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the spiritual taliban is telling us what we are allowed to believe in
Post: Is Puranic Hinduism the most stupidest religion in the world?
Forum: Religion
Assigned Moderators: N/A
Posted by: Surya Deva
Original Content:
Now people may be thinking why don’t I just live and let live - if Hindus want to worship rats, elephants, snakes, cows, rave about like lunatics in worship of gods and goddesses - why not let them? Well, for the same reason that the OT and its practices should be not allowed in the 21st century: they are primitive, they belong to an outdated age. We cannot move ahead into the future, if we have one foot in the future and one foot in the past.
Puranic Hinduism served a time when people lacked scientific understanding of the laws of nature. The so-called ‘god experience’ that people had were interpreted in the ways society could understand then, as gods and goddesses and god was rendered in the image of these early people. In the same way the god of the OT was rendered as vengeful in the image of the early jews. Thus in this time because of the low understanding, temple worship, animal sacrifices and other such primitive rituals flourished.
Today, we have a much greater understanding of human psychology and physiology to scientifically interpret what is really happening. It, turns out, these god, mystical and transcendent experiences are the results of the energy in the nervous system circulating in a certain way; of higher states of consciousness and brainwave activity. We also understand, how these states can be induced through breathing exercises, meditation, biofeedback and direct manipulation of the brain with chemicals or magnetic fields.
We now understand what the early primitive humans understand as god, as a human potential or the result of the human functioning at peak performance using higher percentage of their brain and having a much more healthy nervous system. Something we know that the Yogis understood a long time ago, but today we have hard empirical evidence to fortify their conclusions and have far better technologies to enhance Yoga.
In the same way we have done away with the old ideas and customs that were prevalent in the times of the primitive like creationism, geocentric models of the Earth, we need to do away with the ideas of gods and goddesses and the associated low rituals like temple worship. It is time to grow up and become spiritual.
Hindus are indeed their worst enemy because they refuse to let go of their stubborn and dead traditions, customs and practices. Not realizing that these traditions put them at loggerheads with the rest of the world and the modern age. One of the strongest criticisms of Christians and Muslims of Hinduism is the idol worship and superstition. As these practices are not essential to Hinduism, Hindu should not even bat an eye lid in abandoning them. Such reforms are absolutely necessary if Hindus want to be taken seriously in a 21st century world.
Now reforms have indeed happened within Hinduism by Swami Vivekananda et al who have emphasized that Hindus bring focus on the spiritual and philosophical aspect of Hinduism in the Vedanta period. This is very relevant in the scientific age. Indeed it is this aspect that modern scientists and philosophers welcome the most. Unfortunately, this reformed Hinduism has not really percolated in India, as much as it has in the West, bringing about in the West the spirituality movement.
Hindus must now be thinking universally and globally and this also means acknowledging the spiritual traditions around the world(Gnosticism, Sufism, Wicca and modern new thought and trans personal psychology) They must not be so narrow minded and insist that it be called “Hinduism” but identify with the larger global spirituality - the real Santana dharma. Get involved in it, Contribute to it, Enhance it, Enrichen it. The Hindu vision should be to spiritualize the entire world as the Risis wanted, as Swami Vivekananda and Aurobindo wanted - not to preserve dead traditions. Dead people preserve dead traditions.
Hindus are very very relevant today in the modern world but not because they are a cheap source of labour to outsource to, but because they have a great inheritance of spirituality which the world needs today. Hindus need to recognize their inheritance and take leadership and responsibility in sharing this inheritance with the rest of the world. Many good Hindus are doing this today, but most Hindus are not. This needs to change.