Will America become Hindu by the end of the century?

Spirituality Religion
#81

I think Yulaw as missed the point of the OP. That is not America would become Hindu by converting to Hinduism, but culturally it will become Hindu. The articles I cited there said “Were all Hindus now” not that Americans have converted to Hinduism formally, but culturally they are starting to resemble Hinduism. In that a huge percentage now believes in karma and reincarnation, practice Yoga and meditation, believe in many ways to god and subscribe to Yogic philosophies like self-development, higher self. I mean even entire sects in Christianity have sprung up that embrace Hindu teachings. The name given to this is “new-age” or “spirituality” but is clear it is Hinduism under another name. There are also direct influences of Hinduism in America now as well such as the massive number of temples appearing all over America, many private institutions offering Vedic studies and many new new academic disciplines citing directly from Hinduism. The popularity of Ayurveda and Jyoisha is also telling a lot.

It is clear that Hinduism has really penetrated deeply into American culture and is starting to change it from within. Figures like those Yulaw cites are not reliable indicators of ones religious beliefs, they only indiciate people who formally identify themselves as part of a religion. Most people now days, however, do not identify with religious labels but hold some kind of religious views.

#82

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;38763]I think Yulaw as missed the point of the OP. That is not America would become Hindu by converting to Hinduism, but culturally it will become Hindu. The articles I cited there said “Were all Hindus now” not that Americans have converted to Hinduism formally, but culturally they are starting to resemble Hinduism. In that a huge percentage now believes in karma and reincarnation, practice Yoga and meditation, believe in many ways to god and subscribe to Yogic philosophies like self-development, higher self. I mean even entire sects in Christianity have sprung up that embrace Hindu teachings. The name given to this is “new-age” or “spirituality” but is clear it is Hinduism under another name. There are also direct influences of Hinduism in America now as well such as the massive number of temples appearing all over America, many private institutions offering Vedic studies and many new new academic disciplines citing directly from Hinduism. The popularity of Ayurveda and Jyoisha is also telling a lot.

It is clear that Hinduism has really penetrated deeply into American culture and is starting to change it from within. Figures like those Yulaw cites are not reliable indicators of ones religious beliefs, they only indiciate people who formally identify themselves as part of a religion. Most people now days, however, do not identify with religious labels but hold some kind of religious views.[/QUOTE]

You have made me laugh

#83

[QUOTE=Yulaw;38767]You have made me laugh[/QUOTE]

Glad to be of service to your entertainment :wink:

#84

I remember the hippie movement in Britain, Peace and Love man…

I lived in America for a while in the 90’s and noted the rise again of Peace and Love man

Ive heard the young culture there today want Peace and Love man…
So at least in that sense they are adopting Hindu and Buddhist practice.

#85

umm…This may put a bit of a damper on your America becoming Hindu thingy

Survey: Americans don’t know much about religion

On questions about Christianity, Mormons scored the highest, with an average of about eight correct answers out of 12, followed by white evangelicals, with an average of just over seven correct answers. Jews, along with atheists and agnostics, knew the most about other faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism. [B]Less than half of Americans know that the Dalai Lama is Buddhist, and less than four in 10 know that Vishnu and Shiva are part of Hinduism[/B]

Now to sit back and watch :slight_smile:

#86

My point is that they are wanting to adopt a peace and love culture which is what Hinduism and Buddhism are, Im not suggesting they will become Buddhists and Hindus

#87

Kareng, I’m bit confused by your post. Do you want to say that peace and love are not values and goals of religions/cultures of the “west”?
I always thought that hippies were more after rejecting things as hierarchy, duty, responsibility, roles (which I believe were more important in eastern traditions than western).

#88

Kareng says that young generation is looking for a peaceful society that is not religiously institutionalized. Again, most of you, Yulaw in particular, are in a fallacy that America becoming a Hindu is a religious becoming. I take your attention to this distinction: religion vs. spirituality. And America becoming Hindu has nothing to do with institutional religion. America is spiritually becoming Hindu; that is, a country being the epicenter of spirituality!

Many are inclined to think of religion through the lens of its institutionalized form, because that sort of religion has colonized our minds in that way. When we answer to the world and big questions like “what is life?”, we’re doing so but still with the remnants of that institutional sort of religion in our heads. That is, far away from the spiritual science that Hindu culture has advocated in Vedic times.

Hinduism is not a religion. Just investigate the very word’s Sanskrit meaning and you’ll know that it is a science of spirituality. The term religion for Hinduism was coined by British imperialists. I know from the fact that most people in Britain today, including me, are aware of this fact <.<

#89

Pawel

Hippies reject, exclusively, the authority of INDUSTRIALISM, the alienation in labour, and the Western Education system; they reject the duty, responsibility and roles uniquely defined by INDUSTRIAL culture [Check out the movie called Patty Hearst]. And yes, with that they reject every sort of duty, as a catch-all rejection. It is a psychological mechanism to cope with suffering, that is, doing catch-all projections. If you go to Sierra Nevadas today, you’ll see some Hippies living as commune, and they do not escape from any sort of duty or responsibility. Quite the contrary, in fact.

But again my actual point is>? beware of ethnocentrism. Including you Surya!

#90

Hi High Wolf,
About hippies: I will check out this movie. I didn’t have much contact with real hippies, just what I heard/read/watch. But I guess if they want to lead on their lives they have to reestablish structure and roles in community, in their special way.

About religion/spirituality: I see this distinction as distinction between inner and outer experience. Religion for me is external expression of spiritual life, “spirituality” is more inner expression. I don’t think people expressing their spirituality by rituals and participation in organized religion are always less evolved, but rather more extrovert.
However, from what I observed/read, people with time tend to be more introvert in spiritual life. If that’s the case, external forms (institutionalized religion) may play important role in society, allowing this progression toward inner spirituality. Damaging it may be like decision that once you grow up, all child books in the world are now obsolete and should be removed.

#91

The hippie movement was more about being “anti-establishment” then anything else. They used art and music (mainly folk) to get their message out. Peaceful demonstrations. They were against the Vietnam War, burning draft cards, staging sit-ins and protesting. They were actually the start of the environmental and natural food movements, coming back to natural childbirth, in addition to influencing fashion, and the beginnings of a cultural shift toward more tolerance. There was also a shift from established religions to spirituality. Self expression was highly regarded.

I grew up in the 60’s here in the States. Many of us baby boomers who were in the midst of the movement still value the message and change that this generation tried to affect. Peace man!

#92

Hi High Wolf its all very well nitpicking but reading what I have actually put should be a simple task This is what I stated…My point is that they are wanting to adopt a peace and love culture which is what Hinduism and Buddhism are, [B]Im not suggesting they will become Buddhists and Hindus[/B]

The motto of Hippies is /was Peace and Love, I was not including all that you have stated. because my focus was on the simple, peace and love.

Pawel with his above post has written…About religion/spirituality: I see this distinction as distinction between inner and outer experience. Religion for me is external expression of spiritual life, “spirituality” is more inner expression. I think this sums it up nicely.

I didnt want to go down the path of Hindu and Hinduism not being the correct tems or that it is not a religion, I too could very easily go onto a ‘Hindu’ internet search and come up with all sorts of facts regarding these terms.

I am not prone to affectation and anyone who cares to read my posts, will see this about me.

I have a wealth of books past down to me by my Sikh father, books from India, some very old which go into great details about the people beyond the Indus River, and could blow some of you away by what I have.

The question was… Will America become Hindu by the end of the century? my answer (using Pawel) is Spirituality in parts, YES it is and will, adopt what can simply be stated as a Peace and Love culture which is what Hinduism and Buddhism embody. They wont be inventing something new but embracing something very old and already in existence.

#93

[QUOTE=High Wolf;38859]Kareng says that young generation is looking for a peaceful society that is not religiously institutionalized. Again, most of you, Yulaw in particular, are in a fallacy that America becoming a Hindu is a religious becoming. I take your attention to this distinction: religion vs. spirituality. And America becoming Hindu has nothing to do with institutional religion. America is spiritually becoming Hindu; that is, a country being the epicenter of spirituality!

Many are inclined to think of religion through the lens of its institutionalized form, because that sort of religion has colonized our minds in that way. When we answer to the world and big questions like “what is life?”, we’re doing so but still with the remnants of that institutional sort of religion in our heads. That is, far away from the spiritual science that Hindu culture has advocated in Vedic times.

Hinduism is not a religion. Just investigate the very word’s Sanskrit meaning and you’ll know that it is a science of spirituality. The term religion for Hinduism was coined by British imperialists. I know from the fact that most people in Britain today, including me, are aware of this fact <.<[/QUOTE]

I once was watching a TV show that was looking for specific signs in the ancient world to predict the future and they pointed to the Great Pyramid of Giza as the exact sign they were looking for. Now the Great pyramid was 480.6 feet tall and currently it is 455.4 feet tall. The problem with using it as the sign they were looking for was the sign was suppose to be 320 feet tall. But they got around that by saying we simply did not understand because we were talking feet as being 12 inches and they were talking Pyramid feet which was 18 inches. Basically they arbitrarily changed the definition to fit their argument and it was pretty much bogus and dismissed by all archeologist as such?As is your retort.

The title of the post is Will America become Hindu by the end of the century. Not will America be following Hindu or Buddhist philosophy by the end of the century. And for the record Buddhism was not even mentioned in the original post.

Also in the articles provided in the original post the first is saying ?Hinduism? and it does say talk about the US becoming more Hindus ideologically. It is also talking about Hinduism and a conduit, not a practice, back to Jesus, not Vishnu, so it is in fact talking about the US becoming MORE Christian through by being more excepting of Hindu Ideal logy. This does not in any way suggest that by the end of the century that the US will become Hindu.

The second link

First is says ?we are all Hindus now? and then it says ?Of course, we are not a Hindu?or Muslim, or Jewish, or Wiccan?nation, either.?

And some of the examples given such as cremation do not prove anything since multiple cultures use cremation and it has been used in the west before anyone even thought ?Hinduism?

But then there is this study (that I posted) that says basically?.nope?not happening on any large scale and it appears to be that more Americans are pretty much becoming nothing. They do not understand their own religion and have less understanding of other religions.

I am not missing the point here I am just living in reality.

If the OP wanted to make a post that said Hindu ideology and philosophy was being accepted by more in the west then that is true, to what extent based on population I do not know. But based on population I would venture a guess that the percentage is low… If the OP had any thought of Buddhism at all he should have added it in the OP and not let it enter by convenience due to a lack of argument against. IMO if you are lookinig for a peaceful, understanding, open and kind religion you need to look to Buddhism not Hinduism but then that is just my opinion.

If you wish to change the rules and the argument as you go along to support your position then go for it but expect to be called on it. However if you want to stay within the post then America will not be Hindu by the end of the century and if things keep going like they are America will likely not be Christian either. That however does not mean there will not be practicing Hindus and Christians in America, just not that many as compared to the population of the country.

China is Atheist and yet there are practicing Buddhists, Daoist, Hindus, Muslims, Christians in China. But that does not make China a Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Muslim, Christian country t is still Atheist. And if things keep going the way they are in the USA it could end up much the same or possibly Agnostic.

#94

[QUOTE=kareng;38883]The question was… Will America become Hindu by the end of the century? my answer (using Pawel) is Spirituality in parts, YES it is and will, adopt what can simply be stated as a Peace and Love culture which is what Hinduism and Buddhism embody. They wont be inventing something new but embracing something very old and already in existence.[/QUOTE]

If you read the article it is suggestion that it will use Hindu Ideology to return to Jesus.

And I have to ask, who the heck through Buddhism into this? It was not in the OP

#95

Yulaw says to Kareng…And I have to ask, who the heck brought Buddhism into this? It was not in the OP.

Hey yulaw what about your inclusions of Buddhism …like the opening of one sentence…Just think Mongol and then say that again, I know that they were not Hindu or Buddhist.
Oops You, like me have put Hindu and Buddhist together

And then there is your next inclusion….Oh and as a note…. As far as Tibet goes… Hinduism had little to do with it…. However Buddhism had a lot to do with it and to be honest I am hard pressed to think of a more civilized group as a whole than Buddhists……
Oops , again you have done it

And then, Surya Deva…… “Whenever people make this argument that all religions and all cultures have a history of violence and war I simply ask them. Please point out the Hindu and Buddhist crusades, inquisitions, witch burnings and genocides. Then they go silent"……here, he joins the two.
I join the two together too Yulaw

Then you have put…” If the OP wanted to make a post that said Hindu ideology and philosophy was being accepted by more in the west then that is true” and then you put “If you wish to change the rules and the argument as you go along to support your position then go for it but expect to be called on it."

Well , as the originator of the post was Surya Deva, I think he is allowed to clarify what he meant by the title of his thread…he set out to make it clear to you a while ago with this…

“I think Yulaw has missed the point of the OP. That is not America would become Hindu by converting to Hinduism, but culturally it will become Hindu. The articles I cited there said “Were all Hindus now” not that Americans have converted to Hinduism formally, but culturally” and then Surya Deva comments on Buddhism as well…… Whenever people make this argument that all religions and all cultures have a history of violence and war I simply ask them. Please point out the Hindu and Buddhist crusades, inquisitions, witch burnings and genocides. Then they go silent….here he joins the two.

Yulaw… Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
– Plato

#96

“Peace and Love” is of course too generic and can apply to many religions and philosophies. To say America is becoming Hindu, means that it is adopting many of its beliefs and practices, even though it may not explicitly consider itself a member of that religion. Those are, some of which were also outlined in the articles I cited

  1. Yoga: About 20 million Americans practice some form of Yoga. It is a massive multi billion dollar industry in America and it is practiced in health clubs, in Churches and even prescribed by doctors. Many of these practices include mantra chanting and meditation.
    In addition to the practice of Yoga, many Americans are even starting to tacitly accept its philosophies such as self-realization.

  2. Reincarnation: About 25% of Americans now profess a belief in karma and reincarnation. Implied within this are beliefs about gradual spiritual evolution towards a spiritual goal. The word karma is now a household term.

  3. Pluralrism: A sizable group of Americans now believe there are many ways to god and not just one, in sharp contrast to the orthodox dogma that there is only one. There is also a growing liberal view in which god can be understood through many definitions.

  4. Self development: Most Americans believe life is all about self development. There is a huge tradition of personal fitness, mental training, and personal success in work, relationships and a striving for happiness. Interestingly, America is built on the value of “pursuit of happiness” This evidenced in the vast growth of self-help merchandize and mind-body-spirit books. Every bookshop has a section on this.

  5. Biophillia: There is a growing number of Americans who are now beginning to profess beliefs in maintaining harmony with nature and living naturally. This is evidenced in the the huge growth in alternative medicine and ecofriendly trends.

  6. Academic acceptance of Vedic philosophy: There is now a growing acceptance by academics of Vedic philosophy in fields like psychology, physics, medicine, management and of course philosophy itself.

All of these indications suggest that America is indeed becoming Hindu.

#97

[QUOTE=kareng;38925]Whenever people make this argument that all religions and all cultures have a history of violence and war I simply ask them. Please point out the Hindu and Buddhist crusades, inquisitions, witch burnings and genocides. Then they go silent?.[/QUOTE]

Here an example from just yesterday http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7720
I know that several others have posted several other examples as well, like this one: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7523

I realize this is recent history, but I bet you dollars to doughnuts that there are thousands of such examples.

BTW - what about Hindu violence toward their own people - their women, honour killings, castes, and more? Every time someone brings up these little tidbits of information they are dismissed as ‘normal’ activity, like there is always has to be a ‘dominant’ class and what’s wrong with that?

I know there will be some more blah blah blah blah explanations and denials. I’m not listening (dum dee dum dum dum).

#98

Sorry Flexipenguin I didnt make that quote it must be someone else an error dunno who made it?

Ha! dont you dum dee dum dum dum me n la la la la back! where are these blasted smileys when you want one

#99

Surya Deva sorry to make it too simplistic, I do realise there is far more to it

#100

[QUOTE=FlexPenguin;38928]Here an example from just yesterday http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7720
I know that several others have posted several other examples as well, like this one: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7523

I realize this is recent history, but I bet you dollars to doughnuts that there are thousands of such examples.

BTW - what about Hindu violence toward their own people - their women, honour killings, castes, and more? Every time someone brings up these little tidbits of information they are dismissed as ‘normal’ activity, like there is always has to be a ‘dominant’ class and what’s wrong with that?

I know there will be some more blah blah blah blah explanations and denials. I’m not listening (dum dee dum dum dum).[/QUOTE]

Nice, but fail.

The attacks on Christians etc are isolated cases of violence, which are not at all representative of 1 billion Hindus. Moreover, these are reactionary attacks against Christian fundamentalism and terrorism in India and are obviously expected.

The “Hindu violence towards their own people” this is isolated cases of violence by people who profess themselves to be Hindus. To report this “Hindu violence” is as valid as reporting that yesterdays robbery at the one of the local shops is “Christian violence” because the robber was Christian.

Inquisitions, crusades and witch burnings were not isolated cases of violence simply done by people who professed to be Christianis. It was directly ordained by the religious authorities citing directly the hate doctrine from the Bible which says in no uncertain terms to kill, stone, burn to death and murder non believers, idolators, sorcerers and witches, and women who are adulterous or non-virgins.

There is no equivalent in Hinduism and Buddhism of inquisitions, crudades and witch burnings because the scriptures of this religion do not preach hate doctrines against non-believers. On the contrary, they teach universal ahimsa, to think, act or speak violently against others, animals or the environment. They enjoin you to speak sweetly and softly to others and not to hate anybody. Furthermore, they teach you to form your own beliefs based on your own experience and intellect and thus are highly tolerant of others beliefs.