Nepal declares girl new living goddess 3-year-old will be worshipped as incarnation of the Hindu deity Taleju The Associated Press updated 12:42 p.m. ET, Tues., Oct. 7, 2008 KATMANDU, Nepal - Hindu and Buddhist priests chanted sacred hymns and cascaded flowers and grains of rice over a 3-year-old girl who was appointed a living goddess in Nepal on Tuesday. Wrapped in red silk and adorned with red flowers in her hair, Matani Shakya received approval from the priests and President Ram Baran Yadav in a centuries-old tradition with deep ties to Nepal's monarchy, which was abolished in May. The new "kumari" or living goddess, was carried from her parents' home to an ancient palatial temple in the heart of the Nepali capital, Katmandu, where she will live until she reaches puberty and loses her divine status. She will be worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists as an incarnation of the powerful Hindu deity Taleju. A panel of judges conducted a series of ancient ceremonies to select the goddess from several 2- to 4-year-old girls who are all members of the impoverished Shakya goldsmith caste. The judges read the candidates' horoscopes and check each one for physical imperfections. The living goddess must have perfect hair, eyes, teeth and skin with no scars, and should not be afraid of the dark. As a final test, the living goddess must spend a night alone in a room among the heads of ritually slaughtered goats and buffaloes without showing fear. Father is sad, proud Having passed all the tests, the child will stay in almost complete isolation at the temple, and will be allowed to return to her family only at the onset of menstruation when a new goddess will be named to replace her. "I feel a bit sad, but since my child has become a living goddess I feel proud," said her father Pratap Man Shakya. During her time as a goddess, she will always wear red, pin up her hair in topknots, and have a "third eye" painted on her forehead. Devotees touch the girls' feet with their foreheads, the highest sign of respect among Hindus in Nepal. During religious festivals the goddesses are wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees. Critics say the tradition violates both international and Nepalese laws on child rights. The girls often struggle to readjust to normal lives after they return home. Nepalese folklore holds that men who marry a former kumari will die young, and so many girls remain unmarried and face a life of hardship

. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Now imagine if this was a muslim custom, what the media and likes of Hurricane would have done.

I don't care if it's not muslim - that's TOTALLY Fucked up! But who are we, as americans to say what's acceptable??

Do you really think we as Americans have the responsibility to tell the rest of the world which religious practices are divine and which ones are evil ?.

The next thing I know you will be telling the Catholic Church that they should let their priest marry. Maybe we should tell the Jews that they should not be circum... their boy babies. What about Chrstian Scientist.... ?

Just a tongue in cheek observation on Catholic priests. There has been activism within the Church for many years to allow the priests to marry. People are sexual creatures, and to abstain from normal biological urges among the the priesthood and among the nuns has probably been a contributing factor for much of the sexual abuse reported within the ranks of the faith.

The Old Testament vever displayed the rabid sanctions found against sex in the New Testament. Jesus himeslf had to have been sexually repressed, for he often preached against it. Though he did show tolerance for the behavior of people, and did say that if one could not remain chaste, it was better to marry,

Many of the hang ups against sex came from the writings of Paul, who had to have been in serious need of a piece of ass. Totally repressed individual there. So much so in fact he even abandoned his wife and children, and his subsequent family responsibilities to spread the Gospel.

Something I'm not sure Jesus would have approved of.

Religiously imposed sexual taboos are the strangest of all customs. They lead to sexually repressed feelings, which often manifest themselves in an unwanted, violent forceful manner upon others.

Rob says that what goes on in the bedroom between two willing parteners should not be a concern to anyone, to include the Lord.

That is as long as the wife, who scares me more than the Lord does, doesn't object.

unebug - did you even read what i typed?? I said "who are we to decide what is acceptable" DUH. don't rant at me when I said pretty much the same thing you did.