I am highly amused reading the below tripe and juvenile post. This pontificating by a person who in an earlier debate justified / defended the rapes, killings and destruction of property of Christians in Kandhamalterming itas action-reaction, a la Narendra Modi. And Santosh Helekar claims to be a flag bearer of secularism!!! Perhaps in Santosh’s lexicon this constitutes secularism. L K Advani too claims to be secular as does the sangh parivar. Need I say more? Boy, am I happy and relieved that he does not include me in this definition. I prefer being pseudo-secular. ****
** ** I have made my point that Santosh makes wild allegations without backing up with evidence, misleads and obfuscates issues. Santosh is free to have the last word - abuses, insults, slander, smear, insinuations et al included.*** * ** ** Regards,**** ** ** Marshall**** ** ** ** ** *As I had mentioned earlier, Marshall will now continue to abuse and slander me till the cows come home. The reason should be clear to everybody by now. Those of you who find this behavior of Marshall to be distressing, or who are embarrassed for him, I apologize on his behalf. I wish I could help him give up this habit some way. But that aside, in the interest of a productive discussion about secularism and religious propaganda rganizations I would like to express the following views. A devout Hindu in another Goan forum mentioned that the Catholic-Christian Secular Forum also engages in political propaganda in support of the Indian National Congress party. I note now that this is also similar to what the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti does on behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party. In response to his assertion, I said that I am strongly opposed to any religious organization that mixes religion with politics, and tries to impose its parochial religious beliefs on the general populace through political action. I do not care, however, whether an individual citizen is a supporter of one political party or another. I do not attach any negative significance to the fact that he/she is a Congress or BJP supporter. I do not know, for example, if Marshall is a Congressman, a Marxist, a Maoist or a supporter of some other party, and I do not care. I also do not care about the fact that he is clearly not a secular individual. The fact that he is a religious chauvinist has no adverse connotation for me.In the U.S. where I live, a significant number of the religious people, and perhaps the majority of the supporters of the Republican party, including some of its presidential candidates do not believe that the secular agenda and secular values are good for the society. Of course, I disagree, but I do not believe that they are bad people. Another individual who happens to be Catholic and conservative wrote he following about CSF in another Goan public forum: QUOTE The CSF which refers to itself as the Catholic Secular Forum and on the same Home Page as the Catholic-Christian Secular Forum cannot be Catholic/Christian and Secular at the same time. Based on post Vatican II Catholicism they should focus on their own faith and defense against the various physical attacks on them by extremist Hindu zealots and not attack other religions with gross generalities, which would make them Catholic zealots. UNQUOTE Cheers, Santosh* --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Protect Goa's natural beauty Support Goa's first Tiger Reserve Sign the petition at: http://www.goanet.org/petition/petition.php ---------------------------------------------------------------------------