The Spiritual Scientist

An ezine for those who think!

Conversion to What: Intolerance or Transcendence?

This article is a compilation of several conversations between Hindu Intellectuals()andISKCONScholars()onvariousoccasions.To cover the various issues in a systematic way, all these conversations are presentedhereasone,continuousconversationbetweentwoindividuals. An issue of great concern, even alarm, is the rampant conversion done by Christian missionaries. Let'sunderstandthisissueofconversionfromabroaderphilosophicalperspective.The goalofallreligionsincludingChristianityistohelppeopledeveloploveofGod,toconvert peoplefrombeingmaterialiststobecomingspiritualists. But different people approach God for different motives, which the Vaishnava saintscholar BhaktivinodaThakurahascategorizedintofourmajorlevels:fear,desire,dutyandlove. 1. Fear: Some people fear, "If I disobey God, then He may punish me for my wrongdoings.SobetterletmepacifyHimbymyworship."Thissortofworshipis certainly better than atheism, but it is based on a very negative conception of Godasasternjudge,asacosmicpunisher. 2.Desire:Somepeoplereason,"TherearesomanythingsIwant;ifIpraytoGod,perhapsHe willgivethemtome."HeretheconceptionofGodismorepositive,as a potent desirefulfiller, but still the relationship is highly utilitarian, beingbasedongiveandtakeratherthanlove.SrilaPrabhupadawould saythatifwegotoGodtoaskforbread,thatshowsourloveforbread morethanourloveforGod. 3. Duty: Some people reason, "God has already given me so much life, body, health, food, clothing, shelter. It is my duty to go periodically to worship and thankHim."Heretherelationshipissomewhatsteadybeingbased 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,You arethesupremeobjectofmylove;Ihavebeenofferingmylovetosomany peopleandthings,butthathasnevermademehappy.NowIsimplywant to love and serve You eternally and I do not want anything material in returnformyservice;IsimplywishtoloveYouandtobelovedbyYou.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 in my material life". It is only this pure love that can satisfy our hearts fully, for love is our greatestanddeepestneed. Conversionsarefruitfulonlyiftheyraiseaperson'slevelofapproachingGodbyofferingdeep spiritualunderstandingorexperience.ModernChristianityoperateslargelyontheplatformsof fear and desire despite the fact that Jesus explicitlyemphasized thecommandment to love Godasthesupremecommandment.Itappearstomanyobserversthattheconversionsdone byChristianmissionariestodayareprimarilyonthesametwolevelsfearofeternaldamnation and desire for material gain. More often than not, all that happens by such materially motivatedconversionsisthattheconvertschangefrombeingHindumaterialiststobecoming Christianmaterialists. But this conversion often makes a huge difference to the convert'sattitudetowardhisoriginalculture.Whereashewasearlier appreciative of 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's discuss the three categories into which modern thinkers have classified the variousreligiouspaths:exclusivist,pluralistandinclusivist. Followers of the exclusivist path claim that their way is the only exclusive way to God. They further claim that all those who don't accepttheirpatharedestinedtogotohellforever.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 skepticaloftheclaimtoexclusivity.Afterall,ifGodisunlimited,why shouldoneparticularreligionhavemonopolyonthepathtoGod?
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 (nodding): Most Christian missionaries are highly exclusivist. Hindu culture, on the otherhand,hashistoricallybeenmorebroadminded. Yes. The second category is pluralism. Pluralism is the notion that there are many paths to God. Nowadays, this notion is sometimes expanded to say that there are as many paths to God as there are people. While this notion seems 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 fallacious claim. The claim to pluralism, on the other hand, is like the claim 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):IhadneverthoughtoftheeffectsofpluralisminthatwayIcan'tsay that I agree entirely with what you say; I will have to think about itBut what was the third categoryyoumentioned? Inclusivism. This teaches that there are not many paths, but basically one path with manylevelsonit.Thepathtobecomeadoctorisessentiallyone:tostudythemedicalsubjects and learn the relevant skills. There may be different universities to teach medicine and they mayteachinslightlydifferentways,butthatdoesn'tmeanwe unthinkingly accept every building everywhere as a medical college. Unfortunately, this an uncritical acceptance of all paths is what has happened 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. The Vedic scriptures give clear, specific and powerful practicestohelpusexperiencethisspiritualhappiness.Butwhen all paths are considered equal without evaluating their effects, thenthepotentVedicpathgetsobscuredinamedleyofdiluted andpervertedpaths.Consequently,manyIndians,whofollowone of these pseudoreligious paths, experience hardly any deep, spiritualhappiness.So,whentheyaretemptedtofollowanother paththatofferstangiblematerialbenefits,theyseenoreasontodesist. Interesting. In connection with our discussion on three categories of paths, I want to point out a peculiar feature of Indian "secularism". Despite the overtly exclusivist claims of Christian missionaries, the Indian government and media pamper them in the name of secularism.Secularismshouldbasicallyimplygovernmentalimpartialitytowardallreligions.In countrieslikeUSA,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 start a Christian church or a Christian missionary school 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. What makes the whole issue worse is the prejudiced media portrayal by the western media andthewesternizedIndianmedia.Historically,notmanycountrieshavebeenashospitableto other cultures as India, thanks to the Hindu culture of welcoming and respecting guests as representativesofGod.Forexample, IndiaisthecountrythatgaveasylumtotheChristianswhowerepersecutedin Syria in Antioch and Damascus even in the fourth century. They have been livingherepeacefullytillthisdate. IndiagaveasylumtothePersianswhentheyhadtofleePersiaduetofearofthe Arabian invaders. These Zoroastrians who took asyluminthe Gujaratareaare allleadingprosperousandfearlesslivestillthisdate. WhentheJewssoughtasyluminIndiaafterbeingdrivenoutoftheirland,theywere taken care of by India. This was not the case with several countries in the west wheretheJewswerepersecuted.
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 After the conquest of Tibet by China, the persecuted Buddhists under the Dalai Lama generously accommodated by India in McLeod Ganja in the Himachal Pradesh,wheretheylivepeacefullyeventoday. So, minorities have always been given protection and facility to live in India, thanks to the Hindu ethos of tolerance. But when Hindustrytoprotecttheirlegitimateinterestsfromtheextreme and fundamentalist activities of some Christian missionaries, the mediaimmediatelybrandsthetolerantHindusasintolerantandthefundamentalistminorities ashelplessvictims.Itissadthatthesesituationshaveledtoviolentconflicts;violenceinthe name of religion is unfortunate and regrettable. But the sponsoring of culturallydestructive conversionisaformofextremismthatinflamesviolenceonbothsides.Itishightimethatthe mediasettherecordstraightbyreportingbothsidesofthestoryfairly. ThisgovernmentalandmediaantipathyisaidedbytheintellectuallethargyofIndians in understanding their own national legacy. Indians don't protest against attacks on their culture because they don't realize the value of what they are losing. In academic studies of religion,thereistheconceptofreligiouscapital,whichreferstothedegreeofmasteryofand attachment to a particular religious culture. A businessman may readily give up his present businessifhehasnotinvestedmuchcapitalinit,ifheisnotgettingmuchreturnsoutofitand if a new business offers better prospects. Similarly, a person will change his religion his religiousbusinessifhehasnotinvestedmuchthoughtsandemotionsintoit(hiscapital),ifhe is not getting an understanding of life or a sense of peace, joy and belongingbyit(hisreturns)andifhegetsmaterialbenefitsbychanging to another religion (his better prospects). So it is important for Indian spiritualleaderstocreatereligiouscapitalamongIndiansbygivingthem spiritual knowledge and experience. Otherwise, most Indians will not oppose conversion or, worse still, may even get converted themselves forbettermaterialprospects. Well,sometimestheideaofbetterprospectsisjustasham.Somemissionariesclaimto be faithhealers and proclaim that they can cure all those who convert.ManysickHindupeasants,beingunabletoaffordmedical expenses, get lured, but the magic healing never happens. Their sufferingonlygetscompounded:duetothedelayintakingmedical treatment, the disease worsens, thus necessitating further expenditure. And they simultaneously undergo wrenching mental trauma and social alienation due to the whole conversion melodrama. Many such incidents are described the documentary Bad Manna by the Scandinavian Pia Skov, who, incidentally, is herselfaChristiandisillusionedwiththemissionarymalpractices.

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 SuchpracticesarecertainlydeviousandtheyunderscorewhatIwassayingearlier:the urgent necessity for philosophical education among Indians. You see, many people have a primitive, tribal "wethey" mindset. They see existence as a perpetual battle between "we" versus "they", where "they" refers to their rivals or enemies. When religious zeal becomes superimposedonthistribalmentality,thenthebattletakestheformof"thegoodwe"versus "the evil they", where "they" includes all those who don't follow "our true religion". Once religious conversion gets rationalizedasabattleagainstevil,orperhapsa"saving"from the evil, then the missionaries become blinded to their own evildeeds,fortheyfeeltheir"noble"endsjustifyanymeans nomatterhowevil. Sometimes, Hindus may also succumb to the same "wethey" mindset in reverse, where all Christians become "the evil they". To save us from this tribal mindset, the Vedic scriptures teachaprofoundandpracticalphilosophythatengendersuniversalconsciousness.Theystate alllivingbeingsarethebelovedchildrenofoneGodandso,spiritually,weareallonefamily,as celebrated in the famous Vedic aphorism vasudhaiva kutumbakam. The Vedic texts proclaim thatallpeopleareintrinsically,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 objectively categorize people without falling prey to the "wethey"mindset. (thoughtfully): This "wethey" mentality you are talking about is a deep point What aretherationalparametersbywhichpeoplearecategorized? The Bhagavadgita analyzes all material existence in terms of the three modes of material nature: mode of goodness (sattvaguna), mode of passion (rajoguna) and mode of ignorance (tamoguna). The modes are subtle, psychic forces that shape the interaction betweenconsciousnessandmatter.Thoseaffectedbythemodeofgoodnessarecharacterized by knowledge, thoughtfulness and satisfaction; those affected by the mode of passion, by cravings for pleasure, power and prestige; and those affected by the mode of ignorance, by laziness,intoxicationandviolence.Higherthanallthesethreemodes is transcendence, where people can see, with enlightened vision, their loving relationship with all living beings. The more people are infectedbypassionandignorance,themoretheyactinevilwaysthat harm themselves and others. The more they are permeated by goodness and transcendence, the more they act in good ways that upliftthemselvesandothers.

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 NotehowtheVedicclassificationisnotbasedonanyreligiouslabels,butisbasedonobjective criterion and has universal application. Now, Christians, like all other human beings, are situated across the spectrum of these three modes; some in goodness, some in passion and some in ignorance. According to this analysis, the devious conversion tactics are used by Christians in the lower modes of passion and ignorance. And just as we find these devious tacticsdistasteful,sodoChristiansinthemodeofgoodness.That'swhyevensomeChristians haveexpressedconcernoverthemeansusedtoconvertpeople. (catchingon):Ihadheardofthemodesearlier,buthadneverthoughtthattheycould be applied to understand this situation in this way. Not only are such conversions done by those in the lower modes, but they are also targeted at those in the modes of passion and ignorance,whodon'tcaretodiscernspiritualtruthononehandandwhowantquickmaterial gainsontheother. (nodding): Yes. But such conversions don't do anything to change the modes of a person. Various religions are essentially like different universities meant to change people's qualitiesfromeviltogood.Justasanengineeringstudent does not become an engineer merely by entering 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 and desires. Unfortunately, not understanding or practicing the essence of their own religion, superficial religionistsimaginethattheyare"saving"othersfromevil byconvertingthem,whiletheyareyettosavethemselves fromtheevilqualitiesthathavegrippedthem. (wryly):Ithinkwehavetopray:mayGodsaveIndiafromthese"saviors"! ButGodhasgivenusthemeanstosaveourselvesandeveryoneelseIndiansandnon 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,SrilaPrabhupadadidexactlythatandwasabletoattractthousandsofpeople fromallovertheworldtofollowVedicculture.

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 Yes, I have seen that ISKCON has a lot of foreign devotees. It's almost like ISKCON is doingareverseconversionbygettingWesternpeoplefromChristianandotherbackgroundsto adoptIndianculture. Yes, but this conversion is a conversion that goes far beyond the change of 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 meanttobring.Indeed,thisis Christianity are ultimately theonlychangethatcanbring real, lasting happiness, individually and collectively. People are being increasinglyplunderedofthis wealth of inner happiness, by the common enemy of all religions: atheistic materialism. That's why, in the 1950s Srila Prabhupada make aferventappealforunitedaction to the leaders of the world's religions: 'Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and the members of the other sects thathaveconvincingfaithintheauthorityofGodmustnotsitidlynowandsilentlywatchthe rapid growth of a Godless civilization. There is the supreme will of God, and no nation or societycanliveinpeaceandprosperitywithoutacceptanceofthisvitaltruth.' Instead of worrying about people converting from one form of materialism to another, let's lookinwardtounderstandandpracticethedeepspiritualessenceofourreligioustraditionand thenlookoutwardtosharethatessencewithothers.Thenandthenalonewilloureffortsmake arealdifferenceintheworld.

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