Indian Bible Gone Too Far?
CathNews.com reports that an “Indianized” Bible will be published soon that, among other things, will include ancient HIndu texts and references to Mahatma Gandhi.
“The Biblical texts remain the same but verses from the Vedas and Upanishads (ancient Hindu religious texts) have been used to interpret Christian teachings,” he (Church spokesman Paul Thelakat) said.
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“We are merely adapting them to Christian teachings wherever we feel there are points of harmony.” He gives as an example how the book mentions Mira Bai’s couplets in praise of Lord Krishna to illustrate Mary Magdalene’s sentiments for the resurrected Jesus.
I understand the importance of contextualizing, but is this too far? Having not seen the Bible I can’t pass too much of a judgement… but this sounds pretty if’y to me.
Spend any time talking to members of Eastern religions (Bahai, Hindu, Krishna) and you will get the feeling very quickly that they want you to accept their understanding of Christianity as something that can be put under the umbrella of their supposedly universal religion. People need to remember how forcefully Jesus spoke of the exclusivity of belief in him. He taught that salvation was of the Jews and that he was the way, the truth, and the life. He is the way as dictated by the God of the Old Testament, not simply one of many ways by a God who supposedly is manifest in every contradicting religion/deity under the sun.
Well he does say he is adapting so that does not make it Christian. Otherwise it is not just too much but outright outrageous. It can no more be called a Christian Bible. God very clearly says
Rev 22:18 …… If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
If God wanted to add he would have done it earlier and not at this time. If a Christian has to do such a thing, then it would only mean that his faith in God’s salvation power to all human is diminished.
Forgot to add. I am an Indian too and still thing its more than too much