RLG100Y1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Mahatma Gandhi, Kali Yuga
Document Summary
Vedic religions ritual became inaccessible to ordinary people with the instilment of the brahmins to lead all ritual due to the high level of preciseness needed. Gave a monopoly to one class of people. Caused alienation of people who were no longer connected to the bigger picture. People began to question the morality and cruelness linked to sacrifice. Anxiety of taking life in this way. Slowly developed sense that this was not moral. Because of these problems, people began to reject society and leave, traveling into the wilderness looking for answers on their own. These people want answers to existential questions and began to crystalize into groups (buddhism, jainism and hinduism) There are two types of critique of the vedic religions. Heterodoxy: the view that everything in the religions is untrue, including the. Thinking that yes, the vedas themselves are okay, but the problem lies in the interpretation" (hinduism)
