I learned with relief that the first gay couple in Kentucky received their marriage license, but not without disappointment that Rowan County Clerk Kim Davis was jailed – and that her husband says she will not “bow down.” Surprising, since one would expect expect Kim Davis to be humble and compassionate – she is reportedly a born-again Christian and follows Christ. But it is Ms. Davis’ position as an elected official of the government, not her personal beliefs, that requires... Read more
Both Rev. Dana Trent, author of Saffron Cross, and Alicia Chandler, co-founder of AJC Access Detroit, recently posted pieces exemplifying pluralism, through respective discussions on interfaith marriage and raising multi-faith children.Their practice of pluralism is possible because they are in settings where there is mutual respect for another’s religious path. Pluralism and religious freedom can go hand in hand when conditions promote an open and fair exchange of ideas: there really is a choice. However, in places like earthquake-ravaged Nepal, much needed aid... Read more
A recent NPR piece that someone shared with me reminded me why I no longer support them financially. An Indian vegetarian diet and efforts to promote this are portrayed as a culture or caste issue, instead of one about the impact to environment, human health, animal welfare or religious freedom: the “Egg War” seemed more of a war on Hinduism and Jainism. I have been raised on a traditional Indian, and to be even more specific, an Andhra vegetarian diet, while... Read more
When I last wrote about the Future of Hinduism, I had become a voice for the Hindu community in interfaith relations, as co-founder of both the local interfaith group in Michigan’s most Asian American cities and the Outreach Committee of one of Michigan’s oldest and largest Hindu temples. Because of my interest in the way that Hinduism is presented, perceived, and practiced in the US, I received numerous emails with links to Lisa Miller’s Newsweek article of how U.S. Views on God... Read more
Namaste. International Yoga Day is today, and to celebrate, Suhag & Aseem Shukla, and Sheetal Shah, of the Hindu American Foundation embarked on a trip down memory lane. Over four days, they have shared the story of HAF’s Take Back Yoga Project (TBY). What started as a simple letter to the editor expressing frustration over the hyper-fixation on the physical aspects of yoga and a delinking of yoga from its Hindu roots, ultimately spurred an unprecedented global conversation acknowledging the Hindu roots of yoga. Many have asked along the way, “Why does yoga’s origin matter?” or “Who... Read more
A week ago the Troy-area Interfaith Group celebrated its 11th annual National Day of Prayer event. I helped start this community organization over a controversy – the contentious history is here, and also taught as a case study in pluralism by Harvard University’s Pluralism Project – but it was a very peaceful, harmonious group that gathered to celebrate unity in diversity, with prayers from many people, from many traditions. I was honored that I was invited to share the reflection below... Read more
Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square on Rites of Passage. Read other perspectives here. A few years ago, the temple in the metro-Detroit area that my family goes to most often started conducting a special puja to mark graduation. I was fascinated. A puja is a religious rite, where Hindus worship through devotion to God, offering prayers and food, often to a specific deity, performed daily or on special occasions, on holy days. Pujas are... Read more
Editors’ Note: This post is part of a Patheos symposium —What Good Is Religion? Read more here. In trying to understand or discuss the “good of Hinduism” – how faith has, in big and small ways, theoretical and very concrete, served humanity and the world for good – one can simply state the obvious. A Hindu can do good by serving others, as indicated in the oft repeated “Manav seva, Madhav seva.” A loose translation – Service to humanity is service... Read more
At a recent HAF Awareness Event, a group of people came to learn about the work of the Foundation, and I was asked a seemingly simple question, with an underlying challenge to prove my point: Do you think that conversion to Hinduism is allowed? Since I usually am vocal about the challenges caused by conversion away from Hinduism, answering the question was an ideal way to explain the difference between conversion to Hinduism and conversion to Christianity (or also to... Read more
During my early days of blogging at Patheos, I loved the title and the one liners that Kathleen Mulhern, my editor at the time, pulled to the top of my essays. (Perhaps they were one of the reasons I wrote so frequently – a quick way to see what an open minded reader got from my few hundred words on a topic!) One of the best summaries was this one on how Language Matters: [about] Deities and Darshan: “Idols” is the wrong... Read more
Seeking Shanti
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