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When the ] started to classify castes for the purpose of colonial administration, caste associations were secularised.<ref>"", by ], p. 450</ref> When the ] started to classify castes for the purpose of colonial administration, caste associations were secularised.<ref>"", by ], p. 450</ref>

==Idol Worship==
Western criticism of Hinduism as superstitious idolatry are based on the religious texts of Abrahamic religions which denounce and condemn the practice of creating Idols and Worshiping them. One of the passages in the Bible that criticize idol worship reads as follow: <ref>https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=gcQExpfQkBYC&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=%22their+idols+are+silver+and+gold%22+hindu&source=bl&ots=RKmSld_lJj&sig=mwRqQjJChHovR5PrEdbXjaXZcD4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMoIO3xu_aAhUGS48KHTfDBFUQ6AEwC3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22their%20idols%20are%20silver%20and%20gold%22%20hindu&f=false</ref>

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of the hands of earthling man. A mouth they have, but they cannot speak; Eyes they have, but they cannot see; Ears they have, but they cannot hear. A nose they have, but they cannot smell. Hands are theirs, but they cannot feel. Feet are theirs, but they cannot walk; They utter no sound with their throat. Those making them will become just like them, All those who are trusting in them.- Psalms 115:4-8<ref>https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+115%3A4-8&version=NIV</ref>


==Notes== ==Notes==

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Criticism of Hinduism refers to the practices and beliefs held by Hindus which have been criticised both by Hindus and non-Hindus.

Social structure

The caste system in India and Nepal has existed for centuries. It is described as a hierarchical, endogamous and closed system of castes that assigned people different classes in society. Hindu scriptures however state that the caste system is not hierarchical but based on the person's character, knowledge and work. Caste-based identification is unique to Indian society and it is also found among Indian Christians, Indian Muslims, Sikhs and others. Systems similar to the Indian caste system can be found in other parts of the world, like Songbun of North Korea, and Hukou of China as well as the caste system in Pakistan.

When the British started to classify castes for the purpose of colonial administration, caste associations were secularised.

Idol Worship

Western criticism of Hinduism as superstitious idolatry are based on the religious texts of Abrahamic religions which denounce and condemn the practice of creating Idols and Worshiping them. One of the passages in the Bible that criticize idol worship reads as follow:

Their idols are silver and gold, The work of the hands of earthling man. A mouth they have, but they cannot speak; Eyes they have, but they cannot see; Ears they have, but they cannot hear. A nose they have, but they cannot smell. Hands are theirs, but they cannot feel. Feet are theirs, but they cannot walk; They utter no sound with their throat. Those making them will become just like them, All those who are trusting in them.- Psalms 115:4-8

Notes

  1. "Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices" by Jeaneane Fowler p. 19-20
  2. Chatterjee, Partha (1993). The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Post-Colonial Histories. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 173. ISBN 0691019436. If there was one institution that... centrally and essentially characterized the Indian society as radically different from the Western society, it was the institution of caste.
  3. Cohen, Stephen P. (2001). India: Emerging Power. Brookings Institution Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-8157-9839-2.
  4. Chaudhary (2013), p. 149 sfnp error: no target: CITEREFChaudhary2013 (help)
  5. The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Christian caste-Indian Society". Encyclopædia Britannica. The Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 31, 2017. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. Barbara Demick, Nothing to Envy: Love, Life and Death in North Korea, Fourth Estate, London, 2010, pp 26-27.
  7. "China's New Confucianism: Politics and Everyday Life in a Changing Society" by Daniel A. Bell, p. 186, quote = "From a liberal democratic perspective in other words, the hukou system is the functional equivalent of a caste system that marks a group of people as second-class citizens just because they were unlucky enough to be born in the countryside."
  8. "Religion, Caste, and Politics in India", by Christophe Jaffrelot, p. 450
  9. https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=gcQExpfQkBYC&pg=PA97&lpg=PA97&dq=%22their+idols+are+silver+and+gold%22+hindu&source=bl&ots=RKmSld_lJj&sig=mwRqQjJChHovR5PrEdbXjaXZcD4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjMoIO3xu_aAhUGS48KHTfDBFUQ6AEwC3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=%22their%20idols%20are%20silver%20and%20gold%22%20hindu&f=false
  10. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+115%3A4-8&version=NIV

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