Animism has the problem of - who do we eat then?
Hinduism
- Cows are sacred
- Ramayana
- Women are liars
Lingam
Actually the words in Sanskrit are Lingam (Pullingam and Streelingam).
Shishinam is the word for penis. Yoni never comes into play.
Lingam means symbol. The Shiva Lingam consists of the Pullingam and the Pitham (Source).
Later understanding: Lingam is used to refer to Shiva as the generator, and Yoni is used to refer to Shakthi as the womb (as Jagat-Yoni), but the analogies are different from the material world, as they are formless and not the same as the human body. In other words, the divine masculine or feminine is not the same as the living masculine or feminine.
Puranas:
- Shiv Mahapurana 1.11 (Shiv and Parvathi (Pitham) Union)
Vedas:
- Tattiriya Aranyaka of Yajurveda 10.16.2 (Namaha to Atmalinga, Shivlinga, Jwalalinga, etc.)
Bestiality
Ithihaasas:
- Mahabharata Adi Parva Chapter 95 (Pandu killed a Rishi who was having mating in the form of a deer)
- Ramayana 1.14.33-34 (Kausaylya performed Aswamedha)
- Claim: Aswamedha is a ritual in which a horse is killed, and the queen will insert it’s penis into her vagina, and say horse, give seed.
- Truth: It’s too wildly interpreted, and is unlikely to be true
Smrithis:
- Vishnu Smrithi 5:40-44
- Bestiality has the same fine as intercourse with lower caste women
- Who has intercourse with the lowest caste of women should be put to death
- Narada Smrithi
- Manu Smrithi 10:69-72 (72: Men born of animals become sages)
Generic / Puranas:
- Claim: Shiva discharged semen into Agni as a parrot (https://ikhlaskhan008.wordpress.com/2016/12/21/sex-with-animals-and-hinduism/)
- Truth: Semen does not come from penis in this context
- Claim: Vyasa ejaculated after seeing an Apsara in the form of a parrot (https://ikhlaskhan008.wordpress.com/2016/12/21/sex-with-animals-and-hinduism/)
- Truth: It’s generally understood to be mythological
Hindu Scholars
- Adi Shankaracharya (8th century Advaita Vedanta scholar and Bhashyakara)
- Sayana (14th century Mimamsa scholar and Bhashyakara of Vedas)
- Mahidhara (16th century Bhashyakara of Vedas; Tantric ritual centric)
- Aurobindo Gosh (Modern)
- Arya Samaj (Modern, rejects idol worship)
- Dayananda Saraswati
Regarding Critics
- Hindus generally consider their religion as myths
- Apologists try to find problems in texts that Hindus don’t even read
- For example, the Manu Smriti is no Bible - it is at most like a Sharia text
- Hindus put their brains first, and religion second
- That is, they are not afraid to think beyond their religion if someone gives them a good enough argument
- Because “disbelief” is not a crime
- They use misinterpretations to find flaws in a culture that they don’t understand
- So much so that even where there are no problems, then find problems