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Aitaracheo Sermaum
Hi Santosh,
Thanks for you clarification of Hinduism. I hesitate to debate you on the
religion of your birth. However, for the benefit of the Catholics on the
goanet, it is my understanding that modern Hindus believe in one God, who is
called "Brahman". Their many deities (devas and devis) are paths to Brahman -
God. This is in the "Evolving and Modern Concepts of Hinduism," Chapter 101.
(Medical humor.:=)) This is different from what we were taught (by padres) and
what Santosh has written as "Hinduism is a polytheistic religion".
Santosh, please don’t be embarrassed! Likely, you have seen me have the same
gripe about some of our intelligent Goan Christaum bhau ani bhoinim. They too,
still continue to live and write about Christianity in the Middle Ages.
You make contradictory statements in an attempt to make everything complicated.
What is so complex about atheism? Its definition is "An atheist is a person
who does not believe that any god (s) exist." So for agnostic / atheist the
issue of nature of God and his / her capabilities should be beyond discussion.
As usual you parse your words. Jains also BELIEVE in God. They call their God -
Bhagavan or Jina. And their venerated pictures depict many of his messengers.
In Jain philosophy and theology, God did not to create the universe. That does
not mean, they do not believe that there is a God.
Am I / are we going to discuss and learn from someone who does not believe in
the existence of God, about the what, who, how, why, when, about God? And how
does the God fit into the universal scheme of things in different religions?
Are you the all-knowing person / authority about the different manifestations
and job-descriptions of God in various religions?:=))
Ragar zai nacaim!
Kind Regards, GL
PS: The "Evolving and Modern Concepts ..." is also known as "Wikipedia," the
free internet encyclopedia.:=))
----------- Gilbert Lawrence wrote:
>How come Santosh and you excluded Hinduism from the group of atheist
>organizations?
--------------- Santosh Helekar
As usual, the answer is quite obvious. Because modern Hinduism is a
polytheistic religion. It believes in many Gods doing many different things.
However, there are a few old pre-Hindu vedic philosophies that are atheistic.
It is clear that Gilbert has his own definition of the word atheist, and has
still not bothered to find out its meaning in a standard English dictionary, or
read anything about atheistic religions. In any case, let me provide the
following link to an article on Jainism by the noted Jain scholar Justice T. U.
Mehta telling us why Jainism is regarded as an atheistic religion:
http://www.jainworld.com/jainbooks/arhat/tultirealty.htm
Here are the relevant quotes in that article. The Jaina approach is totally
different. It has no place for God as the creator or sustainer of this
universe. In Jainism there is no outside force, regulating prizes and
punishment?
??If theism consists only in the belief in a personal or impersonal God as
creator and sustainer of this universe, then certainly Jainism is atheistic as
it does not believe that this universe is created and shaped by some personal
or impersonal entity called God. Nor do the Jainas believe that rendition of
justice for the good or bad deeds of human beings is at the mercy of some
capricious will or whim of the Divine?
----------- Gilbert wrote:
>Hi Mario,
>
>I checked out your's and Santosh's facts with a Jain. Even though I was on
>bended knee (very polite), he was offended when I asked if his organization is
>atheist. So you-both may be having some theoretical theological definition of
>religion and God. But most definitely not the Jain that I spoke to. And that
>what counts.
>
>Is it, that Santosh and you are both like the Inquisitional European priests
>that claimed (Indian) non Christians were atheists?:=))
>...........
>
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