Madhya Pradesh: Hindu religion perhaps compulsory subject in schools
New Delhi (AsiaNews) - Shivraj Chouhan, Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, is "evaluating" whether to make it compulsory to study the Gita, the Hindu religious text, in schools as a text of "moral science". The opinion of Mons. Cornelius, bishop of the state.
At the time of his election the CM had assured that he would not would introduce this book in school curricula. But this decision is strongly supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS, National Volunteers Organization), a very strong Hindu extremist group in the area, whose leader Mohan Bhagwat recently spoke in Bhopal confirming that non-Hindus can not be considered as real Indians.
Bishop Leo Cornelius, president of the Catholic Bishops' Council of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, told AsiaNews that "the Church is convinced that there are values in every religion and all religions can enrich each one of us. There is nothing wrong with the Chief Minister introducing the Bhagavad Gita into the schools , but he should make the religious book the standard text of religious values. The CM can not impose one particular religion on everyone. I will insist that the texts of other religions, such as the Koran, the Bible, the sacred books of Buddhists, Sikhs, Parsis and others are also introduced. The Moral Science program should include the moral values of all religions. The choice of a single book stops children from understanding the great value of tolerance towards other religions. "
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of the Divine) is a Sanskrit poem considered a sacred text, the most popular and beloved among the devout Hindus.
"In Madhya Pradesh - continues the prelate – it is a challenge to live the Christian faith. Members of the Barathiya Janata Party (BJP, a Hindu fundamentalist party) are for the most part good people, even the most indoctrinated by the ideology of the RSS are kind. But this ideology causes distortions, so it is essential to dialogue with them for a proper understanding. Too often, the BJP and the RSS have a misperception of the Christian faith and have the false belief that we distort their culture. The Catholic Church is engaged in a thorough and serious dialogue with these people, to correct the false vision they have for our faith and to foster peace and social harmony. "
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