Vedic Dharma does NOT worship cows! Hindus revere cows because they regard all of creation as sacred - whether conscious or inert, whether animal or plant. It is not that Hindus worship cows as deities. Hindus honor cows in gratitude for their generosity, value, and gentleness. The cow is looked upon as a mother, who's milk we drink, who contributes unconditionally, in so many ways, to the daily sustenance of the people in India for ages. A cow is often kept in the village home, a part of the family, like a pet, who's milk is used daily, therefore we don't kill and eat them.
Cow worship, idol worship. etc. are often used to pick on Hindus to demean a religion, to make the followers a target for conversion or killing. They do not want to understand the religion but ignorantly judge it as an illegitimate religion and the practitioners as "non-believers". Someone who's truly a truth seeker will find that Vedic knowledge is so vast, deep, and profound. It is based on universal eternal truths.
Vedic Dharm doesn't have idol worship either, nor do Hindus have many "Gods". There is only one God, and there are many paths to reach God. A lot of people can't focus or meditate on infinite formless consciousness, called "Nirguna", therefore; "Saguna", or focusing on a form to pray to the eternal formless God is accepted for their level of evolution. No one prays to the inanimate idol, it is simply a medium or tool to bring the mind to a single pointed attention on God. All religions degrade, Islam, Christianity, etc., and so does Hinduism, so when people are stuck in the praying through the form of various deities, reformers in all religions come to remind the followers of the true knowledge and values.
Vedic hymns do address the natural elements, called 'Devas', which doesn't translate to "God" or even 'deity' but elemental force. There are so many functions in creation, just like functions in a government body running a country. Each area of creation is managed and sustained by a vibrational force, which is represented in a human form of a 'Devata' for a common man to relate to. Symbols are used to convey the deeper meaning and knowledge. A seeker is told to focus on the elements' underlying powers and not merely their physical aspects. Each element has 'adhibhautik' (physical), 'adhidaivik' (celestial), and 'adhyatmik' (spiritual) significance. Example: 'Agni' signifies fire on the physical plane, purity on the celestial plane, and light of consciousness, or God, on the spiritual plane.
Here's a very nice article by a child in the US on this topic:
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1536
Cow worship, idol worship. etc. are often used to pick on Hindus to demean a religion, to make the followers a target for conversion or killing. They do not want to understand the religion but ignorantly judge it as an illegitimate religion and the practitioners as "non-believers". Someone who's truly a truth seeker will find that Vedic knowledge is so vast, deep, and profound. It is based on universal eternal truths.
Vedic Dharm doesn't have idol worship either, nor do Hindus have many "Gods". There is only one God, and there are many paths to reach God. A lot of people can't focus or meditate on infinite formless consciousness, called "Nirguna", therefore; "Saguna", or focusing on a form to pray to the eternal formless God is accepted for their level of evolution. No one prays to the inanimate idol, it is simply a medium or tool to bring the mind to a single pointed attention on God. All religions degrade, Islam, Christianity, etc., and so does Hinduism, so when people are stuck in the praying through the form of various deities, reformers in all religions come to remind the followers of the true knowledge and values.
Vedic hymns do address the natural elements, called 'Devas', which doesn't translate to "God" or even 'deity' but elemental force. There are so many functions in creation, just like functions in a government body running a country. Each area of creation is managed and sustained by a vibrational force, which is represented in a human form of a 'Devata' for a common man to relate to. Symbols are used to convey the deeper meaning and knowledge. A seeker is told to focus on the elements' underlying powers and not merely their physical aspects. Each element has 'adhibhautik' (physical), 'adhidaivik' (celestial), and 'adhyatmik' (spiritual) significance. Example: 'Agni' signifies fire on the physical plane, purity on the celestial plane, and light of consciousness, or God, on the spiritual plane.
Here's a very nice article by a child in the US on this topic:
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=1536
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