Sadharan Brahmo Samaj (Founding principles)

From: Saurav Brahmo <saurav@m...>
Subject: Re: [brahmoconferenceorg] Re: Basic Tenets Of Brahmo Dharma
To: brahmoconferenceorg@yahoogroups.com

Dear Rahul and Biswajit.

Actually there is less difference between the Sadharan Samaj and Adi Samaj than is being depicted. The issue is that the Sadharan Samaj has strayed far and wide from their original goals of the first decade(1877-1885).  If we hark back to the founding principles of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj we hardly find anything objectionable to us.

Founding principles of Sadharan Samaj

• that faith in a Supreme Being and in Existence after Death is natural to man ;
• that we regard the relation between God and men to be direct and immediate ;
• that we do not believe in the infallibility of any man or any scripture ;
• whatever book contains truths calculated to ennoble the soul or elevate the character is a Brahmo's scripture, and whoever teaches such truths is his teacher and guide.
• We regard the fourfold culture of man's intellect, conscience, affections, and devotion as equally important and equally necessary for his salvation.
• We consider love of God and doing the will of God as equally imperative in the routine of a Brahmo's life.
• We regard the culture of faith at the sacrifice of reason, or the culture of reason at the sacrifice of faith as equally defective, and as fruitful sources of evil in the religious world.
• We regard the worship of one God as the highest of a Brahmo's duties and as the best of means to improve the soul and the neglect of it as a way to spiritual death.
• We look upon the enjoyment of uncontrolled authority by a single individual in any religious community as a calamity, and far from looking upon freedom of thought as reprehensible, we consider it to be desirable, and regard it as a safe-guard against corruption and degeneracy.
• We regard the belief in an individual being a way to salvation, or a link between God and Man, as a belief unworthy of a Theist, and those who hold such belief as unworthy of the Brahmo name.
• We consider it to be blasphemy and an insult to the Majesty of Heaven to claim Divine inspiration for any act opposed to the dictates of reason, truth, and morality.

In Truth
Saurav