Tough Answers, part 6

Naughty Krishna holding a piece of candy

Introduction

July. Warm evening air. But nothing to write about. My mind was blank. Then I saw an article on Microsoft News (MSN).
The title: “Tough Questions Atheists Want to Ask People Who Believe in God.”

But the questions were not so tough. After all, Lord Krishna is tougher than any atheist. And I needed a topic to write about anyway.

So I decided to answer the questions with the teachings of Hare Krishna. It will take more than one post, of course. But please bear with me and see if my “tough” answers to “tough” questions are not also logical.

Question 12. How Do You Address Religious Hypocrisy?

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eligious Hypocrisy. This is supposed to be a tough question. Does hypocrisy prove that religion is false, as atheists claim? I don’t see the logic here.

True, someone may disobey the teachings of Lord Krishna or his servant Jesus, but how does that paint a red X over the teachings?

Hypocrisy shows up in many, if not all, fields of human endeavor.

Even the field of science, which people hold in such high esteem, has its share.

Yes. Do you look for low-fat products at the supermarket? Think the fat found naturally in food is bad for you? That’s just propaganda put out by the sugar industry to deflect the public gaze away from the dangers of sugar. With the help of hypocrite scientists.

Let’s watch as the president of the sugar company reaches in his  coat pocket and pulls out a fat wad of green money.

“This is for you, old buddy,” he says with a smile as he pats the scientist on the back.

The scientist fidgets a bit, wipes his sweating palms on his white laboratory coat.  A smell of disinfectant hangs in the air.

“Are you sure it’s O.K. to do this? He asks.

“No problem, pal,” says the sugar man. “Who will ever know?”

“I guess so,” says  our incorruptible scientist as he stuffs the money in his briefcase. “Thank you.”

Then we see him pick up his clipboard and carefully fudge the numbers.

And now  the scientist has miraculously discovered that fat is bad for you, but the tons of sugar in cookies and candy bars and chocolate  ice cream is healthy and nutritious.

So tell me, my dear atheist, does scientific hypocrisy, to the point of endangering the health of innocent, trusting people,  prove that science is false? That’s my tough question to you.

And what about the United States government?  We see the same scenario as the rifle manufacturer pulls out his checkbook, writes a  check for a few million, and hands it to our upstanding all-American congessman.

“This is to uphold our Constitution,” says the congressman as he kisses the check.

And another deranged kid shoots up a school.

Even President Nixon had to resign because of the Watergate scandal. And our founding fathers, great champions of human rights like Washington and Jefferson, were slave owners.

Does this prove that democracy is a false doctrine?

But let’s get back to religious pretenders. There’s a saying: When you point the finger at someone, three fingers point back at you. For all our talk of religious hypocrisy, we are all— you and I and most of  the world— devoted followers of the biggest religious pretender in the last million years.

No joke. A million years. That’s how long it’s been since Krishna came into this world as Lord Rama.  And Laksmi, the goddess of fortune, came with him as his wife, Sita Devi. It’s all told in the epic Ramayana.

The demonic king Ravana was enchanted by the beauty of Sita Devi, so he devised a plan. He put on the clothes of a monk to gain her trust. Then he kidnapped her and spirited her away in a flying chariot to his kingdom in what is now Sri Lanka.

Thus Ravana is known as a religious pretender. He dressed as a monk but with a sinister motive: He hoped to get Sita in his bed.  But his plan fizzled out.  Lord Rama killed him in battle and rescued Sita.

A beautiful story, but what has this to do with you and me a million years later?

It  comes down to money: Ravana wanted to steal the goddess of fortune from the Lord and enjoy her himself. Money represents Laksmi, and just as Laksmi always wants to serve Krishna, money should also be used for the same purpose.

When we use money for our own selfish ends—to go to the nearest hamburger joint, to lure a romantic partner between our bedsheets,  to sip a glass of sparkling wine—we steal Laksmi from Krishna like Ravana.

Srila Prabhupad sums it up:

Your money is not… Whatever you are thinking, your money, is not your money. It is God’s money, Krishna’s money. If you kindly spare [some] for Krishna’s service, then your life will be successful…This message we can convey to all the Ravanas. (July 5, 1971)

So let us follow in the footsteps of Lord Rama and kill the Ravana in our own hearts.

And let us stop pointing the finger at others.

⁓Umapati Swami, October 31, 2024

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ove it? Hate it? Got a question? Write to me: hoswami@yahoo.com

© Umapati Swami 2024

Srila Prabhupada

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is the teacher who brought Krishna Consciousness from India to the West and then to the rest of the world. He is the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement as well as the author and compiler of many works of Vedic knowledge. He left this world in 1977.

Umapati Swami

One of the first American devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement, he became Srila Prabhupada’s disciple in 1966. Since then, he has preached Krishna Consciousness in many countries and is the author of “My Days with Prabhupada,” available from Amazon. Now 87 years old, he maintains this blog to share what he has learned.