Do people still follow Hinduism out of ignorance and cultural pressure?

[caleb83]

You might call Hinduism monotheistic but Hindus do not.
In fact I am talking to a Hindu woman right now and even she says that you are over analyzing the religion.

While there are different forms of gods such as Ram being a form of Vishnu, the individual forms are also considered gods, unlike the trinity present in Catholicism where God the father, God the son, and God the holy spirit are parts of the single God.

Yes this is all true, and monotheism isn’t a good word anyway, the best is in Indian philosophy itself. I mean to say that there is a very sophisticated and ancient and exhalted concept and belief in a Supreme God that is likely the source of Western monotheism. I mean that Hinduism is nothing like polytheists in the Bible. I am most definitly over-analyzing, but just so, to call Christians monotheists and Hindus mere polytheist is far under-analyzing.

(However, I cannot now remember what post I was responding to and why I felt I needed to make that point)

As for your friend, what did she say about idols? About gods or God?

 

[coleta]

Yes this is all true, and monotheism isn’t a good word anyway, the best is in Indian philosophy itself. I mean to say that there is a very sophisticated and ancient and exhalted concept and belief in a Supreme God that is likely the source of Western monotheism. I mean that Hinduism is nothing like polytheists in the Bible. I am most definitly over-analyzing, but just so, to call Christians monotheists and Hindus mere polytheist is far under-analyzing.

(However, I cannot now remember what post I was responding to and why I felt I needed to make that point)

As for your friend, what did she say about idols? About gods or God?

From what she has told me, the idols are not a mere representation of god, but they are the gods theemselves. However, with this, it must be mentioned that it depends on ones perception. If i were to look at an idol and see it as stone, it is merely stone. But for a believer who views the idol as god, it is god.

 

[caleb83]

From what she has told me, the idols are not a mere representation of god, but they are the gods theemselves. However, with this, it must be mentioned that it depends on ones perception. If i were to look at an idol and see it as stone, it is merely stone. But for a believer who views the idol as god, it is god.

Reminds me of tran-substanciation a little

 

[coleta]

I guess it does, doesn’t it.

 

[Contarini]

What Hindus told you that? If you talk to one who devoutly practices their faith you will find that there are too many gods to remember. Obviously, some are more important than others, Ganesh is prayed to before all others at temple… all of them are viewed as individual gods.

That is not generally true. I will not claim that no Hindus think this. But the ones I’ve talked to and read about would say that the gods are not individual beings but are manifestations of one divine reality.

Edwin

 

[caleb83]

That is not generally true. I will not claim that no Hindus think this. But the ones I’ve talked to and read about would say that the gods are not individual beings but are manifestations of one divine reality.

Edwin

I have always wondered about that, I am going to ask exactly that on a hindu forum. But also, God is in you and you are God, in one way or another, so it is not hard to see how Gods can also be God.

There are many different schools on this, and it can be true in many different ways.

 

[shivabramin]

i am a hindu by choice , i was a catholic , but never found in catholicism what i was looking for ( and i was a seminarist ) , all religions have one goal …salvation and god ‘’’…no religion have the ultimate truth … all religions have diferents path to reach god …is sometimes like martial arts all of them teach you how to defend , but by different means …is a question of choices …and the end no body knows god , only god knows himself

 

[cathopologist]

What Hindus told you that? If you talk to one who devoutly practices their faith you will find that there are too many gods to remember.

This former Brahmin is telling you Hindus are not polytheistic. It is far more complex than you can imagine or comprehend because you were never born into the religion. If you wish to learn about a religion, especially Hinduism, don’t bother to read it from a Westerner’s perspective or a Muslim for that matter. It will always be biased.

Hindus acknowledge the presence of the god in the idols, or photos, or whatever other depictions of god. They bathe their idols, feed them (present food to them), etc. They (from my understanding) believe that the idols actually eat the food, afterall, it would be stupid to try to feed something that you know to be an inanimate object, right?

Have you tried feeding a rock? Do you honestly believe they are immature to believe inanimate objects come alive when fed or bathed? Are you that simple? Go look up “Arya Samaj” (i was one) and other schools of thought that hold strictly monotheistic views.

Not really, I have found that all they need is a little explaination. If you never explain something (properly) to a person, you can’t expect them to understand it. We all experience ignorance at one point or another .

They can tell you the same.