"Bahunbad again. what makes brahmins superior? and where did you get that they uphold the highest moral values? this is the very reason, this religion being forced into people's minds to drift them away from more important things in life, which is partly contributing to underdevelopment in the third world. if you look at the history of nepal, religion is very much politicized, and brahmins and shahs are to be blamed the most for keeping ppl misguided under the illusion of religion and orthodox rules." When I say Brahmins are superior, I merely mean that they are generally higher in rank, station or authority. This is actually the primary meaning of the word "superior" (check a dictionary). Without religion, there is no free wil. Understand that the scientific and non-religious views of the world (with a few exceptions) hold that our decisions are based on a perfectly predictable series of collisions and interactions between brain particles. According to this position, there is no free will. If you think that by subscribing to such a flawed and fatalistic worldview people will be better off, then I think most people will disagree with you. Also keep in mind that all so-called "secular" values are actually ones that come from religion. You can claim they are universal but they never existed prior to religion and generally don't exist for many generations outside of religion. Religion has never been a problem for development, this is a myth perpetrated by Marxists and materialists. Most of the wealthier countries in the world are actually not secular. The only ones that are secular tend to be those without a long religious history like Nepal's. Religion is very politicized but it can hardly be said that it is by the Brahmins (in Nepal). People claim to be against the caste system but they are invariably against Brahmins. Thats okay, we are taught to be tolerant but we also have to correct your misconceptions. Most of the official religious ceremonies in Nepal are conducted by non-Brahmins, even the Hindu the ones. Nepali Brahmins have never been strict about this kind of matter. What you don't get is that the caste system is the oldest system that seperates church and state. In Nepal, this is the case and Brahmins basically had no real influence on government until the democracy came about (and it came about mostly because of Brahmins). In those ten years, there was more progress than in hundreds of years before it. Its in fashion to blame the Brahmins for everything but in Nepal its actually the Newars that are far more rigid about this. For instance, only Sakyas and Bajracaryas can recieved anuttarayogatantra initiation. In Buddhist tantras it is said that in this age, these are basically the only teachings that are likely to lead to liberation. This means that in their religion only a elite few can reach liberation and so on. This aside from the fact that it is Buddhist doctrine that only Buddhists can attain liberation. And what have the Brahmins said? We have said that all true paths lead to liberation, it doesn't matter who you were born as, what religion, etc... This kind of openess exists nowhere else - it is a tradition of tolerance that has been misconstrued by fundamentalist secularists.