Tell me what you think. (priests, myth, worship, faith)

[quangle]

What would each divisions of Hinduism (VAISHNAVISM , SHIVAISM, and BRAMANNISM) understanding of the relationship between religion and the state be?

[Ardhanariswar]

im a shaivite. these arent big divisions, i can worship vishnu if i wanted to. (wait, i do).
there is no brahmanism. because brahma isnt a worshipped gods, hes more like a story myth figure rather than a worshipped one. theres a myth behind why brahma isnt worshipped too...

all i kno is that it runs in the family. shivites worship shiva as thier main deity, and vaishnavas worship vishnu as thier main diety. they can also worship other gods, they arent binded to only worship them. but thier priests are different. like a vaishnava devotee only goes to a vaishnava priest. but they can go to a shaivite priests. but there are no clear rules like that.

most shaivites are south indian non-brahmins. and most vaishnavites are northeners.

[anders]

Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashtri...yamsevak_Sangh.

This organisation bases itself on the principles of Hindutva. Some hindutva views:

A Hindu state must be established to protect the rights of the Hindus in their homeland.
Views on other faiths:
Hindutva has always had a strong anti-Communist bent, and often portrays Communists as conniving and manipulative of the truth. Some critics consider Hindutva to be anti-Muslim and anti-Christian.

Hindu organizations have claimed that Babri Mosque was built in 1528 by the moghul ruler Babur on the very spot where Ramajanmasthan (the birth temple of Rama) was located. In their world view Rama is the most important god among other Hindu gods, and Ayodhya is the holiest city among other Hindu holy cities. That is why Babri-masjid had to be demolished - in their vocabulary 'to be released'. RSS is on the forefront of those who want to build the Rama temple. (Search for "Ayodhya" on the Internet if you want to know more.)

The infamous Mr. P.N. Oak, often writing in the RSS papers, tries to "prove" that all Muslim buildings really are Hindu. He even believes that the Taj Mahal isn't a Muslim-built maosoleum, but originally a Hindu temple.

I have found no references to differences between different streams of Hinduism regarding the state-religion question.

[Ardhanariswar]

those are extrimests. real hinduism and Gandhi support the unity between all races, color, and religion, including muslims and hindus.