The petition
Dear David Barton,
On Thursday, July 11, the Senate invited a Hindu to deliver the morning prayer traditionally delivered by a Christian Senate chaplain. In response, you sent your supporters a letter condemning the historic occasion. You argued that Hinduism is polytheistic and claimed the faith has “not one God, but many, many, many, many, many Gods.” You stated that Hinduism “is not a religion that has produced great things in the world.” You accused Hinduism of promoting religious persecution of religious minorities. You speculated the Founding Fathers would never have permitted Hinduism in the American civic sphere. Your supporters called the Hindu faith “wicked,” “pagan,” and “evil.”
You are wrong. Hinduism is not polytheistic. (Even if it were, it would be perfectly permissible in America.) In reality, the core tenet of Hinduism is this: There is ONE GOD with many names and many forms. Hindus are not worried if different people have different forms or images or names to represent God. Rather than fight friends or kill people over a word, Hindus believe all these different labels represent the same single God. This God is eternal and encompasses all things big and small. This God is the energy that connects all things. The goal of Hindu spirituality is for diverse disparate souls to realize their affinity and connection with each other and the universal spirit. From multiplicity, there is singularity. E pluribus unum. Isn’t this amazingly American? Isn’t this infinitely more American than the divisive and hateful theology of religious extremists, whether those extremists are Christian or Muslim or Hindu?
Anyone who has read the Gita know this: if God could be seen by humans, God would comprise “all this universe” and “enfold all its diversity into one vast shape, and be visible, and viewed, and blended into one body.” But most of us cannot comprehend such a God. So Hindus are fine with images, limited as they may be, to help ordinary people think of this single universal God. Let’s worry less about names and images, and worry more about living a life with sincere and honorable actions. Isn’t this perfectly aligned with American principles?
You are wrong. Hinduism does not promote persecution of religious minorities in India. Sadly, you are right that some Hindu extremists are spreading hatred in India. But how can you, of all people, believe that extremists represent an entire faith? Just like you represent a tiny percent of the Christians in the world, Hindu extremists represent a small fraction of the faith. The Hindu view of God does not exclude other faiths. Despite its present illiteracy rate of 39 percent, India has, from its inception, displayed a remarkable respect and inclusion of minority faiths. Hindus don’t (err, shouldn’t) think Christians, Jews, Muslims, or Buddhists are any less capable of reaching God. What matters isn’t what you say, but what you do. Action, not words. Isn’t this amazingly American in its outlook?
You are wrong. Hinduism has produced many great things in the world. In ancient times, Hindu scholars made significant contributions to civilization’s mathematics, astronomy, linguistics, medicine, and countless other fields. Hindu spirituality influenced Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Sufism. Hindu spirituality also influenced Greek thinkers who ultimately influenced the development of Christianity. In modern times, Hinduism has produced many great men and women. Most notably, Hinduism produced Mahatma Gandhi, whose nonviolent philosophy inspired generations to seek justice and peace without succumbing to hatred.
It is religious arrogance to think any man-made religion is the only true faith. Hinduism is not, of course, the only great faith in the world. Christianity profoundly influenced Gandhi. Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Sikhism also critiqued and influenced Hinduism when the faith needed criticism. While we reject your contempt for the Hindu faith, we appreciatively recognize that Hinduism has been influenced by many of the great faiths and cultures of the world. Unlike you, we recognize the limitations of our faith and, rather than be blind to our flaws, we pray for progress.
You are wrong. You have twisted the words of the Founding Fathers and distorted a great religion like Christianity. You have tried to portray the American Revolution as a movement of one particular faith. You have selectively pieced together a fictitious self-serving fairy-tale of a theocratic American Republic. You have tried spreading your false history into American textbooks, American minds, and the American Senate.
Enough is enough.
You are wrong. The Founding Fathers, the ones that matter, would have permitted Hindus into the American civic sphere. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin, and many other Founding Fathers believed in a universal and inclusive God, not a God that only accepts those who call their savior Jesus. In a letter to Jefferson on Christmas day of 1813, John Adams praised a Hindu scripture describing God as the “one creator of all universal sphere, without beginning, without end. God governs all the creation by a general providence resulting from his eternal designs.” Adams asked, “where is to be found a theology more orthodox or a philosophy more profound?” In the same letter, Adams expressed his love for Christianity. He believed that studying and respecting other faiths deepened his own faith. He thought he could learn from other faiths. Rather than waste his life building hateful walls, he thought we could all learn from each other. You might try to learn from our Founding Fathers.
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