Elections -

Dear Administrator,

I think this site should choose its moderators by vote. Candidates should come forward and the desired number of moderators should then be elected by votes from all members.

Thank you for your attention,
Anand

I nominate Kshamabuddhi

This letter area is supposed to be about contributions to News and Editorials. Not about site-management. But the News and Editorials have not emerged yet, it has not become clear yet what that is supposed to be about. I expected something different; common-world related news that can interest a Gaudiya, texts on science, philosophy etc, not more out-of-this-world texts... I sort of expected like a small Readers Digest, so I would not need to flip around between NYTimes.com, The Hindu, Le Monde, and my Swiss info sources. It seems I am completely wrong with this.

Nabadip, please feel free to send in articles. The News and Editorials will be whatever you make out of it. Thus far nobody has contacted me with any suggestions, so it is a bit early to say what it will be. I haven't found the time to put together any editorial guidelines yet. Would you like to become an editor?

I'll drop in my opinion as one of the moderators.

In order for such a vote to be meaningful, we would have to first of all have candidates willing to moderate. Candidates, feel free to express your desire to participate in moderation. Then, we would need to determine the legitimate voters. Not everyone who joins the forums is willing to participate in a constructive manner. Rather, some just come around to stir trouble, or just are not very interested in the growth of the community. Those individuals, again, are a mere handful of the forum member base, we have some 10 or so regular contributors who have shown a consistent pattern of constructive input.

Are there some complaints about the current standards of moderation? The only recent complaints I have received thus far revolve around two individuals who appear to have a personal problem and who project all sorts of agendas into each others' posts. That is evidently not within the realm of anything the moderators will touch, unless the agendas are very evident.

Dear Administrator,
I have been a moderated member in this forum and as far as I understood the situation, the reason for that moderation was the disturbing way I had phrased my posts. This is one standard of moderation I now know of in the forums. But I would like to suggest that, if it not yet an adopted one, that gratuitous humor (or other kinds of criticism) made at the expense of specific personalities, such as A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, be avoided so not to disturb the minds of participants who might otherwise appreciate the forums’ other norms of moderation.

I make this suggestion in the spirit of contribution since it has been suggested here earlier that A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami’s direct disciples as well as grandisciples could benefit from the more advanced outlooks of committed members of this community.

Thank you for your consideration,
Anand

Anand:
If someone propogates his Guru as an acarya over all other acaryas and the Guru is found to have backward and warped stances like: how women enjoy getting raped, Afro-Americans should be enslaved, women get better when they're beaten, Hitler was no so bad after all--is that humor or what?

I don't know, but do you believe women like getting raped, or that Afro-Americans should be put into slavery, or that Hitler was a great man, ect? Think about it. Would you be brave enough to present all of the teachings of such a person to a religious review board at the United Nations knowing that some of these ideas are mixed in?

Without knowing fully the facts and circumstances of events involved, I cannot make a defense of Bhaktivedanta Swami's words and deeds against the charges you are making. I could give you my opinion in the matter but I think it irrelevant considering that I am not in a position of authority that you would accept. My humble suggestion is that in this matter you seek the direct opinion of someone who would satisfy you as far as a judge. I believe I have heard that Ananda Das Baba, for example, has expressed admiration to some degree for some of the actions of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami. If you have already settle this matter as far as a final opinion that satisfies you, then you have your opinion there, surely in opositon to the opinions of hundreds of others.

I can give you my opinion in the matter of the board of religions of the United Nations approving or not of Bhaktivedanta Swami's words: I like to believe that that board would be more generous than you are in considering the efforts of A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami's from a humanistic point of view. I like to believe that, if all due fairness were applied, BS woud come out more as a preacher with good intentions than as a dangerous and evil individual. And I also like to believe that we should be less concerned with religion and more with our relationship with God and those who love Him.

I am sorry I don't have time to address this as I wished but I referred to Bhaktivedanta Swami as an exemple. I also think the forum could benefit from moderation in its dismissal of Bhaktisiddhanta's line, if not for its own benefit, for the rescue of this line's distressed family. (Where is Jagat?)

You’re avoiding responses to my questions. I’ll ask you again:

1) Do you believe women like rape?
2) Do you think Hitler was not so bad after all?
3) Do you think Afro-Americans should be placed in slavery?
4) Do you think women get better when they are beaten?

Radhapada, if you really feel the four points above are relevant, I suggest you start a separate, single thread in which we discuss them. To begin with, I would ask you to present in that separate the quotes, which in your opinion validate the claims you make. Then we may validate their context and additionally look at the weight of the quoted statements in the overall context of AC Bhaktivedanta Swami's statements on the given matter. As that is complete, we may then attempt to assess how much they weigh in the overall picture. If we do not thoroughly examine the matter, such statements weigh about as much as the headlines of National Enquirer.

All in all, I personally fail to see how such topics would be very relevant in these forums. Most of us here are not followers of Swami Maharaj. Why should we concern ourselves with his subjective comments on matters of society and so forth?

At any rate, if there is really a need to discuss that, then I suggest the person concerned start a separate thread for that aim, and preferably keep the topic under that thread, not spreading it into every topic. Just like this recent rise on topics concerned with sexuality, they need not be brought in in every single topic. Keep them where they belong, in their separate respective threads.

Radhapadaji
If you have the time then perhaps you can post those comments made by ACBVS like Madhav suggested. I have also read those comments of his here and there and find them very disturbing. Contrary to what Anand and others at Saraswat may think, I am not anti-ACBVS. In fact, I have gained alot from reading some of his books. But when the memory of some of his comments like the ones mentioned above gets rekindled in my mind I cannot bring myself to read any of his writings. What shocks me most is that when he made these comments none of his disciples said anything!

Betal_nut, I have never stated anywhere that I am or was ever disturbed by anything you have said about Bhaktivedanta Swmai. As far as I am concerned this is an assumption you aremaking and thus yours is a misquote of my position. I have being , however, extremely disturbed by most of your posts in this forum regarding the siddhanta on Srimati Radharani. Here you have assumed the position of interpreting tattva and, as far as my reaction, you did so in trasgression of the rules of propriety in the matter. I did not express my feelings of shock and disgust on this but I noticed that others were very disturbed as well. I also noticed that the administration did not say anything when you did transgress and so here you are still free to speak as you wish. This is the nature of the freedom you enjoy, that you should not be held accountable for your actions or words, but that you will demand such accountability from others.

As far as I am concerned, you have being cause of discomfort in these forums, and thus I am leaving. I think it will be better for everyone that way.

We have four moderators here. My wife is not all that active in the forums, but Mina and Jagat are. Please feel free to contact any of them with links to inappropriate content. In the report, please cite a passage of the offending content and explain your rationale in deeming it offensive.

I cannot sit here all day long and examine every single post everyone makes. I have a life beyond the forums, too. I am also growing quite tired of people complaining about their petty quarrels to me. (This is not a reference to you, Anand.) If you have a serious complaint to file, then do so in the appropriate way. Contact all moderators while you're at it, and include that damn link and quote the offending content and explain the problem.

Just to ensure that nobody misses it, be sure to read this interesting post by Jagat amidst the long Victorian thread.

I am finding myself with less spare time on my hands lately, with less each day. So, I will do what I can, but I am not promising anything.

It's good enough if you are there if someone needs a second opinion. I do not want to have the moderation look like a one-man show.

I would suggest a separated website, www.b_sexy.nut

Minimal moderation is fine by me. I have only stepped in once or twice. But mostly our members tend to be good folk. By all means, feel free to contact me if there is a problem.

Seems like you guys need another moderator.
I volunteer. After all, I'm a very "moderate" person.

I have thought about, but the outcome will only be some very unhappy people. Anyway it is not conducive for my bhajan to meditate on these things. Let ACBVS followers sort out these disturbing issues for themselves, for their own inner peace of mind; I cannot do it for them. I do my own inner work and that's enough.

The ratio of one moderator per each four active members is plenty enough. What we need is more interaction between members and moderators, some specific input.

I trust everyone understands that moderation does not mean being a thought police. We cannot eliminate everyone who holds a different opinion or different attitudes. We only interfere when someone speaks in foul language, speaks evident untruths, and so forth.

Where can I get a hold of this work by Sripad Prabhodananda Saraswatiji?

I wish I knew.

vuthalila premabonya-caudike beday: stri vrddha balak yuva sabhare dubay
sajja durjana pangu joda andhagana: premabonyaya dubailo jagatera jana

(CC Adi Lila)

"This flood of love expanded and inundated all the four directions, drowing everyone --women, old folks, childrem and youngesters. Good people, bad people, the blame, the dull and the blind --all the people of the world drowned in this flood of love"

Indeed, everything indicates that mercy ‘is’ the wide-ranging idea... Or is tolerance?

Just listening to Karen Armstrong on the radio. She says the common feature of all religions is compassion. Her big idea is that the great religions arose in times of historic strife and turmoil, when people were looking for answers to conflict. This seems to have something in common with O'Connell's observations about Gaudiya Vaishnavism, but I think that it is narrow, as religions obviously release psychic forces of all kinds.

Armstrong also drew the literature/religion parallel, which is the fertile ground where rasa theory is applicable.

The posts directly related with Kama-sutra and other Kama-shastras have been split into a separate thread, available here.