Ranjit Bhagwat is a Cool Guy.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
i'll preface with saying that I know I'm not the most knowledgeable person about the faith I identify with, so please call me out on anything I say...
on one hand, i completely agree with you. the fact that hindus get defensive and need to proclaim the faith as monotheistic in order to feel accepted by mainstream society is definitely disturbing.
But...is it wrong? Don't Hindus just believe in one God and that He is manifested in many ways? So, couldnt it be that the people who are so insistent on Hinduism being seen as monotheistic are just fighting against the perception of mainstream society concerning the religion? Isn't it about education?
Of course, I suppose it depends on whether or not you agree with the assertion that Hindus believe that the manifestations of Brahma are multiple Gods or, essentially, the one same God.
Just some thoughts :)
I think that the overwhelming emphasis on monotheism is an artifact of European colonialism, which (moreso than any other conflict) really devalued the cultures of India and taught us that polytheism (for those of us who were polytheists) is somehow primitive and uncivilized.
To me, the beauty of Hinduism is that it's *not* like Western religions that demand that we worship in one way, but rather allows us to have an anarchy of beliefs depending on our context. yes, one can be a monotheistic Hindu, but many Hindus really do believe in many gods. we are not a scripture-based religion, but rather an assortment of multiple, related religious practices.
I'm not saying it's wrong, per se, but I do find it to be an unfortunate misperception that depresses me. Why are we so intent on telling the world that we're civilized monotheists? there's no inherent value in monotheism and, in my opinion, no need to construct an exclusively monotheistic Hinduism...
Did you know that a lot of Hindu Mandirs in the US now commonly refer to themselves as churches? I dont like that.
I wonder how Hinduism is described/taught in India. I suppose people there probably don't think about it since the need to defend/explain it doesn't arise as much.
This was a really disjointed message...sorry :/
from what I know there's a huge Hindu revivalist/fundamentalist movement in India, especially in Maharashtra (where my family's from) and Gujarat. Actually it's all over the place. I have serious beef with this entire movement, but I'll save that rant for another day. I guess in "normal" Hindu families they probably don't need to teach it, but rather just follow family traditions and so forth. Things are so much more complicated in India, though...
Hey Viraj!
MUCHOS CONGRATS on getting the OCA internship! And NAACP! That is too cool.
And that's a fascinating conversation you've posted. I, in my atheistic/Hindu blend, have felt the 'need' to assert Hinduism = monotheistic.
Incidentally, I interviewed with a nonprofit last week, and my religious background came up as a question (it made sense in the interview context). I said that I grew up Hindu, upon which he asked me if I was still a 'practicing Hindu'.
That kind of baffled me: there's only a gazillion ways to 'practice' Hinduism. I also consider myself atheist. I ended up responding along the lines of "well, I haven't abandoned it..?"
Thanks for posting your blog on fb, and getting me thinking! I look fwd to reading more about your experiences in DC!
-Aaditi