The Challenge of the Hindu World
Hinduism may be the world’s oldest religion. Hindus claim their religion dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. Of course, there are others who argue Hinduism is not a religion at all, at least in the monolithic sense. It’s too diverse, with no central authority for doctrine or practice to be considered a religion on par with Christianity or Islam. But this may be a Western standard for what constitutes religion. Certainly, Hindus think of themselves as having a common religion in spite of its great diversity, just as Christians and Muslims do with the diversity within their traditions.
Are there some common denominators that unify the various expressions of Hinduism? Turns out there are at least three, and these universals underpin some of the foundational core value that are essential to understanding Hindu culture.
The first is the caste system. The institutional racism found in the caste system is essential to the structure of Hinduism. When the Aryan invaders come into South Asia they found a sophisticated and developed Dravidian culture which they sought to dominate and exploit. They organized the Dravidian tribes into various occupational castes called Sudras, or workers, with specific tasks that served the interests of the conquerors. The Aryans set themselves up as “Forward castes” which are composed of Priests, traders and military rulers. In other words, they controlled religion, business, policing and governance. All the land belonged to them.
The Dravidians who owned the land originally, were made virtual slaves, and told to worship their slave masters. Hinduism was designed as an exploitative system to control a conquered population.
The second universal are the concepts of karma and reincarnation. These too were designed to reinforce the institutional racism of the caste system. The idea here is that the good and bad things in past lives determine what happen to you in this life. If you are born an “untouchable” it’s because you deserve it. And you better behave and be nice to those on the top if you want to have any hope of advancing in the next life.
The third universal you will find is the authority and power of the Brahmins, who control the temples, life-cycle rituals (associated with birth, marriage and death), and indoctrination of Hindu society. Of course over the centuries, Brahmins have expanded their influence beyond religion. Their wealth is vast, and today less than 10% of Brahmins are in the priestly business.
Will the subjugated Dravidians one day rise up and through off the shackles of deception that have kept them in bondage and in poverty? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure. The Christian faith is emerging as a powerful counter-force to the deception of Hindu oppression. In Christ there is no “Jew or Greek” the Bible reminds us. This powerful principle has changed the course of world history and may one day dismantle the entire system of racism found in the Hindu tradition.