Rather than replying to every point in Chitra Raman?s response, I will take up some of the general points, which I think are relevant to the Indian American community at large. First, let me say I am impressed by the dynamism present in this community: in spite of a snow storm, many travelled from far away to attend the Princeton Junction workshop and share their reflections on the future of the Indian traditions in the U.S. [1] In spite of the demands of daily life, Indian Americans find the time and energy to engage in intellectual debates about the nature of their traditions. In spite of the discrimination and "religion oppression" [2] faced by them, there is a general sense of optimism about the future of these traditions.
The following paper was presented during the course of a workshop titled "Will Indian traditions survive and flourish in Indian-American communities - The Challenge of American Pluralism" held at Princeton Junction, New Jersey on March 17, 2007 at the residence of Jayant Kalawar, management consultant and entrepreneur. It forms part of the different streams of thought and discourse that converged at this event. The overall proceedings are being compiled and will be released shortly.
Europeans have been steadily abandoning Christianity. Church attendance has fallen dramatically. Both the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have been worried because if Europeans desert Christianity, its Third World adherents would follow suit. How does one then revive Christianity in Europe?
Christianity, unlike Buddhism or Hinduism for example, has never been an inward-looking religion. It never encouraged the spirit of inquiry. Christianity has always required an external enemy, sometimes real but often imagined, to keep its flock together. Christianity aggrandized itself by dehumanizing the "enemy" and by inculcating a fear of the "enemy" in its flock....
