This thread is priceless, I think this thread and my thread "Fallacy of Hinduism" very much go hand in had. While the fallacy of Hinduism exposes the problem of 'Hinduism' by showing its status as a religion is purely fallacious and there is no single comprehensive set of doctrines, beliefs and practices; this thread demonstrates exactly that. Look here, how no Hindus posting here can give a single definitive and comprehensive answer on anything and how they are constantly differing with one another. One just told you earlier Hinduism believes in one God, and another just recently has said Hinduism is polytheistic. How can A AND not A be true? Hindus pass of this obvious logical contradiction as "diversity" and then wonder why their religion is not taken seriously....
I mean come on, I implore all Hindus to ask themselves: How can somebody take a religion seriously, where both the atheist, theist, pantheist, polytheist, dualist, non-dualist, animist, shamannist, ancestor worshiper, worshiper of any one of 330 million gods are all right? I have to laugh when some Hindus try to white wash the whole issue and pretend that all of these different philosophies and belief systems are aspects of the unified religion of Hinduism
It's like calling schizophrenia coherent thinking!
Come my my fellow Hindu friends, why do you insist on maintaining this really bad early 19th century classification by the British, when it is obviously extremely problematic and is creating so many issues and is fostering condescending, offensive and insulting attitudes from non-Hindu people. Lets not pretend these attitudes do not exist, for some posters in this thread themselves have honestly spoken about what they think of Hinduism, even otherwise a great intelligent man like Winston Churchill thought very badly about Hinduism, he said "I hate Hindus, they are a beastly people with a beastly religion" I am not all supporting Churchill's obviously racist opinion on Hindus, but try to understand why people would form such concepts about Hinduism. I will give you some reasons:
1. Worshiping 330 million gods(all gods) in thousands of temples, with each village having their own local deities. This is the religion of primitive humans. It is something that later religious thought reformed against.
2. Caste system: Considering humans to be born unequal and holding them to different standards of conduct and giving them different privileges. If you are born an untouchable then you are pretty much condemned for your entire life, for even if your shadow were to fall on others it would be considering polluting.
3. Widow burning and ostracization: Issues like this are highlighted by free thinking Indian activists themselves like Deepa Mehta in her highly critically acclaimed film "Water"
4. Ritual bathing and drinking from highly toxic waters, containing all kinds of disease producing bacteria and viruses, as well feces, sewage, dead bodies
5. Animal and human sacrifices, including child sacrifices by Shaiva and Shakta(tantra) cults to appease Kali.
6. Worshiping rats, snakes, monkeys, elephants and even building temples to them
Yes, yes, I know, before Hindus start telling me how I have only highlighted the bad areas of Hinduism and said nothing about the good areas, I will say yes I know Hinduism has a very beautiful area such as its highly rational and enlightened philosophical tradition, the highly scientific achievements of Hindu mathematicians, grammarians/linguists, astronomers, logicians, poets, dramatists, the brilliant architecture, arts and a glorious history where Hindus once were the richest, most literate and advanced civilization on Earth. Credit is due where credit is due and Hinduism deserves all credit for this.
But the BAD areas are VERY VERY BAD. They should not be tolerated as a part of Hinduism. The trouble is as Hinduism is catch all label it has to include them too. You can't just talk about the ethical and humanist Hindu doctrines of all humanity being one family, vegetarianism and non violence(ahimsa) and then ignore evils and primitive aspects like caste system, widow burning, bathing and drinking from toxic water, worshiping millions of gods, and animal and human sacrifices. That is called selective reading or selecting quoting.
So Hindus if you want to keep your label of the religion of 'Hinduism' then you are going to have to accept these evils are just equally valid parts of Hinduism, and as long as these parts are a part of Hinduism, non-Hindus are going to look down on Hinduism. But I have two possible solution to the problem and my solution will work:
1) Get rid of 'Hinduism' as a monolithic label for your religion. Instead use the actual label of your so-called sect, which is no sect at all, it is a separate religion(Vaishnavism, Shivaism, Shaktism, Smartism, Vedanta, Purva Mimasa) Then you will be able to answer all the important questions which define a religion(the questions I outlined in my last post) Yes, this in this approach I call for partition of these disparate religions. Something Indian Hindus will not accept because their ethnic identity is strongly tied with "Hinduism
2) Reform Hinduism, in the same way Christianity reforms Judaism. In Christianity Judaism is called the OT, and Christianity is called the NT. It recognizes its continuity fro the OT mother religion, but it recognizes that as old law and NT as new law. Exactly the same doctrine is present in Hinduism where the old Vedic mother relgiion is called Purva Mimassa(old tradition) and the new enlightened religion of Vedanta is called "Uttra Mimassa(new tradition) So treat Vedanta as Hinduism(As Swami Vivekananda any many modern Hindus did) This includes the entire Jnana tadition(Darsanas) This is your Sruti - this is your canon of revealed texts. You can answer all the questions I outlined earlier. If you really are the Vedic religion, than accept Vedanta as your religion.
Treat Smriti as exactly as it should be treated, it is non-revealed, non-canonical, man-made and now irrelevant in modern times. Treat the Puranas as an interesting book of myths, allegories, symbols and stories - but don't treat them as religion. Get rid of Puranic Hinduism, Vaishnavism, Shiavism, Shaktism and Smartism. It is not Vedanta. Get rid of Dvaita, Visesadvaita, Bhedabheda. It is not Vedanta. Like other religions have reformed their religion like Islam has though abrogation, removing of some no longer relevant verses in the Quran, Hindus need to get rid of Puranic Hinduism altogether. It is Puranic Hinduism which is behind all the problems of Hinduism.
But are Hindus going to do that? No, because from what I have seen so far is Hindus are extremely stubborn and set in their ways - they don't even want to change the rituals like bathing in toxic Ganga water. I spoke to somebody on this forum who has a Phd in Ganga and Public health, she personally admitted to me she has seen all the stats and knows about what kinds of bacteria and viruses are in the Ganga in detail, but she still thinks the faith of people makes the river holy
Another poster, told me that the scientists have proven that the Gangawater has special powers
The Manusmriti from where the tradition of the caste system, untouchables come from and maltreatment of widows has been supported by several Hindus on this forum alone and one of them has even used to support the doctrine that homosexuals should be punished
I tell inconvenient truths, but it is better these truths come from internal criticism than external criticism.
