God as a Fire in a Bush — Disgusting!

I was born and brought up in a Vaisnava family. From my early childhood, I had the privilege to learn about Krsna and worship Him. So when I came to this country, I was very much disturbed and disgusted with the Western concept of God as a bush of fire.

Everything Belongs to Krishna? — Letters

In “The Vedic Observer” section of your October issue you say that since everything belongs to the Supreme Person, we’re thieves if we claim anything belongs to us. Does that mean that the house I’ve lived in for the past twenty-five years isn’t mine?

On Deprogramming — Letters

I was advised to have my daughter deprogrammed. I read up on deprogramming and its ramifications. I also felt my daughter had and has freedom of choice, freedom of religious beliefs. I decided to do nothing. My philosophy is “live and let live.”

Letters

I am a bit sad to hear how Srila Prabhupada and many of his disciples say that modern scientists are atheistic fools. I myself am a scientist and have studied seismology, plate tectonics, volcanism, etc., but I don’t think that this has made me atheistic.

It Started at a Rock ‘n Roll Dance in London

I went to a rock ‘n roll dance in London. I knew that the advertised “Radha Krishna Temple” was 6 devotees from the Temple in San Francisco. I saw the devotees chanting HARE KRISHNA! I joined them. It felt good afterwards.

Why Did We Come to the Material World? — Letters

Since we are part and parcel of the Divine, we must have been in the divine, eternal, spiritual world at one time. Also, in the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krishna proclaims, “Those who come to My supreme abode will never return to the material world.” So why did we come to this material world?

Letters

I studied electricity. By the time I was finished, I felt I was very much in contact with a phenomenon that lacked sensible understanding. I mean, what really is a volt, an amp, an ohm?

My Heart Melted in the Kirtan — Letters

I visited the temple. They had kirtana going and within a matter of minutes my heart swelled with ecstasy and tears rolled down my cheeks. That was a turning point in my life. I felt so guilty for my wrong impression of them.

Question on Karma — Letters

If it is your karma to be Krishnas, then why bother to go out and try to convert people to your way of life? Why not let them just live out the destiny their karma has determined for them?

Supporting Science — Letters

Prabhupada argues science is not scientific because it is upheld by belief rather than fact. The justification he cites is that science cannot prove that life originates from chemicals. Yet in 1953 Stanley Miller synthesized amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins and hence life.