Message for Rubystars
These types of misrepresentations of Hindus is why I'm bothering with these posts. It is not constructive and honestly childish. It is evident that you have made absolutely no effort to learn about other cultures and what they offer. Nice picture of "ratty milk", thanks. So, should people believe you over people like Oppenheimer, Thoreau, Carl Sagan or Voltaire?
Learning about other culture doesn't mean that you have to give up any of your beliefs, it just makes you more educated. Should you not know who your friends are and what they believe?
The more I learn about Hinduism the LESS I like it, but I've been asked to tone it down so as not to cause disunity. Therefore I will not debate with you any further than this post. That is a genuine picture from a genuine temple in India, and so it's not a smear or a slur. Followers of that particular goddess really do drink that milk after the rats have been drinking it and consider the animals to be holy and the milk and other rat-tainted food to give a blessing. As a Christian I don't keep kosher like the Jews do, but I do have standards, and well, to me that's disgusting, as are a lot of other lower caste Hindu practices.
Now your typical Hindu living in the West is not going to behave like that, and will be civilized and normal, but rural India and sometimes even urban India is another matter.
Plus I'm very upset because of all the entry-level office jobs being outsourced to India and the murders of Christians that have happened in India, and the murders and abortions of little Indian girls and the treatment of "widows", even if the widows are still children. I have reasons for being upset with Hinduism, and it's nothing against you personally, but I can't help how I feel about these things.
That's all I really have to say on that topic.