You make the call -

Which of these pics represent a religion of peace?

This one today representing the commemoration of Gomateshwara by the Jainists of India:


From the Hindustan Times:

Amidst the chanting of hymns and rendering of devotional songs in praise of Bahubali, also known as lord Gomateshwara, hundreds of nude Jain pontiffs and nuns clad in white saris gathered around the imposing statue to perform worship.

About 300,000 people had climbed the 618 stone steps of the picturesque Vindhyagiri hill till late afternoon to participate in the function, organisers told IANS on phone from Shravanabelagola, about 150 km from here.

Slogans like "Bhagwan Bahubali ki jai" rent the air, transforming the entire region with a religious fervour.

After the ritual bathing lasting about two hours, the statue was propitiated with sandalwwod paste, turmeric powder and rice flakes, and decorated with gold and silver coins as well as precious stones amidst showering of flowers.

Or this one yesterday representing the commemoration of Ashoura by a sect of Shiite Muslims?:

From the Houston Chronicle:
In Karbala, about 20,000 men wearing white shrouds and waving swords above their heads began marching around 2 a.m. between the gold-domed Imam Hussein shrine and another dedicated to his brother, Abbas, less than a mile away.

Following dawn prayers, about 8,000 people, dressed in black as a sign of mourning and including children as young as 8, marched between the two shrines to the deep beat of bass drums.

Some slapped chains across their backs until their clothes were soaked with blood, while others beat their heads with the flat side of long swords and knives until blood ran freely in a ritual of grief that was banned under ousted dictator Saddam Hussein.

Some sliced their foreheads with the edge of a sword in a practice known as "al-Tatbeer" — meaning "sword" in Arabic — and beat themselves while chanting "Haider, Haider," a name by which Hussein's father, Ali, is known.

"Although it is a sad day, I am very happy because I took part in these head-beating processions," said 10-year-old Haider Abbas Salim, (ed. note: 10 yrs old!) whose face was covered in blood. "Imam Hussein's martyrdom teaches us manhood and that we shouldn't fear anything."


Hmm. Flower petals and sandalwood or knives and swords? You tell me.