Subject: Brahmo Samaj and Christianity
To: brahmoconference <brahmoconference@yahoogroups.com>

I recently came across this article on the internet, and it appealed
to me living as I do in a Christian land.

Even a cursory reading of the Bible shows the vast chasm between
Brahmoism and Christianity which the Christians in our midst should be
aware of.

For example the book of Genesis (1:26, 1;27 and 2:7) we are told by
Christians that "God created Man in his own image from the dust of the
earth". Rammohan had challenged this and we say that to the contrary
"it was Man who creates (idols of) God from the dust of the earth".
Rammohan foresaw the great importance for Christians that Man is in
God's image for does not Christ have the same image as his Father GOD
(Corinthians).

Another example would be of the "Fatherhood of God". This is a
decidedly Christian concept (inserted by Keshab Sen) antithetical to
Brahmoism where the "Godhood of father" is upheld. Christianity asks
us to accept that Christ is God's son and that salvation lies through
God's Son and his chosen representatives on earth (namely Popery).
Keshab went on to introduce more alien Christian concepts "Motherhood
of God", "Kingdom of God" "Loyalty to Sovereign" etc which True
Brahmos reject out of hand.

Nay, Brahmoism is to be regarded as the highest form of a much debased
Hinduism, a Hinduism which has now ceased to be Brahmoism.

--
Shymal Dutta Basu
(Dept of Sociology)
University of California at Merced