On Tuesday our office celebrated Dussehra - a day to celebrate the triumph of good over evil. The ritual required a priest, lots of marigolds, rice, paint, water, incense, and candy. The priest chanted while sitting cross legged by a carpet of marigold petals. The inch thick carpet, square shaped with a semi-circle at one end, underlay a portrait of the goddess Parvati / Durga / Shakti (i.e. Ganesh's Mom) and an offering of incense, an apple, coconuts, and little pots of marigolds. As the chanting continued, the priest would scatter rice over certain pots, then dip his finger in paint and decorate other pots, then sprinkle marigolds over something else. The ritual was incredibly elaborate, lasting about half an hour, after which onlookers would wave smoke from a small metal bowl over their heads. The grand finale was the handing out of little boxes of sweets for everyone.
I was very irritable after the ceremony - irritable because I wasn't really sure how I should have responded. I was there to see a cultural thing and ended up feeling obliged to wave a smoking bowl over my head thereby supporting a ritual that I had no belief in. It was expected of me so I did it. So where is the line between trying to immerse oneself in a cultural experience and treading hypocrisy in attending local religious ceremonies?
In contemplating the experience and figuring out why I was so angry ... I have questions that bother me ...
Why is the word "faith" lauded? Why should a "belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence" be treasured over logic and facts?
Why do many people automatically assume that if an individual does not believe in some form of God, then that individual is morally bankrupt?
Why do so many believe that morality can only be a result of religion?
And how did religious rituals ever get so convoluted?
I get depressed when religion so completely envelopes a soul that logic and reason suffer to "faith."
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3 comments:
you know, in the states, christmas is not considered a religious holiday anymore...it's a cultural one. not that it isn't still commemorative of the birth of christ to others, but even those who don't believe mark the holiday. and yeah, someone might get the mistaken idea that all those who celebrate christmas believe in the religious aspects, but that doesn't make it true.
i'd imagine the priests in india are aware that the americans they share those ceremonies with aren't believers in the religious stories the ceremonies commemorate or are based on.
but i could also be full of shit... :)
don't get too irritable over it... what matters is what you believe. <3
Well, unless Tuffy has changed drastically, she doesn't stay irritable for long, which is one of the good things about her.
I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable, Tuffy. I wouldn't sweat it, though...earthmama is right...do what works for you and leave the rest behind.
Oh, and I don't think you were hypocritical at all. If they didn't want someone who didn't share their beliefs participating, they would say so...like when I am in a Catholic church, I cannot take communion, but I do stand, sit, and kneel at the appropriate places. It is about being polite and it is fun to participate in a different religious culture than I am used to, even if I have different beliefs.
I say go ahead and participate to the extent you feel comfortable! And that's my final answer!
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