HINDUISM TODAY
July 1995 Copyright (C) Himalayan Academy - All Rights
Reserved.
This is an authorized
reproduction.
It's not that unusual for Pat
Robertson's daily Christian TV show, the "700
Club," to portray other religions in less than a
complimentary light. Jews, Muslims and occasionally Hindus
are singled out for a scathing recounting of their spiritual
errors. Still, I was shocked to see Robertson on his March
23rd show label Hinduism as "demonic" and advocate
keeping Hindus out of America. My concerns intensified when
President Clinton later implicated hateful talk in the fatal
Oklahoma City bombing.
Robertson was already a
well-known figure in the conservative Christian community
when his 1988 bid for the US presidency shot him into
national attention and effectively anointed him leader of the
Christian right wing. Talented and industrious, he is head or
founder of numerous organizations, including a 1,400 student
university. His political action group, the
1.4-million-member Christian Coalition, has decided influence
in a new Republican-controlled Congress.
Christian evangelists
regularly slander Hinduism with little impact beyond their
own flock [see Hinduism Today, February, 1989]. But when a
national figure like Robertson does it on a widely-watched TV
program, that's different.
The March 23rd episode
details Robertson's conversion of some Hindu people of
Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, India, to the Christian
religion. In the course of the show, Robertson makes
shameful, unChristian accusations against the Hindu faith,
the world's oldest religion. When contacted, Mr. Robertson's
office told us he was "unavailable for comment."
To begin, Robertson's
experiences in Rajahmundry are described by a narrator. The
scene is of a poverty-stricken people, bathing in the river
at the head of which rests a statue of Lord Siva. Water is
pouring out of Siva's head and a snake is wrapped around his
head as well. Robertson and his son are found in the midst of
the scene, observing and mocking the early morning prayers of
Hindus. As they witness the scene, they make incorrect
reference to the river as "Siva's sperm," and claim
that the people "were supposed to wash away their sins
in the sperm of the God."
Robertson goes on to
characterize Hinduism as having evil tendencies toward random
spiritual worship and polytheism. Mr. Robertson's son and
fellow evangelist, Gordon, stated disparagingly,
"Whenever [Hindus] feel any sort of inspiration, whether
it's by a river or under a tree, on top of a hill, they
figure that some God or spirit is responsible for that. And
so they'll worship that tree, they'll worship that hill or
they'll worship anything." What was even more
regrettable was Robertson's assertion of some connection
between idol worship and the poverty in India. Robertson does
not deny his son's claim that "Wherever you find this
type of idolatry, you'll find a grinding poverty. The land
has been cursed."
But if the argument of
poverty as the curse of India is not enough for the American
audience of "The 700 Club," they next hear Hinduism
boldly labeled "demonic." Robertson says,
"Siva [is] the God of Destruction, and his consort, the
Goddess of death [Kali]-that black, ugly statue there with
all those fierce eyes." He then suggests that the evil
tendencies of death and destruction can be found in those who
worship the deities: "I mean these people are out to
kill other human beings in the name of their God." They
mention in support of this conclusion the Aum Shinrikyo sect
in Japan. This eccentric Buddhist-based organization was
likely responsible for subway gas attacks in Tokyo earlier
this year. Their icons, unfortunately, included Siva-sure
proof, goes the Robertson thinking, of demons at work.
"Although Hinduism
admits that different beings and entities can perform what we
might consider evil acts," corrects Dr. Arvind Sharma,
Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University,
Toronto, "there does not seem to be a single entity such
as the Christian devil in Hinduism." And since there is
no practice of evil or concept of the devil in Hinduism,
"To call Hinduism demonic," concludes Dr. Sharma,
"is really demonic."
By accusing Hinduism of being
demonic, Robertson is merely reinforcing the age-old
stereotype that has been placed on the Indian culture by the
West. "That's been standard operating procedure
missionaries have used ever since they invaded India in the
19th century," explains Dr. Gordon Melton, Director of
the Institute for the Study of American Religions. "In
approaching Eastern religions and African religions, it has
been the stance of most conservative Christians that the
deities of those religions are, in fact, personified demons.
And that perspective goes back to the Jewish encounter with
the Caananite culture a millennia ago as described in the
Bible."
Dr. Kusumita Pedersen,
Director for the Project on Human Rights and Religion,
similarly observes that Robertson has employed "almost
every negative image and cliché that has been used about
Hinduism since the 18th century."
As the show unfolds, we
finally we arrive at the real intention of Robertson's
missionary trip to India: to convert Hindus to the Christian
faith. A narrator describes the scene of the conversion in
which thousands of Hindus were "set free from a lifetime
of fear and demonic oppression. The scene was
overwhelming." Actually, the scene is oddly over
dramatic. Why would thousands of people in a split second
throw away their entire way of life that has been passed down
over the centuries, because of a brief speech given by a
stranger from another country? Although Robertson mentions
the naturally deep devotion of the Hindus, he apparently
fails to appreciate that any religious preacher in India gets
the same reception, whether Christian, Hindu, Jain, Sikh or
Buddhist-though it does help to be white, American, famous
and rich.
It is also apparent he was
frustrated with the Hindu ability to just absorb one more
God. "I preached to them the second commandment about
idolatry. You know, `They shall hold no other Gods before
me,' and number two, `You shall not fall down or make any
idols of anything.' Many people accept Christ, but they still
go with those processions down to those riverbanks. We
followed along with the crowd and I said, `You've got to give
that up.'"
Political Agenda
The program used common
stereotypes of Hinduism (as well of as other prominent
non-Christian religions in America) to create fear among the
American people of non-Christian religions. What is the
purpose behind those tactics?
Judging from Michael
Little's, President of the Christian Broadcasting Network
comments on the show -- "There are so many opportunities
for us to take programs which will reach the people of
India," and "Help us carry the light to a nation in
darkness"-it is obvious that one strategy of "The
700 Club" is to gain support and money. "Give us a
hand on this [India]," pleads Robertson at one point,
"because it's a big one." But that is just part of
the plan.
Robertson's true thinking is
revealed in his 1991 book The New World Order. That novel
discloses a secret plan being followed by the present
political leaders of the world. Robertson labels that plan
the "New World Order," which he sees as the
formation of a one world government, one police force, one
judicial system, and one economic market. Robertson claims
that in this "new world government no one could speak
out against the beliefs of a Muslim, a Hindu, or an animist.
What we know as the freedom of religion would be taken away,
and Christians would be muzzled."
But Robertson has a vision of
another future, one is which "God sweeps away the
pretense of the satanic and man-made counterfeits and
announces His New World Order, and His anointed leader, Jesus
the Messiah."
Robertson stated in The New
World Order: "The media challenged me. `You're not going
to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain
that those who believe the Judeo-Christian values are better
qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?' My
simple answer is, `Yes, they are.'"
Mr. David Cantor, Senior
Research Analyst of the Anti-Defamation League, points out
that such "religious tests for office are
unconstitutional. It's not just a purely a religious
statement. It's a political statement."
The Human Rights Issue
"In the discussion of
human rights, there are different positions on the right to
free speech or freedom of expression. The extreme position,
that is sometimes called the `American position,' is total
freedom of speech," explains Dr. Pedersen. "As
Americans, we believe that even the most offensive and the
most incendiary statements should be allowed in the name of
freedom of expression, because once you start to legally
restrict the freedom of speech, you are on a slippery slope
of restricting all kinds of speech on different political or
ideological ground."
Dr. Pedersen feels that such
anti-Hindu statements may refer back to the 1920s, at a time
when the Ku Klux Klan (a Christian white-supremacist group
advocating violence against Black Americans) was on the rise,
and the national belief was that all Americans must be
Christians. During the 1920s, immigration laws prevented
European immigrants from entering the United States.
Eventually Europeans were allowed to immigrate and by 1965
Hindus were included in immigrant quotas.
However, in the 1990s, some
feel that the multicultural immigration has caused a backlash
in American society in the form of racial discrimination
between various cultural groups. In the wake of such
discontent, Peter Brimelow has recently written a book called
Alien Nation which attacks multiculturalism and its negative
effects on American society. Something must be done, Brimelow
advocates, to prevent white people from becoming a minority
in America.
"What Robertson is
really saying is that Hindus shouldn't be allowed to come to
the United States," evaluates Dr. Pedersen. "All of
the Hindu engineers, doctors and computer experts who are
living here should go home. This is a very big statement that
he has made."
Even Christians are concerned
with Robertson's manner of preaching Christianity. Sister
Mary Elizabeth Moore, a Professor at Claremount's School of
Theology, feels that Robertson may be overstepping his
boundaries as a Christian. "I have been very distressed
that Pat Robertson and others like him have used the gospel
to preach condemnation of others, to judge harshly, to
demonize people in other faiths and to demonize some
Christians with whom they don't just happen to agree,"
expresses Sister Moore. "I think that's absolutely
counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Hinduism is not the only
religion under Robertson's extremist attack; The New World
Order is filled with anti-Semitism. However, Ms. Nancy Israel
of the American Jewish Committee, notes that Robertson is
slowly transforming. "He's being very careful now,"
observes Ms. Israel, who is from the Pittsburgh chapter of
the American Jewish Committee. "Up until now he's been
able to say what he wanted to say, and I think that those
people who don't watch `The 700 Club' and don't read his
materials have no idea what he's saying. He's been forced to
back off because of this public spotlight and because he's
decided to make the Christian Coalition a more mainstream
organization."
Sri Anutama Das, Director of
Communications at ISKCON feels that Robertson's actions
should send a message to devotees of Hinduism. "It's
unfortunate that such an influential religious and Christian
leader as Pat Robertson demonstrates disdain for the world's
oldest religious culture. As a Vaishnava, I see his emphasis
in trying to spread Christianity in India, specifically among
Hindus, as a reminder of the need for all of us to delve
deeply into our own faith's traditions," notes Anutama,
who is from ISKCON's branch in Rockland, Maryland. "As
Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, `Raja Vija, Raja Guyam.' This
knowledge of the soul, of Sanatana Dharma, is the highest
spiritual knowledge. However, if we do not educate ourselves
and our children and abide by the teachings, materialists
will find us easy targets for conversion."
What Should We Do?
It is true that if our Hindu
faith is challenged, perhaps we will become more aware of its
teachings, as suggested by Anutama. If that is so, we can
view the "700 Club" attack on Hinduism as a
blessing in disguise. "I would say that anytime we see
the extreme of a religious community, we see warning signals
that need to be taken seriously," agrees Sister Moore.
"Those signals usually reveal something of the larger
religion, something of the possibility of distortions that
people need to worry about. These distortions can stir other
people who have more whole views of the religion to express
and live their faith more fully."
We should use this
opportunity to profess and understand our Hindu faith more
fully. We as Hindus need to respond to and erase Western
stereotypes and hate speeches against our religion. There are
many ways to accomplish that.
We can articulate our
complaints through letters, phone calls and petitions to the
government offices, such as the Justice Department Hate
Crimes Division. The Indian government could express its
concern, as it did for Hindus in South Africa for years. And
we can bring such statements into the light of public
discussion by filing complaints with the Anti-Defamation
League.
The Anti-Defamation League
was established in 1913 by B'nai B'rith, a Jewish service
organization. The League and its parent organization defend
human rights, promote intercultural relations, provide for
the religious and cultural needs of Jewish college students,
sponsor Jewish education among adults and youth groups and
carry on a broad program of community service and welfare.
They confer with governments and the UN on civil rights,
immigration, abuses of freedom by totalitarian states, the
position of Israel and problems affecting Jews throughout the
world.
Dr. Pedersen feels that
perhaps we can form our own protection league: "I
recommend the formation of a Hindu anti-defamation program
which will monitor these kinds of statements in the press and
the media, and will gather accurate information and will
speak out when something should be protested." In that
way, perhaps the entire Hindu public will be constantly made
aware of any false allegations made against our religion, and
efforts to respond can be coordinated.
Dr. Jayaraman, executive
director of Bharat Vidya Bhavan in New York, feels that the
way to dispel Hindu stereotypes is to teach the common
American man about our religion. "Indian philosophy
should be taught methodically, either in the school system or
by speakers prepared to go around the country to talk just
like these missionaries," suggests Dr. Jayaraman.
"In every city, in every state they should have such
speakers, powerful speakers who can say with authority, `This
is Hinduism. What you are saying is wrong.'" Dr.
Jayaraman also suggests that small books discussing true
Hindu philosophy be freely distributed to the public.
But the main way to break
down anti-Hindu sentiments is by educating our children and
ourselves more about Hinduism. Such understanding will place
us in a better position to combat ignorant statements.
"Because Hindus take a
generous view of other religions, they think that others will
take a generous view of theirs," observes Dr. Sharma.
"And even when others attack them, because of their
basic nature, they don't take it to heart."
According to Dr. Pedersen,
comments such as Robertson's, should be taken seriously.
During the annual dinner given by Human Rights Watch, an
international panel monitored by Peter Jennings discussed
whether hate speech should be restricted or banned. "The
next step after this truly disgusting defamation [of
Robertson's] is what these human right activists on the panel
call `the speech of instigation,'" recounted Dr.
Pedersen. The `speech of instigation' is a build-up for
murder and genocide. It happened in Rwanda. The press and
media started to build up a rhetoric that so and so should be
killed. After that went on for some months, so and so started
getting killed. There is a line to be drawn somewhere on free
speech, but we as Americans just don't know quite where
yet."
Keeping that in mind, perhaps
we should turn our thoughts to the bombing of the Oklahoma
City federal building. After the bombing, President Clinton
spoke out against hate speeches, making a clear connection
between hate speeches, propaganda and the bombing. The seeds
of hate may blossom into the weeds of violence. Therefore, it
is important that we take early and strong action against
ignorant and hateful comments such as those made by
Robertson. If we don't, we will one day face more than Mr.
Robertson's hateful words.
Complaints may be made
directly to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hate Crimes
Division, Tenth and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.,
20530. Fax: 202-514-4371.
Letters can also be directed
to Mr. Pat Robertson, CBN, 977 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia
Beach, Virginia, 23463-0001.
Of Indian ancestry,
correspondent Valli Guruswamy Julie Rajan is a prolific
freelance writer living in Pennsylvania with her husband. She
is writing a non-fiction book on gender-based double
standards in Hindu society and is interested in the
betterment of women and minorities.
Sidebar - What He Said About
Hindus
Excerpts from the March 23rd
broadcast of the 700 Club:
Robertson: "India is not
what you normally think of anymore. In the last five years,
it's burst into the 20th century with modern technology,
capitalism and, especially, television. They're breaking free
from the old, and they're moving into the Western culture.
But what that leaves is a spiritual vacuum. And yet there
seems, finally in India, an opening to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ throughout this whole land. There is a huge population
of teen-agers. These people are not locked into the old ways.
They're looking for something new and better."
Cohost: "You know, Pat,
we've seen in other countries where there's a certain period
of vulnerability, or spiritual vulnerability. Now's the time
to use the media to talk to them about what their future
could really be like."
Robertson: "They have
thousands and thousands of earth stations picking up
satellites. It's a window of opportunity [for Christian TV
programs]. Of all of India's problems, one stands out from
the rest. That problem is idol worship. It is said there are
hundreds of millions of Hindu deities. All this has put a
nation in bondage to spiritual forces that have deceived many
for thousands of years."
Gordon Robertson (his son):
"Wherever you find this type of idolatry, you'll find a
grinding poverty. The land has been cursed. The Bible talks
in terms of the land being cursed on behalf of what the
inhabitants have done to it. You erect all these idols under
every green tree, on top of every hill, you're going to curse
your land. And the oppression, we see it in evidence."
CBN Reporter: "[At the
religious services Robertson conducted in India] they came,
by the hundreds, even thousands, to a makeshift altar to
confess their faith in Christ and receive a touch from
heaven, and be set free from a lifetime of fear and demonic
oppression.
Robertson: "I [told]
them to renounce idolatry, but many people accept Christ and
still go with those processions [of Hindu deities]."
Cohost: "You said
there's a connection between the New Age, as it is in
America, and Hinduism."
Robertson: "It's the
same thing. You see, the whole concept of Hindus is based on
karma; that people have a karma attached to them when they
are born, and they go through a cycle of life and they come
back in the next world as something else. So the whole
thought of reincarnation is karma-you come back as a cow, a
pig, a goat, a dog, a snake or an untouchable. We're
importing Hinduism into America. The whole thought of your
karma, of meditation, of the fact that there's no end of life
and there's this endless wheel of life, this is all Hinduism.
Chanting too. Many of those chants are to Hindu Gods-Vishnu,
Hare Krishna. The origin of it is all demonic. We can't let
that stuff come into America. We've got the best defense, if
you will-a good offense."
Sidebar - The Robertson
Empire
The promotional literature
provided Hinduism Today by the Robertson ministries details
the extensive empire Pat Robertson has developed over 25
years of ministry. It is really an admirable accomplishment,
tarnished only by the kind of religious bigotry demonstrated
in the March 23rd program [see sidebar left]. Robertson's
Christian Broadcasting Network is the world's largest
television ministry, with programs airing across the United
States and in 70 countries. He also has interests in
non-religious family-oriented television, specifically the
cable Family Channel. In 1978 he founded the Operation
Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation
which since 1978 has distributed aid worth US$440 million to
114 million people in 72 countries. He's written nine books,
one of which was a best seller and number one religious book
in America in 1984. In 1992 Robertson was selected by
Newsweek magazine as one of America's "100 Cultural
Elite." Robertson also founded the American Center for
Law and Justice to pursue a Christian agenda in the courts by
providing free legal advice and representation in important
precedent-setting cases. His Regent University [photo above]
is an accredited graduate school offering degrees in
communication, education, counseling, business, divinity,
public policy and law.
Robertson ventured out of the
strictly religious field in 1987 when he resigned his
ordination as a Southern Baptist minister to run for
president of the United States. As part of this effort, the
Christian Coalition was formed, a "national grassroots
citizen action organization" to work for
"pro-family legislation and family-friendly public
policy on national, state and local levels." Both are
represented on the World Wide Web: Robertson at http://the700
club.org//cbn/cbn.html and The Coalition at http://cc.org .
Robertson and the Coalition are probably the single most
effective Christian voice in American politics today, as
demonstrated by their recent demands to Congress for a
"Contract with the American Family," including
"voluntary [ie, Christian] prayer in public
schools" -- something presently forbidden by law. One
reaction to this contract came from the Americans United for
Separation of Church and State. "It's a sad day in
American politics when a TV preacher's political front group
dictates the agenda for the United States Congress,"
said Barry Lynn, the organization's executive director.
It's not that unusual for Pat
Robertson's daily Christian TV show, the "700
Club," to portray other religions in less than a
complimentary light. Jews, Muslims and occasionally Hindus
are singled out for a scathing recounting of their spiritual
errors. Still, I was shocked to see Robertson on his March
23rd show label Hinduism as "demonic" and advocate
keeping Hindus out of America. My concerns intensified when
President Clinton later implicated hateful talk in the fatal
Oklahoma City bombing.
Robertson was already a
well-known figure in the conservative Christian community
when his 1988 bid for the US presidency shot him into
national attention and effectively anointed him leader of the
Christian right wing. Talented and industrious, he is head or
founder of numerous organizations, including a 1,400 student
university. His political action group, the
1.4-million-member Christian Coalition, has decided influence
in a new Republican-controlled Congress.
Christian evangelists
regularly slander Hinduism with little impact beyond their
own flock [see Hinduism Today, February, 1989]. But when a
national figure like Robertson does it on a widely-watched TV
program, that's different.
The March 23rd episode
details Robertson's conversion of some Hindu people of
Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, India, to the Christian
religion. In the course of the show, Robertson makes
shameful, unChristian accusations against the Hindu faith,
the world's oldest religion. When contacted, Mr. Robertson's
office told us he was "unavailable for comment."
To begin, Robertson's
experiences in Rajahmundry are described by a narrator. The
scene is of a poverty-stricken people, bathing in the river
at the head of which rests a statue of Lord Siva. Water is
pouring out of Siva's head and a snake is wrapped around his
head as well. Robertson and his son are found in the midst of
the scene, observing and mocking the early morning prayers of
Hindus. As they witness the scene, they make incorrect
reference to the river as "Siva's sperm," and claim
that the people "were supposed to wash away their sins
in the sperm of the God."
Robertson goes on to
characterize Hinduism as having evil tendencies toward random
spiritual worship and polytheism. Mr. Robertson's son and
fellow evangelist, Gordon, stated disparagingly,
"Whenever [Hindus] feel any sort of inspiration, whether
it's by a river or under a tree, on top of a hill, they
figure that some God or spirit is responsible for that. And
so they'll worship that tree, they'll worship that hill or
they'll worship anything." What was even more
regrettable was Robertson's assertion of some connection
between idol worship and the poverty in India. Robertson does
not deny his son's claim that "Wherever you find this
type of idolatry, you'll find a grinding poverty. The land
has been cursed."
But if the argument of
poverty as the curse of India is not enough for the American
audience of "The 700 Club," they next hear Hinduism
boldly labeled "demonic." Robertson says,
"Siva [is] the God of Destruction, and his consort, the
Goddess of death [Kali]-that black, ugly statue there with
all those fierce eyes." He then suggests that the evil
tendencies of death and destruction can be found in those who
worship the deities: "I mean these people are out to
kill other human beings in the name of their God." They
mention in support of this conclusion the Aum Shinrikyo sect
in Japan. This eccentric Buddhist-based organization was
likely responsible for subway gas attacks in Tokyo earlier
this year. Their icons, unfortunately, included Siva-sure
proof, goes the Robertson thinking, of demons at work.
"Although Hinduism
admits that different beings and entities can perform what we
might consider evil acts," corrects Dr. Arvind Sharma,
Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at McGill University,
Toronto, "there does not seem to be a single entity such
as the Christian devil in Hinduism." And since there is
no practice of evil or concept of the devil in Hinduism,
"To call Hinduism demonic," concludes Dr. Sharma,
"is really demonic."
By accusing Hinduism of being
demonic, Robertson is merely reinforcing the age-old
stereotype that has been placed on the Indian culture by the
West. "That's been standard operating procedure
missionaries have used ever since they invaded India in the
19th century," explains Dr. Gordon Melton, Director of
the Institute for the Study of American Religions. "In
approaching Eastern religions and African religions, it has
been the stance of most conservative Christians that the
deities of those religions are, in fact, personified demons.
And that perspective goes back to the Jewish encounter with
the Caananite culture a millennia ago as described in the
Bible."
Dr. Kusumita Pedersen,
Director for the Project on Human Rights and Religion,
similarly observes that Robertson has employed "almost
every negative image and cliché that has been used about
Hinduism since the 18th century."
As the show unfolds, we
finally we arrive at the real intention of Robertson's
missionary trip to India: to convert Hindus to the Christian
faith. A narrator describes the scene of the conversion in
which thousands of Hindus were "set free from a lifetime
of fear and demonic oppression. The scene was
overwhelming." Actually, the scene is oddly over
dramatic. Why would thousands of people in a split second
throw away their entire way of life that has been passed down
over the centuries, because of a brief speech given by a
stranger from another country? Although Robertson mentions
the naturally deep devotion of the Hindus, he apparently
fails to appreciate that any religious preacher in India gets
the same reception, whether Christian, Hindu, Jain, Sikh or
Buddhist-though it does help to be white, American, famous
and rich.
It is also apparent he was
frustrated with the Hindu ability to just absorb one more
God. "I preached to them the second commandment about
idolatry. You know, `They shall hold no other Gods before
me,' and number two, `You shall not fall down or make any
idols of anything.' Many people accept Christ, but they still
go with those processions down to those riverbanks. We
followed along with the crowd and I said, `You've got to give
that up.'"
Political Agenda
The program used common
stereotypes of Hinduism (as well of as other prominent
non-Christian religions in America) to create fear among the
American people of non-Christian religions. What is the
purpose behind those tactics?
Judging from Michael
Little's, President of the Christian Broadcasting Network
comments on the show -- "There are so many opportunities
for us to take programs which will reach the people of
India," and "Help us carry the light to a nation in
darkness"-it is obvious that one strategy of "The
700 Club" is to gain support and money. "Give us a
hand on this [India]," pleads Robertson at one point,
"because it's a big one." But that is just part of
the plan.
Robertson's true thinking is
revealed in his 1991 book The New World Order. That novel
discloses a secret plan being followed by the present
political leaders of the world. Robertson labels that plan
the "New World Order," which he sees as the
formation of a one world government, one police force, one
judicial system, and one economic market. Robertson claims
that in this "new world government no one could speak
out against the beliefs of a Muslim, a Hindu, or an animist.
What we know as the freedom of religion would be taken away,
and Christians would be muzzled."
But Robertson has a vision of
another future, one is which "God sweeps away the
pretense of the satanic and man-made counterfeits and
announces His New World Order, and His anointed leader, Jesus
the Messiah."
Robertson stated in The New
World Order: "The media challenged me. `You're not going
to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain
that those who believe the Judeo-Christian values are better
qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?' My
simple answer is, `Yes, they are.'"
Mr. David Cantor, Senior
Research Analyst of the Anti-Defamation League, points out
that such "religious tests for office are
unconstitutional. It's not just a purely a religious
statement. It's a political statement."
The Human Rights Issue
"In the discussion of
human rights, there are different positions on the right to
free speech or freedom of expression. The extreme position,
that is sometimes called the `American position,' is total
freedom of speech," explains Dr. Pedersen. "As
Americans, we believe that even the most offensive and the
most incendiary statements should be allowed in the name of
freedom of expression, because once you start to legally
restrict the freedom of speech, you are on a slippery slope
of restricting all kinds of speech on different political or
ideological ground."
Dr. Pedersen feels that such
anti-Hindu statements may refer back to the 1920s, at a time
when the Ku Klux Klan (a Christian white-supremacist group
advocating violence against Black Americans) was on the rise,
and the national belief was that all Americans must be
Christians. During the 1920s, immigration laws prevented
European immigrants from entering the United States.
Eventually Europeans were allowed to immigrate and by 1965
Hindus were included in immigrant quotas.
However, in the 1990s, some
feel that the multicultural immigration has caused a backlash
in American society in the form of racial discrimination
between various cultural groups. In the wake of such
discontent, Peter Brimelow has recently written a book called
Alien Nation which attacks multiculturalism and its negative
effects on American society. Something must be done, Brimelow
advocates, to prevent white people from becoming a minority
in America.
"What Robertson is
really saying is that Hindus shouldn't be allowed to come to
the United States," evaluates Dr. Pedersen. "All of
the Hindu engineers, doctors and computer experts who are
living here should go home. This is a very big statement that
he has made."
Even Christians are concerned
with Robertson's manner of preaching Christianity. Sister
Mary Elizabeth Moore, a Professor at Claremount's School of
Theology, feels that Robertson may be overstepping his
boundaries as a Christian. "I have been very distressed
that Pat Robertson and others like him have used the gospel
to preach condemnation of others, to judge harshly, to
demonize people in other faiths and to demonize some
Christians with whom they don't just happen to agree,"
expresses Sister Moore. "I think that's absolutely
counter to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Hinduism is not the only
religion under Robertson's extremist attack; The New World
Order is filled with anti-Semitism. However, Ms. Nancy Israel
of the American Jewish Committee, notes that Robertson is
slowly transforming. "He's being very careful now,"
observes Ms. Israel, who is from the Pittsburgh chapter of
the American Jewish Committee. "Up until now he's been
able to say what he wanted to say, and I think that those
people who don't watch `The 700 Club' and don't read his
materials have no idea what he's saying. He's been forced to
back off because of this public spotlight and because he's
decided to make the Christian Coalition a more mainstream
organization."
Sri Anutama Das, Director of
Communications at ISKCON feels that Robertson's actions
should send a message to devotees of Hinduism. "It's
unfortunate that such an influential religious and Christian
leader as Pat Robertson demonstrates disdain for the world's
oldest religious culture. As a Vaishnava, I see his emphasis
in trying to spread Christianity in India, specifically among
Hindus, as a reminder of the need for all of us to delve
deeply into our own faith's traditions," notes Anutama,
who is from ISKCON's branch in Rockland, Maryland. "As
Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, `Raja Vija, Raja Guyam.' This
knowledge of the soul, of Sanatana Dharma, is the highest
spiritual knowledge. However, if we do not educate ourselves
and our children and abide by the teachings, materialists
will find us easy targets for conversion."
What Should We Do?
It is true that if our Hindu
faith is challenged, perhaps we will become more aware of its
teachings, as suggested by Anutama. If that is so, we can
view the "700 Club" attack on Hinduism as a
blessing in disguise. "I would say that anytime we see
the extreme of a religious community, we see warning signals
that need to be taken seriously," agrees Sister Moore.
"Those signals usually reveal something of the larger
religion, something of the possibility of distortions that
people need to worry about. These distortions can stir other
people who have more whole views of the religion to express
and live their faith more fully."
We should use this
opportunity to profess and understand our Hindu faith more
fully. We as Hindus need to respond to and erase Western
stereotypes and hate speeches against our religion. There are
many ways to accomplish that.
We can articulate our
complaints through letters, phone calls and petitions to the
government offices, such as the Justice Department Hate
Crimes Division. The Indian government could express its
concern, as it did for Hindus in South Africa for years. And
we can bring such statements into the light of public
discussion by filing complaints with the Anti-Defamation
League.
The Anti-Defamation League
was established in 1913 by B'nai B'rith, a Jewish service
organization. The League and its parent organization defend
human rights, promote intercultural relations, provide for
the religious and cultural needs of Jewish college students,
sponsor Jewish education among adults and youth groups and
carry on a broad program of community service and welfare.
They confer with governments and the UN on civil rights,
immigration, abuses of freedom by totalitarian states, the
position of Israel and problems affecting Jews throughout the
world.
Dr. Pedersen feels that
perhaps we can form our own protection league: "I
recommend the formation of a Hindu anti-defamation program
which will monitor these kinds of statements in the press and
the media, and will gather accurate information and will
speak out when something should be protested." In that
way, perhaps the entire Hindu public will be constantly made
aware of any false allegations made against our religion, and
efforts to respond can be coordinated.
Dr. Jayaraman, executive
director of Bharat Vidya Bhavan in New York, feels that the
way to dispel Hindu stereotypes is to teach the common
American man about our religion. "Indian philosophy
should be taught methodically, either in the school system or
by speakers prepared to go around the country to talk just
like these missionaries," suggests Dr. Jayaraman.
"In every city, in every state they should have such
speakers, powerful speakers who can say with authority, `This
is Hinduism. What you are saying is wrong.'" Dr.
Jayaraman also suggests that small books discussing true
Hindu philosophy be freely distributed to the public.
But the main way to break
down anti-Hindu sentiments is by educating our children and
ourselves more about Hinduism. Such understanding will place
us in a better position to combat ignorant statements.
"Because Hindus take a
generous view of other religions, they think that others will
take a generous view of theirs," observes Dr. Sharma.
"And even when others attack them, because of their
basic nature, they don't take it to heart."
According to Dr. Pedersen,
comments such as Robertson's, should be taken seriously.
During the annual dinner given by Human Rights Watch, an
international panel monitored by Peter Jennings discussed
whether hate speech should be restricted or banned. "The
next step after this truly disgusting defamation [of
Robertson's] is what these human right activists on the panel
call `the speech of instigation,'" recounted Dr.
Pedersen. The `speech of instigation' is a build-up for
murder and genocide. It happened in Rwanda. The press and
media started to build up a rhetoric that so and so should be
killed. After that went on for some months, so and so started
getting killed. There is a line to be drawn somewhere on free
speech, but we as Americans just don't know quite where
yet."
Keeping that in mind, perhaps
we should turn our thoughts to the bombing of the Oklahoma
City federal building. After the bombing, President Clinton
spoke out against hate speeches, making a clear connection
between hate speeches, propaganda and the bombing. The seeds
of hate may blossom into the weeds of violence. Therefore, it
is important that we take early and strong action against
ignorant and hateful comments such as those made by
Robertson. If we don't, we will one day face more than Mr.
Robertson's hateful words.
Complaints may be made
directly to the U.S. Department of Justice, Hate Crimes
Division, Tenth and Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.,
20530. Fax: 202-514-4371.
Letters can also be directed
to Mr. Pat Robertson, CBN, 977 Centerville Turnpike, Virginia
Beach, Virginia, 23463-0001.
Of Indian ancestry,
correspondent Valli Guruswamy Julie Rajan is a prolific
freelance writer living in Pennsylvania with her husband. She
is writing a non-fiction book on gender-based double
standards in Hindu society and is interested in the
betterment of women and minorities.
Sidebar - What He Said About
Hindus
Excerpts from the March 23rd
broadcast of the 700 Club:
Robertson: "India is not
what you normally think of anymore. In the last five years,
it's burst into the 20th century with modern technology,
capitalism and, especially, television. They're breaking free
from the old, and they're moving into the Western culture.
But what that leaves is a spiritual vacuum. And yet there
seems, finally in India, an opening to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ throughout this whole land. There is a huge population
of teen-agers. These people are not locked into the old ways.
They're looking for something new and better."
Cohost: "You know, Pat,
we've seen in other countries where there's a certain period
of vulnerability, or spiritual vulnerability. Now's the time
to use the media to talk to them about what their future
could really be like."
Robertson: "They have
thousands and thousands of earth stations picking up
satellites. It's a window of opportunity [for Christian TV
programs]. Of all of India's problems, one stands out from
the rest. That problem is idol worship. It is said there are
hundreds of millions of Hindu deities. All this has put a
nation in bondage to spiritual forces that have deceived many
for thousands of years."
Gordon Robertson (his son):
"Wherever you find this type of idolatry, you'll find a
grinding poverty. The land has been cursed. The Bible talks
in terms of the land being cursed on behalf of what the
inhabitants have done to it. You erect all these idols under
every green tree, on top of every hill, you're going to curse
your land. And the oppression, we see it in evidence."
CBN Reporter: "[At the
religious services Robertson conducted in India] they came,
by the hundreds, even thousands, to a makeshift altar to
confess their faith in Christ and receive a touch from
heaven, and be set free from a lifetime of fear and demonic
oppression.
Robertson: "I [told]
them to renounce idolatry, but many people accept Christ and
still go with those processions [of Hindu deities]."
Cohost: "You said
there's a connection between the New Age, as it is in
America, and Hinduism."
Robertson: "It's the
same thing. You see, the whole concept of Hindus is based on
karma; that people have a karma attached to them when they
are born, and they go through a cycle of life and they come
back in the next world as something else. So the whole
thought of reincarnation is karma-you come back as a cow, a
pig, a goat, a dog, a snake or an untouchable. We're
importing Hinduism into America. The whole thought of your
karma, of meditation, of the fact that there's no end of life
and there's this endless wheel of life, this is all Hinduism.
Chanting too. Many of those chants are to Hindu Gods-Vishnu,
Hare Krishna. The origin of it is all demonic. We can't let
that stuff come into America. We've got the best defense, if
you will-a good offense."
Sidebar - The Robertson
Empire
The promotional literature
provided Hinduism Today by the Robertson ministries details
the extensive empire Pat Robertson has developed over 25
years of ministry. It is really an admirable accomplishment,
tarnished only by the kind of religious bigotry demonstrated
in the March 23rd program [see sidebar left]. Robertson's
Christian Broadcasting Network is the world's largest
television ministry, with programs airing across the United
States and in 70 countries. He also has interests in
non-religious family-oriented television, specifically the
cable Family Channel. In 1978 he founded the Operation
Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation
which since 1978 has distributed aid worth US$440 million to
114 million people in 72 countries. He's written nine books,
one of which was a best seller and number one religious book
in America in 1984. In 1992 Robertson was selected by
Newsweek magazine as one of America's "100 Cultural
Elite." Robertson also founded the American Center for
Law and Justice to pursue a Christian agenda in the courts by
providing free legal advice and representation in important
precedent-setting cases. His Regent University [photo above]
is an accredited graduate school offering degrees in
communication, education, counseling, business, divinity,
public policy and law.
Robertson ventured out of the
strictly religious field in 1987 when he resigned his
ordination as a Southern Baptist minister to run for
president of the United States. As part of this effort, the
Christian Coalition was formed, a "national grassroots
citizen action organization" to work for
"pro-family legislation and family-friendly public
policy on national, state and local levels." Both are
represented on the World Wide Web: Robertson at http://the700
club.org//cbn/cbn.html and The Coalition at http://cc.org .
Robertson and the Coalition are probably the single most
effective Christian voice in American politics today, as
demonstrated by their recent demands to Congress for a
"Contract with the American Family," including
"voluntary [ie, Christian] prayer in public
schools" -- something presently forbidden by law. One
reaction to this contract came from the Americans United for
Separation of Church and State. "It's a sad day in
American politics when a TV preacher's political front group
dictates the agenda for the United States Congress,"
said Barry Lynn, the organization's executive director.
Posted by the authority of
the Himalayan Academy
Article from HINDUISM TODAY, July 1995
Copyright (C) 1995 Himalayan Academy - All Rights Reseved
The Hinduism Today Web site is located at:
http://www.HinduismToday.kauai.hi.us/ashram/welcome.html
Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi, Vedic Astrologer
http://www.flex.com/~jai
Om Shanti
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