Texas Faith 15: Glenn Beck and the culture of fear

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

Talk show host Glenn Beck landed on the cover of Time Magazine this week, after a powerful start as a Fox News host. Beck is most famous these days for his updated version of American exceptionalism and for promoting a fear that the Constitution is being undermined by a conspiracy.

It's easy for liberals to dismiss such thinking as more nuttiness or groundless anger on the right. But the New York Times' conservative columnist David Brooks also talked about people being afraid because of their economic insecurity, which is very real. And liberal evangelical Jim Wallis put out a letter saying to Beck that progressives share a fear about tomorrow, although he believes hope should overcome fear. Liberal columnist Jim Sleeper issued his own warning to progressives, saying today's anxiety goes far beyond race.

So here's this week question:

What constructive thing would you say to people who are afraid in today's world so they don't fall prey to demagogues?

Read on to see how our panelists respond:

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas

A politician, like any other person, can only share what they possess. If someone is in a state of fear and confusion, then they can only provide fear and confusion.

Fear is not the answer and fear with no practical solution can be debilitating. All problems stem from forgetfulness of one's eternal loving relationship with God. Such ignorance or illusion causes one to place many unnatural designations upon himself based on gender, race, wealth, age, species, religion, sexuality and so on.

By engaging in one's natural position (dharma) of Bhakti, loving devotional service unto God, one develops transcendental knowledge (vijnana). From such knowledge one will develop the 26 good qualities that are inherently part of the soul. Such a state is free of fear and full of happiness.

Politicians are generally in the bodily conception of life and thus cannot see that they are only providing material solutions to a spiritual problem.
Hare Krishna :)
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das
To see all the responses from the Texas Faith Panel click here

Katha at Kalachandji's 2: A,B,C,D, & E's of a Krishna Conscious program

8/30/09 Sunday Class by Nityananda Prabhu

The A,B,C,D, & E's of a Krishna Conscious Program

A- Assocation with devotees

B- Books, Srila Prabhupada came from the spiritual world to make these books available. Reading and distributing

C- Chanting, heart of the operation. 8th chapter 7 times writes out the whole mantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare . Please pledge for Japathon,

D- Devotional Food, Prasadam. Everything that we eat offer to Krishna. Local vegetables and fruits.

D is also dancing.

E- Encourage others to do the same.

Death punch to materialism, prasadam and kirtan. Like Chanura and Mushtika could not live through the punch of Krishna these two are the deathknoll of materialism.

Texas Faith 14: Is wickedness soluble in good deeds?

Dallas Morning News,

Each week we will post a question to a panel of about two dozen clergy, laity and theologians, all of whom are based in Texas or are from Texas. They will chime in with their responses to the question of the week. And you, readers, will be able to respond to their answers through the comment box.

Following the death of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, novelist Joyce Carol Oates reflected on the senator's role in the Chappaquiddick death of Mary Jo Kopechne in the fullness of the his life. Writing in The Guardian, Oates said:

Yet if one weighs the life of a single young woman against the accomplishments of the man President Obama has called the greatest Democratic senator in history, what is one to think?

The poet John Berryman once wondered: "Is wickedness soluble in art?". One might rephrase, in a vocabulary more suitable for our politicized era: "Is wickedness soluble in good deeds?"

This paradox lies at the heart of so much of public life: individuals of dubious character and cruel deeds may redeem themselves in selfless actions. Fidelity to a personal code of morality would seem to fade in significance as the public sphere, like an enormous sun, blinds us to all else.

This week, we ask our panelists to think about the two questions Joyce Carol Oates poses here, both implicitly and explicitly, in the context of Ted Kennedy's life. Namely:

1. Is wickedness soluble in good deeds?; and

2. To what extent should greatness factor into our evaluation of a public person's life?

A note to readers: we asked panelists to refrain from making a political judgment on Sen. Kennedy's life and career -- this is not a political blog, after all -- but rather to use his life and his death as a starting point for reflecting on these themes. Their responses follow the jump below.

See what our panelists have to say:

NITYANANDA CHANDRA DAS, minister of ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness), Dallas

(Again, I am adjusting to my new schedule. In my haste I submitted this one quote from the Srimad Bhagavatam.)

"The occupational activities a man performs according to his own position are only so much useless labor if they do not provoke attraction for the message of God."

-- Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 1.2.8

The Śrīmad Bhāgavatam is considered the ripen fruit of the tree of Vedic literature
Hare Krishna :)
Your humble servant,
Nityananda Chandra Das
To see all the responses from the Texas Faith Panel click here