Contentious Questions for Sankara Saranam
You say in your book that fetuses have no social responsibility and so can't be afforded legal rights.
Why do you emphasize this point?
Since a fetus has no responsibility to its mother, society, or itself, it can't be convicted
of a criminal offense, and consequently can't be defended. And though abortion opponents claim
that by defending the rights of fetuses they are saving unborn lives, they are in fact attempting
to disempower women by overriding their rights to control their bodies.
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How would you respond to religious fundamentalists who say that their case against
homosexuality is in defense of nature?
Since homosexuality has been present throughout human history, I can't imagine not calling
it natural. We all possess male and female aspects, and being heterosexual or homosexual simply
means developing one set of aspects over the other. The universe is predicated on opposites - that's what
nature is about. For peaceful coexistence, we need to respect the masculine and feminine in ourselves
and everyone else.
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Since you are for God but against organized approaches to worshipping God, what is your stance on
the phrase "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance?
The American flag is a symbol our society has chosen to represent certain principles, and it's
important to realize that symbols were created by humans, not given to us by God. I pledge myself
to certain principles every day of my life, but I question the concept of pledging ourselves to a
narrow national identity. So I'd edit the Pledge of Allegiance to read, "I pledge allegiance to
humanity, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, and to the flag of the United States of
America, a temporal country in service to that timeless union."
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You want to get rid of organized religion, but would you want to eliminate holidays like Christmas too?
I would not observe the Christians' exclusivist version of Jesus's birth, but I would embrace the birth
of a mystic and spiritual master who exemplified a larger sense of self and identified with all of humanity.
Likewise, I would celebrate the birth of other masters who epitomized the possibility for every human being
to expand awareness. In their honor, I would donate food, clothing, shelter, health care, and education to
those in need.
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You envision a day when Bibles no longer inhabit hotel rooms or homes. Instead, you would encourage people
to leave their Bibles on the steps of libraries. How do you expect individuals around the world will react
to this idea?
Putting Bibles on library steps symbolizes a willingness to demystify their meaning and leave divisive
theologies in the past. Because they were written by men, not God, Bibles should be read with a critical
eye - much as we read the words of philosophers. But people who are instead attached to their scriptural
beliefs, including the myth of the Bible's divine authorship, would object to archiving a text that has
for centuries ruled in temples, churches, or mosques. Objections in such instances would be against honesty itself.
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