This statement is so stupid that a “white” cant be a hindu , I agree to disagree to that.

Family like Voiths ,who struggle so hard and agaist such a hostilily are worth a lot more then just my Praise.

I am a Hindu Brahmin ,but I can openly state that Voiths are more Hindus then most Indians , who just practice Hinduism in namesake.

Voiths deserve such respect because they have this vision in much hostile conditions , under which most will call then nothing but morons I guess.

Voiths belive in their principals and execute them to the best of their ability , may they have the courage to do so always .

And most of us here who do blog , just do it with a chunnel vision or aim to ridicule there. What a pity , there are ways to put your points, but I dont think the pretex of humor or sarcasm can be used to ridicule others.

~ What do you have to do to be a “real Hindu?” If a family who is willing to fight court battles and face neighbors hurling insults at them just so that they can practice a tenet of their beliefs (whether you agree with those beliefs or not) makes them “wannabes”, then to be real you would have to…? Drive your new Camry over a coconut? Talk loudly during your cousins’ weddings? shakes his head

~ How have you determined that one can only be born a Hindu and not convert? And has anyone broken the bad news to the (white-skinned) (sannyasi) editors of Hinduism Today, that they are genetically damned to live out banal lives as Jewish stockbrokers and Christian truckdrivers? Poor souls… maybe they will be re-born in nice Gujurati families in Ediscon, New Jersey and be “real” next time around. shakes his head some more

~ Are the hundreds (thousands?) of “goshallas” (literally “cow sanctuaries”) operating in India and elsewhere in the world also doing so on the basis of “materializing an abstract concept (because they can only conceptualize their religion in material terms)” or are have they been brainwashed by those persistent WASPy Hare Krishna wannabes? And did they add in all those weird references in Hindu texts that do speak of cow protection? Here’s one, for example: In the Bhagavad Gita (18.44 if you want to look it up) Krishna tells Arjuna that “ploughing, cow protection, and agricultural trade are sacred duties for a farmer.” The actual sanskrit words used are “go-rakshya” (lit. cow-protecting) and “karma” (lit. prescribed duties). Or do “real” Hindus skip reading the Gita and get their knowledge straight from B.R. Chopra’s “Mahabharata”? shakes his head until he gets a migraine

Sorry if I sound a bit snide here. I have no interest in ramming my own personal beliefs (Hindu, Hare Krishna, or otherwise) down anyone’s throat. You can agree, disagree, or not particularly care about keeping cows on your property for religious reasons. But smugly concluding that someone is “not a real Hindu” because they happen to be white and care passinately about their cause? That’s just lame.

Okay, well I have to take the new Avalon to the Subzi Mundi and buy myself a coconut.

keeping it real, Desi Dasa

These people don’t sound like real Hindus. They sound like WASPy, Hare Krishna Hindu-wannabes. shakes her head

I dont think any real brown Hindus would be bolshy enough in the good old US of A to stand up and say “we want a dairy farm in our backyard”. Probably get a beatdown from the cops in the middle of the night for their trouble.

Convenient that the government’s interference in these citizens’ animal-raising doesn’t extend to factory farms in any significant way, eh? Must be nice to be a big animal-’processing’ corporation with lots of dough. At any rate, these people seem kinds of daffy to me.

Seems to me like someone in Bumblefuck, NY materializing an abstract concept (because they can only conceptualize their religion in material terms).

I’m inclined to agree with this analysis of the situation. American Christianity has historically (and presently) placed a lot of emphasis on material manifestations of religiosity.

What exactly is the issue here, legally? It looks like there might be a law against keeping livestock in small areas of land. This, I’m guessing, has to do with basic animal disease and health issues.

Some referred to this as a “private property” or even religious issue… well my friends, since the Voiths are not a bonafide livestock business or producer (like that dairy farm referred to), how can state and federal agriculture make sure they’re following the law? Meaning, in order to even keep certain types of animals there are a ton of permits and licenses you gotta get… because a huge animal like that has the potential to spread disease.

How? Well, imagine that this cow wanders over the corner of its pen. Drops it like it’s hot… er, the feces are left close to say, a stream of water which connects to other streams… and let’s say this cow happens to be very sick. Well… we may just have an issue on our hands.

And the 10 acre issue? Not sure, but that may be related to health and contamination issues as well… someone may have to research it. Basically, I support religious freedom but if it’s a basic agricultural law issue, well… yeah, the Voiths will have to move.

i>Apologies for the poor wording of this… brain no worky today.