Beliefs

Today, I read a story about a boy in India who was married to a Dog to ward off evil spirits and bud luck. To many in the western world, this would seem to be a far cry from modern practices. I, like many others have never heard of such superstitious traditions. Many societies engage in practices that would seem to have no place in the modern world. Such individuals would be shunned and in some cases be discriminated against. This brings me to the issue of beliefs; why do many societies perform illicit acts in the name of beliefs.

What many fail to realise is that most individuals are born into beliefs which are then passed down from generation to generation. In most cases, individuals are brought up into believing that their own beliefs are right and that any others to be seen as false practices. How then can we discriminate individuals for doing what in their hearts seems to be the right choice? We live in a modern society where we need to accept individuals irrespective of race, religion, ethnic background and beliefs.

However, a line needs to be drawn. How do you explain marrying a child to a dog, isn’t this against her human rights. What if the parents of this child, for some crazy reason, engage the dog and the child in sexual intercourse? Do we still class this as acceptable? Do we sit back and let the child’s rights be violated in the name of belief. I strongly believe in the freedom of belief, however, when societies force individuals to take actions against their will, it then becomes an issues of ignorance and abuse and can no longer be classed as belief.