She told me that most of her college mates, who had been to English medium schools, had become atheists. Yet she loves her Hindu faith and we had a good conversation about the depth of her tradition.

When I was studying at Hamburg University in the 1970s, atheism was fashionable, too. Peer pressure also did its part. None of my friends went to church on Sundays, including me.

Google explains the driving factors for atheism in this way:
“Studies suggest that higher levels of education, increased access to scientific information and secular philosophies via the internet, and a generational shift away from organized religion are the primary drivers of this growth.”

This sounds, as if atheism is more rational than belief in a God. Isn’t it?

The prominent Israeli historian, Yuval Noah Harari, who was hosted and praised also on an Indian TV channel, and is a regular speaker at the WEF, also said, “It’s ridiculous to believe in a God and a soul.”
He is a heavy-weight. His books sell in tens of millions. So, he should be right, isn’t it?

Let’s try to find out:

Harari didn’t explain what he means by God and soul. And the definition is of course crucial. Most people may say,” Isn’t it clear? God is the English word for the Creator of the universe, for the Highest Truth.”

Few will doubt, except some atheists, that this universe, and we included, has to come from somewhere and ‘God’ is given as the answer. He is seen as the ultimate power, from which all else emanates.
Now how to describe this great power? Here lies probably the reason why atheists don’t believe in God:

Somehow, the Abrahamic view of God has taken predominance, maybe, because the majority of humans are Christians or Muslims:

God is seen as a male, all-knowing, all-powerful superhuman entity in heaven. He has allegedly conveyed to a few special persons what he wants from us humans. He is also compassionate and loving. But he loves only those who believe in him and who follow the instructions sent down through those special envoys. Those who don’t follow his instructions will be sent to eternal hellfire.

This view is reinforced and fear of eternal hell is instilled in children, generation after generation. Even in most adults, this belief has become part of their mental make-up.

However, though Christianity, Islam and Judaism go all back to Abraham and have similar views regarding the creator, each one claims that its own God alone is the true one and needs to be worshipped.
Except for Judaism, which does not want converts due to its belief that Jews are chosen by God to rule the world, the two other Abrahamic religions see it as their duty to make the whole world believe in their particular God. That means, Christianity claims all must become Christians, and Islam claims all must become Muslims to gain entry into heaven. And they can be (and have been) ruthless in pursuing their goal.

This notion of God needs urgent scrutiny – not only by outsiders, but also by insiders in those Abrahamic faiths.

Is it possible that the Supreme is a sort of superhuman entity and heavily biased towards his followers and unforgiving towards ‘others’? It’s difficult to believe that this kind of God is the highest truth.

So, does it mean that Yuval Noah Harari and atheists are right?

Let’s look at a different view about God before deciding on this important issue.
Here, ancient India comes in:

In ancient times, long before Judaism, Christianity or Islam appeared, Vedic Dharma (today called Hinduism) had a very mature understanding of the Highest Truth which is called Brahman in the Vedas (there are other names, like Paramatman, Tat..).
Brahman is not personal, not a superhuman entity, not male or female, but the most subtle, invisible, conscious, one basis of all. The Rishis declared, “Brahman is not what the eyes can see, but That whereby the eyes can see. Brahman is not what the mind can think but That whereby the mind can think” (Kena Upanishad).

They realised that this varied universe is a mistaken perception of the one Brahman due to its innate creative Shakti or Maya. Maya makes this manifold world appear as a Lila (play) on the one Brahman. It can be compared with a movie that plays temporarily on the one screen (Brahman) or like a dream of Brahman.

The Rishis give another example how it is possible to miss the truth though it is right in front of our eyes: we go to a potter’s shop. We see all types of cups and jugs, but we miss to see the mud from which they are made. The mud is the essence of the temporary form of a cup. It remains after the cup is broken.

Similarly, Brahman, best described as pure consciousness, is the essence of our person and remains when our person has ceased to exist.

Yet do the Rishis have any evidence for their view?

Yes, they have. The Rishis vigorously and intelligently enquired into the truth which is reflected in the ancient texts, especially the Upanishads. For example, they give criteria for the absolute truth:
One: it must be at all times – past, present and future,
Two: it must not need anything else to shine or in other words, it has to be self- evident.

Those two criteria dismiss the whole universe as not absolutely true. Apart from the fact that it is not always, it also needs something to ‘shine’ – it needs consciousness.

So, what is left?

The Rishis came to the conclusion that the subtle, conscious basis of everything is left – Sat-Chit-Ananda. It is here right now as pure, thought-free awareness. It is not some separate thing at some different place, like in heaven. It is our very Being and therefore there is a chance to ‘real-ise’ (know it as real) by turning inwards to what is unchanging and true in us and develop devotion for it.

But why should we do this? Why should we try to still the mental chatter at least sometimes for a little while? Is there any benefit? Yes, there is an immense benefit:

The Rishis claim that our essence is not only the source of valuable inspiration, but is also most blissful – far more blissful than what any worldly enjoyment can give. And the Rishis spoke from experience.

This Indian knowledge is very valuable and needs to spread. And even atheists may come to the conclusion that the Indian Rishis have a point.
Yet instead, Western media and even academia often demean the Hindu tradition as primitive and even demonic. Why? Do they not want humans to know that ‘God’ is within them??
By Maria Wirth

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“Why Hindu Dharma is under attack…” both in English and Hindi
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The post Are Atheists right? Or did they get the meaning of “God” wrong? first appeared on Maria Wirth.

The Issue of Conversion: Challenges before Hindu Society
Hindu’s Conversion to Abrahamic Religions

Abstract
The article examines the aggressive proselytization targeting Hindus in India, exposing the socio-political and cultural ramifications of conversions to Abrahamic religions. It highlights the lack of reliable data on conversions, despite documented cases of fraudulent tactics, including financial incentives, “miracle cures,” and exploitation of vulnerable communities. She contrasts Hinduism—an inclusive, philosophy-based tradition emphasizing dharma (righteousness) and universal spiritual truth—with the exclusive, dogmatic nature of Christianity and Islam, which claim sole religious legitimacy and threaten non-believers with eternal damnation. The article wonders why the secular Indian government is enabling religious inequalities, such as preferential treatment for “minority” religions and the marginalization of Hindu institutions. It is argued that conversions fracture social harmony, empower divisive forces, and erode India’s spiritual heritage. She calls for educating Hindus about their profound philosophical roots (e.g., Advaita Vedanta), challenging irrational dogmas of Christianity and Islam through rational discourse, and stopping unequal religious policies by the state. Ultimately, Wirth frames the preservation of Hinduism as essential not only for India’s cultural integrity but also for humanity as a whole. The Vedic knowledge that God is within as blissful consciousness (sat-chit-ananda) is lacking in the Abrahamic religions.

Text

Conversion is a big challenge for Hindu society in India. Yet it is hardly a topic of public debate. Moreover, it is impossible to get accurate data of conversions. In fact, even the data regarding the composition of the population religion wise, may not be reliable.

In 1947, India’s population was around 36.1 crores, of whom 30.37 crores (84.1%) were Hindus, 3.54 crore (9.8%) were Muslims, 0.83 crore (2.3%) were Christians and 0.27 crores (0.7%) Buddhists. (the figures are based on the census of 1951).
In the 2011 census, the Hindu population had shrunk by 4.3 percent and the Muslim population had grown by 4.4 percent. The overall population had tripled to 121.9 crores. Hindus accounted for 96.62 crore (79.8%), Muslims for 17.22 crore (14.23%), Christians for 2.78 crores (2.3%) and Buddhists for 0.84 crore (0.7%).
The census of 2021 was postponed due to the Covid pandemic and will be held only in 2026/27. It can be assumed that since 2011, the Hindu population has shrunk further, yet the population of Muslims is still cited to be 14 percent and that of Christians still 2 percent. Do we bury our heads ostrich-like in the sand?

According to the website censusofindia.net, in 2025, the overall population is estimated at 141 crores, of whom 114 crores are expected to be Hindus. This would be a slight increase of Hindus to 80 percent, which is unlikely considering the massive conversion attempts, apart from the lower Hindu birthrate. Unfortunately, I could not find official numbers for conversions. ChatGPT says: “I could not find any official government estimate that gives a precise number of Hindus who have converted to Christianity since 2011. In fact, the Government of India has explicitly said that no central record/database of religious conversion is maintained.”
The same is valid for Islam: “There is no reliable official data specifying how many Hindus have converted to Islam in India since 2011.” ChatGPT continued, “Most demographic surveys, including those by Pew Research Center, find that religious switching is very rare overall.” According to Pew research survey of 2021, 0.7 percent of the respondents said that they have changed their religion. This would come to around 6 million people. Yet since there is no central database of religious conversion, the true numbers are anybody’s guess.

Aggressive conversions are happening

Most of us know even from personal observation, that missionary activity is extremely high in India by both Christianity and Islam, especially in certain states like Punjab or Tamil Nadu, and basically everywhere, specifically in tribal areas. They don’t hide it. Christian publications exhort their members to convert Hindus. “India must be evangelised in this generation”, declared ‘Blessings’, a Christian youth magazine in its 2008 issue, which a priest from Tamil Nadu had left with me. And a German Catholic magazine, which landed in my mother’s mailbox, had an article with the ominous title, “India – a success story”.

The Joshua project is clearly implemented. New churches shoot up, Christian schools offer discount for fees for Christians, missionaries ‘visit’ patients in hospitals, etc. Occasionally, news about conversions come out in the media due to complaints by Hindus. Some examples from only one week:
On 30. September 2025, several news outlets reported that over 1000 Hindus from poor and backward castes converted to Christianity in Lucknow’s Mohanlalganj. A village once free of Christianity had now 5 churches and100 plus prayer halls. According to India Today, police unearthed a well-oiled nexus to lure Dalits with the help of ‘miracles cures’.
A few days later, another huge conversion ring with wide connections across states was uncovered in Gujarat’s Nandiad, on which OpInda reported.
Soon after, on 6. October, more concerning news surfaced. An American, James Watson, in India on a business visa, was arrested together with two Indian associates for fraudulent conversions in villages in Maharashtra, targeting especially children. He told them that ‘Hinduism is based on superstition. But if they convert, they will be happy, prosperous and cured from illness.’ In this connection, CNN News 18 reported that between 2018 and 2025 over 320 cases had been discovered of visa misuse for religious conversion. This may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Muslims, too, try hard to get Hindus into their fold.
The Chhangur Baba case shows, how much money flows into fraudulent, elaborate conversion efforts. He and his associates were arrested in July 2025. He received hundreds of crores from abroad for his conversion racket, where he funded Muslim men to entrap Hindu girls. Love Jihad, for long denied, can’t be denied any longer. Even otherwise, Muslims are taught to coax Hindus into converting by presenting Islam as far more attractive than Hinduism. Zakir Naik said in one of his speeches around 2016, it is easy for Muslims to convert Hindus. They only need to show Hindus a picture of Ganesha, with his elephant head and big belly, and ask them whether this is the God whom they worship.

This situation is concerning and the question, why the government has no database, is only natural. Even in states, which have enacted anti-conversion laws, and where it is obligatory to register a change of religion, no overall numbers are available. What is available, are FIRs filed for unlawful conversion, and individual notifications in government Gazettes about name changes. But how many conversions in toto happened, nobody seems knows.

Religion is not a concern for the government

Is it possible that the government does not WANT to know what is happening on the religious front? If this is true, then even the 2011 census may not give the correct picture. And from an anecdotical episode, this is indeed possible.
A teacher in Mumbai, who was part of the 2011 census team, told me that during the training for the census, they were instructed to accept whatever information they were given. She surveyed a heavily Muslim populated area and knew that she was not getting honest answers. She went back to her supervisor and told him, that the census won’t be accurate if they are not allowed to check the information, for example how many children a family has. Her instructor was blunt, “You heard the instruction. Accept whatever info is given.” She told me, “If the government manages to conduct an accurate census next time, it will be a shock for Hindus.”

When there is no will to know what is happening regarding conversions, there is probably also no will, to stop it. The government, rightfully, maintains that it is secular and not concerned about the religion of its subjects. It has a point. This is clearly a worldwide attitude. The German government also no longer records the religion of its citizens. It did so till in the 1950s, when I was in primary school and dutifully filled out “rk” for Roman Catholic in all official forms. Yet, today, only the Churches keep a record.

Hinduism and the Abrahamic religions are completely different categories

The situation in India is, however, unique. The Hindu faith of the majority is very different from Islam and Christianity. Often it is not even considered as a religion, because it does not have a rigid ‘belief system’, but it is rather a way of life. It has a solid foundation in philosophy and demands to follow dharma – to do the right thing in the given situation according to one’s conscience. It does not exclude anyone from being ‘allowed’ into the Presence of God. In fact, it claims, God is already present in everyone, and explains what is meant by ‘God” (not a kind of biased superman on a golden throne high up in the sky, but all-pervading, pure, blissful consciousness). In short, Hinduism makes a lot of sense.

Unlike Islam and Christianity, which were brought to India by invaders, Hinduism does not proselytise. Those two foreign religions demand blind belief in dogmas. A dogma is a claim that cannot be proven to be true, and the most irrational, and very harmful dogmas of both Islam and Christianity are the claims that, 1. Only their religion is true (both didn’t sort out over the centuries, which one exactly is true, because of course they don’t have any proof for their claims) and 2. if you don’t convert to Islam or Christianity, the great God will discard you at Judgement Day and let you burn ETERNALLY in hell.

Burden of history

Hindus were threatened and brutally coerced to convert first by Muslim and later by Christian invaders over several centuries. Millions of Hindus died for their faith. Many preferred humiliation and financial burden to conversion. When the outsiders left, Hinduism was still strong. However, most of those Hindus, who had converted to Islam and Christianity during foreign occupation, were successfully alienated from their original tradition especially during British rule, who were, and still are, masters in ‘divide and rule’. They made those converts believe that they were better, higher, more worthy than Hindus.

At Independence in 1947, Muslims demanded their own country to be carved out from India, called Pakistan, which in 1971 split into Pakistan and Bangladesh. So, one would expect that Islam is no longer a problem in India, and Hindus have only to deal with those who converted to Christianity but who also, like Muslims, believe that they alone have the true religion, and Hindus will be eternally damned by God if they don’t convert. Yet this is a wrong notion because many Muslims, who agitated for a separate state before Independence on the ground that they can’t live with Hindus, did not go to Pakistan. They stayed back, possibly even with the nefarious agenda to fulfil Allah’s alleged wish to make all Indians follow Islam. The truncated India was generous and allowed it, maybe on the advice of the British who wanted to sow the seeds for division in Independent India.

Many Hindus probably considered the Indian Muslims and Christians as not very different from themselves, and did not realise that their religious doctrine had meanwhile indoctrinated many of them to look down on Hindus, and they had become as unreasonable as their foreign masters used to be. Now the converts, too, believed that the great God/ Allah does not like Hindus and will throw them into eternal hellfire, and that Allah/God wants only Muslims/Christians on earth. No reasonable person would believe this, and Indians are generally reasonable, but due to indoctrination from childhood, many of the converts had embraced this irrational belief.

Respectable Gods and religions

Moreover, on the international stage, those religions, which consider the creator of this vast universe as personal, revengeful and biased, are considered respectable even today. People, who are otherwise reasonable, don’t realise that a God, who loves only certain people, must be a tribal God and cannot be the Source of All.

Unfortunately, Hindus did not seem to be aware of those dogmas. Otherwise, why would they allow Christian schools to continue after Independence to teach Hindu children, when ‘good’ Christian teachers naturally look down on their Hindu students because, according to the Church, they follow a ‘dark, demonic cult’?
Why would the government allow the catechism to be taught to Christian students, but not allow Vedanta philosophy, which is a rational explanation of what is true, to be taught – not even to Hindu students?
Why would the ‘minority religions’, parts of which are irrational and based entirely on blind belief, get government concessions, and Hindu Dharma, which is based on solid philosophy, would be disadvantaged, for example in the Right to Education Act or regarding their Places of Worship?

Indian Secularism is upside down

So, even though a secular state is not supposed to be interested in the religion of its subjects, in India, certain reforms would only be fair, as presently the stakes are stacked against Hindus. If a Hindu converts, he gets the advantage of belonging to a politically influential ‘minority’, which is worldwide even a majority. And if he happens to be a criminal, even world media will treat him more leniently than it treats Hindus, and it seems, as if this lenient treatment extends even to the judiciary worldwide.

Agreed, the government has no role to play in religion, but it surely has to level the playing field, especially since the Abrahamic religions and Hindu Dharma are in very different categories: Islam and Christianity are exclusive and divide society between those who are right and saved, and those who are wrong and damned. Even in the interest of developing a ‘rational mindset’, which is the explicit goal of education, the followers of those religions should not be given favours by the government.
In contrast, Hindu Dharma is inclusive and makes sense. It claims that ultimately all will reach back to their divine Source and it exhorts to follow Dharma. It would make sense, in the interest of a stable society, to favour it.

A harmonious society is rather impossible if the divisiveness of the dogmatic religions is not taken out

If you have many crores of Indians who despise Hindus because according to their belief, Hindus are great sinners by worshipping false Gods, a harmonious society is tough to achieve, and enemies of Bharat have a field day to instigate chaos and violence. This is not theory. It’s happening, including with big money from the Deep State, as the investigation into USAID had revealed.

Do Hindus even know what is preached in the innumerable churches and mosques across India? I know that Hindu Gods are called devils or demons by Christian clergy. Yet incredibly, Hindus don’t challenge those harmful dogmas of Christianity and Islam, even though they easily could, as they have the better arguments. Not only this: according to the Human Rights Charter of the United Nations, it is unacceptable to demean a group of people as inferior and damned for eternity. Yet strangely, when a religious doctrine demeans a billion people, moreover people, who are known to be open-minded and dharmic, nobody flags it as wrong.

It shows that the powers-that-be prefer that humans everywhere hold irrational beliefs instead of gaining deep insights into what is true and what can be experienced. It means, Hinduism is an obstacle for those powers. This is an important point and, in all likelihood, responsible for the unfair negative portrayal of Hinduism in world media and the entertainment industry and for funnelling money into conversion attempts. Yet the eradication of Hinduism is definitely not in the interest of humanity as a whole.

Blunders that need to be corrected

It was clearly a blunder that Hindus did not explain their faith to the Indian followers of the Abrahamic religions right after Independence and it needs to be corrected urgently. And an even greater blunder also needs to be corrected: Hindu pundits hardly explained the solid philosophical foundation of their faith even to their own people and especially to the younger generations.

Hindus are strongly focussed on education. Parents make great sacrifices to educate their children well. Yet they did not realise that under the garb of ‘modern’ education their offspring was not learning anything about their ancient tradition but instead, their children were weaned away from it – due to the immense influence of the Left, which is an arm of the infamous ‘Deep State’.

Young Hindus, who went through college education, no longer know the basics of their faith and have not even heard of the Brahman (Advaita Vedanta) that is their own inner essence. Many become atheists, without knowing what being an atheist actually means. In recent years, they become not only atheists, but also ‘woke’ and ‘sexually liberated’, whatever this means. This virus affects mainly the Hindu youth. Of course, not all Hindu youth, but many have no longer an anchor in their faith – a faith for which earlier generations even died. This negative influence makes them vulnerable to go against dharma, not to believe any longer in Karma, and it also makes them vulnerable for conversion, if they see material benefits.

It’s NO virtue not to propagate Hindu Dharma

Hindus sometimes even seem proud that they don’t propagate their faith. It is a false pride and not wise. Christianity and Islam are clever. They explain their good aspects, like strong belief and trust in God or Allah, and strong community support. They also explain why they are closer to the truth. The reason, they say is, that they have one God compared to many Gods in Hinduism. They are right: one source is closer to the truth. The Source must be formless and therefore only One. Unfortunately, most Hindus can’t counter them because, not only do their Muslim and Christian friends not know, but even they themselves don’t know any longer the basic insights of the Rishis – the one formless Brahman of the Vedas which is within all of us.

If the Hindu representatives had explained the basics of the Vedas right after Independence in a big way, many of those who had converted to Islam and Christianity might have come back. Anyone who has common sense will come to the conclusion that Hindu Dharma is superior to all three Abrahamic religions, as it is a genuine enquiry and not blind belief in the supremacy of a particular group.

Instead, in the name of ‘harmony’, Hindus downplayed the intellectual superiority of Hindu Dharma and allowed Islam and Christianity to aggressively propagate their religions as “only true” and lure Hindus with a simple formula: there is only one true God and our God is this true God. He is compassionate and loving and has promised that He will look after you, provided you accept him and keep the rules and commandments.
Another positive aspect is stressed: the convert is promised to be part of a strongly bonded brotherhood especially in the case of Islam, but also in the case of Christianity, he will get emotional and financial support from the Church if in distress. Apart from that, since for many Hindus this is not enough reason to forgo their tradition, they lure converts with financial benefits, cheat outright with so-called miracles or frighten simple-minded Hindus with eternal hellfire.

What are the solutions?

Very important is of course that the government does not favour the big and powerful ‘minorities’ of Muslims and Christians. How to achieve this change in a democracy, where everyone is focused mainly on vote banks, needs to be brainstormed.

Apart from the government, Hindu Society has a big role to play: First and foremost, the basics of Vedic wisdom need to be made known widely. Schools and Universities are a good start and thanks to the New Education Policy, the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is now indeed taken into educational institutions. There is however a problem: even teachers often don’t know much about the profound philosophy and haven’t done sadhana in their life to discover Atma within. So, they prefer to explain festivals or customs or stories from the Ramayana or Bhagavad Gita.
All this is important, but if the greatest advantage of Hindu Dharma is not clearly explained, students may not be convinced why they should stick to their tradition, especially when they are lured with material benefits and also told that billion humans worldwide see merit in those dogmatic religions. Otherwise, why would there be so many Christians and Muslims in the world?

The most important point and the crucial difference between Hindu Dharma and the Abrahamic religions is that Hindus claim that God is within as Sat-Chit-Ananda (blissful Consciousness), and that it can be experienced.

To convey this knowledge effectively, it would need Hindus who have touched their Atma, who know from experience about the oneness of all, because if the truth is conveyed only theoretically, it won’t make an impact. Therefore, sadhana needs to be encouraged and sadhana needs to be the criterion for being able to teach, not academic degrees. Small booklets with sayings of genuine saints like Anandamanyi Ma or Mata Amritanandamayi could be distributed in a big way. They are already available and explain Vedanta philosophy in a simple way. For me personally, meeting Anandamayi Ma had a decisive influence in understanding Vedic wisdom. It was easy to understand because she lived this oneness. Anandamayi Ma once said, “There is no difference between you and me and I don’t see a difference.”

Approach to Indian Christians

The theology of Christianity is a little confusing. On the one hand, it is considered heresy for a Christian to claim that he is one with God, yet on the other hand, the Holy Spirit is supposed to come over him and guide him. And all three – God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – are seen as God. Nowadays, many Christians in the West no longer accept the dogmas of the Church, but take the sayings of Jesus and Bhakti as guideline. Therefore, many even claim that God is within, as Jesus himself said “the Kingdom of heaven is within”.

Hindus should point out to Christians those aspects, where Jesus, in contrast to the Church, is in line with the Indian Rishis. For example, he made the Upanishadic statement, “I and my Father are one” (Aham Brahmasmi). Unfortunately, and shrewdly, the Church declared that this claim is valid only for Jesus, but this of course doesn’t make sense.

Another point: When once asked what is the most important commandment, Jesus said, that the most important commandment is to love God above everything else. This teaching is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It means, Jesus was foremost advocating Bhakti, the most important path also for Hindus, and for anyone who wants to realise the truth. Yet the Church declared as its first commandment: ‘you shall not have other gods before me’, and doesn’t mention the Bhakti aspect.
Now in all likelihood, the Christians will counter Hindus and claim, “What the Church means, is that we need to worship the true God, and we, the Christians, have the true God and you, Hindus, have false Gods.”

It needs to be understood first by Hindus themselves and then also conveyed to Indian Christians: Hinduism claims that there is absolute truth, and relative truth. Absolute truth is that which is really true, it means it must be always and self-evident. It means, only God (pure, eternal, unchanging Consciousness = Brahman) is really true (it can be logically concluded and experienced). And that Consciousness is really the only true, invisible, formless God. All else is Maya, a temporary appearance on this truth. This is of course universally valid and independent by what name one calls that one Truth.

An analogy makes it clear: in a movie hall, the flickering, changing pictures of the movie cover the movie screen. Yet the invisible white screen is the only real thing in the movie, all else, including the people, houses, etc. are temporary appearances whose substance is the one screen. The story of the movie is more like virtual reality. This should make sense nowadays. Even Elon Musk believes that this apparent reality is not the real thing. It follows naturally, that discovering the ‘real thing’ (Brahman) is the goal of life.
The Abrahamic religions do not have this absolute Truth level. Even their great (good) God and its opposite, the (evil) Satan, are within Maya, more in tune with the Devas and Asuras/Rakshasas of Hinduism.

We should use the sayings of Jesus which are in tune with Vedanta, to make Indian Christians reflect that the dogmas of the Church are unnecessary and even ridiculous, and that their accusation that Hindus worship false Gods does not apply, simply because only one ‘thing’ (not a thing of course) is true and everything is contained in that.

Another point: Often, ordinary Christians are critical of their priests and bishops. I know this from Germany, and it may be the case also in India. Especially the higher clergy may be corrupt – morally and financially. If caught, such news should be spread. It helps to wean away common Christians from the Church.

Approach to Indian Muslims

The previous point that often, the clergy is not living an ideal, but rather an immoral life, is valid also for certain Muslim clergy. It should not be hushed up, but spread in news. It helps ordinary Muslims not to be too much under their sway.

It is probably more difficult to have a sensible dialogue with Muslims. Some Britisher made a valid observation: “While the Hindus sharpen their arguments, the Muslims sharpen their swords.” At present, there is the unfortunate situation, that Muslims are confident that Hindus are afraid of their street power. This needs to change and Muslims need to be afraid that they will pay for instigating violence. Law enforcement agencies need to make them pay, or even Hindus who are not afraid to push them back in street violence.

Yet there are also other means, to make Indian Muslims understand that going against Hindus is not in their own interest. One important point is to make them realise that they are useful tools (idiots) to create chaos which is in the interest of the Deep State (DS). The global financial system, spearheaded by mainly Jewish banker billionaires, is very powerful in the DS. At present, there is a lot of debate in the American society about who actually controls the US government and its foreign policy.
The release of 3 million pages of the Epstein Files in February 2026 has opened a Pandora’s box. For the first time, common people gain insights into the secret, dark practices of the so-called top global elite which seems more like a Satanic cult.

It may sound like a conspiracy theory, but attempts are clearly on to propel humanity into a controlled one world government with the help of surveyance technology. The World Economic Forum openly said that ‘creative destruction’ is needed for the ‘Great Reset’ to occur. The fact that Muslims are convenient tools for the DS to destroy societies, has become especially obvious in Europe. Incidentally, Jewish organisations are instrumental in bringing the Muslim ‘refugees’, mainly young men, into Europe. Why? To destroy nation states by intermingling the races.

It should also be clear to Indian Muslims that Taliban and even ISIS were bankrolled by the CIA and other organisations of the deep state, and that obviously, some of their Muslim leaders are corrupt. On the surface, Muslims and Jews are portrayed as the biggest enemies, yet both religions have a lot in common. However, the really big money, which influences geopolitics in a big way, is not with the Muslims.

There is another worrying aspect, which should also worry Indian Muslims: there is a Jewish prophecy that before the messiah comes, a huge war needs to happen (the war of Gog and Magog) where the majority of humans will perish. Presently in geopolitics, Israel is clearly pushing for a big war, and they openly said, if pushed to a corner, they would use their nuclear weapons.

If Indian Muslims would understand that certain Muslim leaders make deals with the western DS (like in Syria recently or in Bangladesh), and that they will ultimately not get their worldwide caliphate but end up being controlled by the more powerful global financial system which has literally ‘all the money of the world’, they might align themselves with the overall interest of India and not weaken India by going against Hindus. Ex-Muslims can play a big role in making Muslims aware of the geopolitical situation and also in making them doubt the irrational dogmas. Their numbers of ex-Muslims are increasing even in India.

Once I heard a congress spokesperson say on TV, “what does it matter if one worships Krishna or Christ.” True, it doesn’t matter much, Bhakti is a valid path and all true devotion and prayers reach the One. This is valid for Hindus, Christians and Muslims. But it matters what else those religions demand to believe blindly (for example that Hindus are worshipping demons and will go to hell), and which not only creates discord in the society, but also harms those believers individually, as they don’t follow their conscience which tells them to do the right thing in the given circumstances, but instead blindly “believe absurdities which can make them commit atrocities”, as Voltaire had already observed.

So, first, Hindus themselves need to be solidly grounded in their ancient wisdom through knowledge and sadhana, and second, the unreasonable dogmas of Islam and Christianity need to be fearlessly challenged – possibly even by taking the issue to international bodies like the United Nations.

By Maria Wirth
if you like my writing, consider reading my books
Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left – July 2025

Why Hindi Dharma is under attack is now also available in Hindi
https://www.amazon.in/Hindu-Muslimon-Isaiyon-Vampanthion-Aakrman/dp/9391154832

Thank you India – a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of Yoga, Nov 2018 (from a personal angle)

The post The Issue of Conversion: Challenges before Hindu Society first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Here is the interview, originally published on newsgram:

Maria Wirth is a writer and author originally from Germany. She studied psychology at Hamburg University and worked with Lufthansa in her early years, which allowed her to travel across many countries, from Chile to Indonesia. In 1980, Maria came to India for what was meant to be a short stopover on her way to Australia. However, her life changed when she experienced India’s spiritual traditions. Deeply inspired, she decided to stay and spent many years living a simple life in ashrams and spiritual communities.
In this interview with Varsha Pant, Wirth speaks about her new book ‘Why Hindu Dharma Is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians, and the Left’ and also shares her views on Indian spirituality, the concept of Hindutva, Problems with Islam, and the future of Hinduism. The conversation went as follows:

Q
Please tell us about yourself and your personal spiritual journey, from Christianity to Indian philosophy and Hinduism. What was it about Hinduism that fascinated you so deeply that you decided to stay in India? Also, in your view, what is the true definition of Hinduism, and how is it different from the way it is commonly understood today?

A
Well, I always had questions when I was a teenager. I always wanted to know “What is life meant for?”. And I couldn’t get answers. I used to discuss with the priest in religious class, and I just couldn’t get answers. I lost my faith in Christianity because I couldn’t believe that God could send somebody eternally to hell. Hell made a big impression on me as a child. But I felt there must be a great power. So I never really lost my faith in God, if you want to call it God. So when I came to India, suddenly everything made so much sense, because here it is explained.

As a Christian also, I was talking to God within. But God was supposed to be somewhere above the clouds in heaven, and I could never understand how that works. In India, suddenly I hear: “Bhagwan is inside in the form of consciousness.” This made a lot of sense and impressed me so much because, if you think about it, what is the most important thing in our life? I mentioned it also in my book: Imagine God, or a king, says to you, ‘You can have everything you want. I will give you everything. Just tell me your wishes. But there is one condition: you won’t be conscious.’ Would you accept? Would you accept a big house, a beautiful husband, all the money, all the high positions, if you are not conscious?
We never think about this. We take consciousness for granted. And by consciousness, I mean what makes thinking possible. It is the basis of the mind. When I heard about Advaita Vedanta, the Indian philosophy, it immediately made sense. It was like, wow! I was so happy. Suddenly, I didn’t have questions anymore about the meaning of life or about what is important. I felt that if this consciousness is my essence, then I should find out who I really am. “Who am I?” is the most important question in Hindu Dharma.

Indian philosophy impressed me so much, and that’s why I write, because I feel that in the West, this knowledge is lacking. And now, I feel that even in India, especially among youngsters, many don’t know about it anymore. They are not aware what great treasure they have. You don’t even have to study much. Just reflect a little on what is true—what is true about myself. Nowadays, we don’t do this, because of our mobiles. We are always looking outside, and it has become much more difficult to look inside.
When I came to India, I used to sit for one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening for meditation. Now, I have to admit, I don’t do it anymore. So much information is coming in. I want to know about the situation in the world, and it is important to know about current events. But it is most important that we know what our essence is. If we have this anchor, then we can be interested in what is happening, things like the Epstein files and so on. The world is in a bad shape nowadays. We should be aware of it, but we should not forget the most important connection, which is with our true Self—Bhagwan, Brahman, Ishvara, God, whatever you want to call it. Names don’t matter.

Have you heard of this concept of Brahman earlier? Did you know about it? I met some students at a conference a few years ago. During tea break, I asked them, ‘Can you explain what Hinduism is about?’ One girl said, ‘We worship many gods.’ I asked, ‘And who created the many gods?’ There was silence. Then I asked, ‘Have you ever heard of Brahman? I don’t mean Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—the Creator, Sustainer, and Destroyer—the trinity, but the all-encompassing Brahman’. Nobody had heard about it. I was so shocked. It is YOUR (Indian) knowledge.

In the West, many philosophers benefited from this knowledge. Now nobody mentions it. I feel what is happening is that they want to control us. For that, we have to lose our connection to God, to Bhagwan. Then we can be controlled. Then we are afraid to die, and we do everything for security. That is not a good state. So, the main thing is that we have to find this inner connection. Then life becomes easier. It will not always be easy—difficult times will come—but you have an anchor. I recently talked with some German friends, and we all agreed that we are very grateful to India for this knowledge. Unfortunately, many young Indians and even old Indians don’t know about it anymore.

I think it is easier for Indians to understand Advaita Vedanta. I was once in an ashram in Telangana or Andhra Pradesh, very far off, at the end of the road near the mountains. It was the ashram of Karunamayi. A bus came with villagers, and I was the only foreigner there. The children ran up the steps, saw me, and ran back to their mothers because they probably had never seen a foreigner. Karunamayi came to the temple and gave a talk in Kannada. I don’t understand Kannada, but I understood one sentence.

She said the temple was for Lalita—Lalita Ambika, Devi, Shakti. The innate female power in Brahman that creates everything. She said, ‘Lalita Chaitanya Rupa’—Lalita is in the form of consciousness. At that moment, I thought, if you tell this to Westerners, even ones with a PhD, they will be confused: ‘What does it mean that God is in the form of consciousness?’ But I felt the villagers understood it. Maybe Indians who go through the English education system are more like Westerners and actually are at a disadvantage.
The problem with Islam is that in the scripture, in the Quran, there are many verses which are very much against others, against those who are not Muslims. It says Allah will accept only Muslims. If you are not Muslim, then you will not be accepted. So when someone is a Muslim and hears this, and thinks that Allah wants only Muslims on Earth, then of course he may not be nice to others.
Maria Wirth on Islam

As a Christian, I felt God within, but couldn’t understand Him as distant in heaven. In India, I learned that God lives inside us as consciousness.

Q
In your book, you mention how the concepts of Hinduism and Hindutva are often misunderstood—where Hinduism is seen as “good” while Hindutva is portrayed as “bad.” How has this distinction come about, and what are the main reasons behind this perception? Why do you think both these concepts are widely attacked or misunderstood today?

A
I don’t see any difference between Hinduism and Hindutva. The British coined Hinduism, which is actually not correct, because an -ism usually means a dogma. Communism and socialism, it is always about a dogma. Hinduism is not dogmatic. It is very open. So ‘Hindutva’ (Hindu-ness) is a better word than ‘Hinduism.’

What I noticed, and my book is also about this—the title is ‘Why Hindu Dharma Is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians, and the Left’—is that the attacks became stronger after Hindus became aware that actually, Hinduism and Hindutva are good. Missionaries told Indians, ‘You have a very primitive religion. You worship nature and many gods. You should adopt Christianity.’ Then, around the year 2000, when the internet became stronger, there was a talk about Internet Hindu. Hindus could suddenly connect and say, ‘Actually, we have a very good philosophy, a very good tradition with so much knowledge. We can be proud of it.’

When this movement came up, suddenly people started saying, ‘These Hindutvavadis are bad people. They want to throw out Muslims and Christians.’ Nothing of the sort! Hindutva means Hindu-ness, and the essence of Hindu Dharma is that this consciousness—Bhagwan, God—is in everyone. Absolutely in everyone, whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or anything else. It doesn’t matter. It is most inclusive. I did not understand why those ‘Internet Hindus’ were so badly attacked. Even I was personally attacked.
My neighbor was a communist from West Bengal. He had a Brahmin name. He used to introduce me to his friends as ‘the local RSS pracharak’ and it sounded like a smear. I didn’t know what RSS was then, but I thought it must be good, if it agrees with my views. People try to make it look bad, as if RSS is against others. This is a misunderstanding. Not only a misunderstanding, but a conscious one. They don’t want to know the truth. They want to attack Hindu Dharma because, if Christians or Muslims really became aware of what great knowledge is here, they would at least become half Hindu. It makes much more sense—respecting rishis, respecting life, ideally not eating animals. I find vegetarianism very important. We are so insensitive when we think we can kill animals just for taste.

People say, ‘Everyone has free choice.’ But you don’t have free choice if it affects the life of another being. Animals are also beings. And this needs to be discussed, and actually in the west there are now discussions about it. But unfortunately, in India more and more people started eating meat. If it’s necessary, like in cold areas, it is okay, but if there is no need for it, why kill? This respect for human life, animal life, and nature is a very beautiful aspect of Hinduism, Hindutva.

For 20 years, I lived mainly in ashrams. I thought every Indian knew what great treasure they had. Then I came into a normal environment and realized that many people were very negative about Hinduism. Most of them were English-speaking and had gone through the education system. They had been taught to look down on their own tradition. I had not realised this earlier because when I came to India I thought ‘wow, what great knowledge is here’. Recently, a CIA document, declassified in 2016, talked about cultural trends in India. It said that apart from village worship, Hinduism has a very sophisticated philosophical and ethical system in Vedanta, in the Upanishads. The deep state know this. So why don’t they research and spread it? Instead, they attack it. I feel the reason is that they want to cut us off from our connection with the divine. That is the main purpose.

If you see what is happening in the world now, the top ‘elites’ around Epstein are very depraved. It is very bad. It is Kali yuga. But that doesn’t mean we have to fall into depression. We should stand up for what is true and for a dharmic life. So, feel proud to be a Hindu. Some people feel ‘Hindu’ is not a good word and call themselves ‘Sanatani.’ But we should be careful. ‘Sanatani’ sounds very close to ‘satanic’. Westerners don’t know what ‘Sanatani’ means. They may automatically think of ‘satanic.’ Not because they want to insult us, but because that is the word they know. So, we should be careful not to give anyone a handle to call us satanic, demonic. In India, it is no problem. But internationally, people sometimes say, Hindus worship demons. Some Christian priests and podcasters say this. But it is completely wrong. Hindu Dharma is the very opposite of satanic.

Q
Why do you think many people from other religions find it difficult to understand or accept Hinduism? Could you explain some of the common myths and misunderstandings about Hinduism today, especially regarding idol worship?

A
In Hindu Dharma, there are basically two levels. There is one level of “Advaita” which means not two, it is the one consciousness which is permeating everything and encompassing everything. It is Brahman, or Ishvara, or Paramatman, or Tat. It doesn’t matter what name you give it. The Vedas say it cannot be put into words, but it really exists. I often use an analogy given by Ramana Maharshi. He used to live in Tiruvannamalai and left his body in 1950. He gave a very nice analogy. He said, imagine a screen in a movie hall. A white screen, nothing on it.

Now the movie is projected. You see so many people, houses, so many things moving on the screen, yet the screen is now hidden. But if you touch any person or object in the movie, you touch only the screen. The essence of everything, including us, is the screen, that is real and solid. The movie is just a flicker. It comes and goes. So Hindu Dharma says there are two aspects. One is the screen—Brahman. It is true, eternal, one, with no distinction, hidden under the movie. And then you have Maya. In Maya, everything is temporary. It appears real, but is not really real. The analogy is not perfect, because in the case of Brahman and Maya, Brahman itself creates the movie or Maya. There is no projector from outside. The screen itself creates the movie with the help of Shakti. So, these two levels of absolute truth and relative truth, we should keep in mind.

In Maya, there are not only human beings. There are also Devas, Asuras, and Rakshasas. In Hindu Dharma, Devas are worshipped. Not asuras and rakshasas. The temples are for Devas. Devas stand for sattva, purity. Asura stands for rajas, ego and Rakshasas for tamas, ignorance, darkness. Even the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are Devas. They are not eternal. Only Brahman is eternal. But they live very long and have much more power than humans. There are also other beings like the saptah rishis and many others are mentioned in the Puranas.

I think we should take the existence of other beings seriously. Human perception is very limited. We see only a small bandwidth of what is really there. Hindus have been in touch with the devas and rightly worship them, because they are helpful in Maya—Surya for example, Chandra (moon) and the elements. India was very far-sighted. You knew about the five elements, but how did you know about them? You knew about the constellations in the sky, but how did you know about them? You also had a long history with great spiritual personalities or Avatars, like Krishna and Rama.

When you worship Devas, Christians, Muslims, and Jews say, ‘Oh, they worship other gods.’ They don’t realise that the God they worship is on the level of Devas, because they don’t have this eternal level in their understanding. They see only God in heaven, watching us, and Satan trying to tempt us, so, it’s all in maya only. Their whole religion is about believing in a story. They don’t consider what makes thinking possible. They [Followers of Abrahamic Faiths] think, ‘You worship Krishna, Rama, Ganesh, Shiva, Surya—so many forms. How can that be right? There is only one God.’ In one sense, they are right. There is only one God, one ultimate source. But Hindus also believe that or rather discovered that. Hindus postulate one God/ Brahman as essence of everything. Brahman contains everything—the Devas and everything what appears in the movie on the screen.

If we could explain this well, I think people from Abrahamic religions would understand. How can you say, ‘Only if you get baptized, you will be saved,’ or ‘Only if you become Muslim, you will be saved’? That doesn’t make sense. It is not possible. It doesn’t seem right.

Q
You have been outspoken about your criticism of Islam and the concept of jihad, and you have discussed these views in your book. How do you view Islam as a religion and the ideas behind it? What, in your opinion, leads to intolerance or violence in its interpretation?

A
The problem with Islam is, that in the scripture, in the Quran, there are many verses which are very much against others, against those who are not Muslims. It says Allah will accept only Muslims. If you are not Muslim, then you will not be accepted. So when someone is a Muslim and hears this, and thinks that Allah wants only Muslims on Earth, then of course he may not be nice to others. If he believes that God doesn’t like us, then naturally he may think he can also be bad to us, cheat us, or not be nice to us. If someone strongly believes what is written in the book, this can happen.

But there are many people who have never even read the Quran and who are just normal human beings. They have a conscience. They know that you don’t kill other people, you don’t cheat other people. This is ingrained in human nature. But if somebody is very much indoctrinated, then he will put his conscience aside and say, ‘Yes, let’s do jihad,’ “let’s do Allah’s will.” And this is very dangerous.

Recently, with all these Epstein files and what else is coming out about the deep state, and about ISIS and Al-Qaeda, I am coming more and more to the conclusion that Muslims are most likely instigated to riot and do jihad. Their leaders may be paid. See what happened in Bangladesh—it is terrible. I wonder what this deep state is doing, pushing people to fight each other. Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Left and Right—worldwide, they want us to fight each other. And I am coming more and more to the conclusion that we have to try to find commonalities among us common people and be aware of who is actually controlling us, who really has the power and all the money in the world.

I know Muslims can be dangerous. When clerics say, ‘It is written in the book, it is God’s word, you cannot change it.’ Then followers may think, ‘We have to get rid of all these Hindus.’ That is wrong. There is also a theory that Islam was originally created to get rid of Christianity. When Islam began, they went to Syria and killed the Christians there and then to North Africa, even Spain, and then to India. Some people say it was created to make us fight among each other. I don’t know if that is true but it is possible.

But look, for 2,000 years, people have been claiming, ‘God loves only us’—Christians, Muslims, Jews. How can that be true? Why has nobody said, ‘This is nonsense’? Can’t we stop this? Can’t we all be friends? Can’t we just be normal human beings? Why indoctrinate our minds with ‘God wants this, God wants that,’ when it makes no sense? I don’t think God wants us to kill each other. If we could make people understand this, it would be great for humanity.

Q
You have mentioned the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). What are your views on the role of the RSS in Indian society? Also, how do you see the Ghar Wapsi movement?

A
I find the Ghar Wapsi movement very important. The problem is that I know from my own experience, growing up in Germany as a Christian, that we were taught in school that our ancestors were very primitive. That they used to think that God was angry, when there was a thunderstorm, etc. So the teacher and the priest would tell us, ‘Look, now you are so lucky. Now you have the true God. But your ancestors were very primitive.’ The problem is now that Indian Christians and Indian Muslims, in all likelihood, were also taught a similar thing. ‘You know, these Hindus—you can forget about them. They are just so primitive. They worship so many gods and even strange gods.’

I think at the same time, there are always people who have the capacity to reflect. And if a certain number of such people would reflect and say, ‘Yes, Vedanta makes sense.’ Truth is like the screen in a movie. Brahman is eternal, always one, and we are now in this virtual reality or Maya. Elon Musk also talks about our reality being like virtual reality and not the real truth. So, I feel we have to make people understand. That’s why I said in my book that a misunderstanding killed millions of Hindus – the misunderstanding is that Hindus worship other gods. Worshipping other Gods besides the ‘true God’ is considered as the worst sin in Abrahamic religions. They don’t understand that the Devas within Maya are all in essence only the ONE Brahman.

Yahweh, God, Allah— all three demand, ‘worship only me.’ It means they acknowledge that there are other gods. They are within Maya. This is not rational and not helpful for humanity as a whole. That’s why I keep saying that Hindu Dharma is the best option for humanity, because it includes everybody.
They [Followers of Abrahamic Faiths] think, ‘You worship Krishna, Rama, Ganesh, Shiva, Surya—so many forms. How can that be right? There is only one God.’ In one sense, they are right. There is only one God. But Hindus also believe that. Hindus have one God/ Brahman an the essence of everything. Brahman contains everything—the devas and whatever else appears in the movie(Maya), including our persons.
Maria Wirth on polytheism

Q
You explained the concepts of Brahman and Maya, where Brahman is the ultimate reality and everything that happens appears on the “white screen” of consciousness. If all existence is part of the same truth, then what is the need for communal hatred or violence?

A
Exactly. There’s no need for this. I think people want us to fight against each other, so that we don’t look at who or what is manipulating and trying to control us. And also, that we forget about our connection to God within. We are working on computers, earning a little money, paying our bills, and trying to look after our families. And then there are these people who have billions—trillions we cannot even imagine—who seem to be more like the asuras of the Puranas, who don’t have the wellbeing of humanity at heart.

These asura-type persons want us to keep fighting. We should not fall into the trap. It’s important to follow Dharma and call for the help of the Devas – and never forget our connection to the screen, by whatever name we call it. Actually, nama-japa is a powerful means to keep in touch.

Q
On that note, do you think dharma truly prevails in India today? Do you believe that Hindu people in India are genuinely following dharmic values in their actions and decisions?

A
Well attempts are on disconnect Indians from Dharma—like this wokeism. Especially Hindu youth are in danger from foreign forces, which push wokeism, and LGBT, atheism, as they want to be ‘modern’. Now people go to the mall. Earlier, they would go for bhajans. But now, bhajan is coming back, I hear, and this is a good thing. I heard about bhajan clubbing, where people don’t go for heavy music but devotional music.

Even in Germany, bhajan is becoming popular. So I think people long to have a connection with God, with Bhagwan. If we don’t have it, we lack something. Then we have to look for something else. We need entertainment, we always have to do something. I wish Indians would still have this knowledge, and I think there are still many people who have special powers, like sadhus. India is a special country because the pursuit of truth is still very prominent.

In the West, there is no universal truth now. ‘Everybody has his own truth’, people there claim. We are very much lost in the West. India is still much better, but attempts are very strong to push Indians away from their traditions and from this connection.

Q
India is often described as a global spiritual center, yet spirituality seems to be declining in everyday life today. Why do you think this is happening? Also, do you think many people in India who are poor and are struggling have the time to think about spirituality?

A
I had a help. She was cooking for me every second day—dal—because I’m too lazy to cook dal, and dal is important when you don’t eat meat. So once she was telling me that nowadays people don’t know any longer that what they do has an effect on themselves. That is a very deep knowledge about karma. This knowledge is still ingrained in many Indians. And look, when you go to a pilgrimage place, you don’t have to worry. You can leave your bag, even if people are poor. This knowledge—that you should be a decent human being—is still here because people still know there is a Bhagwan. Trust in Him is still there.

In the West, there is a historian from Israel who is very famous. He is at the World Economic Forum. He was even here on TV, I think on India Today, and was presented as a very prominent historian. He says it is ridiculous to believe in God or a soul. He is important in the World Economic Forum, so you can see what they want us to believe. And it is wrong. He is wrong. Maybe some people think, ‘Oh, he’s so famous, he must be right.’ But he’s wrong.

Many people say India is very poor, but India is not so poor. Look at what you can buy for your money. If you have a salary of ₹60,000, that equals about €2,000 or €3,000 in Germany—that is ₹2 lakh or ₹3 lakh. So when we say poor, it is relative. Life is much easier in the sense that it is full of festivities. There is so much decoration, colourful lights, beautiful music, whether it is a religious festival or not. There is so much joy. Imagine small children growing up in this joyful atmosphere.

In the West, we have done away with everything. We basically have no festivals. This liveliness is missing. In India, there are bhajans, pilgrimage places, and beautiful temples. Everybody can go out and buy a small snack on the roadside. Most people can afford it because it is not expensive. In the West, everything is expensive. So when people keep saying India is such a poor country, I don’t agree. It is not only about GDP. If we want a higher GDP, everything has to become more expensive.

Q
India faces many serious challenges today, including corruption, crime, pollution, and national security concerns. In light of these issues, do you think India can truly become a Vishwaguru (a global spiritual and moral leader)?

A
India should be the Vishwa Guru because it has the knowledge – the knowledge that everything is contained in pure Consciousness, everything is included. And we are all the same in essence. We are not the same outwardly. We have different paths, everybody. We have different talents. You cannot say everybody is the same in this Maya. But our essence is the same. That means you respect everybody. So, the knowledge for being the Vishwa Guru is here. But I think, asuric/ adharmic forces want to disconnect us from Dharma and from this knowledge, so that we can also be easily controlled. I hope they won’t be successful. We should explain in a very simple and easy way what knowledge is here which is lacking elsewhere. Like I was so impressed when I first heard about this deep knowledge, others many also be impressed.

Q
In your book, you have mentioned several spiritual leaders who have inspired you in India. You also describe a special instance when you were deeply impressed by Dhirendra Krishna Shastri (Bageshwar Baba). Could you share that experience with us?

A
It was strange because I was flying back from Khajuraho to Delhi. I had not heard of Bageshwar Baba. There was a young swami walking with us to the plane—it was a small airport. One woman told me, ‘My God, we are so lucky. He is coming with us, flying with us. So many people want to see him.’ And I didn’t know who he was. When we landed, people were standing around him, very close. I took a photo of him.

Afterwards, when he went to Bihar, I realised, my God, millions come to see him. I feel, that he has the power to see things that are not easily seen. Some people say it is all fake and that he is cheating, but I don’t think he is cheating. I am convinced that psychic powers are possible, definitely. He also says very clearly that India is a Hindu Rashtra, which many Hindus appreciate. He says people should be proud to be Hindu and not convert for whatever reason. He is young, and so many youngsters come to him. I feel his influence is a very good thing.

Q
There have been many controversies surrounding Dhirendra Krishna Shastri and his views on women. What is your perspective on these debates? Additionally, what are your views on modern feminism and how it has moved away from its original purpose? In your opinion, what is missing in today’s gender equality movement?

A
It was in 2024, that I saw him. I have not followed what he has been saying in the last two years. So I don’t really know what he says.
But regarding feminism, I feel it went too far. When I was young, feminism started in Germany. I was not happy with it because some feminists wanted women to go to the army. I didn’t want to go to the army. In Germany at that time, we had mandatory military service for boys for 18 months. And the feminists wanted women also to go.

I think feminism has now gone too far. In a relationship, somebody has to give in. I remember discussions when we were young: suppose, the husband gets a transfer to another city, why should the wife go with him? The wife has her friends here, so why should she go? But somebody has to give in. If you start fighting from the start, then better don’t marry. Be alone.

I was recently at a girls’ college, and a police officer was talking about how girls should be careful. He said they should not expose themselves. Then a girl asked, ‘Why only girls? Why don’t you tell boys?’ And he said, ‘We tell the boys also.’ But her attitude was, ‘Why should I not wear whatever I like?’

When I see girls in miniskirts, I feel they would be much more comfortable in a salwar. They could move more easily. There should be some common sense, instead of just following the West. West is not the best. In the West, we have gone into a wrong direction. Now, when you see drag queens and people saying they are dogs and behave like dogs… when you follow what is happening in the West, it is bad—very unreasonable. I would not want India to go in the same direction.

Regarding men and women— sometimes giving in is not a bad quality. Unfortunately, this is not what is recommended. When I mentioned earlier, they want us to fight each other – ‘men and women’ also should be added. Laws which favour exclusively women and don’t even listen to the men’s arguments are in my view not fair. Such laws can be easily misused.

An example:
A taxi driver once told me that he picked up a woman in Delhi when he was returning empty to Uttarakhand. She got quickly into the car and said, ‘Straight, straight.’ He said, ‘Tell me where you want to go. Otherwise, I will drop you here.’ Then she said, ‘Okay, you can drop me, but only if you give me ₹300.’ He was shocked. He said he would call the police. Then she said, ‘I will tell the police what you did to me.’ He knew the police would believe her, so he felt trapped. He gave her ₹300 and she left.
It should not be like this. It is a very sad situation. Thinking, ‘Because the law is on my side, I can do whatever I want,’ is wrong.

Q
We have discussed many important issues—from the true essence of Hinduism to Hindutva, feminism, and your views on Islam and Christianity. In light of all this, what do you think is the future of Hinduism in India? How can Hindus preserve and strengthen their spiritual and cultural heritage in the coming years?

A
Well, the most important thing is that we do some sadhana. To sometimes stop and try to recover this inner essence, and develop love for it. It is about Jnana, Bhakti, Karma, and Dhyana, meditation. Meditation means sometimes going inside. This is most important—that we have some experience. Yes, there is a beautiful state within us. It is love. It is an expansion. Sometimes, when you wake up in the morning, when you are not yet fully you, when you don’t think yet, and you just feel, you get an inkling maybe, what that state is. I really think it is love. Somebody once said, “The only real thing is limitless love, and this is the screen.” Brahman.

It is in all of us, but it is hidden. In this play of Maya, they try to put it away, but it cannot be erased. I think that is what is meant by Satyameva Jayate. This screen cannot be deleted. It is always present, and we have to uncover it—discover our essence.

For the future of Hinduism, the main thing is that Hindus first need to do sadhana. They need to discover their essence. Do some meditation, do some yoga, read books like Bhagavad Gita and do nama-japa. And then also explain this wisdom to others—that we are not idol worshippers in their sense, that we are not sinners. What we are doing makes great sense. The god of the Abrahamic religions is basically a tribal god. If a god loves only one group, he must be a tribal god. He cannot be the universal God, isn’t it?

That is why I feel India has to become the Jagat Guru, because India has this inclusiveness. It is for everyone. It is not exclusivist. It does not say, “If you don’t follow this guru, this son of God, or this prophet, then sorry you go to hell.” We should be capable of making people understand that this is really nonsense—ridiculous.

We have to say it. Somehow we are shy to talk about religion. But it is not insulting; it is putting facts on the table. A Christian or Muslim has no problem saying, “You go to hell if you don’t convert.” That doesn’t make sense, isn’t it? Yet we don’t counter. We avoid a debate. But we should have the confidence to come and explain in a friendly way—not confrontational.

We should say: You are human first, no? It is possible that what you believe is the truth? And then explain what you have found. So, I think in this way, in Hinduism, we must first do our own sadhana. We have to know and experience this essence in us— know a little about the wisdom, too, but most important, feel the beauty and love inside. And then we can also explain it to others.

NewsGram thanks Maria Wirth for her time and insight.
Check out her new book “Hindu Dharma Is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians, and the Left” on amazon
https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655 it is also available in Kindle version and also abroad under amazon.com or local amazons. at present there is a big discount. it is only Rs 315.

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It was a spontaneous exchange. I didn’t reflect much on my replies. Unfortunately, he was stuck in his ‘law of non-contradiction’ and couldn’t grasp that name and form are temporary, and the essence is eternal simultaneously.

My original post:

Why this opposition and even hatred for Hinduism? The reason may be that India’s wisdom endangers Christianity, Islam and Judaism, because it is empowering the individual and makes sense.
Three important factors are in favour of Hindu Dharma:
1. If people of other religions come to know about the Hindu concept of One Consciousness as the essence of all, they might realize that the concept of a separate and vengeful God in the monotheistic religions is a distortion and cannot be true.
2. If they hear of karma and rebirth, it probably would make more sense to them, than the claim that we all have only one life, which decides if we go to heaven or hell.
3. If they hear that the one consciousness permeates also animals and nature, they might stop this massive daily bloodbath of slaughtering our younger brothers and sisters, the animals, and respect nature.

Comment by @OsamaKhalid
The idea of multiple gods can never make sense to sane minds. There is but One Almighty Who reigns. The concept of equally powerful gods is nonsense
2. Karma is the one of the most diabolical concepts one could endorse. What you confused with vengeance is justice.

My reply:
You are right. the Source of everything must be one. the Vedas were the first to postulate the one source (Brahman, pure consciousness). Like all other forms and names, devas (and asuras) are within Maya, only longer lived and more powerful but not eternal.
Names and forms are like the temporary waves on the eternal ocean (Brahman). It means the Divine is within us. This knowledge lifts Hindu Dharma above the ‘monotheistic’ religions.
imo, the idea of a vengeful, separate God as being the one source behind this universe can never make sense to sane a mind, isn’t it? Check out my new book “Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left…”

Osama Khalid’s reply
Basically, for the 1st comment, you have fallen prey to the law of non-contradiction which the monotheistic religion doesn’t suffer from.
Again, what you confuse with vengeance is justice. A result for one’s efforts makes sense to sane minds.

My reply:
I don’t get what you mean in your first para – eternal oneness versus temporary plurality is no contradiction. Compare the one movie screen with the plurality of changing pictures on it.
And yes, result for efforts makes sense but, eternal hell for being born in the “wrong” family?? Does this make sense?

His reply:
Exactly, the example of law of non-contradiction, the changing pictures represent the mortal despite being the part of immortal i.e. the eternal. Its illogical either the picture is fully mortal or immortal. Who doesn’t know the reward is also eternal?

My reply:
It’s not illogical. The screen is ever the same, the pictures are ever changing. Yet when you touch any “thing” in the movie, you touch only the screen. The screen is the essence of all, similarly, Brahman is the essence in this Lila or Maya.
Try to understand, not just try to refute. Imo, Vedic wisdom is top. Your ancestors discovered it.

His reply:
It’s illogical since the picture/essence can either be immortal or mortal, can’t be both simultaneously. It’s like saying one likes hot-cold ice-cream. I am simply answering to your responses. &, btw, it’s was your original post which tried to refute monotheism.

My reply:
Can’t you see that the pictures are not the same (‘eternal’ doesn’t apply here as no analogy is fully apt for the truth) and the screen is the same simultaneously? Btw this ‘screen – movie analogy’ was given by Ramana Maharshi.
Monotheism postulates a separate, Creator-God somewhere in heaven. Monism or panentheism (Indian view, but why should we speak Greek?) is closer to truth. Truth does not fit into logic. but it also does not contradict it.
To defend logically the position that there is a separate God without addressing the question where it came from and with what he made the universe, is difficult.
The Rishis claim: something (not a thing of course) eternally is/exists (consciousness and it can be felt in yourself) and out of that the universe ‘appears’.

I really wish, Muslims would understand that their disdain for Hinduism is unjustified. Meditation is helpful to understand.
The division between Hindus and Muslims fits so well into the agenda of the deep state to divide societies everywhere.
Why should we do its bidding?

So far I haven’t heard back to my last comment.
By Maria Wirth

if you like my writing, consider getting my books
Title: “Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left” 2025, Rs 311
link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655 or

Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

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I replied that fundamental questions about the purpose and goal of life are convincingly answered and several paths (Bhakti, Jnana, Karma…) are shown so that we can know our divine nature (Atma is Brahman).

Hindu Dharma makes a distinction between THAT what is eternally, absolutely (means not dependent on anything) true and that what is not eternal and depends on THAT what is eternal. (Brahman versus Maya or Prakriti).

An analogy is given: in a pottery shop, diverse cups, jugs, plates, and bowls are displayed in the shelves. We look at the shapes, colors, and decorations, completely overlooking the clay or mud, which is absolutely essential and more “true” than the form or the name. For, when the cup breaks, the cup is gone, but the mud is still there.

The cup depends fully on mud, yet while the cup exists, we overlook the mud. The mud is ‘hidden’ in the cup, even though – if we would reflect deeper – the essence of the cup is obviously mud. Similarly, our essence is pure, blissful consciousness (Brahman or Atman),but as long as our body exists, we overlook this essence, though it is obvious. Consciousness is the most important ‘quality’ of us.

However, when one accepts Hinduism, one will NOT get a bag of rice as bribe to twist your conscience and make you repeat that only Christianity and Jesus can save you…

By Maria Wirth

if you like my writing, consider getting my books
Title: “Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left” 2025, Rs 311
link: https://www.amazon.in/dp/8119670655
Title: “Thank you India,a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of yoga” 2018, Rs 349
link https://garudalife.in/thank-you-india-by-maria-wirth
they are also available as Kindle

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Conversion is a big challenge for Hindu society in India. Yet it is hardly a topic of public debate. Moreover, it is impossible to get accurate data of conversions. In fact, even the data regarding the composition of the population religion wise, may not be reliable.
In 1947, India’s population was around 36.1 crores, of whom 30.37 crores (84.1%) were Hindus, 3.54 crore (9.8%) were Muslims, 0.83 crore (2.3%) were Christians and 0.27 crores (0.7%) Buddhists. (the figures are based on the census of 1951).
In the 2011 census, the Hindu population had shrunk by 4.3 percent and the Muslim population had grown by 4.4 percent. The overall population had tripled to 121.9 crores. Hindus accounted for 96.62 crore (79.8%), Muslims for 17.22 crore (14.23%), Christians for 2.78 crores (2.3%) and Buddhists for 0.84 crore (0.7%)
The census of 2021 was postponed due to the Covid pandemic and will be held only in 2026/27. It can be assumed that since 2011, the Hindu population has shrunk further, yet the population of Muslims is still cited to be 14 percent and that of Christians still 2 percent. Do we bury our heads ostrich-like in the sand?
According to the website censusofindia.net, in 2025, the overall population is estimated at 141 crores, of whom 114 crores are expected to be Hindus. This would be a slight increase of Hindus to 80 percent, which is unlikely considering the massive conversion attempts, apart from the lower Hindu birthrate. Unfortunately, I could not find official numbers for conversions. ChatGPT tells me:
“I could not find any official government estimate that gives a precise number of Hindus who have converted to Christianity since 2011. In fact, the Government of India has explicitly said that no central record/database of religious conversion is maintained.”
The same is valid for Islam:
“There is no reliable official data specifying how many Hindus have converted to Islam in India since 2011.” ChatGPT continued, “Most demographic surveys, including those by Pew Research Center, find that religious switching is very rare overall.” According to Pew research survey of 2021, 0.7 percent of the respondents said that they have changed their religion. This would come to around 6 million people. Yet since there is no central database of religious conversion, the true numbers are anybody’s guess.

Aggressive conversions are happening
Most of us know even from personal observation, that missionary activity is extremely high in India by both Christianity and Islam, especially in certain states like Punjab or Tamil Nadu, and basically everywhere, specifically in tribal areas. They don’t hide it. Christian publications exhort their members to convert Hindus. “India must be evangelised in this generation”, declared ‘Blessings’, a Christian youth magazine in its 2008 issue, which a priest from Tamil Nadu had left with me. And a German Catholic magazine, which landed in my mother’s mailbox, had an article with the ominous title, “India – a success story”.
The Joshua project is clearly implemented. New churches shoot up, Christian schools offer discount for fees for Christians, missionaries ‘visit’ patients in hospitals, etc. Occasionally, news about conversions come out in the media due to complaints by Hindus. Some examples from only one week: On 30. September 2025, several news outlets reported that over 1000 Hindus from poor and backward castes converted to Christianity in Lucknow’s Mohanlalganj. A village once free of Christianity had now 5 churches and 100 plus prayer halls. According to India Today, police unearthed a well-oiled nexus to lure Dalits with the help of ‘miracles cures’. A few days later, another huge conversion ring with wide connections across states was uncovered in Gujarat’s Nandiad, on which OpInda reported. And soon after, on 6. October, more concerning news surfaced. An American, James Watson, in India on a business visa, was arrested together with two Indian associates for fraudulent conversions in villages in Maharashtra, targeting especially children. He told them that ‘Hinduism is based on superstition. But if they convert, they will be happy, prosperous and cured from illness.’ In this connection, News 18 reported that between 2018 and 2025 over 320 cases had been discovered of visa misuse for religious conversion. This may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Muslims, too, try hard to get Hindus into their fold. The Chhangur Baba case shows, how much money flows into fraudulent, elaborate conversion efforts. He and his associates were arrested in July 2025. He received hundreds of crores from abroad for his conversion racket, where he funded Muslim men to entrap Hindu girls. Love Jihad, for long denied, can’t be denied any longer.
Even otherwise, Muslims are taught to coax Hindus into converting by presenting Islam as far more attractive than Hinduism. Zakir Naik said in one of his speeches around 2016, it is easy for Muslims to convert Hindus. They only need to show Hindus a picture of Ganesha, with his elephant head and big belly, and ask them whether this is the God whom they worship.
This situation is concerning and the question, why the government has no database, is only natural. Even in states, which have enacted anti-conversion laws, and where it is obligatory to register a change of religion, no overall numbers are available. What is available, are FIRs filed for unlawful conversion, and individual notifications in government Gazettes about name changes. But how many conversions in toto happened, nobody seems to know.

Religion is not a concern for the government
Is it possible that the government does not want to know what is happening on the religious front? If this is true, then even the 2011 census may not give the correct picture. And from an anecdotical episode, this is indeed possible.
A teacher in Mumbai, who was part of the 2011 census team, told me that during the training for the census, they were instructed to accept whatever information they were given. She surveyed a heavily Muslim populated area and knew that she was not getting honest answers. She went back to her supervisor and told him, that the census won’t be accurate if they are not allowed to check the information, for example how many children a family has. Her instructor was blunt, “You heard the instruction. Accept whatever info is given.” She told me, “If the government manages to conduct an accurate census next time, it will be a shock for Hindus.”
When there is no will to know what is happening regarding conversions, there is probably also no will, to stop it. The government, rightfully, maintains that it is secular and not concerned about the religion of its subjects. It has a point. This is clearly a worldwide attitude. The German government also no longer records the religion of its citizens. It did so till in the 1950s, when I was in primary school and dutifully filled out “rk” for Roman Catholic in all official forms. Yet, today, only the Churches keep a record.

Hinduism and the Abrahamic religions are completely different categories
The situation in India is, however, unique. The Hindu faith of the majority is very different from Islam and Christianity. Often it is not even considered as a religion, because it does not have a rigid ‘belief system’, but it is rather a way of life. It has a solid foundation in philosophy and demands to follow dharma – to do the right thing in the given situation according to one’s conscience. It does not exclude anyone from being ‘allowed’ into the Presence of God. In fact, it claims, God is already present in everyone, and explains what is meant by ‘God” (not a kind of biased superman on a golden throne high up in the sky, but all-pervading, pure, blissful consciousness). In short, Hinduism makes a lot of sense.
Unlike Islam and Christianity, which were brought to India by invaders, Hinduism does not proselytise. Those two foreign religions demand blind belief in dogmas. A dogma is a claim that cannot be proven to be true, and the most irrational, and very harmful dogmas of both Islam and Christianity are the claims that, 1. only their religion is true (both didn’t sort out over the centuries, which one exactly is true, because of course they don’t have any proof for their claims) and 2. if you don’t convert to Islam or Christianity, the great God will discard you at Judgement Day and let you burn ETERNALLY in hell.

Burden of history
Hindus were threatened and brutally coerced to convert first by Muslim and later by Christian invaders over several centuries. Millions of Hindus died for their faith. Many preferred humiliation and financial burden to conversion. When the outsiders left, Hinduism was still strong.
However, most of those Hindus, who had converted to Islam and Christianity during foreign occupation, were successfully alienated from their original tradition especially during British rule, who were, and still are, masters in ‘divide and rule’. They made those converts believe that they were better, higher, more worthy than Hindus. At Independence in 1947, Muslims demanded their own country to be carved out from India, called Pakistan, which in 1971 split into Pakistan and Bangladesh.
So, one would expect that Islam is no longer a problem in India, and Hindus have only to deal with those who converted to Christianity but who also, like Muslims, believe that they alone have the true religion, and Hindus will be eternally damned by God if they don’t convert.
Yet this is a wrong notion because many Muslims, who agitated for a separate state before Independence on the ground that they can’t live with Hindus, did NOT go to Pakistan. They stayed back, possibly even with the nefarious agenda to fulfil Allah’s alleged wish to make all Indians follow Islam. The truncated India was generous and allowed it, maybe on the advice of the British who wanted to sow the seeds for division in Independent India.
Many Hindus probably considered the Indian Muslims and Christians as not very different from themselves, and did not realise that their religious doctrine had meanwhile indoctrinated many of them to look down on Hindus, and they had become as unreasonable as their foreign masters used to be. Now the converts, too, believed that the great God/ Allah does not like Hindus and will throw them into eternal hellfire, and that Allah/God wants only Muslims/Christians on earth. No reasonable person would believe this, and Indians are generally reasonable, but due to indoctrination from childhood, many of the converts had embraced this irrational belief.

Respectable Gods and religions
Moreover, on the international stage, those religions, which consider the creator of this vast universe as personal, revengeful and biased, are considered respectable even today. People, who are otherwise reasonable, don’t realise that a God, who loves only certain people, must be a tribal God and cannot be the Source of All. Unfortunately, Hindus did not seem to be aware of those dogmas.
Otherwise, why would they allow Christian schools to continue after Independence to teach Hindu children, when ‘good’ Christian teachers naturally look down on their Hindu students because, according to the Church, they follow a ‘dark, satanic cult’? Why would the government allow the catechism to be taught to Christian students, but not allow Vedanta philosophy, which is a rational explanation of what is true, to be taught – not even to Hindu students?
Why would the ‘minority religions’, parts of which are irrational and based entirely on blind belief, get government concessions, and Hindu Dharma, which is based on solid philosophy, would be disadvantaged, for example in the Right to Education Act or regarding their Places of Worship?

Indian Secularism is upside down
So, even though a secular state is not supposed to be interested in the religion of its subjects, in India, certain reforms would only be fair, as presently the stakes are stacked against Hindus. If a Hindu converts, he gets the advantage of belonging to a politically influential ‘minority’, which is worldwide even a majority. And if he happens to be a criminal, even world media will treat him more leniently than it treats Hindus, and it seems, as if this lenient treatment extends even to the judiciary worldwide.
Agreed, the government has no role to play in religion, but it surely has to level the playing field, especially since the Abrahamic religions and Hindu Dharma are in very different categories: Islam and Christianity are exclusive and divide society between those who are right and saved, and those who are wrong and damned. Even in the interest of developing a ‘rational mindset’, which is the explicit goal of education, the followers of those religions should not be given favours by the government. In contrast, Hindu Dharma is inclusive and makes sense. It claims that ultimately ALL will reach back to their divine Source and it exhorts to follow Dharma. It would make sense, in the interest of a stable society, to favour it.

A harmonious society is rather impossible if the divisiveness of the dogmatic religions is not given up
If you have many crores of Indians who despise Hindus because according to their belief, Hindus are great sinners by worshipping false Gods, a harmonious society is tough to achieve, and enemies of Bharat have a field day to instigate chaos and violence. This is not theory. It’s happening, including with big money from the Deep State, as the investigation into USAID had revealed.
Do Hindus even know what is preached in the innumerable churches and mosques across India? I know that Hindu Gods are called devils or demons by Christian clergy. Yet incredibly, Hindus don’t challenge those harmful dogmas of Christianity and Islam, even though they easily could, as they have the better arguments. Not only this: according to the Human Rights Charter of the United Nations, it is unacceptable to demean a group of people as inferior and damned for eternity. Yet strangely, when a religious doctrine demeans a billion people, moreover people, who are known to be open-minded and dharmic, nobody flags it as wrong.
It shows that the powers-that-be prefer that humans everywhere hold irrational beliefs instead of gaining deep insights into what is true and what can be experienced. It means, Hinduism is an obstacle for those powers. This is an important point and, in all likelihood, responsible for the unfair negative portrayal of Hinduism in world media and the entertainment industry and for funnelling money into conversion attempts. Yet the eradication of Hinduism is definitely not in the interest of humanity as a whole.

Blunders that need to be corrected
It was clearly a blunder that Hindus did not explain their faith to the Indian followers of the Abrahamic religions right after Independence and it needs to be corrected urgently. And an even greater blunder also needs to be corrected: Hindu pundits hardly explained the solid philosophical foundation of their faith even to their own people and especially to the younger generations.

Hindus are strongly focussed on education. Parents make great sacrifices to educate their children well. Yet they did not realise that under the garb of ‘modern’ education their offspring was not learning anything about their ancient tradition but instead, their children were weaned away from it – due to the immense influence of the Left, which is an arm of the infamous ‘Deep State’.
Young Hindus, who went through college education, no longer know the basics of their faith and have not even heard of the Brahman (Advaita Vedanta) that is their own inner essence. Many become atheists, without knowing what being an atheist actually means. In recent years, they become not only atheists, but also ‘woke’ and ‘sexually liberated’, whatever this means. This virus affects mainly the Hindu youth. Of course, not all Hindu youth, but many have no longer an anchor in their faith – a faith for which earlier generations even died. This negative influence makes them vulnerable to go against dharma, not to believe any longer in Karma, and it also makes them vulnerable for conversion, if they see material benefits.

It’s NO virtue not to propagate Hindu Dharma
Hindus sometimes even seem proud that they don’t propagate their faith. It is a false pride and not wise. Christianity and Islam are clever. They explain their good aspects, like strong belief and trust in God or Allah, and strong community support. They also explain why they are closer to the truth. The reason, they say is, that they have one God compared to many Gods in Hinduism. They are right: one source is closer to the truth. The Source must be formless and therefore only ONE. Unfortunately, most Hindus can’t counter them because, not only do their Muslim and Christian friends not know, but even they themselves don’t know any longer the basic insights of the Rishis – the one formless Brahman of the Vedas which is within all of us.
IF the Hindu representatives had explained the basics of the Vedas right after Independence in a big way, many of those who had converted to Islam and Christianity might have come back. Anyone who has common sense will come to the conclusion that Hindu Dharma is superior to all three Abrahamic religions, as it is a genuine enquiry and not blind belief in the supremacy of a particular group.
Instead, in the name of ‘harmony’, Hindus downplayed the intellectual superiority of Hindu Dharma and allowed Islam and Christianity to aggressively propagate their religions as ”only true” and lure Hindus with a simple formula: there is only one true God and our God is this true God. He is compassionate and loving and has promised that He will look after you, provided you accept him and keep the rules and commandments.
Another positive aspect is stressed: the convert is promised to be part of a strongly bonded brotherhood especially in the case of Islam, but also in the case of Christianity, he will get emotional and financial support from the Church if in distress.
Apart from that, since for many Hindus this is not enough reason to forgo their tradition, they lure converts with financial benefits, cheat outright with so-called miracles or frighten simple-minded Hindus with eternal hellfire.

What are the solutions?
Very important is of course that the government does not favour the big and powerful ‘minorities’ of Muslims and Christians. How to achieve this change in a democracy, where everyone is focused mainly on vote banks, needs to be brainstormed.
Apart from the government, Hindu Society has a big role to play: First and foremost, the basics of Vedic wisdom need to be made known widely. Schools and Universities are a good start and thanks to the New Education Policy, the Indian Knowledge System (IKS) is now indeed taken into educational institutions. There is however a problem: even teachers often don’t know much about the profound philosophy and haven’t done sadhana in their life to discover Atma within. So, they prefer to explain festivals or customs or stories from the Ramayana or Bhagavad Gita. All this is important, but if the greatest advantage of Hindu Dharma is not clearly explained, students may not be convinced why they should stick to their tradition, especially when they are lured with material benefits and also told that billion humans worldwide see merit in those dogmatic religions. Otherwise, why would there be so many Christians and Muslims in the world?

The most important point and the crucial difference between Hindu Dharma and the Abrahamic religions is that Hindus claim that God is within as Sat-Chit-Ananda (blissful Consciousness), and that it can be experienced.
To convey this knowledge effectively, it would need Hindus who have touched their Atma, who know from experience about the oneness of all, because if the truth is conveyed only theoretically, it won’t make an impact. Therefore, sadhana needs to be encouraged and sadhana needs to be the criterion for being able to teach, not academic degrees. Small booklets with sayings of genuine saints like Anandamanyi Ma or Mata Amritanandamayi could be distributed in a big way. They are already available and explain Vedanta philosophy in a simple way. For me personally, meeting Anandamayi Ma had a decisive influence in understanding Vedic wisdom. It was easy to understand because she lived this oneness. Anandamayi Ma once said, “There is no difference between you and me and I don’t see a difference.”

Approach to Indian Christians
The theology of Christianity is a little confusing. On the one hand, it is considered heresy for a Christian to claim that he is one with God, yet on the other hand, the Holy Spirit is supposed to come over him and guide him. And all three – God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit – are seen as God. Nowadays, many Christians in the West no longer accept the dogmas of the Church, but take the sayings of Jesus and Bhakti as guideline. Therefore, many even claim that God is within, as Jesus himself said “the Kingdom of heaven is within”.
Hindus should point out to Christians those aspects, where Jesus, in contrast to the Church, is in line with the Indian Rishis. For example, he made the Upanishadic statement, “I and my Father are one” (Aham Brahmasmi). Unfortunately, and shrewdly, the Church declared that this claim is valid only for Jesus, but this of course doesn’t make sense.

Another point:
When once asked what is the most important commandment, Jesus said, that the most important commandment is to love God above everything else. This teaching is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It means, Jesus was foremost advocating Bhakti, the most important path also for Hindus, and for anyone who wants to realise the truth. Yet the Church declared as its first commandment: you shall not have other gods before me, and doesn’t mention the Bhakti aspect. Now in all likelihood, the Christians will counter Hindus and claim, “What the Church means, is that we need to worship the TRUE God, and we, the Christians, have the true God and you, Hindus, have false Gods.”
It needs to be understood first by Hindus themselves and then also conveyed to Indian Christians: Hinduism claims that there is absolute Truth, and relative truth. Absolute Truth is that which is REALLY true, it means it must be ALWAYS and SELF-EVIDENT. It means, only God (pure, eternal, unchanging Consciousness = Brahman) is really true (it can be logically concluded and experienced). And that Consciousness is REALLY the only true, invisible, formless God. All else is Maya, a temporary appearance on this truth. This is of course universally valid and independent by what name one calls that one Truth.
An analogy makes it clear: in a movie hall, the flickering, changing pictures of the movie cover the movie screen. Yet the invisible white screen is the only real thing in the movie, all else, including the people, houses, etc. are temporary appearances whose only substance is the ONE screen. The story of the movie is more like virtual reality. This should make sense nowadays. Even Elon Musk believes that this apparent reality is not the real thing. It follows naturally, that discovering the ‘real thing’ (Brahman) is the goal of life. The Abrahamic religions do not have this absolute Truth level. Even their great (good) God and its opposite, the (evil) Satan, are within Maya, more in tune with the Devas and Asuras/Rakshasas of Hinduism.

We should use the sayings of Jesus which are in tune with Vedanta, to make Indian Christians reflect that the dogmas of the Church are unnecessary and even ridiculous, and that their accusation that Hindus worship false Gods does not apply, simply because only one ‘thing’ (not a thing of course) is true and everything is contained in THAT.
Another point: Often, ordinary Christians are critical of their priests and bishops. I know this from Germany, and it may be the case also in India. Especially the higher clergy may be corrupt – morally and financially. If caught, such news should be spread. It helps to wean away common Christians from the Church.

Approach to Indian Muslims
The previous point that often, the clergy is not living an ideal, but rather an immoral life, is valid also for certain Muslim clergy. It should not be hushed up, but spread in news. It helps ordinary Muslims not to be too much under their sway.
It is probably more difficult to have a sensible dialogue with Muslims. Some Britisher made a valid observation: “While the Hindus sharpen their arguments, the Muslims sharpen their swords.” At present, there is the unfortunate situation, that Muslims are confident that Hindus are afraid of their street power. This needs to change and Muslims need to be afraid that they will pay for instigating violence. Law enforcement agencies need to make them pay, or even Hindus who are not afraid to push them back in street violence.

Yet there are also other means, to make Indian Muslims understand that going against Hindus is not in their own interest. One important point is to make them realise that they are useful tools (idiots) to create chaos which is in the interest of the Deep State (DS). The global financial system, spearheaded by mainly Jewish banker billionaires, is very powerful in the DS. At present, there is a lot of debate in the American society about who actually controls the US government and its foreign policy. It may sound like a conspiracy theory, but attempts are clearly on to propel humanity into a controlled one world government with the help of surveyance technology. The World Economic Forum openly said that ‘creative destruction’ is needed for the ‘Great Reset’ to occur. The fact that Muslims are convenient tools for the DS to destroy societies, has become especially obvious in Europe. Incidentally, Jewish organisations are instrumental in bringing the Muslim ‘refugees’, mainly young men, into Europe. Why? To destroy nation states by intermingling the races.
It should also be clear to Indian Muslims that Taliban and even ISIS were bankrolled by the CIA and other organisations of the deep state, and that obviously, some of their Muslim leaders are corrupt. On the surface, Muslims and Jews are portrayed as the biggest enemies, yet both religions have a lot in common. However, the really big money, which influences geopolitics in a big way, is not with the Muslims.

There is another worrying aspect, which should also worry Indian Muslims: there is a Jewish prophecy that before the messiah comes, a huge war needs to happen (the war of Gog and Magog) where the majority of humans will perish. Presently in geopolitics, Israel is clearly pushing for a big war, and they openly said, if pushed to a corner, they would use their nuclear weapons. If Indian Muslims would understand that certain Muslim leaders make deals with the western DS (like in Syria recently or in Bangladesh), and that they will ultimately not get their worldwide caliphate but end up being controlled by the more powerful global financial system which has literally ‘all the money of the world’, they might align themselves with the overall interest of India and not weaken India by going against Hindus.
Ex-Muslims can play a big role in making Muslims aware of the geopolitical situation and also in making them doubt the irrational dogmas. Their numbers of ex-Muslims are increasing even in India.

Once I heard a congress spokesperson say on TV, “what does it matter if one worships Krishna or Christ.” True, it doesn’t matter much, Bhakti is a valid path and all true devotion and prayers reach the ONE. This is valid for Hindus, Christians and Muslims. But it matters what ELSE those religions demand to believe blindly (for example that Hindus are worshipping demons and will go to hell), and which not only creates discord in the society, but also harms those believers individually, as they don’t follow their conscience which tells them to do the right thing in the given circumstances, but instead blindly “believe absurdities which can make them commit atrocities”, as Voltaire had already observed.

So, first, Hindus themselves need to be solidly grounded in their ancient wisdom through knowledge and sadhana, and second, the unreasonable dogmas of Islam and Christianity need to be fearlessly challenged – possibly even by taking the issue to international bodies like the United Nations.

Why I am against Conversion

I wrote the following article in 2008 for Garhwal Post. After a Hindu friend had read it, he looked at me and said with a soft voice, “Maria, I didn’t know that one can say these things about Christianity.” It pained me, as it showed, how much the Britishers had hurt the self-esteem of Hindus. My article was about facts, but even facts were not mentioned earlier…
On the one hand, the situation for Hindus has improved since then, because nowadays, even in mainstream media, Hindus object to deceitful conversions or call out violent verses in the Quran. This was not the case earlier. But the situation has also deteriorated, because now even less Hindus know the basics of Vedic wisdom and especially the youth has become more woke and atheist.
Here is the article:

In 1999, the Pope declared in Mumbai that in the 21st century the cross will be planted in Asia. Strangely, there was not much objection in the media that the Pope expressed so openly his eagerness to convert Hindus. Not only the Pope but also the different evangelical sects want to convert Hindus in big numbers. And unfortunately, they are doing it successfully because they have lots of money. In the years, after the Pope made his statement, Christian missionaries have become increasingly visible, blatant and controversial.

As I grew up as a Christian, I would like to share my observations from a personal angle.
I noticed that most Hindus are very cautious when it comes to religion. They take care ‘not to offend the sensibilities’ of the followers of Christianity and Islam. Yet on the other hand, Christians and Muslims don’t hesitate to offend the sensibilities of Hindus, and even badly demean them.
Many Indians argue that, because those religions are in the minority, their followers need special consideration so that they don’t feel threatened by the Hindu majority.
It is true that those religions are in the minority in India, but worldwide, Christianity and Islam have the biggest number of followers. Both religions have also great financial and political clout to achieve their goal, which is to bring as many Hindus as possible into their fold. This clout is reflected even in the Indian media. Just observe how favorably mainstream media reports on minorities and how unfavorably on the majority. I can’t help feeling that there is a clever Public Relation strategy and maybe also bribe money involved. In contrast, Hindus don’t seem to have a PR strategy. ‘Truth will triumph’, is their motto, even if it takes ages…

Why no debates on religious matters?
Sometimes I hear the following argument from Hindus: “Only because missionaries despise Hinduism, Hinduism does not become bad.” This is of course true, but why not refute the obnoxious, false accusations that Hinduism is a primitive polytheistic religion and Hindus are sinful idol-worshippers?
Such accusations do not only completely misinterpret Hindu Dharma, but they are meant to help the Christian agenda to wean away Hindus from their faith.
Hindus should at least explain the basics of Sanatana or Hindu Dharma, and show how profound they are, if not pointing out the shortcomings of the dogmatic founder religions.
Pointing out the shortcomings of other religions seems to be taboo for Hindus. I wonder why. Debates on religious matters were common in ancient India and were of the highest order. Women also took part in those debates, which are recorded in the Upanishads.
Yet today there is hardly any discussion on religion or philosophy. One reason may be that a part of the intellectual class in India has been influenced by the British to such an extent that they adopted their ignorant view that Hinduism is primitive without ever reading any of the ancient texts. It is a small, but influential group that is ever ready to loudly defend the minority religions.

Christianity and Islam divides humanity into those who go to heaven and those who go to hell
Most Hindus are good-natured and consider all religions as equal, as all believe in the same God, as there is of course only one creator. Moreover, all religions have good points. They all stress the need for a moral life. They all give suggestions how to connect with God in prayer.
Yes, it’s true, but two religions have a very negative point which nullifies the good points. This negative point is that they divide humanity into those who are right and go to heaven and those who are wrong and go to hell without any proof. Christianity is one of those religions (Islam is the other one). It declares that it is not only superior but it alone is true, and therefore everyone needs to join it to be saved. The Church claims that Jesus Christ himself commanded his disciples to go out and baptize all nations (Matthew 28.19). Therefore, they believe that they have the ‘divine duty’ to convert the whole world. And the Church goes about it with great zeal and dubious means. If Jesus Christ was indeed a historical person (some historians doubt it), he might be shocked to see what is happening in his name.

What makes Christianity so special that it declares itself as alone true?
The main point is the status of Jesus Christ. The Church says that he is not only above normal humans but also above enlightened sages and avatars. He is the “only indigenous son of God”, whom God had sent to earth and who, through his death, has saved mankind from the original sin which Adam and Eve committed (their sin was that they ate an apple from the forbidden tree of knowledge in the Garden of Eden).
This claim that Jesus is the only son of God can NOT be verified. It has to be believed. It is a dogma and dogma means, there is no proof. So why should one believe it? The reason is that bishops had decided in the Council of Nicaea some 1700 years ago, that Jesus is the son of God, and Christians have to believe it.
Many Christians do believe it, because they hear it from childhood. I, for example, ‘knew’ already in primary school in a small town in Germany, that we, the Roman Catholics, are ‘right’ and chosen by God and all others, including our Protestant neighbors, who had fled from the Russians to our small town at the end of the II World War, were ‘wrong’. Those neighbors had a little girl of my age and we played together, but I would have not gone to her church. I ‘knew’ it was a sin…
In 1965, in the II. Vatican Council, the Catholics reconciled with the Protestants, and it was no longer a sin to pray together. But Hindus remain in the category which needs to be converted or else they go to hell…

How I got doubts
As a child, I believed whatever I was told, but in high school, I started questioning. I could not believe in a God any longer who sits in heaven, loves only Christians and sends all others to hell.
A brother of my mother was a priest and, in his library, I read about the history of the Church. It was an eye-opener – how decadent the popes were, how brutal and bloody the conversion of South America was, how dissenters were imprisoned, tortured and killed, how the bishops schemed for power and wealth… Together with religion, I was about to throw out God as well, as He seemed inextricably linked with it.
Then I read an article on modern physics. It said that the whole creation is one energy. It was for me a Eureka moment. “This means there is a God!” I felt: If God is really the Highest, It cannot love one group and hate others. It has to be the ground of everybody and everything.

Getting to know about the profound Vedic wisdom
When I came to India, I was amazed how profound her ancient wisdom was – a wisdom that makes no claims, which need to be blindly believed, and a wisdom which does not divide people into “us versus them”.
‘Brahman’ or ‘Tat’ of the Vedas is not a personal God that has likes and dislikes, but it is the invisible, conscious basis of all forms and names in this creation. This conscious basis is also in our own person and can be experienced, and this makes sense. “Question, reflect and experience” is recommended.
In contrast, Christianity demands blind belief and does NOT encourage questions, nor experience. It claims doubts are from the devil. A Church that branded its own mystics, who realized their oneness with God, as heretics, cannot teach anything to India. It can only divide.

Hindu Dharma is universal. Christianity is divisive
Missionaries try by hook or crook to get converts and target especially the poorer sections of society and even children. It seems as if they have a quota to achieve.
They claim that Christianity is the right faith and Hinduism is very wrong and they will land in hell if they don’t convert. This is highly divisive. Yet strangely, Christian missionaries are not called “divisive forces” but Hindus, who object to conversion, are called divisive. Why? It does not make sense. The Upanishads claim “Tat Tvam Asi” (You are THAT/ Brahman). “You” means everyone, not only Hindus. This philosophy is truly universal.
Christian theologians would need to study Indian wisdom with an open mind. They would realize that dogmas are a hindrance in the process to uncover Truth. Such openness would make religion spiritual. Mystics would be appreciated. No “us versus them”, no borders, no God, who belongs only to one group and who condemns the rest, just a genuine search for the One Essence beyond name and form…

Narrow-mindedness of clergy
Unfortunately, to expect broad-mindedness from Church representatives seems a long way off. As of now their course is set on confrontation. They are adamant that conversion is not only their right, but also their duty. Many Hindus unfortunately still don’t get the mindset of missionaries, and most Hindus are too polite to question the ‘one and only way’ bogus.
While in the West many leave the Church, in India many join for reasons that have nothing to do with religion. Those converts may initially get some financial benefits but the price is high. They have to confess a belief in dogmas, in which they don’t believe. They have to despise the faith that they had held dear. They or at least their offspring will become convinced that they alone have the right faith and will look down on those who go to temples.
In the process they lose their integrity and will become hypocritical, like so many in the west. And if conversion is not restrained, together with her children, Bharat may lose her integrity. Truth will have no place anymore.

Summary:
Hinduism and the Abrahamic religions are very different. Hinduism is based on enquiry and experience, whereas Islam and Christianity are based on blind belief in unverifiable dogmas – the most harmful dogma is that their God wants all humans to worship only him or else they are damned for eternity. Consequently, aggressive proselytizing happens, which creates disruption in Hindu society.
No official data about conversions is available. Religion is not the government’s concern in a secular state. However, India is unique, as the religions brought in by invaders get favours from the government and Hinduism, which is more an ideal, dharmic way of life, is disadvantaged. This fact makes conversion for lukewarm Hindus appealing and erodes Hindu society.
Moreover, modern education intends to make the youth materialistic due to the great influence of the Left, supported by the Deep State. The profound insights of the Indian Rishis are not taught. Fortunately, in recent years, attempts are on to bring Hindu philosophy and tradition into schools.
The greatest challenge is the presence of many crores of followers of Islam and Christianity, who have been indoctrinated to look down on Hindus. They need to be encouraged to reflect and see sense. Different approaches to Christianity and Islam need to be adopted.
By Maria Wirth

Please consider also reading my books available on Amazon and PadhegaIndia:
‘Why Hindu Dharma is under attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left – a collection of essays’, Published by Vitasta Publishing July 2025
And
‘Thank you India – a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of yoga’, published by Garuda Prakashan Nov. 2018

The post The Issue of Conversion: Challenges before Hindu Society first appeared on Maria Wirth.

If you have hundreds of millions of Indians who despise Hindus because according to their belief, Hindus commit a great sin against the ‘true one God”, whether called God or Allah, a harmonious society is tough to achieve and enemies of Bharat have a field day to instigate trouble and chaos.
IF Hindu clergy had explained the basics of the Vedas right after Independence in a big way, many of those who had converted to Islam and Christianity would have come back. Anyone who has common sense will come to the conclusion that Hindu Dharma is superior to all 3 Abrahamic religions.

It almost seems, as if the highest wisdom (Advaita Vedanta) is hidden even from Hindus. Great saints, like Ananadamayi Ma stressed it, but others mainly explain Dharma in Katha sessions. No doubt, this is also very important, but the foundation why a dharmic life is important, needs to be known.
Meanwhile Westerners make videos on this highest wisdom which in its purest form has been preserved in India. but they don’t mention or hardly mention India.

Today I saw the start of a video called “the Monad – the true God hidden from us”. It talks about the ‘highest God who is hidden from us’ and starts with a quote “There is One, eternal perfect… the source of all that appears.” It is attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Google says, he is a “legendary personification of ancient knowledge rather than a historical individual.”
There is no mention that this quote is pure Advaita, still known in India, though less and less known by the youth due to the education system which focuses only on material success.

It would be good, if Hindus would propagate the profound insights of the Rishis about what is really true, about the absolute Oneness (Brahman) and the apparent world of plurality (Maya). Without this knowledge, Hindus don’t know what makes Hindu Dharma stand above the Abrahamic religions.
by Maria Wirth

if you haven’t seen my new book, “Why Hindu dharma is under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left”, check it out. it is good and helpful for all, not only Hindus.
it’s on amazon.in and com (abroad more expensive) and on PadhegaIndia. in
right now a big discount is on offer due to Dassehra (Amazon for Rs 279 and PadhegaIndia for Rs 248)

Why Hindu Dharma is Under Attack by Muslims, Christians and the Left: A Collection of Essays

The post It would be good if Hindus propagated their faith first appeared on Maria Wirth.

This morning, I woke up with a thought, which puts Indian philosophy into a nutshell and please correct me if I get it wrong:

Whatever happens right now, has to happen as it does – in the world and also in private. It is the dream of Brahman, where good and evil battle it out, and it is clearly a thriller.
The different persons seem to have agency, but actually, they have not. A robber in my dream is not an independent actor who can decide what he does, but he is contained in my mind and ultimately unreal. Similarly, we humans, animals or even Devas and rakshasas have no independent agency in this play of Maya which plays out within the pure, infinite Consciousness, called Brahman.

So this gives some comfort. Everything is as it must be. But this is only ONE level.

Now the second level:
The Bhagavad Gita and other texts tell us that we need to do what is dharmic, trying to stop the evil and foster the good, and even fight adharma if need be.

But why should we follow dharma (which means to do the right thing in the given circumstances)? Because there are laws within Maya. One law is the law of Karma: if we do evil, we suffer. Eternal hell does not exist, but time-bound hell does exist within Maya. Even though evil people seem to thrive, they will suffer, or they may even suffer while seemingly thriving.

I am reminded of a podcast where a chapter of Whitney Webb’s book “A nation under blackmail” was mentioned. It is about an interview with Leslie Wexner, the billionaire financier of Jeffrey Epstein. He said in an interview with the New York Magazine in 1985 that he feels possessed by a demon. He even gave the demon’s name: dybbuk, a malicious spirit in Jewish folklore. This demon pushes him to always want more and more and ever more…

This brings me to another level within Maya: we humans are not the only conscious, intelligent beings. There are many others, as the Puranas explain, beneficial and maleficent ones, and some are more powerful than we are. They don’t have bodies like we have, but are nevertheless as real as we are within Maya.

Anandamayi Ma asked her devotees to guard against the influence of maleficent entities by repeating the mantra of one’s Ishta Deva, and talked about such different entities, which she saw.

So the conclusion: what is, has to be as it is. And since we are in Kali Yuga, it’s not a bed of roses. No need to become depressed about it.
But also: live a dharmic life. That’s the way to fulfil your life’s purpose and ultimately realise that our person or ‘avatar’ in this play of Maya is not who we really are.

And when the going gets too tough and in case desperate thoughts intrude, remind yourself that all is Maya and our essence is already one with Sat-Chit-Ananda, blissful Consciousness, even if we can’t feel it yet.
by Maria Wirth

the photo is by Shivansh Sharma, taken from Pixels

The post No need to despair, but be upright in the storm first appeared on Maria Wirth.

I commented:
So true. The Church has a horrifying history.
I find it hard to understand that Indian Christians who know this history still identify as Christians.
By all means, worship God and love Jesus but ‘being Christian’ means to accept the irrational Church dogmas which have nothing to do with “salvation” but with division and power. They want converts to Christianity believe that God loves only Christians and sends Hindus to eternal damnation.
Can anyone believe this??

One Rudy Torres commented to my tweet:
‘Anyone who doesn’t believe this is saying that Jesus was lying when he clearly stated: “John14:6 KJV [6] Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. ”
Pardon me if I take the Son of God’s word over modernity.’ (end quote)

It took me some time to realise that he meant that of course one needs to believe that Hindus are sent to eternal damnation.

My reaction to him:
Just reflect: there was no tape recorder. How to know what Jesus really said? Blind belief is needed.
But let’s take his words for true and see if they make sense:
What if he didn’t say “I am the way…” but said “I AM” is the way, truth, life? I AM (pure, thought-free consciousness) is the truth and leads to the truth says Vedanta. This makes sense. (I have in earlier articles written extensively about Vedanta and won’t repeat myself here).
There are claims that Jesus was in India during his missing years between 12-30 and learnt about Advaita Vedanta philosophy.

He also said “I and my Father are one”,
Now, did he mean ONLY himself, as the Church claims, or humans generally, as Advaita Vedanta says: Aham Brahmasmi?.
Of course it makes more sense if he meant humans generally because we all are made from the same intangible, invisible, eternal ‘stuff’ (which is of course no ‘stuff’ or object, but the one subject – consciousness.

Or what did Jesus mean when he said, “The kingdom of heaven is within you”?
Did he mean the Mahavakya (great saying) of the Upanishad: Atman = Brahman (the individual consciousness is one with the universal consciousness)? Or what else could he have meant?

And of course one more question:
why were the Church officials so incredibly brutal to Hindus and even to Christians, who were caught practising part of their old tradition? All this in the name of a loving God?

I know, indoctrination in childhood is tough to overcome, but blind belief is not satisfying either. It’s actually a relief to get out of blind belief. I speak from experience.
Please ask questions and try to find answers in yourself.

By Maria Wirth

The post Blind belief is not satisfying first appeared on Maria Wirth.

Let’s analyze:

An Atheist is usually defined as someone who does not believe in God.

Now of course ‘God’ needs to be defined. In the Abrahamic religions, God stands for a personal God who is separate from human beings. In Judaism, Yahweh declared Jews as his chosen people. In Christianity, God the Father sent his son to earth to save humanity. And in Islam, Allah sent the last and final prophet, Mohammed.

Now in India, a personal God is not considered the Ultimate. In India, the Ultimate, is all pervading, not personal. It is called Brahman, Paramatman or simply Tat (That). It is form and nameless. It is the life, awareness and true Beingness of everything. It is That, what is unchanging in midst of this changing universe.

Science discovered the one energy underlying every appearance. India’s wisdom had discovered that this energy is conscious and blissful (SatChitAnanda).

Now, Brahman cannot be grasped by the mind, but since it is our essence, it can be felt, and be realized as real. To be able to realise it, the scriptures, like the Bhagavad Gita, give methods, like jnana or bhakti or karma yoga.

Here comes in the personal God. To feel love (bhakti) for That, which is formless and invisible, it is helpful to direct it towards a form and name, which acts like an access point, i.e. Shiva, Devi, Krishna, Ram, Ganesh, etc…

In Hinduism you need not have an Ishta deva. You can do Jnana Yoga (trying to get to the one truth by enquiry of ‘who am I?’) and many more paths are there. You are basically a Hindu when you acknowledge that there is a conscious basis to that universe, including your own person, that is immanent and beyond. And of course it makes sense to try to connect to that, more so, since the Rishis claim it is possible…

Unfortunately, in the West, the Hindu concepts are not known. So, when people lose faith in Christianity, they reject also ‘God’. They do not know that the personal God, who loves some and doesn’t love others, is not the real, ultimate truth.

This article goes into more details: https://mariawirth.com/the-problem-with-god/

by Maria Wirth

The post Can you be an Atheists while being a Hindu first appeared on Maria Wirth.