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Simple history of religion in india
An essay on religions in india
Pre-colonial period
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Debate Topic: The Civilizing Mission was a Just Enterprise
The suttee word was derived from the word Sati and it signifies a good woman who is ready to sacrifice herself by getting devoted to her husband. Although the true origin of the word is not very clear, the Greeks, the Scythians and the Indians were believed to have used it in some of their cultural activities. The major characteristic with this word is setting oneself ablaze from community’s pressure, or being set ablaze, especially in the case of widows or slaves, in front of one’s husband or master.
Burning of widows and slaves was a common practice in Asia and some parts of Europe until civilization started to influence such retrogressive cultures. Although the practice of suttee was not considered as a religious ritual, it was common among many Indian communities to practice it as part of their culture. Before the civilization process began, this practice was termed as appropriate and many communities were willing to sacrifice the widows as a way to pay tribute to their late husbands.
One of the ethical concerns with this practice is the termination of another person’s life for reasons that were unavoidable. Death of a husband is not something that a woman can control. However, a widow was forced to pay the price of her husband’s death through her own demise (Therborn 45). This was morally and ethically inappropriate and despite the support from the local communities, it was unacceptable and thanks to civilization, the truth finally dawned on these communities. The practice was allegedly performed as a way of a woman’s dedication to prove her virtuousness.
The other ethical concern associated with this practice is the discrimination of women in the society. Rat...
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...tice, fairness and equality.
The benefits of civilization were therefore justified, and the promoters of social justice were of great importance to the communities living in India and its environs. The Indian community could have proceeded with their retrogressive activities were they not exposed by civilization. The policies and practices that were introduced provided an opportunity for Indians to adapt to the changes that come with modernization and this brought about cultural and social justice.
Works Cited
Arnold, David and Peter Robb. Institutions and Ideologies: A SOAS South Asia Reader. London, UK: Routledge, 1993. Print.
Therborn, Göran. Between Sex and Power: Family in the World, 1900-2000. London, UK: Routledge, 2004. Print.
Young, Serinity. Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion: A-K. New York, NY: Macmillan Reference USA, 1999. Print.
Each chapter contains numerous sources which complement the aforementioned themes, to create a new study on cultural history in general but women specifically. Her approach is reminiscent of Foucault, with a poststructural outlook on social definitions and similar ideas on sexuality and agency. Power cannot be absolute and is difficult to control, however Victorian men and women were able to grasp command of the sexual narrative. She includes the inequalities of class and gender, incorporating socioeconomic rhetic into the
Abu-Lughod, Lila. "Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections On Cultural Relativism And Its Others." American Anthropologist 104.3 (2002): 783-790. Print.
The cultural connotations of euthanasia involve a speedy and merciful death done for the benefit of the person being euthanized. Many associate the term with phrases like “mercy killing” implying that it is for the benefit of the subject and not to their detriment, furthermore this phrase suggests that the act of euthanasia itself is an act of charity. In her paper Euthanasia Phillipa Foot sets out to discuss the major philosophical implications associated with the act of euthanasia and whether or not they can be morally justified in certain circumstances, and goes on to discuss the tremendous societal impact of a fully legalized and widely accepted practice of euthanasia. She first begins by addressing the commonly held definition of euthanasia,
Imperialism in India British imperialism in India had many positive and negative effects on both the mother country, Britain and the colony, India. Many people would argue which effects were more prominent in these countries, and some would agree that they were equal. But in both cases, there were actually both. In India, the British colonization had more positive effects than negative. For instance, when the British colonized India they built 40,000 miles of railroad and 70,000 miles of paved roadway.
Political and social reform in India was achieved as a result of the European political principles brought to India by the British. Indians were Anglicised, and the British ideal for an Indian was to be "Indians in blood and colour, but English in tastes, opinions and intellect", as put by one British legislator (Rich, 214, 1979). This Western education inevitably led to well-read Indians encountering European principles such as human rights, freedoms of speech, travel and association, and liberalism.
In the end, though the era of British Imperialism in India played a significant role in India’s development into the modern world, it also came at a price. Regardless what was lost, a great deal was gained because India was able to not only increase its population, but also make the people smarter and healthier in the process. The way some of India’s residents were living before the age of Imperialism was not good, so if it didn’t do anything else positive – it helped them live better!
Sati is defined as “a Hindu practice whereby a widow immolates herself on the pyre of her husband” (Dictonary.com). Sati also means righteous, women throughout the Hindu myths were willing to do anything for the man that they loved. This symbolized the perfect Indian wife to any man. Imagine being a married couple in the Hindu religion, as the wife you have to prove yourself to your husband. According to About.com it goes into brief detail of the idea of marriage in the Hindu religion; “after marriage the Hindu women lead the men by keeping the lustful propensities under control. While married, thought of any other man does not enter the mind of a Hindu lady until she loses her faith in her husband due to his consistent misbehavior and 'don't care' attitude” (Rajhans). Basically in this commitment women must keep the male under control and keep the loving relationship alive and well. Suddenly, during your marriage your husband suddenly dies and you are now left as a widow. How would you feel? Would you mope around and have sorrow for the months to come? Or would you go to the extent of suicide to be with your husband once again. Some say sati is a voluntary act chosen by the newly widowed woman to end her life by being burnt to death at her husband’s pyre. But there are moments in history that Sati was forced upon these women, some ever were dragged to their burning death (Daniel). “The custom of burning the widow on her dead husband's pyre probably did not evolve from religious background but from social background” (Daniels). This paper will explore the horrible act of Sati and how it was practiced throughout history.
In the dark street there are ladies of the evening that avoid those who are there to extend a hand of compassion and presence. There are women who can easily be alienated if someone with a collar extends a hand of friendship. A collar seen as a safety when working in the middle of the night the perception if they see I am clergy they will not harm me. I began asking questions of these women when I came to the grand realization that some were Muslim. I was not aware that Muslim women were prostitutes. I honestly did not know and it has become my passion to learn more. The more I have learned the more confused I have become. The more confused I have become, the more determined to be educated. This paper has been a very difficult journey, but one that I take with honor as I learn about the strong women that continue to endure persecution.
Although women throughout history are portrayed as the weaker of the two sexes, unable to defend themselves much less stand equally against their male counterparts, some stand out against the mundane background of the “ideal” woman. Labeled throughout history as troublemakers, perhaps these women are only attempting to exercise their power. Surely, their power is not found in their physical strength, but this power stems from a deeper source, their very essence as sexual beings. Women in the Old Testament such as Eve, Lot’s daughters, Potiphar’s wife, and Delilah are thought of throughout history as “scandalous” women. But perhaps through their sexuality, they awaken in themselves, as well as all women, an innate, yet powerful ability to exert control over the men whom they feel attempt to dominate them.
In ancient Indian society, people thought women are honorable when they did the traditional ritual, Sati. The word is come from the goddess Sati and first appeared during the Gupta Empire. It is a ritual that a woman has a practice of burningbecause her husband passed away or expected to dead in the war, following him even the grave. Sati is a symbol of virtue, constant and image of good wife in India. Also it means widow in Sanskrit.This religion is not allow remarriage so women had only two choices when her husband was dead, performing the ritual into a goddess or being widow.On the other hand, from the Colonialism, the British colonialists translated it into Suttee that is a self-immolation of widows in simplicity. They described the Indiancustom and people who supported the ritual as a kind of evil, such as murder, suicide. So they tried to stamp out the ritual and pointed out the characteristic of the Indian women who majority are lack of knowledge and power to control themselves in society. Some of feminists stated that it is an unfair force of Indian women and the
Sati is literally translated into virtuous woman. It is also a Hindu custom in which women follow their husband’s on to their funeral pyre. The first mentioning in history in the Hindu tradition of Sati was in 316 B.C., and it believed that is was practiced by nothing other than a small group of people. Sati is most understood in Hindu as something you become. If a woman gathers enough sat (goodness) through devotion to her husband, usually, but limited to following onto the funeral pyre, then she will become sati. Also there is a matter of preventing sati from being practiced with reform efforts and organizations. Although there are reform acts to help prevent sati in India, there are plenty of people who believe what they believe and continue to practice this as well. In this research paper I will talk about the history of sati, reform efforts that prevent sati, and the existence of sati today.
In the human journey, called life, few things are certain among these certainties is death. Every human that lives will someday die. Death comes in different forms and the living response to them in different ways. Perhaps it depends on ones moral perspective of the death. For example, child killed by a drunken, the child is innocent and the driver ethically inexcusable. In a case of the soldier who sacrifice his life in a final heroic act, gives his life to save the lives of others. Certain groups would hold him in high esteem at the very least ethically forgivable. Another example of death is by one’s own hand better known as suicide. An ethical verdict unknown still has no final conclusion. The ethical dilemma sparks disagreement across nations as well as across time. For some, suicide is an unforgivable act that is never excusable, for other suicide is a saving grace or a redeeming action to restore honor. While this dilemma has taken many shapes over time, it has never been settled, perhaps with a fuller understanding of its history we may come closer to a conclusion.
BOSE, Sugata and JALAL Ayesha. Modern South Asia: history, culture, political economy. London, Routledge, 2011
My paper studies the three most significant and most commonly known western religion Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in terms of the role that the woman played and a brief synopsis of the religions itself. Religion is a system of human though which usually includes a set of narratives, symbols, beliefs and practices that give meaning to the practitioner’s experiences of life through reference to a higher power, deity, or ultimate truth. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are the only religions that are based on a single creator and that are why they are called western religions. These three religions are monotheistic faiths practiced by about half of the world’s population. Believers of the three religions are found on every continent but tend to be concentrated in North and South America, Europe, Australia, Western Asia and North Africa. Christianity and Islam are growing faiths in the sub-Saharan Africa, beginning to replace indigenous beliefs.
Western values are different as women fight for equality, stand up for themselves and are independent. Compared to lives in India, values are different as women are expected to be a pativrata as explained earlier in the essay. Woman are not independent as their lives revolve around men; either their father, husband or sons. In marriage, women are responsible for the lives of their husband. The wives are to make sure their husband has everything they need such as food cooked, his clothes clean and the kids are taken care of before the wife gets what she needs. As women in marriage are responsible for their husbands’ lives, it is frowned upon if their husband dies before the wife dies. This experience is seen as though the wife did not take good enough care of their husbands. Women who experience their husbands dying are called widows, and widows in the Western world and widows in India are perceived differently. Widows in India are treated poorly, they are disowned by their families, humiliated and mistreated. Widows are common to abuse, verbal and physical, from in-laws and the denial to her dead husband’s property and assets. As a Sati, these acts upon the widow is not allowed. A soon to be Sati is granted the power to curse anyone who dares to stop the ritual from occurring, after the Sati has made the vow to become a Sati. Widows in India lose