What is wrong in being a Hindu activist?

It is peculiar to see so much discussion on the topic of Sonal Shah.

The main argument about her being one time member of VHP seems to cause so much discussion with people taking sides on the argument.

I for one, fall into the category which support her association with VHP (if that is the case).

The question is simple. What is wrong in being a member of religious congregation?

It is sheer hypocrisy for any one to talk/target one individual when they don't have the guts to question the same attitude that is prevalent in the society.

This is true in India and as well as in US.

Let me talk about the US first.

If you count the number of congregations/churches that exist in US, you would be in for a big surprise. They run into multiples of ten. It is mandatory for any person who is running for office to claim about being a member of one of these denominations. In the state where I live, California, I was surprised to see a big discussion about Governor Davis's church and the challenger Arnold's church. Being associated to a church is accepted in the society and well publicised. Think of a muslim or a hindu proclaiming their faith publicly in an election and you don't have to double guess the outcome (He will lose).

In the recent US presidential elections primary season, there was a big discussion regarding the Republican aspirant, Mitt Romney's Mormon faith. People in significant proportion are not comfortable with his faith and that became a significant factor in losing his election bid.

Even Obama had to take pains to dispel the notion that he is a muslim.

These are few examples to illustrate the fact that religion is part and parcel of an average american's psyche.



Let us talk about India. In India, every faith has got organizations representing them. They are working for proselytizing or acting as guards to their beliefs and practices.

Even here, they easily outnumber the outfits associated with Hinduism.



Now, how many organizations/congregations does a Hindu have? How many institutions represent Hinduism? Miniscule. VHP is the only significant one.



India is the sole bastion for Hinduism. If India loses hinduism, it is literally wiped out from humanity (except if you count Nepal, with its tiny population. Even here it is in danger of an attack from communists. It shouldn't be a surprise that hinduism will leave nepal before it leaves India).