Carmelite Nun, former Hindu, on Pope's call for Religious Freedom
Religious Freedom also includes the right to change religion
Sister Mary Joseph, a former Brahmin Hindu, since 1977 has lived in the cloistered Carmelite Convent in Mumbai. Here she comments to AsiaNews the theme "Religious freedom, the path to peace", chosen by Pope Benedict XVI for World Day for Peace 2011.
Sister Mary Joseph, 63, was a Brahmin Hindu until 1971.
PrintMUMBAI, India (AsiaNews) - Sister Mary Joseph, 63, was a Brahmin Hindu until 1971. Converted to Catholicism in 1971, she now lives in the cloistered Carmelite convent in Mumbai. Before her conversion, she was called Radha Krishnan and taught in the school of the Canossian Mahim (Mumbai), where she encountered the Catholic faith.
Commenting to AsiaNews on the theme of World Day for Peace 2011 - "Religious freedom, the path to peace" - the cloistered sister stresses the importance of being able to change one's religion without opposition.
"Religious Freedom - she says - also includes the right to change religion, searching for the truth, expressing opinion, and worshiping in places of worship (public). When someone discovers a religion with best values that gives hope, no one should object. "
Sister Mary Joseph recalls the "hard trials" that she experienced during the period of her conversion: "My conversion to Catholicism was an affront to the pride of my family, which was crushed by my choice. My family had to suffer humiliation from other relatives, being of a higher caste of very traditional Brahmin Iyengar. "
Without religious freedom, the sister continues, "a culture of dialogue, participation, solidarity can not develop in society, "and" peace can not flourish. "
In India, this is still often lacking: "In the past in the district of Kandhamal [Orissa, where pogroms against Christians occurred between August and September 2008, ed], minorities have been persecuted and threatened by the majority. Christians have suffered and continue to be marginalized even today in some parts of the district".
"Our Holy Father" continues the Carmelite, "knows that religious freedom is the basis for the development of peace. When it is hampered by violence, community, society, nation and the world are destroyed".
Sister Mary Joseph finally claims that the whole of society must work to promote "religious freedom". "It is an inalienable and inviolable right rooted in the dignity of every human being. It must be guaranteed not only legally but also in everyday life. "
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Steve and Susan,
You most likely haven't encountered a kid face to face, in a desperate need of money for his family to make the ends meet. There you go and offer some financial assistance with a soft condition imposed or at least expectation laid out to eventually convert that kid who has been otherwise taught that all religions lead to same truth.
Trust me that conversion you want to get passed as a conversion of self realization is nothing but soul traded in return to some financial assistance. You may like to think it is ethical and nothing wrong with it, perhaps we have different definition of ethics on this matter.
Lastly, I would love to hear that out of so many messages in bible, why do you think converting others is the most actively practised by the missionaries?
I agree with you Steve and I agree with Sr. Mary Joseph "religious freedom is the path to peace " and "able to change religions without opposition." At least we don't force anyone to convert and we don't refuse help to anyone who needs it and we do it without conditions.
The exegesis that every person experiences is significant to them and deserves to be told based upon the point of the article. Your attitude 'Eternal' is the attitude of denial of freedom. To presume attempts at conversion which are not denial of freedom is to completely misinterpret the entire point of the article....people convert themselves through self realization. Where have you been all these years.
I doubt if my comments will be really be published but I will still give it a try.
First of all, I find it funny that the title of this article specifically calls out the nun as a hindu convert. I mean, the title could have been "Carmelite Nun, on Pope's call for Religious Freedom". It seems out of all the messages in bible, the only message that gets absorbed in the mind of the missionaries is seeking converts. Hence, every catholic/christian website (no matter which denomination) focuses the most on winning the converts and marketing it through their website.
What my missionary friends are missing unfortunately is that peace is not established by telling someone that your god is false and mine is true, but by respecting each others beliefs. They do great job by running orphanages through developed nation funded money but then at the back of their mind, they are always trying to convert the kids they are helping. So practically it amounts to conditional help, something like, "we are ready to help if you are ready to convert down the line".