Christian Missionary Role In India - 5

[acharya]

<b>Tom Hanks: $100 Million Man</b>
By Natalie Finn 1 hour, 56 minutes ago

<i>The Da Vinci Code isn't the only thing Tom Hanks is cracking this month. He also cracked the Guinness Book of World Records</i>.

The two-time Oscar winner's way with moviegoers has earned him the title of Actor with Most Consecutive $100 Million-Grossing Movies, with seven consecutive big box-office films, the record-tracking folks announced Wednesday.

America's favorite movie star started his lucrative streak with Saving Private Ryan ($216.5 million) in 1998 and capped it with 2002's Catch Me If You Can ($164.6 million).

Hanks, 49, has appeared in 14 movies overall that have grossed $100 million or more domestically, and he would have had 11 six-figure hits in a row if his directorial debut, That Thing You Do, had done its thing four times as well in 1996. The film, in which Hanks had a supporting role, netted only $25.8 million.

He's come a long way from Bosom Buddies. Hanks also shares a world record with Spencer Tracy,Jack Nicholson,Dustin Hoffman, Marlon Brando and a few other legends for "Most Oscars Won, Best Actor." Each one of those household names has two, with Hanks' statuettes coming for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Tracy and Hanks were the only two to get their honors in consecutive years.

Although The Ladykillers ($39.8 million) and The Terminal ($77.9 million) terminated his streak, The Polar Express and its $162.8 million showing laid the foundation for a new record. Hanks' next effort is almost sure to prolong his box-office prowess, although $100 million might be aiming a little low.

The Da Vinci Code opens May 19 in wide release (after its May 17 premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival) and the megabuzz surrounding the
Ron Howard-directed project practically guarantees it will be one of the biggest films of the year.

For starters, more than 40 million people read the Dan Brown novel the film is based on, and 1 million copies of the paperback version were snatched up its first month out. But a little controversy never hurt moviegoers' curiosity, either (except in the case of Tom Cruise, perhaps?) and clashes with the Catholic Church, a few legal snafus for Brown and talk of possible boycotts have probably only upped the hype meter.

Oh, and people just love Tom Hanks.

Currently, according to online sports book BetCRIS, the odds of The Da Vinci Code having a $105.1 million or better opening weekend (Friday to Sunday) are 2 to 1. More than $120.1 million--4 to 1.

If you like to live dangerously, you could go for the 25 to 1 odds that the film will make $35 million or less, but we wouldn't recommend it.

Of course, not everyone is going to watch Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno and
Ian McKellen tearing up the streets of Paris, London and Scotland to solve the fictional mystery to end all fictional mysteries.

Senior Vatican officials have called for a boycott of the film, and the Council of Churches in Jordan and Roman Catholic activists in India want their governments to ban the film completely. The Greek Orthodox Church and a top aide to the president of the Philippines reportedly are none too happy, either.

Those in the United States who are concerned about the film's take on the Bible and the Catholic Church seem to be bypassing boycotts in favor of "educational outreach"--books denouncing The Da Vinci Code's theories and lectures about the Gospels. Concerned Women for America, for one, has issued a pamphlet titled "The Top 10 Da Vinci Code Distortions."

Opus Dei, the group that went so far as to demand that Howard and Sony Pictures Entertainment place a disclaimer at the start of the film denoting it as fiction, has also nixed the idea of a boycott. Howard, meanwhile, refused to add the message to his finished product.

A leader from the Catholic sect cited the controversy over
Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ as a reason to not protest too loudly. What started out as a film with what appeared to be little mainstream appeal turned into a $370 million phenomenon.

But while anti-Da Vinci Coders are getting all the press these days, the millions of people intending to see the movie are flying quietly under the radar.

"The Da Vinci Code has become so popular that you can go anywhere in the world and odds are you'll run into someone who has read it once, if not twice," BetCRIS CEO Mickey Richardson said in a statement. "The novel took the world by storm, and I would say the probability of the movie doing the same is pretty high."

[Bharatvarsh]

All Indian's are intolerant except secular Sanghvi.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Everybody loves a good ban

COUNTERPOINT | Vir Sanghvi

May 13, 2006

The last conversation I ever had with Pramod Mahajan concerned a column I had
written on this page about The Da Vinci Code. The point of my piece was that
Hindus tended to be less tolerant than Christians. Consider what would have
happened if somebody had written a Da Vinci Code-type of novel about Hindu gods,
I asked. Would we have allowed such a book to be published?

On the other hand, I wrote, Christians had shown themselves to be astonishingly
tolerant. The central thesis of The Da Vinci Code is that modern Christianity is
a hoax and that Jesus did not die on the cross but married Mary Magdalene and
went on to have children.

Despite these apparently blasphemous claims, The Da Vinci Code is the
best-selling novel in the history of the world and it has broken all records in
nearly every Christian country. When, I asked, would Hindus learn that a mere
novel poses no threat to a religion and stop demanding bans on everything?

Pramod Mahajan phoned to say that he disagreed. It wasn't that Hindus were
intolerant. It was just that Indians liked protesting. After all, the campaign
against The Satanic Verses did not begin in the Islamic world but was launched
by Indians. And as for all my arguments about how Hindus would react to similar
claims about our gods, was I aware that blasphemous books suggesting an illicit
relationship between Ravana and Sita (and casting doubts on the paternity of Luv
and Kush) had been published in Marathi?

I said that this was news to me. And, in any case, if this was so, then why
hadn't he, as leader of the Maharashtra BJP, protested?

That was just the point, he said. The books were written by Dalits at the height
of the Dalit Panther movement in Maharashtra. "Dekho Vir," he explained. "At
that stage the Dalits were protesting more. How could we, as Brahmins, have
complained? It would have been seen as an anti-Dalit activity. In our country,
Dalit agitation will always be more powerful than Hindu communalism. He who
protests the loudest always gets his way."

I was reminded of my conversation with Pramod when I read about the protests
against the impending release of The Da Vinci Code movie from Indian Christian
organisations. While these organisations had been largely content to let the
book become a massive bestseller in India, they had suddenly been galvanised
into action by the news that the movie was about to hit our screens.

Pramod had said that the propensity to protest and the desire to censor had
nothing to do with Hinduism, or Islam for that matter. It had to do with
Indians. We are a nation of protestors. Give us an issue and we will demand a
ban. Some religious or caste groups were better at protesting (Muslims and
Dalits, for instance), so they usually got their own way. But given a chance,
everybody would protest.

And sure enough, India's Christians have not let Pramod down. Even though the
film The Da Vinci Code is made by Christians in a Christian country and will be
watched by millions of other Christians all over the Christian world, India's
Christians say that they are so offended that it should be banned in our
country. Never mind that the rest of the world will see it.

Say this for Pramod: his slightly cynical but entirely pragmatic perspective has
been vindicated. India's Christians are Indians first and Christians second.

In other words: give them an issue and they will protest, protest, protest.

And what about the nature of the protests? All of us were outraged when Yakub
Qureshi, a UP minister, offered a reward of Rs 51 crore for the head of the
Danish cartoonist who drew the cartoons lampooning the Prophet. But Nicholas
Almeida, a former corporator in Bombay and a self-described Christian activist,
has attracted little outrage for doing much the same sort of thing. Almeida has
offered a reward of Rs 11 lakh to anyone who brings Dan Brown (the author of The
Da Vinci Code) before him "dead or alive".

And what will Mr Almeida do if Dan Brown is actually produced before him in the
flesh? "That is between me and him," the saintly Nicholas told the Bombay
edition of the HT. "I know what I have to do. I have no fear. Even Jesus gave
his life for the people."

Clearly, Almeida would prefer to give Dan Brown's life for the people, rather
than his own. But just in case members of his local parish fail to produce the
author before him, the saintly Nicholas has a Plan B ready: he will burn Dan
Brown's effigy in front of St Antony's Church, Vakola.

As he says humbly, "God may forgive Dan Brown. But Almeida will not."

In case you think that Almeida is a nutcase and that I am unfairly caricaturing
the Christian community by quoting him, I should point out that he is not alone.
A week ago, the Catholic Social Forum (CSF) called people of all faiths to fast
unto death at Azad Maidan in central Bombay until the government banned such
anti-Christian films as The Da Vinci Code. For good measure, they also asked for
a ban on Tickle My Funny Bone, a film I have never heard of but which presumably
also poses a grave threat to the holy Church.

The CSF is nothing if not far-sighted. Recognising that others like me will not
know why Tickle My Funny Bone is so offensive, they also planned to show
objectionable clips from the film at the Canossa Convent in Bombay's Mahim area.
Well may you ask: if the damn thing is so offensive, then why in God's name are
you going to show clips from it to people who would otherwise never have heard
of it?

Another organisation, the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), has already met the Chief
Minister of Maharashtra to demand a ban on the film. Surely, it is not in the
nature of Christians - a well-educated and reasonable community - to demand such
bans? Not at all, BCS president Dolphy D'Souza told the HT, "Freedom of
expression is being used in a whimsical way."

Moreover, adds the good Dolphy, The Da Vinci Code film is part of a concerted
campaign against Indian Christians: "There is a pattern emerging. The Bishop of
Vasai, Thomas Dabre, was attacked in February. There were ridiculous molestation
charges against Father Gonsalves in Nallasopara recently. Now, Christ is being
depicted wrongly."

Huh?

All right, I concede that none of this sounds entirely sane. And it would be
tempting to dismiss it as the work of a lunatic fringe. But it isn't.

The CSF has already met with some success over Tickle My Funny Bone. Along with
the All-India Christian Council, it approached the Censor Board in Delhi and
secured guarantees that all visual Christian symbols - a church, a rosary, the
cross, clergy and even a woman dressed as a nun - will be deleted from the film.
Now, says Joseph Dias, general secretary of the CSF, it will continue these
protests till The Da Vinci Code is subjected to similar butchery - if not banned
altogether. A Christian member of the Delhi Minorities Commission, Arnold James,
has already written to Sharmila Tagore, chief of the Censor Board, demanding a
ban on The Da Vinci Code: "This movie is sheer blasphemy and has deeply offended
millions of Christians." (How? They haven't even seen it. They've only read the
book. And nobody's asking for a ban on that. But it's no use looking for logic
in these protests.)

My guess is that the Censor Board will hold firm on a big film like The Da Vinci
Code even if it is willing to hack the relatively unknown Tickle My Funny Bone.
But don't be too sure.

Remember, India is probably the only democratic country in the world where the
film Jesus Christ Superstar - a musical that was credited with starting a
Christian revival in the West - was banned by the censors because Catholic
organisations took the bizarre line that it was anti-Christian.

What does all this prove? I don't think we should draw any general conclusions
about the liberalism of the Christian community from these protests. After all,
some liberals such as Bishop Agnelo Gracias have said that though they regard
the central thesis of The Da Vinci Code as absurd, they are against banning
movies on principle.

But equally, I think, these protests should also tell us something about
religious sensitivities in India. Most of us regard Indian Muslims as extremely
illiberal. And we are shocked by the regular demands to censor anything that
Hindu fringe organisations find offensive.

The truth, of course, is exactly as Pramod Mahajan described it: it is not
Muslims or Hindus who are illiberal when it comes to religion. It is Indians.
Even Indian Christians will demand bans on films that Christians elsewhere in
the world regard as entirely acceptable.

And the tragedy is that because we give in to anybody who protests loudly
enough, we risk becoming an illiberal state, held to ransom by any nutcase who
claims that we have insulted his religion.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1697689,0035.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Bharatvarsh]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Conversion Agenda
By BRIAN MURPHY

ATHENS, Greece -- The Vatican and the world's largest alliance of Christian churches plan to seek a common code for religious conversions, a leader of the effort said Wednesday. The groups also will open contacts with Islam and other faiths to study ways to avoid conflicts.

Religious freedom and missionary outreach by Christian groups have become increasingly sensitive topics as many Muslims perceive their faith as under threat by the West and nations such as China struggle to maintain state controls on churches.

"How can we _ anxious to maintain, develop and nurture good relations with people of other faiths _ deal with this highly complex issue that sometimes threatens the fiber of living together?" said the Rev. Hans Ucko, head of the interreligious relations office for the World Council of Churches.

Envoys from the Vatican's office on interreligious dialogue and the Geneva-based WCC _ which includes more than 350 mainline Protestant, Orthodox and related churches _ are scheduled to open a four-day conference Friday near Rome to sketch out the broad outlines toward an eventual "code of conduct" on Christian conversions. The document could take at least three years to research and draft.

Members of other faiths, including Hindus, Buddhists and Muslims, also plan to attend the meeting in Velletri, about 25 miles southeast of Rome.

The biggest challenges to the project will be highlighted by who will be absent: Pentecostal and evangelical-style congregations that often lead the drive for conversions around the world and represent the fastest-growing bloc in Christianity.

The WCC maintains links with some groups, including the 50 million-member Assemblies of God churches and the World Evangelical Alliance. Ucko said leaders hope to use the contacts to talk more with "the most zealous groups to try to find a common voice."

The details of the conversion code will take shape in the coming years, said Ucko, but it will explore "the dos and don'ts" of trying to spread Christianity among other faiths _ including places in the Muslim world where conversion from Islam is a punishable offense.

"This is complex moral and ethical territory. We want to open up a space to talk about this with other faiths," said Ucko in a telephone interview. "What are the limits on seeking new Christians? What about people who have converted, but are afraid to come forward because they could be persecuted?"

Such questions took a global stage earlier this year with the arrest of Abdul Raman, a Christian convert from Islam who faced a possible death sentence in Afghanistan before the charges were dropped in March. Rahman ultimately was granted asylum in Italy, while the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom added Afghanistan to its "watch list."

Last month, lawmakers in the western Indian state of Rajasthan become the latest region in the country to outlaw proselytizing with punishments up to five years in prison. Critics claim the laws will be used to target Christian missionaries, who are often the target of denunciations from Hindu nationalists. But Muslims _ who account for about 14 percent of India's population _ also say the measures could be used against them.

The discussions over conversions could also spill into the religious politics of Asia, including the alleged persecution of "house churches" in places such as Vietnam and the escalating clash between the Vatican and Chinese authorities over the allegiance of Catholics.

Chinese Catholics must worship in the state-approved church, which doesn't recognize the Vatican.

Last week, China angered the Vatican by ordaining two bishops without the approval of Pope Benedict XVI. The Vatican warned that those who took part might face excommunication.

The WCC represents more than 500 million Christians worldwide. The Roman Catholic Church, with about 1.1 billion members, is not a WCC member, but cooperates closely on many levels.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...6051001308.html<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

This completes the circle..

What does FOIL/FOSA have to say about this issue ?

http://www.financialexpress.com/latest_ful...sus~Christ~book

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Muslims rage against The Da Vinci Code
REUTERS
Posted online: Monday, May 15, 2006 at 1215 hours IST

Send Feedback     E-mail this story     Print this story
MUMBAI, MAY 15 :  A powerful organisation of Indian Islamic clerics promised on Monday to help Christian groups launch protests if the authorities did not ban the screening of the controversial film, The Da Vinci Code.

Protest in India against the film have so far been low key, but several Catholic groups have threatened to stage street demonstrations and even to shut down cinema halls screening it.

Now, powerful Islamic clerics have joined issue with Christians, saying The Da Vinci Code is blasphemous as it spreads lies about Jesus Christ.

"The Holy Koran recognises Jesus as a prophet. What the book says is an insult to both Christians and Muslims," Maulana Mansoor Ali Khan, general secretary of the All-India Sunni Jamiyat-ul-Ulema, an umbrella organisation of clerics, told Reuters.

"Muslims in India will help their Christian brothers protest this attack on our common religious belief."

The Da Vinci Code is an adaptation of author Dan Brown's bestseller by the same name that suggests that Jesus married his female disciple Mary Magdalene and had a child with her. The film is slated for release worldwide at the end of this week.

The Vatican condemns the book and the film, and has asked Christians worldwide to boycott The Da Vinci Code.

In India, leaders of the two communities met politicians and police in Mumbai on Saturday, urging the authorities to stop the screening of the film.

<b>"If the government doesn't do anything, we will try our own ways of stopping the film from being shown," said Syed Noori, president of Mumbai-based Raza Academy, a Muslim cultural organisation that often organises protests on issues concerning Islam. "We are prepared for violent protests in India if needed."</b> <i>Who is this hero ?</i>

Several Indian Christian groups have said they would protest against the film, with one little known Catholic organisation even calling on Christians to begin a fast until death.

Last week, small groups of protesters marched in Mumbai and burned a copy of the book.

"We will picket in front of cinema halls that show the film. We are very hurt and very angry," said Dolphy D'Souza, spokesman of Bombay Catholic Sabha, which has 40,000 registered members.

Christians form about one percent of Hindu-majority India's 1.3-billion population, while Muslims make up around 13 percent. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-rajesh_g+May 16 2006, 02:11 AM-->QUOTE(rajesh_g @ May 16 2006, 02:11 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->This completes the circle..

What does FOIL/FOSA have to say about this issue ?
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->

Christians form about one percent of Hindu-majority India's 1.3-billion population, while Muslims make up around 13 percent. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

1%? What happened to 2%?? <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

<i>Who is this hero ?</i><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The secretary general of the Raza Academy, Mr Muhammed Syed Noori said <b>"The Sunni's have been tolerant in matters of the Islam but if the stooges of the government malign the greatness of our Prophet and spiritual leaders, or utter a single word against the prophets of Islam it will not to be tolerated at any cost."</b> The Mumbai police has taken serious note of the memorandum submitted to the police commissioner and has initiated proceedings under the section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code warning the Raza Academy to refrain from indulging in any unlawful activity and to maintain law and order in the city.
link
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[agnivayu]

This mullah dog can get his behind to Saudi Arabia and follow his disgusting religion there. Hindus should support the Da Vinci code, we need to expose the fraud of these Xtian extremists.




<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+May 16 2006, 05:40 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ May 16 2006, 05:40 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin--><i>Who is this hero ?</i><!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The secretary general of the Raza Academy, Mr Muhammed Syed Noori said <b>"The Sunni's have been tolerant in matters of the Islam but if the stooges of the government malign the greatness of our Prophet and spiritual leaders, or utter a single word against the prophets of Islam it will not to be tolerated at any cost."</b> The Mumbai police has taken serious note of the memorandum submitted to the police commissioner and has initiated proceedings under the section 149 of the Criminal Procedure Code warning the Raza Academy to refrain from indulging in any unlawful activity and to maintain law and order in the city.
link
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--> <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->
[right][snapback]51250[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Sunder]

I was searching for this book of Mark Twain, which is well written travelogue just for it's beautiful and captivating narration. Of interest is Mark Twain relating how (and partly why) Christianity failed to make a fast progress in India.

Quite an eye opener. Where has this kind of a Drida-Vishvaas (Complete and unfaltering faith) gone amongst all sections of the Hindu society?

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/2895/2895.txt

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->CHAPTER XII.
Mr. X., a Missionary--Why Christianity Makes Slow Progress in India--A
Large Dream--Hindoo Miracles and Legends--Sampson and Hanuman--The
Sandstone Ridge--Where are the Gates?<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

CHAPTER XII.

There are those who scoff at the schoolboy, calling him frivolous and shallow: Yet it was the schoolboy who said "Faith is believing what you know ain't so."
--Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar.

In Sydney I had a large dream, and in the course of talk I told it to a missionary from India who was on his way to visit some relatives in New Zealand. I dreamed that the visible universe is the physical person of God; that the vast worlds that we see twinkling millions of miles apart in the fields of space are the blood corpuscles in His veins; and that we and the other creatures are the microbes that charge with multitudinous life the corpuscles.

Mr. X., the missionary, considered the dream awhile, then said:

"It is not surpassable for magnitude, since its metes and bounds are
the metes and bounds of the universe itself; and it seems to me that
it almost accounts for a thing which is otherwise nearly
unaccountable--the origin of the sacred legends of the Hindoos.
Perhaps they dream them, and then honestly believe them to be divine
revelations of fact. It looks like that, for the legends are built
on so vast a scale that it does not seem reasonable that plodding
priests would happen upon such colossal fancies when awake."

He told some of the legends, and said that they were implicitly believed by all classes of Hindoos, including those of high social position and intelligence; and he said that this universal credulity was a great hindrance to the missionary in his work. Then he said something like this:

"At home, people wonder why Christianity does not make faster
progress in India. <b>They hear that the Indians believe easily, and
that they have a natural trust in miracles and give them a
hospitable reception. Then they argue like this: since the Indian
believes easily, place Christianity before them and they must
believe; confirm its truths by the biblical miracles, and they will
no longer doubt, The natural deduction is, that as Christianity
makes but indifferent progress in India,</b> the fault is with us: we
are not fortunate in presenting the doctrines and the miracles.

"But the truth is, we are not by any means so well equipped as they
think. We have not the easy task that they imagine. To use a
military figure, we are sent against the enemy with good powder in
our guns, but only wads for bullets; that is to say, <b>our miracles
are not effective; the Hindoos do not care for them; they have more
extraordinary ones of their own. All the details of their own
religion are proven and established by miracles; the details of ours
must be proven in the same way.</b> When I first began my work in India
I greatly underestimated the difficulties thus put upon my task. A
correction was not long in coming. I thought as our friends think
at home--that to prepare my childlike wonder-lovers to listen with
favor to my grave message I only needed to charm the way to it with
wonders, marvels, miracles. With full confidence I told the wonders
performed by Samson, the strongest man that had ever lived--for so I
called him.

"At first I saw lively anticipation and strong interest in the faces
of my people, but as I moved along from incident to incident of the
great story, I was distressed to see that I was steadily losing the
sympathy of my audience. I could not understand it. It was a
surprise to me, and a disappointment. Before I was through, the
fading sympathy had paled to indifference. Thence to the end the
indifference remained; I was not able to make any impression upon it.

"A good old Hindoo gentleman told me where my trouble lay. He said
'We Hindoos recognize a god by the work of his hands--we accept no
other testimony. Apparently, this is also the rule with you
Christians. And we know when a man has his power from a god by the
fact that he does things which he could not do, as a man, with the
mere powers of a man. Plainly, this is the Christian's way also, of
knowing when a man is working by a god's power and not by his own.
You saw that there was a supernatural property in the hair of
Samson; for you perceived that when his hair was gone he was as
other men. It is our way, as I have said. There are many nations
in the world, and each group of nations has its own gods, and will
pay no worship to the gods of the others. Each group believes its
own gods to be strongest, and it will not exchange them except for
gods that shall be proven to be their superiors in power. Man is
but a weak creature, and needs the help of gods--he cannot do
without it. Shall he place his fate in the hands of weak gods when
there may be stronger ones to be found? That would be foolish. No,
if he hear of gods that are stronger than his own, he should not
turn a deaf ear, for it is not a light matter that is at stake. How
then shall he determine which gods are the stronger, his own or
those that preside over the concerns of other nations? By comparing
the known works of his own gods with the works of those others;
there is no other way. Now, when we make this comparison, we are
not drawn towards the gods of any other nation. Our gods are shown
by their works to be the strongest, the most powerful. The
Christians have but few gods, and they are new--new, and not strong;
as it seems to us. They will increase in number, it is true, for
this has happened with all gods, but that time is far away, many
ages and decades of ages away, for gods multiply slowly, as is meet
for beings to whom a thousand years is but a single moment. Our own
gods have been born millions of years apart. The process is slow,
the gathering of strength and power is similarly slow. In the slow
lapse of the ages the steadily accumulating power of our gods has at
last become prodigious. We have a thousand proofs of this in the
colossal character of their personal acts and the acts of ordinary
men to whom they have given supernatural qualities. To your Samson
was given supernatural power, and when he broke the withes, and slew
the thousands with the jawbone of an ass, and carried away the
gate's of the city upon his shoulders, you were amazed--and also
awed, for you recognized the divine source of his strength. But it
could not profit to place these things before your Hindoo
congregation and invite their wonder; for they would compare them
with the deed done by Hanuman, when our gods infused their divine
strength into his muscles; and they would be indifferent to them--as
you saw. In the old, old times, ages and ages gone by, when our god
Rama was warring with the demon god of Ceylon, Rama bethought him to
bridge the sea and connect Ceylon with India, so that his armies
might pass easily over; and he sent his general, Hanuman, inspired
like your own Samson with divine strength, to bring the materials
for the bridge. In two days Hanuman strode fifteen hundred miles,
to the Himalayas, and took upon his shoulder a range of those lofty
mountains two hundred miles long, and started with it toward Ceylon.
It was in the night; and, as he passed along the plain, the people
of Govardhun heard the thunder of his tread and felt the earth
rocking under it, and they ran out, and there, with their snowy
summits piled to heaven, they saw the Himalayas passing by. And as
this huge continent swept along overshadowing the earth, upon its
slopes they discerned the twinkling lights of a thousand sleeping
villages, and it was as if the constellations were filing in
procession through the sky. While they were looking, Hanuman
stumbled, and a small ridge of red sandstone twenty miles long was
jolted loose and fell. Half of its length has wasted away in the
course of the ages, but the other ten miles of it remain in the
plain by Govardhun to this day as proof of the might of the
inspiration of our gods. You must know, yourself, that Hanuman
could not have carried those mountains to Ceylon except by the
strength of the gods. You know that it was not done by his own
strength, therefore, you know that it was done by the strength of
the gods, just as you know that Samson carried the gates by the
divine strength and not by his own. I think you must concede two
things: First, That in carrying the gates of the city upon his
shoulders, Samson did not establish the superiority of his gods over
ours; secondly, <b>That his feat is not supported by any but verbal
evidence, while Hanuman's is not only supported by verbal evidence,
but this evidence is confirmed, established, proven, by visible,
tangible evidence, which is the strongest of all testimony. We have
the sandstone ridge, and while it remains we cannot doubt, and shall
not. Have you the gates?'</b>" <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

Sunder-ji

Going by the above I have an idea. We should setup a website which analyses why christianity failed in India and damn Hindoo Heathens just wont play along. I think good old Hindoo gentleman did a fine job there, we need to continue in the same vein to help out our missionary brethren.

An example here.. http://cricket.sulekha.com/blogs/blogdis...x?cid=2699

[Guest]

<b>Govt stops Da Vinci Code's screening </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->

Taking a cautious approach, the government has decided not to give clearance to the screening of controversial film 'Da Vinci Code' till Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Catholic church was satisfied that the film would not hurt the sensitivity of the Christians in the country.

Information and Broadcasting Minister PR Dasmunsi told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday that he alongwith members of the Catholic Church, and officials of the I&B Ministry and Censor Board would view the movie in camera and only then a decision would be taken about its screening.

"Some elements are trying to create mischief and instability in the country by using the film, so we are extra cautious. Unless the minister as part of the government and censor board is satisfied no screening of the film would be allowed by anyone," the minister said.

Earlier, the Sony Television had decided to screen the film and some officials of the I&B Minister and members of the Christian community had watched the movie and opined that there was nothing objectionable in the film.

However, the government wants to first establish a mechanism to get the representatives of the Catholic Church of the country satisfied, only then it would be allowed for exhibition.

About 290 organisation, mostly representing catholic church, had approached the minister urging him to first view the film himself and only after being satisfied allow its screening.

"Since these organisations had sent a memo to the government, then it is my duty to cross check the facts before allowing the screening," the minister said. Since the film is due to be released in India on Friday, the decision would be taken soon.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Christutava violence tactics worked.

[Bharatvarsh]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Protests against 3 films, censor board urged to stall release

Mumbai, May 16. (PTI): Protests against the depiction of the Christian community in three films heightened on Monday with a Catholic organisation demanding that the Censor Board stall the release of the film "Sacred Evil", even as the release of controversial Hollywood film 'The Da Vinci Code', remained uncertain following protests.

"We have scheduled the release of the film 'Da Vinci Code' on May 19, provided we receive a certificate from the Censor board. We hope to obtain this soon and release the film as per our original schedule," a top Sony Pictures official, which is distributing the film, told PTI.

The Ron Howard film, based on writer Dan Brown's arguably bestseller by the same title, has evoked sharp criticism from the Catholic community, which has claimed that the book as well as the film, 'have hurt their sentiments'.

Meanwhile, another film "Sacred Evil", which is scheduled to be released on the same day, has come under the scanner of Christian organisations, who have demanded that the Censor Board stall the release of the film, as it showed the community in a bad light.

Gerry Coelho of the Christian Secular Forum told PTI, he had written to the censor board stating that there would be "arson and violence" if such films were released.

"I have also asked them to inquire if there was any Christian member on the Censor Board present, when the film was issued a certificate".

"If the Censor Board does not give us relief, we will have no option but to approach the Bombay High Court", he said.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/...00605160310.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Bharatvarsh]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Goa govt opposes release of 'Da Vinci Code'
[ Tuesday, May 16, 2006 03:07:22 pmIANS ]

PANAJI: The Goa government will write to the film censor board "either to censor or stop the release" of the controversial movie "Da Vinci Code" in the state, Chief Minister Pratapsinh Rane said on Tuesday.

"The government has taken cognisance of a letter by an organisation named the Catholic Association of Goa, which feared this movie would hurt the sentiments of Christians," Rane told reporters after chairing a meeting here of the state cabinet.

"The association also attached a letter written by the Archbishop of Goa and Daman, Rev Fr Filip Nery Ferrao, to parishioners asking them to refrain from viewing this movie," Rane said.

He said it is not within the state cabinet's purview to ban the film from being screened in Goa.

"The issue figured in the cabinet meeting when the Chief Secretary placed the letter sent by the association. Cabinet members felt the movie would hurt sentiments of a large chunk of community," he said.

Rane, who also holds the home portfolio, ruled out protection to any theatres that planned to screen the film. "There is no question of protection as it is for theatre owners to decide," he said.

"Da Vinci Code", which is scheduled for release soon in India, has been opposed by Christian groups in several parts of the country.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/artic...533264.cms<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Dhimmitude reaches new lows in the Kangress Ulta-Pulta Alliance.

India to show "Da Vinci" to Catholics before release

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Indian government decided on Tuesday to show the controversial film, "The Da Vinci Code," to Catholic groups before taking a decision on clearing it for a scheduled release later this week, a spokesman said.

There have been sporadic protests by some Christian and Muslim groups against the film, based on a bestselling novel which claims Jesus married his female disciple Mary Magdalene and had a child with her.

"The (information) minister has said the film would be shown to Catholic groups and a final decision taken only after that," a spokesman of the ministry of information and broadcasting told Reuters.

The movie is scheduled for worldwide release on Friday.

<b>Christians form about one percent of Hindu-majority India's billion plus population</b> <i>(kamaal hai, kabhi 2%, kabhi 1%)</i>, while Muslims make up around 13 percent.

Earlier in the day, about two dozen activists of a little-known Christian group held a protest in India's western commercial hub of Mumbai and their leader announced he was going on a fast unto death.

"If the film is screened, it will be a sad day for <b>secular India</b>," Joseph Dias, secretary of the Catholic Secular Forum, told Reuters. "We will protest until the movie is banned."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Can you imagine this kind of thing anywhere else in the world?

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Can you imagine this kind of thing anywhere else in the world? <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Interesting question no? Anywhere in the world this happening? Saudi? Indonesia? Even in (Christian?) US where the movie was produced and is being released when (supposedly?) all kinds of religious kinds have control over all branches of government?

[gangajal]

It makes sense that Christian organizations are opposed to the showing of these movies. After all their conversion of India to Christianity is a work in progress and not yet completed. So why should they allow these movies to be shown to Hindus since that may well hinder conversion effort?

[Bharatvarsh]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Govt stops Da Vinci Code's screening

United News of India

New Delhi, May 16, 2006

Taking a cautious approach, the government has decided not to give clearance to the screening of controversial film 'Da Vinci Code' till Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Catholic church was satisfied that the film would not hurt the sensitivity of the Christians in the country.

Information and Broadcasting Minister PR Dasmunsi told reporters in New Delhi on Tuesday that he alongwith members of the Catholic Church, and officials of the I&B Ministry and Censor Board would view the movie in camera and only then a decision would be taken about its screening.

"Some elements are trying to create mischief and instability in the country by using the film, so we are extra cautious. Unless the minister as part of the government and censor board is satisfied no screening of the film would be allowed by anyone," the minister said.

Earlier, the Sony Television had decided to screen the film and some officials of the I&B Minister and members of the Christian community had watched the movie and opined that there was nothing objectionable in the film.

However, the government wants to first establish a mechanism to get the representatives of the Catholic Church of the country satisfied, only then it would be allowed for exhibition.

About 290 organisation, mostly representing catholic church, had approached the minister urging him to first view the film himself and only after being satisfied allow its screening.

"Since these organisations had sent a memo to the government, then it is my duty to cross check the facts before allowing the screening," the minister said. Since the film is due to be released in India on Friday, the decision would be taken soon.

Denying that attempt is being made to placate minority community, Mr Dasmunsi said that when the government viewed 'Rang De Basanti' film five times before deciding to allow its screening, what was wrong in adopting a cautious approach now.

He also cited the example of Anand Patwardhan's award winning documentary 'War and Peace,' which was cleared only after he personally viewed it and directed Doordarshan to screen it.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1699421,0008.htm<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

Today Jon Stewart had excellent crack on Indian Christians. <!--emo&--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='biggrin.gif' /><!--endemo-->

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->www.hindustantimes.com
<b>Conversion row in Manipur</b>
HT Correspondent
Guwahati, May 18, 2006
A dozen people were critically injured and several houses razed following a clash over conversion in some tribal villages in Manipur. For a change, the clash wasn’t between the Sangh Parivar and the missionaries but between Catholics and Baptists.

According to delayed reports reaching here, the clash broke out when a special Sunday ritual was conducted in a church at Kwarok Maring village in Thoubal district. The village is inhabited by Marings, a predominantly Christian tribe, the majority of whom are Baptists.

<b>Some Baptists raided the church after they came to know that some villagers were embracing Catholicism</b>. An attempt to stall the ritual led to a heated exchange followed by a clash.<b> “The hostility between the Catholics and Baptists spilled over to adjoining Pechi Maring village, where Baptists allegedly demolished three houses belonging to Catholics,”</b> said Thoubal SP S. Ibocha Singh.

He said that the area had been witnessing a low-intensity conflict between the two communities, which apparently reached a flashpoint on Sunday.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Why they have to drag Sangh into this? As usual Christians are stealing each other sheeps.

[Guest]

Manila Bans, India Clears 'Da Vinci Code'
Heard that in China the Chinese version of Da Vinci Code (book) is selling like hot cakes!!

[agnivayu]

Historically like India, there has been a negative view of Christianity in China, hopefully it will come back to the surface.


<!--QuoteBegin-Viren+May 18 2006, 10:41 PM-->QUOTE(Viren @ May 18 2006, 10:41 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Manila Bans, India Clears 'Da Vinci Code'
Heard that in China the Chinese version of Da Vinci Code (book) is selling like hot cakes!!
[right][snapback]51361[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->