Hindu views on evolution
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This article examines the concept of creationism as found in Hinduism and movements associated with the concept. Creationistic beliefs have always been a part of Hindu tradition, and have in recent times been linked to notions of Hindu nationalism and Hindu supremacy (Hindutva) in India. There has also been increasing awareness and activism based on Hindu creationism (and generally the Hindu identity) among the Hindu diaspora, particularly in the United States.
Hindu creation accounts and evolution
The Hindu creation account is recorded in the sacred texts, the Vedas. The Universe, the Earth, along with with humans and other creatures undergo repeated cycles of destruction (pralaya) and recreation. A variety of myths exist regarding the specifics of the latter process. Humans and other species do not evolve physically with time, but devolve spiritually within each pralaya. The Hindu view of the cosmos is as eternal and cyclic; in this sense Hindu creationism differs fundamentally from the Biblical account.
Hinduism teaches that humans have lived in unchanged form on the earth for many millions of years. According to Hindu teachings, humans were alive in modern form at the time of the dinosaurs. This is contrary to scientific evidence based on fossil records, genetic dating etc., which put the upper limit on the age of homo sapiens at 100,000 - 250,000 years.
Some members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) have expressed the belief that Charles Darwin's theory of evolution is false. In 2003, Michael A Cremo published Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory to describe the Hindu creationist view that man has existed on the earth for many millions of years. Cremo's claims are based on the spiritual evolution theories of Sri Aurobindo and Swami Vivekananda.
Cremo also presents evidence against Darwin's theory of evolution, pursuing the same theme as his previous books. These books have been met with considerable skepticism by the scientific community which charges that Cremo's theories are closer to pseudoscience.[1][2]
Hindu supremacist movement and science
In 2005, there were some efforts of Hindu supremacists to change California textbooks to reflect their religious views and remove discussions of scientific theories and evidence that dispute it[3]. For example, the theory of evolution and fossil evidence for evolution contradict Hindu religious beliefs.
The views of the Hinduvta can be identified by an examination of the writing of "His Divinity, Dharm Chakrvarti" Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, religious leader of the Vedic Foundation in Texas, in his book , "The true history and the religion of India".[4] For example, when considering archaeological evidence, Saraswati opines that:
It is a fact that in the world almost all the academic literature in English about Hinduism, even by Hindu writers, bears the western influence, and that, none of these books represent the correct view of total authentic Hinduism. Historians forget that one cannot determine the history of Bharatvarsh on meager archaeological findings of coins, toys and pots. Whereas the general history of Bharatvarsh is already written in its scriptures and the Puranas whose texts and the philosophical descriptions are the outcome of the Gracious and benevolent minds of eternal Saints.
In comparison with western religions, Saraswati notes that:
In no way could there be any comparison of the western religions (which are based on mythologies) with the Hindu Vedic religion which is eternal, universal and is directly revealed by the supreme God.
The Hinduvta also object to their sacred stories being characterized in the California schoolbooks as myths, because as Saraswati writes:
Divine writings cannot be analyzed in a material way. How could a worldly being, possessed with the vehemence of his own passions and desires, try to argue with the writings of Sages and Saints whose entire life was a divine benevolence for the souls of the world? You should know that all of our religious writings are Divine facts, and facts always remain facts, they cannot become myths. Using the word myth for our religious history is a serious spiritual transgression.
These Hinduvta efforts to influence US schoolbooks have so far been unsuccessful.[5] Even though the Hinduvta activists have suffered a setback in the US, there is a long history of this movement and its successes at influencing education in India[6] , and it is unlikely to go away soon.[7]
A scholar in the connections between science and Hinduism, Meera Nanda , states that Hindu supremacists have long co-opted scientific results to claim support for Hindu religious ideas, including evolution. Quantum Mechanics and Nuclear Physics and other scientific results are all twisted to produce "scientific evidence" of the truth of Vedic scriptures and Vedic science. She writes:
[Vedic science] means astrology, vastu, Vedic creationism, transcendental meditation or ayurveda. This was not just talk: state universities and colleges got big grants from the government to offer post-graduate degrees, including PhDs in astrology; research in vastu shastra, meditation, faith-healing, cow-urine and priest-craft was promoted with substantial injections of public money.
See also
Notes
- ^ Forbidden Archaeology´s Impact by Michael A Cremo, Tom Morrow, Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 19 (3): 14-17.
- ^ Forbidden Archaeology : Antievolutionism Outside the Christian Arena, Creation/Evolution 34:13-25, 1994
- ^ History Hungama: The California Textbook Debate, Sunaina Maira and Raja Swamy, Siliconeer: A General Interest Magazine for South Asians in U.S., The ONLY Color Glossy Monthly on West Coast for South Asians, February 2006
- ^ The true history and religion of India, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, 2nd Edition, 2003, ISBN: 0967382319
- ^ Move over ID, here comes Bhartiya Creationism Ravi Ravishankar, 2006 Descriptions of Hindutva activist efforts to change California textbooks
- ^ According to the US State Department's "International Religious Freedom Report, 2003", there was a "massive rewriting of textbooks to favor Hindu extremist interpretations of history" when the Indian national government was under Hinduvta control.
- ^ Intellectual Treason, Meera Nanda,New Humanist Magazine, Jan 07 2005
References
- Human Devolution: A Vedic alternative to Darwin’s theory, Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, September 15, 2003, ISBN-10: 0892133341
- The Hidden History of the Human Race (The Condensed Edition of Forbidden Archeology), Michael A. Cremo, Torchlight Publishing, May 15, 1999ISBN-10: 0892133252
- Forbidden Archeology: The Full Unabridged Edition, Michael A. Cremo and Richard L. Thompson, Torchlight Publishing; 2Rev Ed edition, January 1998 ISBN-10: 0892132949
- Prophets Facing Backward: Postmodern Critiques of Science and the Making of Hindu Nationalism in India, Meera Nanda, Rutgers University Press, 2003.
- Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science, Meera Nanda, Frontline magazine (December 20,2003 – January 02, 2004)
External links
- An anti-Hindu supremacy website describing Hindutva
- Ask the Swami: Dharma vs. Darwin?: If you're bad enough, will you be reincarnated as an amoeba? Vedic perspectives on evolution, dinosaurs, Mars, and the Big Bang, Swami B.V. Tripurari, Beliefnet article describing some Hindu perspectives on evolution
- The Perils of Vedic 'Science': Hindu nationalists, like U.S. evangelicals, are co-opting their nation's culture and calling bad science good, Meera Nanda, Beliefnet article on Hindu science and evolutionary theories
- The flaws in Darwin’s theory A Hindu anti-evolution website.
- The Secret Diary of Charles Darwin, Sivasiva Palani, Hinduism Today, May 1991 A discussion of the contradictions of evolution with Hinduism and a spurious meeting of Darwin with a Hindu holy man who revealed "truths" to him.
- A Rejoinder to Meera Nanda’s Article “Postmodernism, Hindu nationalism and Vedic science”,"Srikant," Swaveda, May 13, 2005 A rebuttal of Nanda's views, and a support of "yoga science" and other Hindu "sciences".