Kudos to Hindus!

Recently Pope "Hitler Youth" Benedict blasted atheism and humanism, writing, "...ideological rejection of God and an atheism of indifference, oblivious to the Creator and at risk of becoming equally oblivious to human values, constitute some of the chief obstacles to development today. A humanism which excludes God is an inhuman humanism." As inhuman as the crusades or the inquisition? As inhuman as shielding child molesters from criticism and prosecution? As inhuman as systematically abusing children, not just sexually but physically and emotionally as well?

So thanks and congrats to Rajan Zed for standing up for religious tolerance and inclusion. In recognition of Zed's words, I'd like to say some nice things about Hinduism as well. I admit to some ignorance here; I'll be checking Wikipedia for my facts. Hinduism is the world's oldest and most diverse religion, and the third-largest today. It's staggering diversity makes it somewhat hard to say what it is and is not, but a few recurring themes stand out. Hindus believe in karma, a universal force that rewards goodness and punishes evil. Contrast this with othe well-known religions which reward faith and obedience as opposed to doing the right thing. Hinduism incorporates the concept of creative destruction, where the universe is constantly being destroyed and created, that these processes are two sides of the same coin. This seems neither good nor bad from a moral perspective, but might be seen as a somewhat accurate description of the world as revealed by science: our planet is constructed out of the debris of previous stars that went supernova.

Like all human societies, Indian culture has its injustices. But unlike in the West these injustices rarely happen as a policy of religious dogma. What's more, the polytheistic nature of Hinduism and the diversity it contains tends to create an attitude of openness and inclusion towards other religions. The situ Iation with Pakistan and Kashmir seems to be the glaring exception. I tend to be somewhat more inclined to assign blame to the Muslims in this case, but knowing as little as I do I may be wrong about this. Every Pakistani I have met has been intelligent, open, and engaging. I understand that Pakistan has a strong tradition of positive civil institutions and respect for democracy, despite their recent trouble.

To sum up: Hinduism is a great religion which I have nothing but respect for. Thanks and kudos particularly to Rajan Zed and his like-minded compatriots. Boos and hisses to Pope Benedict and Bill Donohue. Those two should take their heads out of their asses and realize it's not the middle ages any more and people are allowed to follow the religion of their choosing, including none at all.