08-18-2005, 02:19 PM
Below is a message that Dr. Morales sent to ABC News regarding a news piece that appeared Monday, January 10, 2005 on World News Tonight. In it, the reporter, Dan Harris, attempted to report on the effects that the recent tsunami disaster is having on people's faith. While his reports on Islam and Christianity were fair and sympathetic, he decided to lump Hinduism and Buddhism together and create a stereotyped and derogatory image of both religions. It was especially full of inaccuracies about Hinduism, which Dr. Morales comments upon below.
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Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 00:15:35 -0600
To: NETAUDR@abc.com
From: "Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales"
Subject: WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
Dear News Director,
On Monday evening, January 10, 2005, ABC News presented a piece on World News Tonight by Mr. Dan Harris purporting to discuss the question of religious faith in the face of the tragic tsunami in South Asia that has recently taken over 165,000 lives.
While I am sure that ABC News had the best of intentions in reporting on the nature of religious faith in the wake of this tragic event, as an academician in the field of Philosophy of Religion and Hindu Studies, as well as a practicing Hindu, I was highly dismayed by how Mr. Harris chose to portray the theological teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism.
As Mr. Harris correctly reports, the four faiths that were most affected by the tsunami were Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. In reporting on the religious response to the tsumani, however, Mr. Harris makes the mistake of unthinkingly lumping Hinduism and Buddhism into the same category, and reporting upon these two distinct faiths as if they were one. Islam and Christianity, on the other hand, were given the due respect of being reported upon independently.
Though certainly originating in the same geographic area, Hinduism and Buddhism are radically different religions, with very different philosophies, concepts of the Absolute, and approaches to the question of human suffering â a fact that almost any scholar of South Asian religion, or even a common follower of either religion, could have easily confirmed.
While respected religious leaders who actually represent their respective communities are quoted in explaining the Islamic and Christian perspectives, a professor (Dr. Robert Thurman) is used as the "spokesperson" of both Hinduism and Buddhism. Thus actual religious leaders representing these two important world religions were denied the opportunity of explaining their respective faiths from an insider perspective.
Mr. Harris makes several assertions about the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism that simply are not factual and that are highly prejudiced in nature. First, Mr. Harris makes the unfounded proclamation that neither religion believes in the concept of one almighty God. While this is arguably true of Buddhism (which is atheistic by self-definition), Hinduism is recognized as a religion that is predicated on the belief in one, omnicompetent divine Being â i.e., God.
Further, Mr. Harris makes the stereotypically derogatory and untrue statement that the concept of karma is based upon a type of "cold logic." To say that this is a simplistic and uninformed description of a highly complex philosophical concept would be putting it quite lightly.
Rather than presenting inaccurate and prejudiced caricatures of Hindu and Buddhist religious principles, Mr. Harris would have done his audience a much better service had he actually spoken to authentic Hindu and Buddhist leaders, and done his research into these two ancient and venerable religions a bit better. Hindus and Buddhists, after all, watch the evening news too. Thank you for your time and your consideration of this letter.
Best Regards,
Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales, Ph.D.
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Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2005 00:15:35 -0600
To: NETAUDR@abc.com
From: "Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales"
Subject: WORLD NEWS TONIGHT
Dear News Director,
On Monday evening, January 10, 2005, ABC News presented a piece on World News Tonight by Mr. Dan Harris purporting to discuss the question of religious faith in the face of the tragic tsunami in South Asia that has recently taken over 165,000 lives.
While I am sure that ABC News had the best of intentions in reporting on the nature of religious faith in the wake of this tragic event, as an academician in the field of Philosophy of Religion and Hindu Studies, as well as a practicing Hindu, I was highly dismayed by how Mr. Harris chose to portray the theological teachings of Hinduism and Buddhism.
As Mr. Harris correctly reports, the four faiths that were most affected by the tsunami were Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. In reporting on the religious response to the tsumani, however, Mr. Harris makes the mistake of unthinkingly lumping Hinduism and Buddhism into the same category, and reporting upon these two distinct faiths as if they were one. Islam and Christianity, on the other hand, were given the due respect of being reported upon independently.
Though certainly originating in the same geographic area, Hinduism and Buddhism are radically different religions, with very different philosophies, concepts of the Absolute, and approaches to the question of human suffering â a fact that almost any scholar of South Asian religion, or even a common follower of either religion, could have easily confirmed.
While respected religious leaders who actually represent their respective communities are quoted in explaining the Islamic and Christian perspectives, a professor (Dr. Robert Thurman) is used as the "spokesperson" of both Hinduism and Buddhism. Thus actual religious leaders representing these two important world religions were denied the opportunity of explaining their respective faiths from an insider perspective.
Mr. Harris makes several assertions about the beliefs of Hinduism and Buddhism that simply are not factual and that are highly prejudiced in nature. First, Mr. Harris makes the unfounded proclamation that neither religion believes in the concept of one almighty God. While this is arguably true of Buddhism (which is atheistic by self-definition), Hinduism is recognized as a religion that is predicated on the belief in one, omnicompetent divine Being â i.e., God.
Further, Mr. Harris makes the stereotypically derogatory and untrue statement that the concept of karma is based upon a type of "cold logic." To say that this is a simplistic and uninformed description of a highly complex philosophical concept would be putting it quite lightly.
Rather than presenting inaccurate and prejudiced caricatures of Hindu and Buddhist religious principles, Mr. Harris would have done his audience a much better service had he actually spoken to authentic Hindu and Buddhist leaders, and done his research into these two ancient and venerable religions a bit better. Hindus and Buddhists, after all, watch the evening news too. Thank you for your time and your consideration of this letter.
Best Regards,
Dr. Frank Gaetano Morales, Ph.D.