My comment on #Believer's episode about the Aghors in India:
As someone who writes and speaks about religion for a living, I know better than most the sensitivities of the topic, and I have spent much of my career trying my best to address those sensitivities. In the case of the episode on the Aghor - which, as I repeatedly state on camera and in voice-over, are not representative of Hinduism but are instead an extreme Hindu sect who reject the fundamental Hindu distinction b...etween purity and pollution - I tried to ease the concerns of those who may have missed this fundamental distinction by providing multiple articles and videos on CNN.com that address the beliefs of Hinduism and debunk its myths (http://www.cnn.com/shows/believer). I also commissioned my good friend Varun Soni, America’s first Hindu-American chaplain, to write an essay on the site addressing the complexities of the caste system, and why the Aghor fight so hard to remove it from Indian society. In almost every interview I did about the show I talked at length about the issue underlying the episode, including the fluidity of the caste system, the problems inherent amongst the untouchable class, and how devout Hindus of all stripes are working tirelessly to overcome both.
What’s more, I had numerous meetings by phone and in person with representatives of the Hindu-American Foundation who, unlike a great many of those who were upset about the episode, actually watched it and, as a result, ended up writing a fair and measured response to the criticism on its web site, noting that while "the initial promotional materials and trailers on CNN include the titillating, with a banner headline “CANNIBALS” to a revolting scene of a Sadhu flinging urine... there is also a trailer that describes the spiritual significance of Aghori practice, core beliefs, and scenes of a tranquil school where children of all castes and creeds were being educated by practicing Hindus living the Hindu Aghori faith of loving, serving, and caring without discrimination” (https://www.hafsite.org/haf-presents-community-concerns-abo…). The foundation urged its members to watch the show themselves before passing judgment. And indeed, I received emails from Indian and Hindu-American critics who changed their minds once they had actually watched the show.
Despite all this, I know that there are still those who are offended by the episode, especially when it comes to its treatment of such issues as caste discrimination, which remains a touchy subject for many Hindus in America. I have great sympathy for that position. But caste discrimination is a very real thing, and the attempts by the Aghor to overcome it using the principles of Hindu spirituality is important to highlight.
