TEXAS FAITH 81: Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?

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.

“Paul Ryan’s selection as the Republican vice presidential nominee has put Ayn Rand back into the spotlight. Ryan was picked in large part because he’s the architect of a budget that demands lower taxes and smaller government and, more to the point, anticipates a shifting emphasis from government to the   individual. Ryan has credited Rand as a source of his political thought. He has said Rand’s philosophy was “sorely needed right now” and “Ayn Rand did more than anybody to build a moral case for capitalism, the morality of individualism, and this to me is what matters most.”

Rand argued that altruism is immoral and selfishness is good. She was a champion of unbridled markets and limited government. She was an atheist who denounced religion as the enemy of reason and she advanced the idea of an unlimited laissez-faire capitalism in which the rich prospered in a   social Darwinian universe. Emboldened by the Tea Party, many Republican leaders like Ryan have proposed a fundamental dismantling of the nation’s social safety net in a way that would make Rand proud. But many Tea Party advocates are strong Christian conservatives who would be appalled by Rand’s anti-Christian views.

Here’s the thing: By embracing Rand, Paul Ryan touts a philosophy that is tightly knit and carefully constructed in which the pieces fit neatly together. In Rand’s world, if you believe in objectivism, there’s no room for a little government collectivism. One precludes the other. Take out one piece and it all falls apart.

So can leaders who are strong believers in Rand’s philosophy advocate self-interest and  community obligation in the same breath? How do you make a “moral case” for the individual and individual rights in a way that’s ethically justifiable? Do Republicans have an Ayn Rand problem?”

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

The antithesis of real religion is selfishness.  The more one advances in their spiritual understanding and realization, the more the qualities of compassion and generosity becomes apparent.  On the bodily level there is no equality, although we as Americans are ushered to believe it.  The fact remains that we are all different. But on the spiritual level we are all the same.  This equality even extends to the various species of life. Just as a battery in one device, such as remote control, causes it to operate differently, then the same type of battery in another type of machine, such as a toy.  Therefore the Vedic teachings are socially liberal, recognizing the difference.  Due to karma of past lives people are born with various abilities and facilities.  Some are born intelligent or wealthy and others are not. Some have fortunate lives, I am sure there are many who are as intelligent and resourceful as Bill Gates or Steve Jobs but did not end up as them.  Because of this difference those who can, are morally obliged to help as duty given by God.

The Vedic teaching are spiritually conservative, recognizing the soul is in all that lives.  Therefore we do not agree with animal slaughter, fetal slaughter and so on.  With the advancement of spiritual knowledge comes compassion and internal happiness and those who are spiritually ignorant, and are thus unfulfilled, strive for temporary selfish desires and exploit others.

The conclusion is that if a person is spiritual intelligent he will know how to actually work in his self/soul’s interest.  Such an intelligently selfish man only works for the benefit of others.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

TEXAS FAITH 80: Chick-fil-A’s moment in the news

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.

“There are many ways to look at the Chick-Fil-A story, the one in which supporters of the popular fast-food chain have turned out to support the CEO’s strong belief that gay marriage is wrong and inconsistent with his faith. In return, some have argued that cities shouldn’t let Chick-Fil-A open up a franchise within their town. And some supporters of gay marriage have staged kiss-ins at one of the franchises.

Washington Post On Faith contributor Brad Hirschfield offered an interesting take. He argued that this episode may force the extremists in this debate to finally see themselves as mirror images of each other. Wrote Hirschfield:

“Without wasting time on fights about who the “real” victims of intolerance are, we can simply point out the hysterical and instructive irony that this is where those who support Chick-fil-A and those who most oppose it are actually quite alike. In each case, a group of aggrieved people who feel their rights and dignity being infringed upon embrace the notion of political and collective social action. It doesn’t matter if the claims are equally accurate, because they are indisputably equally real in the experience of the ones making the claims. What matters is using this as an opportunity to point out that groups which typically feel little or no connection to one another could at least come to appreciate each other’s experience.”

Writing in Forbes, Hoover Institution scholar David Davenport had a different approach. Not only does he think it is just fine for both sides to express themselves, but he argues that the episode should force Americans to think through the impact Christianity has had on our democracy. Wrote Davenport:

“It seems right for supporters of Chick fil-A and its president’s values to be concerned about their right to follow God’s word as they understand it, and even to believe that their point of view deserves a seat at the table in American democracy. Indeed, there is a long history supporting the notion that such values have been of real, practical value to elevating the mores and values that allow a free republic to work. And it seems right for Americans who find those views too narrow to decline to eat at Chick fil-A, though not for elected leaders to use their offices to block a business whose leader expresses his freedoms of speech and religion.

“In the end, Americans should chew over the powerful dilemma of Christianity and its impact on the democratic republic over 250 years. We may well be traveling the road of secular Europe, prepared to throw out the baby of religious values with the bathwater of religious teachings that are no longer popular.”

Of course, others may think this is just a media circus, part of the white noise that keeps us from focusing on more central issues.

What is your view?

How do you see the flap about Chick-fil-A’s moment in the news? Where do you come down?”

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

I do not see how supporting the slaughter of those who cannot protect themselves can be seen as a campaign for sanctity and morality.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

A glimpse of Nava Vraja Mahima

Elegant binding

The Lotus of Nava Vraja Mahima

Beautiful pages

Nanda Maharaja

Every drop cap has its own unique artwork.

 

Few months back we featured a recording of Nava Vraja Mahima, read by His Holiness Kesava Bharati Dasa Goswami. 

All thought the recording is not the best of quality it is so amazing to hear.   This book features all the pastimes of Krishna with all the minutest detail artfully revealed.  For example the Govardhana pastime is over 1000 pages long.  I cannot wait to get a copy. 

TEXAS FAITH 79: Is the Sikh shooting “Christian terrorism?”

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.

We have had another shooting, this time involving a gunman who reportedly had links to a white supremacist group. Military veteran Wade Michael Page turned his fire on a Sikh temple near Milwaukee on Sunday, killing six people and wounding three others as they got ready for services.

As expected, numerous faith groups have expressed their sympathies to the Sikh community. And well they should.

But what are we to make of moments like this? Is this religious extremism run amok? If so, what do we do?

The Wall Street Journal quotes the leader of the suburb’s Salvation Army saying that in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, “all faiths, all denominations work together.”

Bu Mark Juergensmeyer, author of “Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence” called this an act of “Christian terrorism.” The University of California at Santa Barbara professor, who once was president of the American Academy of Religion, wrote in Religious Dispatches http://www.religiondispatches.org/dispatches/guest_bloggers/6263/christian_terrorism_comes_to_milwaukee/:

“ First off, this would have to be classified as a case of Christian terrorism — if you’re going to talk about Muslim terror and so on. Wade Michael Page being a veteran fits into a pattern of war mentality of a crusader. This can be especially pronounced among veterans, who have been trained to kill, but also occurs with those who see themselves as soldiers, like the Norwegian Anders Breivik who claimed he was saving northern Europe from the scourge of multiculturalism allowing for domination by non-whites.”

Is this Christian terrorism? Something else? If so, what do we do?

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

The cause of this ghastly situation is ignorance and ignorance alone.  Due to ignorance one thinks of himself as this temporary body.  Thus one carries multiple temporary identities such as, white, black, Russian, Chinese, male, female, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, heterosexual, homosexual, and so on. However, such identities have nothing to do with the real self.  For the real self, the soul, is eternal and the body is always changing.  In this life our body changes from boyhood, to youth, to old age.  Similarly there is another change of body at death.  But those who are uninformed identify with the temporary body.

Just as it is not possible to reach a destination without first knowing where one is, it is also not possible to make proper decisions when one is ignorant of their actual position.  Therefore, this is definitely not stemming from Christianity, for Christ taught that one should love God and thy neighbor.  This is a result of spiritual ignorance which is ever present throughout society.

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.

TEXAS FAITH 78: Has religion lost its bite?

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.

“I heard a wonderful interview on Terry Gross’ Fresh Air show on NPR last week, featuring a new novel by author Christopher Beha. Now, I confess I haven’t read his work, What Happened to Sophie Wilder.  But the interview dealt largely with the role religion plays in his work. The walkaway point was that he used the novel to describe how religion has become more therapeutic than challenging.

Nothing wrong with a faith comforting or guiding one through a rough patch, but I do think he raised an interesting issue. Has faith been boiled down into tenets that mostly make us feel good about ourselves? Or, to put it another way, has modern religion lost its ability to make us feel uncomfortable about parts of our lives?

Ironically, a day or so later I read a passage by the late Oswald Chambers, who said:

“The teaching of Jesus hits us where we live….He educates us down to the last scruple. The Spirit of God unearths the spirit of self-vindication; He makes us sensitive to things we never thought of before.”

Now, I’m not asking you to get into the teachings of Jesus, if they are not part of your tradition. But I would like to hear your thought  about this question:

Has modern religion lost its bite?”

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

Because we live in an owl society, a society accustomed to darkness, its members generally are  not inclined to see light. What is our society’s darkness?

Well,  number 1: Over 99% of our citizens do not know the difference between a dead body and a living body. This percentage also includes our religious authorities.

Most people erroneously think that the ever-changing temporary body is the self and therefore claim that they are Caucasian, Black, American, Democrat, homosexual, punk rocker, artist, and so on.  Based on this temporary concept of the self, society runs after temporary gains. Thus the insignificant pleasure that it members find most often comes at the expense of another.

This lack of knowledge causes the darkness of selfishness and the cure is the  knowledge of the self.  Religion has seemed to lost its bite for its advocates generally because it cannot clearly and concisely answer the most basic question, “What is the self/soul?”

To see all responses of the TEXAS Faith panel click here.