Author: Murad Ali Baig
Publisher: Jaico
Year: 2011
Language: English
Pages: 256
ISBN/UPC (if available): 81-8495-285-6
Description
Murad Ali Baig questions, not the importance of faith, but the capturing of all religions by the vested interests of professional priests claiming to be God’s sole selling agents leading to distortions, superstitions and religiosity that the founding sages would have abhorred.
He analyzes the patrons of religion – the founding prophets, apostles, priests, rulers and the rich – and the common people whose offerings make the places of worship so rich.
Murad provides interesting insights into how people the world over, especially in India, have been influenced by geography, sources of food, technological change, trade and by political and religious forces. He presents provocative questions and answers allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.
Writing on religion can be volatile but fortunately he cannot be accused of prejudice when his answers equally impact Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Sikhs and others.
Contents
Journey of the 80 Questions
Foreword
Introduction
Chronology
Chronology of Civilisation
Sources of History
Question
1. Was India One of the Oldest Civilisations?
2. Where Did Human Beings Come From? was Nobody Native to the Indian Subcontinent?
3. Is There Any Foundation to the Kalpas and Yugas of Indian Belief?
4. What was India Like 5,000 Years Ago?
5. How Did food Resources Affect Man's? Evolution?
6. Who Were India's 'Original' People?
7. was Skin Colour Just an Accident of Geography or was There Some Social Significance?
8. Who Were the Harappans And What Were Their Cities Like?
9. Why was There no Bronze Age in India? Hi
10. What Were India's Early Religious Practices?
11. Were There Similar Old Religious Traditions in Other Cultures?
12. Were Ancient Beliefs Just a Matter of Magic and Miracles?
13. What Does Hindu literature Tell Us About India's Ancient History?
14. Were British And European Scholars Biased?
15. Who Were the Aryans? were They a Race, a Tribe, a Language or Just an Adjective?
16. Was the Zend Avesta Older than the Rigveda?
17. What is the Evidence that the Aryas Came from Central Asia?
18. Did the Mythical River Saraswati Actually Exist?
19. How Were the Aryans Discovered?
20. Did the Avestans Have Castes Like the 'Varnas' of the Rigveda?
21. If the Aryas ate Meat and Beef How Did Vegetarianism Become Part of The Hindu Tradition?
22. Was Sanskrit the Mother of All Languages?
23. Are the Concepts of Reincarnation, Dharma, Karma and Ahimsa and Deities Like Shiv, Krishna, Ram, Lakshmi, Parvati, Saraswati, and Ganga-Found in the Vedas?
24. How Can the Worship of Gods and Goddesses Show the Economic and Social Advancement of Their Worshippers?
25. What Was the Impact of Sufiism?
26. What Is the Historic Basis of the Ramayana?
27. Was Ram the Epitome of Honour and Nobility and Ramrajya the Ideal Society?
28. What is the Historic Basis of the Mahabharata?
29. What Was the Influence of Buddhism on Indian Thought?
30. How Did Jainism Influence Hinduism?
31. Was the Industry and Commerce Encouraged by Buddhism and Jainism the Real Basis of India's Greatness?
32. Was the Mauryan Empire India's First Organised State?
33. Was Religion Then the Creation of Priests and Rulers? What About the Sages and Prophets?
34. How Did Superstitions and Devices to Mitigate Sins Creep Into Religious Traditions?
35. How Did Hinduism Evolve to Become a Religion?
36. What was the Impact of Alexander's Invasion?
37. Who were the Jat Tribes and what was Their Significance to India?
38. Was the Gupta Empire Really India's Golden Age?
39. What was India Like at the Time of Harsha in the 7th Century AD?
40. is Practised Hinduism Then Mainly a Religion of the Puranas?
41. was the Vishnu of the Puranas Different From Vedic Vishnu?
42. was Shiv Also a Tribal Deity Raised to a God in the Puranas?
43. was Ganesh Also a Creation of the Puranas?
44. Were the Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi, Saraswati and Devi Also Products of the Puranas?
45. Why is There Such Violence in Puranic Myths and how has This Affected India's Future Generations?
46. was South India the Real Cradle of Hindu Culture and Philosophy?
47. When Did Krishna and Ram Become Objects of Worship?
48. What About Sanatan Dharma or Pure Hindu Philosophy?
49. So What Are the Main Hindu Philosophies?
50. What is the Importance of Ayurveda and Yoga?
51. Were the Rajputs Originally Hun Or Jat Tribes?
52. Were Buddhists and Jains Persecuted?
53. Was There a Dark Age Between the 5th and 12th Centuries Ad?
54. Are the Bhils, Gonds and Other Tribals Really Hindu?
55. Were the Early Indian Temples Really Hindu?
56. How Did the Chains of India's Caste System Evolve?
57. Did the 'One God' Religions of Revelation Influence India?
58. What was the Impact of the Arab Incursion?
59. Did Muslim Invaders Actually Desecrate Hindu Temples and Slaughter Hindus by the Thousands?
60. Why Did the Rajputs Fail to Stop The Turks and Mongols?
61. What was the Impact of Islam on India?
62. Why did the Mughal Empire Last So Long?
63. Did the Persians Make the Turks and Mongols Cultured?
64. Why is Islam So Intolerant and Fanatic Today?
65. Were Forcible Conversions a Widespread Practice?
66. Did the Sikhs Suffer Terrible Persecutions?
67. Why did So Many Hindus Loyally Serve Muslims and Muslims Serve Hindu Rulers?
68. Was Islam Ever Tolerant?
69. Are the Scriptures of All Religions the Words of God or the Writings of Mortal Men?
70. Were the Scriptures of Islam Also Modified over Time?
71. What About the Scriptures of Indian Faiths?
72. Why are Blasphemy And Sacrilege Considered to be Such Serious Sins by All Religions?
73. Do All Religions Borrow Ideas from Each Other?
74. Can Hinduism Legitimately Claim to Have Had the Longest Tradition of Continuous Religion?
75. How Did the British So Easily Defeat the Mughals?
76. Why Did So Few Indians Oppose the British?
77. Did the British Exploit India's Wealth?
78. Did Free India's Leaders Fail Their Country?
79. Why was India's Progress and Development So Slow?
80. Has Communalism Ever Been Politically Successful?
What do we learn from These Questions?
Seeking the Cosmic Spirit
Man's Unanswered Questions Remain
Chalti Ka Nam History
Notes for foreign Readers
Glossary
Select Bibliography
Index