01-16-2006, 06:55 PM
(fwd)
Quote:Dalit International -3
The buzz word is: Pluralism; the framework is 'Comparative Theology'
Pluralism becomes a framework for pushing dialogue of sorts and this dialogue gets framed under 'comparative theology' and the media don for this dialogue in USA on behalf of the Society of Jesuits (affiliated with Vatican) is Francis Xavier Clooney, S.J.
This part brings in the redoubtable Clooney, S.J. (Society of Jesuits) who wanted to mediate with Witzel & Co. on the California Sixth Grade Textbook Review. No wonder, the Department of Religious Studies in Harvard University is closely watching the involvement of Witzel & Co. in the review process.
The story begins from a press conference on 5 Septmebter 2000 addressed by Ratzinger who is the present Pope, in the context of the doctrinal document called Dominus Jesus. [quote] At a Vatican press conference on 5 September 2000 introducing the new statement, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, said Dominus Jesus was a necessary response to "the theology of religious pluralism," which is growing "not only in theological circles, but also more generally in Catholic public opinion." Many people today, he observed, view the Church's traditional claim to be the unique and universal means to salvation as "a bit of fundamentalism which is an attack on the modern spirit and a menace to toleration and liberty. Because of that attitude, many people see ecumenical dialogue as an end in itself: "Dialogue - or rather the ideology of dialogue - becomes a substitute for missionary activity and for the urgency of an appeal to conversion." This mistaken notion of dialogue, Cardinal Ratzinger said, emphasises not a search for objective and absolute truth, but a desire to put all religious beliefs on the same plane. And such dialogue gives rise to a "false idea of tolerance," which rejects the possibility of any objective truth." [unquote] http://www.ad2000.com.au/articles/2000/o...p3_77.html
The word pluralism, again ! An answer to the jesuits' objection is provided by Clooney of Harvard University (Department of Religious Studies) who is a promoter of 'dialogue' even though he believes that non-christian souls are in peril: "Centuries of missionary work have not convinced them that their souls are in peril; they are not worried about their lack of union with Rome; they have no reason to revere the document as the work of a flawless magisterium; they will be amused or upset by its characterization of their traditions as gravely deficient; and they will want to know whether there are still good reasons why they should engage in dialogue with Roman Catholics, whatever reasons Catholics themselves might have." http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/dialogu...ey_dominus.html , article originally printed in America, October 28, 2000.
http://tinyurl.com/dkwum
http://jitnasa.india-forum.com/Docs/ProAry...elsupporter.htm
So, how does the dialogue proceed with Clooney the Catholic priest leading the comparative congregation? Start comparing Mary with Abirami, S'ri and Devi. (See Francis X Clooney, 2005, Divine Mother, Blessed Mother -- Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary, OUP). Heading a discipline in search of a method, the proposed dialogue becomes a way to celebrate Vatican version of pluralism, while denying the capability of any faith other than christism to save souls. Objective? S'rivaishnavam will be shown in comparative theology to be no different from christism ! Reducing pluralism to simple uniformity, christist version of uniformity.
Dominus Jesus doctrinal statement is contained in the document drafted by Ratzinger when he was Cardinal and it is available at http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congrega...s-iesus_en.html It is emphatic and brooks of no compromise. Let us see some quotes:
The Lord Jesus, before ascending into heaven, commanded his disciples to proclaim the Gospel to the whole world and to baptize all nations: "Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned" ( Mk 16:15-16); "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the world" ( Mt 28:18-20; cf. Lk 24:46-48; Jn 17:18 ,20,21; Acts 1:8).
The Church's universal mission is born from the command of Jesus Christ and is fulfilled in the course of the centuries in the proclamation of the mystery of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and the mystery of the incarnation of the Son, as saving event for all humanity. The fundamental contents of the profession of the Christian faith are expressed thus: "I believe in one God, the Father, Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation, he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets. I believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come". 1
2. In the course of the centuries, the Church has proclaimed and witnessed with fidelity to the Gospel of Jesus. At the close of the second millennium, however, this mission is still far from complete. 2 For that reason, Saint Paul's words are now more relevant than ever: "Preaching the Gospel is not a reason for me to boast; it is a necessity laid on me: woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" ( 1 Cor 9:16). This explains the Magisterium's particular attention to giving reasons for and supporting the evangelizing mission of the Church, above all in connection with the religious traditions of the world. 3 [Sources: (1) First Council of Constantinople, Symbolum Constantinopolitanum: DS 150. (2) Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio, 1: AAS 83 (1991), 249-340. (3) Cf. Second Vatican Council, Decree Ad gentes and Declaration Nostra aetate; cf. also Paul VI Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi: AAS 68 (1976), 5-76; John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Redemptoris missio. ]
Gospel of Jesus and evangelizing mission are synonyms of proselytization. No wonder, when Dayananda Saraswati proposed during the Millennium Peace Summit under UN auspices for accepting of basic ground rules. "Religious conversion destroys centuries-old communities and incites communal violence," he said in an open letter to the Pope, and added, "In any tradition it is wrong to strike someone unarmed. Since certain religions and cultures do not convert, attempts to convert them are one-sided aggression."
http://www.hindunet.org/conversions/pope99...yananada_sa.htm His proposals were rejected outright and instead, the Dominus Jesus doctrine was proclaimed. http://www.millenniumpeacesummit.com/news020614.html
What has all this to do with Dalit International? Everything.
The cue of the Vatican version of 'dialogue' was picked up rapidly and a grand conference was organized following the Millennium Peace Summit. It was organized at Dublin and inaugurated by UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan. The Dublin conference, attended by over 250 people from the Western European region, and hosted by the Irish government, developed a set of common principles and recommendations on conflict prevention, called the 'Dublin Action Agenda' http://www.xs4all.nl/~conflic1/Dublin/Dubl...d%20version.pdf
One of the conference items discussed was: dalit, on the framework set forth in annual reports of USCIRF (United States Commission for International Religious Freedoms) within the rubric of 'human rights'. Thus, 'human rights' provides a complete cover for pushing the agenda of proselytizing 'dalit' as the vulnerable groups â vulnerable because of perceived socio-economic discriminations and vulnerable to inducements and forced conversions. The battle ground is clearly set: India, that is Bharat where a new social category called 'dalit' has been formulated by clever media and political propaganda. What started with the indological myth-making of 'caste' from the Portuguese word, 'casta' has now enlarged into another myth called 'dalit', an amorphous, undefined, but vulnerable groups in India.
How the Non-governmental organizations networked themselves into this UN-US supported initiatives of conflict resolutions and Religious freedoms provides the background for the new samajam: Dalit International as a band of globe-trotter proselytizers.