Recent comments made by an American citizen about Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate, calling Hinduism a “wicked, pagan religion,” show how different countries respond to religious extremism, especially when compared to India. The fact that Ramaswamy responded to this hurtful comment with calmness and composure shows how tolerant and strong Hinduism is. But the event also brings up important questions about how people might respond differently today if the same things were said about other faiths.
In the U.S., some Christian groups have consistently attacked non-Abrahamic faiths, especially Hinduism, calling them “pagan” or not in line with American values. Even so, Hinduism, both in India and around the world, doesn’t take offense as much as Christianity or Islam would if they were criticized in the same way. In this answer, the deep patience that is a part of Hindu thought is shown. Instead of making things worse or going to court, Ramaswamy used the situation as a “teaching opportunity” to gently support his faith.
Some critics say that the response would have been much stronger if the same kind of public insult had been made against Christianity in India. There were reports that “Hindutva” hatred was on the rise, which would have led to strong criticism from Indian and foreign media. Lawsuits for hate speech might have followed, showing how quickly Christian groups in India could act in response to what they saw as insults.
This situation shows how different societies think about and act on religion tolerance in very different ways. Along with its belief in “Sarva Dharma Sambhava” (equal respect for all religions), Hinduism is open to criticism and different spiritual points of view. On the other hand, when Christianity is criticized or made fun of, especially in the West, people often get angry or take defensive actions. This shows how different cultures handle religion problems.