Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1884-05-10

atory Of India. No doubt they believe that
ido.worship is a common fact in my country
and, to the superficial observer, our people
do pay homage to various objects and images
called idols
The truth is, however, we do not believe for
a moment that these idols have any divine
power in themselves We know very well
that the thing before us is a stone or a clay
image, prepared by human hands, bought at
the market after the manner Of any other pur
chase, and perhaps chosen out of many. to suit
individual taste but it always either possesses
or is made to represent some attribute which
helps the imagination in coming nearer to the
Supreme Invisible. This is the generally re-
ceived opinion among the orthodox IIndoos.
Pundit Promada Das Mira, learned Hin.
doc. thus replies TO an attack upon our reii.
gous worship:
an by idolatry is meant system OF worship
which confines ones idea OF the Divinity to
mere image Of clay or stone. which prevents
Our hearts from being elevated with lofty notions
Of the attributes OF God--if this is what is
meant by idolatry, we abhor idolatry, and
dcplore the ignorance and uncharitableness of
those who charge us with this groveling
system.
The most intelligent and philosophical,
while holding that the highest form of wor.
ship is ManaJa .taja and Mi,aka,a:pna (heart-
worship and formless worship) justify the
common method on the ground Of consider
alton to weakerminded persons.sf Worship
betore images and not TO images, is what is
practised by Hindoos. 1t is a notable fact
that the worship of all Hintoo idols begins
with the sentance Ekamevaditiam(The is One
only, and no secondly
So far from worshiping material images, thc
Hindoos are too spiritual to believe even in
the existence of matter. The only real eriS-
knee, according to dogma Of our philosophy,
is the one universal spirit or essence formless,
colorless, and imponderable, of which the
whole creation is what known may be called
the COLLECTIVE state The assertion by an
individual that an object erfJAS, is taken to be
tantamount to the expression of his ignorance
about it. Hence the Hindoo aphorism, Gig
norance is the begctter Of all Mings." When
you describe an object you only state the limit
atoms of your own knowledge. 1t must be
evident to every sane person. that, granting the
existence Of the religious spirit in man, the alb
scene of any supernatural or scientific revelation,
the system of the Hindoos was the most sensi.
Bile form that the instinct of worship could
take. There is nothing absurd or ridiculous
in the much lamented Glowing down to wood
and stone," which the heather is supposed to
do in his blindness" There in not single
idol in the Hindoo pantheon but has whole
volume OF philosophy behind it, the exposition
Of which is made with at least as much logic
and lucidity as many venerable book on
"Christian Evidences" 1t may be noted,
that even now. after the Gospel of the Tesla
ment has been offered to to the Hindoo by
Jealous missionaries for over two hundred
error Of his ways His temperance, flial devo-
ton, almost immaculate peronal cleanliness.
and social and moral purity compare iavorably
with the habits of other people.
One of our most popular images is that Of
the goddess Durga, otherwise called ,SAakh
(Sanskrit for force) This goddess represents
the female element in the evolution of the uni.
verse. She is not the creator herself, but, in
the words of our peculiar philosophical dogma,
the ovum or egg which became the universe,
all influence Of the Creator lPWis, male),
being supposed, to have ceased after the initial
contact. The whole formula Of worship OF
this power is, in fact but eulogstic description
Of nature in her multiform aspects, with ad.
dresses Of praise and prayer to the permeaiing
spirit, accompanied by suitable ceremonies.
The days set apart for the worship Of idols
are always occasions Of public feslivity and
rejoicing.
Another form Of idol worship among the
Hndoos is the celebration OF the lives and
wotks ofdeihed heroes and saints. who are be-
lieved to have performed miracles and noble
achievements in the service Of their fellow men,
The scenes Of the lives and works Of these
heroes are hallowed shrines. Pilgrims con-
gregate here year after year, to do homage to
the departed spirits, and sanctify themselves by
acts Of charity. The famous Juggernau,. which
has figured SO conspicuously in missionary liter
ature on account OF many cases Of fanatical
selfimmolatisn before his huge war-chariot,
represents one OF these heroes.
do not mean to say thai these Is not single
man. woman, or child in India who believes
in the divine personality Of any one Of our
idols. There are poor, ignorant, superstitious
Hindoos who believe in the personality OF a
stone or clay image, but think there are fully
as many protesting Christians who believe that
the bread and wine are the real body and blood
Of Christ.
Nor must pass over the fact, that no,wiih-
standing the mild disposition Of the Hindoos
and their kindness to all living creatwestes-
teniing even to nosious and poisonous animals,
some Of the mos, cruel practices have been per.
mit,ed in connection with religious festivals |;
as, ior example, self-immolstion beforethe car
Of Juggernau, This has been performed as an
act OF self-sacrihee, to secure 10 the deyolee
blissful eternity, such act. have been tolerated
by a people who do NOT eat fish or meat, because,
Of the cruelty Of killing fellow -creaiures.
have dwell, upon this subjec, somewhat al
length, but as the worshipers OF idols occupy
very low place in the estimation OF Christians.
! thought ii right to say this much, =
Aues all that has been said about idola.Iy,
! do not believe thai il exists anywhsfe in the
world IN the sense In which Christians SO be.
moan, mean TO say, that very few idoI-tes-
shippers anywhere in the world believe thai
their idols are living personalities. Thsse is.
however, sort Of ie'iehism which exists both
among image wasshiping ard spirit ~onhiping
peoples IT, extent in any community saris.
invsrsely with the dissemination Of the. Light Of
knowledge. .fmysfa Lai Rsv, in Die Lrnss