Re: [tied] Digest Number 2804

--- In cybalist@yahoogroups.com, Daniel Koechlin <d.koechlin@...>
wrote:

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> I am not sure voiceofdharma is a reliable source of
> information.

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> All this of course is UTTER nonsense. Any linguistic,
> scientific, exegesis of those texts will reveal that
> they were composed at a much later date. The RG Veda
> in the 2nd millenium BC and the Mahabharata around the
> year 0 CE. To say the contrary is a magnificent act of
> faith and devotion (for exemple : "The astronomical lore
> in Vedic literature provides elements of an absolute
> chronology in a consistent way") but has little to do
> with comparative linguistics.

Quite right, Daniel, and please see further comments
at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cybalist_admin/ .

> Having frequented many devout Hindu intellectuals, it
> seems to me that mkelkar's posts contain themes that
> are associated with Hindu "fundamentalism" (ie. a belief
> that Hindu sacred scriptures are literaly true and an
> obsession with demonstrating this through "scientific"
> research).

Quite right. This nonsense from Hindu fundamentalists
with which we are being more and more frequently
harrassed is in no significant way any better, or any
more to be tolerated, than Christian creationism.

Of course, hypocritically, they have begun adding to
their propaganda the claim that all who oppose them
must be Christian creationists, even while espousing
the Hindu equivalent themselves, and even while the
main figures against whom they make this charge have
publicly voiced several times their own opposition to
creationism being taught in the public schools.

It's all most foul, and I can't understand why none
has sued.

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> For those interested in this topic, I strongly recommend
> the texts produced by the Indian Rationalist Organisaion
> which corageously counters the insidious and nefarious
> effects of Hindu fundamentalism in Indian academia. In a
> scientific debate, there are to be no politicaly-motivated
> "hidden agendas". Science is NOT the toy of religion.
> You cannot select the data that furthers your religious
> convictions and ignore the rest. Religion is respectable
> in its own right, to try and prop it up with science is
> really a sign of how insecure devout intellectuals feel...

Thank you, and let list members also see the website
at http://www.indiantruth.org of the Indian American
Public Education Advisory Council, which has formed
to combat the influence of fundamentalist Hindus. In
addition they've started a Yahoo group for discussion
of their mission, as well as to directly engage the
opposition, at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ipacgroup/ .

I am trying to support this group and hope that others
who are concerned about the problem will do the same.

David