Comparing Political Power In Hinduism And Hinduism

Governments of the past were based largely on religious beliefs. Be that as it may, the theologies of a governed locale today may be so diverse that the very notion of having a government on top a religious foundation seems ridiculous. Instead, we judge others based on the lowest expectations of moral regulation and while these laws are primarily influenced by religion it is not the sole attribution. Yet, as I expound this there are still governments that are heavily built on religion, much like those of the past. Though, in spite of the respect held for such governments, these governmental bodies can be seen as less globalized, modernized, and in some cases, civilized. Some governments today, in retrospect, would be called taboo in the

The accomplishments and success of civilizations are closely linked to their religious outlook and the role of religion in their governments and society. Throughout history rulers have used the influence of religions to control their populations and provide the justification for their power. A society with a greater degree of separation between religion and government promotes a superior level of liberty and creativity amongst its people. By the time of the decline of the Roman Empire in the west, however, the world had come full circle to a return to theocratic dictatorship.

When comparing the impact of religion and philosophy in India with the impact of religion and philosophy on these classical civilization’s governments between 600 BCE and 600 CE, they were similar in that they used religion and philosophy to support social and caste divisions, they stressed the importance of following and obeying rules and the men who followed the teachings of the religion or philosophy were on the top of the social hierarchy. This was because both China and India religion and philosophy used religion to justify the social divisions like the caste system in India by talking about reincarnation or the Confucian stress on the importance of obeying authority. Both India and China also had a religion or philosophy that encouraged

One aspect of Buddhism that stood out to me was the fact that Buddhism was not as closely tied to political power as Christianity or Islam. Although Buddhism held large and valuable estates throughout East Asia, Buddhism never attempted to acquire direct roles of political power, nor challenge the government in countries such as China or Japan. This lies very much in contrast with Christianity and Islam. Christianity created a synonymous church and state by having important Christians, especially emperors, hold an enormous and one could say almighty, religious, social, economic and political power. Similarly, due to the Islamic Shari’a Law sometimes equating the actual law, Islam made theological differences into political issues.

When the disciples went forth and began to teach, they were arrested repeatedly. At one court hearing they were asked if they had not understood that they were not allowed to teach the Gospel of Jesus, to which they replied, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”So therefore the real question is has religion been used as a tool for governments and authorities to control the masses? Absolutely. However, there is one element found in all such religions that is conspicuously absent in proper Christianity. That is the idea that true religion consists of obeying a set of laws in order to gain eternal reward.In ancient Egypt the deceased are judged by their deeds in life, their souls being weighed against a feather. If the soul is not weighed down with wickedness, they pass into the realm of the gods.

Hinduism is example of the world existence even today in all parts of the nation, the people, culture, and tradition. Likewise, the lack of transformation in the behavior and mindset are the same as well. It is also noticeable that the leadership was lead both male and female. Do you think Hinduism made a big distinction between whether or not women were allowed in leadership role? The division mention did not specify such problem, but it is a problem in some culture. Nevertheless, there will be no division in heaven, but between heaven and hell, (Rev. 7:9,10 NASB).

If history has taught us anything, is that whoever has the power gets heard the most. Minorities get pushed aside unless aided by a higher voice. Likewise with the universal relgions of Mahayana Buddhisma and Christanity, Ashoka and Constantine served as vessels of higher authority in the spreading of their respective religions. Without political support, the spread of new concepts like religion have a harder time seeping into the mindsets of societies. Often these ideas undergo discrimination, if not termination altogether.

Every person has religions beliefs that inform their point of view. This affects how one acts in the world. For that reason, it is believed that a nations prevailing religious belief system affects its politics. this is accurate in countries that attempt to maintain the separation between the church and the state as well as countries that are openly theocratic. in order to get a better understanding of how a society functions it is essential to understand how religion impact the politics and governance of a society.

In the eyes of many, religion plays a significant variable in the choice we make. The circumstances and actions seen as acceptable are based off of a set of divine commandments taught to the people. Religion is very influential in what laws are adapted in countries. Rather we think so or not, law and religion go hand and hand in many ways. Our morals let us decide what is right or wrong, and many moral beliefs are based on that adapted set of commands taught to us in a specific religion. These morals are universal at times. Religion provides a strong basis to what is morally permissible to the human race. Many beliefs are similar in multiple cultural and religious groups. The system of laws created to contain order in countries fall into many divine commands. Why can’t religion be the guide to moral correctness?

Bhakti apparent trend constitutes a very important chapter in the socio-cultural chronicle of India. The trend started in the 9th one C.E by Shankaracharya which continued up to 16th C.E by a turn of Hindu devotees, preacher man and religious campaigner. The word Bhakti is a very companion word in the Hindu religious system. The concept of Bhakti was not a new one in the India. It is as old as Hinduism itself. But when we talk of Bhakti movement in the situation of socio-religious background it has a different association. Bhakti movement deals with the Indian response to face a new challenge that appeared in the form of Islam. As a matter of fact Bhakti movement was the direct result of the emergence of Islam in India. The reasons for the giving birth and rise of this movement are therefore not far to seek.

Nevertheless, Islam allowed for multiple regional and cultural identities in South Asia in the period of 8th to 15th century to exist without any large-scale conflict. This paper explains that the multiplicity of identities associated with Islam in India is expressed by the such as regional and cultural identities rooted in the settlement of Arab traders in the West and the Turkish, Persian and Afghan invasions in the south, and the class identities in the Delhi Sultanate, the Ashraf and the Ajlaf. This paper also demonstrates development of Islam’s devotional religion, Sufism, from the social and political dissatisfaction of its followers as a reflection of the Hindu local devotional religion, Bhakti.

Hindutva is a popular concept in India that represents Hindu ideology and promotes the hegemony of Hinduism in government, even at the expense of others. Directly translated as “Hinduness”, Hindutva was established as an official term made up by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1923 (Falak). Opponents of Hindutva suggest that it is greatly similar to fascism in the sense that it oppresses the beliefs and liberties of minority groups. On the other hand, the Sanatan Sanstha was founded by Jayant Balaji Athavale in 1990 and arranged the “Hindu Awakening” conferences about unification for the sake of improving India (Falak). However, Sanatan Sanstha activists have been caught in the process of trying to bomb Indian cities. Many Hindu political groups contradict their own peaceful words with violent actions, which is simply deceptive.

Pre-colonial India is characterized by independent self sufficient villages with various customs and laws. This separation in cultural, religious and political structures blurred the lines of inclusive political and religious laws. The differences can be observed in the groupings created by the caste system paired with social hierarchy. With the advent of colonialism these institutions were challenged. The introduction of English ideals and political ideology placed strain on the relationship between foreign rulers and the indigenous people. Law changes regarding the taxation of imports and exports exploited India’s economy (Bally 38). The economic and moral developments these changes created purposed the benefit of colonial authority. The reforms stem from colonial values and did not reflect an accurate understanding of the history and culture of pre-colonial India. This paper will discuss the impact of colonialism in relation to caste, religion and gender.

In regards to power relations in India, it is important to be familiar with various theories of power. These concepts are articulated in the scholarly works of Dumont, Gramsci and Sontheimer. In the text of 'Homo Hierachius: The Caste System and its implications ', Dumont uses the term encompassment to explain power; where as Gramsci’s 'Subaltern Culture ' theory is based on the concept of 'hegemony ' and 'subaltern culture '. On the other hand, Sontheimer looks at the aspects of 'Hinduism: The five Components and Their Interaction '.

Religion in India continues to assert its political authority in certain matters like the personal law of where the