God of Taboos

Taboos are cousins of superstitions, and in the modern world we would think there is nothing that can strictly be called a taboo. What had been a taboo for several centuries is an accepted fact, but whether we like it or not, taboos are tied to our personality and our upbringing. And to make things worse, what is a taboo in one country is not so in another, and one is left to wonder whether to consider it as a taboo or not.

Certain words are considered taboo words, and we would not utter them, even if we were to die. And if we consider them carefully there are many such words; for instance, inner clothes and genitals are considered 'bad' words, and we would go all the way to find some other soft words to imply to them. We have grouped them under taboo terms, and even those who have studied science would hesitate to use these words. Is there not something for us to think if this is really going to help us look forward?

Tribal communities are known to be holding on to certain taboos; for instance, for each of the sept, there will be one particular animal whose meat they cannot eat, and one particular tree, which they cannot fell, because they are related to the sept by blood. Thank God for this taboos, among the tribals, still we have most of the trees intact. But times are fast changing, and soon there will be too few tribals who would be honoring their ageold taboos, and protect flora and fauna at least within their localities.

There are still social and cultural taboos; in the Indian society, it is a taboo for the woman to even touch a plough; similarly it is a taboo for men to fetch water from the well. But the number of taboos are fast disappearing, and soon we may come to a situation, when it will be quite hard to explain to the then generations what a taboo is.

God is not spared from these taboos; there are certain names of God, which are considered taboos, and therefore we have to find other words to explain the same. The four letter Hebrew word for God has been considered a taboo word, and in order to respect the sentiments of Jews in abstaining from pronouncing the word, the Catholic Church has instructed her children to that effect. And yet behind all the taboos, one will be able to seek and find the 'God of taboos'.