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A comment on As religious faith has declined, ideological intensity has risen. Parent comment

Re:As religious faith has declined, ideological intensity ha... by chakkepolja on Saturday June 12, 2021 @10:51PM (#27489357)
Hinduism is not a religion in western sense. We don't have a set list of doctrine and rules to follow.

When I say I am allowed to be atheist or agnostic according to Vedas, your typical dumb Purohit also screams and tries to justify it's not that.

It's almost like Vedas or Upanishads or the values they emphasize have no place in preist centered medieval / modern "Hinduism".

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Re:As religious faith has declined, ideological intensity ha... by FlyingSnake on Sunday June 13, 2021 @07:41AM (#27491720)
Your typical dumb purohit is not needed to follow Dharma. No one's going to issue a Fatwa if you do your own research and find your own way. You are free to choose between the Astika or Sramana or any of the heterodox schools. The doctrine is there but not in form of DIY commandments.
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Re:As religious faith has declined, ideological intensity ha... by chakkepolja on Sunday June 13, 2021 @09:12AM (#27492291)
This is true but doesn't apply to those of us who have to follow certain traditions for the satisfaction of parents. Given a choice I am an atheist / agnostic.

Edit: And 'Dharma' in texts is used to refer to qualities such as 'dhriti' (courage) and r'ta (truthfulness), much more than its being used to refer to rituals. So I don't necessarily even need to read any of these to follow "dharma".

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