http://www.xenamedia.com/XAC

‘The Way’

Jacdau2@poky.interspeed.net

Special Posts and Information

From: "JacQuest" <jjalv@ida.net>

Hi All,

Well here we go again. This report was just posted on the AP Wire. If
anyone was sleeping or dozing off, things just might heat up. It should be
an interesting two weeks.

Jacquee

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A "Xena: Warrior Princess" rerun is drawing
criticism from Hindus who objected to the episode when it first
aired in March because of its depiction of deities as fictional
characters.
Those protesting the episode titled "The Way," set to repeat
the week of Aug. 30, say series' producers Universal Studios and
Renaissance Pictures are reneging on a promise not to air it again. ~
The producers "obviously claimed that they were not going to be
reshowing the episode just to quell the mounting worldwide
protest," Tusta Krishnadas of the World Vaishnava Association said
in a statement Friday. He called it a "dishonest strategy."
Using Lord Krishna and Sri Hanuman in the action-adventure
series, which stars Lucy Lawless as Xena, is an affront to those
who worship them, Krishnadas said in April when the episode was
pulled from worldwide syndication.
Changes made in the show for its second airing were described by
Krishnadas as "minor" and insufficient. ~
A spokeswoman for Renaissance said the producers have lived up
to their word. In its April response to the protest, the company
said alterations would be considered "if we later decide to air
it again."
After conferring with Sunil Aghi, president of the
Indo-Americans Political Foundation, an edited version omits a
scene in which Xena fights Sri Hanuman, who Aghi said is considered
by some Hindus to be a deity.
Other changes are under way and a public service announcement
has been added in which Lawless and Aghi put the episode in
perspective, he said.
"The portrayal of Hindu deities is important to us, but the
most important goal is to enlighten people of other religions about
Hinduism," Aghi said Friday.

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From: "JacQuest" <jjalv@ida.net>

Hi All,

I just received the following information from Lisa Tsering. This article
will appear in "India West Online" for the Aug. 20, 1999 issue. Lisa has
included some interesting information both from the show's producers and a
comment from Tusta Krishnadas that should be of interest to all.

Very pleased to be able to be able to forward it to XAC.

Jacquee Alvord



Edited Version of ‘Xena’
Episode Back on the Air
Aug. 20, 1999 issue

By Lisa Tsering
India-West Staff Reporter
Xena is back.

"The Way," an episode of the hit syndicated television series "Xena: Warrior
Princess" which was pulled off the air at the request of a group of Hindu
protesters for its allegedly unfavorable portrayal of the god Krishna, has
been reinstated in the show’s schedule.

The episode will air in the last week of August.
"After receiving thousands of letters, emails and signed petitions — both
pro and con — and consulting with Indo-American community activist Sunil
Aghi, we opted to make changes based on the areas of common concern," read a
statement by the show’s producers released Aug. 13.

Readers may remember the controversy that erupted earlier this year (I-W,
April 9) when a group of protesters, led by Tusta Krishnadas of the World
Vaishnava Association, picketed outside the gates of Universal Studios
demanding that the episode be pulled, as it depicted Krishna as a fictional
character. They also disagreed with a scene showing Xena bashing her
forehead against Hanuman’s.
Complete details on the content of the edited episode were not available at
press time. Sources familiar with the show told India-West that the
head-bashing scene was removed but references to Krishna remained unchanged.
This was not confirmed, though, and the show may undergo even more changes
before it airs.

The show’s stars, Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor, have taped a 30-second
public service announcement with Aghi, which will air with "The Way."
Editing of the PSA is not yet complete, said the show’s publicist.
Tusta Krishnadas expressed his disappointment at the announcement. "They’ve
broken their word," he said. "I still hold fast to the belief that Hindu
deities should not be fictionalized." Krishnadas has curtailed his
involvement in the issue recently, due to poor health. "My doctor said I
should avoid stress," he said.

"The Way" was a part of a four-episode India-based story arc which aired
earlier this year. After its first airing, increasingly large groups of
Hindus in the U.S. and India launched a protest in person and by mail and
email demanding that the episode be pulled from the repeat schedule. In
April, the producers agreed after meeting with Aghi, a well-connected
Democratic activist based in Southern California. Aghi, founder of the
Indo-Americans Political Foundation, also met with the show’s stars and
producers on location in New Zealand, partly at his own expense, he said.
Indian American organizations were divided in their opinions.
One group unanimous in its outrage, however, included the show’s fans, who
accused the producers, Studios USA, of buckling to the protests too
readily.

Xenites Against Censorship, an Internet-based fan group, spearheaded a
letter-writing and petition campaign which Studios USA took very seriously
indeed. Jacquee Alvord, of the XAC "Hard Copy Petition team," estimated the
number of signatures at 10,000, coming from a dozen countries. "I frankly
have never seen so many diverse locations joined with a common (cause)," she
said in an email to India-West.

A statement from the Indo-Americans Political Foundation said, "We
understand the ‘Xena’ episode is a fictional/adventure show and (are)
satisfied that the producer did not intend to offend Hindus. Our goal has
been to allow our concerns to be heard and freedom of speech for the
producers, who are entitled to express their imagination about the beauty of
the Hindu religion."

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http://www.nutbread.com/announce.html

The following announcement
was received from our petition representative

in Los Angeles:

Bob Fleming, Group President;

Jim Benson, Public Relations;

Steve Rosenberg, Domestic Television and

Barry Diller, USA Studios, Chm. and CEO

Fundamentalist Leaders and Associations
How We Got To Where We Are Today--an outline of the birth of the counter protest.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Hindu Fundamentalists/Indian Protest Organization
(and their leaders)

These are the specific groups (and the name of their leaders) that
protested to have "The Way" removed from
syndication. This information is for reference only. This list hopefully
help you to become more specific in your
letters as to who lead the protests to ban "The Way" from world wide
viewing. We have no way to verify their
numbers and suspect they may have some overlap in their memberships.

The threats made by the fundamentalists of an Indian boycott of all US
goods seems a bit strange as well as unlikely.
The majority of individuals in India, especially the northern provinces
have no running water, electricity or phone
service. There are over 22,000 dialects in India so communication is not
good in the first place. So, unless they
were all given "Watchman's" by the fundamentalist leaders, I doubt
seriously that the Indian nation could have
established the boycott or even a unified front.

There may be a few more fundamentalist groups involved, but I seriously
doubt it is anywhere close to the "over
100 Hindu organizations" they claim to have had involved, nor the 6 Billion
individuals that one protesting leader
stated were unhappy about the airing of this episode. (note: The are only 5
billion + people in the world). There was
probably some political involvement as well, however that political group
has now lost a vote of confidence in the
lower house of Parliament, and will soon be replaced by a government formed
by the Congress Party or, failing that,
a general election. This is good news as this party was rather
fundamentalist in position and known to have a
militant history.

Here are the involved groups we know had a hand in the banning of "The
Way".
1. Indo-Americans Political Foundation (IAPF)
Sunil Aghi, Chander Mittal
2. American Hindus Against Defamation (AHAD)
Pratap More
3. American Hindu Federation (AHD)
Gopal Chaturvedi, Vijay Telkikar
4. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)
5. World Vaishnava Association (WVA)
Tusta Krishnadas
6. Federation of Hindu Associations
Prithvi Raj Singh
7. Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh
Harish Dhruv

Please use this information for reference only.

****************************************************************************

**************************************

A Brief History of the Protest / Counter Protest

by Becky Calvert

I thought it might be interesting to try and chronicle
how we got this far this fast and try to
put together everything we have learned in the process.

We found out on April 6th that the episode "The Way" was
being pulled from national and
international syndication including re-runs in the states.
An apology was posted in the
Hollywood trade papers which supposedly came from Renaissance Pictures and
Rob Tapert.

Several of us became quite concerned about this and decided to see if
there was something we could do to have
the episode reinstated. A few people started to organize--nothing concrete
or official, just fans who felt that
something was not quite right about the whole situation. This small group
of fans worked together in cyberspace
and brainstorming began in earnest.

One owner put up a page with local TV station addys and became a
repository for affiliate addresses. Another
started compiling addresses to write to and the people to contact. Still
others started to collect information and
make it accessible for everyone to read. A new mailing list and site
jumped into existence with a bang--The XAC,
Xenites Against Censorship.

A new anti censorship banner was made and it swept across websites. A
Protest petition was established and
began drawing in people at an outstanding rate.

On the evening of the 6th, a letter was issued by Rob Tapert denying he
or Renaissance Pictures were responsible
for the final decision on the pulling of the episode. Rob had been used as
cannon fodder to cover someone else.

Sources lead us away from Ren Pic and toward the affiliate stations that
aired the episodes as being the
responsible parties forcing the episode to be pulled. Some stations had
been blitzed by e-mail in protest of the
episode. Upon contacting the affiliate stations, we found out that most
of the e-mail protesting the episode had
come from outside the country, from Russia, Poland, The Netherlands, New
Zealand and Australia. We learned
that the groups that were protesting were fundamentalist Hindus who had
never seen the episode, nor had their
leader. But, for them that was unimportant. What was important was that
they had heard that the god Krishna was
in the episode, he said words "not his own" therefore fictionalizing him,
and that Krishna was going to help Xena
rescue her obviously lesbian girlfriend. According to the protesters
Krishna could never do this because if he did,
he would appear to be condoning a lesbian relationship and this just could
never, ever happen. The assumptions that
were drawn on hearsay and tabloid education had to be true, because these
group leaders had heard that the show
had a large lesbian following. The followers of these leaders believed
what they were told, and instantly a protest
formed. The affiliates also denied suggesting that the episode be pulled.
They contacted their StudiosUSA sales
representative and told them that there was some letters of protest and
asked for guidance. Although they were told
that the main office had form letters to use in response, the stations
never received them and so the whole issue was
dropped and forgotten. We did find it interesting that none of the
affiliates knew how to reach the main offices of
StudiosUSA other than a mailing address. All contact was strictly between
the area sales reps and the station.

The entire unified front facade that the executives at Studios USA had
engineered had fallen apart. No one was
willing to take the blame for the actions of the executives of StudiosUSA.
It was later discovered that the original
apology which Mr. Tapert had been coerced into reading was crafted by 2
executives of StudiosUSA, Bob Fleming
and Jim Benson, and political lobbyist Sunil Aghi of the Indo-Americans
Political Foundation. Once the authors
were found, we knew who needed to be held accountable. After much
investigation a fax number was finally
uncovered, but it appeared obvious that StudiosUSA did not want the public
to have access to them by any way
other than snail mail.

At this point the protest kind of took on a life of it's own. People
were finding all kinds of information and putting
it out on the web. All sites started working together. The petition began
filling up, as did the AHAD (fundamental
Hindu protest group) guest book which strangely enough had allot of
pro-Xena comments.

I think that about covers the birth of this counter protest. In less
than 2 weeks a mountain of information has been
gathered and disseminated, ideas brainstormed, sites taking on a different
look, and over 3000 signatures on the
protest page. There is a bond in the Xenaverse stronger than ever before.
Sure, there are still agreements and
disagreements over strategies and ideas, but there have been few clashes,
heads have remained level, and everyone
is striving toward a common goal. This counter protest stopped being about
just the reinstatement of an episode
after the first day. It is about right and wrong, censorship, rights,
discrimination and misrepresentation. And we do
not plan to stop until we are assured that small fundamentalist groups are
unable to force a world wide censor on
what we watch on our sets.

What is left to say except BATTLE

ON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Becky Calvert
Commander in Chief
SSPA/NBB
http://www.nutbread.com
ICQ# 12967331

"

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From Arthur Chappell

Of my mailings on this issue - I think my statement, recognising that the Hare Krishna cult The World Vaishanava Association were largely behind the protest and not mainstream Hindus, and secondly, my news that The
Gay & Lesbian Humanist association (GALHA) have taken up the call to support the campaign to get the programme reinstated, as much of the Vaishanavaprotest is rooted in homophobia.

This was my 7th April statement in full The postings so far fail to spell out the obviou sfact that this
is not a mainstream Hindu group weare up against but a cult; a very specific one; asThe World Vaishanava Association is nothing more than a splinter group/front for The International society For Krishna Consciousness, (ISKCON) popularly
known as The Hare Krishna Movement. Currently the cult is divided into two feuding camps, it has been since the death of its founder, Prabupadha (they refer to it as his departure,) and the vnn is one division of that schism.

They may be telling the world to ban the episode, The Way, but they are copying and selling copies of it among their own follwers; possibly to show them why it misrepresents their spiritual idol, Kryshna. There is a hint of
hypocrasy in that surely. Here is the mention of it on their site.

March 3, 1999 VNN3225 See Related VNN Stories
http://www.vnn.org/news/xena.html

Xena - Krishna Video
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
BY MRIGENDRA DAS

USA, Mar 3 (VNN) — I have received several requests for copies of the video that I made off of the TV of the Xena show that aired last Saturday with Krishna featured, known as "The Way".

I will send copies of the good, but not great, quality tape for U.S.addresses for $10, which includes the shipping.

Thank you and Hare Krishna!

Best wishes,

Mrigendra das

Harvey Mechanic, Attorney at Law
3755 Watseka Ave. #201
Los Angeles, CA 90034
Voice/Fax (310) 815-8936


Why not sign a few messages in their guest book (you may have to subscribe which means they may know who you are too). You could also contact ex-Kryhnas and ex-cult members ites; there is a good one at www.trancenet/org/krishna/ I
am an ex-member of a cultmyself. My experiences in TheDivine light Mission are displayed at http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xenacles.htm
I should at this stage advise Xena fans not to challenge ISKCON VNN members directly; they are extremely hostile to fierce criticism byoutsiders. If you wish to learn more aboutthem consult ex members an ex-cultists in general. Most hindues do not appreciate ISKCON Do keep in mind that this kind of issue can get dangerous. Seek advise if you want to do anything more than post your views on the issue. There are ex-member contacts who can help out, and cult-monitoring bodies who can help to make such an act of censorship against Xena backfoire on the protagonists responsible. I hope people will use this kind of approach in conjunction with leter writings, mailings to studio/distribution people, etc and positive uses of the media. Rennaisance are in a quandarty that proves that you don't have to be in a cult to be harmed or affected by one. Cults are characterised by the following hallmarks - keep this in mind.

THE HALLMARKS OF A CULT
These were drafted by the American Cult Awareness Network, which has since collapsed, but has now been reopened by the Church Of Scientology, who use it to counter the very purpose they claim to serve. A cult need not show all twelve symptoms, but should show a significant number of them to qualify as a destructive cult.
1/ Cults are often characterised by a leader who claims divinity or a special mission delegated to him/her
by a supreme power.
2/. The leader or founder (usually living) demands absolute, unquestioning obedience and is the sole judge of a member’s faith and commitment.
3/. Members are preoccupied with fund-raising, recruitment and attending seminars.
4/. Meaningful communication with family, home and former friends may be sharply curtailed, and the cult becomes the convert’s new family.
5/. Indoctrinated members put goals of the cult ahead of individual concerns, interests, educational plans, career and health.
6/. Many cults systematically employ sophisticated techniques designed to affect ego-destruction, thought reform and dependence on the cult.
7/. Established members are often guarded, vague, deceptive or secretive about beliefs, goals, demands and activities until the recruit is ‘hooked’.
8/. The cult may maintain members in a heightened state of suggestibility through lack of sleep, engineered diet, intense
spiritual exercises, repetitive indoctrination, and controlled group experiences.
9/. Converts may display symptoms of extreme tension, stress, fear, guilt, lack of humour, regression in communication skills and critical judgement.
10/. Cults often encourage exclusivity and isolation. Some may use the excuse that all outside the cult is evil or satanic.

11/. The cult may be found to be exploiting its members’ finances.
12/. Some groups exploit members through unpaid employment and poor working
conditions.

Sorry for such a long mailing. I hope some good will come of all this for us and for our friends at Rennaisance.

9th April - I queried the exaggerated statistics that suggested we were up against millions of Huindus. (XAC list) With at least one e-mail recieved on these Xena lists suggesting that t there 6 billion Hindus out there, when the world's population might not come to that, I did some research today; buy going to WHITTAKER's ALMANAK, an annual collection of stas and figures on every subject under the Sun, and very reliable at that. Here is what it says.

Global Human population; the last official census was in 1990 and set the world at 5,292 million (billion) people. India - Population - 846,302,688.291 figures from 1991 UN census) 82.6% of these are belived to be Hindus. There are some estimated 800 million Hindus worldwide (clearly the vast majority are in India). No stats available for ISKCON, or VNN, who are likely to be a very small minority of these kind of figures. (probably less than 1%. Hope his helps. AC arthurchappell@clara.net
http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xenacles.htm
I've updated my web site to include a file highlightingthe cause of getting The Way episode of Xena reinstated to its true place on our viewing screens.
My file is at http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/unbanxena.htm This is in
addition to Humanism in Xena/Hercules essay at
http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xenacles.htm and my fanfiction story
Babylon Fire at http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xena.heliostratus.htm

Finally of my selection the e-mail that confirmed GALHA were issueing a press release challenging this act of censorship against us. I have forwarded news of the plight of the Way on to various Humanist organisations - The following press release was sent out by the British Gay And Lesbian Humanist Association who clearly and rightly take exception to
censorship through homophobic religious intolerance. Hope this helps us. AC
arthurchappell@clara.net http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xenacles.htm
Secretary ofThe Manchester (UK) Humanists and a trusteeof The British Humanist Association. (to which GALHA are affiliated)

-----Original Message-----
From: GALHA <roysaich@humanists.freeserve.co.uk>
To: Humanist Ass. American <humanism@juno.com>
Date: 12 April 1999 05:13
Subject: Gay Humanists support Xena

GAY AND LESBIAN HUMANIST ASSOCIATION
34 SPRING LANE, KENILWORTH, WARWICKSHIRE, CV8 2HB
TEL/FAX 01926 858450
E-MAIL GALHA@bigfoot.com
WEBSITE http.//visitweb.com/galha
Affiliated to Amnesty International and the International Humanist and Ethical Union

NEWS RELEASE
11 April 1999

GAY HUMANISTS BACK XENA AGAINST ATTACK BY HOMOPHOBIC HINDUS

The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has joined the protest against the withdrawal of an episode of Xena Warrior Princess by it producers.

The episode entitled The Way features an appearance of the Hindu deity Krishna and has been withdrawn from international showing and repeat showings State-side following an objection from the World Vaishanava Association, an offshoot of the Hare Krishna cult. The WVA has complained that it demeans Krishna himself to depict him in a work of fiction and that the show has a reputation for its female lead characters being lesbians. Xena fans in their thousands have launched a campaign to get the show made publicly available again.

GALHA spokesperson George Broadhead commented: "This is yet another example of the prejudice against lesbians and gays on the part of religionists. It is not altogether surprising since the Hari Krishna cult is very strict about sex. Its followers are expected to abstain from sex if unmarried and even have sex with their wives only once a month for strictly procreational purposes. This example of religious homophobia reminds me of the recent attack by Hindu fundamentalists on cinemas in India showing the lesbian film Fire."

END

PROMOTING A RATIONAL HUMANIST APPROACH TO HOMOSEXUALITY AND GAY, LESBIAN AND BISEXUAL RIGHTS AS HUMAN RIGHTS

President: Maureen Duffy. Vice-Presidents: Tony Banks MP, Professor Sir
Hermann Bondi FRS,
Dr James Hemming, Sir Michael Levey LVO FBA FRSL, George Melley, Claire
Rayner MBE,
Dr H Stopes-Roe, Barbara Smoker, Professor Rob Tielman, Angela Willans


Thank you for considering my contributions to the campaign as worthy for such atention. I see a lot of impressive leters and activity here that shows what wonderful people Xena's fans are. The petition itself will no doubt be
our finest weapon,
On the point of adding a link to mysite - here is how i would word it (feel free to use your own discretion by all means,.)

XENA FEATURE - My web site is not exclusively about Xena -
itcarries many different themes and topics. My article on the Humanist
philosophy and mythology in Xena and Hercules has proved to be one of the
most successful features on my web site. You can see it at
http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xenacles.htm When news broke that The Way episode had been banned from future screenings around the world duue to pressure from a minority cult, I issued a second Xena feature at
http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/unbanxena.htm which summarises my views on this terrible event in the programme's history. A third Xena feature is my short fanfic story - Babylon Fire about the destruction of the famous hanging Gardens. You can read this at
http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/xena.heliostratus.htm Click on my
contents page links on any of these pages for a full site listing of my work
to date. You can always e-mail me withyour views on my ideas at
arthurchappell@clara.net Thank you.

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 Vaishnava News Editorials and Comments from Pro-Xena Supporters

RELATED NEWS STORY INDEX http://www.vnn.org/news/xena.html

God Barred From The Arts And Media!

BY GHARI

EDITORIAL, Apr 19 (VNN) — The mighty crusade is over and the infidels have relinquished the bounty.

We were just too upset that they would not listen to our expertise in the first place - but we showed them! All their efforts to create a class act, just to fall short in several esoteric points of order and protocol. I told them we would help, but no, no, no; now all their time has been wasted in their demonic attempt to present God as they understand Him. We are vindicated.

We seem to be saying that no book, film, poem, or TV show can include God.

No more booming voices from the sky revealing the playwright's clever moral messages or a hinting to the existence of a higher power (unless they are pre-approved translations from the original Sanskrit Vedas).

No more stories of God's intervention in the lives of His children - unless, of course, they were previously recorded in the Vedas.

The atheists have removed prayer from our schools. Now God has been removed from the arts. The atheists have won again.

Krsna can indeed be controlled by His devotees! He can say nothing more than has already been recorded in the Vedas. I guess He can no longer interfere with our lives, for any of those pastimes are not duly documented either.

Seems just a little presumptuous to me.

Quite frankly when the media decided to remove "The Way" episode from their programming, it was likely just a way of saying "Go to hell - bunch of ignorant bobkins who had never even seen the show". Raimi must really feel ashamed of his Hindu ancestry by now.

gHari

Gary Stevason
CaitanyaMahaprabhu@yahoo.com
Visit the KingdomOfGod.com soon

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April 17, 1999 VNN3619 See Related VNN Stories

Acas, Ancient God Of Conciliation

FROM THE GUARDIAN (LONDON)

LONDON, Apr 17 (VNN) — The Guardian (London) - April 15, 1999

SECTION: The Guardian Feature Page; Pg. 20

HEADLINE: Diary

BYLINE: SIMON BOWERS

... NOT even history's greatest seers - from Nostradamus to our very own Paul Johnson - could ever have foreseen the news that makers of Channel Five's Xena Warrior Princess have been forced to withdraw an episode following an inaccurate reference. Fans of the programme - known for its forensically faithful reconstructions of the myths and legends of the ancient world - will be shocked to hear that a portrayal of the Hindu deity Krishna was so offensively inaccurate that its international showing has been scrapped. 'We are outraged,' said a Los Angeles based Hindu campaigner.

'How would Christians feel if a bunch of Hindus took Jesus Christ and filmed Xena punching him in the face?' This, however, is not the end of the matter. The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association is now claiming that withdrawal of the episode is a sop to Hare Krishna homophobes upset to see their deity consorting with a lesbian icon, and are demanding that Universal Studios release the show. Acas, ancient god of conciliation, may soon be summoned to settle the matter.

Copyright 1999 Guardian Newspapers Limited

Contributed by Mrigendra das - Los Angeles
az284@lafn.org

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16 Apr 1999

VNN3613 See Related VNN Stories

Mrigendra's Letter About Xena

BY JAGANNATHA TIRTHA DAS

EDITORIAL, Apr 16 (VNN) — Prabhus: Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Prabhupada.

Xena and Krishna... Mrigendra Prabhu's letter makes much sense. Common sense with a view to not get too offensive or radical is a good rule. Non-devotee's have taken anger, scams, etc. in various forms from devotee's, Christians, Moonies, etc., etc. for years. To them, religionists are all kooks. In this regard, the activities of 'gurus' that were eccentric and often illegal has only fueled the fire of their suspicion. "Monkey on a Stick" nearly killed the Vaishnava movement in America. An organized move to criticize Xena will only add fuel to the fire, resentment against Krishna and his devotees. It is simply not good public relations.

That Krishna's holy name and Krishna personally have gotten nationwide airtime is a miracle. I immediately saw it as Krishna's intervention. It was not offensive in any way, just a little inaccurate, but was Krishna directly. Krishna's name, fame and pastimes are absolute. Someday, it may be acknowledged for what it is... that Krishna interjected Himself in the minds of the producers and writers and on television by His will, independent of this organization or that. Krishna's pastimes are eternal, unlimited, ever-expanding and totally unpredictable.

When Prabhupada came to America, he had no one organization's authorization, except he believed in Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada and Radha and Krishna. Krishna appeared to us through our dear Srila Prabhupada. If Krishna chooses to appear over the airwaves in this way, who can stop Him? Krishna is ABSOLUTE.

In kali yuga, devotees of the Lord do not understand the factual demonic elements within human society such as murders, rapes, child molesting, terrorism, criminal politicians, etc. They waste time arguing about philosophy, while sleaze bags steal, molest and kill their children. In this regard there is much practical work to be done protecting the citizens from demons who have been given license to kill. Even if caught, they are set free after some short "time out". Vaishnavas, as well as other religionists, prefer to argue with one another about this point or that, an absolutely useless waste of precious time. I was never attracted to such pointless arguments. The Vaishnava does not argue with anyone, one of the 26 qualities of the devotee, I think. No one can win such arguments, because no one acknowledges defeat anyway. It is always a Mexican standoff. All sides are offended, and hatred, not love follows as bitter emotions swell. It is chewing the chewed, over and over. Such arguments never make devotees, only scare potential devotees away. For every devotee converted by argument, 99 are discouraged and offended. Love is higher than intellect. In Krishna book, the wives of the brahmanas understood Krishna's desires, while the brahmanas refused to give Krishna his rightful portion of their Vedic sacrifices (everything).

In this regard, when we attack someone or go looking for a fight, we are liable to find it. The producers of Xena would be more inclined to investigate true Krishna consciousness by devotees going over to their production studio with a big 7 course feast, and paying them a sincere compliment for a job well done. They should be complimented for transmitting Krishna's holy name to millions, something that others are finding difficulty doing. One might present the old "mild touched by the lips of a serpent" argument... but that only applies to "addendum" philosophy and not Krishna's name, form, etc., which is never contaminated. To think that Krishna's holy name becomes contaminated is an offense. Krishna is not brought down by a dog eater chanting. The dog eater is elevated to Krishna consciousness, even guru status eventually. In this regard, Krishna's holy name is always Supreme, powerful, never diluted, and Absolute.

Every religionist on the planet argues about his viewpoint, and the world pays no attention to this... but just sees fanatics in action. While it may be the spiritual master's position to criticize his disciples, to criticize the Xena producers as an introductory statement demonstrates that certain devotees have nothing better to do with their time than waste it. You don't try to convert people by just going in and pounding on their heads. This all could have been handled more conservatively and cordially.

Concerning relationships between Vaishnavas, we should all just work together. Equal devotees should "just get along" (thank you Rodney King). Maybe I am too simpleminded. It's apparent that party feeling and politics isn't working or making different factions feel better about one another. We should all do what we can to cooperate in love to expand the Kingdom of God upon the Earth, giving up the fighting spirit to annihilate one another as on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. A fratricidal war will help no one, and similarly, attacking potential devotees such as the Xena producers hurts Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's Mission.

By writing this letter, I am not joining any argument. It is a fact that Krishna is Absolute and was personally present in the Xena episode. Believe me, if the producers of Xena were ever considering writing another Krishna script, you could bet that they have put it on the shelf because of the organized attacks on them.

For years I have wanted to help the Krishna consciousness effort, but all the politics, crime, fighting, arguing, misappropriating community funds, mismanagement, and jockeying for position have alienated me. When I was living within the society, my Krishna given talents were ignored, a typical example of absolute mismanagement. Good managing means giving an individual a position in keeping with his or her skills. This was never done for me nor many others. I know there were some good years, there must have been. The innocent years. Now I have discovered that even then, there were demonic activities being concealed, child molesting, and political maneuvering. I remember a lot of yelling by other devotees. I remember the yelling at the GBC meetings at Mayapur. I thought it strange that devotees would act like this in the holy Dhama. "There must be some problem," I thought. I remember often reading Chaitanya Charitamrita and thinking, "Why don't the devotees act like this, bouncing off the walls in ecstasy? What's wrong with everyone? Why all this fighting?" When frustrated, I used to lose my temper also.

But my frustration was usually over the fact that my factual skills were being mismanaged. I had put my self under the charge of people who just really didn't care about me. What was so odd, was that I had joined the movement out of love. I remember feeling, thinking, "These people have real love and devotion. I can feel it, and I want to become like that. There were many other yoga groups and religious movements then in the early 70's, but I knew Krishna was Absolute Truth. The day I left the Alachua farm in 1980, a junior devotee yelled at me for almost half an hour, for absolutely no reason. Once again, yelling , screaming, and fighting had ruined everything, at least in my small universal perception of things. I made up my mind to leave my home, a home which Prabhupada had built for all of us. It was a sad time for me, and I have never been the same since, never so innocent, believing, trusting and naive. I miss being 5 years old in my mind, to be honest with you. I had no religion. I had no politics. I was 25 years old in body, and was 5 in my mind. I was Krishna conscious and in bliss. Then it all went away. I think it went away for a lot of my Godbrothers and sisters too. I think it especially went away for those who manipulated the system to their own devious ends. To quote Jesus: "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his immortal soul."

Apparently, the yelling mentality still rages on, and now Vaishnavas feel it necessary to yell at non-devotees for their particular view concerning Shree Krishna. But it was not a demonic portrayal, just mildly inaccurate. This is ludicrous when you consider that there is unlimited expanse to Lord Krishna's personality and attributes. Why do devotees pretend they know the "real" Krishna from the "false" Krishna, when even Sesa Naga cannot even chant all the glories of the Lord in unlimited time? Krishna is absolute and never false. Beyond that, Krishna is unlimited and unknowable completely to any jiva soul. Krishna, as Absolute, on the Xena show, was and is Krishna. Just like in the temple room. Absolute, not stone or bell metal. So there is really no reason to argue this issue. Krishna was right there on TV, where he belongs. All producers of all television shows should be encouraged and never discouraged to interject Lord Krishna in their productions. What makes this appearance a Krishna lila is Krishna's Absolute Presence, not that it must conform to what we have read in the Krishna book. There are billions of Krishna books we have yet to read. Unlimited trillions of pastimes. At least we have eternity to get there. How Krishna chooses to appear to the world is independent of our mental limitations which we place upon Him. Krishna is not restricted by what we may think about him. He is fully independent.

I was talking with a Christian a few months back. He said that the Mormons believe that God has a wife and they have sex. I said, "God is unlimited. If he wants to have a millions wives he can. Who am I to stop him?" All this jockeying to see who is the greatest Vaishnava is insane. Fighting between Vaishnavas is insane. Dumping crap upon people like the Xena producers is insane, and counterproductive in all regards. Vaishnavas should stop pretending they know everything about Krishna, and just accept what they do know, and try to be cordial and genuinely friendly to non-Vaishnavas. Otherwise, the Krishna movement is doomed.

I know that devotees like to argue and scream at anyone and anything, but where does this lead, and who becomes converted by such screaming and chastising. I am sure I'll even get a response or two by some self superiorizing Prabhu who thinks he's seen the light, and wants to put me in my place. But, by all such verbal negativity, you can bet that the people at the Xena production studios won't be becoming devotees anytime soon (their eternal, factual position as spiritual beings), after having all that crap dumped upon them by those who thought themselves superior.

We are not superior. We are the humble servant. That is what Prabhupada taught us. And, if we had even a slight degree of verbal dexterity, sincerity, compassion and skill, then the world would be enjoyably Krishna conscious at the present time, led by mature Vaishnavas who refuse to let the influences of the age affect them in the form of fighting, fighting, and more fighting. As a sideline issue, the recent debates (Krishna Kant, and others, etc.) are just more chewing the chewed, by intellectuals who cannot solve the real, tangible, practical problems in human society. What an absolute waste. There is no bliss to be obtained in these dry arguments where one individual tries to position his "superior intellect" over another. Just offenses, offenses and more offenses. No love can be felt in such an atmosphere of argumentation and fighting... which coincidentally happens to be the major problem all over the world in the Age of Kali... THE AGE OF QUARREL, ARGUMENT, HYPOCRISY, AND VIOLENCE.

Prabhupada loved us and we felt his love. I think that is why most of us joined up ages ago. Why is it so hard for us to love one another, to treat each other like we like to be treated, the Golden Rule, as Jesus taught?

I have always wanted to help in some way, despite my distance from ISKCON, and I hope this letter makes it's point. I also write music and essays. And, will forward a few essays which you may publish if you like.

You may publish this letter if you see fit.

I am always...

Your Eternal Servant:

Jagannatha Tirtha Das

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'The Way' Of Censorship

BY ELIZABETH MAST

EDITORIAL, Apr 12 (VNN) — I, like many other fans of X:WP, am very upset that "The Way" has been pulled from further distribution. Fortunately, I was able to see this episode the one time it was shown in my area. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to video tape it, so I may never get to see it again. I thought it was a great episode and saw nothing offensive in it. My understanding is that some of the splinter groups from mainstream Hinduism, protested because they perceived the episode to portray 1) Krishna as fictional, and 2) Hinduism as accepting homosexuality.

First, the complaint that Krishna is treated as a fictional character is debatable. Xena: Warrior Princess portrays many historical figures, mythological and real, within the framework of the show. The show makes no pretense of historical accuracy and the fans often joke about the Xenaverse and its ability to transverse many timelines. X:WP has shown Xena and Gabrielle, the main characters of the show, interacting with real historical figures (e.g., Julius Caesar, Homer, Cleopatra) and mythological characters (e.g., Pandora, Ulysses, Helen of Troy, Hercules, Ares, Aphrodite, Zeus). The show is fun because it is campy and rewrites history to suit its purpose of entertaining its viewers. For example, Xena is shown inventing the kite and using it and a brass buckle to draw lightning from the sky to kill a giant; Xena pulls a sword (presumably King Arthur's Excalibur) out of a stone that no one else can remove, then puts it back; Gabrielle argues that the world is round instead of flat and insists that one day people will travel to the stars. Our heroines are depicted as being far ahead of their time (whatever time that might be for a given episode).

X:WP has alluded to a variety of religions ranging from polytheism to monotheism, as well. The origins of Judaism and Taoism have been incorporated into the story lines. Depending on one's individual religious and spiritual views, the various religious leaders and their God or gods, are either real or fictional. For example, many Christians and Jews, David and Goliath (shown in the episode "Giant") are real, whereas someone of a different faith may see them as fictional. The point is, the show is meant to be entertaining, not educational or historically accurate. Ironically, the show has inadvertently become educational in that a large percentage of its fans often research many of the ideas, concepts and historical events and figures (factual and mythological) as a result of seeing them portrayed on the show. The fans like to discover where the story ideas have come from.

As an aside, I'd like to point out that in the show, Xena has little or no respect for the gods of any religion. She believes the gods (from all religions, not just the Greek gods) exist because she has personally interacted with so many of them. However, her experiences, for the most part, have not been pleasant or positive to say the least. That she would pray to Krishna is something she would not do lightly.

Second, the contention that "The Way" portrays Krishna as condoning homosexuality is false. While the show itself leaves the nature of relationship between Xena and Gabrielle open to the individual viewer's interpretation, the official stance is that the two women are friends and soul mates. It was established in the episode "Between the Lines," that the term "soul mates" is not necessarily equated with two people being lovers. In "Between the Lines," Xena's and Gabrielle's souls meet very late in the life of Xena's persona when Gabrielle's persona (a male in this life) is still quite young. They are not lovers and are highly unlikely to become so. In "The Way," when Gabrielle is kidnapped by an evil God, Xena reluctantly turns to Krishna for help. Krishna helps Xena rescue Gabrielle, but from what I saw, he got her help in defeating his enemy in return. As I recall, Krishna neither condoned nor condemned Xena's and Gabrielle's relationship, no matter how one chooses to interpret the nature of their friendship.

I sincerely ask that StudiosUSA will reconsider their decision to pull the episode "The Way" from international distribution and that those who have protested the episode will review the episode and reevaluate their reasons for protesting the show. I also ask that broadcast stations and affiliates which show X:WP encourage StudiosUSA to reconsider their decision to censor this episode. For individuals and groups who truly find this (and any other) episode offensive, I ask that you simply not watch the episode or that, after you watch something that you find offensive, that instead of seeking censorship, you take a more positive approach by educating others as to why you find it offensive rather than taking the adversarial approach of trying to prevent others from seeing it and deciding for themselves.

Most importantly, I wish to thank all of the broadcast and cable stations and their affiliates who showed the episode in spite of the protests, some of which was evidently quite hostile, against it. I also wish to thank all individuals and organizations (Hindu and non Hindu) who have expressed support in the showing of this episode.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Elizabeth Mast

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Xena Fans Speak Out

LETTERS FROM READERS

EDITORIAL, Apr 11 (VNN) — I have been an initiated member of the Hare Krishna group from 1972. I lived in India for over 10 years. I am married to an Indian for almost 20 years. I have watched numerous Indian movies religious and otherwise. I had numerous amounts of opportunities to associate with the leader of the Hare Krishna movement (luckily), Srila Prabhupada.

Comments were made by him in the past; regarding news articles, such as how many times did they mention Krishna's name. Never did he organize protests for things such as this. After viewing many Indian religious movies I felt they did an injustice to how they portrayed Krishna.

I personally watched the Xena episode and could not find anything to criticize. I did feel that our beloved leader would have been very pleased with the show and would have liked the way Xena prayed to Krishna. I myself thoroughly enjoyed the episode and said to myself," what a great opportunity the world has had to be exposed to this story of Krishna, even though there might be some minor discrepancies." I have always wished that with all the millions of dollars that the organization has had that they could have reached the masses even in some small way through the air waves.

Henry Ford would say when his name was mentioned in any article good or bad; was it spelled right?

I also personally felt Madonna's presentation was quite good. Why did we have to also turn her off when maybe she's making a sincere effort to explore her spirituality. We did a good job on Annie Lennox, George Harrison, Boy George, etc.

Please offer my apology to Xena as I feel the silent majority does not agree with the vocal minority. Hopefully she will not feel discouraged to consult with Vaishnavas for future programs to portray stories of Krishna worldwide. I feel people of the world are intelligent enough to do their research to see the good for the story portrayed and the exposure to the story was in itself a positive experience.

It reminds me of a bumper sticker I once saw," Please GOD protect me from your followers!"

Hoping this meets you well.

Please feel free to correspond with me. Thank you for your letter.

Sincerely,
S. Das

Dear Sir

I read your editorial and I object to being called immature devotees and faithless atheists of which I am neither.

I have to say that The episode The Way showed me for the first time and taught me about your religion. It showed me that your god Krishna is a kind and loving god. It was a portrayal of a God that was compassionate. You never know you might actually get some converts from this episode.

I suspect hate isn't one thing that Krishna tells you to do - nor is intolerance. You seem to espouse these qualities.

I am sorry you feel about the Way as you do but may I suggest you take a good look at it and leave your preconceived ideas aside.

Yours sincerely

Mary Draganis
kira@zip.com.au
Xenites Against Censorship

I was recently watching Television when on my screen came an awesome deity. I was moved by him yet i knew it was fiction, so i wanted to learn more. I wanted to know about his Way and to learn about him and he was Krishna i was fascinated. I live on a college campus and i asked around trying to find out everything i could and maybe to learn a better way than what i knew. That simple TV show sparked an interest in me... but now you are protesting this show. Why? it lets people know about the glory of your god. Because of the scathing that many have shown to Xena i will really never again be interested in Krishna because of attitudes of hatred for the show that almost brought me to your Way.

I do not think i will ever hear the name of Krishna and not think about the hateful remarks that have been tossed about the Internet. I am just sorry that I could not see more without my journey being poisoned by hatred once again. Christianity did it first now Hinduism. I just wonder if i will find my WAY.

Sarah Schweitzer

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Dear Ken,
Dandavats. Thank you for your post. I am sorry if I falsely assumed ill motive on your part. I did not think anonymous was being treated fairly ashis point of view was attacked and please forgive me if I concluded
malace on your part where it did not exist.

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>it appears that the WVA is being attacked
>very strongly by quite a small number of
>VNN readers.

We have seen everyone from common housewives to swamis come out against the protest. Do you equate that with attacking the WVA? If it is only a small number of VNN readers who are against the protest then why has such a big deal been made out of it coming from SS and tkd? I don’t believe anyone thinks that all the members of the WVA are in favor of the protest but rather the silent majority do not consider it important enough to get involved with one way or the other. Millions of people around the world have been turned off by the protest and denied the chance to see a pretty good depiction of Krsna although not a perfect depiction. At the same time they have been given the impression that some vaisnavas are like any other fanatical zealots ready to crush anyone who does not agree with them.

You can say what you like but the fact is the whole thing was organized by one small group. It may have gotten support from others but it would never have taken place without the effort of two particular people namely SS and tkd. Of course this can never be proved anymore than one can prove Al Capone was a crook. Al Capone was never convicted of being a gangster, the government could not prove he was but nonetheless he was a gangster. Because something cannot be proved does not mean it is not true.

>As devotees we can disagree on things.

So let devotees disagree without labeling thing offenders, pseudo devotees, sentimentalist etc.

>But the amount of venom that been
>produced by the opposition to the WVA is
>certainly disproportion in the matter of a >disagreement by vaishnavas.

I would say the amount of venom displayed by the followers of SS and tkd on the VNN forum started by dasanudas far exceeded any venom displayed by the other side.

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I think the 'millions' around the world that 'supported' the protest never saw Xena's "Way", but took the propaganda from the top. More see-through blouses, lesbians, hyperbole, lies and pathetic speculation before it even came out.

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I have been following this topic from almost the beginning and have observed the following:
It appears that the WVA is being attacked very strongly by quite a small number of VNN readers. Certainly no vaishnava organization has come out against the Xena protest. In fact I have heard that when it was first discussed in India, it got a lot of support from WVA members there. Also the millions of Hindus around the world as well as the Ramanuja sampradaya enthusiastically supported the protest. It wasn't just "splinter groups ", as reported on articles posted on VNN. Vishwa Hindu Parishad backed the protest from the beginning. VHP is the largest Hindu group in the world. It is a total misrepresentation to state that only a small group within the WVA was responsible for the protest.

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It is unfortunate the WVA is getting a beating because of a very vocal minority within their ranks. The WVA is an honorable organization but unfortunately have delegated power to those who may abuse it.

I humbly request the leaders of the WVA to do more investigation before delegating power. They could start by looking into the political shenanigans of Siddhaswarup and his disciples in Hawaii. From as early as 1978 they have been involved in politics there and have made quite a bad impression on the public concerning followers of Lord Caitanya.

I also challenge VNN to do some investigating on their own before things get out of hand.

All anyone has to do is contact the television stations and newspapers in Hawaii to find out how many times SS (Chris Butler) has been implicated in underhanded dealings in the political arena in Hawaii.

unfortunately one small group has rolled right over the WVA, using that organization for their own agenda. SS (Siddhaswarup) and his gang have cleverly manipulated that organization for their own agenda. Any honest person who knows anything about them knows how clever and dishonest they can be in their dealings. The secretary of the WVA is one of SS's men. The press secretary for the WVA is tkd one of SS's men and the official news site for the WVA is run by SS"s men. If anyone thinks SS is not calling the shots on all the Xena and Madonna business they are very much mistaken. With such little interest from other vaisnavas concerning the WVA it has become an easy hit for them to manipulate and with their political savvy they are expert at manipulating things.

Thanks to VNN regarding the article posting letters from Xena fans. This VNN website represents a good cross-section of the worldwide Vaisnava community. The protest of Xena The Way was started by the WVA before anyone on VNN forums were notified. In other words, the community of Vaisnavas was not solicited for their opinions on this protest prior to its start; also anyone who did not agree with WVA's campaign against "The Way" were met with derogatory remarks against their characters by WVA supporters. When VNN did come to know about the WVA protest, it was only to join the protest. No solicitation of opinion and debate was made. Why can't the WVA accept a little criticism when they certainly can dish it out to Xena producers and opponents to their agenda? I personally hope that the WVA conducts their business in a more conventional manner by soliciting the opinion of Vaisnavas rather than creating an opinion and advertising it worldwide that it is the opinion of the worldwide Vaisnavas.

Earlier in April when Mrgendra das first glorified XENA for putting together a show with Krishna as a hero/guru/god I thought that no doubt people are beginning to at least give Him not only honorable mention but an honorable role on an "honorable show". I say honorable show because 'lo an behold'the cover of this weeks TV guide which adorns every supermarket check out stand in America carries XENA's female warrior on the cover! How many millions of people must pin there eyeballs to the TV when this girl speaks. Now, if she had said something derogatory I can see someone getting up in arms. But rather she submitted to Lord Krishna, which is what it is all about, no?
Now how on earth can you walk into so many millions of homes in the USA and give people the idea that Krishna is someone we should respect and follow. Is there any more powerful medium than TV? Srila Prabhupada said that in just 2 years we could make people Krishna conscious via the 'tube'.
As stated by the commentator Diane White, people do do homework on these shows. The process of inquiry can begin. The founders of WVA also see XENA as a threat, but in my firm opinion she opened a door that may not have ever opened for many a soul stuck to the tube for lack of something better.
In the 1970's I remember many people who came to the Sunday feast because of seeing the musical 'HAIR'. I do not think any devotee could sit through such a show and yet people wanted to know more about Hare Krishna. The seed was planted by someone who had obviously gotten some association with the holy name in the same way that someone up there at studio XENA must have received some favorable association with Krishna.
The little episode that caused such a commotion would seem to be a little drop of mercy in the vast wasteland of electronic entertainment.

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Well I am the guy who started this forum. In all honesty when I recieved the original letter from Tusta Krsna Prabhu in my E-mail box I considered his request to send letters to Universal Studios to protest the improper portrayal of Krsna to be honorable and with good intentions. I had a letter to Universal Studios written and was about to send it but then some little bird questioned me. "Is this the best action to take?", he said. I pondered the question for some time. Then to find out what the rank and file devotees thought about it I started the forum. Well all I can say is after seeing what took place on this forum I am absolutely glad I never sent that letter to Universal Studios. Thank all of you for your input. I thank all of you from both sides of this issue for helping me decide and I offer my humble obeisances to you all. Until next time. Audios. Haribol. Hare Krsna.

[This message has been edited by dasanudas (edited 03-17-99).]

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False Dichotomies

BY SRILA DASA

EDITORIAL, Mar 7 (VNN) —

A Personal Response to Tusta Krishna Prabhu's Xena's 'Krishna' - To Glorify Or Condemn.

I first want to acknowledge the genuine concern expressed by Tusta Krishna Prabhu and the WVA for attempting to defend the integrity of our Vedic faith. Hollwood's latest portrayal of Krishna and Hanuman certainly merits some words of correction. I would respectfully suggest, however, that Tusta's apprehensions may have been excessively voiced. I would further caution him about claiming to be a spokesperson for the entire world Gaudiya Vaisnava community without consulting his constituency first. I might add that when presumption is expounded repeatedly, it appears as nothing less than hubris. Such arrogance or pretension does not become a true Vaisnava, and certainly not the persons purporting to represent the society of Vaisnavas. No one can claim to authoritatively "represent" Vaisnavas without themselves first being first-class emblems of what it means to be a Vaisnava.

On a more practical dynamic, it is not what you say as how you say it. No one here has praised Hollywood's portrayal of Krishna and Hanuman as accurate and devotionally inspiring for orthodox believers. Rather, I think everyone will agree that, to varying degrees, it is distorted if not perverted. Nevertheless, that does not obviate the fact that there is indeed some piety in promoting Krishna as a favorable "god," however He may be scripted. Even traditional Hindus - including many of those who regularly patronize our temples in the West -- harbor significant misconceptions about the divinity of Krishna, considering Him a demi-god, arising out of the impersonal Brahman, or what-not. The entire academia (South Asian, religious studies, etc.) considers the Hindu pantheon hardly more than "mythology." Should we not condemn them? Why stop there? Everyone who does not accept Krishna as the Supreme Personality of Godhead is a 'demon,' right? So what's new? What more should we expect from Hollywood?

What power do we have to change people's ideas anyway? People are free to think and speculate as they wish. There are few moral restraints on what Hollywood produces. I mean really, what planet do Tusta Krishna and his fellow PR men live on? (Sorry for the cynicism, Prabhus, but it seems well-deserved.) There are serious philosophical concoctions and deviations extant even within our present-day society of Vaisnavas, so what can we expect from the likes of uneducated, mleccha script-writers?

If we were to make solid contacts with Hollywood producers personally, then as they learn to respect us for what we are, they will naturally begin to accept us as some kind of authoritative source for Hindu religious beliefs. But as long as we over-react like some kind of Bible-toting fundamentalist conservative caucus, you can bet we will the last persons they will want to consult with about anything.

In sum, I suggest that Tusta Krishna's attempt to define the discussion, "Xena's 'Krishna' - To Glorify Or Condemn?" is a false dilemma. Like other respondents, I propose there is both truth and falsity in Xena's latest episode with Krishna and Indrajit. Again, what more can we expect? What has any of us done to merit a more veritable portrayal? Most importantly in my mind is the impression people are left with when they walk away: Is Krishna a 'good-guy' or a 'bad-guy'? Is He seen favorably or not?

Otherwise, a puritanical condemnation of Hollywood's a naÕvete will produce consequences that are antithetical to our primary intention, which is to make people conscious of Krishna favorably. As long as that is achieved, we have little to condemn and much to praise. Certainly, Hollywood's script could be improved upon. But so could Tusta Krishna Prabhu's supercilious response.

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Xena's "Krishna" - To Glorify Or Condemn

BY TUSTA KRISHNA DAS

EDITORIAL, Feb 26 (VNN) — Clearly some people do not understand the problem with Xena producers portraying Krishna as a fictional character. What they don't understand is that once Xena producers and Hollywood in general feel they have a green light to treat Krishna as a fictional character, putting words in His mouth, having him engage in fictional activities and so forth, then there is no limit to the words they'll be putting in His mouth and the activities they'll have Him engaging in.

The producers of Xena/Hercules and Universal Studios essentially want to do with Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva, that is the Supreme Lord and the demigods who are described in the Vedas, what they've done to the so-called "gods" of Greek mythology. For the past several years they've been having their heroes interact with the so-called Greek gods. Sometimes the Greek gods are being kind and good and are allies of the heroes, and sometimes the gods are portrayed as being envious, lustful, or whatever, and acting as the opponents of the heroes. It's all left up to the speculation and the whims of the writers and producers as to what they think will attract an audience.

Some so-called devotees have claimed that there is no harm in having Krishna treated as a fictional character and having words put into His mouth and having Him engaged in fictional activities, because somehow this will be good for society. They think that this will somehow make people Krishna conscious. Of course, just the opposite is true. People will "learn" through this mass media, through these TV shows, that Krishna is a mythical, fictional character on the level of Xena and Hercules.

Therefore, instead of concluding that devotees of Krishna are sober, intelligent people, viewers will automatically conclude that devotees of Krishna are no more intelligent than those who would worship Xena, Zeus, Hercules, or for that matter, Star Trek characters. (Remember "Heaven's Gate," a cult that developed around the Star Trek television series and which ended up with its followers committing suicide.)

It is essential that Hollywood get the message that devotees of Krishna will not accept the hijacking of Krishna's name and form and let them put whatever words they want into His mouth and have Him engage in whatever fictional activities they desire.

They need to know that Krishna is real, and even if they do not realize or believe that Krishna is real, they have to at least know that devotees of Krishna are real and that we will not stand for their treating Him as a fictional character without standing up for the reality of Krishna's existence.

Those who want to fictionalize Krishna are as bad as the worst of impersonalists in that they are claiming that Krishna does not really exist. To treat Krishna as a fictional character is to say that Krishna does not really exist. Therefore anyone who claims that it's no big deal for Krishna to be portrayed as a fictional character, with words being put into His mouth, is essentially rejecting the importance of preaching against impersonalism and atheism by our great Vaishnava acharyas. It is the duty of Vaishnava preachers to preach strongly against impersonalism and atheism, especially when those people directly claim that Krishna does not exist, i.e. that He is a fictional character.

Bhaktivinode dedicated decades of his life to challenging the sahajiya concept of Krishna as presented by low-class songsters, minstrels, dramatic performers, etc. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur continued to carry this torch, with which he scorched the mundane concepts of the Absolute Person Sri Krishna. And Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad's criticisms of impersonalists are legendary. And while I was with him in India (1970-1972) he turned down invitations to watch dramatic performances of Krishna lila because he knew they were not accurate.

Can we really believe such stalwart devotees would be happy that Krishna is being portrayed fictionally on public TV? Lord Chaitanya would not hear or read anything that even had rasabhasa or a mixture of conflicting rasas. He severely criticized Vallabhacharya, who wanted to present a wrong conception of Bhagwatam. Can we really accept that Lord Chaitanya would be thrilled that Krishna is being featured as a fictional character and that He gives His very easy darshan to scantily-clad persons who are not his devotees? That He is at their beck and call? Rubbish!

No one who is sincerely engaged in the loving service of Krishna would feel comfortable with, or consider positive, the portrayal of Krishna, their Supreme Beloved, their Supreme Friend, the most real person in all of existence, as being fictional, i.e. nonexistent or a figment of the imagination of superstitious, backward people.

And finally, devotees shouldn't see this as one isolated episode. We have to see this as a precedent. Essentially Xena and their crew are doing stories on India and yoga and so forth, and there is every indication that they plan to continue to do stories where they are treating Lord Krishna, Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and Vedic philosophy, etc., as fictional as nothing more than fodder for fictional stories for the fictional characters Xena and Hercules to be proven as heroes.

If we endorse and praise this, Xena and Hercules will become part of so-called Vedic mythology. And Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva will be fictionalized. One will be no more real than the other (i.e., Xena and Krishna). Either Xena's Krishna and her exploits will be considered to portray the real Krishna, or Krishna will be considered to be as unreal as the fictional Xena. We sincerely hope devotees will not let this happen

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Xena Invokes The Help Of Krishna

USA, Feb 25 (VNN) — In the latest episode "The Way" - "Xena, Warrior Princess, invokes the help of Krishna to rescue Gabrielle and Eli from Indrajit, the King of the Demons", according to Universal Studios, who will air the popular TV show this Saturday.

Not so fast, said some. According to some reports the group who orchestrated the protest about Madonna's MTV show featuring Krishna and Indian dancers has now launched a protest campaign against this upcoming TV show:

"Hindus and Vaishnavas have voiced concern and are planning a variety of protests at the "fictionalization" of Krishna, and you can do your part right from your computer, as described at the end of this article. "Xena: Warrior Princess" is an action series shot in New Zealand. The heroine Xena is a Greek goddess type character who engages in regular battles with both fictional "gods" and mortals. Her closest associates are all female warrior types. In this show Krishna helps her achieve her goals." and "Thus, there is genuine concern that having a fictionalized Krishna help Xena save her girlfriend will be seen as a promotion or endorsement of the homosexual lifestyle by Lord Krishna, who helps them become reunited."

This controversy sparked a lively discussion in the VNN forums (excerpts):

"It is most wonderful "Xena" is using the Holy nama of Krishna, even if misrepresenting so many thousands of people will be given the opportunity to think , ask "who is Krishna really? If Xena is a "good gal" and Krishna is on her side, is that not good for PR for most (presumably, non-devotee viewers) who have no idea of Krishna!"

"However Bhagavan, Sri Krsna is their worshipful Lord, and they will not be to happy if you portray Him inaccurately and as a mere fictional character. The media has portrayed George Burns as God, and I can't imagine how many devout Christans took offense to think that God is a cigar smoking womanizer. Please don't make a similar mistake."

"As the Krishna Consciousness Movement grows and grows, Lord Krishna's fame will continue to spread. It will hardly be practical to try and stop every single person from harboring misconceptions about our Lord Sri Krishna. "

"Hey, Xena is a a kick butt ksatriya type protecting the weak from demons and such. What's the big deal? Lighten up folks. And lets not get too fussy about lesbians . How many homosexual swamis have you known in the movement and offered obeisances and prasadam etc.?"

"I don't condone Lord Krishna being depicted in a mythical fashion. But neither do I think we do our cause any justice by coming across as dogmatic burn-em-at-the-stake Puritans. The pop musical "Hair" utilized the maha mantra with nude dancers but as far as I know, Srila Prabhupada didn't launch a public protest against the production."

"Devotees of Krsna have gotten a pretty bad rap in the news media in general. Although some of it may have been warranted I do not believe they have gotten a fair shake. In the particular episode in question Krsna is portrayed in a positive light. Now Joe American is sitting in front of the tube and sees that Krsna is not such a bad guy, and therefore those who worship him must not be so bad after all. I am sure there are many out there who would have expected and maybe even wanted Krsna to be portrayed as a demon. "

"Best to offer a positive alternative in a light hearted constructive manner. Other wise Krishna's devotees will appear to be hypocritical TV zombies. (No one really expects monks or religious people to be watching TV, never mind violent, sex oriented make-belive "entertainment"!) Just make a laughing stock out of devotees by sounding disturbed. Whats next - reading Playboy and see if Krishna is propperly being presented there?!"

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