Hindus - Just as Fucked Up as All The Others

[genkaus]

Truly, the head gear does not matter when the brains beneath are nothing but mush.

Headgear? Really? Way to stereotype.

However, thanks for bringing this up, since I was looking for a way to discuss his death as a segway to a larger issue.

For a considerable portion of his activist life, Dabholkar had been lobbying for the passage of an Anti-Black Magic Bill. His argument was simple - there are a lot of superstitious practices, faux-magical remedies, charms, talismans and rituals which cause very real physical and financial harm to the impoverished, ignorant masses taken in by these swindlers. Obviously, the state government didn't have the balls to touch this with a barge pole. The bill was seen as anti-religious, specifically, anti-Hindu and was stringently opposed by all right-wing parties.

Now, as a knee-jerk reaction to this murder, the State Cabinet has passed an ordinance legitimizing this bill and should it pass the assembly (it most likely won't, but that's another matter), it would become a law. Basically, one might look at this as doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

But is this the right thing to do? How would the bill rationally differentiate between different forms of superstitions? What's the difference between buying a good-luck charm from a street Fakir and, say, paying for Papal blessings? Why would a ritual for cleansing 'evil aura' from your house be legitimate and sacrificing a goat for getting a promotion be illegal? The bill only goes after the most rampant and obvious superstitious practices prevalent - such as buying "Herbal medicines" or things like exorcism ceremonies, but the more general religious superstition is much more insidious and ultimately more harmful.

And where would the freedom of religion stand with this regard. While we know that a lot of religious practices and beliefs are physically and financially harmful, we nevertheless stand for it because that essential liberty is worth it. Should we classify one form of religious activity as "black-magic" and seek to ban it, how would it be any different in practice from witch-hunts?

So, what do y'all think about this?