Lex Anteinternet: Persistent Myths VI: Hindus and vegetarianism

Thursday, December 31, 2015

Persistent Myths VI: Hindus and vegetarianism

Hindus and vegetarianism

Hindu wedding party. Chicken was probably on the reception menu.

Americans commonly believe that Indian is a vegetarian nation, because the largest religion in India is Hinduism.

Before we go on to that, we'll note that some Americans believe all Indians are Hindus. Not hardly. India is a "put together" nation of the former English colony variety, and not one single "nation". It has a wide variety of ethnic identities and religions, including a Catholic population that dates back to the Apostolic age. Islam and Buddhism are also present in India, and India still has a pretty large Communist Party, which of course is philosophically opposed to any religion. But Hinduism is the largest religion in India.

Well, Hindus are all vegetarians, right?

Nope. A minority of Indian Hindus are vegetarians.

Hindus do have dietary restrictions, to be sure. The oldest one in Hinduism appears to be a ban on eating horses, cattle, or people, although this is debated. It is thought that the ban might actually have applied to possessed horses and cattle, and any people.

Some Hindu sects are vegetarian, and these are well represented in India. But a majority of Indian Hindus are not members of those sects, and they do eat meat. They do not eat cattle, but other meats.

This myth is interesting in that it at one time was a reason that Hindus were looked down upon, and now its a reason that some who come from outside Central Asia will point towards Hinduism, but it's simply wrong.

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Lex Anteinternet?

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Our answer to the question was: "The intent of this blog is to try to explore and learn a few things about the practice of law prior to the current era. That is, prior to the internet, prior to easy roads, and the like. How did it work, how regional was it, how did lawyers perceive their roles, and how were they perceived?"

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