Hinduism In Modern Society

Being a Hindu, growing up in a modern society, I have got this wonderful opportunity to research Hinduism in contemporary world. In this essay, I have explored Hinduism not only by juxtaposing it with modern Hinduism, but also with ancient religious practices. Modernity is not simply the western world, or connecting to contemporary and rejecting the old. Modernity, as David Smith says is theorization of modern world and according to modernity self is autonomous, and God is dead. This feature of modernity contradicts present day world. For us, yes we are autonomous, but God is still alive within us, somewhere within our heart, in the air, in water and everywhere. We are not autonomous, we are controlled by the government and our future depends
Today women in India have far greater constitutional rights than before, but are still exploited in the society. A typical Hindu family or society is divided hierarchically, where women are always placed at the bottom. Goddess worship in Hindu society has not necessarily entailed women an equitable position in the society. Even the Hindu epics are evidence of this claim, and are supported by two major incidents.
Sita, who is fully devoted to Lord Rama, has to go through a purity test after returning from the Ravana’s Lanka. Why Lord Rama, another avatar of lord Vishnu, was skeptical of Sita, his own wife? Even after she is proved pure and honest, lord Rama banishes her from Ayodhya? What was Sita’s fault if she was kidnapped by Ravana? She didn’t even look at Ravana during her stay in Lanka and suffers the banishment for no reason. Why did lord Rama travel all the way to Lanka to rescue Sita, if he was to banish her
Being one of the most oldest religion, Hinduism is preserved till date by its vast followers in not only India, but worldwide. While it is not same as of the Vedic, medieval and reform age, some elements still hold an important place in the society. Presently, modern gurus dominate the world by their spiritual teachings and political power. On other side, where women have reached moon, their equitable status in society is still questioned. People have become more rationale and welcomed the new ways of performing rituals with globalization. However, to some critics it seems threatening to the ancient values and beliefs; people instead of coming out, experiencing the religion practically, are confined to the TV and computer performing virtual tasks. Amending of a centuries old religion seems god and bad, but time will heal