This is a reply to A Philosophical Critique of Radical Universalism by Dr. Frank Morales. The article stands out for its clarity of thought but more than that, the author's style of putting Morales and his views in perspective is a role model for all aspiring critics worldwide.
The author Chittaranjan Naik, (B-Tech, Aeronautical Engineering and M-Tech - Industrial Engineering from IIT Madras), a software professional of repute, never once loses his perfect poise in exposing the hasty conclusion of Morales on a little understood religion, well known to have a rich history of ill-interpretations.
Not only does the author bring out the absurdity of the term Radical Universalism used by Dr Morales, he counters it with the term "Hindu Universalism" representing the true character of a religion accommodating every other religion by virtue of its divine tolerance. Morales
equates this accommodation what he terms as Hinduism’s wrong premise that all religions are the same. The author makes it clear that his attack is on Morales’ indiscrimination, to dispossess Hinduism of some of its central tenets, particularly in belittling great Hindu saints like
Sri Ramakrishna.He examines Morales' careless statements on Saint Ramakrishna and details each of the claims in exposing his unsuccessful attempt to build a nexus between Radical Universalism, Bramho Samaj and Sri Ramakrishna.
Dr. Morales would do well to grasp the author's views on the living waters of Hinduism. The future of Hinduism, the author says, is
not determined by academic papers, but by the living founts of its saints!
The reply to Morales apart, the author makes no bones of the fact that the Hindu of today has been reduced to an abject apologist.
He also
points out that the muddled notions surrounding the religion are largely the result of this very characteristic of a majority of Hindus.
How aptly he summarizes it all that the Hindus are heirs to the greatest Truth on earth and to the greatest Way given to humankind and
that this gift comes with a responsibility that Hindus cannot simply shrug off. This is a must read for Hindus and non-Hindus alike irrespective of their nationality. India has for long suffered from the near-fatal damage inflicted by two extreme forces engaged in a hopeless tug of
war. On one hand is the futility of fanatics swearing by blind devotion and on the other are the pseudo-secularists winning worldwide fame through their open contempt for their own roots. Both factions stand on shaky foundations of half-baked conviction.
Rarely does one come across such an unbiased view on an intricate subject that has baffled the best of critics through the ages. May the author's tribe increase.