2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: Editorials and Opinion
To the Editor:
I would like to present a rebuttal to a letter that appeared in last week's Torch concerning a Hindu student's leading of prayer at an interfaith gathering sponsored by Campus Ministry. The student's letter brought up one very important point, and yet the letter floundered with its negativity and judgment about the validity of certain religions and how they can be allowed on a Catholic campus.
The student described something that occurred at this gathering in which other students were asked to "pray however they feel comfortable praying" to Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess.
I do agree with the student's express discomfort in being asked to pray this way; no one should feel obligated to participate in any religious ritual with which they aren't familiar or comfortable.
From here onwards, however, our points of view diverge. Calling this occurrence an "act of idolatry," the student asks "How does the university allow a Hindu students association?" Further complicating matters, he insists that the university has "compromised its teaching to appeal to the culture of the times, an all-accepting Universal doctrine."
Although I was not present at this event, I highly suspect that the Hindu student was not trying to convert those gathered to Hinduism, but only asking others to be open to another religious and spiritual experience, one that is as rich in history, tradition, and value as any other. Catechism #843 states that "The Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as a preparation for the Gospel given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."
In this way, the Catholic Church acknowledges the inherent value of other religions, recognizing the "goodness and truth" in them as being a way to Christ's teaching.
As for allowing a Hindu students association, as an American university, we have been steeped in the tradition of religious freedom and tolerance. In his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas states that "law should be possible both according to nature, and according to the customs of the country," making it only logical that an institution of higher education, albeit a specifically religious one, would practice these American traditions.
I would like to present a rebuttal to a letter that appeared in last week's Torch concerning a Hindu student's leading of prayer at an interfaith gathering sponsored by Campus Ministry. The student's letter brought up one very important point, and yet the letter floundered with its negativity and judgment about the validity of certain religions and how they can be allowed on a Catholic campus.
The student described something that occurred at this gathering in which other students were asked to "pray however they feel comfortable praying" to Lakshmi, a Hindu goddess.
I do agree with the student's express discomfort in being asked to pray this way; no one should feel obligated to participate in any religious ritual with which they aren't familiar or comfortable.
From here onwards, however, our points of view diverge. Calling this occurrence an "act of idolatry," the student asks "How does the university allow a Hindu students association?" Further complicating matters, he insists that the university has "compromised its teaching to appeal to the culture of the times, an all-accepting Universal doctrine."
Although I was not present at this event, I highly suspect that the Hindu student was not trying to convert those gathered to Hinduism, but only asking others to be open to another religious and spiritual experience, one that is as rich in history, tradition, and value as any other. Catechism #843 states that "The Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as a preparation for the Gospel given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."
In this way, the Catholic Church acknowledges the inherent value of other religions, recognizing the "goodness and truth" in them as being a way to Christ's teaching.
As for allowing a Hindu students association, as an American university, we have been steeped in the tradition of religious freedom and tolerance. In his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas states that "law should be possible both according to nature, and according to the customs of the country," making it only logical that an institution of higher education, albeit a specifically religious one, would practice these American traditions.
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