For those of us to came to Hinduism from another religious tradition (particularly western), have you gotten over all of the beliefs you've held before? If so, how did you do it?
Ever since I've been going through my Hindu existential crisis, a lot of what I was raised with has been creeping back into my mind. Particularly that there is hellfire for when I die, because I "didn't do it right". Or that God is constantly angry with me for screwing up. Or that me being gay and non-celibate is going to be punished when I die.
I fully believe that every action, deed, and thought will have a reaction (whether immediate or further down the road), but I refuse to believe that there is a kind of cosmic judge counting all of the things I do and then weighing out which ones were right and wrong.
Still, for the past few months, this is has exactly what it feels like.
Ever since I've been going through my Hindu existential crisis, a lot of what I was raised with has been creeping back into my mind. Particularly that there is hellfire for when I die, because I "didn't do it right". Or that God is constantly angry with me for screwing up. Or that me being gay and non-celibate is going to be punished when I die.
I fully believe that every action, deed, and thought will have a reaction (whether immediate or further down the road), but I refuse to believe that there is a kind of cosmic judge counting all of the things I do and then weighing out which ones were right and wrong.
Still, for the past few months, this is has exactly what it feels like.