By Ajay Nemade Most intellectuals refer Hinduism as Polytheism and not monotheism. But do most of them know the difference between monotheism and polytheism. What is the difference between Monotheism and Polytheism? Suppose Electricity is God which is unseen and formless. Electricity runs through bulb, tube, fan, air conditioner, computer etc. One monotheist says bulb is […]
Dharma and Religion – A Rejoinder
By Karthik Vaidhinathan (CHAKRA) Thank you all for your appreciation and valuable comments regarding my previous write-up What is our “Religion” ? What is “Dharma” ? There were a few objections raised and a few questions posed, and I will attempt to answer them from my perspective through the current write-up. Objection 1 – I am defining […]
What is our “Religion” ? What is “Dharma” ?
By Karthik Vaidhinathan (CHAKRA) I would like to discuss briefly my ideas on the English terms like religion, faith and culture and Indic terms like dharma, sanatana dharma, vaidika dharma etc. and also touch upon what we should call ourselves. Different cultures have had different experiences which have conditioned them in different ways, and thus the categories […]
Hindu Spirituality Versus Monotheism
It is an intuition ingrained in the Hindu psyche to inhabit our entire environment – celestial, physical, vegetable, animal, and human – with innumerable Gods and Goddesses. Some of these divinities are installed in temples as icons, and worshipped with well-defined rituals. Some others are worshipped as and where they are invoked. Hindu shastras, saints […]
The Origins of Monothiesm in Hindu Dharma
By Sita Ram Goel and Ram Swarup Hinduism – OMThe dialogue which Raja Ram Mohun Roy had started in the third decade of the nineteenth century stopped abruptly with the passing away of Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948. The Hindu leadership or what passed for it in post-independence India was neither equipped for nor interested […]
Why are Hindus so Uncomfortable with Themselves?
By Sucheta Rustagi New York, USA (CHAKRA) – This article will attempt to analyze why Hindus quite often do not feel comfortable speaking about their religion or identifying with aspects of it. The average Muslim, Christian or Jew never has to even be asked about which faith they follow, rather they are upfront and open […]
Can giving too much freedom of religion increase oppression and segregation?
When driving through the streets of Toronto in Canada you will notice the huge signs that read “WE SELL HALAL FOOD HERE” or “HALAL IS SERVED HERE” made by desperate small restaurant owners who wish to gain as many more customers as possible because across the street is another restaurant selling the same food—only they serve halal […]
Are “Hindu’s” Too Progressive Thinking?
By Saraswati Rastogi Toronto, Canada (CHAKRA) – We as Canadians, take pride in the fact that we live in a democracy which supports individual rights. That is one of the main reasons immigrants from all over the world come to North America—for the American dream, because the opportunity is endless. People generally live by the […]
At least 25 Hindu Girls Abducted Every Month in the Islamic State of Pakistan
By Antony Thomas Karachi, Pakistan (CHAKRA) – An activist and council member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Amarnath Motumal, stated that at least 20 to 25 girls are abducted and converted to Islam against their will every single month. Hindus are targetted due to many local muslims seeing them as kafirs(non muslims) and […]
Why no Hindu or Buddhist representation?
By Aseem Shukla Q:The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is recommending that the U.S. government develop a strategy to make religion ‘integral’ to American foreign policy. Should U.S. foreign policy get religion? There is little doubt that U.S. foreign policy apparatchiks have historically been deaf to religion as a driver of nationalism, foreign policy and […]