[Prev][Next][Index][Thread]
Re: Query: Is Hindu Nationalism "Semiticization"?
My understanding of the intellectual adjustments associated with Hindu
fundamentalism are that it is not "semiticization" so much as it is a
"global revisionism" being carried out by members of a tradition that
are unaware of its actual, theistic importance, and are striving instead
to create a religion that will appeal to a people who have had bad
experiences with fundamentalist religions.
According to this revised, and highly watered-down form of Advaita which
the many Hindu groups associated with the VHP practice, it is no longer
necessary to treat the scriptures as authority, or to believe in a
personal God. This appeals to Hindus, because they associate
surrendering to scriptural authority and believing in a personal God as
akin to fundamentalism. After all, the only other ethnic groups they
know of who have had such beliefs are the Christians and the Muslims,
both of whom have spawned highly intolerant fundamentalist groups. This
is also why you will notice some friction between this form of
"Hinduism" and the various personalist traditions of Vedanta which
refuse to allow themselves to be characterized under the umbrella of
impersonal Hinduism.
yours,
-- Krishna Susarla
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Moderator: Ajay Shah Submissions: srh@rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu
Administrivia: srh-request@rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu
Archives: http://rbhatnagar.csm.uc.edu:8080/soc_hindu_home.html
Follow-Ups:
References:
