Some Suggestions for the Pseudoreligions

The mainline religions-which have now seriously deteriorated into full-fledged pseudoreligions-could conceivably revive their original purity. Unfortunately, so deeply rooted is their involvement with mundane concerns that their leaders cannot imagine how to return to real spiritual life. We would therefore like to offer a few suggestions. If the leaders of today's mainline religions take these suggestions to heart, then there is every chance that their groups will become pure religions.

First, stop killing.

Second, glorify God by chanting His names.

If the Christians and Jews take up these two practices, they can cleanse their minds and hearts of material desires and develop genuine love of God.

Lord Jesus Christ taught, "Thou shalt not kill." If the Christians actually love Lord Jesus, then they should obey his commandments and refrain from slaughtering innocent animals simply to gratify their own tongues.

Jewish scholars argue that the commandment not to kill is actually one not to murder-not to kill a human being. However, the Jewish scholars also admit that God originally instructed Adam to eat only vegetarian foods. People began eating meat only later (after the flood), because they had become corrupt. So, ultimately, the Jews agree that slaughtering animals for food is not good, and that God originally prohibited it.

In the Vedic literatures we learn that all living creatures-not just humans-have souls. Since every soul is a spiritual particle of God (the Supreme Soul), all living creatures are God's children. Thus we are not meant to inflict pain on animals by slaughtering them. Rather, we should protect animals as our brothers. This is one of God's basic laws-and if we break it we can have no real religion.

The second requirement for practicing genuine religion is to chant the names of God. The Vedic literatures teach that in this age the only means of reviving God consciousness is to chant His names. Certainly no Christian or Jew can find any reason to object to the congregational glorification of God. The Bible is full of exhortations to glorify and praise the name of God. In Psalm 113 King David sings,

In the Krsna consciousness movement we chant the name Krsna. Krsna is not a sectarian name; it simply means "the all-attractive." By definition God must be all-attractive, since He surpasses all others in wealth, strength, beauty, knowledge, fame, and renunciation.

But we do not insist that everyone chant the name Krsna. Other names, such as Jesus Christ, Jehovah, and so on, can be chanted. The Torah forbids the Jews to pronounce the Tetragrammaton (Yahweh), but they may chant many other names, like Elochim or Addonai. The Supreme Lord has an infinite number of wonderful attributes and activities-and for each of them He has a name, which anyone can chant to purify his heart and attain the perfection of God consciousness.

So there is nothing in the scriptures of the Western religions that would prevent their adherents either from abstaining from killing or from chanting the names of God. And it is certain that if the mainline religions of the West take up these two practices, then currents of real spirituality will once again begin to flow within their congregations.

The failure of the mainline religions has indeed left a terrible void in the life of the American people. In desperation many young people have turned to drugs and sex. Others have joined the new religions. Unfortunately, almost none of these groups are bona fide religions, and some are extremely harmful to their followers. But the anti-cultists are too bewildered and too attached to their own rotting institutions to distinguish the true from the false. Thus they have quite mistakenly attacked the Krsna consciousness movement as a harmful "cult".

On the other hand, we have seen that even some of the harshest critics of the new religious groups (the Jewish Times, for instance) are acknowledging that the Krsna consciousness movement is authentic. Clearly, no parents should object to their son or daughter's joining the Krsna consciousness movement, for it is a fully authorized movement solidly based on the classical Vedic literatures and guided by a pure, selfless devotee of God-His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Nonetheless, if you do not want your children to join the Krsna consciousness movement, we don't mind-as long as you teach them in your own religious tradition how to serve God without motivation or interruption. Then their spiritual needs will be fully satisfied, you will "keep" your children, and we in the Krsna consciousness movement will consider that our mission has been successful.

So the choice is simple. You can join us and learn to refrain from the sinful activities of meat eating, intoxication, illicit sex, and gambling-and you can also learn how to chant the names of God recommended in the Vedic literature, namely Hare Krsna, Hare Krsna, Krsna Krsna, Hare Hare / Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. Or, if you find some insurmountable impediment to joining the Krsna consciousness movement, then you can remain in your own faith-but begin following God's orders by becoming a vegetarian and chanting the names of God that appear in your own scripture. If you accept one of these alternatives, and if you engage your offspring in serving the Lord as well, then the problem of "pseudoreligious cults"-old or new-will be permanently solved.