My failed attempt to go see the Taj Mahal and some thoughts/observations:

So... I was planning on posting about my trip to Agra to see the Taj and fort and stuff, but I somehow managed to book the wrong tickets... at least we hadn't taken the long taxi ride to the train station before I noticed that the tickets were for 12:15 AM, as in the morning of and not the night of. Anyways, we just had our first good rain since getting here, so I'm just sitting inside reflecting on the past two months and what i've learned and observed. Here are some thoughts on religion in India:

People here are very religious. There are lots of Hindus, a considerable Muslim minority, some Sikhs, some Christians, some Jains, and some others. It seems like almost everyone puts their faith in some sort of religion. My guess is that everyone has been praying for rain the last couple months, and now that it's come, everyone's praising their gods. Religions not a taboo, but a part of everyday life. The Hindus have so many gods, idols, and little temples/shrines. Something interesting I've learned is that when many Hindus hear of the gospel, many simply acknowledge Jesus as another one of their gods. One women said "I go to that statue of Jesus and pray to IT everyday." It's so different from the US where most people either don't believe in any god or they believe in one true God.

I just saw a movie called Amu, it's about the 1984 riots that led to the killing of thousands of Sikhs. Sikhs have a history of persecution. Their holy book is holy in itself, I've heard of Sikhs being turned away from Christianity because they see how poorly we treat our bible - throwing it, putting it on the ground, etc. - again, very different from anything I've experienced in the US. Anyways, I strongly recommend the movie.

The beliefs and actions of the Jains seem most foreign to me. They don't kill anything, and some will wear masks as to not accidentally inhale a fly. Their diet is very strict, and when they die, their bodies are left to be eaten by vultures. I'd just like to say thank you God for your word that blesses us to eat meat. mmmm.

But, I'll have to say some people take it to an extreme... People joke around about how there's nothing living in Manipoor (a province next to Myammar) because they eat everything. Dogs, cats, lizards, spiders... There were some construction workers who were working at the nearby hospital, and there are lots of monkeys here. Let's just say they went home with lots of monkey jerkey...

And religion has a huge implication on the social structure here, but i'll leave that for another time. Good morning and good night.