[GHHF] Ghar Waapasi in Visakhapatnam. Great Discussion with a Christian Missionary on the how Jesus Picture was changed over the Years.
Jack Hebner
"Spiritual and intellectual efforts of hundreds of millions of people over millennia have graced India with a rich and complex culture — a culture whose subtlety knows no rival. During the last three centuries the attempts of most Westerners to penetrate the spiritual dimension of Indian culture has at best been doomed to superficiality."
Global Hindu Heritage Foundation has organized the Ghar Waapasi program in Visakhapatnam city and talked to Christian and Hindu family members about our efforts to welcome back to the Hindu field those who converted to Christianity. Srinivas talked to a Christian Missionary on the picture of Jesus and how his picture was changed where he looked loke white man. Our Associates, Kollu Srinivasa Rau, Santosh (John Paul was his name before he returned to Hinduism), and his friends have been actively visiting several villages in West Godavari District and Visakhapatnam. They distributed a 4-page document containing the rights of Hindus to encounter Christians and how to stop the construction of illegal churches.
Sri Srinivas and Sri Santosh went to these colonies talked to both Christians and Hindus about sexual promiscuity and Pastor’s lust. We all would recognize what is written in Bhagavad Gita and the Bible. It says that Jesus came here not to bring peace, but he went with a Sword and is ready to create a blood bath. Jesus also says that he came here to divide the people, not unite them.
Our Associates not only went to the colony talking about the constitutional rights afforded to Hindus, but they talked about the privilege minorities would lose if they got converted. They showed the 52-page book and showed different verses about incest and sexual misdeeds. Many Christians were surprised to read the poems, and one can see their disgust on their faces.
Discussion with a Missionary on Jesus’ Picture:
Our Pracharak Sri Kollu Srinivas met with a Christian missioner who was giving Christian pamphlets to Hindus going around different Hindu houses. He tried to show on the back cover of the 52-Page Comparison book where Jesus was shown as two different pictures. In order to make people identify with the local people, they even changed the pictures of Jesus.
In 2001, the retired medical artist Richard Neave led a team of Israeli and British forensic anthropologists and computer programmers in creating a new image of Jesus, based on an Israeli skull dating to the first century A.D., computer modeling and their knowledge of what Jewish people looked like at the time. Though no one claims it’s an exact reconstruction of what Jesus himself actually looked like, scholars consider this image—around five feet tall, with darker skin, dark eyes, and shorter, curlier hair—to be more accurate than many artistic depictions of the son of God.
Robert Cargill, assistant professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa and editor of Biblical Archaeology Review. “So he would have looked like a Palestinian Jewish man of the first century. He would have looked like a Jewish Galilean.” While Cargill agrees that these more recent images of Jesus—including darker, perhaps curlier hair, darker skin and dark eyes—probably come closer to the truth, he stresses that we can never really know exactly what Jesus looked like. (Source: https://www.history.com/news/what-did-jesus-look-like)
The Christian missionary was surprised at Srinivas’s interpretation and agreed that the original picture may have been changed. Also agreed that they CRODD made of wood. But the Bible says do not worship any image of stone, wood, etc. He was perplexed. Our Srinivas said look at Lord Venkateswara, he looks exactly same whether we build Temples in India or USA. You do not see Lord Venkateswara changing his figure based on the country.
In the conversation, the Christian said that his son is a Hindu who refuse to get converted. Srinivas suggested that he should follow his son’s footsteps.
Our Associate Santosh (Known as John Paul) returned to Hinduism after practicing Christianity for several years. He explained his own experience of being a Christian and how he came out of it. He was going to Church from his childhood because of his parents but never felt comfortable with the deceptive practices of the Pastors. He started asking questions about some of the verses in the Bible. Pastors were questioning his faith and were blaming him for asking the questions. In order to silence him, they said that they would train him as Pastor. He thought he should read the Bible and know its contents before getting training to become a Pastor. He was surprised and shocked by the Bible and realized that the Bible is bloody, voluptuous, violent, and killings. It contains rapes, incest, extramarital affairs, and stoning to deaths.
The Christian pastors are following the teachings of Jesus who says that he is a jealous God. But all these Pastors claim that Christianity is a religion of peace. If Jesus is a God and decides our lives, how do we explain the differences among so many Christians? Why some people are poor, and others are rich. Some people have health problems all the time while others live with no major health problems. If Jesus is the savior, why did he create so much disparity in society? If Jesus is compassionate and loving, why is he creating so many problems for so many people even among Christians, Is Jesus biased, jealous and hateful person?
They approached several families and were told that they are welcome to come back to Sanatana Dharma. Many of them asked about their Pastors’ assertion that they took an oath with Bible on their heads, and they may be burning eternally in a fire. Our Associates informed them that God is not a killer and would not punish. God’s character is all-loving, compassionate, and all-forgiving. So, they do not have to fear God to return to Hinduism if they desire to do so.
Many of them were surprised to find out what was written in the Bible and were happy to know something about Sanatana Dharma. As we all know very few Hindus have any idea about the richness of Hinduism. It was a pleasant surprise to find out something about their ancestors’ faith.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
We appreciate it if you can help in hiring more people who can go to these villages to do Ghar Waapasi. We have employed 22 people so far. More people we hire more villages can be covered to welcome them back and also create Chaitanya (Awareness) among the students and villagers.
1) Donate any amount to help the Dharma Pracharaks to work at the ground level.
2) Sponsor one Pracharak: In order to expand our base and hire one Pracharak, it would cost approximately $3000.00 per year. We have five anonymous donors who sponsored Assistants.
DONATIONS
PayPal Method: To donate visit our website: savetemples.org. Click on the Donate button, then press the Purpose category, and select the Ghar Wapsi Donation category.
By Check: Or you can send a check payable to GHHF, . It is tax-deductible.
By Zelle: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com
RUPEES, if you would like to contribute to rupees, please either call or send an email. We will call you back to give you the required information.
For more information, call Prakasarao Velagapudi at ; Email: ghhfusaorg@gmail.com