Hindus feel US Conference of Catholic Bishops ridicules Hinduism in “Eat Pray Love” review
By ANIWednesday, August 18, 2010
NEVADA - Hindus have expressed disappointment over treatment of Hinduism concepts and symbols by US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) while reviewing Oscar winner Julia Roberts starrer “Eat Pray Love”.
Well known Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that we were all looking for the truth. Instead of condescending dismissal and highlighting flaws of others, we should learn from each other through dialogue in our shared quest for truth, and thus come nearer to the truth.
Description of India ashram (hermitage), which Liz Gilbert (played by Julia Roberts) visits, in “Eat Pray Love” review by Media Review Office of USCCB published on its website, includes: “The unhealthy atmosphere of semi-idolatrous worship…”
The review appears to label ashram discourses/chants as “psychobabble” and describes the movie as “spiritually barren”. Here is a paragraph from the review: “As she progresses along the path of her pampered pilgrimage-the sight of Indian children gazing at her passing taxi from the litter-strewn margins of a highway is dealt with as nothing more than local “color” — Liz engages in interminable navel-gazing and confuses psychobabble in the mouths of her chosen mentors for wisdom. The result is a dramatically sputtering, spiritually barren slog to the final credits.”
Apparently talking about Rome portion of the movie, review says: “Though she seemingly hits every restaurant in town, she gives the churches a pass, the implication being that she knows better than to look to Catholicism for insight”. It blames Emmy nominated director Ryan Murphy’s movie for “…negating, or at least ignoring, the spiritual resources of Christianity…”. It also says that the movie: “…ignores Christianity as a source of insight…”
It gives the movie a classification of “L”, which includes “films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling”. (ANI)
