Criticism of Hinduism - Idol Worship

Idol Worship

Western criticism of Hinduism as superstitious idolatry are commonly based on the religious texts of Abrahamic religions which strongly oppose the practice of creating Idols and worshiping them. But the lesser known fact is that Hinduism in its core believes that All Gods and idols are one, they have come of the supreme creator of the Universe, who has no shape, no size. The supreme creator is immense form of Enegry from which everything is made up of . Scientifically idol worship helps to visualise god and makes it easy to follow religious principles . Each God/Idol in Hinduism represents a group of special Quality, those which a person can try to follow and inherit from the deity. It makes it easy to believe in a "form" of Supreme Power god, rather than believing in Formless Supreme Power . Hinduism Clearly Sates that "God, the supreme power if formless, He takes Several Forms to help Humans and Humanity". A lot of misconceptions about Hinduism have come in to existence after Invasion of India by Mughals, One of the passages in the Bible that criticize idol worship reads as follow.

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of the hands of earthling man. A mouth they have, but they cannot speak; Eyes they have, but they cannot see; Ears they have, but they cannot hear. A nose they have, but they cannot smell. Hands are theirs, but they cannot feel. Feet are theirs, but they cannot walk; They utter no sound with their throat. Those making them will become just like them, All those who are trusting in them.- Psalms 115:4-8

Hindu reformist movements in the 18th - 19th centuries such as the Brahmo Samaj and Arya Samaj, were highly critical of image worship. The 11 th century Persian scholar, Abū Rayḥān al-Bīrūnī, was the first non-Indian to analyze Hinduism in the context of idol worship while translating the works of Hindu cleric Patanjali from Sanskrit to Persian. He concluded:

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.

However the truth is, although Vedas describe God as a power beyond imagination, they do not reject Idol Worship. In Puja Vidhaan/Prakriya, there is a host of procedures such as (1).Suchi i.e. cleanliness, use of silks, (2). Muhurat i.e. Auspicious Timing (3).Guru vandanam(4).Symbols such as wearing preferably silks, donning tilak or decoration of the pooja griha and mandir with lights, flowers & rangoli (5). Solemnising the deity - avaahana (invitation), sthaapan (installation) and puja (worship). (3). Use of 'puja dravya' such as ganga jal, akshata, kumkum, turmeric, panchamrita et., (6).Invocation through mantras or dhyanam i.e. silent meditation (7).'kirtans / bhajans' i.e. transcendental experience (7). Gifts to friends & relatives and Charity to the poor. Inter alia, the idol becomes an interface with the God - although He is formless the devotee can conjure the Lord of his definition in all his grandeur, power and divine attributes like karuna and kripa. That 'He' is formless is known to every Hindu but idol worship is one of the several ingredients of Bhakti to enable mortal beings of different backgrounds and limitations to approach and experience Him the one Supreme Being.

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. It is that mind and soul are thrown into the idol in the same manner as a ventriloquist throws his voice into a nearby person.

In fact A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada translates the Bhakti Yoga the essence of which was delivered by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita, "Be steadfast in yoga (yoga-sthaḥ), O Arjuna. Perform your duty (kuru karmani) and gain knowledge of the ultimate truth about me and abandon all attachment (sangam) to success or failure (siddhy-asiddhyoḥ). Such evenness of mind (samatvam) is called yoga." This higher level knowledge is since time immemorial. It is well known that Lord Sri Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, worshipped Lord Shiva at Rameswaram - before the war making a 'Saikatha Lingam' to grant him victory and once again after the victory to absolve him any sins that he might have committed during his war against the demon king Ravana in Srilanka.

Hindu beliefs and values are, as with beliefs of other religions, criticised primarily by people who either don't understand its spiritual doctrines or are opposed to religions other than their own. There is no conclusive consensus amongst religious analysts as to whether or not idol worship is correct and arguments may be, and have been, put forth by people of both perspectives.