Hinduism Today Publisher’s Address to World Religions After 9/11 Congress

KAUAI, HAWAII, September 25, 2006: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today, gave the September 15th plenary session address on “Religion and Media” to the World Religions After 9/11 world Congress at the Palais des congres, Montreal, Canada. The Hawaii-based Satguru’s highly illustrated Keynote presentation is now available as an on-line movie at URL above. It was well received at the important gathering of over 1,000 religious leaders, scholars of religion, social activists and concerned citizens.

This down-to-earth, 55-minute presentation begins with an explanation of the nature of the media as we find it today, what is and isn’t considered “news,” how the media regards religion and the constraints journalists work under. The media, he points out, isn’t likely to change, and it is up to religious organizations to learn how to work effectively within its parameters. The discussion then proceeds through the different ways in which religions interact with the press and how best to handle each situation.

Following Bodhinatha’s address, Hinduism Today’s managing editor, Sannyasin Arumugaswami, gave a 17-minute presentation during thepanel discussion “Proselytization and Religious Freedom in an Interfaith Perspective.” His presentation dealt with abuses of the missionary community in trying to convert people to Christianity. It is available at