The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-27

- 49, y
n. did yadic or Brahnianistic religion
ras retained its hold with remarkable
streneth and persistency upon the Hindu
ne1ple. and even today. after niseoiS
which makes Christianity appear IKE q
very modern creed, it is incomparapiy tle
dominant religion of the peninsula. buuu-
hism, an attempt at reformation Oh bran
rnanism in the sixth century peloic
Christ was unable to retain its noiu III
1.-THE land of its birth, and is only now pc
/ ginning again to make some impressioi
upon the Indian people. Mohanh''ieu
ISM which numbers about n1ty-seVeh
/ million HindN adherents, and Christianl-
It's, which numbers a little over TWO mn
Ilions largely Europeans), are each max
ling some slight Roadway. 1t is, however
Ito the Brahmo-Som and other distinctly
native movements that the attention Oh
religious students has been most attrac'-
led An account of this reform movement
is given in The Advance Congregational
list August 16). The writer says:
s.In 1928 Mohun Roy founded the hrst
lSomaj and began to teach a reformed Hin
duism. Roy taught monotheism
land. sought to show his countrymen the
! absurdity of idolatry. The Hindus go lar
beyond the Athenians of Paurs day in the
lnIultitudes CT their gods and idolatrous
symbols. There were said to have been
thirty thousand statues of gods In Athens
when Paul preached there and told the
Ath0n1dnS tndI tHey were NCiS ASi'SiO"'',
n hut were ignorant as to the true COO; put
Ina tiyes of India say that the Hindu pan
ltheon consists of three hundred and thif-
: lty millions of idols and idolatrous SYM
/ lbois. In the sacred city of Benares alone
r there are two thousand temples and hal
a million of IDOLS But the leaders of the
:. Bra hmo- Somaj teach a monotheism whicr
t lis much like that of the Bible. They unite
( lin the worship of a supreme and 1nnnil'
/. lGod and when speaking of Him they use
language which fits the character OF th'
: lGod of the Hebrew and Christian Scrip
3 tues.
; ..As to the teachings of sacred books
Reformed Hinduism is eclectic, acceptips
- the beautiful moral teachings of the sa
Is cred books of India, but frankly rejecting
lie these teachings which are plainly oppos
70 led to modern scientific knowledge and I
- the pure ethics of Christ. These reform
lers reject the false astronomy, false geoS
IT. lraphy, and other false theories taught o.
Mt their sacred books as to the nature an
o. me vements of the bodies comprising IN
physical universe. They do not belicV
III that eclipses are caused by two grea
W, dragons called Rahu and Ketu swallowin
at the sun and moon for a while, from tim
ed to time They do not believe that til
w earth rests upon thousand heade
,e, lsrake called Ananta the snake upon
no tortoise, and the tortoise upon eight eli
,et lphants. and that earthquakes take ilit
n lwhen the snake shakes the earth VII
mt lreadjusting it's heads for the sake of a III
ed tile rest.
re "Mr Mozoomdar and other teachers
he 1.-The Brahmo-So profess great admins
oh itior for Christ, but it is the ethical rath'
his than the sacrifcial Christ whom they az
'rd niIe.'
* On the other hand, while Mohamm
nd loans, Christians, and Buddhists are tr.
ion ling to convert the Vedantists OF lndi
re- the latter are showing a remarkable a
Ian tivity in spreading their faith in 9th
AN lands. Scarcely large city Of Ameri
ps. or Europe is without one or more Swami
are who are trying to show Christians WI
lis they think the better way. The Vedan
ISociety in New York maintains three n
dr. tive Hindu teachers and publishes an Q
res gan called The Student, edited by Mr.
ON F. Van Hagen, besides giving sever
ep- lcCUrses of public lectures each winnie
There are also several other independe
hes Hindu teachers, including the striki
mi personality of Swami Yogananda Ga co
hat Iverted American), and the Pundit Lalls
} it lWho is spoken of as man of remarkai
ere personal character. In many small
IRE ner chamber in New York, at almost
nth time of the year, may be seen lit
les. gatherings of Americans, unattached
$50 any creed and grouped about a viii
eX- ltCrbaned, swarthy faced representative
)So- the Orient