Meat Sales Banned In Indian Town
The Asian Age, Bombay Edition, 28th. March 2001. Re-Edited.
NEW DELHI: The sale of meat has been banned in Palwal township in the Haryana province, 'to encourage vegetarianism' among its 150,000 inhabitants, a local official said on Tuesday.
"The Municipal Corporation imposed a ban on selling meat in the town to promote vegetarianism among the masses and spirituality," MCD Chairwoman Khuban Devi said, continuing, "All the meat shops in the town are closed."
Coercion in Religion
©Lucio Mascarenhas. March 29th. 2001.
The Hindus are extremely sensitive about any thing that smacks of coercion or encroachment on their freedom to practice their religion or which apparently seeks to deny them this right.
They incessantly harp on the Muslim and Christian persecutions of Hindus on various occasions.
Nevertheless, it is a fact that it is they themselves who are the greatest practitioners of encroachment.
The Hindus insist that others must accept, not only that Hinduism is as good as their religions, but also that it is, in fact, superior to theirs.
They insist that others must participate in their religious rites and worship-sessions.
They do not respect the NEUTRALITY of public places and of governmental premises in a Secular, religious neutral state, but insistently perform their rites there, install idols, icons and temples there.
So much so, that even in private businesses that are not exclusively owned by Hindus, they will nevertheless hold these ceremonies, insist on all participating and take umbrage against any that will not.
All over India, wherever you go, you will see that they have installed images, icons and even shrines of their demons in public places and by employees of the state - in police stations, post offices, railway stations, bus stations, the fire brigade stations, banks, government offices.
They even conduct religious services - with blaring public address systems and all, in government places.
So much so, that even the government itself is involved in these activities.
The state run radio and television broadcasting services begin the day with Hindu services.
Worse of all, in the Indian Army and in government offices, institutions, etc., as also prisons, all are required to participate in these services! The army has made inter-religious services compulsory.
Yoga - the Hindu system of physical exercises designed to unite oneself body and soul with the demonic spirits, is made compulsory in schools and prisons, where the inmates do not have the choice to refuse participation!
In many places, provincial governments have compelled schools to begin the day with the Hindu prayers called the Gayatri mantra, Saraswati Vandana and the Vande Mataram - acts of worship directed to the Cow goddess, to the goddess of learning Saraswati and to the newly invented goddess Mother India.
On the contrary, while Christianity claims, on the basis of Divine Revelation, that States, Societies and Communities, as much as individuals, have the duty of acknowledging the true God and excluding all other religions as false and forbidden, Christianity does not command or compel others to become Christians against their free will or participate in its rites.
Moreover, Christianity will not allow such participation in its rites because it sees such participation by non-believers as blasphemous.
Thus, we see that Paganism, everywhere, has demanded, indeed compelled, all to participate. That is, Paganism is Intolerantly, Viciously, Mendaciously Coercive and Co-optative, where the Christian attitude to the rites of others is of nauseated indifference.
© Prakash John Mascarenhas, October 2001.
©Lucio Mascarenhas. March 29th. 2001.