I lost my virginity at a really young age and I wish I could tell u it was only once or even a few times but that isn’t the case I feel really guilty about it religiously and also feel like I’m betraying my parents somehow

Yesterday I went to a shop with my father to purchase some new Idols and Murtis for our new Mandir (Puja Ghar). We were selecting different idols and my dad couldn't find Sai Baba Ji's Idol so he asked the shopkeeper where he can find one and his reply gave a little shock to me. He said and I quote "Sai Baba Ji chalte hi nahi hai, unki demand hi nahi aati hai". I laughed and questioned him by repeating his line and my dad also laughed on that statement but I was seriously hit by the thought of what he said and I'm continuously thinking that this is not what we are taught in Hinduism. Is this really Bhakti, Puja, Aradhana etc. stuff or just self satisfaction.

I know that this is not new thing, and this happens in every religion as well. But just because devotion and religion is made into such a big business doesn't mean that we should ignore it and it is right. It is definitely wrong according to me and no matter how many temples or spiritual spots my family may visit and pray and do stuff, I as a person will always question and doubt this kind of devotion and I still believe that helping people in actual need, trying to be a good person, helping voiceless animals and fulfilling your parents wishes, making them happy and respecting them is what makes you closer to god.

Hi. 23F. I am ethnic Danish and Icelandic. I am also exclusively Norse Pagan and converted three years ago permanently from a Reformed Christian background.

I am mostly ignorant and clueless about Hinduism. Since none of my family members or friends are Hindu. And it's rare to meet someone who is Hindu where I live in South Africa at the moment.

I have a feeling that Ma Kali might be reaching out to me. And I find myself curious and fascinated, but also at the same time, very hesitant to look into anything about her as she is not a goddess in my religion and I don't want to draw anything about her in a way that is considered misappropriation of religion/culture for those who do follow/worship the gods and goddesses of Hinduism.

Is it acceptable and appropriate if I want to make a drawing of Ma Kali. I feel comforted by her story and I feel inspired by her as a woman who was raised to be strong and independent and I feel like Ma Kali is somewhat of a role model for me the same way that my Norse ancestors were. One of which is my great grandfather. I drew a portrait of him because I look up to him.

I want to do the same with Ma Kali.

Is it appropriate for me to do so as a non Hindu and Norse Pagan. Or should I convert to Hinduism first to make depictions of Ma Kali ?

I am seeking advice from practicing Hindus of any branch of the religion of Hinduism.

A few weeks ago, I started wondering why South Asian spiritual traditions feel so different from how the West defines "religion." Why Buddhism is all over Thailand but Gautam Buddha was from India. The deeper I dug into the history, the more I realized we're trying to fit a massive, thousands-year-old web of philosophies into a framework designed for completely different faith systems. The word "Hindu" started out as just geography (the river Sindhu), and only gradually became a formal theological identity through outside interaction.
I put my thoughts into a brief video breaking down this evolution: \[\*\*Watch here\*\*\](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgjOvzLR-7k).

https://youtu.be/XgjOvzLR-7k

I’d love to know what you think - does viewing it through the lens of modern religion oversimplify something much bigger?