Hindus have been shocked and outraged to read the views of the Russian Orthodox Church on Lord Krishna, who is revered by over one billion Hindus worldwide as their Supreme Lord, a press statement from the International Society For Krishna Consciousness was quoted by The Hindustan Times.
In a letter to the mayor of Moscow, Yuri Luzhkov, dated Nov. 29, 2005, Archbishop Nikon of Ufa and Sterlitamak from the Russian Orthodox Church called Lord Krishna �an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God�, and �a livid lascivious youth�, the statement says.
The archbishop further requested that the mayor ban construction of a proposed Krishna temple in Moscow, saying it would otherwise become �an idolatrous disgrace erected for the glory of the wicked and malicious ‘god’ Krishna�.
�Construction of the temple (a satanic obscenity destined to be built right in the heart of the Orthodox Christian country of Russia) to Krishna offends our religious feelings and insults the thousand-year religious culture of Russia where the overwhelming majority of people, Christians and Muslims included, consider Krishna an evil demon, the personified power of hell opposing God,� said the archbishop’s letter.
�The shower of offences that Archbishop Nikon decided to publicly pour on Lord Krishna caused us intolerable pain and evoked bitterness and indignation in our hearts,� said Sanjeet K. Jha, the president of the Association of Indians in Russia.
Apart from displaying stunning ignorance of the world’s oldest religion, it is also evident from the statement that the Russian Orthodox Church is still embedded in the dark ages of religious exclusivity, which has no place in today’s increasingly pluralistic society, the paper added.
To call Lord Krishna ‘satanic’ is not only sacrilegious in the eyes of Hindus; it is also patently ridiculous as any student of Hinduism knows; for Krishna is famous as the slayer of demons in the Bhagavad-Gita.
In contrast to the Russian Orthodox Church’s stance, Hindus respect Jesus Christ, who is predicted in the Vedas, the ancient Hindu scriptures, as a specifically empowered personality.
�We respect all religions,� said Bimal Krishna das, general secretary of the National Council of Hindu Temples (UK) and the Russian Orthodox Church has nothing to fear from Hindus. �We think the archbishop may gain some fresh insights into his own Christian faith by reading Krishna’s words in the Bhagavad-Gita,� he said.
