Sad to see confusion created by Tamil Christian evangelist group about Hindu scripture as they try to distort it to suit Christian tenets

At the outset I would like to say that I respect the Christian faith and also love and respect Lord Jesus Christ as a divine figure.

I was debating whether I should put up this post or not. I mean, such topics are not pleasant topics to write about. I was trying to stifle the urge to post on it but the urge got the better of my stifling efforts. So here's the post.

A few days back, I was privately forwarded a video commenting about a "Christava Brahmana Seva Samithi" event. I was wondering how genuine the video was. Some searches on youtube got me the original video of this samithi. The event seems to have happened in 2009 and so over a decade back but the event video seems to have got shared on youtube in 2017.

I find it to be clear evidence of efforts made by some Tamil Christian evangelical groups to create confusion about core Hindu scripture like Vedas, Vedanta, Bhagavad Geeta etc. and paint it/interpret it in a twisted way in context of Christian tenets (belief). The ways to best safeguard against such misinterpretation is to ensure that more appropriate interpretation of core Hindu scripture is easily available (including free versions on Internet), and also call out such twisted interpretations.

The private video clip I was forwarded seems to have focused on some of Baskar Doss' words (in Tamil) from 1 min. 54 secs to around 3 min. 25 secs in this youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y29-toHGjtE, published in July 2017 but which video in its initial part shows a date of 2009 for the meeting it covers.

At around 9 min. 17 secs, the speaker (Baskar Doss) mentions Chandogya Upanishad and other Upanishads.

At around 19 min. 14 secs, another speaker (speaks in Tamil again) who seems to be the founder of the institution and is wearing saffron robe (sadhu), refers to a Swaminathan Iyer, IAS, who he had gone to meet to get some signature. He says that in his office, Swaminathan Iyer closed the door, and said, "Praise the Lord" and that he too is a Christian! And then the speaker says that he (Swaminathan Iyer) was secretive (hiding his belief in Christ). Then the speaker says that among Brahmins, 50% are Christians! [Ravi: I think that's an outrageous claim.]

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In response to appreciative comments (some public and some private) by some correspondents about my recent post: Over 1000 downloads from July 2019 of my 12 page compilation on Chandogya Upanishad chapter 6 (Tat Tvam Asi chapter) key verses and commentary of great masters/scholars, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2020/09/over-1000-downloads-from-july-2019-of.html, and in the context of above "Christava Brahmana Seva Samithi", I would like to add the following:

Thanks for sharing in the good news. As a Hindu Sama Veda Brahmin lineage background person, I consider this 12 page compilation document as one of my key though still very small contributions (even thousands of downloads over a few years is small) to improved or clearer understanding of core Advaita Vedanta belief as expounded by Hindu scripture (Chandogya Upanishad/Vedanta) and great spiritual masters/scholars including my beloved and revered Gurudev Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Due to it finding a prominent place in search engines for the search term: "Chandogya Upanishad Chapter 6", it is currently (and hopefully will stay that way at least for a few years in future) easily found by genuine seekers of such matters using the Internet.

Especially in the context of some Tamil Christian evangelists (e.g. above "Christava Brahmana Seva Samithi" event) trying to wean away some Hindus using "Brahmin" type Christian propaganda, I am happy to have made this small contribution that will help genuine Hindu seekers of such matters, to be able to stay away from intellectual/philosophical traps laid by such Christian evangelists.

These Tamil Christian evangelists seem to be studying Hindu scripture including Upanishads and Hindu practices, so that they could introduce Jesus Christ to Hindus in India through that background (lens). The speaker in above mentioned video, says that his/their objective is to make all of India Christian!

As a Hindu writer on spirituality & religion, my concern is how such Christian evangelists will provide distorted interpretation of Hindu scripture including Upanishads, as a way to wean Hindus they target, away from Hindu tenets (beliefs) and towards this Tamil Christian group's Christian tenets.

Note that I don't have objections to people spreading the teachings of Jesus Christ and the love of Jesus Christ. I am fine if some Hindu gets strongly attracted to these teachings and love of Jesus Christ, and converts to Christianity. That is a key freedom of religion right enshrined in the constitution of India and as a resident and citizen of India, I support it fully.

But if Christian evangelists distort Hindu scripture and practices as a way to brainwash Hindus that Hindu scripture and practices are in line with their Christian religion (scripture and practices), then that is something I do not like. It creates confusion. Belief in avatars like Rama and Krishna, belief in reincarnation and Karma, Vedanta Mahavakyas like Tat Tvam Asi etc., are vital Hindu tenets. I am quite sure that Christianity as propagated by such Tamil Christian evangelists does not believe in reincarnation, does not believe in Tat Tvam Asi (as the standard Christian belief is that God is different from them but that they are made in the image of God), and does not believe in Hindu Avatars like Rama and Krishna (Moses and Jesus are the big prophetic and son of God (Jesus) figures in Christianity).

I have great respect for the Christian faith and I also love and revere Lord Jesus Christ as a divine figure. I think Christian evangelists should preach proper Christianity and not a distorted version of Hindu scripture and Hindu practices which fits in with Christian tenets, as a way to attract Hindus to convert to Christianity!

As a writer on spirituality & religion - primarily Hindu religion, I am happy to have contributed my little bit of writings on Hindu Vedanta as well as other Hindu scripture and Hindu practices (Bhakti, Jnana and Karma marga practices) which may help those Hindus who are confused by such Christian "Brahmin" evangelists about Hinduism, and search for information on the Internet, with some probability that some of those searches land up on my social media posts/pages on these matters.