What is Taboo for One is the Norm for Others

The professor of my religions class asked a very interesting question regarding Hinduism and Abrahamic religions:

Why is it taboo in one religion to worship images of the sacred and the norm in others? Who's right and who's wrong? Is anyone right? Is anyone wrong?

These are the questions that I want to focus on in this thread.

This is my take on the issue:

Hinduism apparently contains 333 Million gods and goddesses, which stems from animism. They also have images of their gods and goddesses.
Abrahamic religions, mainly Judaism and Islam, teaches monotheism. They teach not to worship graven images of things of Heaven.

What does the two differing theological concepts have in common? The answer is very simple... All the religions mentioned and religion in general tries to best explain the sacred, God, and/or higher power(s). They may differ in ideologies, but most are all after the same goal, which is to explain the existential questions of life. Another thing they have in common is that they are man's views on the sacred, God, and/or higher power(s). Just as mankind is imperfect, which is evidenced from the thousands of years of suffering caused by the hands of other men and women, so will mankind's views be imperfect. However, the process of learning is everlasting.

Having images and statues of their gods and goddesses is a form of worship for the Hindus whereas not worshiping images of things in Heaven is a form of worship/reverence to God in the Abrahamic theological theories. Some Hindus can look at the image of Kali, and remember that death is a necessary process of life that needs to happen in order for reincarnation and will take comfort upon looking at that image.

Another answer of mine is that God acknowledges those who acknowledge Him... Doesn't matter what label you put yourself into because I am sure if you truly wanted to know God on a more in depth level, He would reveal Himself to you... Sometimes it may in a direct way, sometimes it may be indirectly, but He is constantly seeking and talking to you.

I do believe Christianity in its purest form, which I think is having a personal relationship with Father through living, seeing, being like Jesus Christ, is the closest to being "correct", but I also believe that all religions have truths in them. However, just like everything else in the world, religions have degrees of truth mixed in with lies, so we have to be diligent is searching for the truth.

So here are the questions being asked:

Why is it taboo in one religion to worship images of the sacred and the norm in others? Who's right and who's wrong? Is anyone right? Is anyone wrong?

I don't want to bore you all with a wall of bricks:
so here goes..


1) to love
2) no idol worship
3) recognize that we cannot understand WHY the gift of life was given, but to cherish it.
............
For short spanners

Originally posted by HamrHeed
I don't want to bore you all with a wall of bricks:
so here goes..


1) to love
2) no idol worship
3) recognize that we cannot understand WHY the gift of life was given, but to cherish it.
............
For short spanners

I find paint drying amusing so try me
BTW, I don't think you are thoroughly reading the thread.

Originally posted by DelayedChristmas

Originally posted by HamrHeed
I don't want to bore you all with a wall of bricks:
so here goes..


1) to love
2) no idol worship
3) recognize that we cannot understand WHY the gift of life was given, but to cherish it.
............
For short spanners

I find paint drying amusing so try me

BTW, I don't think you are thoroughly reading the thread.

I have to agree with what you turned my eyes to. I've always believed that we can learn from things that may not appeal to our senses, but a truth will always appear in the light.
This is our teacher intellectualizing even if his students are on their Iphones. Nobody leaves the classroom unless they decide to.
Take care and beautiful message. Sorry I'm stressd so my span is drained but I cannot rest.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


This moment is all there is - what you see is the image of God.
But man likes to man-ufacture. Man makes images that are not here and now (in imagination) and he believes the imaginings he has imagined.
God says have no 'other' because there is no other. This is it.

If you make images or idols of God you have put him/it outside of yourself. God is not separate from anything including you.
God is seeing and hearing and everpresent. God cannot be percieved because he is percieving. So God is imageless. He is seeing the image that he has created.
There is an appearance appearing - this is the manifestation of God - this image is being seen by God.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


This a pretty interesting topic that you have brought up.

I too have thought a lot about polytheism and idol worship in hinduism. I've always wondered why hinduism is the only major religion that has a multiple number of deities and has no restraints on using idols. However, I would not go so far as to say that polytheism and idol worship is the "norm" in hinduism.

I'm of hindu background, by birth... and I can tell you that when a hindu refers to God in every day matters... (for example, exclaiming "Thank God" or "God knows") he almost always uses the word for God referring to a single entity... who they understand to be to be the supreme God. ... and not one of the many deities that are worshipped.

As for the idol worship. Yes, there are no restrictions on it and temples contain idols. But a hindu can also pray without the presence of idols. i.e - Idols are not mandatory. Hindus temples have a certain ambience that enables concentration during prayer.

Again, a very interesting thread. I'd like to see how this thread develops. I will be glad to contribute and expand if I need to.

God is the seeing knowing presence. God is not a thing.
God is what knows things.
Only when you stop looking at things and turn around and look at what is seeing those things will you know God.
The story of the prodigal son points toward this. The son leaves home and goes out into the world of things and then returns home.

Idol worship:
Is it frowned upon because there is only ONE source of life? Mathematics and Physics point us in this direction IMO and some people cannot let go of their past, so they believe the future is lost (fallen)
It's sad. This is why the Christ is so important to our future. His identity isn't so much important as the all encompassing message of Love.

If I created a painting and showed it in an art gallery, I wouldn't expect people to look at it, disagree with my intention, and storm off.
If they cared enough, they would tell me what their interprtation is without fear (hate)

reply to post by HamrHeed


The word Christ means now, right now. Christ means to stay present and have no before or next. Only when you stay with what is will peace be known.
The 'next' and 'before' are what torture humans. The mind has many stories of past and future that cause a lot of pain but this moment is Gods.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by DelayedChristmas

 

This a pretty interesting topic that you have brought up.

I too have thought a lot about polytheism and idol worship in hinduism. I've always wondered why hinduism is the only major religion that has a multiple number of deities and has no restraints on using idols. However, I would not go so far as to say that polytheism and idol worship is the "norm" as you say.

I'm of hindu background, by birth... and I can tell you that when a hindu refers to God in every day matters... (for example, exclaiming "Thank God" or "God knows") he almost always uses the word for God referring to a single entity... who they understand to be to be the supreme God. ... and not one of the many deities that are worshipped.

As for the idol worship. Yes, there are no restrictions on it and temples contain idols. But a hindu can also pray without the presence of idols. i.e - Idols are not mandatory. Hindus temples have a certain ambience that enables concentration during prayer.

Again, a very interesting thread. I'd like to see how this thread develops. I will be glad to contribute and expand if I need to.

However, I would not go so far as to say that polytheism and idol worship is the "norm" as you say.

I meant idol worship was the norm in Hinduism, could you tell me how you came to that conclusion so I can clear it up for future readers?

I'm of hindu background, by birth... and I can tell you that when a hindu refers to God in every day matters... (for example, exclaiming "Thank God" or "God knows") he almost always uses the word for God referring to a single entity... who they understand to be to be the supreme God. ... and not one of the many deities that are worshipped.

Reminds me of the story when Paul goes to Athens and sees all the statues of the greek gods and goddesses with one statue devoted to the "unknown god." I love to reiterate this: God acknowledges those who acknowledge Him. The laws are written in our hearts, so its obvious our hearts are going to cry out for the Writer of those laws. We just stop listening to our hearts in most cases to protect ourselves from this cold world... I think God made His presence known throughout all the world, but details got lost in translation for lack of a better phrase.

I'm usually on ATS during the weekends or whenever i have time, so i can't promise immediate responses, but i'll be in tuned! I'm interested in what people's perspective on the questions i asked.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


Hindus do not worship a deity.
If anything they worship the now. Now has no beginning or end. It is always now and this is the one truth/dharma.

Originally posted by HamrHeed
Idol worship:
Is it frowned upon because there is only ONE source of life? Mathematics and Physics point us in this direction IMO and some people cannot let go of their past, so they believe the future is lost (fallen)
It's sad. This is why the Christ is so important to our future. His identity isn't so much important as the all encompassing message of Love.

If I created a painting and showed it in an art gallery, I wouldn't expect people to look at it, disagree with my intention, and storm off.
If they cared enough, they would tell me what their interprtation is without fear (hate)

I am going to have to disagree on that, I think Jesus Christ's identity plays a HUGE part... Love is very important too, but I think it is misguided when people say that God is love. Quite the contrary, God created love and perfectly loves, but is not love. We can coin attributes, but the simple fact remains: God is God.I believe He can get upset as well, such as what happened Jesus Christ's cruxification. I have had experiences in my dreams where I used the identity of Jesus Christ to discern spirits. In my experiences, unholy spirits can not profess that Jesus is Lord, is of God, the Son of God, God in the flesh.

Sorry to disrupt this lovely discussion, but can we please stick to the topic at hand?

Why is it taboo in one religion to worship images of the sacred and the norm in others? Who's right and who's wrong? Is anyone right? Is anyone wrong?

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


All religions are pointing to the same thing.
Just this:
youtu.be...

Originally posted by Itisnowagain
reply to post by DelayedChristmas

 

Hindus do not worship a deity.
If anything they worship the now. Now has no beginning or end. It is always now and this is the one truth/dharma.

edit on 15-9-2012 by Itisnowagain because: (no reason given)

The word Christ means now, right now. Christ means to stay present and have no before or next. Only when you stay with what is will peace be known.
The 'next' and 'before' are what torture humans. The mind has many stories of past and future that cause a lot of pain but this moment is Gods.

Hindus do worship a supreme deity, and many minor gods and goddesses, if my information is correct. And the word Christ does not mean the now, although Jesus Christ did emphasize living in the now.

Below is the etymology of the word Christ:

Christ (ancient Greek: Χριστός, Khristós, meaning 'anointed') is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), the Messiah, and is used as a title for Jesus in the New Testament.[3]

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by DelayedChristmas

Originally posted by HamrHeed
Idol worship:
Is it frowned upon because there is only ONE source of life? Mathematics and Physics point us in this direction IMO and some people cannot let go of their past, so they believe the future is lost (fallen)
It's sad. This is why the Christ is so important to our future. His identity isn't so much important as the all encompassing message of Love.

If I created a painting and showed it in an art gallery, I wouldn't expect people to look at it, disagree with my intention, and storm off.
If they cared enough, they would tell me what their interprtation is without fear (hate)

I am going to have to disagree on that, I think Jesus Christ's identity plays a HUGE part... Love is very important too, but I think it is misguided when people say that God is love. Quite the contrary, God created love and perfectly loves, but is not love. I believe He can get upset as well, such as what happened Jesus Christ's cruxification. I have had experiences in my dreams where I used the identity of Jesus Christ to discern spirits. In my experiences, unholy spirits can not profess that Jesus is Lord, is of God, the Son of God, God in the flesh.

Sorry to disrupt this lovely discussion, but can we please stick to the topic at hand?

Why is it taboo in one religion to worship images of the sacred and the norm in others? Who's right and who's wrong? Is anyone right? Is anyone wrong?

edit on 15-9-2012 by DelayedChristmas because: (no reason given)

I think you may have misinterpreted what I said, or were responding to a different thread.
Jesus as a fleshly being carries importance but we believers know that the unseen universe plays an important role in our evolution.
Why must we always try to define his laws? Human nature

reply to post by DelayedChristmas


Dharma, Christ, consciousness, tao are all pointing you to now - which is presence.
The presence is now.
All seeing, all knowing, and everpresent presence.
Are you ever not now?
When you find that you are always now you will know that you are the everpresent presence that all appearances appear to/in/on. And then there will be everlasting peace. This truth will set you free.

reply to post by DelayedChristmas

I meant idol worship was the norm in Hinduism, could you tell me how you came to that conclusion so I can clear it up for future readers?

I meant to say idol worship / polytheism is not the "norm" in Hinduism as you say.
Idol worship exists yes, but a hindu can continue to have faith in God even without the idols and images. He doesn't need the idols to keep his faith in the One he refers to as God.
I've edited my original reply to make it clear.

Originally posted by sk0rpi0n
reply to post by DelayedChristmas

 

I meant idol worship was the norm in Hinduism, could you tell me how you came to that conclusion so I can clear it up for future readers?

I meant to say idol worship / polytheism is not the "norm" in Hinduism as you say.
Idol worship exists yes, but a hindu can continue to have faith in God even without the idols and images. He doesn't need the idols to keep his faith in the One he refers to as God.
I've edited my original reply to make it clear.

Isn't it a customary action to once offer up an earthly posession to the inner shrine in Hinduism?
Sort of like how muslims make haajj?

This moment is all that appears to exist yet man believes there is more because he makes images and idols of 'other'.
There is no 'other' and if 'other' is believed in the result will be suffering.

Man makes images of past and future and makes images of himself to place in the make believe past and future and this is the cause of all his sufferings. If he were to find himself here and now always what trouble would he know? He believes all sorts of stories that all start with the making of idols.