Scriptures and adherents of another faith

Scripture can be just a book for a believer of another faith
Questioning the History & Geography of God?
http://indiaview.wordpress.com
- Prithvi Raj Singh
Courtesy: India Journal
On October 2, one Gandhi known as Sonia, tried to reach out to the world community at the United Nations, by paying homage to a Mahatma born on that day and known as Gandhi, whose very last words before departing from this world were Hey Ram (Many people claim that Gandhi never said Hey Ram, in stead he said “you are very late” addressing Nathu Ram Godse). She traveled thousands of miles to come to New York after the Government submitted and then rescinded an affidavit denouncing the very existence of Lord Rama.
Now in Hinduism, no one can raise any charges of any blasphemy or issue any Fatwa against such questioning. To me, this could be a doubt in every human mind, at some time in their lives, when anxiety overtakes to enquire the History & Geography of God, religion and its Messengers. Hindus can be sympathetic to the knowledge of such questioning but should never get agitated enough to engage in any revenge in any form, because Hinduism is a diverse school of thoughts and allows doubts to grow until its strength explains the reality and automatically lets the question vanish by answering it logically.
Any student of Theology can and should exercise the right to question any photographs, writings, witnesses and even the tape-recordings of the Sermons, Testaments, Verses, Commandments and revelations of god and as heard by the Messengers. The Vedas, the Ten Commandments, and the Quranic Verses can be accepted only after the tapes are played and heard on loud-speakers in every temple, mosque and church. What if the audio & video recorders, cameras and other tools were not available in those days when the revelations occurred? In the matter of Vedas, thousands of years ago, no printing facilities were available and the holy Mantras were ‘spoken’ by some and ‘heard’ by some and the message continued to be conveyed involving generations.
Paintings, carvings on stones and writings on leaves or the walls were the only pages of history to be un-folded. In other words, the scriptures, containing the basic beliefs of that religion, are the only sources of any authenticity of any religion. But, then sacred saints like Valmiki or Tulsidas do not ring any bell for those who have decided to recognize Lord Rama (or god) only after shaking hands with Him. Remember, one’s Holy Scripture can be just a book for a believer of another faith. At least, god by the name of Rama, has feet, hands, eyes and a birth place at Ayodhya. What about those gods who do not have any street address or even a Post Office box number?
Now, I want to look at the definition of a religion as given in the Webster dictionary. It says: “Any system of beliefs, practices, rituals and ethical values which binds a group of people”. The clash of science to the defined religion is well known and now the history, geography, gender, color, height, weight and the number of gods might be under scrutiny. Who can try to prove that God is one (and not two) unless by seeing, touching or photographing Him/Her as we do before we accept Mount Everest as one (and not two) in geography or scientific research? If we can not, then we have to go back to the Beliefs and the details as expressed in the Scriptures.
Incidentally, Hinduism believes that God can appear in any form anywhere anytime and is termed as incarnation. In that context, Lord Rama is an incarnation and Ramayana is the source scripture to describe Him. Lord Rama is taken as a Demonstration by God of how a human Being should ideally behave. Every problem imaginable to human Beings has been depicted in Ramayana and Mahabharata and role model solutions are given by God, appearing as human Beings with the names of Rama and Krishna. So, He is revered and worshiped but in order to do so, we have to believe
the scriptures.
Also, no one claims Benaras or Calcutta to be the birth place of Lord Rama. So, why question Ayodhya, the only place claimed and revered. No one claims Hyderabad or Kanyakumari to be the venue where Mahabharata was fought. So, why doubt and create controversies about Kurukshetra in Haryana, the only place claimed in the literature. In other words, scriptures have to be believed as the sources, revered and worshiped before considering any Gods & Goddesses.
The stand taken up by DMK, and once endorsed by the Federal Government also, does not seem to be wise, secular, fair and logical. Do not they realize that you will open a Pandora’s Box by involving Lord Rama and then Lord Krishna, Prophet Jesus, Prophet Mohammad, Mahatma Buddha, Guru Nanak or Shri Mahavir etc.? Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism or Jainism and Gita, Bible and Quran etc. will have to be rejected before settling in the courts. Lord Rama’s name has been mentioned in scriptures of Sikhism. Are we not then questioning the authenticity of these references and text books? If prophet Mohammad’s picture or sound can not be produced or not allowed to be produced, should then we not believe Islam? Whose claim is to be believed when one Messenger heard God’s words in Hebrew language and another in Arabic? Who has got the proof that the sea got partitioned as claimed in Christian beliefs?
Did Lord Buddha really got the so called Nirvana under a tree somewhere in Bihar? If scriptures are thrown out, then anyone of any historical period can be questioned. Some claim they saw and some say they heard God. Some say that Taj Mahal was not built by Shah Jahan but by a Rajput king. Now, how do you go to a court and prove the claims except going through whatever books of history say.
The recent controversy about Lord Rama occurred only because it involves the broad-minded and most diversified & liberal religion of Hinduism. Otherwise, by this time there would have been burnings of humans and wreckage of buildings at every crossroads of India.
I want to conclude by quoting a verse from Rig Vedas which translates that God is one and wise men call by different names. It beautifully explains that we should not quarrel on names.
Prithvi Raj Singh,
Trustee FHA (Federation of Hindus-Associations),
Diamond Bar, CA
http://indiaview.wordpress.com
Source URL: http://www.indiajournal.com/letters.htm

Protest demonstration in New York
The protest demonstration in New York on October 2, 2007 should be seen as a step in defending truncated Bharat and Sanatan Dharma, commonly known as Hinduism.
With a zero-Muslim population in Bharat Varsha a few centuries ago, Hindus have already lost Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh to Muslims. At present, a unilateral war against Hinduism is being waged by anti-Hindu forces to wipe out Hinduism the way other native religions and cultures have been destroyed in the rest of the world. With each passing day, even truncated Bhaarat is being made more Islamic and more Christian; and less Hindu.
De-Hinduized by Macaulayan education and brain-washed by anti-Hindu media, most of the Hindus are self-alienated and know nothing about Hindu religion, Hindu scriptures, Hindu heritage and Hindu history, and therefore, are indifferent to attacks on Hinduism.
In this background, instead of indulging in cynicism or self-flagellation, any action which defends Hindus and Hinduism has to be supported and admired. Accordingly, those who participated in the protest demonstration in New York on October 2, 2007 deserve the appreciation and gratitude of world-wide Hindu society.
If our resolve is to change the wrong policies enforced by the anti-Hindu regime in power we must change the policy makers. Democracy requires that the national majority play its rightful role in governance of a country. Such transformation can be brought about through elections. The evolution of the national policy under the guidance of the majority will ensure both promoting justice and national interests. Without any questions among other things that must include the rejection of a) the on-going destruction of Ram Setu, b) blasphemous attacks on Lord Ram, c) religious repression of Hindus by usurping the control of their temples and endowments, d) fabricated case against Shankaracharya, e) religion based reservations, f) anti-sovereignty decisions on international treaties, g) encouragement of terrorism, h) allowing unlimited and illegal Bangladeshi immigration; and, i) permitting Hindu cleansing in Kashmir and Bangladesh, etc.
At present situation is such in Bhaarat that Congress led leftist supported UPA Govt. is a form of government in which Non-Hinduism plays the dominant role. There are various types of secular terrorism such as Terrorism of Religious freedom, Terrorism through Freedom of Expression, Terrorism of scandal, Quota Terrorisms, Terrorism against Nationalism, Terrorism of Minoritism, and Constitutional Terrorism.