Anybody who does not eat beef/pork should be allowed inside temples. Otherwise, as far as human beings go, a Hindu is no different from a Christian (note: comparision of religions is a different ball game all together).
I know Hindus who eat beef/pork without any inhibition. If we can't stop them from entering into temples, we should not stop anybody else also. By an extension of this logic, any believer who knows the Shastras and does not eat beef/pork should be allowed to become a priest.
Hinduism is a much more inclusive religion than the Abrahamic religions. It does not say that mine is the only God. But, Hindus become jittery when a so called SC/ST tries to enter into a temple. It would seem that all this openmindedness evaporates as soon as somebody tries to enter a Hindu's comfort zone.
Tradition is good as long as it serves a purpose. But in the present era where the cash rich Muslims and Christians continue their empire building, we Hindus continue to disallow the believers from entering into the temples. By doing this, we are playing into the hands of the missionaries. The time has come for us to change. If we do not do that soon enough, beforelong, Hinduism will be found only in History books.
RE:Hinduism needs to change
by Deepak Mohanty on Jun 04, 2007 08:36 PM Permalink
Dear friend, if you love your religion and can't see it dying a slow but sure death, you must change. Do some introspection and you will see light at the end of the tunnel. The light tells me to embrace and extend rather than exclude and wither away.
RE:Hinduism needs to change
by Human Being on Jun 04, 2007 08:26 PM Permalink
Can people living in snow covered area (including Eskimos) and small islands imagine about farming. They look for available food. What is bad to someone in a particular situation is good to some other in a different situation