Author: B R Haran
Publication: News Today
Date: November 15, 2008
URL: http://newstodaynet.com/col.php?section=20&catid=29
'On Friday 24 October, the devotees of the
world famous 'Sri Kapalishwarar Temple' Mylapore, Chennai were literally shocked
when they were given five booklets each containing defamatory write-ups about
Hinduism, Vedas, Vedic heritage, Hindu Shastras, Hindu culture & tradition,
Sabarimala Ayyappan and denigrating articles on Sage Thirumoolar, Nayanmars
and others, by a bunch of mean-minded Christian evangelists just in front
of the Temple entrance! For example, in the book titled 'Light in darkness',
it is written that, the word 'Sadhaa' in the verse 'Sadhaa Shivaaya' means
'forever' and there is only one God, who blesses and takes care of this world
forever, and he is 'Jesus' and the verse 'Sadhaa Shivaaya' denotes only him!
All the five books are said to have contained more defamatory stories about
Hindu Gods and Religious Gurus. Many people have called up this magazine and
sent mails to it giving complete details about what happened in front of the
temple that day'.
Incidentally, the Santhome Cathedral stands
on the ruins of the original Kapalishvarar Temple, which was destroyed by
the Portuguese invaders and now the evangelical invaders are trying to destroy
the Hindu culture and religion in front of this reconstructed Kapalishvarar
Temple.
This outrageous incident has brought out the
following facts:
The evangelists have made bold to distribute
blasphemous literatures and conduct a hate-campaign against Hinduism, that
too in front of a very famous historic temple.
The minority appeasement policies of a 'minority'
government, which openly said that it is committed to the welfare of minorities,
and its anti-majority stand have emboldened these evangelists to indulge in
this kind of illegal activity.
The policemen who have been posted near the
temple for security (Mylapore temple is under terror threat) have turned a
blind eye to this venomous act, probably due to fear motivation from the 'minority'
government or money motivation from the evangelists.
The Hindus have just exposed their 'dhimmitude' by remaining passive without
acting against those evangelists. Sadly, not even one devotee has exhibited
the courage to lodge a police complaint against them. The traders near the
temple have not bothered to drive away those Christian rapscallions. Certainly
the number of devotees must have easily outnumbered those evangelists and
they must have caught them with their collars and taken them to the Mylapore
police station. Instead of doing all this, some people have written to this
particular weekly magazine.
Similarly, in Coimbatore, on 24 September,
five staff of Chennai based 'East Coast Christian Matriculation School' have
been arrested by the police for distributing blasphemous literatures propagating
Christianity and degrading Hindu Gods and engaging in evangelisation. The
police action has been prompted by the complaint given by the local people
belonging to BJP and Hindu Makkal Katchi, who caught those evangelists and
took them to the nearby police station. Ironically those evangelists have
asked the students (most of them are Hindus) to distribute those pamphlets
and the innocent students have obeyed the order out of fear. This has been
done while taking the students on an excursion (study tour) to Ooty. If this
is the way study tours are conducted by a Christian School, one can imagine
the standard of education imparted by it.
In this context, it must be noted that in
most of the schools run by the various Christian denominations, Hindu students
(who obviously are more in number) are not allowed to sport 'Thilaks' on their
forehead and girl students are not allowed to have flowers on their heads.
Last year a boy was reprimanded and sent out by the management of a Christian
school in Chennai city for having applied 'Mehendi' in his palms. His parents
were made to run from pillar to post to reinstate him. In another school in
Dindigul, some boys, who were 'fasting' for Sabarimala pilgrimage, were allowed
to write their examinations only after having a haircut and removing their
'Tulasi Maalaas'. In certain schools 'Bible' is being taught and the Hindu
students are forced to attend such classes. The parent community is also aware
of these kinds of tortures undergone by their wards, but they prefer to keep
quiet in the fear that their wards' education would be affected.
Recently in a Church in Kakkan Nagar, in the
Ambedkar slum dwellings of Adambakkam, a Chennai suburb, the pastor, during
morning prayers, had openly ridiculed the practice of Abishekams of Amman
Deities saying that 'they are nude & naked worships performed with an
erotic motive'. As the Pastor was addressing a group of 'converts', his blasphemous
speech was heard by the slum dwellers through loud speakers. A Hindu woman,
who was drawing drinking water from a nearby Municipal water-pump, got outraged
by the blasphemous speech, threw out the water from her vessel and filled
it with gutter from the nearby ditch and threw it inside the Church. Only
then the Hindu men realised the seriousness of the issue and reportedly damaged
the windowpanes of the Church. The Pastor lodged a police complaint and the
police promptly booked those Hindus, who damaged the windowpanes, and the
Pastor, who was the real culprit as per the law of the land, went Scot-free!
These incidents may look like isolated due
to the fact that the Hindus rarely exhibit courage to take on those evangelists,
but these strategies adopted by the Church and missionaries are a regular
phenomenon going on for years in the state. Mariamman and Aiyappan are two
Deities, which attract millions of devotees, particularly the Scheduled Castes,
as evidenced by the Sabarimala pilgrimage and Melmaruvaththur pilgrimage.
Since the SCs are the targeted audience of the evangelists, the Churches come
out with literatures, pamphlets and books denigrating Goddess Amman and Swami
Aiyappan and ridiculing their worship.
An evangelist by name Dr Theivanayagam has
founded an organisation by name 'Diravida Aanmeega Iyakkam' (Movement of Dravidian
Spiritualism) to spread the concept of 'Thomas Christianity', in the name
of 'Aadhi Christhuvam' (Early Christianity). Through this concept, he attempts
to project Shivisim and Vishnavism as sub sects of Christianity. He wrote
a book titled 'Vivliyam (Bible), Thirukkural, Saiva Siddantham - Oppu Ayvu'
(Comparative Research) and published it in 1985-86 and has been steadfastly
campaigning on this concept since then. Very recently, he convened 'Agila
Ulaga Dravida Samaya Maanaadu' (International Dravidiyan Spiritual conference)
under the aegis of Mylapore diocese, in which the following blasphemous distortions
were projected as researched facts:
'Aadhi Christhuvam' (Early Christianity) was
promulgated and established in Tamilnadu by St.Thomas is the original religion
of the Tamils.
The Aryan invaders distorted Thoams Christianity
and conceived new concepts called Shivism and Vishnavism and hence they must
be treated as the sub sects of Thomas Christianity.
The 'holy trinity' of 'Father-Son-Holy Spirit'
is denoted by 'Shiva-Muruga-Shakthi' and the same is also denoted by 'Brahmma-Vishnu-Rudran'
The 'holy trinity' concept has beautified
the Indian Religions. The 'Holy Spirit-Father' combination can be identified
with 'Arthanarishvarar' and 'Sankaranarayanar' formations.
St Thomas's teachings were abounding in Thirukkural
and Sage Thiruvalluvar was a disciple of St Thomas.
Many such blasphemous distortions were presented
in the conference. Close on the heels of the conference the inauguration of
the Rs.50 crore production of a movie on St.Thomas was also conducted. The
Chief Guest of the inauguration was none other than the Tamilnadu Chief Minister
Karunanidhi, who waxed eloquent on the 'supposed' history of St.Thomas, despite
having excellent knowledge on Thiruvalluvar and Thirukkural. Dr Deivanayagam
has recently released a book titled 'Thiruneeraa, Siluvaiya?' (Sacred Ash?
Or, The Cross?), in which, he has again brought out blasphemous distortions.
A few examples are given below:
The Hindu practice of applying 'sacred ash'
on the forehead has actually started from 'Ash Wednesday' the first day of
the 'Penance' (lent-days). The sacred ash comprises within it all the three
stages of 'Death, Resurrection & Pardon due to the fact that the 'ash'
cannot be destroyed, as how the resurrected body cannot be destroyed.
When Visnavism got separated from Shivism,
the style of applying sacred ash was changed from horizontal pattern to vertical
pattern.
Shiva is supposed to have given his left half
to Shakthi. If that left half is worshipped as woman, it becomes Shivism and
if the same is worshipped as man it becomes Vishnavism.
'Thiruneetru Pathigam', a collection of Shivite
Hymns sung by Sage Thirugnaana Sambandhar comprises a number of messages of
Christianity.
All Shivite literatures namely 'Thirumurai',
'Thevaram', 'Thiruvasagam' and 'Thirupathigam' do not talk about the four
Vedas namely Rig, Yajur, Sama and Adharvana. Also, as they carry the messages
of Christ the 'Bible' is the only 'Veda'.
All these things go to show that a sustained
campaign has been going on for years and the momentum keeps on increasing
with foreign aids and local support. The Dravidian political parties, which
are bent on alienating the Tamils from the Hindu fold, have been aiding and
abetting these anti-Hindu forces and this unholy nexus between them is creating
havoc in the society. Though the Religious Gurus are deeply concerned about
the speedy developments in this area of evangelisation and the alarming rate
of conversion going on in the state, they feel helpless and fear the Dravidian
rulers. So, the onus lies purely on political and social Hindu organisations
to take legal actions against persons like Deivanayagam and their organisations
for destroying the Hindu cultural heritage and Religious traditions posing
a danger to communal harmony.
Evangelisation has gone beyond the limits
of tolerance by abusing the constitutional provisions for freedom of religion
and the general public must also be aware of their moral responsibility to
act against those who indulge in blasphemy against their religion and the
government machineries must also act as per the rule of law.