You can't reason with a bigot. Hateful, vengeful people believe in a hateful, vengeful God. Next time she preaches that way, just laugh, turn, and walk away.

- Thomas

Sheha March 16, 2013 at 12:21pm

Dear Sonali,

Same Experience i had with my room mate sharing the room in hostel and the day i started visiting the temple daily she started her prayers and saying loudly lord give me the courage to spread the message of christany and fell proud to be christant she even told me we will offer special pravers for your marriage. I told her its easy to get married but difficult to right person and i am very choosey and have high expectation in terms of True love that has come with in inside me due to Lord Kishna Bhakti and he Lord Krishna always supported me. Now she stopped.

Regards
Shroti

Jay March 14, 2013 at 3:31pm

The Bangladesh Puja Udjapon Parishad, an ISKCON-affiliated group that looks after Hindu temples, said 47 temples have been destroyed in Bangladesh. Animesh Sarkar, an ISKCON representative in Dhaka, said Hindus in Bangladesh fear that “things will get much worse.

What is the point of having temples when you are unable to protect it? What is the point of chanting the name of the Lord when you cannot protect your faith from being destroyed!

From year 1000 till the arrival of British in the 1700, Hindustan was always amongst the top 2 in the world with the highest GDP, It had the culture, it had the scriptures, but it did not know how to protect itself from foreign invaders! These invaders came to Hindustan and looted and destroyed much of the culture and temples.

Lord Krishna and Lord Rama fought evil; they did not let the evil get the upper hand! What are your thoughts on this??

Rankin Fisher March 13, 2013 at 11:37am

O Siddhartha, a true Vaishnava to the end!

Yes, it sounds pretty grand for one sacrifice.

I remember that Shrila Prabhupada had said "These christians make a contract with Christ; You die for my sins and I will live as I like". He said that the problem with christians is that they do not do what Christ commands, His regulations; "they do not follow.."

Again, now I speak as an Orthodox and as a Vaishnava. In our tradition, our priests are Rittvik. That is, when I joined the Orthodox Church, my priest initiated me in the Name of Jesus, and I became a servant of Christ.

So, in our tradition, my Chrismation (Initiation) was my fire-yajna. I accepted the terms of Christ's teachings and Sacrifice. His Crucifixion is a permanent fire-yajna in Time, to which any who wish to truly follow Him, may attach themselves. In this way, anyone in the world who is burdened by sin, may find freedom in the protection of this Guru.

Shrila Prabhupada said, "Anyone who believes in Jesus will be fine." A very general statement, but as indicated above, 'if you follow..'. So, I follow His teachings. I am not a perfect disciple, but earnest.

Yes, animal slaughter has not stopped in the world. But the Jews don't sacrifice animals for sin anymore. Lord Buddha decried the Vedas in the name of stopping animal sacrifice by Hindus of a previous Yuga. But that did not stop animal slaughter, This is Kali-yuga.

As for the true meaning of Christ's Crucifixion and Ressurection, we say this 'Hristos voskrese iz mertvih, smertiju smert poprav, i sushchim vo grodje zhivot darovav' {the slavonic is just to impress you :) } -- "Christ is risen from the dead, conquering death by death, and bestowing life upon those in the grave". Our faith comes from the realization that Jesus is the Word of God descended to us. His Birth is just as important to us as His Life and His Teachings, and His Death and His Resurrection.

Unlike the Fundamentalists, we look beyond the bloody-death sacrifice. St. Peter and the Apostles thought everything had come to an end when Jesus was killed! When Jesus Resurrected from the dead, and appeared before them, THEN came the REALIZATION that all He had said and taught about the Kingdom of God was true!

This is the difference between one kind of christian and another. Some take His cross and nothing else. Some accept His sacrifice and follow His teachings.

Well, I've gone on too long; and yet there is more to say. Even I could tell you what almost every Christian sect perceives as important and not. But I will wait 'til more questions may come.

In the end, for me, the cross around my neck is a symbol of my "fire-yajna". I identify His Sacrifce to be on my behalf, personally. I rely on His teachings to personally take part in the Kingdom of God. Of course, I am a Vaishnava, who believes in Shri Krishna, but I have traveled thru all of the churches from my youth, so my life has led me to His feet. Feel free to visit my profile page, I have a link to my Google profile and a short bio.

Anyway, NOW I have gone on too long. I love fielding these questions, but there are so many christian sects, and so many angles that each of them hold to their Faith; So, I give you my perspective. When asked I can give other perspectives as well.

Gee, did I Promise short answers before?? Well, so much for that..LOL!

Rankin Fisher March 13, 2013 at 12:26am

Jaya Siddharta,

There is a simple answer to your Question.

When Jesus appeared, in that day, the Jews would Sacrifice a Lamb on an altar in the Temple, for the sins of the people. They would kill the Lamb, trail is blood around the altar, and then burn it. In this way God would accept the sacrifice and forgive the people's sins. When Jesus came to earth, He was to become the Lamb of God.

In the culture of Christianity, it is recognized that Jesus would be the sacrifice that would replace all sacrifices. Jesus's death put an end to animal sacrifice, since he was the Pure Lamb who was fit for Sacrifice, for the forgiveness of the Sins of the whole world. You ask about the "inhumane" treatment and death. Well, this is also part of the suffering that Jesus endured for Christians for their sins.

So the cross is a symbol of victory. A fit sacrifice for sin, for all who accept His way.

These events in His life were given by prophecy in the Old Testament. Jesus eluded to His sacrifice, which He knew was coming, and why He would do it.

Now, in many churches, they hang the cross, even with Jesus on it. Some have the cross with Jesus resurrected, dressed very nicely and looking heavenly (not nailed to the Cross). Others use a plain cross, as a reminder of His willing sacrifice.

In my Orthodox Church, we have the walls covered in mosaic pictures of 139 different stories of the Bible! And, the Crucifixion is only one picture among many.

Christianity appeared in a part of the world which was in great trouble. That Jesus had a pasttime which required his death and resurrection to complete the task given Him by God, is unique to His journey and to the culture of the people that He was sent to save.

PS> In some churches, the sacrifice is everything. In others, it is only one part of His Life, and the Lord's Supper is more important; in my Church, our liberation is the Resurrection, when Jesus proved He was of God and that there was a life beyond this one. Not all christian faiths are obsessed with the bloody-cross. There are other aspects to some faiths that are equally important.

This reply was deleted.

Rankin Fisher March 13, 2013 at 12:52am

Hare Krishna Zola prabhu,

Thank you for your comment. I had hoped not to let this thread become a Christian subject forum. But rather, a discussion to bridge the gap of understanding about the perceived Christian stereotype and the actual Original Christian Tradition.

There are many valid points to be discussed to dissipate the stereotype of the modern day "christian".

I am known among the Religious as knowledgeable, and would not dare state anything without firm knowledge. 1,000 years older even than the Roman Catholic Church, is the Orthodox, Father of the RC's. That is why I had joined this tradition. So, there may be things I say that no one has necessarily heard before. As well, I was raised as a Missionary Baptist, and know the Fundamentalist Christians philosophy very well.

I would be glad to answer your concerns (and anyone else's) privately thru IDT messages, so feel free to write me.
- This reply was deleted.
  - Rankin Fisher March 13, 2013 at 3:36am
    
    Jaya Prabhu,
    
    I certainly agree. I hope to show that the real tradition of Jesus is also that of the Vaishnava.. Devotion to God. I am a Gospellier. That is, a New Testament Christian who believes that what is important is the Gospel and His divine guidance. The Fundamentalist is busy making a divisive philosophy out of the Books of St. Paul. They say that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that there is no other method for salvation in Christianity but to accept His blood-sacrifice to wash away your sin.
    
    Once, at a Cafe, a young man sat and preached to me this line of philosophy from the Books of St. Paul.. all have sinned, wages of sin is death, and ended up quoting one verse from the Gospels.. For God so loved the world he sent His only son... (out of context). He mixed these verses to support the Fundamentalist method of Salvation.
    
    I told the young man that I was very familiar with his preaching line, and then I asked him to repeat the philosophy.. but to only use references from the Gospels.. with the words of Jesus. He thought for a minute, and said he couldn't do it.
    
    Yes, Jesus is a Vaishnava, and as such, His teachings are like ours.. Devotion to God.
    
    "Love God with all your heart, mind and soul.. and Love your neighbor as yourself." These were His two great commands to us. The extra Salvationary philosophy from the fundamentalists may have some basis in how to interpret why Jesus came, but also is way out of proportion compared to His actual message of love.
    
    I hope, without being, "US vs Them", we can examine the Jesus of the Gospels, and discern the true path to Salvation and Heaven which He had preached.

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