Christian historian 'finds' there were no Hindus in Goa before Christianity

[hinduwoman]

No one saw this Inquisition coming!

In BJP-ruled Goa, a leading Christian theologist from the influential Roman Catholic Church has claimed that ‘Hindus’ did not exist in region during the pre-Portuguese era.Fr. Victor Ferrao, a dean at the state’s most renowned Rachol Roman Catholic seminary, which trains and grooms budding priests has also said in his research paper that the scores of temples demolished by the Portuguese colonists from 15th century onwards were not Hindu temples, but instead belonged to different “independent cults and religions which were often at war with each other”.
Ferrao in his paper presented at a recent seminar ‘The Challenge to be a Goan Christian’ held here, that by painting of pre-colonial Goa as Hindu territory, “there is a direct attempt to turn the historical facts about conversion against the Church and the Christians of today”.
The renowned Church academic in his research paper even goes a step further and attributes political motives to the “reductionist and distortionist” appropriation of Goa’s history by Hindu-logists.
“I have described these attempts as Hindu-ology. In fact even the word Hindu does not exist in the entire sixteenth century Indo-Portuguese historiography,” his paper titled ‘The Other Orientalism and the Challenge and Opportunities for the Church in Goa’ reads.

The article is a year old, but it is not too late to learn a new word -- hindulogy

“It important to assert that we have not come from Hinduism of today, but the then fragmented cults that today have been steadily assimilated into Hinduism of today,” Ferrao said, quoting noted historian Romila Thapar to back his treatise.

That reminds me of the old question if we are descended from monkeys why are monkeys still there?

Ferrao said that the claims of forced conversions and demolishing of temples during the early Portuguese era were essentially to be found only in “narratives of the post-colonial historiography mainly authored by the Hindu historians in our days”.

“Though the temples that were demolished were not Hindu, but one(s) that belonged to different cults that have united into Hinduism of today the Hindu community is certainly carrying the pain of this false impression,” the paper reads.

He could have got away (barely) by arguing that he was fighting against growing Hindu nationalistic definitions of Indian identity, but I suppose his priestly training got in the way.
The accounts are based on decrees by the Catholic Church, Kings of Portugal and journals of Portugese priests and settlers. And some of the historians were Goanese Christians.

Ferrao has also called for a therapeutic dialogue between the two communities living in Goa

.
Who is going to be his therapist?

 

[Potoooooooo]

 

[Kosh]

Screw the Christians.... Goan food is AWESOME.