Be cautious about showman speakers

someone said that he had been inspired by a certain foreign speaker on comparative religion.

It is not clear whether he was inspired by the substance of the talk or his showmanship.

In terms of substance, if one analyses the contents, you will find that the information imparted is filled with inaccurate facts and misleading claims.

The speaker seems to be confused about the ancient scriptures. For example, despite the claim to be the master of the

Vedas, there is a total absence of information on the 21 branches of the Rigveda or the 86 branches in the Yajurveda or the 1,002 branches of the Sama and Atharva Vedas, respectively. To understand and obtain information from the Vedas, one cannot rely on translations. It’s an ancient document that speaks the language of symbols and one has to be well versed in Vedic vocabulary and the technique to be able to interpret it.

One also finds there is a lack of solid research on biblical history and passages, as well as confusion about the information contained in the Guru Granth Sahib ji, the Zen Avestas and the Dhammapada.

Merely agreeing to what speakers say on religions is insufficient to impart true and accurate information on this subject.

If one is unacquainted with the correct facts of other religions, you will remain ignorant of the inaccuracies that are conveyed. There is nothing more terrifying than ignorance in action. What you don’t know won’t hurt you, but it may cause you to look silly.

One has to enquire whether the speaker is a scholar in the respective religion, and whether the references are authentic and correct. Even the background of the speaker is important.

One has to ascertain whether the speaker was involved in any controversies regarding religion as this is an important factor, having in mind that he would be dealing with innocent minds.

Those in authority must exercise caution in endorsing the methods of any speaker dealing with religion.

Inspired by these speakers, some local writers on comparative religion had resorted to “copy/cut and paste” from what they convey without much attention given to the quality and contents of the literature.

Writing without sufficient knowledge, in the absence of original research, intellectual analyses, references to actual and credible historical, archaeological and religious data, does not give quality to a book.

In terms of showmanship, when one is able to recite verses, quote passages, chapters, words, phrases and numbers of any religious text, it will automatically inspire the audience.

What is the secret of showmanship? The great Houdini once said: “The secret of showmanship consists not of what you really do, but what the mysteryloving public thinks you do.” That is great entertainment.

Credit must be given, but we must be cautious of the information we receive.