The following is an open letter to Ed Royce for his very vocal support of a Christian evangelical organization Compassion International (CI) after they were restricted in funding NGOs in India following charges of forced conversion and disturbing the social harmony.1
Mr. Ed Royce
US Representative, 39 District of California, Orange County, CA
Dear Sir
I talked to Mr. Eduardo Duarte on Wednesday, December, 14 and he suggested I write to you. At the time, I was not sure if I would write. I revised my opinion and writing this letter to you.
The history of Jewish people in India dates to 721 BCE. The Bene Israel community living in Kolaba south of Mumbai are believed to be Hanukkah refugees. Marco Polo records meeting Jewish people in India in 1293. I quote “When the Jewish community was threatened by attacks from South Arabian and Portuguese invaders in the 1400s, the maharajah in the nearby town of Cochin invited them to settle and even build their synagogue next to the town’s Hindu temple.” Jewish people thrived in India accepted by Hindus in peace for centuries. Famous stars of Bollywood are of Jewish origin. An Indian Lieutenant General Jack Jacob of Jewish origin brilliantly helped creating Bangladesh in 1971. Israel Parliament honours India for its record on Jews.
Christian refugees were accepted into India by Hindus and were given shelter. They followed their religion without any persecution.
Even Muslim refugees escaping the persecutions that followed the death of their prophet were given refuge in India.
Hindus accepted and gave home to these three Abrahamic religions.
Farsies escaping persecution in Iran sought refuge in India and flourished there-an example, J.R.D. Tata.
Forgetting their past both Christians and Muslims launched a campaign of conversion denigrating Hindu customs, culture and beliefs. Under Muslim rule Muslims increased in numbers. Under the British rule Christian conversions reached large numbers. Hindus were victimized, their temples looted, their priests killed in millions (an estimate is 18 million- the worst offenders were Ghazni, Tamerlane, Khilji, Moguls, Nizam of Hyderabad and Tipu Sultan of Mysore and scores of other local war lords.)
In the post-modern era, the conversions into Christianity increased mainly funded by the US NGOs. Sometimes the cost of conversion is $1.00 as Hindus would accept any money. The main argument put forward is Christianity is superior to Hinduism for which there is no scientific evidence. Great intellectuals like Bertrand Russell, Christopher Hichens and Richard Hawkins of 20th century, Voltaire of eighteenth century and many others have not exactly complementary remarks to make on Christianity. If the world must survive we should learn to respect each other. As a Hindu I revere cow, I use curry and I do belong to a caste. Caste was introduced by British in India. The very word originates from a Portuguese word “casta”. It is well known that all Hindu transactions are done in Sanskrit language probably the richest in the world. In Sanskrit two words were used- Jati and Varna. In the great Bhagavadgita Krishna says he created Varnas based on Gunas (qualities) and Karmas(professions). Nobody was born into a Varna. In Vedic times Brahmans married Dalits- an example is the greatest Brahmarshi Vasisht married Arundhati, a Dalit lady. There were ascensions from lower ladder to a higher ladder if their Gunas and Karmas permitted. Similarly, there were demotions form a higher ladder to a lower ladder if Gunas and Karmas so demanded. But British for their own administrative reasons made it birth related destroying Hindu society.
I expect respect form others because I respect others.
On September 4, 2014, Gary Dale, a Christian wrote a letter to Toronto Star mentioning that bible said:
- The earth was flat
- The earth was only 6000 years old
- Man was created before the nature.
- There is no such thing as “infinity”
- There is no such thing as “vacuum”.
- The sun rotated around the earth.
Modern science negates all these. We know the earth is round. We know the earth is 4.6 billion years old thanks to Uranium-Lead, Potassium-Argon and Lead- Lead decay methods of determining the age of rocks. We know that man was the result of evolution thanks to modern Biology. In mathematics infinity is an indispensable concept. Television would not exist without vacuum tubes. Of course, we all know earth rotates around the sun. Per Gary Dale Bible is wrong on these six issues. Let us just look what Hinduism says about these six factors;
- Mahabharata the great epic written thousands of years ago says the earth is round. Other Puranas also say this.
- The Hindu Sastras say the earth is 1.92 billion years old.
- Bhagavad-Gita says Nature created inanimate and animate matter.
- Infinity is an idea accepted by Hindu philosophers from time immemorial.
- Vacuum is embedded into Hindu psyche also from a very long time. We believe Universe came from Vacuum.
- “The sun rotated around the earth” was borrowed from Aristotle even though contested by many Hindu thinkers.
If we put this litmus test of Gary Dale Hinduism was right on 5 out of six, coming out with flying colours. Hinduism is not inferior to Christianity by this simple test.
I respect Christianity and expect all Christians respect Hinduism. Conversions carried out today by Evangelicals show total lack of such respect. NGOs in India promote breaking up of India, they promote conversions to Christianity and denigrate Hinduism.
I request you not you support any NGO in India. We Hindus will solve our problems. We don’t need others to do so. We are poor but our legacy is greater than any other in the world. Per Angus Maddison, a twentieth century economist, in 1750, 23% of world GDP was produced in India and 2% in England. When they left in 1947, we were producing 2% and they were producing 22% – a total reversal of fortunes. How much looting was carried out? But we are on the right path to reach our glorious past.
I am a Canadian citizen, and don’t belong to any religious or political organization.
Thank you
Nellutla Naveena Chandra
Dharma Consciousness 