Sightings Articles

sexual abuse | same-sex marriage | Kamasutra | Methodism | Roman Catholicism

Raw Religion

This Sightings column is about "religion in the raw," and even the rawest—and most damaging—forms of religion. That is because Sightings is keen to catch a glimpse of religion wherever and whenever it appears in public life, and we can’t ignore "raw ...

February 25, 2019

blasphemy | India | Hinduism | Brahmins | Dharma | adharma | Manu | Kautilya | Arthashastra | James C. Scott | Materialists | Ramayana | Jabali | Rama | Kamasutra | bhakti | Islam

Prelude to Censorship: The Toleration of Blasphemy in Ancient India

India today is experiencing a powerful wave of censorship of literary texts, films, and artworks. Such a degree of repression is unprecedented in India, but it is rooted in concepts of blasphemy that underwent a number of changes throughout Indian hi...

May 21, 2015