Prabhupāda: Your paper is Observer. Why did you not observe for the last seven years? (laughter)
Mukunda: We just showed him our film.
Prabhupāda: How did you like?
Colin Cross: Oh, it was very interesting. Again, it taught me a lot that I did not previously know.
Prabhupāda: We are trying to give real life. The present civilization is . . . (to someone else) Hare Kṛṣṇa. How are you? (converses in Hindi) You are religious observer. What is your idea of religion?
Colin Cross: I would say much the same as yours, from what I've seen in your writings—that there's an underlying truth behind all religion. Would you agree with that?
Prabhupāda: Religion, as it is explained in the dictionary, "Accepting a supreme controller." Is it not?
Colin Cross: Hmm.
Prabhupāda: So do the people accept a supreme controller? Do they accept? There are so many system of religions, but do they actually know who is the supreme controller? That is my question. What do you think? Just like this is British government, and we know that the Queen is the supreme controller. Similarly, of all creation, cosmic manifestation, there is a supreme controller. And who is that supreme controller? Do they know it? That is my question.
Colin Cross: I mean, what is your attitude towards Christianity?
Prabhupāda: Don't come to Christianity. I'm talking on religion, the science of religion. The religion . . . when we speak of religion, there is no question of Christianity or Muslim or Hindu. Just like when they speak of gold, gold is gold everywhere. Gold cannot be Muslim gold or Hindu gold or Christian gold. First try . . . we are concerned with gold, not the country where the gold is produced. That is not very important thing. Whether it is gold, that is our business.
Colin Cross: I mean, would you count Jesus Christ as gold?
Prabhupāda: Yes, why not? He's speaking about the supreme controller, God, so why should we not? Anyone who is speaking about God . . . (break)
Colin Cross: You don't accept it as mere sentiment.
Prabhupāda: No. Religion without science or philosophy is sentiment. And philosophy without religion is mental speculation. So they must be combined together. So far the controller is concerned, this is scientific understanding. Just like the father . . . we consider . . . why we? Everyone. Either he is Christian or Muhammadan or Hindu, the conception of God is generally accepted as the supreme father.