Why bash up Hinduism?

I am deemed guilty of a heinous crime- I end up bashing Hinduism- left and right, top and bottom. I am merciless in my attack on Hinduism. And therefore people see me as a Hindu-hater. I am seen as proponent of Islam, a defender of Marxism, a communist, a traitor, etc. Am I a Hindu hater? Do I suffer from inferiority complex that allows me to berate my own religion? Here I answer some of those questions.

Why bash up Hinduism?

Because I think Hinduism needs to be bashed up a little bit!

Sanctity has reigned for far too long. The attitude of 'Don't criticize, don't question, don't ask, don't insult, don't denigrate' has reigned for far too long. Hinduism has remained on the sacred pedestal for thousands of years and it needs to be brought down from that position to be questioned with reason and rationale. It has been peevish for far too long, getting hurt by every small infraction, and therefore it needs a dose of maturity to handle criticisms.

Some of us (like me) bash up Hinduism because we happen to born as Hindus. It's akin to criticizing our government and our leaders. If such institutions are revered for far too long, they become authoritarian which in turn will result in suppression of our freedoms. When a religion is not questioned for too long, it turns dogmatic which in turn will curb creativity and individual expression. We don't want that to happen.

Why do I publish something that hurts the sensibilities of people?

I ask, why not?

It's for each of you out there to read what I write or choose not to read it. I am not mailing this into your cozy castles (called homes) or telecasting it on prime time television. Frankly, I don’t want to convert Hinduism into a dogmatic, authoritarian and peevish religion where sensibilities are hurt by every little criticism and question.

I am told that I fail to understand the ‘greatness’ of Hinduism. According to these 'upholders of the faith', this greatness can be realized only if I read certain books in a certain way, certain slokas in a certain way, often interpreted by certain elite gurus. I am told that a common man fails to understand this 'elite and profound' religion and therefore tends to criticize it.

On the other hand, I am of the opinion that I belong to a different breed of proud Hindus who believe (very much) that we need to criticize this religion to ensure it is not hijacked by fundamentalists and peevish devotees. We don’t consider the so called ‘experts’ to be experts at all. We discard their elite version of Hinduism which requires a degree in theology followed by a six-year course in Upanishads, followed by meditative course under a Banyan tree in some remote village in Bihar to understand it or follow it.

I say, if this religion is not for a common man, then please pack it up and go to some resort to make it an elite cult. Don't let it stand as a mainstream religion for a common man!

Why do I support people’s right to convert?

Many Hindus feel really horrified when they get to know that certain churches and clergy men from foreign lands come to India with big monies to convert their innocent brethren Hindus into Christians.

My take on this is very simple. We have discriminated, punished, ostracized, and excommunicated certain Hindus for thousands of years, and when these wretched lot finally get a chance to go to a place of worship, send their kids to schools, and avail medical facilities, we actually protest the methods that give them this dignity?

If people want to convert, they have their right to convert. I don’t fear conversions, and I don’t fear the increase in populations of Christians and Muslims. And why should Hindus even fear? Their own ranks are being swelled by massive pouring of babies from BIMARU state Hindus to compensate for any loss elsewhere. The percentage of population of Hindus remains unchanged for many decades now.

Each of us has right to chose our religion. Any law or enactment that prohibits or stops an adult from choosing his/her religion is directly in contravention of our constitution and its principles. No logic or rationale can explain why such conversion should be stopped or controlled.

Why don’t we have laws that punish people who denigrate our religion just like some Islamic nations?

I would rather have NO punishment for criticizing or hurting any religion. Instead of applying that 'no punishment rule' to Islam and Islamic nations, some peevish Hindus want to include Hinduism into those retrograde laws. What I am fighting for is this- Don't make Hinduism dogmatic and authoritarian that suppresses individual expression (even when that expression includes downright criticism, ridicule and insult).

Some suggest that we should stop discussing religions on public forums. They do not understand that respect does not diminish with discussing, criticizing, ridiculing, and insulting the religion. On the other hand, such discussions, criticism, ridicules and insults allow people to vent their anger, express their feeling and allow the religion to accept diversified views. I would rather berate and bash up my religion to make sure it doesn't turn dogmatic.