On Mar 25, 2009, at 11:07 AM, grate.swan wrote:
Another thought on this.
We live in a pluralistic society and laudably multi-culturalism and
the appreciation of diversity in other culture is increasingly
celebrated. Where I work, a large company, the daily e-mail
newsletter celebrates and explains every major religions and
cultural holiday. Hindu, islamic, jewish, ... Thats a cool thing
IMO. it does not make my company a religious advocate nor does it
have some hidden agenda. Its educating us all, and making us
sensitive to, other cultures.
Not an appropriate comparison. IF your place of employ was using
company money to pay for people to be initiated into and to practice
TM on work property, then it might be an appropriate comparison.
In that light, teaching TM in the traditional way, is giving a nod
to, and adding to the texture of a multicultural society. Its
preserving a heritage enabling all to see a type of ceremony that
they would not normally see. In that light, the TMO should be given
thanks for not coping out and sanitizing the way they teach TM.
They teach it in the traditional way. They provide a micro museum
tour of an ancient culture. I rather like that. That doesn't make
me Hindu or religious. It reflects that I am multi-cultural and
live in a diverse society of tolerance and appreciation of all
traditions.
Nonetheless, if you are mentally reciting the inner name of a Hindu
devata, Hindu scriptures do consider this a form of worship, a
manasika or mental form of worship. Nice try.
You don't have a true multi-cultural society if you sanitize all
traditions and strip out references to God or whatever. That would
be a sham and a shame. You have a multi-cultural society when
things with religious roots can be shared and appreciated as part
of diverse cultures -- not phobiacized.
Of course no one's asking society to "sanitize all traditions and
strip out references to God or whatever".
That's not the point at all. It might behoove you to look into the
origins of the USA and look at why the founding fathers, based on
previous experience, decided to keep church and state emphatically
separate but allowed religions freedom without threat of persecution.
