hindu scriptures

[JGL53]

No...by definition, arrogance is this:

1. Having or displaying a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance.
2. Marked by or arising from a feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others: an arrogant contempt for the weak.

Assuming that you're not arguing the usual strawman that Christians believe ourselves to be intrinsically superior to unbelievers, your definition is not correct. The only thing you appear to be sorry about is that I have access to the online dictionary. Interestingly, another defintion is:
making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud: an arrogant public official.
Your assumption that your invented defintion of arrogance is intuitively obvious seems to fit the real definition of arrogance. And I think that such behavior typifies your brand of atheism.

There are no absolutes devoid of context. That would include some exact meaning of the word “arrogant”.

Many Christians (but not all, of course) are arrogant. That is an observed fact.

I.e., do not many Christians (but not all of course) have or display a sense of overbearing self-worth or self-importance due to their religion and their personal belief achievements? I see them as such. Do not many Christians (but not all of course) display a feeling of religious superiority over non-Christians, with an arrogant contempt for the unsaved, because THEY the Christians were smart enough to get on board with the ONLY winning side, while others are not so smart? I see them as such.

Do not many Christians (but not all of course) make claims or show pretensions to superior religious achievement – do not many of them seem overbearingly assuming and insolently proud that they are the Sheep and other are the Goats? I see them as such. And I am far from alone in observing this fact.

My previous statements about the facts of life remain unrefuted. Which group is famous for irritating proselytizing, overt sectarianism, saying their path is the ONLY TRUE PATH and the ONLY WAY TO GOD, and that ALL must agree with them or be condemned to eternal hellfire? Is it Hindus who are this arrogant, smarmy, and belligerently egomaniacal? Buddhists? Baha’is? Followers of Shinto? Sikhs? Jews? Deists? Who? Oh, yeah, that’s right – certain literalist Christians, that’s who. Many, many, many literalist Christians.

And not just because I say so. Everyone and anyone who is not completely blind and deaf, or who has not lived in some cave all of their life, knows that I speak the truth here.

And if the truth hurts (as it obviously does) well, then, too bad. Don't blame others for your own sins.

 

[LittleLambofJesus]

My previous statements about the facts of life remain unrefuted. Which group is famous for irritating proselytizing, overt sectarianism, saying their path is the ONLY TRUE PATH and the ONLT WAY TO GOD, and that ALL must agree with them or be condemned to eternal hellfire? Is it Hindus who are this arrogant, smarmy, and belligerently egomaniacal? Buddhists? Baha’is? Followers of Shinto? Sikhs? Jews? Deists? Who? Oh, yeah, that’s right – certain literalist Christians, that’s who. Many, many, many literalist Christians.

You noticed that too huh?

http://www.christianforums.com/t5921679-catholics-and-allah.html

Originally Posted by Carey
No it was an obvious concession to the beast of Islam.
It will embolden terrorist Muslims.

When the Pope Benedict prayed n a Mosque it emboldened them.

When Pope John Paul kissed the Quran and called it a Holy book it emboldened them .

They will never cease until they win or are destroyed.
Jesus will return and desroy them.

Sounds like the beast is gonna grow stronger.

http://www.christianforums.com/t5928...id-are-we.html

http://www.christianforums.com/t5925...the-beast.html

http://www.beholdthebeast.com/the_false_prophet.htm

 

[evange]

Where in India are you traveling to? Hindi is usually the "lowest common denominator" in terms of languages in India, although I have had friends from Bangalore and throughout Kerala who didn't speak Hindi.

I'm planning on being in tamil nadu, thus the desire to learn some tamil. I think I'll try rosetta stone, but also buy a phrase book to take with me.

Wait...so you want to read the scriptures to "call us" on our "nonsense," but not for reference or our of interest? Why would you want that? When I read the Bible, it isn't out of any desire to call Christians on their nonsense, and trust me, I've seen (and even "spewed") a lot of it. Well, the best advice I can give you is not to expect to learn everything in one sitting. Having been a convert, an apostate for awhile, and then a reconvert, I still have a lot to learn, and a lot to re-learn. Hinduism isn't the type of thing you learn in a month.

I'm just being honest, I didnt want people to get confused as to why I would want to read it. I'm sure that many people would just assume I'd read it for the puropse of building bridges or out of some sort of "all religions are just diffrent paths to god" BS.

Read the Bhagavad Gita first. But don't just skim it, actually read and try to understand.

I recommend Barbara Miller for first-timers.

No idea, really. Not only are most audio translations in Sanskrit, but you aren't going to understand the words and the messages very well if you just listen while doing something else. And it's somewhat difficult to pwn a group of people with their own scriptures if you haven't studied them properly.

K, I'll try to get a copy from teh library. Initially I had thought I'd read it online, Which I find hard to concentrate on, that's why I asked if anyone knew of it in an audio file. But if I get a hard copy, that'll be koay for me.

 

[evange]

Bore da. Sut mae?

Am i reading this incorrectly, or does Evange wants to study Hindu scriptures in order to proselytise people to Christianity? You think the scriptures of Hinduism is nonsense?

Evange, if that is the case, then maybe you shouldn't go to India. Obviously, you have no respect for the people there, like many of these missionary types.

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

Let's convert the terrible (insert ungodly religion here)! Ah, the arrogance! I dont like proselytisers and I dont like missionaries. Reminds me of the little tiff me aunt and I had about Christians befriending Pagans in order to convert them. I told her I considered it an insult; I take friendship very seriously and I wouldn't befriend someone to convert them. It is dishonest.

How arrogant of you! Even seemingly educated people for some reason are always opposed to missions. But what is evangelism? It is the spread of information!!! How dare you keep other people, other cultures, in the dark just becuase of "cultural sensitivity".

All "cultural sensitivity" is is a racist belief that other cultures are too stupid to grasp other ideas. And it would be arrogant of me not to go.

 

[JGL53]

Good grief!

Nietzsche said “god is dead” – referring to the Levantine concept of god.

Maybe he died of embarrassment.

 

[rhyddid_rose]

Bore da. Sut mae?

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

How arrogant of you! Even seemingly educated people for some reason are always opposed to missions. But what is evangelism? It is the spread of information!!! How dare you keep other people, other cultures, in the dark just becuase of "cultural sensitivity".

All "cultural sensitivity" is is a racist belief that other cultures are too stupid to grasp other ideas. And it would be arrogant of me not to go.

Evange, you just proved me point. Thank you for your post.

For the 45,012 time, your BELIEF is NOT FACT! Who are you to say who is going to hell? Who says Indians are in the dark? LOL!

If you knew me, you would know the last thing I am is racialist. Dont pull that card on me. Doesn't work. I never said other cultures are stupid; dont project that onto me. I said you should RESPECT other cultures, Evange. Other ideas, me [wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth][wash my mouth]; you wish to sell your religion to new potential customers.

I repeat, you should not go to India or any other place with this attitude! You must think Indians are stupid if you think they wont pick up on your attitude. You should look in the mirror and really take a look at yourself and your motives.

I'm beginning to think you posted this to get a rise out of some people. I sincerely hope you're not this arrogant and unaware of things. For your own sake, I truly hope not, because if you are you're heading for a rude awakening. Dont say you weren't warned.

Hail the Aesir; Hail the Vanir


Babochka

 

[vedickings]

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

How dare you keep other people, other cultures, in the dark just becuase of "cultural sensitivity".

Boy your Attitude sucks!

 

[srev2004]

Long have the time of Hindu's being gullable watching the hollow statue of Christ float in water and convert. This is one example of tactics Christians use to convert Hindu's in India.

The Christian missionary mindset is generally depicted as that of simple religious folk with a pure desire to peacefully spread their gospel and message of love. In reality, their methods of propagation are often anything but peaceful and usually leave behind a native population stripped of their culture and often decimated.

The face of Christian terrorists.

Samanthapettai, Jan 16 (ANI): Rage and fury has gripped this tsunami-hit tiny Hindu village in India's southern Tamil Nadu after a group of Christian missionaries allegedly refused them aid for not agreeing to follow their religion.
Samanthapettai, near the temple town of Madurai, faced near devastation on the December 26 when massive tidal waves wiped it clean of homes and lives.
Most of the 200 people here are homeless or displaced , battling to rebuild lives and locating lost family members besides facing risks of epidemic,disease and trauma.

http://in.news.yahoo.com/050116/139/2j1rp.html

The band wagon you are joining Evange is anything but noble. Don't expect any hospitality from the average Indian.

 

[srev2004]

Christians forcefully taking over an Indian town.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8woHykQgB8

 

[R3quiem]

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

I don't think that's the best attitude to have. That's certainly not the attitude I've noticed when reading the New Testament.

How arrogant of you! Even seemingly educated people for some reason are always opposed to missions. But what is evangelism? It is the spread of information!!! How dare you keep other people, other cultures, in the dark just becuase of "cultural sensitivity".

All "cultural sensitivity" is is a racist belief that other cultures are too stupid to grasp other ideas. And it would be arrogant of me not to go.

I think it would be great for you to go and learn about their culture and religion and then spread the word about yours. It's not wrong to tell others your religion, it's when you get disrespectful and nasty that there becomes problems. Who would want to convert to a religion because someone is being sarcastic and arrogant to them about it? They wouldn't- it just paints a bad picture of your religion.

 

[Ramona]

I'm just being honest, I didnt want people to get confused as to why I would want to read it. I'm sure that many people would just assume I'd read it for the puropse of building bridges or out of some sort of "all religions are just diffrent paths to god" BS.

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.



How arrogant of you! Even seemingly educated people for some reason are always opposed to missions. But what is evangelism? It is the spread of information!!! How dare you keep other people, other cultures, in the dark just becuase of "cultural sensitivity".

All "cultural sensitivity" is is a racist belief that other cultures are too stupid to grasp other ideas. And it would be arrogant of me not to go.

Evange, I'm going to recommend that you hold off on your mission trip if this is the kind of attitude that you're going to have to the people you're preaching to. I can almost guarantee you that you are going to encounter the same type of opposition, only on a much larger scale. What are you going to do when that happens? Are you going to react the same way you did here, i.e., telling them that they're arrogant racists whose beliefs are nothing but BS? I am quite sure that if you treat them with the same attitude with which you've just treated Babochka, you will win few, if any, converts.

 

[debussyfan]

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

I am regretting my politeness in my first post, as it obviously was not deserved.

If this is the voice of Christianity, then I would not be surprised at any hostility they may encounter. This is the very reason I left Christianity (and organized religion, but that's a different matter). Are these truly people enlightened by God? These are the words of someone who has a relationship with God?

I think you need to take a moment alone, and contemplate what you have said. It sounds childish, but it is the proper reaction to such a choice of words.

Perhaps start with the thought of whether you truly have a spiritual presence in your life if it incites these thoughts within you. Is it truly satisfying to live with hatred towards anyone who chooses a belief other than your own?

I feel almost sad saying this, but I can almost picture the stories of the evangelicals going to Africa then murdering the tribes who wouldn't convert. They probably had this exact same attitude. "I wish to convert them. Otherwise I despise them and have only contempt for them".

Needless to say, I regret reading this post early in the morning, as the unpleasant thoughts I have received here will probably stick with me throughout the day.

EDIT: I have one more thing to say, a general statement to make towards anyone of any religion who considers a need to "save these pour souls". You are no more superior than anyone else on this planet. There is absolutely nothing which elevates you above anyone else, no matter how much you wish it so. Whatever deluded sense of self-importance you have is nothing more than the equivalent of what the racists used to consider themselves superior, or what the sexists used to elevate themselves above women.

 

[baobobtree]

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

I've really tried to remain polite and helpful here, but do you honestly expect to get converts with that kind of attitude. The people who go around shouting "Jesus is the only way!", "Your God/Gods are demons!"etc. tend to get the least converts.

 

[Ramona]

Debussyfan wins the internet.

Babochka comes in second.

 

[kunabi]

yup, I'll respect them right to hell.

I think you should definitely go. It will be a nice humbling experience and looks like you need it.
Good luck.

 

[Tarika]

Where in India are you traveling to? Hindi is usually the "lowest common denominator" in terms of languages in India, although I have had friends from Bangalore and throughout Kerala who didn't speak Hindi.

I'm not very sure if Tamilians take kindly to Hindi.

I'm sorry for my post evange but your attitude was a trigger for me.

 

[mikkyo]

But mostly i think a lot of hindus here, and on the rest of the internetz, spew a lot of nonsense, and no one can challenge them on it because who's read the hindu scriptures?

How can you preach to Hindus about your false god who permitted human sacrifice and the murder and rape of infidels? The Old Testament is full of bible atrocities where your evil religion promoted murder and rape of non-Jews. You actually believe with this mindset that you will be successful in proseltyzing Hindus. That's a joke, and quite ridiculous. Good luck.

 

[Ramona]

I'm not very sure if Tamilians take kindly to Hindi.

Well, in my own defense, I didn't know which part of India she was planning on working in.

 

[R3quiem]

How can you preach to Hindus about your false god who permitted human sacrifice and the murder and rape of infidels? The Old Testament is full of bible atrocities where your evil religion promoted murder and rape of non-Jews. You actually believe with this mindset that you will be successful in proseltyzing Hindus. That's a joke, and quite ridiculous. Good luck.

You're criticizing her but you have the same mindset in reverse.

You called my religion evil and my God false.

 

[srev2004]

Dear Evange,

Please read my following thoughts and hear my plea regarding being humble towards the host society. In my humble opinion you have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Let me give you a brief history of India and Indian society. The first thing you should realize is that you are setting foot into the oldest surviving continuous society on Earth. Keep in mind that you come from a relative young country, with barely any history of it's own. If you look past 1500's this country has no history at all, unless you accept that fact that this country's history belongs to the Native Americans. Anyways I would like to convey to you that you should just realize the age of India before traveling there and comparing your relatively new religion to the ancient Indian ones. While Christianity has 1 or 2 holy cities India has thousands with architecture still accessible.


A couple of things you should keep in mind. India is a secularist country, America is relatively a Christian country. That will be your main culture shock. Hinduism dominates India through sheer population though. The main thing to remember before debating anything and even considering showing a lack of respect, is that you will be visiting a country with 80% Hindu's. I don't see you getting far if you think Hindu's only speak BS. It would be a smart idea to be humble when you approach anyone. Most youth in India would care less for religion where as the older generations are very orthodox. There are many elements within India which contribute to both stability and volatility of the country. Anyways your main culture shock is the volume of the mass of people on the streets. I'm sure you have led a pretty leisurely life and have never been in any city with a population density as close to any Indian city. You need to accept the fact that you are one amongst a million and it would be very wise to not necessarily go against the flow of society. By this I mean do not think you have any special right or privilege to disturb people's lives. People lead really ruff lives in India and they don't have time to listen to a teenage American who is preaching about a person from the middle east who is from the other side of the world.


Each state has thousands of customs, languages, culinary, and city planning. Each one is different. You will meet many different types of people. You will see things which you wouldn't think you would ever see. You will learn a different perspective to life. You will feel the joys, sadness, hopelessness, admiration, determination, patience, and humbleness of India.


Perhaps this journey will help you understand the perspective of India and you can better relate to the Hindu's instead of simply passing it off as BS.


My sincerest regards to you and your safety,
Sravan


P.S. Don't [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] off too many people.