[nukkad] Devotion and respect,

["Mahesh chandra gupta" <>]

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News item [Hindustan Times, 20 Dec. 2002]

The Church in Punjab has ordained that christians should not 
celebrate marriages on Sundays.

Reason as given by the church: People neglect their duty to go to 
the weekly Sunday mass and the churches are often empty on 
Sundays. . Also, because Sunday is the day for religious duty, not 
work or festivities.
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My comment: it is well known that respect is commanded, not 
demanded. That applies to devotion to god [or, respect for god], 
too. devotion to god cannot be cultivated by banning people to 
hold weddings on Sundays, and by forcing them to attend weekly 
sunday church. How different it is from Hinduism where none is 
ever forced to go to temple. I might not have gone to temple even 
once a year on the average in my life. ut that does not make me 
any less of a hindu, nor I have had any adverse comment from 
anybody regarding this. As a matter of fact, this is rather te 
norm. Nobody ever takes notice of it or is bothered about it. 
Hinduism lives in the hearts and minds and culture of Hindus, not 
in their temples or deities. If someone throws a geeta or Ramayan 
to the kabari/rag picker, no one might be much bothered about it. 
But, if it is a quran in urdu or arabic which i cannot read and 
which, without knowing that it is quran, I throw in the street 
unknowingly and innocently,  and the muslims come to know about 
it, all hell might break loose and arson and riots may start and 
people might be killed.

I have always wondered why people, creatures of god, take it upon 
themselves to protect god and his reputation. Why at all are there 
blasphemy laws in islam? Hinduism is doing well without such laws. 
And, just imagine, islam is the most widely followed religion in 
the world! Yet, why do muslims seem to be in constant need to save 
and protect islam and allah and prevent utterance of ill word 
against Him? Why?? Why???

MC Gupta


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