[The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
(Other language versions Human Rights Day 10 December 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights) Adopted and proclaimed by General Assembly resolution 217 A (III) of 10 December 1948. Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union: Chapter I - Dignity Chapter II - Freedoms Chapter III - Equality Chapter IV - Solidarity Chapter V - Citizen's Rights Chapter VI - Justice General Provisions Full text of the Charter of Fundamental Rights (PDF files) 10:30 AM]
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[Larger Issues of "The Lives of Sri Aurobindo" Controversy
by Debashish on Sun 01 Feb 2009 09:52 AM PST Permanent Link
Debashish Banerji, Rich Carlson, David Hutchinson, Angiras, Koantum
The opposition to The Lives of Sri Aurobindo raises serious issues. A few of these include: Creation of a new religion]
The right question rather is whether a new religion had already taken root much before The Lives of Sri Aurobindo was published. The answer, to my mind, is yes.
[The question arises whether the sense of outrage voiced by those opposed to this book is the symptom of a religion, whose prescribed modes of practice, belief and expression feel violated.]
Yes, partly.
[If this is so, we have to ask whether such a religious formulation of the teaching of Sri Aurobindo and the Mother is legitimate or not.]
Freedom to profess any faith is a basic human right, and hence setting up a moral question is itself improper.
[Both Sri Aurobindo and the Mother have been very explicit that they did not want their spiritual teaching turned into a religion.]
But through their actions, note observers, they helped create it complete with a temple in Auroville. [TNM]
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