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BEREA COLLEGE Parivadu das September 22, 1994 Dear Parivadu das: An unusual combination of circumstances causes me to write you even though we have never met. First of all, I am a Methodist minister who has written and worked in the area of interfaith dialogue for more than twenty years. Second, I am a student of Asian religions, particularly the Hindu traditions centering around the divinity Krishna, a research area that has produced several books and a dozen or more articles over the past 15 years. Third, I have studied the Krishna movement in America (popularly called the Hare Krishnas or the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and their anti-cult critics in America and Europe for about the past 14 years. Fourth, I was one of the keynote speakers at an educational conference in Wiesbaden Germany in January, 1994. It is from these multiple strands of my background that I write to you as one deeply concerned about the "cult issue" and the relationship of cult fears to proposed legislation that would affect the Hare Krishnas in Germany. When I began my study of the Hare Krishna movement in America in 1980, I believed they were simply another one of the Asian religious movements that had come to America with a quite watered-down version of their faith to offer. I was surprised to find that the Hare Krishna movement is an authentic and age-old Indian religious tradition whose scriptural root extends back to the second century B.C. and its contemporary form derives from the movement of Chaitanya in the 1 6th century in Bengal, India. In 1987 I wrote a book, The Dark Lord: Cult Images and the Hare Krishnas in America, in which I carefully laid out the anti-cult fears and concerns that have led some Christians and other groups such as some of the anti-sect people in Germany to fear the Hare Krishnas, the Moonies, and other such groups. What I found in my study, however, was that the Hare Krishna movement is a traditional Indian movement that cannot be lumped together so easily with other contemporary cults. My book provides a great deal of evidence from both the literary and historical perspectives to show the continuity of the contemporary Krishnas in America, Europe, and elsewhere around the world with their classical Indian counterparts. In fact, one aspect of my study was to travel to India to see how this movement was accept back in its own country; I learned that the answer was it is very much accepted as an authentic part of its Indian progenitor. What all the above suggests, is that it is inappropriate for German lawmakers, anti-sect church members, or other such legislative groups to lump the Hare Krishnas with other so called cults. I will let members of the Moonies, scientology, and other such groups speak for themselves since I am not really an expert on their traditions. What I do know, however, is that most of these movements often use ancient scriptures like the Bible, but in fact derive their theology from a contemporary charismatic leader such as Sun Myung Moon or other such leaders to provide, in effect, a revised translation of biblical theology for the contemporary age. Such is not the case with the Hare Krishnas who still utilise 18th and l9th century Indian Krishna theologians as well as their traditional master, Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada, as the guide to their religious beliefs and practices. Therefore, I hope German law-makers will not persist in their attempt to include the Hare Krishna movement as a new religious movement when in fact it is quiet ancient in its roots and very traditional as a Hindu religious movement even in its contemporary practice. I also hope that German lawmakers will heed the good scholarly opinions that are available around the world and not give much credence to the anti-sect/anti-cult rhetoric that is not grounded in research of a thorough kind. If I can be of any additional assistance, please let me know. I have included a copy of my book for reference. Sincerely, Larry D. Shinn |
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