Re: Hinduism kills women


Marcus Aurelius wrote:
Max Muir wrote:
me wrote:
Margaret Johanson wrote:
The real reason for the sad state of Indian women is the continuation
of the Vedic and Vaishnava religions, collectively referred to as
Brahminism or `astika' Hinduism. These religions clearly and
unambiguously justify and prescribe the crushing of women to the
status of sub-humans. Rather than being due to some kind of
`corruption', the ghastly practices of sati, female infanticide, dowry
and related acts are actually enforced by Vedic and Hindu scriptures.
http://www.geocities.com/realitywithbite/hindu.htm

Where do these scriptures mention female infanticide and dowry?

Hindu scriptures indeed support the lethal misogyny which
finds expression in the female infanticide holocaust mentioned
earlier.

[ Taitt. Samh. VI.5.10.3 ] [ Muir I 26 ]
"Tasmat striyam jatam parasyanti ut pumamsam haranti"
"Hence they reject a female child when born, and take up a male."

Atharva Veda.6.2.3 : " Let a female child be born somewhere else;
here, let a male child be born."

Some of the scriptures were written during times of war and other large
scale conflicts.

You're suggesting the women attacked you and you had to begin
murdering female infants?

During such times, all warring sides favor the birth of sons, and
regret the birth of daughters - first because the daughters cannot
fight,

But they can have sons (who can fight) when they grow up.

and second because the daughters will be captured and violated -

When did the British do this?

a depressing thought to the side that loses the war.

So you continmue to murder female
infants on the off chance that you might
at some point in the future lose a war?

The bible, on the other hand,

No, on the same hand.

is blatantly anti-women:

Maybe, but do Christians practice gender-selective
abortion because of the Bible?

"And a man will choose...any wickedness, but the wickedness of a
woman...Sin began with a woman and thanks to her we all must die"
Ecclesiasticus, 25:18, 19 & 33. 1

"Women, shudra (the lowest of the four castes), dog and crow
embody untruth, sin and darkness"

women are "laviscious, fickle-minded and falsehood incarnate"

women "have the hearts of hyenas"

-- Satapatha Brahmana

"And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and
nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her;
but the sinner shall be taken by her." Ecclesiastes 7:26, from the
Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament)

Attack on menstruating women by Hinduism

"If a Brahmana hears the voice of a
chandala or a woman in her course,,
he should at once leave eating; if he
eats even one morsel after hearing
her voice he has to observe a fast for
one day".

"One should never eat food touched by
a menustruating woman or by a dog"

--Manu, the law-giver.

http://www.religioustolerance.org/ofe_bibl.htm

Genesis 1:27 to 3:24:
bullet In the first creation story (Genesis 1:27) God is described as
creating man, both male and female at the same time: "So God created
man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and
female created he them." 2 This might be interpreted as implying
equality between the two genders.

Hinduism assigns the sub-ordinate role of women to be
mere servitude to her husband...
"If her husband is happy, she should be happy;
if he is sad, she should be sad, and if he is dead, she should
also die."

But in the second creation story, (Genesis 2:7) God formed only a man:
"...the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Realizing that he needed a helper (Genesis 2:18), God marched all of
the animals past Adam (Genesis 2:19-20) looking for a suitable animal.
Finding none suitable, God created Eve out of one of Adam's ribs. The
term "helper" has historically been interpreted as implying an inferior
role for Eve, although some modern interpreters believe that the word
can mean a companion of equal status. "...the Hebrew word translated
"helper" is used twenty-one times in the Old Testament: twenty of these
cases refer to help from a superior." (3) In Genesis 2:27, Adam later
asserts his authority over Eve by naming her: "...she shall be called
Woman, because she was taken out of Man." In ancient times, one was
believed to have authority over a person or thing by naming it.

The misogyny of HInduism is shown by the words of the
Mahabharata...
"A man with a hundred tongues would die before
finishing the task of lecturing upoin the vices and
defects of women, even if he were to do nothing
else throughout a long life of a hundred years"

and the Ramayana (Aranyakanda) "falsehood, thoughtless
action, trickery, folly, greed, impurity and cruelty are the
natural faults of women".

Satapatha Bramana...
"women have the hearts of hyenas"

Genesis 3:16: Adam's role is to be Eve's master. The King James Version
(KJV), New International Version (NIV), and Revised Standard Version
(RSV) use the term "rule" to describe Adam's role over Eve: "...thy
desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." The
Living Bible uses the term "master". The Modern Language Bible uses
"dominate". By implication, all of their descendents are would have the
same power imbalance between spouses.

Similarly, Hinduism teaches us that a wife
is a mere fraction of her husband...

"Though destitute of virtue or seeking pleasure elsewhere
or devoid of good qualities, yet a husband must be constantly
worshipped as a god by a faithful wife."

A man could marry (literally "become the master of the woman") as often
as he desired. In Genesis 4:19, Lamech became the first known
polygamist when he took two wives. Subsequent men who took multiple
wives included: Esau with 3 wives; Jacob: 2; Ashur: 2; Gideon: many;
Elkanah: 2; David: many; Solomon: 700 wives of royal birth; Rehaboam:
3; Abijah: 14. Jehoram, Joash, Ahab, Jeholachin and Belshazzar also had
multiple wives.

The murder of a woman is dismissed as a minor offence
by Manu
"Stealing grain or cattle, having intercourse with a woman who drinks
liquor,
or slaying a woman, are all minor offenses"

Genesis 16:2 : Sarah gave permission to her husband Abraham to engage
in sexual intercourse with her maid, Hagar: "Sarai said unto Abram...I
pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by
her." Presumably this was done without the consent of Hagar, who had
such a low status in the society of the day that she was required to
submit to multiple rapes at her owner's command.

Even Sita in the Ramayana had to prove she
was still chaste, even after her abduction by Ravana.
Revered as an exemplar of womanhood, she still had
to prove her herself through ordeal by fire before
Rama would accept her back as his wife.

"Death alone is friend and refuge to a true and trustful wife,
when a righteous lord and husband turns his cold averted
eyes
Funeral flame dispels suspicion, honour lives where woman dies!
Fearless in her faith and valour Sita stepped upon the fire!
Sita vanished in the red fire"

Genesis 19:8: The men of Sodom gathered around Lot's house, and asked
that he bring his two guests out so that the men can "know" them. This
is frequently interpreted as a desire to gang rape the visitors,
although other interpretations are possible. Lot offers his two virgin
daughters to be raped instead: He is recorded as saying: "I have two
daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out
unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes." Yet, even after
this despicable act, Lot is still regarded as an honorable man, worth
saving from the destruction of the city. Allowing one's daughters to be
sexually assaulted by multiple rapists appears to be treated as a minor
transgression, because of the low status of the young women.

http://www.anti-slaverysociety.addr.com/hieroras.htm

Genesis 21:10: A man could simultaneously keep numerous concubines.
These were sexual partners of an even lower status than a wife was. As
implied in this verse she could be dismissed when no longer needed:
Sarah is recorded as saying: "...Cast out this bondwoman and her son:
for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with
Isaac." Abraham had two concubines; Gideon: at least 1; David: many;
Nahor: 1; Jacob: 1; Eliphaz: 1; Gideon: 1; Caleb: 2; Manassah: 1; Saul:
1; David: at least 10; Rehoboam: 60; Solomon: 300; an unidentified
Levite: 1; Belshazzar: more than 1.

http://www.secweb.org/asset.asp?AssetID=203


Hinduism


The "Disposition of Women" receives considerable attention in
the Mahabharata (Anusasana Parva). Having declared that "women
are the root of all evil", and that they "wish to transgress
the restraints assigned to them" (# 38; see also O'Flaherty,
1975, pp. 36-37), this sacred source embarks on a lengthy attack
on women. The latter are described as unintelligible, insatiably
lustful, deceitful, and gluttonous, akin to death, poison,
snakes and fire, created for the express purpose of corrupting
men (# 38 - 40 and elsewhere). Undeserving of independence
(# 20), their only end is "obedient service to their husbands"
(# 59). Rarely observed righteous women are also described: The
main characteristic of such a woman is that she "looks upon
her husband as a god, waits upon and serves him as if he is a
god, surrenders her own will completely to that of her lord"
(# 146).

India's other great religious epic, the Ramayana, concurs:
Women are impure by their very birth, they blight all virtues,
their nature is to be vicious, fickle and sharp-tongued. A
woman's only duty is devotion of body, speech and mind to her
husband (Aranya Kanda).
==

In Exodus 1:15-16, the Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill all Jewish
boys at birth, because of the threat that they might pose to the
kingdom. "And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew
women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill
him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live." The girls, being
considered less important, were not seen as a threat; they were allowed
to live.

Many other selections, both from the
Srimad bhagavatam (Prabhupada, 1978) and from the Bhagavad-Gita
(Prabhupada, 1972), complete this picture: The ancient texts,
as well as their contemporary interpreter, repeatedly describe
women as unintelligent, untrustworthy, interested only in
worthless material enjoyment, and, in sum, an obstacle to
spiritual fulfillment."

Exodus 20 & 21: This is perhaps the most misogynistic pair of chapters
in the Bible. A number of verses describe a woman as the property of
her father. At marriage, her ownership was transferred to her new
husband:

Religious sanction for child marriage in Hindusm...


[ Manu IX.94 ]
"A man, aged thirty years, shall marry a maiden of twelve
who pleases him, or a man of twenty-four a girl of eight
years of age; if (the performance of) his duties would
otherwise be impeded, he must marry sooner."

Advice on child marriage between Hundis on the WWW.

http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part18/chap2.htm
"Just as a boy dedicates himself to his guru, a girl must
dedicate herself to her husband from her childhood until
the start of their consural life and beyond. "

"According to the sastras, a boy's upanayana must be per-
formed when he is seven years old. A girl must be married
at the same age. If a boy is to be initiated into brahmac-
arya before his mind is disturbed by kama, a girl is to be
married before she feels the carnal urge. She must also
accept her husband as her guru. According to sastras, the
guru must be looked upon as Isvara. In the same way a child
bride must think of her husband as both guru and Isvara and
dedicate herself whole-heartedly to him. She will be able
adopt such an attitude only when she is married very young."

Exodus 20:17 lists the last of the Ten Commandments: "Thou shalt not
covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife,
nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor
any thing that is thy neighbour's." It is important to realize that a
manservent and a maidservant were male and female slaves. They were not
a hired butler and maid. The tenth commandment forbids coveting your
neighbor's house, wife, male slave female slave, animals or anything
else that the neighbor owns. The wife is clearly regarded as equivalent
to a piece of property.

http://hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_children.htm
"After marriage a girl child becomes the sole property of her
husband and cannot stay with her parents however strong might
have been their relationship."

Exodus 21:2-4: "If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall
serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing....If his
master have given him a wife, and she have born him sons or daughters;
the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out by
himself." A slaveowner was permitted to give a woman to his male slave
as a wife. There is no indication that women were consulted during this
type of transaction. After serving six years, he would leave, but his
wife and children would remain slaves of the slaveowner. Again, there
is no indication that the woman was consulted on this arrangement,

Manu is practically a Muslim when he writes that
"A wife's marital duty does not come to an end
even if the husband were to sell or abandon her".

Exodus 21:7: "And if a man sell his daughter to be a maidservant, she
shall not go out as the menservants do." A father could sell his
daughter as a slave. Even though a male slave is automatically given
his freedom after 6 years, a female slave remained a slave forever.

Exodus 22:16-17: The first seventeen verses of Exodus 22 deal with
restitution in case of stealing, or damage to, a person's property.
Verses 16 and 17 deal with the case of a man who seduces a virgin. This
was viewed as a property offense against the woman's father. The woman
was expected to marry the seducer. If her father refused to transfer
ownership of his daughter to the seducer, the latter was required to
required to pay money to her father. The money would be in compensation
for the damage to the father's property - his daughter. It would be
difficult for a non-virgin to marry.

Shankaracharya of Puri...
"According to Hindu shastras and Vedas, the
only choice before the widow is to suffer throughout her
life or commit sati"

Should widowers set themselves ablaze?

Why, no... "A man has to keep the fire of
agnihotri burning. He needs progeny and
for that he has to marry again"

Adi Anant

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