Page 523 - Sociology and You

ascertain
politically
expedient
Chapter 14 Religion 493 What Does it Mean
Anthropologist Marvin Harris contends that science and culture can explain the reason cows are sacred to Hindus. How does he attempt to support his claim?
ascertain
determine
contemporary
modern, current
edict
official proclamation or law
exhorted
strongly urged
ideology
a systematic body of thought about human culture or society
politically expedient
based on practical or advantageous reasons
venerate
worship or revere
By 1000 A.D., all Hindus were forbidden to eat beef. Ahimsa, the Hindu belief in the unity of all life, was the spiritual justification for this restric- tion. But it is difficult to exactly when this change occurred. An important event that helped to shape the modern complex was the Islamic invasion, which took place in the eighth century A.D. Hindus may have found it
to set themselves off from the in- vaders, who were beefeaters, by emphasizing the need to prevent the slaughter of their sacred ani- mals. Thereafter, the cow taboo assumed its mod- ern form and began to function much as it does today.
Source: Excerpted from James M. Henslin, Down to Earth Sociology: Introductory Readings, 10th ed., The Free Press, 1999.
Read and React
1. Summarize your understanding (prior to reading this article) of the Hindu religious belief about cows. Has your opinion changed after reading it? Why or why not?
2. How do non-Hindu people’s reactions to the sacred cow relate to ethnocentrism and cultural relativism? Explain in each case, drawing on material in the reading.