by Karen on December 9, 2007
This is almost too funny to be true, but it appears that a judge in India has issued a summons to the Hindu gods Ram and Hanuman in order to end a decades long lawsuit involving land surrounding a temple dedicated to them.
Judge Singh sent out two notices to the deities, but they were returned as the addresses were found to be “incomplete”.
Local say the temple belongs to the gods. This prompted him to put out adverts in local newspapers summoning the gods.
“You failed to appear in court despite notices sent by a peon and later through registered post. You are herby directed to appear before the court personally”, Judge Singh’s notice said.
Can you imagine what would happen here in America if a judge ordered God/Jesus to appear in court to settle a dispute over something either one is alleged to have said or done? I bet people would be falling down in the streets at the audacity.
by Karen on September 25, 2007
There’s a dispute going on over in India in relations to a land bridge Hindus are insisting was built by Lord Ram. In response to the hoopla a few politicians have made smart-ass remarks regarding Lord Ram’s formal education. And much like the Christians here in America, Hindus are claiming they are being victimized by the “micro-minority” of atheists with the author of the linked piece saying the “bullies” ought to be arrested.
And why should they be arrested? Because India has a law that forbids anyone from upsetting religious people:
Meanwhile, someone should read out Section 295 A of the Indian Penal Code to Mr Karunanidhi. It says anyone who, by words or visible representation outrages the religious feelings of any class of citizens “with deliberate and malicious intention” or otherwise “insults or attempts to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of the class”, shall be punished with imprisonment up to three years or with fine or with both. Section 298, too, prescribes punishment to those who, through words or gestures display a deliberate intention to wound the religious feelings or any person. Apart from these two sections, there is also Section 153(A) under which a person who promotes or attempts to promote disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religions, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities can be put away for three years.
It seems to me that if anyone is “bullying” anyone it’s the theists who are using the threat of confinement in order to protect their silly-ass beliefs from being called silly-ass beliefs. How anyone can have a law like this on the books and still insist that one is a victim just goes to prove how persuasive religious privilege is.
Thousands of the followers of Brahma have apparently had it with the racial/social bigotry of their religious brethren and have decided to join Buddhism in protest. Brahma has been conspicuously silent on the whole matter while human representatives are insisting that Buddhism is just another way to say Hinduism.
This latest conversion is considered the largest (estimates put the crowd at 5000) and goes back to Bhimrao Ambedkar’s conversion 50 years ago also in protest of the Hindu “untouchables” dogma and the Indian caste system.
What I haven’t been able to find out is if this actually changes anything for those who convert as it relates to their dealings with Hindus. It seems strange that a simple ceremony can absolve you of the burden of the One True Religion™ places on you for the misfortune of your birth.
