Comments on: Interesting survey on American Hindus http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/ Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:33:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Navin http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31761 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:35:55 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31761 This is a loose use of indoctrination. The word implies a certain control of ideas and thoughts. This is certainly true every time some one opens their mouth or behaves a certain way. But it also implies an opposition to free thought - thought control. It is onething to indoctrinate your loved ones to think freely and well, quite another to tell someone if you disagree with us your eternal soul will suffer in damnation. hariaum This is a loose use of indoctrination. The word implies a certain control of ideas and thoughts. This is certainly true every time some one opens their mouth or behaves a certain way. But it also implies an opposition to free thought - thought control. It is onething to indoctrinate your loved ones to think freely and well, quite another to tell someone if you disagree with us your eternal soul will suffer in damnation.

hariaum

]]> by: rekha http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31734 Fri, 06 Jun 2008 12:36:28 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31734 This is also in response to Keshav's post on April 16th: "Because British Hindus came earlier to Britain than Hindus came to America, there was more racism, which ultimately forces a person to return to their community and their roots, thus, I would say there is more pride in Hinduism in the UK than in the USA. In America, my experience has been of very little racism for my skin color and my religion and this being the case with other people it has a very potent affect of stripping a people of their culture if it doesn’t mean anything to them". I agree with the perspective that outside threats can cause a recourse various forms of self- or cultural or religious assertion, of which nationalism is but one form. But holding this as a reason for hinduism vanishing would predict a poor future for it, relying on outside threats and racism for survival. But as you suggest, it is because "it doesn't mean anything to them" - so what is interesting is why it is so? What is then the reason that hinduism has become meaningless? (when not solely a question of racisms, or is it?) This is also in response to Keshav’s post on April 16th:

“Because British Hindus came earlier to Britain than Hindus came to America, there was more racism, which ultimately forces a person to return to their community and their roots, thus, I would say there is more pride in Hinduism in the UK than in the USA.
In America, my experience has been of very little racism for my skin color and my religion and this being the case with other people it has a very potent affect of stripping a people of their culture if it doesn’t mean anything to them”.

I agree with the perspective that outside threats can cause a recourse various forms of self- or cultural or religious assertion, of which nationalism is but one form. But holding this as a reason for hinduism vanishing would predict a poor future for it, relying on outside threats and racism for survival. But as you suggest, it is because
“it doesn’t mean anything to them”
- so what is interesting is why it is so? What is then the reason that hinduism has become meaningless? (when not solely a question of racisms, or is it?)

]]> by: Hector Diego http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31695 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 22:26:35 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-31695 This is in response to the long post of Kesava on April 16. Although it is true that many Hindus are not indoctrinated, many are. Of course, many Hindus learn about their religion from their grandparents, even more than their parents. If your grandfather is a sampradaya Hindu--that is, committed to the views of Ramanuja, Madhva, Sankara, etc--he is likely to impart at least some of those views to his grandchildren. And that is a form of indoctrination, literally. I see nothing wrong with that. In fact, at least some kind of instruction is vital to the transmission of religious culture. In America, Hindus indoctrinate their children by bringing them to ISKCON temples, where indoctrination is the name of the game--they teach the Gita, the Bhagavatam, etc. Hindus also take their children to other temples, cultural centers, asramas, etc that use the Vedanta Society method of bal vihars, so that the children will know basic things about Hinduism. The spirit of Swami Vivekananda is present at these bal vihars. This is in response to the long post of Kesava on April 16. Although it is true that many Hindus are not indoctrinated, many are. Of course, many Hindus learn about their religion from their grandparents, even more than their parents.

If your grandfather is a sampradaya Hindu–that is, committed to the views of Ramanuja, Madhva, Sankara, etc–he is likely to impart at least some of those views to his grandchildren.

And that is a form of indoctrination, literally. I see nothing wrong with that. In fact, at least some kind of instruction is vital to the transmission of religious culture.

In America, Hindus indoctrinate their children by bringing them to ISKCON temples, where indoctrination is the name of the game–they teach the Gita, the Bhagavatam, etc. Hindus also take their children to other temples, cultural centers, asramas, etc that use the Vedanta Society method of bal vihars, so that the children will know basic things about Hinduism. The spirit of Swami Vivekananda is present at these bal vihars.

]]> by: RAJGOPALAN NAIR http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30875 Tue, 20 May 2008 22:28:48 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30875 EVENTHOUGH IAM NOT LIVING IN USA, I HAVE GREAT INTEREST TO KNOW ABOUT THE LIFE-STYLE OF THE HINDUS ALL OVER THE WORLD. IT GIVES ME MUCH PLEASURE WHEN I KNOW THAT THE HINDUS KEEP ALIVE THEIR CULTURAL & FAMILY VALUES. REGARDS.... RAJGOPALAN NAIR FROM BAHRAIN. EVENTHOUGH IAM NOT LIVING IN USA, I HAVE GREAT INTEREST TO
KNOW ABOUT THE LIFE-STYLE OF THE HINDUS ALL OVER THE WORLD.
IT GIVES ME MUCH PLEASURE WHEN I KNOW THAT THE HINDUS
KEEP ALIVE THEIR CULTURAL & FAMILY VALUES.
REGARDS…. RAJGOPALAN NAIR FROM BAHRAIN.

]]> by: Keshav http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30820 Tue, 20 May 2008 02:23:30 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30820 Harish- I would say that is a very correct portrayal of Hindus in the USA. I am certainly one of them. Keshav Harish-
I would say that is a very correct portrayal of Hindus in the USA. I am certainly one of them.

Keshav

]]> by: Harish Duggirala http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30787 Mon, 19 May 2008 14:58:24 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30787 "Because British Hindus came earlier to Britain than Hindus came to America, there was more racism, which ultimately forces a person to return to their community and their roots, thus, I would say there is more pride in Hinduism in the UK than in the USA." US is a big place, Hindus are way more spread out (except in certain cities of NJ) than UK, and most UK Hindus who came from India were working class. In contrast many US Hindus are in IT and were well off to begin with, and were pretty anglicised even before coming to US (for example they spoke Hinglish etc instead of speaking the language properly), those are the kinds you get in US and its no wonder by 3rd gen 91% can only speak English and people think they are confused. Across the border is Canada, but we have more in common with UK Hindus than US ones, most Hindus here are not IT, many do general labour in the first generation, almost all of us are concentrated in 3 cities, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Most of us marry within the community, and even retain the language, I know 3rd generation Gujaratis who can still speak fluent Gujarati and still have connections to village families back in the old country. Plus Canada unlike US is "multicultural", bilingualism is the national policy (English & French) and multilingualism is considered an asset not a liability, that is why Italian is the 3rd most spoken language at workplaces in Canada. In terms of awareness and cohesiveness as a community in the west, UK is the best for Hindus, Canada (or maybe Netherlands) comes second, and I am not aware about Hindus in OZ or NZ, so can't comment where US is placed in comparison to them. “Because British Hindus came earlier to Britain than Hindus came to America, there was more racism, which ultimately forces a person to return to their community and their roots, thus, I would say there is more pride in Hinduism in the UK than in the USA.”

US is a big place, Hindus are way more spread out (except in certain cities of NJ) than UK, and most UK Hindus who came from India were working class. In contrast many US Hindus are in IT and were well off to begin with, and were pretty anglicised even before coming to US (for example they spoke Hinglish etc instead of speaking the language properly), those are the kinds you get in US and its no wonder by 3rd gen 91% can only speak English and people think they are confused.

Across the border is Canada, but we have more in common with UK Hindus than US ones, most Hindus here are not IT, many do general labour in the first generation, almost all of us are concentrated in 3 cities, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Most of us marry within the community, and even retain the language, I know 3rd generation Gujaratis who can still speak fluent Gujarati and still have connections to village families back in the old country.

Plus Canada unlike US is “multicultural”, bilingualism is the national policy (English & French) and multilingualism is considered an asset not a liability, that is why Italian is the 3rd most spoken language at workplaces in Canada.

In terms of awareness and cohesiveness as a community in the west, UK is the best for Hindus, Canada (or maybe Netherlands) comes second, and I am not aware about Hindus in OZ or NZ, so can’t comment where US is placed in comparison to them.

]]> by: aateev http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30759 Mon, 19 May 2008 10:04:18 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-30759 What about those who have converted into Christianity? I mean, nearly 20 percent of Hindustani people I know in U.S.A. have abandoned their religions and become Christians because they married American Christian Girls. U.S.A., is vast and the generalisation is NOT possible nor is it appropriate even. However, it is possible to state that the discrimination in U.S.A. is not religious based as no one bothers really what one believes in. The American attitude is that of the right of human life, prosperity, growth and success in material terms. Most Hindu families living in the USA are wealthy and well to do earning nearly $100,000:00 per household. Take the literacy rate in U.S.A., most Hindus are top noche qualified engineers, doctors, MBA'S, accountants, and I.T. No Hindu in U.S.A. is without a qualification or a good job.........If one is not qualified one will have a successful business like drycleaners, hotel, restaurant, property, plumbing, house call engineering {which earns such high call out fees bigger than doctors}; couriers, porters, and even personal shoppers. What about those who have converted into Christianity? I mean, nearly 20 percent of Hindustani people I know in U.S.A. have abandoned their religions and become Christians because they married American Christian Girls. U.S.A., is vast and the generalisation is NOT possible nor is it appropriate even. However, it is possible to state that the discrimination in U.S.A. is not religious based as no one bothers really what one believes in. The American attitude is that of the right of human life, prosperity, growth and success in material terms. Most Hindu families living in the USA are wealthy and well to do earning nearly $100,000:00 per household. Take the literacy rate in U.S.A., most Hindus are top noche qualified engineers, doctors, MBA’S, accountants, and I.T. No Hindu in U.S.A. is without a qualification or a good job………If one is not qualified one will have a successful business like drycleaners, hotel, restaurant, property, plumbing, house call engineering {which earns such high call out fees bigger than doctors}; couriers, porters, and even personal shoppers.

]]> by: Keshav http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28704 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:00:49 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28704 Dangerous- That's true. Those numbers came up after a widely syndicated article which stated that nearly half of all Americans switch to a faith different than that of their childhood. I'm not disagreeing, just putting the numbers in context. Dangerous-
That’s true. Those numbers came up after a widely syndicated article which stated that nearly half of all Americans switch to a faith different than that of their childhood. I’m not disagreeing, just putting the numbers in context.

]]> by: Dangerous http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28674 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:45:38 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28674 To illustrate, most other faith groups had much lower retention rates of people raised in these faiths who described themselves as belonging to that same faith in adulthood. To illustrate, most other faith groups had much lower retention rates of people raised in these faiths who described themselves as belonging to that same faith in adulthood.

]]> by: Dangerous http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28673 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:43:16 +0000 http://thehinduvoice.com/blog/2008/04/14/interesting-survey-on-american-hindus/#comment-28673 "My guess is, that of those 84% who chose to retain their Hinduism, it is primarily in name and not in truth" Maybe, but the fact they still maintain the affiliation is something good. Most people, in my opinion, only maintain a nominal identity if it still means at least something for them. “My guess is, that of those 84% who chose to retain their Hinduism, it is primarily in name and not in truth”

Maybe, but the fact they still maintain the affiliation is something good. Most people, in my opinion, only maintain a nominal identity if it still means at least something for them.

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