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Re: ARTICLE : Is Hinduism to blame for the social problems in India?
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To: soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net
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To: ghen@netcom.com
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Subject: Re: ARTICLE : Is Hinduism to blame for the social problems in India?
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From: Balasubramaniam santhanam <santhan@ee.gatech.edu>
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Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 12:34:52 -0400
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Newsgroups: soc.religion.hindu
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Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology
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References: <ghenDxH6vK.Gnr@netcom.com> <ghenDxL7Kq.LBG@netcom.com> <ghenDxoKJ6.4vp@netcom.com> <ghenDxuA83.9n@netcom.com>
> I. Unequivocally yes.
As far as I have understood, the vedas and the SBG prescribes division
of Labour. I do not think that they say that this system operates by
birth.
Not all people in a society can become doctors or engineers, the society
needs buisness people and people who defend it. Differenciation is not
the same as discrimination. Discrimination is the fault of the humans,
not the
fault of the Vedas or the SBG.
>
> 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.
Here I agreee, It is just role assignment. Differenciation is not the
same as discrimination.
>
> III. Better minds than I have searched fruitlessly for the answer to this
> question.
>
It is easy to scapegoat and blame all the problems on the Hindu
religion.
Are these problems unique to just our religion.
(i) Recently the Southern Baptist orgainzation in the U.S. put out a
note
of apology apologizing for their participation in the institution of
slavery.
Does this mean that the religion of Christianity is at fault or that
Jesus
Christ endorsed slavery. No it is the fault of the humans not the
divine.
The Hindu religion and any religion for that matter can be
blamed for discrimination only if there is a decree by the divine
(not by some human) to do so.
(ii) Abuse of women has been a part of the western society too. Atleast
the
rise of the feminist movement in the U.S. and France was precisely to
provide
emancipation of women. As far as I know, Krishna in the Mahabharata
saves
Draupadi from being raped. The Hindu religion can be blamed for abuse
of women only if the divine decrees that they should be.
(iii) Since these problems are not unique to our religion and not even
unique to our culture they cannot be the result of the Hindu religion or
culture.
In fact they are not the product of religion or culture for that matter.
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