Below is an excerpt of an incident which occurred at Vivekananda Centre London - What are everyone's thoughts?

Question

While we were presenting Hindu teachings every now & then, two young Muslim men, continued to raise objections & in the guise of "trying to understand Hinduism" interject some demeaning comments about Hinduism. The idea of worshipping God through images was seen as a serious issue. We had to explain that just as you cannot do math without the infinity symbol (which is very finite); as long as we operate in the field of the finite we need finite tools to relate to the infinite God. The Hindus are not apologetic about the use of finite images to relate to the infinite God. Surprisingly the Hindu concept of "accepting that there can be many ways for making spiritual progress" seemed to have gone down well till we came to the end of the session, when one of the youth made a proclamation that it was his duty to warn us to embrace Islam else we will pay a heavy price on the day of judgement. Our response was, "We are thankful for his concern about our welfare but we will take that risk."

Answer 1

they way the situation was handled was apt.....Im proud to be a Hindu....

Answer 2

Your response was apt to the situation.

The stone or metal deity images in Hindu temple and shrines are not mere symbols of the God and Lords. They are the form through which their love, power and blessings flood forth into this world. Another way to explain icon worship is to acknowledge that Hindus believe God is everywhere, in all things, whether stone, wood, creatures or people. So, it is not surprising that they feel comfortable worshiping the Divine in His material manifestation. The Hindu can see God in stone and water, fire, air and ether, and inside his own soul. All religions have their symbols of holiness through which the sacred flows into the mundane. To name a few: the Christian cross, or statues of Mother Mary,infant jesus, jesus and Saint Theresa, the holy Kaaba in Mecca, the Sikh Adi Granth enshrined in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Arc and Torah of the Jews, the image of a meditating Buddha, the totems of indigenous and Pagan faiths, and the artifacts of the holy men and women of all religions. Such icons, or graven images, are held in awe by the followers of the respective faiths. The question is, does this make all such religionists idol worshipers? The answer is, yes and no. From our perspective, idol worship is an intelligent, mystical practice shared by all of the world’s great faiths. The human mind releases itself from suffering through the use of forms and symbols that awaken reverence evoke sanctity and spiritual wisdom.

The physical representation of the God or Lords of Hinduism, be it a stone or metal image other sacred form, simply marks the place that the Lord will manifest in or hover over in his etheric body. It can be conceived as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the Lord or as the material body in or through which the Lord manifests in this First World. When we perform puja, a religious ritual, we are attracting the attention of the devas and Mahadevas in the inner worlds. That is the purpose of a puja; it is a form of communication. To enhance this communication we establish an altar in the temple or in the home. This becomes charged or magnetized through our devotional thoughts and feelings which radiate out and affect the surrounding environment. You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as shakti. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that you experience each day.

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Source:
http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/wih/

Answer 3

On one hand Muslims claim they respect all religions and then come out with such behavior. Nothing new or surprising at all. They have been doing this all through history. NOTE THE SILENCE OF FELLOW MUSLIMS!
The fact is Muslims are ridiculed, laughed at and ignored through out the Non Muslim world and they are getting more and more desperate. Do u ever hear of Hindus or Other Non Muslims disturb Muslim religious discussions in Muslim venues?

Answer 4

These people who say God shouldn't be worshipped with a form are Philosophically and Spiritually handicapped.

1) God is Omnipotent. So, If they say God has no form, aren't they limiting His ability to have a form? If He cannot manifest, then it would mean He cannot do something. Hence, it is wrong.

The correct Interpretation is given in the Vedas that Lord Sriman Narayana has a form, but He can also be formless. Hence, He can be approached by devotees as an invisible formless Being, or as His accessible Personal form. He advocates that people should learn to love Him by admiring His personal 4 armed form with the Mace, Lotus, Chakra and Conch.

Lord Vishnu has come as Rama, Krishna, Narasimha, etc. Hence, He can manifest with a form.

2) Abrahamic Religions believe God exists somewhere far above us, watching everything. Not true. Hinduism says that Lord Vishnu is all-pervading. In His Maha Avatara as Sri Krishna, He explained that the entire Cosmos is within Him. He is not separated from anything, but all is in Him.

Hence, He is in every atom, and also in the images we love so much.

3) Now, the Abrahamic Religions say that God's form is too majestic to even be conceived by Humans, so Images shouldn't be worshipped. This sounds very egotistical on the part of God. If He is our Lord, then would He be so condescending as to say that we are not worthy of Him showing us His form?

No. Lord Sri Krishna does have this majestic, awe inspiring form. It is called the Vishwaroop, and He showed it to Arjuna during the battle of Kurukshetra. But He also has several other forms, the 4 handed Narayana Forms, His Vyuha, Para and Archa (Image) forms.

The Vishwaroop is indeed to majestic to worship, as all the Universes are seen in that form. So, develop love for Sriman Narayana, the Four Handed Lotus Lord.

4) There are somethings people do not know about. Some Images are believed to be Self-Manifested, ie, arrived from Sri Vaikuntham itself in our tradition. And yes, it is true. These Archa Avatars have been praised highly by Sages and Mystics.

An exampl is the Image of Lord Srinivasa in Tirupati, for instance. It is self-manifested and the divinity of the place was proven by the fact that even though several temples were destroyed by invaders, no-one, whether it be muslim invaders or the British, even came near Tirupati during those times.

The 7 Hills of Tirupati are regarded as an avatar of Adi Sesha Himself. The Lord resides on the Seventh Hill.

Other places include Srirangam, Shaligram, Badri, Vanamalai, etc. Srirangam and Shaligram are special places because in Srirangam, Lord Ranganatha's Archa (Image) was brought by Lord Rama Himself from Brahma Loka. He consecrated it.

And the greatest jewel of our Religion is Shaligram. There is a river there. Several Silas flow down the River. If you find one and look into the Sila, you can see the image of the Conch, Disc, Lotus, Mace or any of the Avatars of the Lord (Narasimha, Rama, Krishna, etc.). And they occur naturally!!

The Srimad Bhagavatam mentions that the Silas should NOT be called stones, or even Silas. They are avatars of the Lord Himself and should be called 'Sri Shaligrama' respectfully. Anybody who consecrates the Sri Shaligrama in his house in the Kali Yuga will be blessed by the Lord Himself.

4) Lastly, some common sense is needed. Will God be so cruel as to cast you into 'Eternal Hell' for Deity worship? No, in fact, our Scriptures advocate that the Love we develop for the Archa is indeed greater than anything else.

The Abrahamic Religions are highly imperfect which incorporate just fragments of the Truth and do not have full vision. As Lord Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita, 'I have given different Religions to people based on whether they are in the Modes of Goodness, Passion or Ignorance'.

Answer 5

Muslim Fundies!

Answer 6

I myself though not a Hindu owe much to there beautiful use of symbols.

Answer 7

Wow. "Pascal's Wager" with the threat of a sword. Brilliant.

Answer 8

I guess he thought he was saying something prophetic or something that was his duty to say as a Muslim. I think you guys handled it brilliantly.

Answer 9

Hey, they should be thankful for their own welfare if they act like that. You should be commended for not rising to their bait.

Answer 10

Perhaps they were wanting to give you a hard time. Don't let it bother you. Hare Krishna.