Your Complaints About Hinduism

[SalixIncendium]

As I tend to accept challenges put forth on this forum, I'm accepting the challenge offered here: Your Complaints About Christianity?. Let's find out if the alleged double standard holds water...

Do you have any complaints about Hinduism?

What are some of the things about Hinduism that you personally do not approve of; or accept in the contents of the sacred texts?

 

[Debater Slayer]

I don't know a significant amount about Hinduism, but my main issue with it, along with Buddhism, is the concept of karma, which I find to be an elaborate form of victim-blaming.

 

[Eddi]

Wasn't it the case that until the late 19th century widows had to throw themselves onto their husband's funeral pyre?

 

[SalixIncendium]

I don't know a significant amount about Hinduism, but my main issue with it, along with Buddhism, is the concept of karma, which I find to be an elaborate form of victim-blaming.

Karma is nothing more than simple causality. It's not about blame.

If I drop a hammer, and it lands on my toe and causes pain, who is to blame?

 

[SalixIncendium]

Wasn't it the case that until the late 19th century widows had to throw themselves onto their husband's funeral pyre?

I don't know. I'm old, but not that old.

Where did you hear this?

 

[Eddi]

I don't know. I'm old, but not that old.

Where did you hear this?

I just found this:

Sati (practice) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[rocala]

Where did you hear this?

suttee, the Indian custom of a wife immolating herself either on the funeral pyre of her dead husband or in some other fashion soon after his death. Although never widely practiced, suttee was the ideal of womanly devotion held by certain Brahman and royal castes.

 

[Debater Slayer]

Karma is nothing more than simple causality. It's not about blame.

If I drop a hammer, and it lands on my toe and causes pain, who is to blame?

The idea that such a causality exists at all—that, say, a cancer patient's suffering is merely a manifestation of "past karma"—is what I find to be victim-blaming. Viewing the concept as simple causality seems to me to require accepting that such a causal force exists in the first place.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I just found this:

Sati (practice) - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Indeed, that was a problem.

Fortunately, it was deemed a problem and ultimately banned.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The caste system is disgusting. The way I view it, the brahmins have quite a grift going for them seeing as they're the ones up top and they're the ones who decreed they're up top.

I also find the karma system to be grossly unjust. I have seen Hindus, even on here, blame rape victims as if it were due to misdeeds in a past life. That's another nice trick for the powerful - if you're poor and downtrodden in this life, it's because you were a bad sinner in your previous life/lives. Doesn't provide much basis for making things better. If they're good enough in this life, they may be blessed to become a privileged brahmin in a future life.

I also find how many Hindus treat menstruating women and girls to be awful.

Another thing is the hypocrisy over eating meat and beef, which seemed to stem from influences from Jainism and Buddhism, not from Hinduism itself (as if it's a monolith, anyway). The Vedas teach animal sacrifce, including of cattle/cows.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The idea that such a causality exists at all—that, say, a cancer patient's suffering is merely a manifestation of "past karma"—is what I find to be victim-blaming. Viewing the concept as simple causality seems to me to require accepting that such a causal force exists in the first place.

Who or what do you suggest blaming for a cancer patient's suffering?

 

[Debater Slayer]

Who or what do you suggest blaming for a cancer patient's suffering?

Unless the cancer was caused by conditions attributable to malice (e.g., usage of radioactive weapons) or negligence, like a company's failure to comply with safety standards in the workplace, I don't think of it in terms of blame. I just see it and other diseases as elements of nature, which I don't believe has any agency or consciousness. Nature just is.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I also find the karma system to be grossly unjust.

Same here.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I also find the karma system to be grossly unjust. I have seen Hindus, even on here, blame rape victims as if it were due to misdeeds in a past life. That's another nice trick for the powerful - if you're poor and downtrodden in this life, it's because you were a bad sinner in your previous life/lives. Doesn't provide much basis for making things better. If they're good enough in this life, they may be blessed to become a privileged brahmin in a future life.

That's not really how karma works. As I explained previously, it's not about blame. It about causality. Actions result in consequences. It's not about reward or punishment.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

That's not really how karma works. As I explained previously, it's not about blame. It about causality. Actions result in consequences. It's not about reward or punishment.

I don't see how it is not when your circumstances in your life are determined by your previous life's actions (which you cannot even recall). If you commit enough sins, you end up being born as an animal, insect or something even "lower" and having to work your way back up the ladder.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I don't see how it is not when your circumstances in your life are determined by your previous life's actions (which you cannot even recall). If you commit enough sins, you end up being born as an animal, insect or something even "lower" and having to work your way back up the ladder.

I can understand your perspective when viewed through a Christian lens. When you incorporate "committing sins" and consider other life forms "lower" and have this concept of a ladder that must be climbed in order to be redeemed, I can understand how you might view karma as a concept of punishment and reward.

It's really as simple as adharmic actions bringing negative consequence and dharmic actions bringing positive consequence.

 

[Vinayaka]

As I tend to accept challenges put forth on this forum, I'm accepting the challenge offered here: Your Complaints About Christianity?. Let's find out if the alleged double standard holds water...

Do you have any complaints about Hinduism?

What are some of the things about Hinduism that you personally do not approve of; or accept in the contents of the sacred texts?

I have a challenge with my fellow Hindus who view the Puranas and the two great epics as literal. I once asked somebody if he actually thought a man could have 4 parallel heads growing on one side of his head, and 5 on the other. When he said, 'Yes, for sure, they're our history." I cringed and stopped asking that person any more questions.

As for critics from outside our faith, especially with regard to the common stuff like caste, most of it is due to ignorance. Brahmins, for example are having a really tough time eking out a living at all these days. and many are switching professions. Yet the critics still see Brahmins as the favored caste. But I forgive these sorts of criticisms, as I understand that not everyone is as educated about stuff as we are, and many have fallen victim to anti-Hindu rhetoric that is prevalent in western media or textbooks.

But in general, my attraction to the faith for all the great opportunities it present personally vastly outweighs any criticisms I might have.

 

[Dimi95]

I don't know a significant amount about Hinduism

I would say it like this , i don't discuss something that i don't know.

But i would like to learn about Hinduism.

 

[Debater Slayer]

I would say it like this , i don't discuss something that i don't know.

But i would like to learn about Hinduism.

I think learning more about different religions and cultures could never hurt, and Hinduism is the third-largest religion in the world, so learning about it would also enable one to learn more about the culture of over a billion people.

I limited my criticism to an aspect of Hinduism that I know about (karma). I think that if not for that concept, as well as reincarnation, it would be very possible for me to become a Buddhist—but they're two central concepts in Buddhism, after all, so it's probably kind of moot to imagine "what if?" scenarios where Buddhism didn't have them.

While I have some criticism, I also like a lot of things about dharmic religions in general, although I follow none of them.

 

[Soandso]

I haven't had exposure to Hinduism much at all, so I can't offer much. I used to work for a man who was Hindu years ago. He would comment how there are a lot of Americans who are going to hell for eating beef, but he had no problems with selling it to them. I attribute that to him rather than Hinduism as a whole, but I still kind of find it funny

I've read about and seen documentaries on the caste system, and that seems especially reprehensible from what I've seen - especially treatment of the "untouchables"