Arun Bhardwaj
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Are Hindus "idol" worshippers?
No Hindus are not "idol" worshipers.
It is about graven images, like the Christian cross with Jesus hanging on it, or statues of Mother Mary and Saint Theresa, or the holy Kabaa in Mecca, or the Adigranth enshrined in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, or the Arc and the Torah of the Jews or the image of a meditating Buddha. All these graven images are stood before in awe by the followers of these religions. All religions have their symbols of holiness.
The question is, does this make all the above religions idol-worshipers? The answer is, No.
Similarly, Hindus are not idol worshipers in the sense implied. Hindus invoke the presence of great souls living in higher consciousness into stone images so that we can feel the presence of God. Though we may have a stone image of a God, we are invoking the physical presence of the God into the stone image to bless us. In Hinduism one of the ultimate attainments is that the seeker transcends the need of all form and symbol.
There is no religion that is more aware of the transcendent, timeless, formless, causeless Truth. Nor is there any religion which uses more symbols to represent Truth in preparation for that realization. Yoga means to yoke oneself to God within. You are a Hindu if you believe in karma, reincarnation, the existence of God everywhere in all things, and the existence of beings that are on a greater evolutionary path than ourselves. Karma, reincarnation, invocation of the Deity are pragmatic laws known to Hindus who believe in these eternal Truths.
No Hindus are not "idol" worshipers.
It is about graven images, like the Christian cross with Jesus hanging on it, or statues of Mother Mary and Saint Theresa, or the holy Kabaa in Mecca, or the Adigranth enshrined in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, or the Arc and the Torah of the Jews or the image of a meditating Buddha. All these graven images are stood before in awe by the followers of these religions. All religions have their symbols of holiness.
The question is, does this make all the above religions idol-worshipers? The answer is, No.
Similarly, Hindus are not idol worshipers in the sense implied. Hindus invoke the presence of great souls living in higher consciousness into stone images so that we can feel the presence of God. Though we may have a stone image of a God, we are invoking the physical presence of the God into the stone image to bless us. In Hinduism one of the ultimate attainments is that the seeker transcends the need of all form and symbol.
There is no religion that is more aware of the transcendent, timeless, formless, causeless Truth. Nor is there any religion which uses more symbols to represent Truth in preparation for that realization. Yoga means to yoke oneself to God within. You are a Hindu if you believe in karma, reincarnation, the existence of God everywhere in all things, and the existence of beings that are on a greater evolutionary path than ourselves. Karma, reincarnation, invocation of the Deity are pragmatic laws known to Hindus who believe in these eternal Truths.
