On Saturday 01 Mar 2008 10:44:16 pm Sirtaj Singh Kang wrote: > I've often wondered: can a religion be monotheistic, anti-idolatory, > anti-superstition (at least in theory if not in general practice) and > caste-blind and still be considered Hinduism?
Yes. Merely because Hinduism is not about religion. It is about dharma. It is a dharma or code of conduct for a people. Their beliefs about God are peripheral to the issue. When Hindus were viewed from the outside by people who identified themselves on the basis of their God (i.e. "Christians" and "Mohammedans"), I believe that the latter were unable to understand now any group of people could possibly NOT identify themselves on the basis of a God. Hindu identity becomes easier to understand if it is not considered a "religion" that demands allegiance to one or more Gods. It is easier to look upon Hinduism as a code of conduct for society - a dharma. It turns out that this dharma is followed by a huge majority of people in India even if they are Muslims or Christian. The dharma is all about preservation of society. It is religion and the Gods that lead to turf wars. shiv
