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Subscribe to RSSI'm wondering if this annual festival could have evolved this way in a place where the water is cold.
Danish Siddiqui / Reuters
Devotees carry an idol of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, for immersion in the sea on the last day of "Ganesh Chaturthi", in Mumbai on September 22, 2010. Idols of Ganesh are made two to three months before the day of "Ganesh Chaturthi", a popular religious festival in India. The idols are taken through the streets in a procession accompanied by dancing and singing, to be immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual send-off of his journey towards his abode in "Kailash", while taking away with him the misfortunes of all mankind.
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Yeah, I care
Believe me ... this stuff really works - I used to be gullible - but then I prayed to Saint Ganesh and I'm no longer gullible.
Every God should have a snout so long, very entertaining!
Religion is nothing but fairy tales for adults.
No doubt in that! But still its fascinating watching all the religious pomp and gaiety.
Dunking a plastic elephant in water brings prosperity? Are you kidding? It's that easy? Wow, let's all just go out and buy a bunch of plastic elephants and dunk them for the next "stimulus."
The folks who have the last laugh are the Chinese as they make this God for export to India.
These are made of mud/clay so when immersed in water, they disperse. Not made in China.
Cool. Maybe this would be a good time of year to visit India. And to you oh-so-cool atheists, it's a shame you can't enjoy something like this. Just because you don't believe in a god doesn't mean you have to crap all over others for it. :) We get that you don't believe. I don't believe in Ganesh either. But I would love to watch this in person.
I don't know if I'm more amazed or appaled that all the comments are jabs at another's culture and their beliefs. I'm sure they think some of our beliefs and the things we do are down right silly as well. People are people no matter where you live and we all believe in something. Let them believe in their something without the below the belt shots.
It's funny how people make fun of other peoples religion not realizing how weird their own seems. Many Christians don't realize how odd their beliefs are. My roommate is Indian. I explained to him how and why Christians do communion. It's says in the bible how Jesus said this bread and wine s my body and blood and do this in remembrance of me. My roommate said that is creepy. I never really thought of that before.
Rush Limbaugh must be having another dream about himself right now!
btw, this festival is wonderful, lots of fun and joy. I have attended these for many many years in mumbai. But I still believe, ALL religions are nothing but fairy tales for adults.
now...who is this 'jesus?"
Hindiism is oldest organized religion on earth. Other religions are maybe offshoots of it.
I doubt that. Egyptians built 2630 BCE–2611 BCE
Hadappa Mohenja Daro was 2600 and 1900 BCE
We don't know recently they found 6000 years old leather shoe he might have some relegion
But no doubt Hindus adopted quiet modern scientific way , Most important I like about it anybody can declare he is Hindu and any body declare he is not a Hindu from today the relegion itself does not care about it, It's way of life you like it welcome if you don't like it no hard feelings
"Religion is nothing but fairy tales for adults."
...without the happy ending.
For those who do not know it, Hindusim is an evolvement from Vedism, brought by white people in ancient times . Then, they were known as Aryans.
Aryan invasion is a myth. White people trying to take credit for Hinduism....shouldn't they wait till Hindus become richer.
These devotees should send our POTUS a huge Ganesh as a gift so that Barry can dunk the jolly old elephant as often as Barry runs out of ideas in fixing the US economy. Nothing else has really worked now, has it?
You've got that wrong - in the US the elephants dunk the rest of the population in the water.
Which sea is this? I think it's pretty cool that it looks huge and everywhere it only comes up to the people's thighs.
PS - the statue is beautiful and it's no different from Christians carrying around a cross. I'm agnostic but I don't bash others' beliefs.
respect the will of ..... who will survive from the curse of God ?
I cannot believe people are still doing this, despite and in spite of the truth of the word of God that is out there.
Lord have mercy!
May the Lord have mercy on them and shine the light of the Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ into their hearts, and deliver them from idolatry that's causing the curse to remain on them and their land!
I'd trust an elephant long before I'd trust a Christian. In fact, I'd simply trust elephants. They don't seem prone to genocide.
I'd trust an elephant long before I'd trust a Christian. In fact, I'd simply trust elephants. They don't seem prone to genocide.
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Well said.
Oh, poor people! If they only knew!!!
Hope? In this day and age, they've heard of Christianity, and they've clearly opted out. Like me. Good luck with that rapture thing, and please do it soon, because the rest of us need to get on with civilization.
@ 19.1.....You must be one of those Ignorants who knows nothing about true Christianity, else you wouldn't spout presumptuous words, that make you , by the way, sound like a bigot....., but this is what you and your ilk love to call us, ain't' that right, hm?.... Get a life, will you!
And don't think that your opinion matters to me, because I know where I stand, but you just go ahead and float on your hot air bubble, and see where it'll get you!
But I'll tell you a little secret here: that "Rapture thing" is not going to come as soon as you wish it for (as you heard it from some misinformed Christians), so you'll be stuck with us, Bible thumpers for a while, and maybe it'll rub off on you a little, hm? It'll do you some good, and it may even wean some of you who despise us, of dependence of on Prozac and/or other mind-clogging dependencies..... That in itself would be worth a lot, how about that, hm?
Did you ever hear a saying " You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free"? It really does set one free! These are the words of Jesus Christ, did you know that?... How about trying to learn something, before you attempt to talk like a silly ( belated ) adolescence?!
Many :) :) :) to you!
I am so glad Yoga originated in Hinduism. If it were part of christianity, the prerequisite to practice Yoga would be conversion to a fake god.
Comercialism , capitalism , Or too much of anything imbalances everything, It used to be like this in the past,
Only in one state of Maharashtra where Ganesh is more prominent God unlike South or East or North. The idols were strictly that of simple clay which was very easily used to get disolved in river or well water. Great Leader used this homely festival to gather people to overthrow British Govt, Soon it picked up with variety show. As we progressed and population exploded, faster means were applied to make idols with environmentally harmful substance such as plaster of paris etc, plastic usage for decoration increased but religios method of imersion remained same . People like me understand this but who cares this festivals are used to show power, utilize black money, extorsion , fights over whose idol has preferences of imersion etc etc , tons of money is wasted to keep law and order. Peaceful holy pious thing has became comercial monsterous festival. This needs to be changed.
They need to get to the Sporting Complexes and wash out the defecation so foreign teams don't boycott.
The beauty of the God argument is that it is the most perfect legal argument ever constructed. It cannot be proven empirically, or at will, or on demand. The only proof for it, we are told, comes after death. Since people by-and-large appear reluctant to migrate back from a state of death to life, therefore we cannot get the incontrovertible proof we would so like to have.
That being said, whether it is Ganesh Chathurthi or Christmas or a Guru Parv, I enjoy them all. Given the overriding pessimism of this age, if I can witness a day when a mass of people are happy, even for reasons incomprehensible to most, I do feel a little happier simply by proximity. These are people who are joyous for reasons which do not compromise the rights of other free individuals (as opposed to say terrorists or dictators), so why malign them unfairly? Have they materially hurt or damage you in any manner whatsoever?
It is easy to bash Hinduism, but it takes some maturity of mind to understand what it means. Those interested in knowing the meaning of what Ganesha stands for can go through the links below. Others can continue to enjoy their ignorance.
1. http://bawandinesh.name/ganeshji/ - Original story of birth of Lord with an elephant head
2. http://bawandinesh.name/the-secret-of-lord-ganesha-i-2/ - What the story really means
3. http://bawandinesh.name/the-se...cret-of-lord-ganesha-ii/ - Explanation of various aspects of Lord Ganesha
4. http://bawandinesh.name/the-secret-of-ganeshji-iii/ - Celebration of Ganesh festival
LOL And a crucified man on a cross isn't idolatry? Wake up soon, please.
Depends what you mean by that! If someone kneels before a statue of the cross with "body" on it, and prays to it, thinking he's praying to God, then YES, it is idolatry. You must not confuse Catholicism with truth Biblical Christianity. But I think that's what you meant!