Reply #84: No Hinduism?

[liberalpragmatist]

I'm Hindu -- most religious people would probably consider me an atheist, however, since my own beliefs reject a physical God. I consider myself a Hindu though, culturally, philosophically, and religiously, in that I accept Hindu teachings about life and the world, about tolerance for all beliefs, and other liberal principles of Hinduism and consider the various manifestations of "God" (Brahman) to be, in essence, what each individual is striving to achieve. If one is interested in learning and education, they are striving for "Saraswati" (the goddess of learning), though I don't actually believe in a physical Saraswati. To me, the various physical depictions of Hindu incarnations are a way of expressing oneself, what one wants to achieve, what one believes to be important to his or her life.

I'm not alone in this view: Hinduism doesn't reject atheism, and there are entire movements w/in Hinduism (just like w/in Buddhism) that reject the idea of a physical God. Those Hindus and Buddhists that DO believe in a physical God don't generally find us to be heretics either, b/c in Hinduism and Buddhism, what is important is what one actually does in their life on Earth, not what one believes -- the important thing is how you act, and whatever comes next, whether that be nothing or something, will take care of itself.

On another note, I reject the caste system and untouchability -- both of which many Hindu scholars have concluded have very little inherent basis in Hinduism -- they're cultural and social institutions that thousands of years ago were laced into the religion, and some religious myths were concocted to supply that view of the world. Historically, there was a long period before the caste system and also a long period when it was quite fluid. Hinduism is known for constantly changing and evolving, and I do think that in time mainstream Hinduism will reject the caste system and untouchability -- something that is already happening.