Idol Worship
In this section, I'd like to talk about idol worship. A common criticism
against Hinduism is the prevalence of so called "idol worship" in our religion.
Critics often argue that Hindus are "committing a sin" or "limiting the power of
God" to a mere picture or idol. Nothing could be further from the truth. The use
(I will not use the verb "worship" for reasons you'll see shortly) of idols is
simply present to serve as a means of visual focus to someone who is praying,
meditating or worshipping (the respective deity - not the idol itself). The idol
itself is nothing more than a piece of rock, paper, etc. which is serving as a
means of focus. The image of the deity in the image or idol is also an artists
impression of that deity and not an attempt to embody He who transcends bodily
form.
An example I frequently use, is when a person keeps a picture of a loved one in
their wallet. Is this an attempt to limit the existence of your girlfriend/boyfriend to a
mere picture? Of course not! It's a tool to channel one's visual focus on
someone who may not be there. The act of worshipping is not directed to the
stone itself, but to the being which the stone represents in image.
The other problem is the use of the term "idol worshipper" as an offensive term
to refer to Hindus. People need to understand, usage of idols maybe wrong in
YOUR religion. There's no reason to believe its wrong in THIS religion. Applying
laws or rules from YOUR belief system to the practices by those of another
belief system is purely illogical. Therefore, it makes absolutely NO sense to
allege that a Hindu is committing any sort of sin or crime by using an idol or
image.
The use of idols or images could have occurred in ANY religion: Islam,
Christianity, etc. The only reason it WAS NOT used is that there was a clear
prohibition of the usage of idols in these religions. No such prohibition exists
in Hinduism, and the only basis upon which to say that is wrong is from the
perspective of YOUR religion. There is no valid argument against the usage of
idols from a moral or ethical perspective that can be made. Any argument ends up
being strictly from the standpoint of another religion. Your religion is
different, so your practices will be as well.
Hinduism states, that God is not an old bearded man in white robes sitting in a giant throne in some scenic, flowery paradise. God is everything, everywhere, and the closest link we have to Him is our very Self. The nature of "Heaven" is beyond the scope of this article. Stay Tuned!
For more information on the various deities represented by
such idols, see my articles on "Why are there so many Gods in Hinduism" and
"Important Hindu Deities".