www.indianewengland.com

WALTHAM, MASSACHUSSETS, USA, October 15, 2007: Approximately 60 people crowded into the ground floor of a local church on a recent Saturday for one of the first Hindu-Christian dialogues in the area, but nobody from the Hindu community showed up. The two Hindu panelists were alone in a room of white-American Christians, East-Asian Christians, and South Asian converts to Christianity in Waltham’s Hope International Church on Saturday, Sept. 22, as they answered questions in a discussion that quickly turned into a debate over which religion is better.
“I would have preferred to have it in an impersonal place, not a church,” said Cambridge resident Manisha Roy, who presented the Hindu perspective at the event, after the conclusion of the discussion. “Places have energy. … It’s not a good thing because it’s organized by a church.” She said Hindus did not attend the event because they probably thought it would be “another lecture of conversion, praising God, and praising Christianity.” “A little of that did happen,” she acknowledged.
Quincy resident Benoy Paul, the other Hindu panelist, who raised his voice several times during the discussion, said he would not participate in such an event again if it was organized in the same manner.
Paul Reid, the pastor of the Hope International Church, said he too was disappointed that nobody from the (Hindu) temples came. “Wouldn’t it be good if there were another 20 to 30 Hindus?” he asked. He said he was hoping to host the dialogue in a neutral area, such as a library, but in the end no other locations were available.
Although the panelists were supposed to limit the Hindu-Christian conversation to karma and the grace of Jesus, the debate took its own turn and converged around the question of whether all roads lead to God – as the Hindu panelists argued – or if there is one correct road that one should follow to arrive at the truth – which was the Christian position.
“Krishna says ‘No matter how they pray, it comes to God.’ That aspect I can take pride in the faith I was raised,” said Paul, when a member of the audience asked him if Hinduism maintains that “all roads lead to God.” He said it is more important to do good deeds in one’s life, such as helping the poor, sheltering the shelter-less and feeding the hungry than to pray, or go to temple. The Christian panelists said this is in conflict with the Christian view. “Jesus said ‘No one comes to Father except through me,'” said panelist Timothy Tennent, a professor who trains Christian missionaries in an Ipswich theological seminary, when responding to the same question. “The most primary way God reveals himself is through his church that brings the good news. …Christians are under the obligation to share our faith.”
Event organizer Reid said that although there are currently no tensions between Hindus and Christians in Waltham, the dialogue should have been beneficial to both groups by helping Hindus and Christians understand each other’s beliefs — especially since Waltham’s South Asian population has grown over the last 15 years.

Post Views: 573