Will Hinduism become extinct?

[zen]

Many religions have become extinct for a variety of reasons. For Hinduism, we may be beginning to see the “red flags”: 

 

* A religion that may have lost its original meaning.

 

Thousands and thousands of years ago, Hinduism was pure. It focused on worshipping nature, the sun, etc. Its symbolic color “orange” is inspired by the color of the sun. 

 

However, as centuries passed, it turned into a religion that began to be dictated by gurus, resulting in various permutations and combinations of laws, practices, customs, etc., which turned it into a relatively confused religion. 

 

* It is potentially a highly divided religion. 

 

With many Gods, there is also this feeling in many that if I am worshiping Lord Shiva, what do I care for Lord Vishnu, and so on. There is also the feeling of we belong to this panth and that panth. 

 

Less said about division based on castes and other such practices, the better.

 

* It is impacted by laws.

 

In a country, a man and a woman could be equal based on its laws. However in a religion, certain places, practices, etc., are reserved for men or women.

 

One cannot be using civil laws to change religious practices such as why only men or women are allowed to enter this place, after all we are equal by law. Why should only women do karvachaudth, and so on.

 

Religious laws and practices are not formulated based on a barter system, civil laws, etc. 

 

* A lack of respect for the religion.

 

For e.g. there is no accountability on how the images or names of Gods are used. We could find them on a cigarette box, on shoes, on plastic bags, and so on.

 

In media, people twist religious stories and books according to what suits them. 

 

Some regions have their own stories such as the film Mayabazar (1957) which is about Abhimanyu’s marriage to Savitri, who is Lord Balram’s daughter. However, many believe that Abhimanyu was only married to Uttara. So what is accurate?
 

Talking about films, the recent Kalki (2024), which I have not seen, is likely to be something that is not as per what is generally considered acceptable about Kalki.
 

And then there would be tons of TV shows that could be tinkering with various stories. 

 

The sad part is that people think they can tinker with the religion and its related stories without batting an eyelid. 

 

* Religion becoming a hinderance to modern life style and conveniences. 

 

For many Hindus, religion is an inconvenience. It interferes with modern lifestyle and values. And many may even feel that being religious makes them appear ancient. 

 

* Unwillingness (and/or incapability) to protect Hinduism and Hindus.

 

The recent example is of sitting back and observing Hindus getting vanished in Bangladesh. As a country that is the birthplace of Hinduism, it is shocking that we failed to take immediate necessary action. If Jews get into trouble somewhere, we would likely see a quick meaningful response from Israel, where any Jew from anywhere can become its citizen. 

 

* Influence of dumb elements on the religion. 

 

For e.g., the cow is holy. Therefore, the gober is holy. Apply gober and fight against corona. Or open a temple of “Corona Devi”. How can we create Gods randomly?

 

Such activities bring a religion in a negative (and many times “laughable”) light. 

 

Some of these activities are unintentionally (or maybe intentionally) disrespecting the religion. 
 

* Misunderstanding (or misrepresenting) “secularism”.

India, the country, is secular, whereby its constitution does not differentiate based on religion. In a secular country, one is allowed to practice his/her religion of choice. 
 

A secular country does not mean that its people have to be secular. If someone talks about his/her religion, he should not be met with a meaningless response like “we are secular”, which is an insincere response designed to draw people away from their religions (Hinduism in particular).
 

A secular country is one where one can practice the religion of his/her choice, live according to it, talk about it, and celebrate it while respecting the sensibilities of other religions. 

 

* and so on (feel free to list other factors).

 

 

Discuss

 

* Will Hinduism become extinct in distant future?

* Have those following the religion let it down with many using it for their own benefits?

* Do people really care about religion, history, culture or are they simply focused on enjoying their lives? Have we lost the sense about something being bigger than “us”? 

* What can be done to prevent (or at least delay) its extinction?

* Or is this simply a problem for the future generations? Even if the religion becomes extinct, we would not be around so there is no point in worrying about it. Let us focus on our schedule for tomorrow. Our work brings food on the table, not religion (It is likely to become extinct if such an attitude remains). 
 

Edited Wednesday at 03:00 PM by zen

[zen]

PS added the following to the original post:

 

* Misunderstanding (or misrepresenting) “secularism”.

India, the country, is secular, whereby its constitution does not differentiate based on religion. In a secular country, one is allowed to practice his/her religion of choice. 
 

A secular country does not mean that its people have to be secular. If someone talks about his/her religion, he should not be met with a meaningless response like “we are secular”, which is an insincere response designed to draw people away from their religions (Hinduism in particular).
 

A secular country is one where one can practice the religion of his/her choice, live according to it, talk about it, and celebrate it while respecting the sensibilities of other religions. 

[Alam_dar]

As an atheist, I acknowledge that my viewpoint may be inherently biased. Generally, I perceive organized religions as having several drawbacks.

For instance, I feel that Hinduism, much like Islam, has somehow evolved into an organized religion through the establishment of sacred texts such as the Vedas and the development of a religious legal system based on smritis, particularly the Manu Smriti. This codification resembles Islamic Sharia law and can lead to rigid structures that may stifle individual interpretation and diversity within the faith.

 

Dr. Richard Dawkins identifies himself as an atheist, yet he maintains traditional Christian practices by enjoying churches and festivals despite not believing in the Bible. 

 

Similarly, although I am an atheist, I still appreciate Qawwali spiritual songs and hold a deep affection for Sufi Muslims, in contrast to my difficulty in relating to orthodox Muslims. 

 

I believe that traditional Hindus aspire to a more "spiritual Hinduism," which emphasizes personal spirituality and philosophical exploration, rather than the radical and often politicized forms of Hinduism we observe today. Buddha can here serve as an example, who refused to believe in sacred texts and in organized Hinduism, but traditionally, he was also a Hindu. 

Edited Wednesday at 04:52 PM by Alam_dar

[Chaos]

No hinduism wont die. It will thrive. Imagine if we actually had missionaries sent out like christian n muslims.

[ravishingravi]

Yes but Have said it earlier. Best case scenario for India is to become an Indonesia. An Islamic republic built on hindu heritage. In fact, I find Indonesian way more closer and imbibed in hindu way of life inspite of being a muslim majority nation. 

 

Another factor could be Indians abroad who might do a better job in keeping their culture just Gujaratis have done in UK, Africa and everywhere else. 

[maggot_brain]

It will be in Bangladesh.  I will say it openly now: Islam is pure evil.  Pure unadulterated evil.  The world would be a better place without it.

[zen]

1 hour ago, ravishingravi said:

An Islamic republic built on hindu heritage.

I did not understand this line in the context of helping Hinduism. Why would India need to become an Islamic Republic? Or do you foresee it turning into one in distant future?

[coffee_rules]

1 hour ago, ravishingravi said:

Yes but Have said it earlier. Best case scenario for India is to become an Indonesia. An Islamic republic built on hindu heritage. In fact, I find Indonesian way more closer and imbibed in hindu way of life inspite of being a muslim majority nation. 

 

Another factor could be Indians abroad who might do a better job in keeping their culture just Gujaratis have done in UK, Africa and everywhere else. 

 

You mean to say, I will be visiting Imam-e-Hind darga in Ayodhya the next time I visit India? Ram to Allah ko pyara ho gaya.

Edited Thursday at 01:37 PM by coffee_rules

[ravishingravi]

12 minutes ago, zen said:

I did not understand this line in the context of helping Hinduism. Why would India need to become an Islamic Republic? Or do you foresee it turning into one in distant future?

 

Yes I don't want that this should happen. I do see the muslim population hitting critical mass in 10-15 years. Maybe 20. At which point my best case scenario for Hinduism is to moderate the Muslims and find a syncretic equilibrium like Indonesia. Hope is that an Islamic India with new Islamic constitution ( GDP per capita $20 k ) may still allow the underlying hindu values and ways of life to exist and maybe even thrive. 

 

Hoping against hope to be honest. 

Edited Thursday at 01:26 PM by ravishingravi

[zen]

1 hour ago, ravishingravi said:

 

Yes I don't want that this should happen. I do see the muslim population hitting critical mass in 10-15 years. Maybe 20. At which point my best case scenario for Hinduism is to moderate the Muslims and find a syncretic equilibrium like Indonesia. Hope is that an Islamic India with new Islamic constitution ( GDP per capita $20 k ) may still allow the underlying hindu values and ways of life to exist and maybe even thrive. 

 

Hoping against hope to be honest. 

I don’t have much info on the life in Indonesia but it could be an exception where the Hindu derived culture is able to flourish (or at least not diminish) despite Hindus being a minority because its population is connected with its ancient heritage. Where a change in religious status does not impact its traditional way of life.

 

In India, an increase in Islamic population is unlikely to be due to Hindus converting to Islam (Many Hindus are losing interest in religion, even associating it with being considered ancient).
 

A rise in Islamic population would be due to increase in birth rate in that community, which is going to push for an Islamic culture. India has a history of temples being converted (or demolished) to mosques.

 

PS in subcon, we have seen what has happened to Hindus (and their cultural heritage) in Pak and BD, and even in Kashmir in India.

Edited Thursday at 03:00 PM by zen

[coffee_rules]

Sanatana Dharma had an open architecture, it believed in mutual respect of ideas, darshanas, philosophies and included all in its umbrella. It had different sects of vaishnavaites, shaivites, shakta , etc believers and all had mutual respect for one another. Even Mahaveera and Buddha were inspired by upanishads and Vedanta didn’t believe they had created a new religion. All this rituals and hierarchical caste system was not in Vedas and society lived happy or sad but intact , in a chaturvarna system. The open architecture was misused by some early followers and the predatory abrahamic religions who believed in expansionism used or created the the fault lines.

 

I think the open architecture is both a boon and bane of Hinduism. We didn’t protect it at the advent of other religions in Bharat as it thrived with the open architecture with no central control. 
 

I don’t know if it will survive with these predatory religions around, but definitely different stronger sects with central control like Jains, Swaminarayans, Sikhs, sects  based on strong rich temples (Tirupathi, Shankarapeethas , Shirdi Sai etc) will continue to thrive and they all will live as fragmented as of now. 
 

Only Hindutva tried to unite but nobody believes in a central controlling authority that can protect Hinduism as one entity. 
 

Left and Atheistic ideologues who keep equating all religions will play into the hands of Abrahamic religions like useful idiots will make matters worse for the common Hindu faith. 
 

 

[Ranvir]

I doubt it will die anytime soon. 

 

A two child policy needs to be implemented in India to keep the Muslim birth rate in check. Hindus were too foolish and merciful towards Muslims in 1947. 

[maggot_brain]

1 hour ago, Ranvir said:

I doubt it will die anytime soon. 

 

A two child policy needs to be implemented in India to keep the Muslim birth rate in check. Hindus were too foolish and merciful towards Muslims in 1947. 

Universal Civil Code too.  Why should Muslims have their own laws just for them?

[Gollum]

We won't get a better opportunity than the one in 1947. Messed up badly. Sikhs took care of M problem in their region, except Malerkotla (blunder IMO), Gandhi and Nehru dropped the ball when Hindus were doing their job, and like sheep Hindus listened to them. Civilizational war lost there, now no chance. What @ravishingravi said will happen.

[Singh bling]

3 hours ago, Gollum said:

We won't get a better opportunity than the one in 1947. Messed up badly. Sikhs took care of M problem in their region, except Malerkotla (blunder IMO), Gandhi and Nehru dropped the ball when Hindus were doing their job, and like sheep Hindus listened to them. Civilizational war lost there, now no chance. What @ravishingravi said will happen.

Sikh princely states were actively involved in kicking Muslims out. Why did Hindu princely states did not do that ? 

 

 

[Gollum]

2 hours ago, Singh bling said:

Sikh princely states were actively involved in kicking Muslims out. Why did Hindu princely states did not do that ? 

Hinduism is weak, Hindus are born losers, only fit to be enslaved by Abrahamics. Don't have guts to declare state religion as Hinduism in Nepal/India where they have 80-90% majority. 

 

Only Hindus with semblance of spine are Sri Lankan Tamils, kicked Muslims out of their land when latter tried to terrorize them, waged war against an adversary 10 times more powerful than them. 

Edited yesterday at 09:48 AM by Gollum

[Gollum]

Bengali Hindus make an interesting case study. If you check out reddit and other SM platforms you'll find an uncomfortably high number of them downplaying what is happening in BD, doing whataboutery, somehow making it about Hindutva, BJP, RSS, Modi etc. Forget introspection, where is their humanity? 

 

You'll often find many Bengali Hindus leave their state, settle in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai etc. and then wax eloquent about Bengal/Kolkata, about how jaahil/backwards/intolerant others are.....their moral sermons never end. I just don't understand them, why this sense of moral superiority whilst at the same time having inferiority complex wrt Muslims, always seeking validation not just from Indian Muslims but also Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. Same people who produced so many revolutionaries in colonial times, but for some reason so subservient before Islamists for almost a millennium. 

 

Quite a few South Indians (esp. left leaning Tamils and Mallus) are also desperate for validation from Muslims (including Pakistanis) but at least with them there isn't much historical baggage. In Bengal, if we start talking about the various genocides by the Islamists, this thread will be never ending. 

Edited yesterday at 10:48 AM by Gollum

[coffee_rules]

3 hours ago, Singh bling said:

Sikh princely states were actively involved in kicking Muslims out. Why did Hindu princely states did not do that ? 

 

 

They kicked out Muslims and gave away the birthplace of Guru Nanak and other Sikh holy places like Khatarpur  to Pakistan. So valiant. 

[maggot_brain]

3 hours ago, coffee_rules said:

They kicked out Muslims and gave away the birthplace of Guru Nanak and other Sikh holy places like Khatarpur  to Pakistan. So valiant. 

Cyril Radcliffe gave the Sikh holy places to Pakistan not Sikhs.

[coffee_rules]

12 minutes ago, maggot_brain said:

Cyril Radcliffe gave the Sikh holy places to Pakistan not Sikhs.

 

They didn't protest. British wanted to create a East Pakistan including  WB. Many Hindus like SP Mukherjee fought to create a WB in India for Hindus.

Khalistanis want to create a countrry within India excluding West Punjab areas in Pakistan! And their capital is Shimla.