India - A sacred geography bound by Dharma

[KS]

Its not an Indian empire rather BD expansion and rule over the Indian sub continent. Now straighten up the history.

Damn sure Pataliputra was not in Bengal. Magadha/Maurya etc were empires rooted in modern day Bihar and having capital at Pataliputra (Patna). So dont be such a ...........

 

[Wickerman]

The Roman Catholic Church is also a political vehicle, albeit somewhat more restrained than the Pentecostals. It would be best for native Christians to have their own Church, and formulate their own doctrines that bring out the Dharmic essence of original Christianity.

The Roman Catholic church out of the Vatican is. But not sure how much of a foothold it has in India. I dont think much.

 

[Hellraiser007]

It is an one-off exception.



You cannot base your opinions based on exceptions. You said culture is lifestyle. In our case even the religion was a way of life. In Indian context you cannot draw a clear line demarcating this is culture and this is religion and say both have nothing to do with each other. Hinduism/Dharmic faiths knowingly or unknowingly influences most of our culture.

Modern day culture is evolving not based on religion but on Economy.

Yes Hinduism/Dharmic faiths do influence culture that does that mean religion equals culture.

 

[Iggy]

India is India because it is predominantly Hindu.

It colors each one of us, regardless of our faith.

It is what is part of our legacy and our heritage.

It is tolerant and inclusive and assimilative without being overpowering.

I laugh at others trying to teach us secularism or what their version of the definition should be.

When all along, it was India which embodied secularism to the ancient world.

I despise equally the pseudo-secularists as well as the fanatics who take a stand and make Hindutva a bad word.

When in fact it is what has held us together and kept us together and helped us retain our roots for millenia as well as these past 65 years.

Absolutely agree with you!! Hinduism as a culture and religion bind us as a nation.. Even my religion like Christianity in India adopted a lot of thing from Hinduism like Magalsutra, Lighting of lamp instead of candle in the evening etc.. When people say Hinduism is just about monkey worshipping, they are forgetting that it is more than that.. I have noticed this religion as the most liberal of all the religion.. They dont mind praying in a Church or a Masjid. They do not make it compulsory to go to a temple on a particular day. And finding holiness in each and every thing.. Every other religion that came to India has adopted good things from Hinduism.. As for me I am proud of my Hindu culture. I am a Hindu practicing Christianity..And you cannot change it with some stupid theories..

 

[Kyusuibu Honbu]

Absolutely agree with you!! Hinduism as a culture and religion bind us as a nation.. Even my religion like Christianity in India adopted a lot of thing from Hinduism like Magalsutra, Lighting of lamp instead of candle in the evening etc.. When people say Hinduism is just about monkey worshipping, they are forgetting that it is more than that.. I have noticed this religion as the most liberal of all the religion.. They dont mind praying in a Church or a Masjid. They do not make it compulsory to go to a temple on a particular day. And finding holiness in each and every thing.. Every other religion that came to India has adopted good things from Hinduism.. As for me I am proud of my Hindu culture. I am a Hindu practicing Christianity..And you cannot change it with some stupid theories..

Welcome back!

Used to read many of your post when i was lurker here

 

[Iggy]

These are mainly protestants or pentacostal people. Roman Catholics are fine. They are like that everywhere. Infact you live in the US you'd know what I am talking about.

Jehovah Witnesses

Westboro Baptist Church etc.,

Do not take most of them seriously.. The new gen organisations like you mentioned are mostly for the money.. Religion has become the new business of India and very profitable too..

 

[walwal]

Absolutely agree with you!! Hinduism as a culture and religion bind us as a nation.. Even my religion like Christianity in India adopted a lot of thing from Hinduism like Magalsutra, Lighting of lamp instead of candle in the evening etc.. When people say Hinduism is just about monkey worshipping, they are forgetting that it is more than that.. I have noticed this religion as the most liberal of all the religion.. They dont mind praying in a Church or a Masjid. They do not make it compulsory to go to a temple on a particular day. And finding holiness in each and every thing.. Every other religion that came to India has adopted good things from Hinduism.. As for me I am proud of my Hindu culture. I am a Hindu practicing Christianity..And you cannot change it with some stupid theories..

Aptly summarised the essence of secularism My visit to Dargah does'nt make me less Hindu, neither me not visiting the temple dent in my faith.

 

[Iggy]

Sadly, the whole world is bound by Islam!

Tell that to some one in Europe and then cry about Islamophobia!!

 

[walwal]

As I said these are one-off exceptions which do not account for the rest 99%.

BTW I dont know what your position is - are you putting forth that culture is independent of religion and the difference is clearly discernible ?

Culture is not independent of religion. It is way of life, as much as prominent religion here (Hinduism in question) is way of life.

[/QUOTE]
Dude dont take into account the action of Sikhs visiting Hindu mandirs or Hindus visiting other places of worship. I know Sikhs who worship Hindu gods in their homes ! Proper Punjabi Sikhs. That's because of the more or less conjoined histories of Hinduism and Sikhism.[/QUOTE]

Agree. You may hardly find a line of separation between Sikhs & Hinduism.

As I said these are one-off exceptions which do not account for the rest 99%.

BTW I dont know what your position is - are you putting forth that culture is independent of religion and the difference is clearly discernible ?

Culture is not independent of religion. It is way of life, as much as prominent religion here (Hinduism in question) is way of life.

[/QUOTE]
Dude dont take into account the action of Sikhs visiting Hindu mandirs or Hindus visiting other places of worship. I know Sikhs who worship Hindu gods in their homes ! Proper Punjabi Sikhs. That's because of the more or less conjoined histories of Hinduism and Sikhism.[/QUOTE]

Agree. You may hardly find a line of separation between Sikhs & Hinduism.

 

[Iggy]

Aptly summarised the essence of secularism My visit to Dargah does'nt make me less Hindu, neither me not visiting the temple dent in my faith.

Well recently the youngest Cardinal of the Catholic church Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal also mentioned some thing like this in a Interview that he have visited temple and also Masjid when he was the Major Archbishop of the Syro Malankara Church, and he dont believe that it made him a less Christian.. I am mentioning this because there are people in every religion who believes in the secularism in this country and very proud of it..

 

[walwal]

Well recently the youngest Cardinal of the Catholic church Baselios Cleemis Thottunkal also mentioned some thing like this in a Interview that he have visited temple and also Masjid when he was the Major Archbishop of the Syro Malankara Church, and he dont believe that it made him a less Christian.. I am mentioning this because there are people in every religion who believes in the secularism in this country and very proud of it..

Thats exactly the binding thread within the country and can withstand any number of selfish political morons

 

[vsdoc]

I have prayed inside a church.

I have prayed inside a temple.

I have prayed inside a gurudwara.

I have prayed inside a buddhist monastery.

I have prayed inside a dargah.

I automatically touch my left hand over my heart and say a silent prayer when I ride/walk/drive past any place of worship.

I am an Indian.

That's usually how we roll.

 

[Hellraiser007]

When have Indians in general had a hard time integrating and assimilating?

Exactly, this is the basis for secularism in India.

 

[Android]

I have prayed inside a church.

I have prayed inside a temple.

I have prayed inside a gurudwara.

I have prayed inside a buddhist monastery.

I have prayed inside a dargah.

I automatically touch my left hand over my heart and say a silent prayer when I ride/walk/drive past any place of worship.

I am an Indian.

That's usually how we roll.

hey doc would you mind if i make this post my signature

 

[Rig Vedic]

The Roman Catholic church out of the Vatican is. But not sure how much of a foothold it has in India. I dont think much.

A current example of how the Roman Catholic Church acts on behalf of western political and corporate interests is the agitation against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The western bloc is not happy to see the Russian plant being built, and they are not happy with the Indian nuclear liability law.

Some time back there was the issue of Church support to the LTTE militants, but IIRC the Lutheran Church was more involved in that than the Roman Catholics.

The Churches also routinely issue Fatwas at the time of elections; the converts become an instrument for helping install a government convenient for foreign corporate and political interests.

Rajiv Malhotra in his "Breaking India" book has painstakingly gathered a lot of such data.