An image showing the interiors of the 'Home of Harmony' - a Chicago based interfaith organisation, is circulating on social media with a misleading claim that Indians in Chicago bought a Christian church and replaced a statue of Jesus with that of Sri Ramkrishna, thus making it a Hindu place of worship.
BOOM found that the claim is misleading as the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago bought the property after it was went for sale due to lack of funds and its dilapidated condition.
Further, we spoke to the society president who denied having replaced an idol of Jesus with that of Sri Ramakrishna.
The image, which shows an idol of Sri Ramkrishna placed in the centre and portrait of Swami Vivekananda on the wall along with several wooden pews, is being shared with the caption, "The FUTURE of SANATAN DHARM. In America, the Indians of the city of Chicago bought the church and installed the statue of Sri Ramakrishna in place of Jesus Christ. Yo jesus 2.0".
Click here to view the post.
Click here to view the post.
Fact Check
Using Google Lens, BOOM ran a reverse image search on the viral photograph and found similar photos in a press release from the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission headquarter Belur Math's website.
The press release, titled, Inauguration Of The Home Of Harmony: Chicago, was published on June 19, 2022. It features several images from the inauguration of the Home of Harmony by the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago which was held on May 21, 2022. The Home of Harmony is located at N Keeler Ave, in the northern part of Chicago city.
Here is a comparison between the viral photo and the photos available on Belur Math's website on the inauguration of the 'Home of Harmony'.
According to the release, the 'Home of Harmony' was inaugurated to cultivate an interfaith movement in north Chicago.
Further, we also went through images from outside the structure of the 'Home Of Harmony' and the erstwhile Methodist Church from the press release and noticed that the entrance of the building carries symbols of different faith on it.
Taking a cue, we searched for news reports related to the 'Home of Harmony' and found a Block Club Chicago report published on August 8, 2022.
The article states that the non-profit Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago acquired the campus property in 2019 from the Irving Park United Methodist Church. The report mentioned that the 125 years-old property was sold for $1.7 million, nearly a year after it went on sale.
An excerpt states that the reason for the sale was lack of funds, "The congregation decided to sell because of dwindling membership and not having enough money for needed renovations, pastors previously told Block Club." As per the report, the spiritual society president Swami Ishatmananda gave credit to 6,000 donors nationwide who helped them purchase the property.
We also found another Block Club Chicago article from February 21, 2019, reporting about the sale of The Irving Park United Methodist Church campus.
The report says, "The Irving Park United Methodist Church campus, home to the congregation for more than 125 years, is up for sale. With an asking price of $1.7 million, the property at 3801 N. Keeler Ave. would be “perfect for another church, school or performing arts center,” the real estate listing reads. Or it could be redeveloped into single family homes."
One such 2019 real estate listing related to the congregation property can be viewed here.
No Jesus Statue Was In Church After Acquisition: Swami Ishatmananda
BOOM reached out to Swami Ishatmananda, the president of Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago, to know more about the change of ownership. When asked, he denied the claim of replacing a Jesus statue with that of Sri Ramakrishna.
Swami Ishatmananda said, "No, there was no statue of Jesus Christ in that church when the Vivekananda Vedanta Society of Chicago purchased the property. Of course, the church had a tall glass window with a mural of Lord Jesus silhouette and a few other symbols like the Cross, etc., which the protestant Christians use for their prayers. Previous Church owners moved out with most of those items."
He added that the 115-year-old church building was on sale for a long period on the market as it got dilapidated and the members were unable to maintain it.
"Before we purchased, as per the local norms, the authorities took the opinion of the residents of that locality, who were mostly Christians by religion. No one objected to selling the property to our organisation. Instead, they expressed happiness hearing our plan to develop this place as an institution to spread the message of all religions and faiths. The purchase and acquisition went through without any objection from anyone," Swami Ishatmananda told BOOM.