Originally Posted by
sanjaya
I think most Hindus, if not the vast majority, do believe that there are multiple paths to God. But this is different than the so-called radical universalism that is starting to become popular. To me, the "all paths lead to God" belief is merely a statement that all human beings will ultimately reach Brahman, even if it is through a seemingly endless cycle of births, as is the case with the asuras. I further believe that God judges people based on their deeds, not their theology. So I don't believe that any good person is at a disadvantage by being born in a non-Hindu religion. However, it's going quite far to say that all religions are equally valid. Religions teach contradictory doctrines, so they can't all be true. I see Hinduism as containing the most truth of any religion I know.
Now as far as theocracy goes, I don't think that Hindu theocracy necessarily needs to be in any specific form. Of all the religions out there, only Judaism and Islam have codified rules for theocracy. Judaism has the Torah and Halacha, while Islam has the Quran and Hadith. As far as I know, Hindus don't have a corresponding legal code. I suppose the Scrolls of Manu would come close, but many Hindus don't even accept that as authoritative because of the discriminatory things it says about people of certain castes. I suppose a Hindu theocracy might be a government in which the state sponsors Hindu temples and religious functions, where Hinduism is recognized as the official religion to be honored in schools, the workplace, at public events, etc. I don't know how the theocracy of Nepal worked, but a Hindu theocracy needn't trample on the rights of other religions. A hallmark of India is that we have afforded protection to other religious faiths, including Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Jews, and Christians. I would hope that a theocracy in India would continue this tradition.
A possible objection is that theocracy has worked very poorly in the West and the Middle East, and should thus not be established in India. However we must keep in mind that these theocracies were Christian and Islamic respectively. Christianity and Islam are by nature oppressive religions that tend to control and dominate others as soon as they gain power, and this isn't the best reason not to have a Hindu theocracy.
I'm not saying that I necessarily would support a theocracy in India. However, I do admit that it would solve a few problems. Right now India is plagued by evangelical missionaries from the West. A Hindu theocracy could easily put a stop to all missionary activity and other Christian outreach, and could enforce a ban on the building of evangelical churches (note that this wouldn't be a general law opposing Christianity, but only curtailing the dangerous evangelical variety). Really this is no more than what is already done in the West, where neighborhood organizations often protest the building of Hindu temples and where the government funds church-based charities. Having a Hindu theocracy would eliminate the problems that hardline secularism poses for us.
Just my random thoughts on this...
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