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(10-6-99)
Someone today submitted a post to deja.com alt.religion.hindu entitled "Pope Visits India to Save Hindus". The article was a rather humerous description of the POPE-Mobile. I will not repeat the article here. The attitude of the author of the post was obvious from the title "...to Save Hindus". And of course, given the history of Colonial oppression in India, I cannot blame anyone for harboring such feelings or supicions. It is quite natural and understandable that some Hindus might feel this way. In all fairness to the Papacy, and Roman Catholicism, I would like to point out something which perhaps very few people are aware of. It is a Papal Encyclical entitled "Aetatis Mundi" (which I believe means Eternal World, although my Latin is very rusty). This is a very small Encyclical. In it, the Pope states (I will paraphrase) "Roman Catholic Christians must not simply TOLERATE non-Christian Faiths (such as Hinduism) but must acknowledge that the Holy Spirit dwells in their scriptures and teachings also, and that there are present in their scriptures teachings which are SALVIFIC (i.e. can lead the devotee to salvation)". The Encyclical does not enumerate which particular teachings in Hindu Scriptures are Salvific.
It should also be noted that Roman Catholic Doctrine is extremely liberal, tolerant, and open-minded in firmly stating that "The JUDGEMENTS of God are a MYSTERY to Mankind." That is to say, no one can know WHO will be saved and who will be damned, and it is possible that those in those embracing non-Christian-non-Islamic faiths will be saved.
This is a MOST refreshing attitude to encounter in any religion. When you compare such a belief with the HATE-FILLED Koran, which forbids a Muslim to have a Christian or Jew for a friend, and which states in NUMEROUS verses that the eternal tortures of HELL are especially prepared for ALL Christians and Jews (and of course Hindus, Buddhist, Jains, Sikhs, Sufis, et.al) who do not abandon their Faiths and SUMIT to Allah and his Prophet Mohammed. I might add that the Koran insists that such non-Muslims will be damned REGARDLESS OF the personal sanctity of their lives, whereas Muslims will be saved and rewarded with flowing rivers of delicious wine and unlimited sex with supernatural Houri virgins REGARDLESS of any number of transgressions which they might commit (especially against Kafirs, non-believers).
It is also refreshing to compare such an open minded Interfaith belief with the rantings of the countless Fundamentalist Christain Sects who condemn not only non-Christians to eternal torments of hell and satan, but even condemn one another, INCLUDING SUCH SAINTLY FIGURES as Billy Graham (who is condemned by many Fundamentalist Christians because he is too openminded, to chummy buddy buddy with the Roman Catholic Church
and who himself refuses to comment on the question of whether those who do not accept Jesus as their "personal Savior" shall suffer eternal torment in Hell.)
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