'The Interpretation of Gods'

[Guest guest]

Hi Janardana:

 

Thank for your response. You note:

 

*** if given my choice I would stand with the Hindutva people any day

[...] because I know that they won't be strappin' on no bombs anytime

soon and going that far like some of the Christians and Muslims. ***

 

I must agree with Max that fundamentalism of any stripe is capable of

breeding atrocity, because it tries to squeeze reality into conformity

with preconceived, abstract ideology -- often at any cost.

 

*** what the Hindu adherents have done is let scholars (some well

meaning), present their version of Hinduism and remain acquiescent

while others say or do anything however offensive & far out. ***

 

As Doniger says in the article I posted, " I don't feel I diminish

Indian texts by writing about or interpreting them. My books have a

right to exist alongside other books. " That's the marketplace of ideas

-- there are plenty of academics who think Doniger is a crackpot, and

plenty who feel her work is valuable to one degree or another.

 

And Arvind Sharma, a Hindu academic (gasp! an insider!) in Canada

notes, " The debate has shades of gray. Both the insider and the

outsider see the truth, but genuine understanding may be said to arise

at the point of their intersection. If insiders and outsiders remain

insulated they develop illusions of intellectual sovereignty. Each is

required to call the other's bluff. "

 

Long live centrism!

 

*** Hindus now have hell to pay trying to gain respect, and something

as simple as a proper presentation of their religion. That is

something that is given to Jews, Christians, & Mohammadans just by

default! ***

 

Did you happen to hear of a little book and movie called " The DaVinci

Code " that had the Pope's shorts in a knot? There is a virtual

industry of heterodox books on Christianity that drives Christian

fundies loopy. And the Muslim fundies have been tearing their hair out

over writers and academics like Salman Rushdie, Fatema Mernissi, and

Asra Nomani (to name just a few) for years -- and these people are all

alive and well and lecturing all over.

 

My point is that ALL fundies think they " have hell to pay trying to

gain respect, and something as simple as a proper presentation of

their religion. "

 

It's bullshit. They really just want people they disagree with to shut

up. And thinking, compassionate people who care about Truth can't let

them get away with it.

 

*** And then later on, because of Hinduism's self checking nature,

they (the Hindutva people) would easily and automatically be put back

in line. ***

 

Yes, a classic historical blunder of calculation -- and God/dess help

the innocents who get in the path of these historical self-checking

corrections. Crikey.

 

My 2 cents

 

DB