Do you celebrate World Religion Day, held every year on the third Sunday of January? No? What's the matter with you, don't you like world religions? There are several to choose from, it's hard to pretend you don't like any of them. To ring in the new year with some new knowledge, we've asked implausibly long-running Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings to correct some of the stuff everyone gets wrong about the world's great belief systems. No matter what faith you practice—or even if it's none at all!—Ken will set you straight, chapter and verse.
The Debunker: Do Hindus Worship Cows?
You've might think of it as a quasi-racist movie trope until you actually visit India, but it's absolutely true. Cattle do wander freely through the streets of Indian cities and towns, even taking mid-street naps in busy major cities. And motorists don't even honk at them. They're a real but unavoidable city annoyance, like pigeons to a New Yorker, or tourists to a Parisian.
The chill attitude of Indians toward their livestock isn't just a matter of deep inner calm. Cows have a special status in India, one that gave us the 1910 coinage "sacred cow," meaning any person or thing held to be above criticism. As a result, foreigners often say that Hindu people worship cows, which is not really the case. It is true that all living creatures are revered in Hinduism, with cows being a special symbol of passivity and dignity (due to their gentle character) as well as abundance and prosperity (due to the milk they provide). Cow milk and butter are sometimes used in Hindu religious ceremonies, and cattle are decorated with paint and garlands during festivals. But they're not worshiped in the same sense that Hindus worship their vast pantheon of deities.
It might be more accurate to call the protection of cows a taboo, since Hindus—even the non-vegetarians among them—don't eat beef. This dietary prohibition is a huge cultural marker in modern Hinduism, but it's a fairly recent development. In ancient India, oxen were often sacrificed to the Vedic gods, and beef was a common part of the national diet. But this well-accepted historical fact is controversial in India, where Hindu nationalists were able to quash a book on the subject in 2002 by a respected academic, who even received death threats. You just don't want to bring up cow-eating in a country where even McDonald's has to sell beef substitutes like "Paneer Salsa Wrap" and the "McVeggie."
Quick Quiz: Harry Caray, famous for his catchphrase "Holy cow!", spent the last sixteen years of his baseball career as the announcer for what team?
Ken Jennings is the author of six books, most recently his Junior Genius Guides, Because I Said So!, and Maphead. He's also the proud owner of an underwhelming Bag o' Crap. Follow him at ken-jennings.com or on Twitter as @KenJennings.