Swami Agnivesh, according to
swamiagnivesh.com is an unusual swami (religious teacher) who has been consistently doing battles on behalf of the poor, the weak and the defenseless of India. According to the same website- So far, his campaigns have led him to fight against alcoholism, female foeticide, bonded labour, child labour, and for the emancipation of women. His current ‘mission’ includes fighting the consumer culture and the Western model of development in India, opposing Western cultural imperialism, and battling casteism, obscurantism and communalism.
The avowed ideals are great and noble.
Today, i.e. 18th April 2016,
Deccanchronicle.com , published an article by Swami Agnivesh, titled "God-save-us-from-miracle-mongers" . The article makes a direct reference to the undernoted article of Fr. Domini Emmanuel, published in AsianAge.Com dated 14th April 2016. The title of the Article is "The Miracle of Faith".
Here is a link to the article by Father Domini Emmanual in the AsianAge. Those who are interested in the article can read it:
(Click to go to AsianAge.Com.)
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ybrao-a-donkey's humble comments. वैबीराव एक गधे के विनम्र राय . వైబీరావ్ గాడిద వినమ్ర వాణి. You have every right to differ with me. I respect your right. आपको मेरे मत से भिन्न राय रखने के संपूर्ण हक है। मै उस अधिकार को परिपूर्ण रूप से गौरव देता हुँ. మీకు, మీ భిన్నమైన అభిప్రాయాన్ని కలిగిఉండే సంపూర్ణ హక్కు ఉంది. దానిని ఎంతో నేను గౌరవిస్తాను. However, pl. examine this donkey's views also. परन्तु एस गधे के दृष्टिकोण को भी अनुशीलन कीजिये. కానీ ఈ గాడిద దృష్టికోణాన్ని కూడ ఓర చూపుతో కంటజూడుమీ, క్రీగంట జూడమీ.
1.
Clarification: I am neither a supporter nor a critic of either of the two-- Swami Agnivesh or the said Father Domini Emmanuel.
2. According to the footnote at the end of the article, in the Print Edition of the Deccan Chronicle, Swami Agnivesh is the founder-convenor of the Parliament of Relgions (Sarva Dharma Sansad). His email address is agnivesh70@gmail.com.
3. According to the AsianAge.Com, article linked above, Father Dominic Emmanuel, a founder-member of Parliament of Religion, can be contacted at frdominic@gmail.com.
4. One is a Founder Convenor. And the other is a Founder-Member, presumably of the same Organisation called Parliament of Religions.
5. Now, what is that they are settling matters about? Miracles? Obscurantism?
6. Shri Agnivesh, has used in his article, some phrases, which though may be true, become somewhat unpalatable:
"...merchants of popular piety ...".
"...divide and fool..." in reference to religions which divide people, and fool them.
"But the business agenda of the sort of organised religiosity that Fr. Emmanuel represents...hypermarket of the multinational-obscurantism."
"...Strangely, the salesmen of Christianity do not know (or, they pretend that they do not know) that Jesus was embarrassed about miracles. ..."
"...if my memory serves me, he reprimanded the seekers of miracles. He asked them to be sensible and rational. He asked them to have faith, instead! ..."
Now, we have to see, how Fr. Dominic Emmanuel is going to respond to the bowling of Swami Agnivesh. Will he hit a six, or sweep it to the boundary, or play defensively to about 10 yards, or just leave the ball.
Personally, this ybrao-a-donkey, as a campaigner for True Complete Socialism and Equalism, has some transparent agenda. --It is to push the religion to a corner in human lives, if not wipe it of totally, of course, on the volition of the followers- and not by deceptive propaganda.
This is not probably, a time for inter-religious comparisons, because ISIS is spreading its terrorist wings. Hundreds of thousands of followers of Prophet Mohammed are being driven out of their own countries, or losing lives, or girls are being converted into sex slaves, in the name of religion. But then, entire blame cannot be thrown only on ISIS, Talibans, Al-qaeeda or, the hypocratic Saudi Arabia Rulers who to satisfy the USA say that they are against terrorism, but covertly encourage Terrorists through Wahabi Funds. What the Terrorists have done, and are trying to do is, to exploit the misconceptions in the minds of Muslim Youth that their religion was under a threat of annihilation. This belief has less than 10% truth.
Ever since the European and the West American colonialists and slave traders started spreading the Semitic Religion of Christianity by donating funds to the so-called Missionaries, on a prowl to convert innocent people into Christianity, by using carrot and stick strategies, receiving encouragement from the Colonial Queens, Governors-General, Vice Roys, Governors, the World has lost its peace of mind. In their view, "Freedom of Religion" means "Freedom to convert people by hook or crook". The facade used for the "Mission" is to run schools and hospitals.
In India, this strategy worked well, as the ebullient Caste system prevailing in India, and the oppression of dalits, have come as a handy stick for Missionaries to beat Hinduism with, and to convert people on a very large scale.
Pope Francis, the present Head of the Catholic World has started his job on a promising note. The latest in his manoeuvres is to take the Syrian Refugees in Greece to Vatican. Though this is a token publicity gesture, the migrants have their hopes of resettlement in Europe without being sent back, of course, provided they eventually convert into Christianity.
Pope Francis, if he is really sincere of whatever he says, has first to make an announcement of instruction to his Cardinals, Arch Bishops and Bishops: "Do not convert people into Christianity, even if they come voluntarily to get converted. You can tell such people to study the scriptures of all religions, worship Gods of all Religions, because THE GOD CAN BE CALLED-TO, PRAYED-TO WITH ANY NAME."
Till such a time, whatever Fr. Dominic Emmanuel says, cannot be taken for their face value. As far as Swami Agnivesh is concerned, I believe that whatever he is saying or writing, is under STRESS and CONSTRAINT of seeing his countrymen being converted into an ALIEN RELIGION by false promises of MIRACLES.
It is not only the Christianity, all the Religions of the World, at some time or other, spread beliefs about miracles. Hinduism is not a religion. Like Anona Squimoza it is a compound fruit, a complex combination of Cultures, including North European (Aryan or Indo-European), phallus-worshipping (Greek and South European), Persian, Arabic, Chinese, South East Asian, domestic, and what not! Hinduism is like a General Compartment of Indian Railways. Space is neither guaranteed, nor space is denied. One can stretch, lie down, and sleep or pretend to sleep, when a fellow passenger stares with hopefulness, that he will be offered space to keep one of his hips on the seat.
In the context of villages, there is one hitch called "caste" which may sometimes obstruct a person's ambitions and longings. But, for a money-ed man, that hitch will not be a hindrance.
Most of preachings of all the Religions, sound like worn-out grammaphone records of HMV and Columbia yore, same texts and images, cycled and recycled through Centuries of Preaching, Re-Preaching.
As long as ignorance thrives, religions can flourish. But, in today's Capitalist topsy turvy world, MONEY will tromp like a bull in a China Shop. Money can make people either to forget religion or dance for any particular religion.
TAIL PIECE धूमकेतू తోక చుక్క
DOES PARAMATMA (SUPREME GOD GIVE COMMON SENSE?
I would urge all my sisters and brothers in every faith to refuse to be fooled by those who care neither for God nor for them. It is an insult to your creator that you do not use the reason and common sense Paramatma has given you.
ybrao-a-donkey: Paramatma = Supreme GodHead. To believe that God gives common-sense to humans, seems to be a fallacy. We may get our common-sense, to some extent genetically, to some extent through our parents, relatives, teachers, society, of course partly even from caste, religion, region, language groups, environment. It will be better for us to constantly hone our common-sense rubbing it with our faculties of reasoning and knowledge. We should not allow our common-sense to get rusted. Common-sense is a by-product or an end result of so many forces acting simultaneously.
Paramatma does not give us common-sense. He expects complete devotion and surrender to him, day and night think of him, pray him-her again and again (bhUyO bhUyO namami aham). But the peculiarity of Hinduism is, its "Anona Squimoza" character. If you have no time for "bhUyO bhUyO namami aham), you can just say "nArAyaNa", a moment before death. The messengers of the God of Death (Yama or kAla) appear before you with their "nooses", you just say "nArAyana" , the messengers of nArAyana will drive the Yama's messengers and take you to VaikunTham (the Abode of the Supreme God Head). In fact, there is a game called "VaikunTha pALI" (a game of snakes and ladders), where the ultimate destination is sAlOkyam, sAmIpyam, sArUpyam, sAyujyam. There is place for everything except commonsense, in ALL THE RELIGIONS UNDER THE SKY.
Subject to corrections and deletions. To continue. सशेष. ఇంకా ఉంది.
