How to Become a Hindu - Breaking the Idol Barrier Table of Contents How to Become a Hindu Breaking the Idol Barrier An Essay by Rudit J. Emir From Hinduism Today , August 1995 I grew up in a Christian family. Not only was it Christian, it was Protestant.
Protestants tend to be austere in their ritualism and in their portrayal of holy images.
The typical church holds a cross, perhaps a statue or painting of Christ. The Catholic propensity for richer symbolism was viewed through my Protestant family's eyes as a strange kind of extravagance, colored by a touch of something almost pagan. I remember looking skeptically at Catholics kneeling in front of statues of saints and burning candles by their images to invoke their blessings. That's the kind of mind that came in contact with the religious thought and culture of the Hindus. Around the age of sixteen the impact of spiritual India began to enter my life.