The concept of Idolatry in Hinduism
I want to tell you only one thing that in Hinduism we pray both "Adwaita" and "Daita". Adwaita is more similar like "Islam". Adwaita considers God as universal power. Adwaita considers all other things inferior to God or allah. In "Daita" vedas and other scriptures considers God in everything. Daiwa considers that God is in Human being and he has shape similar to Human Being. Daiwa also goes beyond one step by considering each and every live element as God substance.
Now again above argument gives your answers that Hinduism has broad diversity to adept to any religion either it is Buddhism , Islam or Christianity. If you agree to above argument , Hinduism itself contain all essence of Islam. The difference is the only that we dont reject or insult any worship Idolatry claims if we dont believe in the same or we dont reject or insult Monotheism (Which Islam believes in) claims if we dont believe in that.
Our motto or ambition should be God not his forms. Why are we debating on Forms of God or perfect way to worship God? God just see our heart and purity of out deeds. We you believe in Monotheism and kills everyone who doesnt believe in Monotheism then God will never love you.
Better attached to your views that is appreciable but also dont insult other views.
I also want to comment on why we (Hindu)believe in both the things(Murty Puja and Universal God). Krishna says in Geeta "If you believe in Monotheism (Islam kind of thinking way) , you will get love of God but it will take time (and requires extreme Concentration or mental ability to believe in things which is not visible to eyes.) but again if you pray Me(Krishna) , you will definitely get me in lesser time (Krishna as God) ,( because you are logically convinced that God(Krishna) is in front of you and you have to please him so you have an image of whom you are praying." This is why we Hindus believe in Idolatry(Murty Puja). You should proud of it, if you logically pray it.
In Hinduism , there are two school of thoughts ,"Adwaita" and "Daita". Adwaita considers God as one and universal power. In "Daita" ,Vedas and other scriptures consider God in everything. Dwaita also considers that God is in Human being and he has shape same as Human Being. Human likes to see everyone like what they are. So they also shape God as Humans. Dwaita also goes beyond one step by considering each and every live element as God substance. Because ultimately Dwaita and Adwaita meets in the end.
You can not bound your thoughts by just one way that God can not be in idol. Who says God is only in Idol? Hindus say that God is also there in Idol. If we assume God to be in any Human being , and if that man does something against morals ,then the image of God can be deteriorated. So we assume God to be in Idol which in a way an effigy of God which "actually" dont do anything but in a spiritual way its supreme image of God. So That Idol connects us with God. You can call that Idol as connection between you and God.
All ,who worship idol with full of love and devotion to God , are more likely to understand fact that God is not only in that idol, but also he is with me and he is with everyone. Idol clears your routine life from sins. Idol as a monitor keeps an eye on you and your regular work to make yourself more like good man. If it is made compulsory that you have to go to temple regularly once in a day, you will have some hesitation to go to temple if you have done something wrong. So you will automatically make sure that you dont do anything wrong which does not fit into general moral consciences. On the contrary if you believe in God who is not visible from your eyes, you are more likely to do something which you can hide from God because "actually" he is not looking at your deeds because you believe God to be supreme but not within you!!!.
Hindus actually believe in both the things(Murty Puja and Universal God). Krishna says in Geeta "If you believe in Monotheism, you will get love of God but it will take time (and requires extreme Concentration or mental ability to believe in things which is not visible to eyes.) but again if you pray Me(Krishna) , you will definitely get me in lesser time (Krishna as God) ( because you are logically convinced that God(Krishna) is in front of you and you have to please him so you have an image of whom you are praying)." This is why we Hindus believe in Idolatry(Murty Puja).
You should proud of it, if you logically pray it.
You can not bound your thoughts by just one way that God can not be in idol. Who says God is only in Idol? We say that God is also there in Idol. If we assume God to be in any Human being and if that man does something against morals then the image of God is deteriorated. So we assume God to be in Idol which in a way effigy of God which "actually" dont do anything but in a spiritual way its supreme image of God. So That Idol connects us with God. You can call that Idol as connection between you and God.
All who worship idol with full of love and devotion to God are more likely to understand fact that God is not only in that idol but also he is with me and he is with everyone. Idol clears your routine life from sins. Idol as a monitor keeps eye on you and your regular work to make yourself more like good man. If it is made compulsory that you have to go to temple regularly once in a day, you will have some hesitation to go to temple if you have done something wrong. So you will automatically make sure that you dont do anything wrong which does not fit into general moral consciences. On the contrary if you believe in God who is not visible from your eyes, you are more likely to do something which you can hide from God because "actually" he is not looking at your deeds because you believe God to be supreme but not within you!!!.
Following by wikipedia-
Look at the very basic and extensive explaination of Idolatry by Wikipedia. It projects the right thing and right reason behind idolatry in Hinduism.
Hinduism neither prescribes nor proscribes worship of images (Skt. murti, or "idols" as seen by some non-Hindus). Although Hinduism is commonly represented by such anthropomorphic religiousicons such as murtis, aniconism is equally represented with such abstract symbols of God such as the Shiva linga and the saligrama.[5] Furthermore, Hindus have found it easier to focus onanthropomorphic icons, as Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 5,“ It is much difficult to focus on God as the unmanifested than God with form, due to human beings having the need to perceive via the senses. ”
Christopher John Fuller, professor of anthropology at London School of Economics notes that an image cannot be equated with a deity and the object of worship is the deity whose power is inside the image, and the image is not the object of worship itself.[7]
The misleading notion that Hinduism is fundamentally idolatrous was addressed in the context of Abrahamic religions by the 11th century Muslim scholar Al-Biruni. Al-Biruni rejected the notion and established that Hindus do not necessarily need anthropomorphisms, but the crowd and the members of the single sects use them most extensively.[8] Al-Biruni wrote that the Hindus believe with regard to God that He is one, eternal, without beginning and end, acting by free-will, almighty, all-wise, living, giving life, ruling, preserving; one who in his sovereignty is unique, beyond all likeness and unlikeness, and that he does not resemble anything nor does anything resemble Him.[8]
Striving for Moksha (salvation) i.e. one-ness with the universal soul (Brahman) is the ultimate goal of Hindus. One can approch through worship (Bhakti yoga) or meditation (Raja Yoga), or by performing one's duties well (Karma Yoga) or pursuing the intellectual path (Jnana Yoga). In achieving this spiritual progress "the first stage is the external/material worship; struggling to rise high, mental prayer is the next stage, but the highest stage is when the divine has been realized" [9] The Hindu sages closed their eyes and meditated silently (forms of Skt. tapasya and Skt. sadhana) - they did not need enclosures/buildings, nor even words or mental images for their meditation. But these sages did not abuse any one's murtis or call its worship sin. They recognized it as an approach/stage in an individual's sincere spiritual progress guided by the principles of Dharma. As Swami Vivekananda said, "Would it be right for an old man to say that childhood is sin or youth is sin? .... Unity in variety is the plan of nature, and the Hindu has recognized it".[10] This conscious Hindu recognition and the respect for different approaches to sincere worship proved useful to Jews who migrated to India (for trading or fleeing persecution by other anti-idolatrous Abrahamical religions) and thrived for many hundreds of years before moving back to Israel in 1948.[11]
Hindus do not consider it a 'sin' in any manner to use icons, images, or linguistic symbols such as the sacred "Aum" to represent the divinity,all great Hindu religious leaders have repeatedly stressed that god is one and his forms are many,the ways to communicate with him are many and focussing or concentrating on the icon is one of those ways. For a Hindu the human language itself is a symbolic representation of the divine, and so the use of words to represent the divine in itself is an act of 'idolatry' but not sin in any manner. Hindus believe that everything is god and contains the energy of god so is worthy of worship be it icons or symbols or nature itself,the Puja (Hinduism) of the Murti is like a way to communicate with the abstract one god (Brahman in Hinduism) which creates,sustains and dissolves creation .[12]
Also, these images (Skt. murti), icons, and symbols are understood by Hindus themselves as being symbolic representations of various divine attributes of the Supreme Being (Br fagdahman), which is ultimately beyond all material names and forms.[13] Hindu iconography employs a rich language of symbols, and images are constructed to exacting proportions in an effort to convey particular religious truths,the images are not considered god but are a way to try to show that god cannot be explained and understood by humans,it is for this reason that a Hindu mythological figure has 3 heads or 4 arms,it shows that God is unthinkable and unbelievable.
-WikiPedia...................
I want to tell you only one thing that in Hinduism we pray both "Adwaita" and "Daita". Adwaita is more similar like "Islam". Adwaita considers God as universal power. Adwaita considers all other things inferior to God or allah. In "Daita" vedas and other scriptures considers God in everything. Daiwa considers that God is in Human being and he has shape similar to Human Being. Daiwa also goes beyond one step by considering each and every live element as God substance.
Now again above argument gives your answers that Hinduism has broad diversity to adept to any religion either it is Buddhism , Islam or Christianity. If you agree to above argument , Hinduism itself contain all essence of Islam. The difference is the only that we dont reject or insult any worship Idolatry claims if we dont believe in the same or we dont reject or insult Monotheism (Which Islam believes in) claims if we dont believe in that.
Our motto or ambition should be God not his forms. Why are we debating on Forms of God or perfect way to worship God? God just see our heart and purity of out deeds. We you believe in Monotheism and kills everyone who doesnt believe in Monotheism then God will never love you.
Better attached to your views that is appreciable but also dont insult other views.
I also want to comment on why we (Hindu)believe in both the things(Murty Puja and Universal God). Krishna says in Geeta "If you believe in Monotheism (Islam kind of thinking way) , you will get love of God but it will take time (and requires extreme Concentration or mental ability to believe in things which is not visible to eyes.) but again if you pray Me(Krishna) , you will definitely get me in lesser time (Krishna as God) ,( because you are logically convinced that God(Krishna) is in front of you and you have to please him so you have an image of whom you are praying." This is why we Hindus believe in Idolatry(Murty Puja). You should proud of it, if you logically pray it.
In Hinduism , there are two school of thoughts ,"Adwaita" and "Daita". Adwaita considers God as one and universal power. In "Daita" ,Vedas and other scriptures consider God in everything. Dwaita also considers that God is in Human being and he has shape same as Human Being. Human likes to see everyone like what they are. So they also shape God as Humans. Dwaita also goes beyond one step by considering each and every live element as God substance. Because ultimately Dwaita and Adwaita meets in the end.
You can not bound your thoughts by just one way that God can not be in idol. Who says God is only in Idol? Hindus say that God is also there in Idol. If we assume God to be in any Human being , and if that man does something against morals ,then the image of God can be deteriorated. So we assume God to be in Idol which in a way an effigy of God which "actually" dont do anything but in a spiritual way its supreme image of God. So That Idol connects us with God. You can call that Idol as connection between you and God.
All ,who worship idol with full of love and devotion to God , are more likely to understand fact that God is not only in that idol, but also he is with me and he is with everyone. Idol clears your routine life from sins. Idol as a monitor keeps an eye on you and your regular work to make yourself more like good man. If it is made compulsory that you have to go to temple regularly once in a day, you will have some hesitation to go to temple if you have done something wrong. So you will automatically make sure that you dont do anything wrong which does not fit into general moral consciences. On the contrary if you believe in God who is not visible from your eyes, you are more likely to do something which you can hide from God because "actually" he is not looking at your deeds because you believe God to be supreme but not within you!!!.
Hindus actually believe in both the things(Murty Puja and Universal God). Krishna says in Geeta "If you believe in Monotheism, you will get love of God but it will take time (and requires extreme Concentration or mental ability to believe in things which is not visible to eyes.) but again if you pray Me(Krishna) , you will definitely get me in lesser time (Krishna as God) ( because you are logically convinced that God(Krishna) is in front of you and you have to please him so you have an image of whom you are praying)." This is why we Hindus believe in Idolatry(Murty Puja).
You should proud of it, if you logically pray it.
You can not bound your thoughts by just one way that God can not be in idol. Who says God is only in Idol? We say that God is also there in Idol. If we assume God to be in any Human being and if that man does something against morals then the image of God is deteriorated. So we assume God to be in Idol which in a way effigy of God which "actually" dont do anything but in a spiritual way its supreme image of God. So That Idol connects us with God. You can call that Idol as connection between you and God.
All who worship idol with full of love and devotion to God are more likely to understand fact that God is not only in that idol but also he is with me and he is with everyone. Idol clears your routine life from sins. Idol as a monitor keeps eye on you and your regular work to make yourself more like good man. If it is made compulsory that you have to go to temple regularly once in a day, you will have some hesitation to go to temple if you have done something wrong. So you will automatically make sure that you dont do anything wrong which does not fit into general moral consciences. On the contrary if you believe in God who is not visible from your eyes, you are more likely to do something which you can hide from God because "actually" he is not looking at your deeds because you believe God to be supreme but not within you!!!.
Following by wikipedia-
Look at the very basic and extensive explaination of Idolatry by Wikipedia. It projects the right thing and right reason behind idolatry in Hinduism.
Hinduism neither prescribes nor proscribes worship of images (Skt. murti, or "idols" as seen by some non-Hindus). Although Hinduism is commonly represented by such anthropomorphic religiousicons such as murtis, aniconism is equally represented with such abstract symbols of God such as the Shiva linga and the saligrama.[5] Furthermore, Hindus have found it easier to focus onanthropomorphic icons, as Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 5,“ It is much difficult to focus on God as the unmanifested than God with form, due to human beings having the need to perceive via the senses. ”
Christopher John Fuller, professor of anthropology at London School of Economics notes that an image cannot be equated with a deity and the object of worship is the deity whose power is inside the image, and the image is not the object of worship itself.[7]
The misleading notion that Hinduism is fundamentally idolatrous was addressed in the context of Abrahamic religions by the 11th century Muslim scholar Al-Biruni. Al-Biruni rejected the notion and established that Hindus do not necessarily need anthropomorphisms, but the crowd and the members of the single sects use them most extensively.[8] Al-Biruni wrote that the Hindus believe with regard to God that He is one, eternal, without beginning and end, acting by free-will, almighty, all-wise, living, giving life, ruling, preserving; one who in his sovereignty is unique, beyond all likeness and unlikeness, and that he does not resemble anything nor does anything resemble Him.[8]
Striving for Moksha (salvation) i.e. one-ness with the universal soul (Brahman) is the ultimate goal of Hindus. One can approch through worship (Bhakti yoga) or meditation (Raja Yoga), or by performing one's duties well (Karma Yoga) or pursuing the intellectual path (Jnana Yoga). In achieving this spiritual progress "the first stage is the external/material worship; struggling to rise high, mental prayer is the next stage, but the highest stage is when the divine has been realized" [9] The Hindu sages closed their eyes and meditated silently (forms of Skt. tapasya and Skt. sadhana) - they did not need enclosures/buildings, nor even words or mental images for their meditation. But these sages did not abuse any one's murtis or call its worship sin. They recognized it as an approach/stage in an individual's sincere spiritual progress guided by the principles of Dharma. As Swami Vivekananda said, "Would it be right for an old man to say that childhood is sin or youth is sin? .... Unity in variety is the plan of nature, and the Hindu has recognized it".[10] This conscious Hindu recognition and the respect for different approaches to sincere worship proved useful to Jews who migrated to India (for trading or fleeing persecution by other anti-idolatrous Abrahamical religions) and thrived for many hundreds of years before moving back to Israel in 1948.[11]
Hindus do not consider it a 'sin' in any manner to use icons, images, or linguistic symbols such as the sacred "Aum" to represent the divinity,all great Hindu religious leaders have repeatedly stressed that god is one and his forms are many,the ways to communicate with him are many and focussing or concentrating on the icon is one of those ways. For a Hindu the human language itself is a symbolic representation of the divine, and so the use of words to represent the divine in itself is an act of 'idolatry' but not sin in any manner. Hindus believe that everything is god and contains the energy of god so is worthy of worship be it icons or symbols or nature itself,the Puja (Hinduism) of the Murti is like a way to communicate with the abstract one god (Brahman in Hinduism) which creates,sustains and dissolves creation .[12]
Also, these images (Skt. murti), icons, and symbols are understood by Hindus themselves as being symbolic representations of various divine attributes of the Supreme Being (Br fagdahman), which is ultimately beyond all material names and forms.[13] Hindu iconography employs a rich language of symbols, and images are constructed to exacting proportions in an effort to convey particular religious truths,the images are not considered god but are a way to try to show that god cannot be explained and understood by humans,it is for this reason that a Hindu mythological figure has 3 heads or 4 arms,it shows that God is unthinkable and unbelievable.
-WikiPedia...................
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