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Take this call Father Benedict
In pre Independent India, there was a wide spread custom- called Devadasi. These women were supposed to be spinsters all through their lives and get ritualistically married to the presiding deity of the temple. They lived in the precints of temples learning singing and dancing performing at temple festivals and were paid by the Temple authorities in olden days the King. Devdasi women were then victims of carnal desires of the temple priests and other paraphrenalia. They were subjected to this practice for centuries together not until one Dr.Muthulakshmi Reddy- A Andhra Brahmin woman who was the first woman doctor in Madras Presidency who had an inter caste marriage rose against this practice. In the Justice Party controlled Madras Assembly, Dr. Reddy was speaking against this barbarian practice when the eloquoent orator and freedom fighter Sathyamoorthy extolled the virtues of being a dev dasi.Dr.Reddy wanted to know if sathyamoorthy really believed in what he said, he could send his sisters to take up this profession. This custom which crept in to Hindu religion had no sanction in any religious text. Later on this practice was abolished legally. One may wonder but legendary singer Dr M.S.subbalakshmi's mother Madurai Shanmugavadivu was a Devdasi.
Hindu scriptures never recommended sainthood or sanyasam for women. Even for men it recommended taking up sanyas only after a man has lived through his Balya (Child hood) , Brahmacharya ( Aduloscence), Grihasthasrama( Married life),Vanaprastha( life of detachment) . Then only man is ripe to take up sanyas. Rishis and Munis had married lives too because God's creation is such. Peaceful cohabitation of men and women is ordained by god. It is un natural to curb a natural instinct.
The Catholic church never allows their priests to marry. Worse still it encourages the practice of women taking up to spinster hood eternally in the name of God. Protestant Priests marry. I have always believed that it is un natural to let two different genders co habitate in the same precincts for whatever reason because it is difficult to curb natural instinct. Now a days, we find young priests who unlike their Hindu counter parts, indulge in all earthly pursuits including drinking who are expected to be celibate in a tempting atmosphere. It was Confusius who opined that the best way to over come a temptation is succumbing to it. Probably this has what has been happening in Churches.
A Catholic Church Nun has revealed her story in Amen the story of a nun. She has alleged that she has been a victim of carnal desires of many priests and their sub ordinates. Sr.Jes Me has confided that she has been receiving threatening calls and Church in Kerala has questioned her motive in writing the book. She has also said that Vatican is yet to respond and she expects a redemption for the church. Father Benedict, the successor of the highly revered Fr.John Paul II kindly take up this call and cleanse the Church of an age old practice which is against nature. Fr. Benedict some times redemption is possible through humans also. Let us not wait for the second coming of Jesus Christ to get rid of this practice. Vatican has accepted Darwinian theory on evolution, has accepted Galileo and Copernicus. Fr.Benedict, this could be your time to resurrect the image of Lord Jesus Christ as the epitome of love towards humanity. Fr.Benedict, will you do this for the sake of mankind?
Amen
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