When a family friend - Mr. Jain's son joined the army, we were confused. Aren't Jains supposed to be non-violent. What then, is a Jain going to do in an army. At School, not just Jains, but also very strict vegetarian Hindus had no qualms about dissecting a frog. And, I have seen Doctors making offerings at temples for curing sick family members. All these appear incongruous. Are they really?
Why this disconnect between personal/religious life, and social/professional life? Is it because most Hindus ( and Jains, Buddhists, and maybe others) tend to separate religion from society? Religion is something to be practiced in private, and what Hindus do in public has much less to do with their religion, than followers of other faiths.
Hinduism allows this kind of thinking, by putting many fewer restrictions. For example, unlike Catholicism, Hinduism says nothing explicitly about abortion. And, unlike Islam, Hindism does not require Haj.
Maybe, it is this thinking that has allowed Hindus to be so tolerant and welcoming of other faiths. After all, Hindus don't care what people of other faiths do in their homes.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
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