The Hindus: An Alternative History by Wendy to be destroyed

[INDIC]

It wont be the binding factor for long given the skepticism and atheism which has been adopted by the English educated youth today. God forbid should this trend reach a critical mass, there wont be an India anymore.

Idea of Bharata Varsha is both related to Hinduism and Indian civilization. Only the atheism inspired by political ideology like communism try to dump ancient history and culture. Now, with the age of internet more and more Indians are dumping colonial garbage of Aryan invasion theory and Aryan Dravidian divide. Infact, you will see lot many countries in the world who left their ancestral religion but still believe in those ancient folklore.

 

[phylumchordata]

none of us has actually read the book

 

[PlanetWarrior]

When the Muslims started kicking these dumb mofos' azzes for writing trash about Islam, they turn to insulting Hinduism. Perhaps it is time to start a Hindu Taliban movement

 

[scorpionx]

@scorpionx I think the article actually did not analyse her work, but that of those who were her PhD students. Still, if she can pass her students for coming up with such 'profound' analysis, I doubt her own works are above such quality.

But I still won't call for that book to be banned unless I've read it once at least(But then, I'm a nobody)

Yes, It was Jeffrey Kripal, one of the leading "Indologist"'s research work. But if this is the level of their work I better stay away from their entire research community as I have read plenty of delightful books on Ramakrishna and his boys. Personally, I am not a great fan of RK because he is very difficult to understand although people call him to be too simple. I am a great admirer of his first disciples and the second batch of the sanyasis. It was them who brought the entire Vedanta in a completely new garb to the world. Many of them came from very rich family but devoted their life for a mission and lived an awesome life.

There was one sanyasi who was ordered by Swami Vivekananda that he should stay in Kankhal (Haridwar) and help the poors and old and never come back to Bengal. Vivekananda died in 1902 but that Sanyasi never came back to Belur, the center of mission in the rest 40 years of his life because he gave words to someone. We all know about Vivekananda but this was the level of determination of his other fellow sanyasis. I hope I could have given you a book on these great people

 

[Peshwa]

What is India's history if not the history of Hinduism. What is India's experience, if not the experience of its Hindu people and Hindu civilization.

Not to say that Hinduism didnt play an important role in India's history, but are you claiming that Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam had no impact on Indian history? I can see how you can be passionate about Hinduism as a religion, but to say that Indias history is synonymous with the history of Hinduism is a far stretch to say the least.

What common vision does India has that other countries do not have? Do other countries not deem science, technology, prosperity, and progress as their objectives too? So what differentiates India from other country? Why should India exist? Why not a humongous South Asia based on only geographical boundary

.

You contradict yourself Maam. At one point you state that it is Hinduism that binds the nation and on the other you state that prosperity and progress are the objectives of any nation, not just India.
When you say what binds other nations, its a sense of security, the same that you get in your home/homeland, your place of birth. Languages, culture (not just that which is promoted by religion), traditions, and even race are more important binding factors for India that religion. Please look at majority of the nations on earth. Their binding factor barring a few ie. Pakistan and Israel has more to do with the factors i mentioned over religion.

Gandhi's objective was Ram Rajya. Hindus and Muslims co-exist only when Hindus are majority, else Hindus pretty much get wiped out. India was divided on the basis of this very fact which you conveniently ignore.

Gandhis objective was Ram Rajya? This is news to me.

And i find it ridiculous that you think hinduism as a faith is that weak that it can be wiped out! I mean please think about this, Hinduism has survived the ages of pogroms, massacres, conquests, conversions (forced or otherwise) and still has been able to weather the storm and come out as one of the largest religions in the world. If a "1000 year" rule of muslims couldnt wipe hinduism out, I find it hilarious that you think a few books criticizing the religion would be able to do that!
I absolutely disagree to the condition you mention for hindu muslim coexistence.

And lastly, India didnt ask for the division, Pakistan did. Again, you prove yourself wrong. If India was bound to Hindusim, we would have been a hindu country and would have kicked all muslims out! But we didnt. this is the vision i speak of. Indians did not envision Hindustan, we envisioned India...a secular republic! One of the many visions our founding fathers had!

I do not know why exactly you live in India, but India gets its very defining characteristic because it is Hindu.

Absolutely 100% does NOT! This is the most myopic statement i have seen in a while!

Nothing is imposed in Hinduism. Everyone who takes up a belief or commits a religious action does it of his/her own volition. What is to say your secular beliefs are not falsely premised and that you have been led to them on faulty reasoning and data. So you are just as much "blind" in your choices as anyone else is. Democracy does not mean acceptance of any garbage in the guise of free thinking. There are reasonable restrictions to even free speech in our democracy per our constitution.

A favorite quote from Richard Dawkins "We should be open-minded, but not so open-minded that our brain falls out."

Not sure if your words make sense to me maam.
Religion, by definition provides its followers rules or guidelines to live by. Certain practices, traditions etc are cumpulsory in order for one to be "hindu".
Democracy guarantees free speech, doesnt tell you to accept anything on face value,....which allows us as individuals to make conscious decisions based on all available information and opinions.

I am here arguing for India to be a place where all opinions are heard and then for the listener to decide based on their own perception whether to agree or disagree with a subject.
You on the other hand are advocating a religion (in this case hinduism, but my argument would remain the same for any other religion) which by itself tell you to "accept" a code or tradition....and you here have no gall to question it, let alone hear a critical opinion about it! I maam have not been blinded, but its you since you wont even be open to any other opinion except that Hinduism needs to be protected! Your stand is extreme!

Politics and religion have been mixed as long as humanity existed. If your freedom of speech and expression results in my community getting exterminated, then I have a reason to worry about your freedom of speech.

First statement agreed....
Second statement...how is this books or for that matter any book going to lead to the extermination of "your" community?
Could you elaborate? How is this book going to lead to Hindu extermination in India?

 

[Hermione]

Not to say that Hinduism didnt play an important role in India's history, but are you claiming that Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Islam had no impact on Indian history? I can see how you can be passionate about Hinduism as a religion, but to say that Indias history is synonymous with the history of Hinduism is a far stretch to say the least.

Hinduism I used as a catch phrase for all Dharmic religions and also singularly as the religion most practiced in this land. Islam's role in India has been that of an invader and bringer of death and misery to its people. No amount of secular spin is going to make Islam indigenous or non-threatening to Indian identity.

You contradict yourself Maam. At one point you state that it is Hinduism that binds the nation and on the other you state that prosperity and progress are the objectives of any nation, not just India.
When you say what binds other nations, its a sense of security, the same that you get in your home/homeland, your place of birth. Languages, culture (not just that which is promoted by religion), traditions, and even race are more important binding factors for India that religion. Please look at majority of the nations on earth. Their binding factor barring a few ie. Pakistan and Israel has more to do with the factors i mentioned over religion.

Where is the contradiction? Why is India's progress and prosperity threatened if not for its Dharmic identity? What is it that makes Pakistan our enemy state? Why are our borders open to Nepal and Bhutan? Why is it closed to Pakistanis and Bangladeshis? If it is not religion, then why is a Pashtun, a Pakistani Punjabi, a Pakistani Sindhi, a Pakistani Baloch not integrated in India? Or is it something about these languages that are a threat to Indian identity? Is Pakistani or Bangladeshi culture a threat to India? Are they not the same culture as Indian? So why the demarcation and heavy military expenditure? Almost all the successful nations in the world are based on a single religion domination. All countries in South America, North America, Europe, East Asia. All have their identity tied up as Catholic, WASP, or Buddhist countries. It is only the Indian secular who tries to rob and defraud India of its religion and identity.

Gandhis objective was Ram Rajya? This is news to me.
And i find it ridiculous that you think hinduism as a faith is that weak that it can be wiped out! I mean please think about this, Hinduism has survived the ages of pogroms, massacres, conquests, conversions (forced or otherwise) and still has been able to weather the storm and come out as one of the largest religions in the world. If a "1000 year" rule of muslims couldnt wipe hinduism out, I find it hilarious that you think a few books criticizing the religion would be able to do that!
I absolutely disagree to the condition you mention for hindu muslim coexistence.
And lastly, India didnt ask for the division, Pakistan did. Again, you prove yourself wrong. If India was bound to Hindusim, we would have been a hindu country and would have kicked all muslims out! But we didnt. this is the vision i speak of. Indians did not envision Hindustan, we envisioned India...a secular republic! One of the many visions our founding fathers had!

Yes it was his call for Ram Rajya which got the Indians responding to him. Else the Indian people gave two hoots to the congress leadership that existed before him.

Hinduism and Dharmic religions covered the entire subcontinent, Afghanistan, and SE Asia 1000 years ago. It has lost 80% of its territory and no doubt the seculars are happy about this. Even in the subcontinent today Hindu to Muslim ratio is 3:2 today and going for parity in a few decades. Given the contempt seculars have been feeding the Indian populace about Hinduism and its institutionalization by the likes of JNU and Western University, I wont dismiss the threat to Hinduism lightly.

Also look at the conversion to Christianity in our coastal belts which is encouraged by our govt. Entire coastal belts have been Christianized in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. NE states are another example. You can choose to live with your head in the sand, do not expect others to.

It is precisely because we are Hindus, we did not "kick" out Muslims. Your understanding of Hinduism is as deficient as about the realities of India. Hinduism =/= Islam. It will not mimic Islam.

You can continue to ignore the disappearance of Hindus from Pakistan and the genocide of Hindus in Bangladesh, but that is just you.

Not sure if your words make sense to me maam.
Religion, by definition provides its followers rules or guidelines to live by. Certain practices, traditions etc are cumpulsory in order for one to be "hindu".

What is compulsory to be a Hindu? Tell me when a person has been ex-communicated from being a Hindu in history ever.

I am here arguing for India to be a place where all opinions are heard and then for the listener to decide based on their own perception whether to agree or disagree with a subject.
You on the other hand are advocating a religion (in this case hinduism, but my argument would remain the same for any other religion) which by itself tell you to "accept" a code or tradition....and you here have no gall to question it, let alone hear a critical opinion about it! I maam have not been blinded, but its you since you wont even be open to any other opinion except that Hinduism needs to be protected! Your stand is extreme!

This is the funniest I have heard. So you are advocating absolute free speech? I would like that too. It is time we brought out the truth of Islam in India openly in our schools and universities and taught them about India's death figures and the cruelty that Indians went through. I will absolutely love it. I also want no anti-superstition laws in this country. Every Hindu, Muslim, Christian should be allowed the freedom to believe in anyone fake or genuine regardless of its approval by the scientific secular establishment.

The critical opinion of Hinduism has been aired so openly until now that Hinduism is identified as a religion of cow piss drinkers, rat worshippers, cow worshippers, casteist, widow burning, Sati, dowry, rapists. All our sadhus are of course serial rapists. Your love of more critical opinion of Hinduism is more in line of propagation of some more of the same.

Second statement...how is this books or for that matter any book going to lead to the extermination of "your" community?
Could you elaborate? How is this book going to lead to Hindu extermination in India?

These books are the course material for Hinduism studies in the West and increasingly for English educated Indians. Their contempt for Hindus and Hinduism as frankly evident in the insults they heap daily on the religious folks of this country. Contempt and insults and demonization have usually been followed by extermination throughout history, yeah it is a long course though, but a step in that direction.