of

diluted

andpervertedpaths.Consequently,manyIndians,whofollowone

of these pseudoreligious paths, experience hardly any deep,

spiritualhappiness.So,whentheyaretemptedtofollowanother

paththatofferstangiblematerialbenefits,theyseenoreasontodesist.

Interesting. Inconnectionwithourdiscussionon threecategoriesofpaths, Iwant to

pointout apeculiar featureof Indian "secularism".Despite theovertly exclusivist claimsof

Christian missionaries, the Indian government and media pamper them in the name of

secularism.Secularism

should

basically

imply

governmental

impartiality

toward

all

religions.

In

countries likeUSA,secularismmeansthatminorityreligionsgetthefreedomtopracticetheir

beliefs and they democratically get a voice in the polity according to their sizes. And the

majorityreligion in USA protestant Christianity gets a respectable place and influence

accordingtoitselectoralstrength.ButinIndia,duetovotebankpolitics,secularismisabused

to provide special facilitation for minorityreligions and impose special restriction on the

majorityreligion.Forexample,today,inIndia,legallyitisfareasierto

startaChristianchurchoraChristianmissionaryschool then it is to

startaHindutempleoraHindumissionaryschool.Or,here'saneven

more egregious example: when Muslims want to go for Haj, the

government makes special arrangements and even subsidizes their

pilgrimage fare. But when Hindus want to go on pilgrimage to

Badrinath,thegovernmentoffersnosuchfacility.

Whatmakes thewhole issueworse is theprejudicedmediaportrayalby thewesternmedia

andthewesternizedIndianmedia.Historically,notmanycountrieshavebeenashospitableto

other cultures as India, thanks to theHindu culture ofwelcoming and respecting guests as

representativesofGod.Forexample,

IndiaisthecountrythatgaveasylumtotheChristianswhowerepersecutedin

Syria in Antioch andDamascus even in the fourth century. They have been

livingherepeacefullytillthisdate.

IndiagaveasylumtothePersianswhentheyhadtofleePersiaduetofearofthe

Arabian invaders.TheseZoroastrianswho tookasylum in theGujaratareaare

allleadingprosperousandfearlesslivestillthisdate.

WhentheJewssoughtasyluminIndiaafterbeingdrivenoutoftheirland,theywere

takencare

of

by

India.

This

was

not

the

case

with

several

countries

in

the

west

wheretheJewswerepersecuted.


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After the conquestofTibetbyChina, thepersecutedBuddhistsunder theDalai

Lama generously accommodated by India in McLeod Ganja in the Himachal

Pradesh,wheretheylivepeacefullyeventoday.

So,minoritieshave alwaysbeen givenprotection and facility to

live in India, thanks to theHindu ethos of tolerance. Butwhen

Hindustrytoprotecttheir legitimate interestsfromtheextreme

and fundamentalistactivitiesofsomeChristianmissionaries, the

mediaimmediatelybrandsthetolerantHindusasintolerantandthefundamentalistminorities

ashelplessvictims. It issad thatthesesituationshave ledtoviolentconflicts;violence inthe

nameof religion isunfortunate and regrettable.But the sponsoringof culturallydestructive

conversionisaformofextremismthatinflamesviolenceonbothsides.Itishightimethatthe

mediasettherecordstraightbyreportingbothsidesofthestoryfairly.

Thisgovernmental

and

media

antipathy

is

aided

by

the

intellectual

lethargy

of

Indians

in understanding their own national legacy. Indians don't protest against attacks on their

culturebecause theydon't realize thevalueofwhat they are losing. Inacademic studiesof

religion,thereistheconceptofreligiouscapital,whichreferstothedegreeofmasteryofand

attachment to aparticular religious culture.Abusinessmanmay readily giveuphis present

businessifhehasnotinvestedmuchcapitalinit,ifheisnotgettingmuchreturnsoutofitand

if a new business offers better prospects. Similarly, a person will change his religion his

religiousbusiness ifhehasnotinvestedmuchthoughtsandemotionsintoit(hiscapital),ifhe

isnot

getting

an

understanding

of

life

or

asense

of

peace,

joy

and

belongingbyit(hisreturns)andifhegetsmaterialbenefitsbychanging

toanother religion (hisbetterprospects).So it is important for Indian

spiritualleaderstocreatereligiouscapitalamongIndiansbygivingthem

spiritual knowledge and experience.Otherwise,most Indianswill not

opposeconversionor,worse still,mayevengetconverted themselves

forbettermaterialprospects.

Well,sometimestheideaofbetterprospectsisjustasham.Somemissionariesclaimto

be

faith

healers

and

proclaim

that

they

can

cure

all

those

who

convert.ManysickHindupeasants,beingunabletoaffordmedical

expenses, get lured, but themagic healing never happens. Their

sufferingonlygetscompounded:duetothedelayintakingmedical

treatment, the disease worsens, thus necessitating further

expenditure.And they simultaneouslyundergowrenchingmental

trauma and social alienation due to the whole conversion

melodrama.Many such incidents aredescribed thedocumentary

Bad Manna by the Scandinavian Pia Skov, who, incidentally, is

herselfaChristian

disillusioned

with

the

missionary

malpractices.


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Suchpracticesarecertainlydevious andtheyunderscorewhatIwassayingearlier:the

urgent necessity for philosophical education among Indians. You see, many people have a

primitive, tribal "wethey"mindset. They see existence as a perpetualbattlebetween "we"

versus "they",where "they" refers to their rivals or enemies.When religious zeal becomes

superimposedon

this

tribal

mentality,

then

the

battle

takes

the

form

of

"the

good

we"

versus

"the evil they", where "they" includes all those who don't

follow "our true religion". Once religious conversion gets

rationalizedasabattleagainstevil,orperhapsa"saving"from

theevil, then themissionariesbecomeblinded to theirown

evildeeds,fortheyfeeltheir"noble"endsjustifyanymeans

nomatterhowevil.

Sometimes,Hindusmay also succumb to the same "wethey"mindset in reverse,where all

Christiansbecome

"the

evil

they".

To

save

us

from

this

tribal

mindset,

the

Vedic

scriptures

teachaprofoundandpracticalphilosophythatengendersuniversalconsciousness.Theystate

alllivingbeingsarethebelovedchildrenofoneGodandso,spiritually,weareallonefamily,as

celebrated in the famousVedicaphorismvasudhaivakutumbakam.TheVedic textsproclaimthatallpeopleareintrinsically,spirituallygood.Iftheyarepresentlyactinginevilways,thatis

due to the illusion that covers their spiritual goodness.

The Vedic texts further supply us rational, objective

parameterstoassesstheextentoftheillusionthatcovers

a person. Equipped with these parameters, we can

objectivelycategorizepeoplewithout fallingprey to the

"wethey"mindset.

(thoughtfully):This"wethey"mentalityyouare talkingabout isadeeppointWhat

aretherationalparametersbywhichpeoplearecategorized?

The Bhagavadgita analyzes all material existence in terms of the three modes of

materialnature:modeofgoodness (sattvaguna),modeofpassion (rajoguna)andmodeof

ignorance (tamoguna). The modes are subtle, psychic forces that shape the interaction

between

consciousness

and

matter.

Those

affected

by

the

mode

of

goodness

are

characterized

by knowledge, thoughtfulness and satisfaction; those affected by the mode of passion, by

cravings forpleasure,powerandprestige;and thoseaffectedby themodeof ignorance,by

laziness,intoxicationandviolence.Higherthanallthesethreemodes

is transcendence, where people can see, with enlightened vision,

their loving relationshipwithall livingbeings.Themorepeopleare

infectedbypassionandignorance,themoretheyactinevilwaysthat

harm themselves and others. The more they are permeated by

goodnessand transcendence, themore theyact ingoodways that

upliftthemselves

and

others.


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NotehowtheVedicclassificationisnotbasedonanyreligiouslabels,butisbasedonobjective

criterion and has universal application. Now, Christians, like all other human beings, are

situatedacross the spectrumof these threemodes;some ingoodness,some inpassionand

some in ignorance. According to this analysis, the devious conversion tactics are used by

Christiansin

the

lower

modes

of

passion

and

ignorance.

And

just

as

we

find

these

devious

tacticsdistasteful,sodoChristians inthemodeofgoodness.That'swhyevensomeChristians

haveexpressedconcernoverthemeansusedtoconvertpeople.

(catchingon):Ihadheardofthemodesearlier,buthadneverthoughtthattheycould

be applied tounderstand this situation in thisway.Notonly are such conversionsdoneby

those in the lowermodes,but theyarealso targetedat those in themodesofpassionand

ignorance,whodon'tcaretodiscernspiritualtruthononehandandwhowantquickmaterial

gainsontheother.

(nodding):Yes.

But

such

conversions

don't

do

anything

to

change

the

modes

of

a

person.Various religions are essentially likedifferentuniversitiesmeant to changepeople's

qualitiesfromeviltogood.Justasanengineeringstudent

doesnotbecome anengineermerelybyentering into a

college, no person becomes "saved" just by stamping

himself as belonging to a particular religion. He will be

saved only when he diligently practices the spiritual

disciplinestaughtbyhisreligionandchangeshisqualities

anddesires.

Unfortunately,

not

understanding

or

practicing the essence of their own religion, superficial

religionistsimaginethattheyare"saving"othersfromevil

byconvertingthem,whiletheyareyettosavethemselves

fromtheevilqualitiesthathavegrippedthem.

(wryly):Ithinkwehavetopray:mayGodsaveIndiafromthese"saviors"!

ButGodhasgivenusthemeanstosaveourselvesandeveryoneelse Indiansandnon

Indiansalike.

Whatisthatmeans?

ThespiritualphilosophygivenintheVedicscripturesissocomprehensive,coherentand

cogentthatitcanwithstandandcounterallpossiblecriticismsanddialecticallyestablishitself

asofferingthebestunderstandingoflifeanditspurpose.AndtheVedicspiritualpracticeslike

chantingoftheholynamescaneasilyandeffectivelygivepeopleatasteoftranscendenceby

which they will no longer be attracted by cheap material allurements. We need to

systematicallyandvigorouslysharetheVedicprinciplesandpracticeswithasmanypeopleas

possible.Infact,SrilaPrabhupadadidexactlythat andwasabletoattractthousandsofpeople

fromall

over

the

world

to

follow

Vedic

culture.


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Yes, Ihave seen that ISKCONhasa lotof foreigndevotees. It'salmost like ISKCON is

doingareverseconversionbygettingWesternpeoplefromChristianandotherbackgroundsto

adoptIndianculture.

Yes,but thisconversion isaconversion thatgoes farbeyond thechangeof religious

denomination, cultural lifestyle or social affiliation. It is a fundamental change of

consciousness,achangeofcoredesiresandambitionsfrommaterialtospiritual,achangefrom

beingaselfishexploitertobecominga selfless servant of God and all His

children. And that is the change that all religions including

Christianity are ultimately meanttobring. Indeed,this is

theonlychangethatcanbring real, lasting happiness,

individually and collectively. People are being

increasinglyplunderedofthis wealth of inner happiness,

bythe

common

enemy

of

all

religions:

atheistic

materialism. That'swhy, in the 1950s SrilaPrabhupadamake

aferventappealforunitedaction to the leaders of the world's

religions: 'Hindus,Muslims,Christians, and themembersof theother sects

thathaveconvincingfaithintheauthorityofGodmustnotsitidlynowandsilentlywatchthe

rapid growth of aGodless civilization. There is the supremewill of God, and no nation or

societycanliveinpeaceandprosperitywithoutacceptanceofthisvitaltruth.'

Insteadofworryingaboutpeopleconverting fromone formofmaterialism toanother, let's

lookinward

to

understand

and

practice

the

deep

spiritual

essence

of

our

religious

tradition

and

thenlookoutwardtosharethatessencewithothers.Thenandthenalonewilloureffortsmake

arealdifferenceintheworld.

conversion to what - intolerance or transcendence - 1

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