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Re: ARTICLE : Is Hinduism to blame for the social problems in India?
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Subject: Re: ARTICLE : Is Hinduism to blame for the social problems in India?
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From: "Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar@braincells.com>
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Date: Mon, 16 Sep 1996 12:19:57 GMT
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Apparently-To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: Consolidated Braincells Inc.
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References: <ghenDxH6vK.Gnr@netcom.com> <ghenDxL7Kq.LBG@netcom.com> <ghenDxoKJ6.4vp@netcom.com>
> Balasubramaniam santhanam <santhan@ee.gatech.edu> wrote in article
<ghenDxoKJ6.4vp@netcom.com>...
> It has become almost a matter of routine for the so called
revelutionaries
> and a propaganda tool for christian evangelists
> to beat up on Hinduism and blame the religion for all the evils that
> exist in the Indian/Hindu society.
> The Hindu religion is blamed for
> (i) Perpetuating the caste system and its modern day version.
> (ii) Accused of being anti-female/sexist.
>
> At this point one should distinguish the religion from what is
> actually practised as the religion.
> (i) Do the SBG and the 4 vedas preach caste discrimination?
> (ii) Do the SBG and the 4 vedas ask men to burn women beat up
> on them and discriminate?
> (iii) Are these evils the product of human contrivance or divine
> contrivance.
>
I. Unequivocally yes.
II. Question number 2 shows the whole problem with this whole line of
thinking. The shastras prescribe different duties for men and women. So
yes, that's discrimination. But it's a far cry from saying women should
not cook during their periods to saying women should be burnt on their
funeral pyre. Same for untouchability. I'm a Gujarati Brahman and hence
a "castist." So I wouldn't marry or share food with other people. But
that applies as much to South Indian Brahmans as it does to Gujarati
untouchables. I don't think you feel oppressed now and no one else should
either. In fact looking back at our family history, the last person to be
in a position to oppress untouchables was my great-grandfather. This is
not to say other people weren't and aren't oppressors. This is an
unimpeachable fact. But do I feel in the least bit guilty? No.
There are people in every culture who will try and blame everything on
society. Over here, the radicals think the patriarchal two-parent family
is the root of all evil. It is symptomatic of the intellectual
retardation of modern India that these kooks are even given the time of
day.
III. Better minds than I have searched fruitlessly for the answer to this
question.
--
Jaldhar H. Vyas [jaldhar@braincells.com] o- beable .-_|\
Consolidated Braincells Inc. / \
http://www.braincells.com/jaldhar/ Perth Amboy-> *.--._/
"Witty quote" - Dead Guy finger me for PGP key v McQ!
