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Bias
Against Hindu Prayer In Congress
By NEIL PAREKH
http://www.newsindia-times.com/headline02.htm
Washington: A Washington-based organization that advocates conservative causes,
is being accused of intolerance and bigotry after it denounced the fact that a
Hindu priest, duly invited Sept.14, offered the opening prayer of the US House
of Representatives.
The Family Research Council asserted on its Web site last week that the drafters
of the US Constitution would have found "utterly incredible the idea that
all religions, including paganism, be treated with equal
deference."
The text of the attack, obtained by News India-Times, added, "As for our
Hindu priest friend, the United States is a nation that has historically honored
the One True God. Woe be to us on that day when we relegate Him to being merely
one among countless other deities in the pantheon of theologies."
Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which monitors the work
of the FRC, denounced the move saying, "The FRC's attack reeks of religious
bigotry." The Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United
added, "Despite years of claiming support for religious liberty, the
truth has come out. This is an outrageous act of prejudice and it should be
condemned by decent people everywhere."
"Contrary to the FRC's views, there are no second-class religions in
America," Lynn added. "Hindus, Muslims, Jews and other non-Christian
faiths are equal in the eyes of the law."
He pointed to the words of Thomas Jefferson, a leading figure in the development
of religious freedom in America. In his autobiography, Jefferson said that the
concept of religious liberty was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of
its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the
Mohometan (sic), the Hindoo (sic), and the infidel of every denomination."
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who had urged the House leadership to invite the
priest, Venkattachalapathi Samudrala of the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Parma, Ohio,
said, "I'm disappointed the Family Research Council doesn't understand what
this country is all about. This country was founded on freedom of religion and
religious diversity. Religious intolerance has no place in this country. This is
bigotry, plain and simple."
Samudrala offered the opening prayer on the same day that Prime Minister
Vajpayee addressed a joint session of Congress last week.
Brown added, "The Family Reseach Council seems to think that only
Christians live in this country. There are 1.4 million Indian Americans living
in the United States. The first amendment protects their right to their
religious beliefs.
The word 'Christianity' is nowhere to be found in the first amendment. It is
unfortunate the FRC interprets the Constitution to say that religious freedom
means religious supremacy."
The FRC removed the attack from its website within twenty-four hours and offered
a "clarification."
In attempting to clarify its position, the FRC said, "We affirm the truth
of Christianity, but it is not our position that America's Constitution forbids
representatives of religions other than Christianity from praying before
Congress. We recognize that decisions on this matter are the prerogative of
each house of Congress."
The "clarification", however, does not include the words
"apology" or "retraction."
A spokeswoman for the FRC, Heather Cirmo, told News India-Times, "If you
were to juxtapose [the clarification with the original], it stands in contrast
and stands as a retraction." She added, "We're retracting it, we think
it's the same as an apology," and "it's tantamount to an
apology." She also pointed out that the group had removed it from their web
site.
She referred to the original as a "a leak in the editorial process"
and a "fluke." She stressed that "This did not necessarily
reflect the views of our organization."
Steve Bennett, a spokesman for Americans United told this weekly, "At no
point do they really take it back." He added, "It's outrageous and
equally offensive that they issue what they refer to as a retraction. They don't
take any of their rhetoric back. They should apologize for their ignorance
and insensitivity."
Bennett continued, "Instead of clarifying, it muddies the issue even
more."
The FRC is planning to introduce a new President on September 26 in Washington,
DC.
"Upon his introduction," Bennett offered, "we should ask if he
will hold his staffers accountable for such rhetoric."
According to a book by Rob Boston, an Americans United staff member, this is not
the first time that the religious right has attacked Hinduism. Pat Robertson, a
one-time candidate for President and founder of the Christian Coalition equated
Hinduism with "devil worship" on a January 7, 1991 episode of the 700
Club. He referred to Hinduism as a "cult" on a July 4, 1995 episode of
the same show.
***
RELIGIOUS
RIGHT GROUP'S ATTACK ON HINDU PRAYER
IN CONGRESS 'REEKS OF RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY,' SAYS AU
FAMILY RESEARCH COUNCIL SAYS ONLY CHRISTIANITY
DESERVES GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
Americans United for Separation of Church and
State
http://www.au.org/pr92200.htm
The
Family Research Council's scurrilous attack on a Hindu priest's prayer in the
U.S. House of Representatives "reeks of religious bigotry," said
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, a watchdog group that
monitors the Religious Right.
Venkatachalapathi
Samuldrala, a Hindu priest with the Shiva Vishnu Temple in Parma, Ohio, made
history on Sept. 14 by becoming the first Hindu religious leader to offer an
invocation before a session of Congress.
In
response to the prayer, the Family Research Council, the most prominent
Religious Right lobbying group in Washington, D.C., disparaged religious
pluralism and said only Christianity deserves government support in this week's
edition of the group's Culture Facts newsletter.
"(W)hile
it is true that the United States of America was founded on the sacred principle
of religious freedom for all," the FRC wrote, "that liberty was never
intended to exalt other religions to the level that Christianity holds in our
country's heritage."
The
group added, "Our Founders expected that Christianity -- and no other
religion -- would receive support from the government as long as that support
did not violate peoples' consciences and their right to worship. They
would have found utterly incredible the idea that all religions, including
paganism, be treated with equal deference."
The
Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said an attack such
as this is telling about the Religious Right's regard for non-Christian
religious minorities.
"The
FRC's attack reeks of religious bigotry," Lynn said. "Despite years of
claiming support for religious liberty, the truth has come out. This is an
outrageous act of prejudice and it should be condemned by decent people
everywhere."
The
FRC, a spin-off of James Dobson's Focus on the Family, went on to describe
"religious pluralism" as leading to "moral relativism and ethical
chaos," while approving of tolerance that "embraces biblical truth
while allowing freedom of conscience."
"As
for our Hindu priest friend, the United States is a nation that has historically
honored the One True God," the FRC's newsletter concluded. "Woe be to
us on that day when we relegate Him to being merely one among countless other
deities in the pantheon of theologies."
Responded
AU's Lynn, "Sounds like our 'friends' at the FRC need to go back to a high
school history class. And while they're at it, maybe they should stop by a
kindergarten class to learn something about respect for people's differences.
"It
is truly rare, even within the Religious Right, to see a group display
simultaneously such a poor understanding of history and a remarkable lack of
respect for religious diversity," Lynn continued. "Usually, profound
ignorance like this is commonly found in the 18th, not the 21st, century.
"Contrary
to the FRC's views, there are no second-class religions in America," Lynn
added. "Hindus, Muslims, Jews and other non-Christian faiths are equal in
the eyes of the law."
Lynn
pointed to the words of Thomas Jefferson, a leading figure in the development of
religious freedom in America. In his autobiography, Jefferson said that the
concept of religious liberty was "meant to comprehend, within the mantle of
its protection, the Jew and the Gentile, the Christian and the Mohometan, the
Hindoo, and the infidel of every denomination."
Lynn
said, "The FRC has thoroughly embarrassed itself. Unfortunately, their
bigotry probably blinds them as to why they should be embarrassed at all.
"Despite
the FRC's ridiculous rhetoric, the truth remains the United States was founded
on principles that embraced all people, regardless of their religious
tradition," Lynn concluded. "That's why our Founding Fathers insisted
on a separation of church and state, to protect the rights of everyone without
governmental aid or interference."
Americans
United is a religious liberty watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. Founded
in 1947, the organization represents 60,000 members and allied houses of worship
in all 50 states.
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