Hi Bhuban-da:
Thanks for sending your random thoughts...they are enlightening and also are
thought provoking.
>>Why religion? Because, is not religion the bastion of superstitions? In other
>>words, superstition is integral to religion.
I don't think that is necessarily true - that is faith - 'bishwas' and not
necessarily 'ondho-bishwas' which can be harmful.
People can be religious, but not always superstitous - like, a
temple/church/mosque/synagogue going person does not necessarily have to
believe that a black cat passing the road in front of his car would cause him
any
I believe in God or something GREATER (in all sense) than all of us humans, but
have always been pretty darn opposite of the superstitous beliefs like -widows
should not participate/ be seen on any auspicious occasion. Shouldn't it be the
person's (the widow's, in this case) choice and not the society's or the so
called "enlightened" ones? Is it the widow's fault that death came to her
husband first than those Immortal "enlightened" ones? How could they believe
that the widow's "destiny" can rub in to them and make them also "mortals"?
>>Bilat-ferrots are not necessarily enlightened people.
That exactly is my point. No matter, how "educated" or how many 'Xaagor-Moha
Xaagor' they crossed and how many degrees they acquired or how "enlightened"
they have become, their 'elandhu-kolia' mentality never changed.
Am being too cynical? yes, have dealt with too many of those "enlightened"
narrow minded 'Ondho-biswashi's over the years.
BTW, I used Bilat-ferrot for not only England-ferrots but America-ferrots,
Australia-ferrots - all currently living or returned NRIs from abroad, and that
very much includes myself
I must mention, I am not totally free of some of those 'ondho-bishwas' thoughts
too, like - knock on woods, wear new clothes on the new year's day, etc., but
they are with products, not with human beings or their sentiment.
Thanks again for your notes.
Best regards,
-Alpana
To: assam@assamnet.org
Subject: Re[Assam]Superstitions
From: bbar...@aol.com
CC: absarangap...@hotmail.com
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:05:59 -0400
Dear Alpana
My observations are not to the point, random thoughts only. hope you can use it
in some way
bhuban Baruah
We’re nourished by what our parents believe in, in the society we grow up and
then if we are lucky to have higher education we may develop our own ideas.
Why religion? Because, is not religion the bastion of superstitions? In other
words, superstition is integral to religion.
There are only a handful of men and women in the world who, after years of
serious study, had changed the religion of their parents. A person may change
religion just because he marries a girl belonging to another faith. Tony Blair,
a popular ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain converted to Roman Catholicism but
I understand he now regularly reads the Quran. Mahatma Gandhi quoted the
Geeta:. Swadharme Nidhanam sreyoh porodharmo voyabohah (It is better to die in
one’s own faith, a different one is dreadful).
The ancient religions abound in superstitions. Enlightened Christians do not
believe in
things like virgin birth, reappearance of Christ on earth and the miracles
performed by Jesus in his prayer meetings..
Bilat-ferrots are not necessarily enlightened people. A few years back when the
phenomenon of milk-drinking Ganesh occurred in many places, a TV station asked
a retired Harvard-educated professor of physics his opinion. The South Indian
gentleman said he shared the popular belief held by the Ganesh-worshippers.
The moral of this is that superstition is deep-seated. I hear scientists say
that it is even in our DNA meaning we are born with it not unlike Abhimanyu’s
mother in the Mahabharata..
One religious head was asked how can a highly-educated man like himself believe
a lot of superstitious things written in the Bible?. His reply was that his
religion did many good things as well. It civilised, educated and enlightened
the society and above all brought peace and happiness to mankind. A humanist,
however, could say that religion is the root of all evil..
A very distinguished Muslim scholar once said to me that the Quran consists of
many
incredible things and that he dare not discuss them in public. However, an
ex-Bishop of Durham held certain views which did not fall in line with the
written word, but he was not taken to task as he was a very learned
intellectual...
I am not a bilat-ferrot, literally speaking, as I did not go back to live in
the country of my origin. But I think netters will easily come to a conclusion
about my superstitions; I have many of them. I think if I were a candidate in
the last general election to the State assembly, I would not have missed any
religious shrine in my constituency. There are two things here: 1. To seek the
blessings of the particular God or Goddess for my election success 2. To show
that I share religious affinity with my constituents. Oh! No, there is another
point.. My wife will not leave me behind when she visits any temple. And some
time I find an honest historical interest in these places of worship.
Most Hindus living in India do not eat beef. It is considered to be a deadly
sin. If a Hindu eats beef, he has to undergo certain rites of purification.
But many young men living abroad do eat beef. Their justification is, sort of ,
if I can eat mutton, why not beef? He certainly does not believe that God will
punish him for his sin of eating brief. Besides, it is England, a foreign land;
a matter of non- jurisdiction perhaps
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