History and origin of Hinduism

[Tronic]

Thought there was probably some serious discussion going on in here. Took one peak and seems like 'doppelganger' nose dived this thread as well.

[doppelganger]

My heart is in the left place.

If your heart is in the right place, its called dextrocardia or something.

[chanjyj]

My heart is in the left place.

If your heart is in the right place, its called dextrocardia or something.

Did you google that?

[doppelganger]

Did you google that?

Yes. Unfortunately no pictures in bikinis for this one.

[doppelganger]

Thought there was probably some serious discussion going on in here. Took one peak and seems like 'doppelganger' nose dived this thread as well.

Was there a "thread" worth its name to begin with?

The premise being an Australian challenging Hinduism's claim to being the world's oldest religion, a FACT accepted by most intelligent and well informed people across the world, on the basis of some cave drawings in the Australian outback by aboriginal tribes.

You think any self respecting Hindu would even bother dignifying such crap with a response?

Give me a break Tronic bhai. Absurdity has limits, and Bigfella plumbs them every time he speaks.

[Bigfella]

Thought there was probably some serious discussion going on in here. Took one peak and seems like 'doppelganger' nose dived this thread as well.

Notice a pattern.

[Bigfella]

Was there a "thread" worth its name to begin with?

The premise being an Australian challenging Hinduism's claim to being the world's oldest religion, a FACT accepted by most intelligent and well informed people across the world, on the basis of some cave drawings in the Australian outback by aboriginal tribes.

Three pages in & you can't even get the origins of tghe thread correct. Cataphract & I had a misunderstanding. We sorted it out & discovered that we both agreed on a fundamental fact - you are full of it.

As for 'cave drawings' they are what historians call 'facts'. Sure you've heard of them, though I suspect you don't use them awfully much.

You think any self respecting Hindu would even bother dignifying such crap with a response?

You did, so I guess you aren't a 'self respecting hindu'. That will no doubt come as no news to the otehr indians around here, who seem to be engaged in a collective cringe at your behaviour (except for Blademaster, though even he has stopped defendng you).

Give me a break Tronic bhai. Absurdity has limits, and Bigfella plumbs them every time he speaks.

.....says the guy who can 'smell' that I am Pakistani. Yeah. You da man. (let me guess, this is the part where you claim you were just joking or somesuch).

[Doktor]

Nothing to see here people...

Can a mod or two clean the place? Please.

[Bigfella]

Nothing to see here people...

Can a mod or two clean the place? Please.

HEY! The Colonel gets chew toys. His can even use google properly & stuff. I never get nice stuff. NOT FAIR!

:SULK:

[Doktor]

Well if you can lay a minefield or clean one... You can have a nice lil playground, too :)

[doppelganger]

Bigfella, you do not know the basic difference between tribal lore and rituals and what constitutes a world religion.

Please come and talk to me once you have educated yourself.

Till then please continue to ignore me as you once threatened to, but sadly never kept up your side of the bargain.

[Bigfella]

Well if you can lay a minefield or clean one... You can have a nice lil playground, too :)

Yeah. Kick me while I am down Doc. You Balkan folk truly are a cruel race.

[Doktor]

Yeah. Kick me while I am down Doc. You Balkan folk truly are a cruel race.

No wonder we get our asses whopped on a regular base ;)

[Bigfella]

Bigfella, you do not know the basic difference between tribal lore and rituals and what constitutes a world religion.

Please come and talk to me once you have educated yourself.

I assumed you would go for the 'primitive beliefs aren't a religion' argument. The prejudice comes as no surprise. Nor does the ignorance. The building blocks of chauvinism.

re·li·gion [ri-lij-uhn] noun

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

Seems to neatly cover Aboriginal beliefs.

Now, some education:

Australian Aboriginal mythologies have been characterised as "at one and the same time fragments of a catechism, a liturgical manual, a history of civilization, a geography textbook, and to a much smaller extent a manual of cosmography."

In this case it appears one tribe has preserved stories of events that took place over 10,000 years ago largely via oral tradition. So, an unbroken religious tradition tha tis 10,000 years old. And that is just one example where a date can be easily pinned down. Pretty impressive for 'tribal lore':

An Australian linguist, R. M. W. Dixon, recording Aboriginal myths in their original languages, encountered coincidences between some of the landscape details being told about within various myths, and scientific discoveries being made about the same landscapes.[5] In the case of the Atherton Tableland, myths tell of the origins of Lake Eacham, Lake Barrine, and Lake Euramo. Geological research dated the formative volcanic explosions described by Aboriginal myth tellers as having occurred more than 10,000 years ago. Pollen fossil sampling from the silt which had settled to the bottom of the craters confirmed the Aboriginal myth-tellers' story. When the craters were formed, eucalyptus forests dominated rather than the current wet tropical rain forests.[6][7] (See Lake Euramo for an excerpt of the original myth, translated.)

Dixon observed from the evidence available that Aboriginal myths regarding the origin of the Crater Lakes might be dated as accurate back to 10 000 years ago.[6]

Spiritual beliefs from which law & relationships to the experienced world are defined. Sounds like religion to me.

It is always integral and common.. that the Law (Aboriginal law) is something derived from ancestral peoples or Dreamings and is passed down the generations in a continuous line. While..entitlements of particular human beings may come and go, the underlying relationships between foundational Dreamings and certain landscapes are theoretically eternal... the entitlements of people to places are usually regarded strongest when those people enjoy a relationship of identity with one or more Dreamings of that place. This is an identity of spirit, a consubstantiality, rather than a matter of mere belief..: the Dreaming pre-exists and persists, while its human incarnations are temporary."

Despite being widely dispersed & often having minimal contact there appear to be elements of belief that were shared across tribes.

In 1926 a British anthropologist specialising in Australian Aboriginal ethnology and ethnography, Professor Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, noted many Aboriginal groups widely distributed across the Australian continent all appeared to share variations of a single (common) myth telling of an unusually powerful, often creative, often dangerous snake or serpent of sometimes enormous size closely associated with the rainbows, rain, rivers, and deep waterholes

These well educated folk seem to think Aborigines have a religion. But they have the disadvantage of actually having studied this sort of thing rather intensively, observing, gathering evidence etc. No match for you, of course.

In particular, scholars suggest the Murrinh-patha have a oneness of thought, belief, and expression unequalled within Christianity, as they see all aspects of their lives, thoughts and culture as under the continuing influence of their Dreaming. Within this Aboriginal religion, no distinction is drawn between things spiritual/ideal/mental and things material; nor is any distinction drawn between things sacred and things profane: rather all life is 'sacred', all conduct has 'moral' implication, and all life's meaning arises out of this eternal, everpresent Dreaming.

Australian Aboriginal mythology - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So, lets go through the definition in light of the evidence:

a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe

present;

especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies

present;

usually involving devotional and ritual observances

present;

and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

and present.

You may choose to dismiss a belief system that perfectly fits the definition of a religion because you look down on its practitioners and because it doesn't fit some cherished narrative you have about Indian exceptionalism. That reflects on you rather than the facts. You aren't intrested in education, just sloganeering.

Till then please continue to ignore me as you once threatened to, but sadly never kept up your side of the bargain.

There was never a 'bargain'. My 'ignore' list is very small & you are far too insignificant to be on it. Besides, I enjoy watching you make a fool of yourself.

[Bigfella]

No wonder we get our asses whopped on a regular base ;)

Yeah, you guys are real unlikeable. Stubborn though. You always seem to be the last ones left when the music stops. ;)