"Laughing At Religion" Meme Thread

[vulcanlogician]

I appreciate your efforts to criticize Hinduism. But, truth be told, the Bhagavad Gita (as per your previous meme) is actually a pretty neat little book. There are different ways to interpret it, of course. You have ISKCON (Hare Krishnas) who have fashioned a quasi-fundamentalist cult with it. But if you try to mine it for philosophical insights, it can be quite a treasure. Arjuna being an archer is probably symbolism.

***

There is philosophical Hinduism (which I think is okay) and then on the other end of the spectrum, you have "wack job Hinduism." And it can get pretty nutty. Strange beliefs about Hanuman (a demigod) being responsible for the happenings in the Bermuda Triangle, for instance. Even drinking your own piss.

But it doesn't stop at nuttery. The caste system is straight up institutional theological oppression. And you have things like forced Sati... throwing a widow upon her husband's funeral pyre. Cultural shifts have reduced these practices, but they are inextricably tied to the brutal theocracy that ruled parts of India for centuries.

[AkiraTheViking]

But, truth be told, the Bhagavad Gita (as per your previous meme) is actually a pretty neat little book.

It still promoted sexism, calssism and smug self righteous behavour based on what it, as well as other hindu relegious texts, concidered as "moral and pure".

There are different ways to interpret it, of course. But if you try to mine it for philosophical insights, it can be quite a treasure. Arjuna being an archer is probably symbolism.

Sounds like the same excuse that Bible apologists use if you ask me.

[The Grand Nudger]

Sort of comes with the territory of religions. They’re declarative statements about what’s right and true and that really isn’t contingent on the content of the religion at all. Whatever that happens to be is the right and the true and people, trying to be good and righteous and pure, will do what they believe they must to satisfy that imperative.

If they believed some action or position to be evil they’d.....generously, be less inclined to do the work towards that aim.

[vulcanlogician]

But, truth be told, the Bhagavad Gita (as per your previous meme) is actually a pretty neat little book.

It still promoted sexism, calssism and smug self righteous behavour based on what it, as well as other hindu relegious texts, concidered as "moral and pure".

There are different ways to interpret it, of course. But if you try to mine it for philosophical insights, it can be quite a treasure. Arjuna being an archer is probably symbolism.

Sounds like the same excuse that Bible apologists use if you ask me.

Nah. If you read the entirety of my last post I'm not engaging in Hindu apologetics at all.

What I meant to say was: The Bhagavad Gita is a valuable book to read, even if you approach the work entirely from an atheist's perspective.

I'm not saying there aren't falsehoods and myths in the book. There are. The text even condones the four-caste system. (Actually "glorifies" may be a better word.) Plenty in it that a rational reader should ignore or recognize as faulty. Plus the theistic sentiments are commonplace and heavy-handed.

But it's a really beautiful book in some ways. Keep in mind that it's not some list of commandments like the Bible is. It's a poem that can be completed in a matter of hours.

It argues that it is better to see the entire world as an ongoing process, to relate to that larger world, and to do everything you do for the sake of that larger world, instead of keeping your mind on your own life's difficulties and doing things for your own sake. This isn't a moral commandment. It's a way of seeking a clear mind, a method to avoid being bogged down by life's apparent senselessness. That's an atheistic interpretation of the message anyway. I read it through a Spinozist lens... ie. no free will... deterministic universe. The book makes a good argument that, even in a deterministic universe, life is neither futile nor meaningless. It's an interesting idea in any regard.

Of course, it's an ancient book, and mixed into it are ancient notions (male-centricity, caste system, etc.) Furthermore, the second half of the book is less, poetic, more esoteric, and (by-and-large) less good. The second half of the book kind of goes on and on about the three gunas, and it's kinda meh. But I'm willing to bet that any atheist who reads the first half will find some valuable insights in it, or at the very least find it beautiful.

Same goes for the Upanishads and some of the yoga sutras. Those are even more esoteric and (by and large) less poetic. But they're good reads too.

[AkiraTheViking]

[A. Secular Human]

It still promoted sexism, calssism and smug self righteous behavour based on what it, as well as other hindu relegious texts, concidered as "moral and pure".


Sounds like the same excuse that Bible apologists use if you ask me.

Nah. If you read the entirety of my last post I'm not engaging in Hindu apologetics at all.

What I meant to say was: The Bhagavad Gita is a valuable book to read, even if you approach the work entirely from an atheist's perspective.

I'm not saying there aren't falsehoods and myths in the book. There are. The text even condones the four-caste system. (Actually "glorifies" may be a better word.) Plenty in it that a rational reader should ignore or recognize as faulty. Plus the theistic sentiments are commonplace and heavy-handed.

But it's a really beautiful book in some ways. Keep in mind that it's not some list of commandments like the Bible is. It's a poem that can be completed in a matter of hours.

It argues that it is better to see the entire world as an ongoing process, to relate to that larger world, and to do everything you do for the sake of that larger world, instead of keeping your mind on your own life's difficulties and doing things for your own sake. This isn't a moral commandment. It's a way of seeking a clear mind, a method to avoid being bogged down by life's apparent senselessness. That's an atheistic interpretation of the message anyway. I read it through a Spinozist lens... ie. no free will... deterministic universe. The book makes a good argument that, even in a deterministic universe, life is neither futile nor meaningless. It's an interesting idea in any regard.

Of course, it's an ancient book, and mixed into it are ancient notions (male-centricity, caste system, etc.) Furthermore, the second half of the book is less, poetic, more esoteric, and (by-and-large) less good. The second half of the book kind of goes on and on about the three gunas, and it's kinda meh. But I'm willing to bet that any atheist who reads the first half will find some valuable insights in it, or at the very least find it beautiful.

Same goes for the Upanishads and some of the yoga sutras. Those are even more esoteric and (by and large) less poetic. But they're good reads too.

There's only one "Sutra", that I can get behind...

[Fake Messiah]

[AkiraTheViking]

zb.dark was an instagram page that made memes about Hinduism, the page was removed from Instagram and the admins arrested due to protest. That is if this reddit post is true though.

[AkiraTheViking]

[AkiraTheViking]