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  1. raater_aloo

    Problem of evil in Pantheism

    To me its very simple. If the universe is synonymous with God, and the universe is partly evil, then God is partly evil.
  2. raater_aloo

    Literalism; Shastra-Citing; Orthodoxy & Orthopraxy

    I completely agree that literalism will be the death of the tradition. Most of what I enjoy in Hinduism comes from those willing to challenge the orthodoxy. May we never lose the spirit of freedom, questioning, and pursuit of truth irrespective of dogma or doctrine. I also agree with you that...
  3. raater_aloo

    The Limits of Hinduism

    Bahahahahah man if he has been pulling me leg I sure deserve it... Oh well, I'm a n00b. Very interesting answer though. Makes "what is Hinduism" or "who is a Hindu" very ambiguous, but as Hindus we should be comfortable with ambiguity. I guess you'd agree with the idea that if someone self...
  4. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    You are right, I wouldn't actually say that and mean it, because its rude. And I would expect elder people to also not be rude to those younger than them. Yeah I am referring to the Buddha of Buddhism, which most likely more closely resembles the historical Buddha than the one in Hinduism. And...
  5. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    I agree, it probably is not historically accurate, but that is what the text says. The basis is the Mahaharata's text, and our knowledge of ancient Indian religious trends. Krishna frequently ridicules those who are more concerned with nitty gritty rules and rituals rather than the broader...
  6. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    I've read probably around 80-90% of the total volume of the Mahabharata. Most of the crucial sections in the Purushottama Lal translation which has a very good reputation. Still working on the last 10% Can you say the same? My comments are not assumptions. Ironically, your assumption that...
  7. raater_aloo

    The Limits of Hinduism

    Wow thats much stricter than I was expecting. So non-Vaishnavites who don't accept the 10 avatars are not Hindu in your opinion? Not trying to contest your view, just clarifying.
  8. raater_aloo

    The Limits of Hinduism

    Hey y'all Just want to get your opinions on this subject. It may have been already addressed as it constantly comes up, but I didnt find it in the archives. What are the limits of Hinduism? In other words, what must a Hindu believe or not believe, do or not do, in order for you to consider...
  9. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    …lol, I'll lol wherever I please! I'm a free soul. I'm listening and responding with facts, statistics, and evidence. You are the one who is refusing to engage, and continue to make assertions without backing them up. As for my age, well I could turn that around and say. "You are too old and...
  10. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Ratikala Im responding to you in the reverse order i which you posted so that I can hit the 15 post limit which will allow me to post links. When you say "I would stand by my remark in that it is unwise for a man of your age to criticise a senior," yes, that is the definition of ageism. Or...
  11. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Hahahah so are you scion of the Yadava clan? Yes I'd agree more or less that it was a Yadava and allied victory against the Yajna-centric Kauravas. By the way, this isn't to say that the Kaurava royalty themselves were always holding yajnas. Its notable that Duryodhana doesn't really have many...
  12. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    When they were respectively written. If we can date a later portion of the Mahabharata which mentions the Gita, we know it was written before then. Didn't say that, but thanks for strawmanning me. I think emic and etic approaches are both required for a proper understanding. One of the...
  13. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Thats right, and dating those sections of the Mahabharata is one of the ways which historians figure out the timeframe in which the Gita was composed. Thats right. Living earlier doesn't mean they necessarily had more insight into when these things were composed, especially since it was...
  14. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    …Yeah not seeing the contradiction here. I don't consider it a criticism to say that Gandhi got a western influenced interpretation of the Gita because of the version he initially read it in, and his exposure to the Theosophical Society. I just don't think there is anything wrong with that. As I...
  15. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    …Lol, whoops missed the gender icon. And yes I know your forum name is female, but I know males who use female sounding names on forums. By the way, not all Hindus are Indian, so I wouldn't be surprised if some white Hindus in the USA couldn't tell male and female "Hindu names" apart. Eh...
  16. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    What do you call this?: You certainly mentioned it. Why would you deny it? Why does the fact that my article deals with race mean that I shouldn't take umbrage with subtly negative comments about my race? More importantly, where in my article do I accuse the Gurus of pandering to western...
  17. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Well, that is who it is ascribed to in the legends and in the tradition, but I see no reason to interpret out myths literally. We treat all of Vyasas writings as a a single body of work in terms of exegesis, but not necessarily as a historical fact. I think it is more accurate to think of the...
  18. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Aupmanyav, hahah yes very good Bengali skills. I basically agree with your dating for the bulk of the text and for the modern recensions, but there is the possibility that a precursor version existed earlier, as some verses in the Brahma-sutras imply. I was pushing back the date to the earliest...
  19. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    You are right, I spoke in waaay too broad of strokes about the mainstream. The vast majority of Hindus I meet actually do embody the principle of pluralism. Though I encounter people who are judgmental about race more often than I'd like, bigotry is most definitely not in the Hindu mainstream...
  20. raater_aloo

    In Addition to: "Shaktism, only for Siddhis"; Westernization of Hinduism; Alienation; TANTRA

    Well its actually pretty on the subject considering that my race has repeatedly come up in regards to my interpretative ability. The worst was what TatTvamAsi posted as a comment on my original article, where he strongly implied that I was a Mleccha and therefore a non-Hindu. I love it. I...
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