Deborah, that's hysterical. What a fine catch. I'd submit its not because its "not about monotheism" as simply because its shocking because its not about christianity or some now taken for granted part of judaism. Imagine the headline for the pope's visit:
Oddly Enough:
"Man in Gucci Boots offers wheat flour substitute for cannibalistic feast to religious worshippers"
Or, of Bush's pardon of a turkey:
Oddly Enough:
"Most Powerful Man in Free World Pardons one Turkey before Sacrificing Another in disputed Holiday marking genocide of Native American Peoples."
aimai
That is just the right way to treat religious nonsense.
The only problem is the hypocrisy of not delegating the Pope and the other snake-oil sellers into the same category.
relegating
aimai
See, I think it's good to treat people with respect and dignity, and not like I'm the only one who knows anything. I think it takes a real asshole to pronounce a huge portion of the population's life choices as "nonsense."
But that's just me.
The only thing "odd" about this is that it's not monotheistic.
Well, I think the other "odd" thing is that it's a sacrifice to a "power goddess." Silly non-Westerner -- doesn't he know God's a dude?
Deborah is quite correct. And soso is incorrect because treating one or more religions as weird and indefensible isn't some kind of halfway step towards an atheistical rejection of all religions its just a reification of the power of a dominant culture and religion. In other words every time minority religious practices are attacked as foolish or absurd the taken for granted part of the majority religion is reinforced, not undermined. So even if you thought that all religion was bad the practice of making fun of furriners doesn't get you to a universal appreciation of that point. It just pisses some people off and makes others complacent.
aimai
It would actually have been even funnier if they had pilloried the King for sacrificing to the Kumari--the virgin goddess of Kathmandu. I mean, who ever heard of worshipping a virgin?
aimai
"Power" goddess? That's "chaos and destruction," you whey-faced psalm singers.
Oh, I thought it was "power puff goddess," my bad.
aimai
"power puff goddess,"
Aha! With the Mayor of Townsville playing the king of Nepal. Or vice versa.
I read the article and thought it was an odd. And I know *a lot* about Hinduism. I've never, in all my life ever heard of a modern day blood sacrifice to Kali.
That first line should read:
"and thought it was an odd thing to do".
MG, it is a common practice. It is done daily in Kalighat (Calcutta). Hindus routinely bring animals to be slaughtered at the temple that they intend to eat; that is, the function of secular butcher and sacrificial priest are combined.
There is significant doubt as to whether there was ever a Thuggee cult, and if there was, it was certainly nothing like the lurid stories of Kill-for-Kali as depicted in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. But there is no doubt that animal sacrifice to Kali is the norm, although it's not without controversy. In the Punjab, Kali is worshiped in the form of Vaishna-Devi, which roughly translates as "Vegetarian Goddess," as a specific rejection of animal sacrifice (and again, that specific rejection is complex and controversial).
hell, they are still sacrificing animals to just about everybody, in Nepal. And we're as modern as can be.
aimai
This could actually be a pretty fun game; describing things in the most exact and literal language possible. I don't have anything now, but I'll be thinking.
Deborah,
Maybe things are different in the north. I've never heard of a butcher/priest before but then I mainly know the Hinduism practiced in Maharashtra state. Which is pretty vegetarian.
I do know that the McDonald's in Mumbai (Bombay) had riots when they tried to sell Big Macs. So the idea that a Hindu king would kill a bull seems like invitation for all kinds of bad karma.
Again, the animal sacrifice seems archaic and not something practiced in the modern times. But hey, I also think that any country having a hereditary monarchy is odd too.
MG,
A) the hindu king is not a brahmin but from a warrior caste.
B) the sacrifice wasn't done by Brahmins but by "temple assistants"
C) the water buffallo is not considered a "cow" in sacred contexts.
D) animal sacrifice is rampant in places like Nepal and, I daresay, in parts of India. It isn't "archaic" its very modern. Animals like pigs, goats, pigeons, ducks and chickens are sacrificed all the time. They are then eaten, which makes sacrifice just a particularly clever form of the recycling of meaning since you get a twofer for your sacrifice--religious merit and meat.
aimai
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