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Why are Hindus so Uncomfortable with Themselves?

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Many Hindus feel it is not Secular to speak of their religion or identify themselves

Many Hindus feel it is not Secular to speak of their religion or identify 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 about their views and beliefs.  However, this is not the case for many Hindus that I have come across.  If the topic of religion even arises in a conversation, many Hindus do not want to discuss it.  The question is why? Is it because culturally and traditionally, Hindus are taught to exhibit respect for others that a Hindu chooses not to speak about religion, in fear of offending someone? Or is it that Hinduism is just a very complex religion which requires an immense amount of studying and research to get even a little grasp of? Or is it the essence of the religion itself which encompasses humility and self realization, causing a Hindu to choose not to speak about it and instead keep within oneself only? Whatever the reason is, it is causing a great deal of damage to Hinduism. Whether a person chooses not to study the complex religion or fears offending someone, the avoidance of speaking out about ones views, identity or interest in the religion is bringing down the percentage of people that are seen to follow Hinduism.  The less we speak and learn about our values of Hinduism, the less these values are known to others and thus the less they are recognized by society as a whole and in comparison to other religions.  We must unite and take action to learn more. Combined minds always work better than a single mind.

As Hindu’s we can take pride in the fact that Hinduism is the only religion which does not promote conversions of any form and equally respects all religions.  It is evident that many Christians and Muslims support the act of converting whether it is by standing outside a stranger’s doorstep or in a coffee shop preaching of their own faith and the “ultimate path to salvation”.   One might say that saying the previous statement in itself is contradictory to the reality of Hinduism being a humble and all accepting religion.   How can Hindus say they are all accepting yet find and share such flaws of other religions?  Is that not participating in the exact same thing as other faiths are taking part in?  Absolutely not.  It is one thing to manipulate disadvantaged people in society to follow one’s own religious path and it is another to stand back and observe the clear flaws in any act of manipulation.  As any research or field worker would observe and analyze to come to a conclusion without bias, a Hindu or a devout of any other religion may do the same.

The more us Hindu’s fail to be more proactive towards our religion, the less our religion and people are being recognized in society as followers of the Hindu faith.  The people we become, whether we are first, second or third generation in the Western world, is in most cases a result of our religion.  Sadly, we give no credit where it’s due.  We take pride in being educated, all rounded, and some of the kindest most accepting people on this planet, yet we fail to understand why we are the way we are and exactly what impacted our life decisions and outcomes.  This is not to say, that other religions do not have a positive impact on its followers but instead these people attribute their actions to their religion.  Instead the average Hindu tries whatever possible intentionally or unintentionally to disassociate themselves from their religion.  For example, if one were to login to Facebook or any other networking website, it is rare to see a Hindu identify himself/herself as a Hindu.  Instead they fill up their facebook newsfeed with status updates such as “Eid Mubarak”, “Merry Christmas!” “Many innocent lives are being lost in the Muslim World—Lets make change!” This is all fine in the name of celebration, best wishes and humanitarian cause, but why not updates for Hindu celebrations or special events?  Also, what about when the Mumbai attacks happened at the Taj Hotel and many other locations?  It was rare to see a Hindu comment about this catastrophe.

In the end, let’s accept and we do—that we are not here to compete and fight for who’s better than who or which religious path is best but instead give our roots and the reason for who we are a chance.  Care about others but in the act, do not forget our people who need our support first.  A Hindu needs to remember that any Muslim or Christian or Jew, although helping other communities of people in need will help their own communities first and then others.  We need to do the same.  Help our religion and people unite and grow first and then help others. If our own community does not help each other then who will?  In the end we will all be left with severe identity crises not knowing who we are and where we come from with no moral path to follow and identify with.  We are deteriorating and participating in cultural suicide and whether we want to accept the truth is up to each one of us.  Keep the world’s most ancient religion alive.

Comments

  1. While I agree that Hindus need to have more pride in their faith, I don’t think that we’re all as embarrassed of our faith as this article leads us to believe. I know many Hindus who are proud of their faith and gladly talk about their holidays and beliefs with those who don’t know about them. I do wish the Hindu community here in San Diego was more active though. The sense of community is important so far from home.

  2. I am born to a Hindu family. I do love some Indian ( Hindu) food, art, music philosophy etc..But I feel very uncomfortable with the caste system. It does not make any sense. It is of only historical interest and there has to be major crack down on this primitive ideology and practice. It is to be made illegal and it has to be legislated. Hindus and Muslims have not made any progress.

    Christianity has evolved really well. I do not care about what some fundamentals think and preach. The worship has become different. There are several non denominational churches making impressive growth in US. These are open to any one, no need to be religious.

  3. I also forgot to mention that Christianity is the only true religion as Islam and Hinduism are both false. I think all Hindus will slowly see the love of jesus and not their wrong deities. Please everyone, as a person from a Hindu Family, I suggest everyone to follow the word of Christ as he loves u all and please come visit your local christian church as we are open to everyone and teach you the only 1 religion of Christ, no need to be religious.

    Amen.

  4. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and NO ONE comes to the Father, but by Me.”
    He who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
    There is NO OTHER name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.
    Trust Jesus today… no other, no Mohammed, no Krishna, no Guru Nanak, no Buddha

  5. That is right. Jesus said Love is the way, the Truth and the Life. No one understands God, but by LOVE. He who acts like God in LOVE will be saved. Jesus is the ultimate demonstration of God’s Love and Grace. JC is not an idol or idol figure like Mohamed, Krishna or GN or Budda, but He is an experience of utmost act of Love. He is alive and so the Love.

  6. I am a former Christian converted to Hinduism. This is what is in your bible. ” So they sent twelve thousand warriors to Jabesh-gilead with orders to kill everyone there, including women and children. “This is what you are to do,” they said. “Completely destroy all the males and every woman who is not a virgin.” Among the residents of Jabesh-gilead they found four hundred young virgins who had never slept with a man, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh in the land of Canaan.” (Judges 21:10)

  7. The only true religion is ISLAM. There are so many flaws in other religions but none in Islam. The Quran is the perfect and final revelation of Allah and it is He who knows the best.

  8. Hi KT,
    Not only you, all the Christians make the same mistakes you do?
    1) Very uncomfortable with the caste system in Hindu – You say you are born in India. But I dono how you are not aware of this, Christians do follow the caste system in India.
    2) Christianity has evolved really well.Hindus and Muslims have not made any progress. – The mistake you have did here is you should have read the Veda’s and Bagavad Gita’s teaching before you have started to read the bible.
    3) Jesus is not an Idol – I believe you would not have gone to the Temple while as Hindu. But it seems you dont go to churches too. Is there no Jesus idol or Cross symbol found in churches.
    3) He is alive – No one would have forgot the most popular rumor “THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST! in 2010”, I too planned to convert to Chistianism if he arrives. But, what you have planned to do, if he doesn’t arrives? Are you ready to accept Hinnduism back??
    4) Christianity is the only true religion – Yes, ofcourse. But the thing you have misunderstood is, Hinduism is not a religion but “Snatana Dharma – A Way Of Life”.

    Hi John,
    1) but by Me.” He who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved – Jesus may not save the People who doesn’t calls his name, am it correct?d
    2) Trust Jesus today…no other, no Mohammed, no Krishna, no Guru Nanak, no Buddha – First stop critizing others and others religions, dont feel bad about yourselves for hurting others, First learn those principles.Is this wat you have grasped?? We never said Jesus is not there, but if he is really alive everyone would be happy. Let we see in 2010, anyhow he will be coming na if he is alive.

    Hi Michael Anburaja,
    Thank you so much. Not for converting to Hinduism but for providing the information about the Vulgarities in the Bible.

    Below are the Quotes from Great peoples:
    When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this universe everything else seems so superfluous. ~~~ Albert Einstein
    India ? The land of Vedas, the remarkable works contain not only religious ideas for a perfect life, but also facts which science has proved true. Electricity, radium, electronics, airship, all were known to the seers who founded the Vedas.~~~ Wheeler Wilcox (American poet)
    In religion, India is the only millionaire……the One land that all men desire to see, and having seen once, by even a glimpse, would not give that glimpse for all the shows of all the rest of the globe combined. ~~~ Mark Twain (American writer)
    Our present knowledge of the nervous system fits in so accurately with the internal description of the human body given in the Vedas (5000 years ago). Then the question arises whether the Vedas are really religious books or books on anatomy of the nervous system and medicine.~~~ Rele (Jewish writer)
    The Indian way of life provides the vision of the natural, real way of life. We veil ourselves with unnatural masks. On the face of India are the tender expressions which carry the mark of the Creator’s hand.~~~ George Bernard Shaw (Irish playwrite)
    India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border!”~~~ Hu Shih (former Ambassador of China to USA)

  9. Why are Hindus uncomfortable discussing about their culture?

    The correct answer to that question is, Hindus do not know how to articulate proper answers to questions regarding their CULTURE/RELIGION, since Hinduism is very very old, older than Judaism and has thousands of scriptures.

    HINDUS NEED ONE LINERS —-In United States, late President Regan is very famous for his “one liners” …..Though his ONE LINERS he gave the message and he made changes to happen .. Through his one liners he got the nickname, “The Great Communicator.”

    Hindus need one liners like Regan’s one liners to express their beliefs in few words instead in long lengthy paragraphs.

    A———–Hindus worship ONE & ONLY GOD Brahman which expresses itself in trillions of forms.
    …
    B———–Hindus DO NOT WORSHIP IDOLS. They use idols just like everybody else to concentrate on the GOD who has no NAME or FORM [Nama – roopa]

    C———–Hindus believe every one, even an atheist will ultimately attain salvation.

    D———–Hindus do NOT profess monopoly on God or truth. Those things are universal.

    E————-According to Hindu scriptures “You do not have to be a Hindu to attain salvation. Even an atheist who searches after TRUTH will finally attain salvation”

    F———–SALVATION in Hinduism is known as SELF-REALIZATION.

    Self Realization means realizing one is SELF the immortal soul within and not the perishable body.

    G——Hindus believe in PERPECTUAL AND CYCLIC CREATION AND ANNIHILATION OF THE UNIVERSE….

    This universe we see has come and gone many many times.

    H———–Hindus respect all religions and Hindus have no problem worshiping in a Mosque or in a Church or in a Synagogue or in a Buddhist Vihar or any other place since a Hindu sees his/her personal God in all those places

    http://www.boloji.com/hinduism/036.htm

  11. I am literally shocked at the comments on this article. “Christianity is the only true religion”. Really? Like, really? Are we actually having this discussion in this day and age? We all need something to believe in. I don’t know what I believe in, but I wish I had something. I envy people with faith. To tear down other people’s religions is a show of intolerance that I thought had died out, but I guess I was being naive. Our world is just as intolerant as ever.

  12. @KT :

    Your uncomfort basically sources from the ignorance you live in about Hinduism. Hinduism do not speak of cast system, but class system or the Varna ashram. It was the christian missionaries like Max mueller, griffith, Bloomsfield etc who tried to mistranslate and distort the Vedas and promoted the cast system. Hence Hindus like you fall trap to the divide and rule strategies of the christian missionaries, feel confused about Hinduism and start adoring christianity. Their purpose hence solved and you become the guinea pig. Other strategies by christian missionaries were “Aryan Invasion theory”, “The dravidian race theory” which has no backing and have been refuted plethora of times.

    Class system classifies the society in 4 division based on “karma” or profession.
    1) Brahmins : The teachers and spiritual masters. In todays time, it denotes the class of scientists, researchers, doctors etc
    2) Kshatriyas : The warrior class. In today’s time, it denotes the soldiers and armymen etc irrespective of their religion, region, cast or creed as their profession is warriorship.
    3) Vaishyas : The business class, the artsmen etc
    4) Shudras : The unskilled labourers who couldn’t comprehend Vedas or spiritual insights.

    Can a doctor kid be a born doctor or scientist son call himself scientist at the age of 1 year? Hence cast system by birth is a total perversion of Vedic class system or Varna system by Karma.

    The flat earth theory, earth created in 6 days all hail from christianity. The age of universe in Vedic terms is 3.011 trillions years, this present age is called the kaliyug and our ancestors already knew about the motion of planets.

    Rig Veda 10.149.1
    “The sun has tied Earth and other planets through attraction and moves them around itself as if a trainer moves newly trained horses around itself holding their reins.”

    Yajur Veda 33.43
    “The sun moves in its own orbit in space taking along with itself the mortal bodies like earth through force of attraction.”

    Rig Veda 1.35.9
    “The sun moves in its own orbit but holding earth and other heavenly bodies in a manner that they do not collide with each other through force of attraction.

    Rig Veda 1.164.13
    “Sun moves in its orbit which itself is moving. Earth and other bodies move around sun due to force of attraction, because sun is heavier than them.

    Further, the whole of modern science is slowly and steadily converging to the science of consciousness which originated from the Vedas only and is the core of Vedas. This science is absent in abrahamic faiths like Islam and christianity and the followers revolve under a delusion that God is isolated from the nature, divides humanity between “you and them”, with a set of DOs and DONTs. The moment the abrahamic followers will step in the science of consciousness their abrahamic conditioning will get destroyed as consciousness goes beyond name, form and maya and set of DOs and DONTs or any commandments from some fictitious GOD.

    When science of consciousness is pursued the abrahamic followers will realize as to how they waste time in converting people to abrahamic religions or to follow some belief blindly which they learnt from a ‘book’. The vedic wisdom is not needed to be learnt from any book. It is embedded in everyone’s heart. the Vedas only help you to realize it. Through meditation and Yoga alone you can raise that consciousness and realize the convergence to Vedic principles.

  14. Good work Sameer. This precisely is the problem with Hindu community.
    Yes, Hinduism is a complex religion to decipher. People in general, (even Hindus) fail to get acquainted with the real Hinduism and end up having all sorts of misconceptions about it. The solution?
    All of us need to know that Hinduism isn’t just praying to gods. Along with our professional lives, we should try to learn our own religion.Organizations like The Art of Living and ISKCON offer good informative courses. Recurring foreign invasions have rendered most of us hindus illiterate about our own religion. It happens to be our responsibility to restore and take this heritage to the masses, eventually leading to world peace.

  15. um hindu and believe in work, hell with religion but wat the hell i read post full of foolish and foax …..all u need is patience nd job …i guess u r jobless he heee and finally regards 2 sameer !!

  17. Do read-http://memanya.blogspot.in/2012/09/what-actually-our-caste-system-was-and.html

    & also-http://memanya.blogspot.in/2012/05/please-leave-my-gods-alone-request-from.html

    @Sameer well said 😀

  18. hindu doctrines are transcendantal and applicable to all sentient beings, meaning animals do have to go thru karma siddanta. Conversion and confession wont relieve you of all the cumulative effect of wrongdoings. No short cut is available to redemption to all abrahamics in one janma either.Dr. Hawkings,a famous physicist, declared ‘paradise is delusion and dream that is not going to turn true’. Read David Frawley who explained the doctrinal weakness in the Abrahamic faiths that are incompatible with a belief system. Deity worship is merely a focus tool to meditate or pray deeply. to gain insights into ones own self, a step needed for SELF-REALIZATION. You see, Moksha or mukti are to be earned with dharmic life, repeating this life many times over if need be. we all know eventhough it looks cool, life is anything but cool, all instant gratification trends seeped in our lives are non dharmic in their make up. So carry on with your self inquiry and exploration, do yoga and meditation, with or without a deity and get closer to self-realization. A hindu purpose of life is MUKTI. Namaste.

  19. The Hindu has woken up, there will be no hinduism but sanathan dharm!!
    Jai Shri Ram!!!!!!

  20. Hindu don’t know truth about Judaic faiths i.e. Islam/Christianity. They are victims of mis-information. They should refer http://www.religiontruths.wordpress.com

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