Rāmeśvara: They have too much bad experience being cheated, so they don't believe anyone. In America...
Prabhupāda: Why you should be cheated when Kṛṣṇa says? Kṛṣṇa is not cheating.
Rāmeśvara: They would say, "How do you know God said that? Just because it is written in a book, how do you know?"
Prabhupāda: No, it is not in the book. It is accepted, all the authorities.
Rāmeśvara: But they would question everything.
Prabhupāda: That is another thing.
Gargamuni: It requires faith ultimately, some faith.
Rāmeśvara: Especially in America today...
Prabhupāda: Faith you must have. Because you have no faith in authority, therefore you are dull.
Rāmeśvara: Because all their authorities have cheated them. The President has cheated them, the bankers have cheated them...
Prabhupāda: But they are not authorities. Authorities mean those who are in the paramparā system. Evaṁ paramparā-prāptam (BG 4.2).
Rāmeśvara: Of course, in America they have no experience with saintly men. There has never been a saintly man in the history of America. (laughter)
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Gargamuni: They don't know the meaning of saintliness.
Prabhupāda: But they know... Why they accept Lord Jesus Christ? But they do not believe even Jesus Christ.
Gargamuni: No, they don't believe.
Rāmeśvara: It's like you say. Jesus said "Thou shall not kill," and they started off by killing him.
Prabhupāda: Yes.
Rāmeśvara: And ever since then they have continued their killing.
Prabhupāda: Yes. Their intelligence is so sharp. (laughs) This is the basic principle of their civilization.