Problems Facing Hinduism - Ram Swarup

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Source: http://www.hindu.org/publications/ramswarup/problems.html

===============Problems Facing Hinduism =================

by Ram Swarup(Assoicated with Voice of India Think-tank):

Ram Swarup: is a foremost spokesperson of Hindu spirituality and culture in India.
His best-known books are:
The Word as Revelation: Names and Gods
and Understanding Islam Through Hadis: Religious Faith or Fanaticism.
Hindu view of Christianiy and Islam.
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Hinduism faces some grave problems that need serious attention:

A) It lacks an ideological face.

B) It lacks leadership, its elites are becoming illiterate about their spiritual heritage and history.

C) It is weak organizationally. It has no recognized centers where it could take stock of its sorry situation and think of remedial measures.

D) Great poverty has overtaken its religious institutions; temples are in a state of near-destitution. Priests and scholars (acharyas) are badly neglected and have no prestige.

E) It is badly divided into castes and denominations. Once when Hinduism was spiritual vibrant, these divisions expressed natural and healthy diversity; now in its present sick state, they are used by its enemies for its disintegration. Election-politics is utilized for the dismemberment of the Hindu society.

F) Hinduism is ceasing to be a practising religion. Awareness of a larger God-life is becoming dim; worship, sadhana, japa, spiritual meditation and reflection are fast declining.

In short, it is a situation painful for the lovers of Hinduism and pleasing for its enemies.

There are many great Hindus who accept and cherish Hindu scriptures like the Upanishads and the Gita; others admire its ancient artistic creations and display them at World Festivals.

But they have little concern for its corporate life, its history, its future continuity, its institutions.

They forget that this side, too, is important and needs nourishing. How can Hinduism contribute anything to the world if it loses its corporate life and its identity?

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HINDUS UNDER ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF ISLAMIC, BRITISH DOMINATION:

Hinduism has passed through a thousand years of foreign domination. During these centuries, its deepest ideas and its cherished institutions were under great attack.

The trauma of this period has produced deep psychological scars.

Hindus have lost self-confidence; they have become passive and apologetic--apologetic about their ideas, their institutions, about themselves and about their very name. They behave as if they are making amends for being Hindus. They have become self-alienated.

There was a time when monks, sannyasins and acharyas provided leadership to the society. Now they follow the prevailing norm, the obtaining fashion. They repeat the current slogans.

It is disappointing to see even them failing to break through the prevailing atmosphere of self-alienation and to give to Hindu society a new spiritual and intellectual lead--something expected from those who are supposed to dive deep into the greater life of the Spirit beyond current constraints and fashions.

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SELF-ALIENATION AND SELF-FORGET-FULNESS:

While the forces of self-forgetfulness and self-alienation are increasing within the society, unfriendly external forces have intensified their attacks. The two forces interact and reinforce each other.

Aggressive, monolithic ideologies such as communism, Christianity and Islam are actively at work.

All these ideologies have their World-Centers, where they discuss their plans, strategies and coordinate their efforts.

Decisions taken at these centers are converted into local plans and programs.

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LACK OF CEMENTING CENTERS:

COMMUNISM: Communists have their Cominform, working openly or secretly.

CHRISTIANITY: Catholics have their Vatican.
Protestants have their World Council of Churches, powerfully backed by rich national churches of America and Europe.
Their openly avowed aim is conversion to Christianity.

ISLAM: A very active and aggressive Islamic International has also recently emerged, oiled by petro-dollars. In India Arab money has entered on a large scale, and Islamic fundamentalism has become very active.

Hinduism should become aware of these environing forces. It need not panic, but it cannot afford to be indifferent.

In these difficult times, its greatest strength lies in its innate spirituality.

Hindus should shake off forces of self-alienation and recover their confidence and self-identity.

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Voice OF India: Hindu intellectual think-tank
(www.bharatvani.org):

Humanity faces difficult times. Its deeper spiritual vision and values enshrined in various indigenous religions and cultures of the peoples of Asia, Europe, Africa and the two Americas have been under the attack of monolatrous creeds claiming to be the only true religions. Hinduism along with other members belonging to its family too has been under their attack, physical and ideological. Bharatvani Institute aims at providing an ideological defence of Hindu religion and culture through a series of publications.

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