Catholic religion and Hinduism

August 24, 2006

Dear Ana,

I red your mail on concerns about magics, invocations and so on.

Since I'm italian and Catholic to, I want to reply you.

Sorry if I bother the Group, but I promise It will be my first and last intervention about the topic, since the topic of this Group is different.

I post it in public just because maybe there are other Christians.

If you go to Marcus Ev. 12/28 you find our more important Instructions, given by Jesus Christ:

1) God is one. He spoke through Prophets.You will love God making full use of your heart, your mind, your soul and your strenght.

2) You will love your nearest as if it was yourself. And Jesus says: this second instruction is the most important one.

Jesus Christ did not say anything about Hinduism!!

1) God is one.

Of course in all the Bible there is a strong position against Idolatry, because man used to make Idols with their hand and they said those Idol were God. Personally, when I'm near to a Buddhist or Hinduist statue I don't think it is God, but I read it as a representation of one of God sides; moreover, since often those statues have been "charged",I feel a strong energy and I cannot say it is just a piece of wood or a piece of some kind of other material, as those statues wich are described in the Bible.

Anyway I always think it is an expression of that one I try to love (even if it comes trough a different culture, and even if, from catholic point of view it is partial). Catholic priests say true Idolatry is when you put just one thing in front of your life (money, pleasures and so on) without seeing the full context (God and His great love for us).

2) love for nearest.

Jesus Christ make the example of the good Samaritan. The nearest is not the perfect Israel priest, but it is the Samaritan who has good heart and good intentions (if you read Ancient Testament Samaritan were those who used to have one God as Israelits, but they used to keep even many deities statues in their house, and this is why they were considered inferior by "pure" Israelits).

Personally I try to use Yantras, Rudraksha and so on with good intentions and always end my request "if it is in my best interest and if God wants", trying to think I cannot really make such important things without His help.

3) about invocations. Aramaic is a sacred language as Sanskrit. North African Rabbis still prepare pieces of papers in which they write prayers. There are many experiments in US trough which medicians tried to explain why people with very bad problems succed in solving them, just carrying those pieces of papers on their heart...personally I don't know how they work, but sure they are invocations too. If you pronounce an invocation in Sanskrit for a good purpose I cannot see anything different..and anything bad!!

Being Catholic I want to respect those Instructions (1-2) and all the others contained in Ev., even because I think Jesus Christ message is wonderful. If God

will punish me for having recited words in sanskrit, I'm ready for punishment and I will accept it...I will reply I just made trying to keep my heart clean from purpose and thinking to Him!

I know I would be extremely stupid if I completely threw away my tradition, even because I know it is good. I hope you understand...:-).

Sorry again if I bothered others.

Many Salutations and Regards.

Marco