The Jaganath Temple, Puri

Our hostage gods
Contrary to what various religious heads and self-supposed religious guardians of various world religions would like to believe, their respective revered gods and messengers are not a propriety of their respective religions. They are not an exclusive licensors who have the power to grant people a license to worship their gods, at their damn discretion. Context (among various other examples): In an ancient and revered temple of Puri, non-hindu people, or even converts to hindu religion, are not allowed to enter and offer prayers. Lays too much emphasis on being a hindu by birth, rather being a spiritual or even a religious person! May be the hindu gods there don't like people with dual citizenships of religions ;) Or may be they are the long suffering hostages of the 'religious' bigots, guarding those four temple walls... On a sadder note, this always makes me feel shameful that I am a hindu by birth. It's one of the most revered hindu temples of Lord Vishnu, but I don't think I will ever pay my visits to the gods enclosed and blinded in those four walls there, till this archaic and ugly law stands. And I am not even going to discuss the systemic and unanimous prejudice against women in all major religions, no exceptions, when it comes to many religious privileges being denied to them that are unassumingly available for their male counterparts. Time for people to take control of the situation and release our hostage gods (irrespective of their religion; they all equally need us) from ages of tyranny from 'religious ignorance' of 'religious people'? I don't think in atleast 100 years to come... :(