Two recent developments, completely diverse responses. This is what makes space for "hindu fundamentalism". I leave it to the reader to draw his/her own conclusions.
Incident 1 - M F Hussain purportedly takes citizenship of Qatar (later denied) because he has cases pending in Indian courts. These cases, filed by private citizens, were on account of his paintings of Hindu religious figures in the nude. The english press decries this as an assault on artistic freedom.The STATE is silent, while offering "protection" to the artist. So, did he get a raw deal?
Incident 2 - Jesus is depicted holding a beer can and a cigarette in a text book. The STATE confiscates the books and promises to take legal action against the publishers. There are calls for a "Blasphemy law" (fortunately, shelved). The Church bans all books by the publisher. No one questions if this is an assault on freedom of expression.
2 comments:
If we judge everything from our standpoint, we can never know whether it is really good or evil, because our standard is limited and imperfect.
If I judge the whole universe by my standard,
my judgment will be very poor.
Those who do not recognize the results of acts from different standpoints are liable to all kinds of error. If I judge the whole universe by my standard, my judgment will be very poor. But when I look at things from the various standpoints, I can understand how the same event can produce good and evil in relation to different conditions. Every mistake we make becomes a great teacher in the long run. Thus evil has its good side, and good has its evil side. Therefore good and evil go hand in hand. But ordinarily, wherever we find a preponderance of good over evil, we designate it good and the opposite as evil.
Again, that which is sinful to one may be virtuous to another. Consider the different standards of sin among the Mohammedans, the Mormons and the Christians. Compare the scriptures of the world and see how, what is a virtue in the Old Testament, is a vice to men who believe in other scriptures. If polygamy is a sin according to the Christians, it is virtue with the Mohammedans and the Mormons, and was such with the ancient Jews. That which is good for some persons, as inculcated by their religion, may be evil to others living under a different dispensation.
We cannot draw a sharp line of demarcation between good and evil
Good vs evil ( and perceptions of these) are not up for debate here...I think the double standards and hypocrisy of this whole Husain issue, that Anand so lucidly describes, is sad and deplorable...speaks volumes of us as a spineless society...perhaps that is why we have a spineless "gentleman" at helm of affairs...a mere reflection of ourselves as polity?
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