KOLKATA, India (UCAN) -- Two Hindu women college teachers, who edited as well as contributed to a book on the Bible, say they see close ties between the Bible and literature. "The influence of the Bible is so pervasive that one cannot think of literature without reference to the Bible," said Sukanya Dasgupta, who teaches at Loreto College, a Church-run premier women's college in Kolkata, eastern India.
She and her colleague, Mangala Gauri Chakraborty, both from the college's English department, jointly edited "The Word and the World," which deals with the Bible and its impact on the world. Both women also contributed articles to the book, which was released on March 25.
Agreeing with her colleague, Chakraborty said there is a "symbiotic relationship between literature and the Bible." However, the book she helped to edit shows "how the Bible takes us beyond myths and archetypes."
The 192-page book contains 11 articles, seven of which are from a 2007 seminar on the Bible held at the college. Two of the writers are Jesuit priests while the rest are Hindus, all English-literature scholars.
The first part of the two-part book contains four articles on "the Word," dealing with biblical texts. The second has seven articles on "the World," dealing with the Bible's impact on history, literature and ecology, according to Dasgupta.
Her article, titled "United in Christ, Divided in Speech: Gender in St. Paul's Epistles" critically looks at the apostle's apparent negative remarks on women's roles in the Church. Dasgupta explained that Saint Paul came from a tradition that was hostile to women, and his remarks have to be looked at in that context.
Chakraborty contributed an article titled "Judith as Hero." The lecturer, who had studied the literary genre of the Book of Judith in the Old Testament, places the biblical work under the heroic poetry genre, where a woman is the central character. Through her, God shows he does not require male heroism to accomplish his will, said Chakraborty.
Jesuit Father Albert Huart, who released the book, said the respect, sensitivity and scholarship the Hindu writers showed toward Christian Scripture amazed him. "Every religious faith opens up an immense world of art, poetry and music, and the Bible is no exception," added the priest, a former vice-principal of Kolkata's Jesuit-run St. Xavier's College.
However, Jesuit Father Christian Mignon, one of the book's contributors, said that some of the analyses in the book, on Jesus and the Church, "are incorrect."
Church asks political parties for more Christian candidates
CHENNAI, India (UCAN) -- Church leaders in southern Tamil Nadu state have urged secular political parties to field more Christian candidates in the coming general election.
Father Vincent Chinnadurai, chairperson of the state's Minorities Commission, said Christians have urged all political parties who adhere to secularism to give Christians adequate participation in the polls.
The state goes to the polls on May 13, on the last day of a five-phased national election process scheduled to start on April 16.
The priest, in an interview, said Christians in the state have supported an alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (DMK, Dravidian progressive front), a regional party. "Now, we want more Christian representatives who can speak for us and who can reflect our feelings," he stated.
Father Chinnadurai said a delegation led by Archbishop Peter Fernando of Madurai, chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, made the same demand when they met state Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi on March 31.
Father Chinnadurai, who was in the delegation, said the chief minister had promised better representation.
"This is the right time to demand" as parties are finalizing candidates for Tamil Nadu's 39 parliamentary seats, he said.
According to the Catholic Tamil weekly "Nam Vazhu" (our life), the state in last election voted in only two Christian members of parliament. Among the present 234 state legislators only nine are Christians.
Christians form about 7 percent of Tamil Nadu's 62 million people.
Father Madurai Anand, editor of the weekly, said Christians do not have "adequate representation" in the national parliament and the state legislative assembly.
"Religious minorities are always treated as a vote bank, and we want to change that mindset," he said. "We demand that secular parties ... give us adequate representation as they enjoy the support of the Christian community."
More Christian representation would ensure justice for the Christian community and help implement its demands and interests, he stressed. "Unless Christians are adequately represented, true democracy cannot happen for the community."
Source: http://www.ucanews.com
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She and her colleague, Mangala Gauri Chakraborty, both from the college's English department, jointly edited "The Word and the World," which deals with the Bible and its impact on the world. Both women also contributed articles to the book, which was released on March 25.
Agreeing with her colleague, Chakraborty said there is a "symbiotic relationship between literature and the Bible." However, the book she helped to edit shows "how the Bible takes us beyond myths and archetypes."
The 192-page book contains 11 articles, seven of which are from a 2007 seminar on the Bible held at the college. Two of the writers are Jesuit priests while the rest are Hindus, all English-literature scholars.
The first part of the two-part book contains four articles on "the Word," dealing with biblical texts. The second has seven articles on "the World," dealing with the Bible's impact on history, literature and ecology, according to Dasgupta.
Her article, titled "United in Christ, Divided in Speech: Gender in St. Paul's Epistles" critically looks at the apostle's apparent negative remarks on women's roles in the Church. Dasgupta explained that Saint Paul came from a tradition that was hostile to women, and his remarks have to be looked at in that context.
Chakraborty contributed an article titled "Judith as Hero." The lecturer, who had studied the literary genre of the Book of Judith in the Old Testament, places the biblical work under the heroic poetry genre, where a woman is the central character. Through her, God shows he does not require male heroism to accomplish his will, said Chakraborty.
Jesuit Father Albert Huart, who released the book, said the respect, sensitivity and scholarship the Hindu writers showed toward Christian Scripture amazed him. "Every religious faith opens up an immense world of art, poetry and music, and the Bible is no exception," added the priest, a former vice-principal of Kolkata's Jesuit-run St. Xavier's College.
However, Jesuit Father Christian Mignon, one of the book's contributors, said that some of the analyses in the book, on Jesus and the Church, "are incorrect."
Church asks political parties for more Christian candidates
CHENNAI, India (UCAN) -- Church leaders in southern Tamil Nadu state have urged secular political parties to field more Christian candidates in the coming general election.
Father Vincent Chinnadurai, chairperson of the state's Minorities Commission, said Christians have urged all political parties who adhere to secularism to give Christians adequate participation in the polls.
The state goes to the polls on May 13, on the last day of a five-phased national election process scheduled to start on April 16.
The priest, in an interview, said Christians in the state have supported an alliance led by the Dravida Munnetra Kazhakam (DMK, Dravidian progressive front), a regional party. "Now, we want more Christian representatives who can speak for us and who can reflect our feelings," he stated.
Father Chinnadurai said a delegation led by Archbishop Peter Fernando of Madurai, chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Council, made the same demand when they met state Chief Minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi on March 31.
Father Chinnadurai, who was in the delegation, said the chief minister had promised better representation.
"This is the right time to demand" as parties are finalizing candidates for Tamil Nadu's 39 parliamentary seats, he said.
According to the Catholic Tamil weekly "Nam Vazhu" (our life), the state in last election voted in only two Christian members of parliament. Among the present 234 state legislators only nine are Christians.
Christians form about 7 percent of Tamil Nadu's 62 million people.
Father Madurai Anand, editor of the weekly, said Christians do not have "adequate representation" in the national parliament and the state legislative assembly.
"Religious minorities are always treated as a vote bank, and we want to change that mindset," he said. "We demand that secular parties ... give us adequate representation as they enjoy the support of the Christian community."
More Christian representation would ensure justice for the Christian community and help implement its demands and interests, he stressed. "Unless Christians are adequately represented, true democracy cannot happen for the community."
Source: http://www.ucanews.com
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