QUESTION: WHY CHRISTIANITY IS THE WORST THING THAT HAPPENED TO JESUS? (PART 1)

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this essay are entirely by the author. Both Coin does not agree or disagree with the author's views. 

Christianity is the very worst thing that ever happened to Jesus simply because It has completely bastardized all of his teachings wherein he tried to empower us and encourage us to love and take care of each other.

People fight wars in the "Name of Jesus".

The ongoing Crusades against Islam have gone on for 1000 years and would Jesus be thrilled about that? Fundamentalist Christians oppose public health care and yet Jesus spent his lifetime taking care of the sick and the poor and he encouraged us to do the same.

Christianity has made a second god out of a simple messenger and has completely abandoned his message in promotion of his unwanted and unclaimed deity. Now it points fingers and fights wars among its own varying factions as well as against God's other children. Shame upon this brood of vipers! God forgive them for they know not what they do... all in the "name of Jesus"!

The established church has systematically destroyed or banned many of the teachings originally attributed to Jesus. The Gospel of Thomas is one such work that contains many beautiful and wonderful sayings attributed to Jesus himself. It apparently predates the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) and is the source from which they were probably derived. Yet, this is one of the books that Christian mainstream has chosen to leave out of the Bible since the time of Constantine and The Council of Nicea.

To this day, Christianity fears that we just might learn the truth about Jesus and his message of personal and collective empowerment and hope. It surprises me that the "church" never altered the Beatitude in which Jesus, in his sermon on the mountain, says, "Blessed are the Peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God."

Many Fundamentalists see Jesus as some kind of sword-wielding warrior and most "Christians" see him as the One And Only child of God. This one verse alone (if correct) rather puts the kibosh to both of those misguided tenets of fundamentalist Christianity.

Again, I restate my hypothesis that Christianity is the worst thing that ever happened to Jesus.

Many people have entirely blown off Jesus' MESSAGE of hope, love, and empowerment in favor of a lot of churchified hype ABOUT his alleged genealogy and deity. I wish to suggest that if we wish to really honor and love someone (the steak and not just the sizzle), we should LISTEN (if we have ears) and believe in their message as more important than any of the hype and literature merely ABOUT them... and most important of all.... OBEY.... Simply love and take care of each other.

The need to be worshiped is strictly a Human quality of weak kings with low self esteem. Think about it.

If you were the most powerful being in the Universe, why would you care if anybody worshiped you or believed in you? All that is phony sizzle. If you were the God of the Universe, you would KNOW so and those who really love you would not waste time kissing your ass or singing your praises. They would show their love and loyalty and respect by OBEYING you. By doing as you have commanded them to do.... Keep Peace... Love and take care of each other.... nothing more... Just OBEY!

The Bible (A GRAVEN object by definition) has become an Idol worshiped by many as if it was God.
It would be better to be a compassionate agnostic or an atheist humanitarian rather than a zealous religious fanatic. God's will would be done at least!
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Compassion and humanitarianism are the work and the will of Jesus and of God. Zealous religious fanaticism does not do God, nor Jesus, nor Humanity any good at all because it hurts them and their cause!  

Jesus said by our good works shall we be known. He also said, Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. In other words... better to OBEY and DO the work of God rather than to believe and worship and sing praises of God. or Jesus, or any leader for that matter. God is aware of his grandeur. He demands only our obedience and appreciation but, mostly, mostly obedience.

God is not weak and needy and of low self esteem to require or demand our kiss ass worship. God is powerful and omnipotent and demands only our obedience which happens to be to his main command and the whole purpose of Jesus. BE NICE TO EACH OTHER. Take care of the sick and poor among you. Love each other. Love thy enemy.

An agnostic or atheist who Obeys God's commands and does God's work will see the Kingdom of Heaven way before a zealous fire-and brimstone bible-thumping religious fanatic will. Jesus said so.

I still believe that through creating Peace On Earth and sharing Love and Kindness with each other, we can ALL be the Children of God just as Jesus said and that the Kingdom of Heaven is right here in our hands just as Jesus said.

To me, the best way to honor one who has given their life for a cause is not to kiss-ass worship them or turn them into another god and fight wars over it but to obey and to carry on the good work as we were asked to do!

I suppose my biggest problem with all of this besides my personal vanity, loudness, and skepticism is my many questions regarding the validity and accuracy of all of that which has been written and accepted as "gospel" truth about Jesus, his life, his work, his teachings, and his significance.

When Jesus spoke of Faith, I believe he meant Faith in God and Faith in the things he (Jesus) was trying to teach us. "With Faith as much as a mustard seed, you can cause this mountain to be lifted up and cast itself into the sea!" That I believe!

But Faith has now come to mean belief in the "only-begotten" divinity of Jesus and in the verses written about him (and approved by Constantine and the Council of Nicea) rather than just his teachings and the wisdom and empowerment he tried to give us. Things that are outside of Jesus' teachings and beyond what he actually wanted from us.

Some of these have even taken our One God to a polytheistic level in which Jesus, his relatives, and his friends, books and letters, and various combinations thereof have all become gods too!

When I seek Truth among the followers of Jesus, they usually begin to quote Constantine's approved writings chapter and verse to me. It is my contention that these are not valid or accurate in many instances - especially those that were obviously added or embellished long after the time of Jesus in order to beef up his deity and to downplay his message of empowerment for all of us.

That is why I suggest that Christianity (as is) is predicated upon books of words that were largely manipulated, altered, falsified, and outright fabricated by the early church in order to gain power and control over the people... just the OPPOSITE of what Jesus was trying to do for us.

Read Part 2 here: 
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ISLAM AND WOMEN"S RIGHTS (FINAL PART)

If you haven't read part 1 and part 2, read them here:

The Quran placed obedience to parents immediately after worship of God:

"We commanded mankind to be kind to his parents" [Noble Quran 31:14]

And then speaks of the mother. In a very succinct statement, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Paradise is at the feet of mothers." Once a man came to him and asked, "O, Messenger, who among mankind is worthy of my kindness and love?" The Prophet answered, "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother." "Who next?" "Your mother." Only after the third time he said, "And your father."

As a sister in faith, in blood, we find the Quran speaks about men and women, that they should cooperate and collaborate in goodness. 

Surah 9:71 speaks about men and women as supporters and helpers of each other, ordaining the good and forbidding the evil, establishing prayers and doing charity. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) echoed what the Quran said, "I command you to be kind to women." In one of his last commands in his farewell pilgrimage before his death, he kept repeating, "I command you to be kind and considerate to women." In another hadith, he said, "It is only the generous in character who is good to women, and only the evil one who insults them."

On the question of attire, the Quran and the sayings of the Prophet did not say women must adopt a particular dress of a particular country. It only gives basic boundaries, and for a committed Muslim woman, she doesn't follow this simply because her father or husband tells her, but because Allah already stated that as a requirement in the Quran, and was explained through revelation given to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that this was not to restrict woman, but to provide a virtuous society where sexual attraction is not the main obsession of everyone. This forces everyone to respect the woman for what she is as a human being, as an intellectual and a spiritual being, rather than being diverted to her sexuality.

Finally, a few words about political involvement. The verse quoted earlier, Surah 9:71, which speaks about men and women being supporters and helpers of each other was taken by some jurists to mean that it involves also public life. How could they ordain the good and forbid the evil without women being active in the affairs of their society? 

According to the Quran, I'm not talking about the practices of Muslims, in Surah 60:12, we read about Muslim women making "bayy'ah" to the Prophet. Bayy'ah as an Islamic term is somewhat analogous, to a degree, to what we would call an election, or oath of allegiance. And that was given in his capacity not only as a Prophet, but as a head of state, as he was already the head of state in Medina.

During the rein of the Caliphate 'Umar, women participated in law making. 'Umar made a proposal of a certain regulation concerning marriage. A woman in the mosque stood up and said, "'Umar, you can't do that." 'Umar did not tell her, "Shut up, you are a woman, you have nothing to do with politics, etc." He asked, "Why?" She made her argument on the basis of Quran. In front of everybody, he stood up and said, "The lady is right and I am wrong," and he withdrew his proposal. That was the spirit in the early days of Islam.

In the most authentic collection of Hadith, Hadith Bukhari, a section is devoted to the participation of women, not only in public affairs, but in the battlefield, too, and not only as logistical support. Women carried arms, and when there was great danger to the Muslims, they volunteered to participate even in the battlefield.

The problems presented here are not the problems of Islam. They are problems of a lack of commitment, lack of application, or misapplication of Islamic teachings by Muslims themselves. The topics I have tried to cover here represent and exemplify the big gap that exists between the true teachings of Islam as derived from its original sources and its projected image in the West and the way some Muslims behave in the disregard of those noble teachings.

There's no question that the Western media has played an important role in perpetuating these misconceptions. But in fairness, we should not blame the media alone. Western culture, in writings about other religions, in particular Islam, have distorted images. From books, novels, even in the academic circle, and sermons from the pulpit in places of worship, these kinds of prejudices are perpetuated.

There are fair and honorable people in the media who are receptive to correction of inaccuracies, and who present the facts, when the facts become manifest, as we have seen in the coverage of the barbaric and cruel treatment of the Palestinians n the Occupied Territories. 

What I would suggest to the media is instead of depending on the distorted information about Islam, they should keep in touch with educated Muslims, and remember, the U.S. has between 5 and 6 million Muslims. 

Only through correct representation and open communication with Muslims in America can the media give a fair analysis of current events, given the background of those conflicts, and provide a great service to society, Islamic or not.

Related articles:
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ISLAM AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS (PART 2)

If you haven't read Part 1, read it here: 

From the marital standpoint, the Quran clearly indicates in Surahs 30:20 and 42:11 that marriage is not just an inevitable evil, marriage is not somebody getting married to his master or slave, but rather to his partner.

"Among His Signs is this, that he created for you mates from among yourselves, that they may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts): Verily in that are signs for those who reflect." [Noble Quran 30:21]

There are numerous verses in the Quran to the same effect.

Secondly, the approval and consent of the girl to marriage is a prerequisite for the validity of marriage in Islam. She has the right to say yes or no.

Husbands' and wives' duties are mutual responsibilities. They might not be identical duties, but the totality of rights and responsibilities are balanced. 

The Quran says:

"Women have the same rights (in relation to their husbands) as are expected in all decency from them, while men stand a step above them." [Noble Quran 2:228]

This only specifies the degree of responsibility, not privilege, in man's role as provider, protector, maintainer, and leader of the family. The same Surah speaks about divorce  (talak, which can be declared 3 times, either by woman or man) about consultation between husband and wife, even in the case of divorce. 

When there are family disputes, first the Quran appeals to reason and the consideration of positive aspects of one's spouse:

"Dwell with your wives in kindness for even if you hate them, you might be hating someone in whom God has placed so much good." [Noble Quran 4:19]

If that appeal does not succeed, and problems between the husband and wife continue, there are measures that can be applied. Some of these measures are done privately between husband and wife. Some of them might appear harsh, but there are qualifications to restrict excessive or abusive use of these measures. These measures are considered an attempt to save a marriage rather than break a family apart. If the situation does not improve, even with the limitation and prevention of excesses, the next step is a family council. 

One arbiter from his family and one from her family should sit together with the couple and try to resolve the problems.

If a divorce becomes necessary, there are many detailed procedures in Islamic law that really knock down the common notion that divorce in Islam is very easy and that it is the sole right of man. It is not the sole right of man alone and neither is it true that all you have to say is: "I divorce you three times," and that's it. 

Islam also has laws regarding custody of children. I was very surprised to see newspapers making the false claim that in all cases custody goes to the father. Custody involves the interest of the child, and laws often favor the mother of young children.

Polygamy has become so mythical in the minds of many people that they assume being Muslim means having four wives. This is a false notion, of course. 

A very renowned anthropologist, Edward Westermarck, in his two-volume work, "History of Human Marriage," notes that there has been polygamy in virtually every culture and religion, including Judaism and Christianity. 

But the point here is not to say, "Why blame Islam?" Actually, Islam is the only religion even among Abrahamic faiths, that specifically limited the practice of polygamy that existed before Islam and established very strict conditions for guidance. 

The question, "How could any man have two wives? That's terrible!" reflects ethnocentrism. We assume that because we're living in the West and it seems strange, and we assume it must apply to all cultures, all times, under all circumstances. This simply isn't true. Let me give you one current-day example: 

In the savage attack on Afghanistan, genocide was committed on the Afghan people. It is estimated that 1-1.5 million people lost their lives, a great majority of whom were men of a marriageable age. Now, with a great shortage of men, what will happen to their widows, their orphans and their daughters of marriageable age? Is it better to leave them in a camp, with a handout? Or better a man is willing to take care of his fallen comrade's wife and children?

It is obvious that monogamy is the norm for Muslims. If we assume that having four wives is the norm, then we assume a population of 80% female and 20% male, which is an impossibility on the aggregate level. The only verse in the Quran that speaks about polygamy, speaks about limiting not instituting polygamy. 

The verse was revealed after the Battle of Uhud in which many Muslims were martyred, leaving behind wives and children in need of support. This verse shows the spirit and reason of the revelation.

Read Final Part here: 
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ISLAM AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS (PART 1)

The issue of women in Islam, is topic of great misunderstanding and distortion due partly to a lack of understanding, but also partly due to misbehavior of some Muslims which has been taken to represent the teachings of Islam.

We speak here about what Islam teaches, and that is that standard according to which Muslims are to be judged. As such, my basis and source is the Quran--the words of Allah, and the sayings of the Prophet, his deeds and his confirmation. Islamic laws are derived from these sources. To facilitate our discussion we can discuss the position of women from a spiritual, economic, social, and political standpoint.

From the spiritual aspect, there are seven points to remember:

1. According to the Quran, men and women have the same spirit, there is no superiority in the spiritual sense between men and women. [Noble Quran 4:1, 7:189, 42:11]

2. The Quran makes it clear that all human beings (and the phraseology doesn't apply to men or women alone, but to both) have what you might call a human; He
"breathed some of My spirit into divine touch. When God created him"(or her in this sense).[Noble Quran 15:29 See also 32:9]

3. Some of His spirit here means not in the incarnational sense, but the pure, innate spiritual nature that God has endowed her or him with.

4. The Quran indicates again that one of the most honored positions of human, is that God created the human, and as I referred to Surah 17 earlier, it means both sexes, as His trustee and representative on earth. There are many references in the Quran that reaffirm this

5..Nowhere in the Quran do we find any trace of any notion of blaming Eve for the first mistake or for eating from the forbidden tree. 

6. Nowhere, even though the Quran speaks about Adam, Eve, and the forbidden tree, but in a totally different spirit. The story is narrated in 7:19-27, and it speaks about both of them doing this, both of them are told that both of them disobeyed, both of them discovered the consequences of their disobedience, both of them seek repentance and both of them are forgiven. 

7. Nowhere in the Quran does it say woman is to be blamed for the fall of man. Furthermore, when the Quran speaks about the suffering of women during the period of pregnancy and childbirth, nowhere does it connect it with the concept of original sin, because there is no concept of original sin in Islam. 

The suffering is presented not as a reason to remind woman of the fall of man, but as a reason to adore and love woman or the mother. In the Quran, especially 31:14, 46:15, it makes it quite clear God has commanded upon mankind to be kind to parents and mentions,"His mother bore him in difficulty or suffering upon suffering." [Noble Quran 31:14, 46:15]

The Quran makes it clear again to remove any notion of superiority and I refer you again to 49:13. I must caution you that there are some mistaken translations, but if you go to the original Arabic, there is no question of gender being involved.

In terms of moral, spiritual duties, acts of worship, the requirements of men and women are the same, except in some cases when women have certain concessions because of their feminine nature, or their health or the health of their babies.

The Quran explicitly, in more than one verse, 3:195, 4:124, specified that whoever does good deeds, and is a believer and then specifies "male or female" God will give them an abundant reward.
In the area of economic rights, we have to remember that in Europe until the 19th century, women did not have the right to own their own property. When they were married, either it would transfer to the husband or she would not be able to dispense of it without permission of her husband. In Britain, perhaps the first country to give women some property rights, laws were passed in the 1860's known as "Married Women Property Act." More than 1300 years earlier, that right was clearly established in Islamic law, a precedent.

"Whatever men earn, they have a share of that and whatever women earn, they have a share in that." [Noble Quran 4:32]

Secondly, there is no restriction in Islamic law that says a woman cannot work or have a profession, that her only place is in the home. 

In fact, by definition, in a truly Islamic society, there must be women physicians, women nurses, women teachers, because it's preferable also to separate teenagers in the volatile years in high school education. And if she chooses to work, or if she's married with the consent of her husband, she's entitled to equal pay, not for equal work, but for work of equal worth.

Thirdly, when it comes to financial security, Islamic law is more tilted in many respects towards women. 

These are seven examples:

1. During the period of engagement, a woman is to be on the receiving side of gifts.

2. At the time of marriage, it is the duty of the husband, not the bride's family. He is supposed to pay for a marital gift. The Quran called it a gift, and it is exclusively the right of the woman. She doesn't have to spend it on the household, she doesn't have to give it to her father or anyone else.

3. If the woman happened to own any property prior to marriage, she retains that property after marriage. It remains under her control. Also, in most Muslim countries, the woman keeps her own last name, and her own identity.

4. If the woman has any earnings during her marital life, by way of investments of her property or as a result of work, she doesn't have to spend one penny of that income on the household, it is entirely hers.

5. The full maintenance and support of a married woman is the entire responsibility of her husband, even though she might be richer than he is. She doesn't have to spend a penny.
6. At the time of divorce, there are certain guarantees during the waiting period and even beyond for a woman's support.
7. If the widow or divorcee has children, she's entitled to child support.

In return for these listed securities, it is clear why the Islamic laws pertaining to inheritance give men a higher share. From the social standpoint, as a daughter we find that credit goes to Islam for stopping the barbaric practice of pre-Islamic Arabs of female infanticide. These ignorant people used to bury female daughters alive. The Quran forbade the practice, making it a crime. Surah 81 Additionally, the Quran condemned the chauvinistic attitudes of some people who used to greet the birth of a boy with gladness, but sadness in the case of a girl.

The duty, not the right, the duty of education, as the Prophet said, is a duty on every Muslim, male and female.

As far as treatment of daughters is concerned, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Anyone who has two daughters, and did not bury them, did not insult them and brought them up properly, he and I will be like this," holding his two fingers close together. 

Another version adds, "And also did not favor his sons over daughters." One time the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was seated. A companion was sitting with him. The companion's son came. He kissed his son and put him on his lap. Then his daughter came, and he just sat her by his side. The Prophet told the man, "You did not do Justice," meaning he should have treated the daughter equally, kissed her and put her in his lap also. Indeed, whenever the Prophet's daughter Fatimah came to him, in front of everyone, he stood up, kissed her and let her sit in his favorite place where he'd been sitting.

Read Part 2 and Final Part here:
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THE FOOD YOU JUST DUMPED COULD HAVE FILLED ANOTHER HUNGRY STOMACH

In my family, leaving some food on the plate and leaving two gulps of beverage in glass when eating at functions or at other people's houses is considered the 'proper way to eat and drink'.

If I clean up my plate and didn't leave a drop of what I drink, it is considered I am not stuffed enough and the host is obliged to fill my plate and glass until I get so stuffed, I can't eat or drink no more, I finally leave some food uneaten.

This extends to home too; my Mom would leave some rice in the rice cooker container at night after everyone has eaten dinner and fill it with water before she gets to bed. When I asked her why does she do it, she told me if we don't leave some rice uneaten overnight, Maha Lakshmi (the Hindu goddess of wealth) will run away from our home. I am not exaggerating, those were her exact words.

I remember asking my mom sarcastically, "With whom Maha Lakshmi is gonna run away with, ditching her consort, Lord Vishnu?" My aghast mom exclaimed that I should not speak like that about God.

And then, anthropomorphic Hindu idols get 'showered' by milk, honey, yogurt and a mashed mixture of banana, dates and grapes and 2 other fruits, known as 'panjamirtham' daily and there are starving babies and people who would be eternally grateful if all the edible food are given to them, instead of squandering it on lifeless deities.

Which god told us they want to be bathed by milk and honey? It is us, apple polishing god in the belief that a seat in heaven would be confirmed to us after our departure from this world. In short, we are bribing god to get a ticket to afterlife paradise. But, afterlife paradise is an uncertainty; life here, on earth is a certainty so why don't we create a certain paradise here on earth by eating sensibly and not waste life sustaining food?! It is not too much to ask, is it? We are getting sick by eating too much and there are people in this world who are sick because they have too little to eat!!
Aren't my mom's belief, my relatives' perception and the customary in Hindu temples not only senseless but wasteful too? One might say, "Little only what.. not a whole plate or glass of food and drink is thrown away.." 

What you think as little, collectively gets colossal as others dump the leftovers on their plates just because their belly is bursting at the seams with food overload. That food which is thrown into the trashcan can make all the difference to a starving child or a poor, famished family. That food you just dumped could save a life.

If we finish the food on our plate and drink the beverage served to us till the last drop, it doesn't mean we want more food. It means we appreciate the food served to us and we show our appreciation by finishing the food served. It is not also greediness; it is thankfulness

As for the Maha Lakshmi runaway tale, it is merely superstition combined with stupidity. The belief that prosperity will fill the house if some rice is not eaten at night is utterly asinine. Did the goddess appear before her supplicants saying she will run away from your home if you eat all the rice in the rice bowl at night before hitting the sack? 

Your guess is as good as mine.

 The real purpose of leaving some rice uneaten in the rice bowl at night and pouring water in the rice bowl is give it to the anna kavadis who go door to door to beg for food in the 
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HAIL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND PIONEERS!

Throughout the centuries there were men and women who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision. 

Their goals differed, but they all had this in common: that the step was first, the road new, the vision unborrowed, and the response they received, hatred and ridicule. 

The great creators--the thinkers, the artists, the scientists, the inventors--stood alone against the men of their time. 
Every great new thought was opposed. Every great new invention was denounced. 
The first motor was considered foolish. The first airplane was considered impossible. The power loom was considered vicious. Anesthesia was considered sinful. 

But the men and women of unborrowed vision went ahead. They fought, they suffered and they paid. But they won and without them, you won't be reading this today.

HAIL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND PIONEERS!
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THE TRUTH ABOUT DHARMA [THE RIGHTEOUS PATH] (PART 2)

If you haven't read Part 1, read it here: 
The truth about Dharma [The righteous path] (Part 1)

In Dharma, every individual is left free to explore his or her respective beliefs and practices without any need for conformity and conversion.

The doctrine of “religious conversion” which has its roots in Abrahamic religions puts an end to individual freedom by restricting and imposing the individual to conform into a particular belief system, holy book, prophet and mode of worship and requires them to eschew the others, even branding non believers as infidels and it is even rightful to kill those who are not a part in their brethren and non believers. Dharma, on the other hand guarantees freedom at individual level to seek and explore what is best for them without any kind of restriction and imposition whether it is on beliefs, holy book, prophet or mode of worship.

In Dharmic context, religious freedom will mean being indifferent to another’s faith. That means there is no reason to look upon another differently just because they are of another faith, a believer or an atheist. It also gives all due respect to another person’s faith irrespective to whether you concur to it or not. The person is left free to explore his or her religious life without being challenged to change his or her religion. Such exploration need not be confined to any one religion, and may freely embrace the entire religious and philosophical heritage of humanity.

Dharma gives no room for religious exclusivity and separatism, therefore the establishment of Dharma as the foundation of Indian constitution is opposed and resisted by all exclusive religions that separates humanity into believers and non-believers and seeks to convert all. Acceptance of Dharma puts paid to religious exclusivity and separatism.

Every human being has the right to be free from being subject to the preaching of exclusive religious doctrines. Every person is free to participate in and learn from none, one or more ways to happiness and fulfillment without being asked to specify a religious identity or to convert from one to another.
Peaceful and tolerant society can only be achieved when all faiths and ideologies accept and integrate Dharma as its foundation to be followed through in its unadulterated form.
The duty of the State based on Dharma is best epitomized by the concept of Rajdharma, which is a sacred duty for which the ruler can sacrifice anything. Stories of the travails of Raja Harishchandra and the sufferings of Shri Rama reflect how seriously the monarch is expected to take his responsibilities and fulfill commitments.

Due to Dharma, the Hindu civilization has never, even when under murderous assault, indulged in pogroms on grounds of faith.

‘Dharma’, in fact, transcends the narrow boundaries of religion. It offers limitless freedom of choice of methods as well as goals. It encourages free inquiry and never seeks to confine people into categories and denominations. It is this inherent tolerance and catholicity that enabled people, in the ancient times, to pursue faiths independent of their rulers and vice-versa. The rights and duties of the rulers and the citizens, though never codified were always respected. Each institution of the society, each individual, almost intuitively knew where to draw the line, where to define the limit. Tolerance is, therefore, integral to ‘Dharma’., plurality is inherent in it. This tolerance and plurality do not find space in the concept of religions.

Related articles:

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THE TRUTH ABOUT DHARMA [THE RIGHTEOUS PATH] (PART 1)

Dharma is not a belief system or dogma. It is also not a religion - Dharma is not based on religion, but a religion or social system can be based on Dhrama. E.g. All Bharatiya based traditions such as Hindu, Buddha, Jain, and Sikh is based on dharma as its foundation. That is why we don't see infighting between Hindu, Buddha, Jain, and Sikh faiths because Dharma is placed above faith and the dharmic principles are respected, unlike Abrahamic religions.

The word Dharma is of Sanskrit origin which is used natively in all Indian languages from Hindi to Tamil in the south.

Dharma is a “non-partisan” in nature and it traces its roots to Bharat (Sanatana Dharma) like we have the concept of “secularism” that traces its origin from Judeo-Christian religious encounter or roots.

In all western countries, Secularism means “separation of the Church and State” and “non-discrimination towards individual faiths”. It DOES NOT mean “equal respect for all religions”.

In India Secularism has been extended to mean “equal respect for all religions” based on Dharma as its guiding principle. However this notion of “equal respect for all religions” is only practiced and upheld by the Dharma based tradition and non-adherence of “equal respect for all religions” by Christians and Muslims and this is what causing religious intolerance and instability in present day India.

Religious tolerance does not mean “equal respect for all religions”. “equal respect for all religions” means you accept the legitimacy of other religions apart from yours — this is what Dharma stands for.
While ‘secular’ is interpreted as the opposite of ‘religion’ and ‘communal’, Dharma is neither secular in the sense of being anti-religious nor communal in the sense of favoring a particular sect simply because Dharma is not co-terminus with religion thus, in a Dharmic society an atheist cannot sideline a theist and vise versa - their co-existence must be recognized by each other; that is the core of secularism.

Since Dharma was never identified with a specific doctrine, the State was never doctrinaire. However, the State was always dharmic (non-secular and non-communal), because Dharma is all-encompassing and embraces all without discrimination and distinction.

Secularism does not address or solve the problem of religious exclusivity, separatism and religious intolerance that is evident today.

Religions like Christianity and Islam which indulge in religious exclusivity, divides humanity into believers and non-believers therefore there is an unremitting urge and propagation to convert the non-believers to their respective believe system. On the other hand, Dharma does not divide humanity into believers and non-believers. Thus all traditions that inherit Dharma do not naturally seek conversion. There is no concept of “religious conversion” in the worldview of Dharma.

If you haven't read Part 2, read it here: 
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WOMEN DISOBEDIENCE, SO IT'S RIGHT TO KILL THEM?

August 9th 2010. Anyone remember what happened in Mumbai on that fateful day? Since I can guess that we, Indians have a short memory, let me refresh it.

It was on that day where a young lady, a lawyer, a person who had her life ahead of her brutally murdered for resisting rape in a posh apartment in the burgeoning city of Mumbai. She was killed in her home, by the very individual who is supposed to protect her and other residents in the high rise apartment building.

The security guard tried to force himself on Pallavi Purkayastha and when she fought him off, he got angry and stabbed her several times. She managed to escape his murderous clutches and ran along the apartment floor, the blood from her wounds, dripping to the floor, ringing the bells of her neighbours with blood stained fingers. But not a soul came to her aid and she was dragged back to her home by her aggressor before slitting her throat and leaving her bleed to death.

Pallavi's lifeless body lying in a pool of her own blood was discovered by her boyfriend - the couple have been living together and were planning to get hitched.

Bang on! The security confessed to stalking Pallavi and eyeing her for quite some time. You know the core of this murder, the security opined that since Pallavi was living with a man, she is a harlot that would serve any Tom, Dick or Harry and on that basis, he attempted a 'go' at her. When his advances were rejected, he got furious and put her 'in her place' by murdering her. She is a WOMAN, so how dare she defy a MAN!! Her qualification, her reputation, her convictions are all secondary - the fact that she is female and females are not meant to be defiant and defensive are the primary attributes.

Similarly, in the Delhi gang rape case that happened in a moving bus in December, 2012, a med student was brutalized for defending herself from rape. She was accompanied by a male friend and the inebriated men in the bus taunted her for being with a guy in unearthly hours and then decided to teach her 'a lesson.' 

Jyoti Singh Pandey clawed, bit, punched, kicked and struggled as she was mercilessly raped by 7 men and displaying that she should pull her punches around men, they brutalized her in ways unimaginable, in the most horrid way possible. She was then stripped naked and thrown out of the bus like a rag doll.
She lay in the middle of the road, not a thread on her body, horrifically wounded but conscious. No one stopped to help her and her male friend despite their desperate pleas. People on vehicles would slow down, take a cursory look at them and then speed away. Even the police took their own sweet time to rescue the savagely raped girl and her beaten up male friend.

Gender animosity is the causal factor in both incidents and many, many more incidents that made headlines but soon forgotten by us It is the skewed perception that women should always be under men's foot. If women rise up to defend or prove themselves, then she needs to be taught a lesson and it is perfectly alright if she dies in the process - her story would serve as an example to other women to watch their ways. 

If a man slaps another man, the incident is soon forgotten. But, if a woman slaps a man, the man would harbour grudge and would try to get even with her in any way possible - some are even disposed to murder while others include splashing concentrated acid to disfigure her for good and demean her character to others, a potential suitor or boss to ruin her life and future.

We live in a society where we don't give a rat's ass to husbands saying that they have the right to clobber their wives and even kill them. A married woman is told to bear with her abusive husband for the sake of her family and the honour of her parents. If she seeks freedom from the abuses from her husband, her parents would be blamed for not raising their daughter properly.

Women are just as human as men; we feel pain, we bleed, we suffer and the feeling is the same as men. I am not asking men to treat women specially - just treat a woman, any woman like a fellow human being. That is more than enough. It takes very little to make a woman smile and feel safe.

 Related articles:

 - A message for young Indian men from young Indian women
- Sordid Indian male mentality
- Sexual harassment, the problem women are made to endure
- The Indian obsession with female virginity
- Rape: She asked for it! Oh, really?
- Virginity - A question of girls' morality
- India and violence against women: Any change after the Delhi gang rape case?
- How Hindu myths contribute to rape in India
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