The Evolution of Hindoo Deism
With the onset of the
British Raj, the colonization of India by the British, there also started a
Hindoo renaissance in the 19th century, which profoundly changed the understanding of Hinduism in both India and the west.
Hindoology as an academic discipline of studying Indian culture from a European perspective was established in the 19th century which brought Vedic, Puranic and Tantric literature and philosophy to Europe and the United States. Western
academics searched for the "essence" of the Indian religions, discerning this in the Vedas, and meanwhile creating the notion of "Hinduism" as a unified body of religious practice and the popular picture of 'mystical India'. This idea of a Vedic essence was taken over by Hindoo reform movements including the
Brahmo Samaj, which was supported by Western Deism, and promulgated the idea that all religions share a common inspiration. This
"Hindoo modernism", became central in the popular understanding of Hinduism.
Raja Ram Mohan Roy (22 May 1772 – 26 September 1833) was the founder of the
Brahmo Sabha movement in 1828, which engendered the
Brahmo Samaj, an influential social-religious reform movement, the religious component of which was
Brahmoism, an early form of Deist Hindooism. His influence was apparent in the fields of
politics,
public administration and education as well as religion. Raja Ram Mohan Roy was known as the Father of the Indian Renaissance.
Ram Mohan Roy's impact on modern Indian history was his revival of the pure and ethical principles of the Vedanta school of philosophy as found in the
Upanishads. He preached the unity of God, made early translations of Vedic scriptures into English, co-founded the Calcutta Deist Society and founded the
Brahma Samaj. The Brahma Samaj played a major role in reforming and modernising the Indian society. He successfully campaigned against
sati, the practice of burning widows. He sought to integrate Western culture with the best features of his own country's traditions. He established a number of schools to popularise a modern system (effectively replacing
Sanskrit based education with
English based education) of education in
India. He promoted a rational, ethical, non-authoritarian, this-worldly, and social-reform Deist Hinduism. His writings were of great interest among British and American Deists particularly Freedom Deists.
The following doctrines, as noted in Renaissance of Hinduism, are common to all varieties and offshoots of the
Brahmo Samaj:
- Brahmo Samajists have no faith in any scripture as an authority.
- Brahmo Samajists have no faith in Avatars
- Brahmo Samajists denounce polytheism and idol-worship.
- Brahmo Samajists are against caste restrictions.
- Brahmo Samajists make faith in the doctrines of Karma and Rebirth optional.
The
Brahmo articles of faith derive from the Fundamental (
Adi) Principles of the
Adi Brahmo Samaj religion.
- On God: There is always Infinite (limitless, undefinable, imperceivable, indivisible) Singularity - immanent and transcendent Singular Author and Preserver of Existence - "He" whose Love is manifest everywhere and in everything, in the fire and in the water, in the smallest plant to the mightiest oak.
- On Being: Being is created from Singularity. Being is renewed to Singularity. Being exists to be one (again) with Loving Singularity.
- On Intelligent Existence: Righteous (worshipful, intelligent, moral) actions alone rule (regulate [preserve, enhance]) Existence against Chaos (loss [decay, pervading emptiness]). Knowledge (Intelligence [reason, sentience, insight]) of pure Conscience (light within) is the One (Supreme) ruler (authority [law, dharma]) of Existence with no symbol (creation [scripture, book, object]) or intermediary (being [teacher, messiah, ruler]).
- On Love: Respect all creations and beings but never venerate (worship) them for only Singularity should be loved (adored, worshipped).
Articles of faith
The Articles of faith for Brahmos are:
- Brahmos embrace righteousness as the only way of life.
- Brahmos embrace truth, knowledge, reason, free will and virtuous intuition (observation) as guides.
- Brahmos embrace secular principles but oppose sectarianism and imposition of religious belief into governance (especially propagation of religious belief by government).
- Brahmos embrace the co-existence of Brahmo principles with governance, but oppose all governance in conflict with Brahmo principles.
- Brahmos reject narrow theism (especially polytheism), idolatry and symbolism.
- Brahmos reject the need for formal rituals, priests or places (church, temple, mosque) for worship.
- Brahmos reject dogma and superstition.
- Brahmos reject scriptures as authority.
- Brahmos reject revelations, prophets, gurus, messiahs, or avatars as authority.
- Brahmos reject bigotry and irrational distinctions like caste, creed, colour, race, religion which divide beings.
- Brahmos reject all forms of totalitarianism.
- Brahmos examine the prevalent notion of "sin".
- Brahmos examine the prevalent notions of "heaven" or "hell".
- Brahmos examine the prevalent notion of "salvation".
Brahmoism in general enjoyed success beyond the borders of Bengal after the Sepoy Uprising of 1857 in part due to its pro-Western orientation. While the British Imperial officials were somewhat concerned with the movement's ties to Deism, they saw it as a useful tool to moving Hindoos closer to English ways even if they would have preferred a more "British" influence.
However, as the Indian Dominion sought to develop its own identity, more classic forms of Hinduism began to reassert themselves and Brahmoism had not seen growth in India past the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. The rise of Malthusian influences, the Thuggie scourge, and the United Nationalities of India, saw Brahmoism along with several other minority groups in India as threats to the new nationalist and Malthusian worldview. From the 1920s on oppression grew and became outright attempts at extermination during the Population War. The Brahmos who survived were those who fled India while they could or joined partisan groups either fighting side by side with the beleaguered British outposts or hiding out in the wild places of the Indian subcontinent. Many mainstream Hindoos and Muslims who did not fully support the Malthusian vision of UNI hid Brahmo and other oppressed minorities in India as well. Brahmoism would remain a small part of the diverse Indian populace after the Population War but would have more significant influences overseas.
In North America, Freedom Deists had embraced a number of religious traditions that had adopted Deist principles and 'rediscovered' Brahmoism with the Brahmo diaspora sending several to the United States and the Dominion of Southern America. Southron Hindoos at the same time were struggling to gain equality and an identity in the DSA and many were attracted to incorporating Deist and Brahmoist features into a resurgence in Hindoo religion in the Dominion. Hindoo leader Shush Raja in his later life would embrace Deist Hinduism and after that Deist Hinduism became a large influence on the Southron version of Hinduism, much to the chagrin of some more traditional Southrons who had always been wary of the odd Deist minority that had such influence in their neighbor to the North.
For a generation in the West post-Population War there was a lull in Hindoo studies given lingering anger towards the Thuggies and the UNI and their role in the Malthusian movement. However by the 1970s, somewhat rehabilitated by the impact of the Brahmoist diaspora and the interest of Southron Hindoos and Deists in general, all things Indian and Hindoo saw a resurgence of interest. A new generation of Hindoologists would translate, reformulate and presente Hinduism's foundational texts for contemporaneous audiences in new iterations, raising the profiles of Yoga including Tantra in the West and attracting followers and attention beyond India.
Hindu practices such as Yoga, Ayurvedic health, Tantric sexuality through the
Kama Sutra spread beyond Hindoo communities and have been accepted by several non-Hindus.
Hinduism is attracting Western adherents through the affiliated practice of yoga. Yoga centers in the West—which generally advocate vegetarianism—attract young, well-educated Westerners who are drawn by yoga's benefits for the physical and emotional health; there they are introduced to the Hindoo philosophical system taught by most yoga teachers.
Some of these approaches have actually come full circle and become popular among the newer generations of Deist Hindoos in the West, particularly in the Dominion of Southern America.
It's one of the things I look at in any reference to "modern" times.
